My PC restarts (Help!)

Neverwinter Nights 2
1

Hello everybody,

I have a problem with NWN2. Despite my PC is enough powerful to run games in 4k such as Battlefront 2, Witcher 3, Mass Effect Andromeda or play Star Citizen without any drop in FPS, it does not run properly with Neverwinter Nights 2.

My PC literally crashes in some areas of this game. Usually it does not happen, but yesterday I was in a small area with different cloud/mist effects and water and it could not stop restarting every 15 minutes… I even play without shadows, which makes me sad, as I love shadows in this game.

My PC has a Nvidia GeForce 1060 GTX and an Intel Core I5 7600K. I have 24 GB of RAM and, for this game, I am using an M.2 SSD of 1 TB. My power supply might be old, but it is a 700w unit. I use Windows 10 pro. I already erased and reinstalled everything.

Everytime it restarts, the event manager shows a Kernel power problem. I have run tests on my PC for checking if there is a problem of stress and energy supply. None of them showed any problem.

At the very beginning, it was impossible to play, but after installing some old drivers and resetting some options from Nvidia Panel for this game, I could make it stable. Generally it is, but yesterday I was on an RPG scene with others and it was impossible to play.

Does any of you know how to help me, please?

Thank very much.

Sestum.

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2

I’m working on a module right now and sadly I also have some CTD from time to time. It seems to happen in areas that are large and tough for the game to handle. My guess is it has nothing to do with the computer but how the game is an old 32 bit game, and I suspect there are memory leaks when playing this game (but I don’t really know the technicalities of this stuff).

Do you have the Client Extension installed? If you play on PWs (which I’ve never done) it is apparently essential for the game to run smoothly (at least that’s what I’ve been told). The Client Extension works on my main PC (and it really improves the smoothness of the game) but on my laptop it crashes NWN2, that’s why I have personally not used it much.

3

Hello hello!

On my desk PC I use the client extension, yes. It makes it work perfectly (except for the restarts). On my laptop, which is quite similar to my PC, the game runs without the client extension.

I will check to go back that place with the client and without it. But as far as I remember, the game crashed in both ways.

I will keep you updated.

Thank you very much!

Sestum.

4

Oh, that doesn’t sound good. Then I don’t know what else you could do honestly.

Well, of course there’s the restart of Windows. You have to do that from time to time with NWN2 (it’s weird, I know), but that hasn’t solved crashes for me, only that the game runs more smoothly.

By the way, have you checked out this thread?

Also you could check this:

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5

i once had a custom metatile created which always rebooted my pc after a few minutes of running around in. never found out why this was happening, but after turning on vsync nwn2 was stable again. if not enabled, try turning on vsync. perhaps this helps.

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That sounds interesting, but I can’t seem to find it in the Options menu. The only thing I find is the Wait for Vertical Sync. Is that what you mean perhaps?

7

HI Sestum
it will be easier to help you if you are more specific.
When do you get this problem?

So what can you try
try a client-side extension (usually solves most of the problems)
try to update the video card driver
and maybe check sound drivers

And links to what you may have come across (I guess)

NWN2 Sound Crash Issues (Toolset & Possibly In Game) - (RESOLVED)

maybe help(find in google_
1/
(Error-checking & defragging your HDDs.
Using the original executables.
Disabling any & all mods.
Post for help on the Bio BB.)
2/
Try disabling EAX (environmental sounds) before transitioning areas. That cut the incidence down from crashing 2 out of 3 times to more like 1 out of 10 or 20, which was much more manageable.

describe your problem and search in Google and on YouTube
like so
Google : NWN2-- constant crashing during combat

and most often users encountered this problem and
it has already been decided.

Good luck with your search.

1 Like
8

yes, that’s the one i am talking about.

9

Hello hello!

Thank you everyone for your answers. I will answer in order.

About Client extension: I have returned to the area (many VFX together) without the client extension. Result: Instant restart of PC.

About V-Sync: I have it activated as I read long ago it helps modern hardware to work better on this game. Without it, it also happens.

Sound crash issues: I created an area similar to that in which I was crashing constantly. It had no sounds. Result: The PC restarted too.

The link to " Just Had The Weirdest NWN2 Toolset Issue (A Solution)": The area was sized 8x8. Result: The PC restarted aswell.

lord_XD question: “when do you ger this problem?” Everytime I enter in certain areas in which there are many hungry visual effects (such as two or three fogs together) or many shadow playing (when you place a light inside a thayan lamp, it looks amazing but restarts my pc).

Use client extension. Result: It restarts too.

Video drivers update: They are always updated through GeForce Experience.

Sound drivers: Where are them?

