Can't play TM2, crashes to the desktop!

[Robertx]

TM2 installs OK, then auto-updates on the first run. The update files download OK (HD or LD). When the update files have completed downloading, the message "please wait" briefly appears, then it crashes to the desktop every time.

I've tried the mini-download and full downloads as suggested in other threads and get the same result. Changing compatibility settings or windowed / full-screen modes makes no difference.

My System:

OS: Windows XP / SP3
Chipset: nVidia nForce 2
CPU: Athlon XP-M Barton 2800+
Memory: 2 GB GSkill PC3200 DDR
Audio: SB X-Fi gamer (Creative 6.0.1.1373)
Video: Radeon 3850 AGP 512 MB (Catalyst 9.7) (tried Cat 11.8 with no effect)

My system more that meets the minimum requirements. Can anyone help or should I be asking for my $25 back?

[metoxys]

The graphics card is terrible!
Also you don't mention the frequency of your CPU

[TGYoshi]

Try to set your resolution to 800x600 and your 'root' gfx settings (of the card itself) to it's VERY lowest. Disable catalyst AI and tripple buffering.
If the game runs THEN, your graphics card is too worse to run the game normally.

[Robertx]

Re: metoxys & TGYoshi

My CPU is running at 2.4 GHz.

I have a hard time believing it's my "weak" video card.

It's well above the minimum spec's and I've run Crysis / Crysis Warhead, Bioshock, and Hawx all at 1440x900 with most of the details turned up and acceptable framerates. I tried all the compatibility and performance settings tuned down (including windowed mode and software vertex shaders) and I still get the crash.

Besides I never get to the point where the video card would be stressed by loading the 3D environment, it crashes way before the point I can select player options and a track.

[Trackmaniack]

It really is ridiculous how many players here are so quick to blame game problems on graphics cards and tell everybody to "just upgrade your hardware." Yes, I'm a Nadeo fanboy, and yes, I tend to look at TM2 with a bit of rose-colored goggles, but there are still honest reasons this game wouldn't work, outside of saying his hardware's bad. Especially if he's not lying about running HAWX and Crysis. Those games are murder on my PC, and I can run TM2 at half-decent settings with a decent framerate. It could be you don't have enough RAM, for starters. And that's, admittedly, easier to upgrade than a videocard, especially if you're on a laptop. Also, it might be the fact that, oddly, TM2 doesn't play nice with nVidia this time around--even though they were one of the main sponsors of TMN ESWC. But back to the RAM issue, this is a double-edged sword, as I'm suspecting Maniaplanet is grossly inefficient, at least at this stage. I'm able to play HAWX, barely, but with a decent framerate at low settings, and it uses--maybe 500MB of RAM. Except in some of the later missions--then it cranks up to 800. Maniaplanet? When I'm shooting a screenshot (I run it in a window so I can see both it and my taskmanager) Maniaplanet consumes a monstrous gig and a HALF o_O of RAM. That's when I'm shooting a screen, to say nothing of dynamic racing whilst online...

[axo]

I have a Quadcore i5 760 2.8Ghz, with 8GB RAM DDR3 1333mhz, EVGA GTX 460 1GB, Asus Maximus III Gene motherboard and a Thermaltake 750W PSU and the game crash to desktop for no reason when im playing TM2.

No it's not a configuration issue since im playing a lot of games and that's the only one crash to desktop for no reason with no error.

Hope Nadeo are looking into this.

[XLR8R]

Same here.. First took me 7 times just to be able to install the game in such a way that I could actually launch it, after I did, it downloaded the rest of the components and after that it was goodbye. Now everytime I click maniaplanet I see a screen for about a tenth of a second and then desktop.

Starting to get very annoying..