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Anonymous's avatar
Anonymous
12 years ago
Approved

Odd fix for Dragon Age 2 Direct X 11 LaunchError on Steam.

A little background on my rig... in case it's an issue

Alienware M17x

Intel Core I7 CPU Q740 @ 1.75 GHZ

8GB RAM

Dual NVidia GeForce GTX 285M w/ updated version 331.82 driver

128GB Solid State Drive

Windows 7 64bit Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1

So I tried running Dragon Age 2 on Steam utilitizing Direct X 11 through the DA2 Launcher's configuration. Every time it crashed with the "Dragon Age has stopping running... etc."

I validated the local files on Steam, removed all mods, removed all DLC, removed Hi Res Texture upgrade, reinstalled Dragon Age... scratched my head and just about gave up. Then I figured 'what the heck' and ran it on Direct X 9. Amazingly it worked.  However, when I went to the video settings under Options, the Graphics Detail could only be set to Medium... so in a fit of rage I hit the Reset to Defaults... and something strange happened.

Suddenly, I could set the Graphics Detail to high. (but still not Very High) So I reloaded all my mods, Hi Res Texture Pack and went back to options maxing everything out. I then exited Options but second-guessed myself about a certain setting and went back into the Video menu... My Direct X option was now set to Direct X 11. Upon exiting the game I went back to the Launcher Configuration and sure enough, it was set to Direct X 11. Now, the game crashed when I tried to load it, so I repeated the my earlier process of using Direct X 9, Reset to Defaults, then maxing everything out... and the game went back to Direct X 11 upon leaving the Video Options.

Hopefully if there is anyone else with a similar issue who has not reached the same conclusion, you can use mine.

1 Reply

  • ThandalNLyman's avatar
    ThandalNLyman
    12 years ago

    It's like reading the last paragraph of a detective story! I'm following along with you step-by-step. You see the culprit. You go to tackle him. He escapes your first attempt. You pick yourself up off the ground and go after him again. You catch him up, and...


    Someone tore out the last page!?! Were you able to keep the DX11 / Ultra-Hi Res settings, or did you have to use DX9 to actually play the game?

    [EDIT] But in reality, the mystery has a much less exciting solution:

    The nVidia GTX 285M is not capable of executing the DX11 instruction set.  It is a DX10 video adapter.

    Since the game is DX11 capable, and Win7 is DX11 capable, you can select the option of using the DX11 Renderer and can play for a while. But when you hit any point that requires a DX11-specfic action, the game either sloooooows, freezes, or crashes completely. This can be seen by entering any area that has the transition animations.

    I first discovered this behaviour with my DX10.1 card. I had everything maxed-out with DX11 and all the high graphics settings and had never seen the sign at the door swinging when you enter the Hanged Man. There was simply a static image, a very long pause, and a slow fade-to-black before being inside.  Then when I was messing about with other things and played with the Renderer set to DX9 I just about spit my tea all over the keyboard! 

    Went out that day and bought the best DX11 card that my limited power supply (400W) and physical space (single-slot height) could accomodate. 

    But with a laptop, you don't have the option to upgrade the GPU.

    From the nVidia spec sheet:

    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285M

     
    Feature Support:
    NVIDIA SLI®-ready 2-way
    NVIDIA PureVideo® Technology PVHD
    NVIDIA PhysX™-ready Bitmap
    NVIDIA CUDA™ Technology Bitmap
    HybridPower™ Technology Bitmap
    Microsoft DirectX 10
    OpenGL Bitmap
    Bus Support PCI-E 2.0
    Certified for Windows Vista Bitmap
    NVIDIA PowerMizer 8

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