" NWN2-- constant crashing during combat, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com": I have reduced my sound quality to minimum. Result: It restarted too.

" Crash issue :: Neverwinter Nights 2: Platinum General Discussions ": They reduced resolution. Result: I changed to the next lower resolution. It took longer to restart, a few seconds more, but it restarted once I moved on fullscreen.

" NWN2 - Crash after starting new campaign or loading saved game, page 1 - Forum…": In this case they erased override folder from game directory. REsult: It restarts too.

UP TO THIS POINT: I might be paranoid, but I always listen a sort of electric buzz when it restarts, could it be the power supply malfunctioning when the graphic card demands more power? If that is the case, why does not it happen with other games in 4k?

" (Solved)Game crashing constantly after 5-10 minutes :: Neverwinter Nights:…": Change NWNplayer.ini information an compatibility mode. I choose Windowds XP SP3. Result: The client extension does not work in compatibility mode. The PC crashed despite the nwnplayer.ini modification.

" Do ur game crash? :: Neverwinter Nights 2: Platinum General Discussions ". I already use game extension.

" NWN2 Win 10 FCU (silent) crash on exit, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com" They are arguing… But, about this topic, I conclude my problem is not a driver base one as it does not happen always, but sometimes in some areas (in this area, always).

" NWN2 Crashes when I hit Windows Home key, page 1 - Forum - GOG.com" The advice is to go back to windows 7 which is not the solution. One of my gamemates has Win 10 home (I have pro) and same graphic card and he plays smoothly without restarts.

" r/neverwinternights - [NWN2]Terrible performance on high end system". The problem is unresolved. Notwithstanding, they suggest to play with the options of Nvidia Panel for the game. I already did it, because before this, the game was constantly constantly restarting the PC. Now it is only in some areas with water, fog and light.

" tep-by-Step common fixes for NWN Crashing/Freezing/Graphic wierdness". It gives a common 10 tips for fixing problems. I have already tried everything except the specific things for their server and NWN1.

About the soudn problems, as I said, the area which I am using for testing has been deprived of any sound effect, music and ambient sound. It has only graphic special effects on it and water, and it is an interior. I have nothing installed related to Nero or Cyberlink.

The last part, "maybe help(find in google_
1/
(Error-checking & defragging your HDDs.
Using the original executables.
Disabling any & all mods.
Post for help on the Bio BB.)
2/
Try disabling EAX (environmental sounds) before transitioning areas. That cut the incidence down from crashing 2 out of 3 times to more like 1 out of 10 or 20, which was much more manageable.

describe your problem and search in Google and on YouTube
like so
Google : NWN2-- constant crashing during combat

and most often users encountered this problem and
it has already been decided.

Good luck with your search."

I have searched through Google and Youtube extensively. I have found no one with this problem. Just a guy whose brother had the same PC-build he had and just one of them had the problem.

I will buy a new power supply unit this week and I will try, just in case this could be the problem. Notwithstanding, I run the test a week ago and nothing went wrong.

Thank you everyone, I will keep you informed!

Sestum

1 Like
10

new power supply is a good idea :)

but im wondering if your comp might be overheating… CPU or vidcard or smthg. Nwn2 is quite a stress-test on video (moreso than newer, better looking graphics – due to changing standards and lack of optimization at the time)

11

@Sestum

Do you use any other CODECs on your computer for video editing? I found that some CODECs conflicted with the NWN2 setup and could crash the game. I know you said that you tested an area without any sounds, but maybe there are still potential sound CODEC conflicts remaining somewhere?

Some graphic special effects also use sounds, and were also the ones I found conflicted most with some of my CODECs. Furthermore, although my CODECs were related to some Nero products, you may also have installed additional CODECs via other software or hardware.

To test your sound drivers fully (which I recommend), you should DISABLE your sound card driver and try to run the game then. Go to Device Manager and select your sound hardware devices and choose “disable” for each one, then restart and test your game … See image below as a guide. NB: Do NOT restart your computer until after testing, otherwise the devices just re-enable.

image
image1004×915 245 KB

ALSO, do this as a standard debug test …

  1. Start with a small interior area with nothing in at all … Test. Does that work?
  2. Add objects one at a time (and test) until you find the culprit.

If after adding a special effect crashes the game, then you have found your issue, which may need further testing. E.g. In my own tests, I discovered the water elemental creature crashed my game. (I also discovered the flame effect crashed my game.) Both of these objects related to visual special effects with sounds. At this point, I still did not know it was the sound side only that was the issue. And it was not until many months later until I realised that only certain sound file formats were affected, which turned out to have been conflicting with CODECs I had installed elsewhere, apparently unrelated.

