Introduce Yourself.

[Darrell]

Welcome to the friendliest Bulletin Board this side of Riedqaut! And all the best for 2023, for you and yours.

Hope you can get your computer sorted out. Is it just the graphics?

Hi Cholmondely, many thanks same to you and yours.

The problem is that it's not starting from the Start Menu icon. I've tried making a desktop shortcut and it won't start form there either. I've tried the recommendations for Vista (despite mine being Windows 7), i.e. installing it somewhere other than the C:/Oolite folder but no luck there.

I'll have a read of your PM and look at Cody's recommendation above.

Many thanks.

Darrell.

If you can get Oolite started at all, you might find it worth-while downloading LogEvents (under Miscellaneous OXP's in the in-game Expansions Manager). It adds more information to your latest.log (which even if irrelevant now, may well prove invaluable for sorting out problems in the future).

I don't see how your graphics card could be related to your problems, but I'm just a dumb pilot...

Haha. No, I'm not sure it's the graphics card either, it happily runs MS Flight Sim, no problem. Although I have had problems with the VTOL exhaust nozzles on the Harrier GR3 but that's another story...

Latest.log is only showing:

"Opening log for Oolite version 1.90 (x86-64) under Windows 6.1.7600 64-bit at 2023-01-03 17:58:25 +0000.
Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 380 @ 2.53GHz 4 processors detected.
Build options: OpenAL, new planets.

Note that the contents of the log file can be adjusted by editing logcontrol.plist.

17:58:26.009 [dataCache.notFound]: No data cache found, starting from scratch.
17:58:26.155 [display.mode.list.native]: Windows native resolution detected: 1366 x 768"

Which means nothing to me (Oh Vienna).

[Switeck]

End of your log happens at a really bad point.
Here's mine in the same spot:

01:09:12.459 [display.mode.list.native]: Windows native resolution detected: 1920 x 1080
01:09:14.933 [joystick.init]: Number of joysticks detected: 0
01:09:14.934 [rendering.opengl.version]: OpenGL renderer version: 3.3.0 ("3.3.0"). Vendor: "NVIDIA Corporation". Renderer: "GeForce GTS 250/PCIe/SSE2".
01:09:14.934 [rendering.opengl.extensions]: OpenGL extensions (238):

Now I doubt you have a joystick, but your Oolite failed to even check for that.

The next line is the detection of what level of OpenGL support your computer has... or rather the graphics card has.
If I had to guess, your on-board video card doesn't support OpenGL to any degree?
...And Oolite crashes even trying to detect that?

[Redspear]

Which means nothing to me (Oh Vienna).

Hi Darrell and welcome

Not sure what's going wrong there.

"dataCache.notFound" could simply be because it's a new game (no save games present).
If that's the case then the log doesn't appear to be showing any errors.

The problem is that it's not starting from the Start Menu icon. I've tried making a desktop shortcut and it won't start form there either

Have you got is started via simple file navigation (i.e. clicking on oolite.exe)?

Again, perhaps stating the obvious, if you can get it to work from there then it may be a simple issue of the icon/shortcut no longer finding the correct file due to some mix up either during or subsequent to installation???

[Cody]

If I had to guess, your on-board video card doesn't support OpenGL to any degree?

That'd be my thinking too (though my thinking ain't too hot these days). It's possible that later/latest drivers may support OpenGL - possibly!

I don't have time at the moment to go digging into intel's ark/site or google for a solution.

[Cody]

Done some digging, and it might be bad news, Darrell. It's possible that your i3 m380 simply doesn't support OpenGL (old intel processors were known for terrible OpenGL support). This page could help, but it gets complicated, and you might have to run the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant there.

Warning: such tinkering can have unexpected/undesirable results!

[Darrell]

Wow, this really is the friendliest Bulletin Board this side of Riedqaut!

Yes, I wondered if the "dataCache.notFound" report might just be due to no game being previously played, hence no cached items. I did have a joystick hooked up (I'd been playing the flight sim to check that was still working) but that wasn't even recognised. I have a feeling Oolite is looking for something fundamental that my laptop is missing. I wondered if the supposed 4GB RAM was eaten up by other stuff running in the background, and therefore not enough RAM to allow Oolite to fire up. So I shut everything down and saw that ~2GB of RAM was being used. Which should still leave me in excess of the 1GB RAM that the website states Oolite requires as a minimum. Interestingly, right now I have my Firefox browser open with three tabs running and I can see from the Task Manager that 3.2GB of RAM is being used! My niece suggested I get an additional memory card and up the RAM to 8GB, that may just be a good idea anyway, regardless of Oolite...

I tried what Redspear suggested and went into the C:/Oolite/oolite.app folder and found the oolite.exe file but it won't start from there either. I'll try again after I've shut all other applicaitons down, so I have a clear 1GB+ RAM available...

