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Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? #941760
02/23/14 07:16 PM
02/23/14 07:16 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 16
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I've read some older posts about this game but wondered if there might be any new thoughts or suggestions. I am just home from a 4-day hospital stay and was hoping to relax a bit with ol' Drac but no luck. The game has crashed on numerous occasions but generally I have been able to proceed. One common problem has been trying to use the magnifying glass on documents rather than just on objects, seems to be a consistent flaw. Now I'm really stuck at the opened grave spot so often mentioned. I was running on my Win7 laptop (HP Pavilion dv7) but have even tried reloading on my older XP desktop and moving all my saved games but the results are the same, immediate crash on exiting the gravesite view. So, very frustrating.

I did try one saved game (starting right after this point) I found online but it doesn't show up in the "Sessions" list for some reason. BTW, I bought the game on Amazon and it was described as compatible with both XP and Win7. It's not a bad game but sad it hasn't been repaired after all this time.

Thanks for any suggestions!

CNO

Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #941761
02/23/14 07:17 PM
02/23/14 07:17 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,997
UK
Rushes Offline
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Rushes  Offline
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UK
Hi CNO, I'll move this thread to our Glitches forum where the experts there should be able to help you. luck


"Bleat, Watson -- unmitigated bleat!" ~ Sherlock Holmes
Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: Rushes] #941794
02/23/14 11:15 PM
02/23/14 11:15 PM
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 314
Creeping_Doom Offline
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Do you have an Nvidia video card ? If you do , then that is likely your problem . That game , & a couple others by Kheops , have trouble with Nvidia drivers past a certain version , version 181 I think . Since Kheops is no longer in business , getting a solution is highly unlikely . There has been some success with altering the configuration .ini file , adjusting the screen size , causing the game to be in windowed mode . If you have an AMD/ATI card , the problem is something else . Anyhow , the responsibility of at least notifying potential customers of this problem now falls to any current distributor of the game . Whether or not they do that is up to them I suppose .

Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #941795
02/23/14 11:27 PM
02/23/14 11:27 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
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There are some tips in the Big Fish forum if you have an Nvidia graphics card
http://forums.bigfishgames.com/posts/list/109183.page

Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #941800
02/24/14 12:12 AM
02/24/14 12:12 AM
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Posts: 16
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Thanks, everybody, and sorry for posting in the wrong place originally. I have read about the driver change but I think I'm at version 330 or something and going back to 186.2 makes me a little nervous. This laptop is nice but it has been "touchy" in regards to some Windows and system updates. Not sure I have the guts to try the backdated driver.

On my XP machine though I have a ATI Radeon card, no NVidia at all and still have the same crash at the gravesite so this may be a deeper problem in the program itself. I think I have done everything up to this point in the game as I have a list from Luanna and I have everything except that one special item I can't get. Maybe I can find a saved game just past this point. I so hate to not be able to finish! They probably shouldn't be selling this game without repairs or warnings about possible problems.

I appreciate the quick suggestions!


CNO

Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #941866
02/24/14 11:27 AM
02/24/14 11:27 AM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,997
UK
Rushes Offline
True Blue Boomer
Rushes  Offline
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UK
There are saves for the full game here:

Dracula 3

Just click on the disk icon to the right of any numbered save to download the individual file.


"Bleat, Watson -- unmitigated bleat!" ~ Sherlock Holmes
Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #942138
02/26/14 06:18 PM
02/26/14 06:18 PM
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Posts: 16
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Many thanks to all for their suggestions. I had tried downloading just one particular save from the "PC savegames" website you mentioned but I couldn't ever get it to show up in my sessions list. Finally I moved my original Profile 1 folder and replaced it with the complete set of saves from that site and its working fine. I was able to resume just after the notorious crash point and am moving on with no other problems so far. Yippee!

I would like to add that I originally purchased this game with some trepidation based on the mixed reviews but I think this games deserves a better reputation. I almost think it should get an award for creativity, depth and extraordinary attention to detail. It's hard to imagine how much time and effort must have gone into its creation and development and I think it might actually eclipse my favorite game of all time, Myst, in that regard. And there is quite a bit to learn along the way too, really interesting and useful tidbits about Vlad and the society of his time. I wrote a report for my college English class on Vlad so I was familiar with him but it's been a nice refresher course in a way. Anyway, I really think it's a masterpiece in its own way and it's such a shame it has been abandoned with all the glitches still unresolved.