Lastly, can you upload a test area that crashed for you that others can double check for you? Just in case something is corrupting the file on your hard drive. i.e. The “electric buzz” you hear may be your computer trying to access a bad sector on your hard drive and giving up with a reboot.

Also, I would recommend holding fire on buying any new hardware until doing further tests, as the issue sounds rather NWN2 specific. If you had been having issues while playing other games, then maybe … but as you are having the problem on even just a basic area design, then I think it is less likely at this stage. Not impossible, just less likely.

Thanks, Lance.

P.S. When my own PC crashed with sound issues, I heard a brief “sound issue” which is what eventually pointed me to consider sound issues. Maybe the “electric buzz” you hear is another aspect of the same problem? What is the graphic special effect you are using?

12

Hello hello!

Regarding the CODECs I have installed, I have found this list:

image
image877×554 36.2 KB

First group are Audio CODECs and second group are video CODECs. I assume they are standard for any Windows 10 installation.

I tried to play the area, as you said, disabling the sound drivers fully, not just Realtek, but also Nvidia and AC interface. Result: The PC restarted as before.

I have to say that I had this problem before and after fully reinstalling a clean version of windows (I erased all hard disks and reinstalled everything). The game shown the same behaviour before and after the reinstallation.

About the hard disk not working properly I have 4. I have tested the game on all of them, even intalling Windows firstly in one of the SSD and lastly in the last I bought a few months ago.

The area is a standard interior cave with many special effects. As I develop some areas for a spanish server, let me recreate the area without all our haks and I will upload it (it is fully vanilla, but this way we test the same thing) once I end the test you told me (adding a special effect one after the other).

I will keep you informed.

Thank you very much!!

Sestum.

13

@Sestum,

Just to be clear … Is it just the one area that is causing the crash? i.e. Do other areas NOT crash?

If so, which special effects are you using for this area? A list?

Let me know if and when you have a downloadable area to test.

Thanks.

EDIT: If you have too many special effects that come with sounds, it would not surprise me if that crashed your PC. i.e. I found the VFX with sounds a bit temperamental altogether. As a workaround, you could possibly remove the sound component from a VFX and seehow the game responds then.

14

Hello hello…

This is the weirdest thing I have came into… I was recreating the area, adding VFX one by one… It does not crash now. I came back to the area I created, just in case it was the module. It did not crash.

As I cannot recreate the problem, I will ask the admin of the server I play in if he can send me some areas I know ALWAYS crash my PC, just to check if the problem remains.

I will keep you informed, I do not understand anything.

It was only this area and a few more, only this game and the visual effects list is as follows:
Area 8x8, standard cave, 4x4 mapped, water at 0,5 height.
Visual effects added: fog aqua, fog green, butterflies blue, 4 bug swarn, 4 dragonfly, altar glow, spirit trap fog, arcane nexus, water leak tall, fog white, light (vanilla), containtment barrier, will o-wisp green, spring hot steam, rain heavy only splash (x2), oku den fog, astral clouds, black cloud, fog yellow, 2 blood stain 02, blood wall, color pools, falling leaves gold, fallind leaves green, fog, spirit trap barrier, water wall large, 2 windows beam…

It has not crashed now. I will check other areas and I will tell you.

Thank you.

Sestum

Edit: It has just crashed again and, when Windows started again, I had a nice bluescreen telling me that Windows was not initiating properly.

1 Like
15

Great news! :+1:

I also just recalled another thing that will crash an area - Double check that you do not have an object OUTSIDE the working area by mistake.

This can sometimes happen when you place an object - It can suddenly disappear and you just ignore the incident, but it has dropped outside the workable area and causes issues. To locate such an issue, you must click on the individual area objects (in the pane) until it highlights an object outside an area.

However, unless you can load an area in the first place, you will be unable to check this. I believe, however, there are utils out there where you can cut the area into parts (I had to do this and also got help from others to do this), and then was able to reload the various sections until I located the dodgy object.

As I say, great news!

Make sure you SAVE any area updates to different areas to allow you to go back to see if you can narrow down the issue further. i.e. Make a copy of an area before updating, and testing.

This also sounds like a potential MEMORY issue, if the toolset is reaching maximum it may appear to work initially, then bomb out and crash when continue working or reloading. Sometimes, it may even reload from a fresh computer boot and initial reload, but will be prone to crashing again.

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16

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!!

I SOLVED THIS!!! The problem was my PSU. Somehow, it passed all tests, but not NWN2. I changed it to a new one, more efficient and smaller. Now it runs smooth like baby ass.

Thank you everyone for your kindness.

Hugs!

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