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Sins of a Solar Empire Technical FAQ

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Sins of a Solar Empire Technical FAQ

You have problems? Read here first

from Sins Forums

You've got Sins of a Solar Empire home. You've installed it and you go to play and POW. Something goes wrong! What the heck? Look in here to see if your issue is addressed. If not, make a post and we'll do our best to help you out!

 

 

  • My multiplayer games keep crashing!
    •

Almost all of the crash reports we've received in this regard were caused by some of the players using Mods that the other players weren't. If you're going to use Mods in a multiplayer game, either all players must use the same Mod (and version) or no Mods can be used. Otherwise this will create stability issues and de-sync problems the longer you play.

  • My game is crashing for another reason...

If you had the game installed on your PC previously (i.e., during the beta), you must uninstall it before installing the final game.

  • I have an NVIDIA card and my game or video driver keeps crashing!

NVIDIA has resolved this issue as of driver version 174. Check NVIDIA's website for the latest version (if you have a laptop and the OEM does not have the latest version, try laptopvideo2go.com instead).

  • Where are the files kept for Sins of a Solar Empire (such as screenshots and such?)

Vista:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\

XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\

Please note these directories may be Hidden by default. To unhide them, go to your Control Panel -> Folder Options -> View and set yourself to view hidden files and folders.

Note: If you're running the game through Stardock Central under Windows Vista, it will save your game settings under an Admin folder:  C:\Users\ADMIN_NAME\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\

We are working to correct this behavior. 

  • Why does the direct digital download version cost $5 more than game costs at the store?

The direct version is the Collector's Edition which includes additional non-game content such as a music CD (which you can download), PDF files of maps and tech trees, and a Windows theme.

  • Where is my Sins settings file found?

This file is located at:

Vista:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting\user.setting

XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting\user.setting

Please note these directories may be Hidden by default. To unhide them, go to your Control Panel -> Folder Options -> View and set yourself to view hidden files and folders.

  • The game blue screens or I get video corruption when I play.

Make sure you have the latest drivers for your video and sound card. This is particularly important if you have an older video card. The game will have problems on outdated drivers.

  • The game crashes in Vista.

This could be due to a known Vista bug which can be addressed here: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=940105

  • How can I open my settings file if I need to change something?

You can open this and most Sins files with a simple text editor such as Notepad. We strongly recommend against using programs like Microsoft Word, however, as they introduce their own hidden formatting elements that may cause crashes.

  • My game has crashed and told me it saved a "minidump" file. What do I do?

Please open Windows Explorer to the location below and see if your dump file is there.

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp\Sins Dump

Vista: C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp\Sins Dump

If there is a minidump file present, please zip it up along with a copy of a dxdiag from your PC and a description of what you were doing when it occurred to support(at)ironcladgames(dot)com. Please note that you must provide your Sins of a Solar Empire serial number in your email to receive support (anti-piracy measure).

  • My game has a bug, what do I do?

You can send the save and/or recorded game that recreates the bug along with a description of how it occurred to us. Using the info above, locate the save/recorded game and compress it into either .zip or .rar format, then email it to us at support(at)ironcladgames(dot)com. Please note that you must provide your Sins of a Solar Empire serial number in your email to receive support (anti-piracy measure).

  • I try to start Sins but I get an "Audio Engine Failed To Initialize" error.

This is an indication that your sound card drivers are out-of-date, that you don't have a sound card, or that you don't have any speakers connected (Vista). Please try installing a valid, up-to-date sound driver for your system. A sound card is required to play the game.

  • I try to start Sins but the screen is a mess of color or is black and never loads the game.

Possible solutions:

  1. Try turning off movies in the user.setting by changing ShowIntroMovies TRUE to ShowIntroMovies FALSE.
  2. Try manually changing the resolution of the game in user.setting by changing the values associated with WINDOWEDWIDTH and WINDOWEDHEIGHT.
  3. Try manually changing the MULTISAMPLETYPE setting to a value between 0 and 4 in the user.setting file.
  4. Try updating your sound card drivers to their latest version (this is especially important on brand new machines).
  5. Make sure you video drivers are up to date.
  6. Make sure you have the latest DirectX 9c.
  7. Try manually reducing all your texture levels in user.setting (set them to 0 for the lowest setting).
  8. Try updating to the latest version of Sins using Stardock Central.
  9. Try running in windowed mode (ISWINDOWED FALSE to TRUE) also set in user.setting.
  10. Try reinstalling Sins (make sure you uninstall and manually delete anything that might have been left over)
  11. Try changing the game resolution to the same resolution as your desktop.
  • I can't connect to Ironclad Online (ICO) or any LAN games.

Make sure your software firewall (including the Windows Firewall) has not blocked Sins of a Solar Empire. With some firewalls it may appear that Sins has frozen, as the firewall is waiting to receive confirmation to proceed. You may need to exit Sins and restart the game in Windowed mode (IsWindowed in user.setting) in order to get around the firewall's pop-up. Alternatively, you could configure your firewall prior to starting Sins. You also have to be able to connect to both port 6000 and port 7000 on ICO.

