Trouble getting demo to run

cgrey · 08-26-2008, 09:38 PM

I installed the latest demo on a "clean" Windows XP machine. By "clean", I mean there is absolutely nothing other than Windows XP (professional) with all the latest updates an patches installed.

The first time I ran OOTP, I created a fictional universe, but got an application crash when I went to start the game. Never made it to the game, just crashed while it was loading.

After reading through some threads here describing crash problems, I decided to uninstall and reinstall the demo. After I did, I can't run it. Upon loading, there is no "Trial" button on the license screen. My only options are Purchase, Email to a friend, License and Exit. There's just no button at all where "trial" should be.

I was still on my first day of the trial, so it isn't a matter of it being more than the 10-days since I installed it.

I've been around OOTP for a long time (owned versions 3, 4, 5, 6, 6.5 and 2006. Didn't buy 2007 - had a hard time adjusting to the new interface with 2006 and lost interest for a while, but I'm ready to try again with version 9. My concern is that I'll have these crashing issues and not be able to play the game, but I can't demo it long enough to see if it will run for me without the crashing issues.

How can I get the demo going to be able to play it and make sure I won't suffer the crashing that others are reporting - short of wiping the machine and reinstalling the OS again (which I guess is an option, but I'd rather not spend the couple of hours that would take if I can avoid it).

Thanks...

Nutlaw · 08-28-2008, 08:05 PM

Andreas states that this sometimes happens with the demo version for unknown reasons. He suggests that the only course of action would be to buy the game and then return it within 14 days if it doesn't work as there is a money back guarantee.

cgrey · 08-28-2008, 09:36 PM

Wow.

I have to say, this isn't exactly the "welcome back" to a customer of almost 6-years that I was expecting. Seems the level of customer service I was used to has changed, and not for the better.

Considering the demo crashed on me literally the very first time I ran it on a "clean" machine, buying the full version in hopes that somehow it won't do the same doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me - especially considering I've seen plenty of posts that some people are having a crashing issue with the full version.

Truth be told, I *could* just reformat the machine and try again with the demo. But I just don't get a really good feeling from this response. To me this says "yeah, we've seen this before and we're not really planning to do much about it". Not sure I'm ready for that attitude should something else pop up (assuming buying the game and crossing my fingers works for this particular problem) when I'm past the 14-day return period.

Fortunately, OOTP isn't the only game in town anymore. I think I'll take the un-offered option #3 - try one of other games out there, and if I like it, buy someone else's product.

It's a shame, really. I've loved the pre-2006 OOTP, probably played OOTP (versions 3 through 6.5 combined) more than any other game/series I've ever owned. 2006 turned me off - just didn't have the time to deal with the learning curve, so I passed on some cool new features and stuck with 6.5 for the past couple of years. Finally, here I am getting excited about spending the time to dive in to the new interface and see what I've been missing since 2006, and get to play a "whole new" game with a bunch of new features, and instead, I'm basically being pushed toward another option.

I guess hitting the "big time" really does mean individual customers really don't mean much anymore. At least I've gotten myself ready to move on from 6.5 - I guess it will be just as easy to learn another game's interface.

Nutlaw · 09-01-2008, 10:30 AM

I'm sorry that you feel that way. There is an issue with the demo that the developers cannot seem to identify and fix at the present time, as it seems to happen to only a limited number of users. The licensing coding is done through eLicense, not OOTP Dev, so there's only so much that they can do there. Again, if you wanted to try out the game right now, you wouldn't have any trouble returning it for your full purchase price within two weeks. If you wanted to wait until later, when they might have already figured out this issue, you could do that too.

As you can see from our logs in Tech Support (particularly in the Closed and Logged subforums), we have been very diligent in working to solve the problems of many users.

However, you are certainly free to make whatever decision you wish. I'll close out this thread for now, but if you do have any further questions regarding OOTP 9, please feel free to post them in Tech Support and we'll do our best to help you.

