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MacMini crashing with VO
Hi there!
Vendetta crashes on my Intel MacMini OSX/10.5.4
After being in the client for some time the computer either freezes or completely reboots. There seems to be no specific trigger for this to happen.
Playing full screen / 1280x720
The computer is a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo Mac Mini, 2GB RAM, Intel GMA950 Graphics
Any idea on how to solve this?
Regards,
Normen
P.S. On my MacBook Pro it seems to run smoothly with the same OS version
Vendetta crashes on my Intel MacMini OSX/10.5.4
After being in the client for some time the computer either freezes or completely reboots. There seems to be no specific trigger for this to happen.
Playing full screen / 1280x720
The computer is a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo Mac Mini, 2GB RAM, Intel GMA950 Graphics
Any idea on how to solve this?
Regards,
Normen
P.S. On my MacBook Pro it seems to run smoothly with the same OS version
You could start by resetting the SMC: turn the Mac Mini off, then unplug all the cables and the power cord for 15 seconds at least, then plug it in and wait another 5 seconds before starting it up.
If that doesn't help, then boot from the OS X Install Disk and run the Apple Hardware Test to see if there's a problem with your graphics/logic board.
If it's an incompatibility issue then one of the Devs would have to help you with that.
If that doesn't help, then boot from the OS X Install Disk and run the Apple Hardware Test to see if there's a problem with your graphics/logic board.
If it's an incompatibility issue then one of the Devs would have to help you with that.
Seems as if the hardware is ok. Hardware Test not reporting anything.
The machine normally runs for days connected to my flat-tv for watching tv etc. I'd just love to have a 37" window to Vendetta, sitting in my home felling like I'm on the bridge of some large vessel :D
The machine normally runs for days connected to my flat-tv for watching tv etc. I'd just love to have a 37" window to Vendetta, sitting in my home felling like I'm on the bridge of some large vessel :D
It sounds like a hardware problem. Issues like this usually crop up due to overheating of some sort. A game will work fine at first, but after extended play, the computer becomes unstable. Sometimes things are improved by helping the system stay cool (extra fans, removing the case), but with a Mini that's all kind of problematic.
I would try some other intense 3D apps for lengthy periods, and see if they exhibit the same problem. Of course, that's not a certainty either.. a particular game will sometimes push a video chip a bit harder in a certain way that other games won't exhibit. But it's worth trying in any event.
Similar problems can also happen from bad ram.. when the program starts, the ram usage is relatively low (say, within the area commonly used on a "good" stick of ram) and after extended runtime the memory footprint increases to also require allocation on a "bad" stick of ram, resulting in a sometimes-but-not-always issue.
Anyway, that's about all I can offer from the top of my head. I don't know of any actual software-specific extended-runtime problems with our game on Minis (and that would be pretty strange, on any computer).
I would try some other intense 3D apps for lengthy periods, and see if they exhibit the same problem. Of course, that's not a certainty either.. a particular game will sometimes push a video chip a bit harder in a certain way that other games won't exhibit. But it's worth trying in any event.
Similar problems can also happen from bad ram.. when the program starts, the ram usage is relatively low (say, within the area commonly used on a "good" stick of ram) and after extended runtime the memory footprint increases to also require allocation on a "bad" stick of ram, resulting in a sometimes-but-not-always issue.
Anyway, that's about all I can offer from the top of my head. I don't know of any actual software-specific extended-runtime problems with our game on Minis (and that would be pretty strange, on any computer).
If it's heating, it'd be worth trying to make sure the computer has plenty of space behind it, and nothing on top of it.
I have the same mac mini with 3GB of Ram. I will test it on mine and see if the same thing happens. No problems on any of my other macs.
Mac Minis often have over-heating problems -- I suspect this is the most likely cause.
The internal fan pumps heat out through vents at the top of the back side. Be sure this space is as clear of obstruction as possible. The base also tends to get hot. You might try to put your computer on a wire screen to allow better ventilation & heat transport out from UNDER your mini.
Improved ventilation will result in a more reliable Mac, regardless if that is the problem in this particular case.
The internal fan pumps heat out through vents at the top of the back side. Be sure this space is as clear of obstruction as possible. The base also tends to get hot. You might try to put your computer on a wire screen to allow better ventilation & heat transport out from UNDER your mini.
Improved ventilation will result in a more reliable Mac, regardless if that is the problem in this particular case.
I had a similar problem with my G4 Mini. When I played on 1024x768 for an extended period, my video card began to overheat, and static appeared on the screen. Try lowering your graphics settings.
I've used a macmini a few years ago to make sure VO ran on it and didn't have many problems. The main issues though were to make sure 'texture compression' is off and 'shaders' are off in the Video Options. This was back in 10.4.x era (I think) though.
No problems on my Mac mini C2D 1.83GHz.