  • Sins won't continue when I try to host a multiplayer game.

Your TCP/IP or Winsock settings could be corrupted. To confirm this, turn on logging (using the instructions above) and attempt to host a game again. If your log file is filled with "Socket'ServerAcceptedSocket0' failed recv: An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket." then this is most likely the problem.

The solution to fixing your corrupted settings can be found here.

  • Other players aren't able to connect to the game I'm hosting.

As of version 1.11, Sins uses Alloy by default so no one should have problems hosting. However, if you choose to disable Alloy in the online hosting options, the following is how to make sure you are capable of hosting. (Note that in some situations you won't have the rights to the make the following changes and Alloy is your best bet - this is typical of tight corporate networks or a university campus situation).

Your user.setting file has an entry for GameHostPort (default is 6112). Make sure your router has this Port Forwarded to your computer's IP address or has UPnP enabled. If you use Port Forwarding, it's important that you set your PC to have a static IP address to maintain your settings.

XP
C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting

Vista
C:\Users\yourname\AppData\Local\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting

All computers behind a router should have their own unique GameHostPort setup in case the original host leaves and a new host for the game is needed. Be sure to restart your game after changing these settings. Keep in mind these are NOT the ICO ports of 6000 and 7000 (see above).

Example (computers behind router):

Computer IP                user.settings -> GameHostPort                  Router Port Forwarding Setting

192.168.1.47                             6112 6001 ->                                       192.168.1.47
192.168.1.201                           6113 6002 ->                                       192.168.1.201
192.168.1.35                             6114 6003 ->                                       192.168.1.35

  • Q: Where can I get more help with setting up my computer for multiplayer?

 

One site we recommend is: http://portforward.com/default.htm

 


630,503 views 218 replies
Reply #51 from Sins Forums Top
nope, i couldn't.

ok, now i am able to view my Router, a linksys, i see an adress 192.168.1.1

when i try to access it i need a user and pass name.

and i dont have a port forwarding option/
Reply #52 from Sins Forums Top
here is a link proving that i cant run as admin:
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e388/blazefenix/sins1.jpg
Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #53 from Sins Forums Top

I did the direct digital download, and was wondering where i can find these, PDF files of maps and tech trees and the windows theme?
Reply #54 from Sins Forums Top
Just click the Download Updates button on the Sins main menu. ;)
Reply #55 from Sins Forums Top
It seems pretty goofy to put the game's user directory under the hidden "Local Settings" folder. I found it pretty quick, but I knew where to look for it before reading this thread. I've only enountered one other game that used this location. Every other game I've played uses "My Games" under "My Documents" or keeps user data in its own "Program Files" directory. Certainly, other games are not finding this GFW situation a pidgeon hole. In any case, the location of user data for this game is in a highly inconvenient location. It's not a big deal since I just created a shortcut, but it would have been nice if I didn't have to do that.
Reply #56 from Sins Forums Top
My Bad...There for a second I forgot I'm just the customer. I keep forgetting there's all these folks in the middle telling me what I want to buy. I guess they're telling you guys what you can sell, too.


Yeah, and from a recent incident where Microsoft was forced to make some of their emails public, it appears that it's the norm in Microsoft to pay much more attention to these "folks in the middle" rather than their real customers.

Yeah, I think it's pretty silly to place all data into a hidden folder, even if it's something that we may want to access outside the game.

In any case, I decided to check for myself:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb173459(VS.85).aspx

Scenario 2: Files that need to be viewed or altered by users

A typical example would be a user's saved game files. Store the files in the user's document folder so that they are easily visible to the user.


Go back to Microsoft and tell them to re-read their own rules X-(. I would say screen shots fall in that category.

BTW, here's a good read of some of the requirements for new games:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb173456(VS.85).aspx

. . . some which I think should be applied to other applications as well. They're actually some pretty good rules that deal with issues found in a lot of games and even regular software that tries to be "tricky."

By the way, if that was the rule "1.3 Support Rich Saved Games" - it appears that rule has been retired.
Reply #57 from Sins Forums Top
Hello!
I'm having sound issues. I bought a new sound card, updated my drivers, and ran a hardware diag. I still get popping sounds and cutting in and out of voice acting. Music also studders sometimes. It only happens with this game. Game itself plays GREAT! No issues with grafix I have it set on highest Detail and 1280 x 1024. Please dont say my setting are to high, I did lower then a few times to see if it somehow would correct my sound, it doesn't.

PC Stats:
Nvidia 7800 SE
Soundblaster Audigy
320GB Hard drive Space
AMD 64 Live (Duel Core)
Windows Vista 32 with DX10

I know it isnt a super computer but it should handle this game with no issues. Any advise would help.

DP
Reply #58 from Sins Forums Top
when i start sins it will work for a set period of time then my screen will go black and it will say its getting no signal. my graphivs card is an ATI Radeon 9800XT and i would really like yo know how to solve this problem.

i tryed to change the settings to a lower quality but i wasnt able to get that far b4 the screen went of again. any help would be brill thx.
Reply #59 from Sins Forums Top
What do i do if i forgot my ICO password?
Reply #60 from Sins Forums Top

DP1130 - I'm not really sure on your problem. Please contact [email protected] for help.