08-26-2008, 09:38 PM	#1
cgrey Bat Boy Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 5	Trouble getting demo to run I installed the latest demo on a "clean" Windows XP machine. By "clean", I mean there is absolutely nothing other than Windows XP (professional) with all the latest updates an patches installed. The first time I ran OOTP, I created a fictional universe, but got an application crash when I went to start the game. Never made it to the game, just crashed while it was loading. After reading through some threads here describing crash problems, I decided to uninstall and reinstall the demo. After I did, I can't run it. Upon loading, there is no "Trial" button on the license screen. My only options are Purchase, Email to a friend, License and Exit. There's just no button at all where "trial" should be. I was still on my first day of the trial, so it isn't a matter of it being more than the 10-days since I installed it. I've been around OOTP for a long time (owned versions 3, 4, 5, 6, 6.5 and 2006. Didn't buy 2007 - had a hard time adjusting to the new interface with 2006 and lost interest for a while, but I'm ready to try again with version 9. My concern is that I'll have these crashing issues and not be able to play the game, but I can't demo it long enough to see if it will run for me without the crashing issues. How can I get the demo going to be able to play it and make sure I won't suffer the crashing that others are reporting - short of wiping the machine and reinstalling the OS again (which I guess is an option, but I'd rather not spend the couple of hours that would take if I can avoid it). Thanks... Attached Images

08-28-2008, 08:05 PM	#2
Nutlaw Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 9,538	Andreas states that this sometimes happens with the demo version for unknown reasons. He suggests that the only course of action would be to buy the game and then return it within 14 days if it doesn't work as there is a money back guarantee.

08-28-2008, 09:36 PM	#3
cgrey Bat Boy Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 5	Wow. I have to say, this isn't exactly the "welcome back" to a customer of almost 6-years that I was expecting. Seems the level of customer service I was used to has changed, and not for the better. Considering the demo crashed on me literally the very first time I ran it on a "clean" machine, buying the full version in hopes that somehow it won't do the same doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me - especially considering I've seen plenty of posts that some people are having a crashing issue with the full version. Truth be told, I could just reformat the machine and try again with the demo. But I just don't get a really good feeling from this response. To me this says "yeah, we've seen this before and we're not really planning to do much about it". Not sure I'm ready for that attitude should something else pop up (assuming buying the game and crossing my fingers works for this particular problem) when I'm past the 14-day return period. Fortunately, OOTP isn't the only game in town anymore. I think I'll take the un-offered option #3 - try one of other games out there, and if I like it, buy someone else's product. It's a shame, really. I've loved the pre-2006 OOTP, probably played OOTP (versions 3 through 6.5 combined) more than any other game/series I've ever owned. 2006 turned me off - just didn't have the time to deal with the learning curve, so I passed on some cool new features and stuck with 6.5 for the past couple of years. Finally, here I am getting excited about spending the time to dive in to the new interface and see what I've been missing since 2006, and get to play a "whole new" game with a bunch of new features, and instead, I'm basically being pushed toward another option. I guess hitting the "big time" really does mean individual customers really don't mean much anymore. At least I've gotten myself ready to move on from 6.5 - I guess it will be just as easy to learn another game's interface.

09-01-2008, 10:30 AM	#4
Nutlaw Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 9,538	I'm sorry that you feel that way. There is an issue with the demo that the developers cannot seem to identify and fix at the present time, as it seems to happen to only a limited number of users. The licensing coding is done through eLicense, not OOTP Dev, so there's only so much that they can do there. Again, if you wanted to try out the game right now, you wouldn't have any trouble returning it for your full purchase price within two weeks. If you wanted to wait until later, when they might have already figured out this issue, you could do that too. As you can see from our logs in Tech Support (particularly in the Closed and Logged subforums), we have been very diligent in working to solve the problems of many users. However, you are certainly free to make whatever decision you wish. I'll close out this thread for now, but if you do have any further questions regarding OOTP 9, please feel free to post them in Tech Support and we'll do our best to help you.