I am going back to the hospital for another 4-day treatment and then for a 2-3 week stem cell transplant. This time I think I'll take the laptop and install Drac 4 & 5 and maybe one or two others so I have way to make the time pass more quickly. I did get realMyst but (1) I still remember Myst too well to fully enjoy playing it again and (2) I think it needs some significant improvement/repair in regards to movement issues, very disappointing. I'm mentioning all this in case some of you might have suggestions for another game or two to take along. I'm looking for cerebral stuff, little or no action, good puzzles, etc. I have been an avid adventure game player since I first played Myst back in the 90's and have played most everything I could find along those lines. I stopped a few years ago and only recently picked back up again with all the (non-casual) Sherlock Holmes games (I think I liked "Testament" the best but most were fun). So, if you have any suggestions, please pass them along.

Thanks again for the help with Drac 3!

CNO

Last edited by CNO; 02/26/14 06:21 PM.
Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #942147
02/26/14 08:42 PM
02/26/14 08:42 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
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southeast USA
Originally Posted By: CNO
I would like to add that I originally purchased this game with some trepidation based on the mixed reviews

I think most of the negative reviews were from people who were expecting something closer to the first two games. If you liked Dracula 3, you might also like Dracula 1 and 2. However be warned that Dracula 2 has some timed sequences where you can be eaten by a giant bat or drown in sewage. I still like Dracula 1: Resurrection the best of the early Draculas. And I like Dracula: Origin, made by a different company (Frogwares), which is a 3rd person game with a handsome version of Dracula. Dracula 3 is the spookiest IMO.

Quote:
And there is quite a bit to learn along the way too, really interesting and useful tidbits about Vlad and the society of his time. I wrote a report for my college English class on Vlad so I was familiar with him but it's been a nice refresher course in a way. Anyway, I really think it's a masterpiece in its own way and it's such a shame it has been abandoned with all the glitches still unresolved.

If the original developers, Kheops Studio, were still in business, they'd probably be patching it for you. But they closed in January 2012 due to lack of money. The developers at Kheops were formerly at Cryo Interactive Entertainment, which made a lot of historical games (and also published Dracula 1 and 2). When Cryo went bankrupt, some of the developers formed Kheops Studio.

Quote:
...I'm mentioning all this in case some of you might have suggestions for another game or two to take along. I'm looking for cerebral stuff, little or no action, good puzzles, etc.

You could try some of ***Kheops Studio's other games***, like Echo: Secret of the Lost Cavern, Nostradamus, Cleopatra, or Secrets of Da Vinci. These all include historical information. You could also try Baron Wittard, since it has a similar movement system as the Kheops games and is a spooky game. Dark Fall: The Journal, Dark Fall 2: Lights Out, and Barrow Hill are spooky games without excessive gore. They have a movement system similar to the original Myst -- they don't allow you to pan around at the nodes.

Whatever games you take along, install the games and make sure they work on your laptop before you leave.

Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #942861
03/02/14 05:27 PM
03/02/14 05:27 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 16
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Many familiar faces and a few I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet so I'll investigate further.

I've also started through the reviews database looking for titles I have missed and, mainly, titles that can be played on Win7 laptops. I don't know how much effort would be required but it would be nice if the databases could somehow denote the hardware requirements, possibly through some letter code, number code or OS abbreviations following the titles. I'm sure lots of folks would appreciate such a feature.

Thanks for all the info!

CNO

Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #942865
03/02/14 05:49 PM
03/02/14 05:49 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,008
Near St. Louis, MO
Draclvr Online content
Reviews Editor - Hints/Glitches Mod - Site Support
Draclvr  Online Content
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,008
Near St. Louis, MO
We do have a Windows 7 and Games thread stickied at the top of the Glitches forum, CNO.


Gardens put to bed for the winter. Time for some gaming!
Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #944187
03/10/14 11:11 PM
03/10/14 11:11 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 16
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Yes, I've been going through the reviews one-by-one and cross-referencing with that topic to help narrow down the list of possible candidates. Despite the fact that I have a fairly complete library of adventures I have already enjoyed I am surprised to have a list of about 50 that: (1) sound interesting, (2) seem to be compatible with Windows 7, and (3) have little or no action and are based more on story, intrigue and puzzle-solving. Most will be new to me but a few were begun and abandoned for one reason or another back when they were first released. Would I be imposing to ask for votes to help in selecting 5-10 of the better ones?

FWIW, I have a 4-day hospital stay starting next week and then a 2-3 week stay starting in about a month. Hopefully I will be well enough to enjoy some new adventures which will help pass the time and keep my mind off the yucky stuff. Maybe this request would better in a new topic in the Discussions forum.?

Thanks,

CNO

Re: Dracula 3, so many problems, glitches and crashes? [Re: CNO] #944188
03/10/14 11:18 PM
03/10/14 11:18 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,228
near Yosemite
Marian Offline
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Marian  Offline
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Hi CNO, if you would like some input from other GameBoomers members as to the games they liked best from your list, I would definitely start a new topic about that in Adventure Game Discussions, where other players will be able to give you some advice. wave

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