shift 2 unleashed game crash on quick race

@rcgldr

Hi,

Can you please reply to this topic with a dxdiag (attach the actual text file to your reply)?

Attached is dxdiag.txt . Other players have experienced the same problem:

(Note despite this prior thread at answers.ea.com noted as solved, it wasn't solved for all in this thread):

http://answers.ea.com/t5/Other-Need-for-Speed-Games/Shift-2-Unleashed/td-p/18396/page/34

http://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/795579/shift-2-ctd-when-loading-quick-races

http://steamcommunity.com/app/47920/discussions/0/828938532878224466

I'm running Shift 2 Unleashed version 1.03. I have Visual Studio which includes a just in time debugger that Windows defaults to when a program crashes to desktop, that shows the actual point of failure, but not sure who I should report this information to.

@rcgldr

The threads that you linked are about 1, 2 and 3 years old so they are most likely not relevant to why the game is crashing for you at this moment.

I cannot find anything out of the ordinary on your dxdiag so I would try to run your system in a clean boot to see if a background program might be causing the crash.

You can also try looking at your reliability monitor following the steps below:

1. Press Win+R to open the run box
2. Type perfmon /rel to open the reliability monitor.

This opens a window where you can click on the error's visually shown (white X in red circle) to find the latest one related to the game. Click show details and then paste the info that is listed in there in here.

I'm running Shift 2 on Win XP Pro. All I get is a performance monitor, and the white x in the red circle just pauses the display. I don't see any information about the game crash in any of the logs or events in the event viewer.

It is possible is that the problem may be related to my video card upgrade, from an ATI HD6970 to a GeForce 780 Ti Enthusiast. Some of the other players reporting this issue have noted that it also occurred after upgrading a video card or running on a new system that is overall faster. However, that wouldn't explain why disconnecting from the internet would solve the problem.

Again, so far, redoing career mode events is working, while quick races are failing. I've tried different cars and different tracks, and it doesn't seem to affect the outcome, but obviously, I haven't tested every combination.

Another link, this one more recent, Mar 2015. The player mentions single player race, but I think he means quick race. The other posts in this thread refer to more generic issues, like issues at specific tracks, but the original question is about single player race (quick race).

http://steamcommunity.com/app/47920/discussions/0/617329920711129824

@rcgldr

Thank you for checking the Reliability Monitor - I wasn't sure if this was working in the same manner as on newer versions of Windows.

I have also tested the game on my work system for you, which runs on GTX 770. I have not experienced any crashes. But do note that I am using the Origin version.

Could you perhaps try redeeming your game code in the Origin client and running that version of the game? In some cases Steam version (do correct me if you're already using the Origin version) are patched differently.

I have the EA Store digital download version from March 6, 2011, which predates when Origin started,  June 2011. It is a standalone version that doesn't require Origin to be installed. Based on my notes, it's version 1.03 (is there a way to verify the version from in game?).  I have two DLC files: SHIFT2U_patchA130DIP.exe (758MB) and SHIFT2U1_DD.exe (58MB), but not a copy of the 6 gb or so game file.

Update to my prior update - I've since determined that the Origin version of Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition is not the same as the EA Store version (despite EA support claiming they were the same). One obvious difference is the Origin version of Shift 2 launches the Origin app and will not run until the Origin app allows it to run. I compared game files and the Origin version of SHIFT2U.EXE is different than the EA Store version, (a few other files may be different as well). If I start with the EA Store version, then download and install the Origin app, then Origin will "update" the EA Store version on my system. Fortunately, I backup all my system partitions, so I'm able to restore them back to a state prior to any changes made by the Origin app.  I later bought a EA DVD-ROM version of Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Edition, and it appears to be the same as the version downloaded from the EA Store. Both the EA Store download and the EA DVD-ROM use activation instead of the Origin app.

@rcgldr

Thank you for the update and taking the time to investigate this on your own time.

Not sure why disconnecting the internet would resolve this but I will forward this to the Need for Speed team to be looked at.

>Not sure why disconnecting the internet would resolve this

Speculation at Steam is something changed on the EA server side. The last client side update for the game was back in June, 2011. Players may have upgraded to faster systems, but it seems unlikely that an issue with a faster system would be cured by disconnecting from the internet. 

I've since found out that the Origin versions of Shift 2 Unleashed or Shift 2 Unleashed Limited Editions are not the same. It appears that the EA Store digital download version and the EA DVD-ROM version are the same, so it's only the Origin version that is different, and it has a different crash issue, one that can prevent the game from being played at all.

With the Origin version of Shift 2, and when starting a new career, (either a player that just bought the game, or by backing up and then deleting ...\profiles\default.sav), the main menu only shows "career" and "options". I can choose options to adjust video and controller settings. When I choose career, the game crashes on the very first event, a 2 lap practice run used to choose difficulty and assists settings, even with the internet disconnected. This means there's no way to play the Origin version of the game on the system I tested it on.  On that same system, the EA Store and the EA DVD-ROM versions are able to complete the 2 lap practice, the practice race, all of the D class events, all of the hotlap invitational events, which is where I stopped testing, and with the internet connected. For the EA version of Shift 2, only a few of the career mode events crash with the internet connected.