Funi1234 - Sounds like your video card is overheating?  Have you updated your video drivers?

recode - Please contact [email protected] and they'll sort you out. ;)

Reply #61 from Sins Forums Top
What is the turn around time for a response when emailing support? I sent my minidump files and my dxdiag files to support yesterday and am just not sure what to expect with regards to hearing back from them.

The fact that I have had the game for a week and have only successfully been able to launch the game twice for about an hour total is making me pretty disillusioned so far.
Reply #62 from Sins Forums Top
What is the turn around time for a response when emailing support? I sent my minidump files and my dxdiag files to support yesterday and am just not sure what to expect with regards to hearing back from them.

The fact that I have had the game for a week and have only successfully been able to launch the game twice for about an hour total is making me pretty disillusioned so far.

-- and as an fyi - now even posting messages to this forum is sporadically throwing error pages (although, it is a witty error page so that cushioned the blow a little...)
Reply #63 from Sins Forums Top
IC support generally responds to dump mails (which they get a lot of) if there's something they think you can do to remedy the situation on your end. Otherwise, it goes into the list to be worked on for the next patch.
Reply #64 from Sins Forums Top
Support did respond.
From what I understood, it is an issue with the copy of the game. This seems to be validated by my attempting to install the game on a different computer with identical results.
It installs and runs fine once, i retart the game and it will no longer run.
Oddly, on both installs, no start menu shortcuts were created which also points in the direction of something being wrong with the version of the game that i purchased.
Installing the patch does not help at all.
Reply #65 from Sins Forums Top
Howdy! A noob question. I need to re-install but have lost the original downloaded files. Where can I get them from? The update 1.4 say's SOSE isn't installed and aborts, but the game does play. STARDOCK Central is no where to be found however. Any help?
Reply #66 from Sins Forums Top
You can get Stardock Central here.

-HM
Reply #67 from Sins Forums Top

All computers behind a router should have their own unique GameHostPort setup in case the original host leaves and a new host for the game is needed. Be sure to restart your game after changing these settings.
Example (computers behind router):
Computer IP                user.settings -> GameHostPort                  Router Port Forwarding Setting
192.168.1.47                             6112 6001 ->                                       192.168.1.47192.168.1.201                           6113 6002 ->                                       192.168.1.201192.168.1.35                             6114 6003 ->                                       192.168.1.35


What if my relative static IP is 192.168.1.36? I should have it set for ports 6114 - 6003?

What if it's set for 6000 through 6112? What if I set it for 6000 through 6114 or 6000 through 6200?
Reply #68 from Sins Forums Top
CenturionJixra,

For each internal IP you need a unique GameHostPort and a unique GameBroadcastPort if you plan to host seperate games from multiple machines behind the same router.


ie.

Internal IP GameHostPort GameBroadcastPort

192.168.1.2 6112 6000

192.168.1.36 6113 6001



Those were not port ranges the devs posted. One of the ports is the GAMEHOSTPORT, and the other is the GAMEBROADCASTPORT (ie. the ICO port I list in my guide)


thanks,

the Monk


Reply #69 from Sins Forums Top
I have two computers attached to this router, but I only have Sins installed on my main computer and my wife is a seamstress and not a gamer.

I think I see what you're saying now. If I had more than one computer trying to host Sins behind the same router, then they should have different ports. But since I just have this one, Starting Port 6000 and Ending Port 6112 should be fine?
Reply #70 from Stardock Forums Top
Wierd happenings when i press prnt scrn the game freezes for a couple of seconds i get no message saying it made a screenshot. i change the hotkey to the space bar go back to the game press it and bam i get a nice yellow message saying i get a screenshot and the directory where it saved it.
also while i was changing the hotkey i tried to remap it back to prnt scrn and i couldnt for some reason. unless i reset all the hotkeys to defaults. im guessing there is an issue with vista x64 prnt scrn and Sins . if u want nice lovely Sins Screenshots Remap the key to anything but Prnt Scrn.
Reply #71 from Sins Forums Top
You only need ports 6000 and 6112. You don't have to worry about the ones in between.

-HM
Reply #72 from Sins Forums Top

Update. My DSL connection uses a Siemens Speedstream 5100b DSL modem. Last night, after some frustration after being unable to connect to a couple games, I logged into it and nuked the PPPoE setting and put it into "Bridged Mode", allowing my router to handle the PPPoE part.

Does putting it into "bridged mode" essentially make it a dumb modem without any NAT or firewall issues? Guess I'll find out how it does when I go to host.
Reply #73 from Sins Forums Top
I have an interesting problem... when I try to install the game, my comp always freezes in the midst of the installation and i can never get it to work. I tried on both vista and Xp but nothing helps please help. X-( 
Reply #74 from Sins Forums Top
Hi all, I have a problem with the installation of the game, when I install it , once it gets to the texture files, it freezes so I really dont know what to do, please help.
Reply #75 from Sins Forums Top
maybe some files were missing during donwload delete everything and start over if it wil not work email to ironclad support good luck