I tried updating the Intel HD GRaphics driver from the Device Manager window and it told me that: "Windows has determined the driver software for your device is up to date." I'll have a look at your link Cody (thanks!) and see what I can see. Unfortunately, what with my laptop being 12 years old now, it may just not be up to snuff.

Many thanks for all your advice, suggestions and help!

[Cody]

My niece suggested I get an additional memory card and up the RAM to 8GB, that may just be a good idea anyway...

On a 12 year old laptop? Good luck with that! Tell your niece to put her hand in her pocket, and buy you a new laptop.

[Darrell]

My niece suggested I get an additional memory card and up the RAM to 8GB, that may just be a good idea anyway...

On a 12 year old laptop? Good luck with that! Tell your niece to put her hand in her pocket, and buy you a new laptop.

Haha. Actually, I popped the back off this afternoon and there is indeed a spare slot for another memory card. Yeah, I was shocked too!

I may run your idea about her buying me a new laptop past her though.

[Darrell]

Surprising update. In a fit of desparation, I tried installing Oolite on an old 2008 Vista desktop (since 'upgraded' to WIndows 7), similar processor speed and RAM to the laptop but it has an ATI Ratheon HD 2400 PRO graphics card in it: Hey Presto, it works! So it was indeed the graphics card (or lack thereof).

So I'm going to get back and finish the pilot tutorial I started, before my rating on here plummets from 'poor' to 'downright irritating'.

Thanks again for the help everyone, it's much appreciated.

Darrell.

[Cholmondely]

Surprising update. In a fit of desparation, I tried installing Oolite on an old 2008 Vista desktop (since 'upgraded' to WIndows 7), similar processor speed and RAM to the laptop but it has an ATI Ratheon HD 2400 PRO graphics card in it: Hey Presto, it works! So it was indeed the graphics card (or lack thereof).

So I'm going to get back and finish the pilot tutorial I started, before my rating on here plummets from 'poor' to 'downright irritating'.

Thanks again for the help everyone, it's much appreciated.

Darrell.

Nope. Not "poor". Not "downright irritating". You have now climbed the greasy pole to the dizzy heights of being "average" - congratulations! More important - enjoy! Here's hoping you enjoy your Oolite as much as the rest of us do!

[Cody]

Cool! Welcome to the Ooniverse, Commander! ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO Catalyst drivers here (if needed).

[Cholmondely]

I'll have a read of your PM...

Apologies - I think that these got left out of my PM:

The wiki is an invaluable source of knowledge and should be able to answer most of your questions. There are also the OoliteRS reference sheets - stashed away in the entrails of your computer when you downloaded the game... - well worth printing out if you are unfamiliar with things... Also lurking there is Mr Gimlet, some sage advice for a new Jameson from the Dockmaster at Lave station.

There's a lot of Oolite fiction if you like that sort of thing! Click here and explore! Stories are written from one of at least two possible perspectives (syncretist or purist)- as are many of the game's oxp's!

Major oxp's not on the in-game Expansions Manager
Activities
*First Finance OXP - start the game with a loan which paid for your ship!
*Hermitage - start the game with your very own Rock Hermit!

Ambience
*Contextual Jukebox OXP - plays music in-game which changes depending on your in-game situation (in red alert, close to the orbital station etc.)
*Povray Planets - individual detailed textures for the primary planet in every system

Equipment & Weapons
*Military Targeting System - automatically "targets" things for you
*Railgun: a different weapon which requires recharging

Ships
*Lazarus: scooped Thargons might come back to life and blast their way out of your cargo hold!

Systems
*Galactic Navy - with its more recent additions - Join the Navy! 14 navy stations in each galaxy, navy ships (add in Behemoth from the in-game Expansions Manager) and missions. Library OXP will update your PAD with details of your naval career.
*Factions - interfactional warfare in Multi-Government systems which you can join in with

And now for something completely different
SOTL Exploration: an exploration game in its own universe.

[Redspear]

Hey Presto, it works!

Awesome

[Darrell]

Cool! Welcome to the Ooniverse, Commander! ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO Catalyst drivers here (if needed).

Well, I've spent a few evenings wrestling with the controls of my Cobra Mk III: "Dubious Competence IV" over the past week: Great fun! Although I'd forgotten (from Elite) how difficult actually making any money without being blown out of the sky or ejecting half my cargo was. Eek! Looks like I'm going to have to study Mr Gimlet's advice in great detail.

[Cody]

I'd forgotten (from Elite) how difficult actually making any money without being blown out of the sky or ejecting half my cargo was.

Oolite is a tad tougher than classic Elite - you gotta be careful out there!