[ARMA 2:OA] "Receiving..." while in-game

[quantum112 10]

This is an error that I get quite often in Arma2: CO, only when moving quickly (airplanes and sometimes helis). I get a black screen with "Receiving..." on it. It takes ~10 seconds for this screen to go away, during which the controls do not respond, and by that time I am thankfully already dead. Very embarassing in multiplayer.

If I am dive-bombing from high altitude in fighter jets this will happen every time, both A-10 and F35B, presumably because all the textures have to pop in so quickly. Right as I am about to pull up, this dreaded screen pops up and in a few seconds all I can hear is *booom*. Is there anything I can do to make airplanes actually playable?

My system:

C2Q Q6600 @ 2.4 GHz

4GB 1066 Mhz Mushkin DDR2

ATI HD 4870X2 2 GB

XP 32 SP3

Samsung SpinpointF1 1000 GB 7200 rpm (game install)

WD Caviar 160 GB 7200 rpm (page file 4 GB)

Game patched with latest beta (same thing even with non-beta patch), all drivers latest, 1 month old clean install, etc. No mods or anything ever installed. No overclocking.

This happens in mission editor as well.

[Gunter Severloh 3969]

Is there anything I can do to make airplanes actually playable?

Yes but all depends on what mission your playing, what are you playing in Mp?

[quantum112 10]

Domination. Co30 DomiOA West [2.60zc] AI RA is the map.

[Gunter Severloh 3969]

Ok then, edit the parameters in the description.exe,

Open the mission folder and look for a file called description you can open it with notepad.

two parameters to look for:

Either make the mission not ranked:

class GVAR(with_ranked) {
	title = "Ranked:";
	values[] = {0,1};
	default = 1;
	texts[] = {"Yes","No"};
};

and change this parameter:

or

class GVAR(pilots_only) {
	title = "Only pilots can fly:";
	values[] = {0,1};
	default = 0;
	texts[] = {"Yes","No"};
};

Make it say no by changing the value to 1 here -->default = 0;

then everyone can fly, not just pilots

Or just add planes you want, place them as empty, but then transfer the codes of other planes into

the init line of the new empty plane so thy respawn.

[tonygrunt 10]

Sounds like your videocard flushes it's memory and you have to wait to refill with the textures.

What is your Video Memory in settings ? (Preferred is Default)

Is your 4870X2 a 1GB (1GBX2=2GB total) or a 2GB(2GBX2=4GB total), never can be sure with the naming. :)

Post your Arma2oa.cfg localVRAM and nonlocalVRAM. LocalVRAM for a 1GB(X2) is around 1054539776 and twice for a 2GB(X2).

-You can try forcing vram detection with -maxVRAM=<number> startup parameter.

-Try using the -winxp startup parameter.

-Try disabling crossfire.

Maybe for a 2GB(2GBX2=4GB total) card you are having a address space limit on WinXP

[quantum112 10]

Sounds like your videocard flushes it's memory and you have to wait to refill with the textures.

What is your Video Memory in settings ? (Preferred is Default)

Is your 4870X2 a 1GB (1GBX2=2GB total) or a 2GB(2GBX2=4GB total), never can be sure with the naming. :)

Post your Arma2oa.cfg localVRAM and nonlocalVRAM. LocalVRAM for a 1GB(X2) is around 1054539776 and twice for a 2GB(X2).

-You can try forcing vram detection with -maxVRAM=<number> startup parameter.

-Try using the -winxp startup parameter.

-Try disabling crossfire.

Maybe for a 2GB(2GBX2=4GB total) card you are having a address space limit on WinXP

Video memory is set to Very High, I'll try other values.

Single 4870X2, so two cores with 1 GB VRAM each.

localVRAM=1073741824;

nonlocalVRAM=123076608;

I'll try what you mentioned.

By the way, are you using the same in-game name? If so we may have played together yesterday, I was on a side-mission only server (forgot the server name) playing as OPFOR, there was someone called TonyGrunt driving a captured M1A2 Tusk, the mission was to destroy enemy tanks. Was that you? :P My name was Arx.

@Günter

I'm not the host, I don't think I can affect those settings locally. It seems to be a local issue as it happens even on an almost blank map in the mission editor.

Update:

I've changed the Video memory to default, and after a few passes across the map and a few (Receiving...), stuff like this happens now. Alt-tabbing to and from the game made the textures reappear again. Any clues?

Edited June 3, 2012 by quantum112

[tonygrunt 10]

Video memory is set to Very High, I'll try other values.

Single 4870X2, so two cores with 1 GB VRAM each.

localVRAM=1073741824;

nonlocalVRAM=123076608;

Values seem ok.

By the way, are you using the same in-game name? If so we may have played together yesterday, I was on a side-mission only server (forgot the server name) playing as OPFOR, there was someone called TonyGrunt driving a captured M1A2 Tusk, the mission was to destroy enemy tanks. Was that you? :P My name was Arx.

Same one, small world isn't it. :)

Server was New-Germany-Fun.net.

I've changed the Video memory to default, and after a few passes across the map and a few (Receiving...), stuff like this happens now. Alt-tabbing to and from the game made the textures reappear again. Any clues?

Set all your Catalyst drivers 3D settings to default.

Have you tried the -maxvram with a value lower than 1024MB (eg.896)? Crossfire off?

Had similar problems with my 4870X2 on Arma, it drove me to Nvidia.

[quantum112 10]

Values seem ok.

Same one, small world isn't it. :)

Server was New-Germany-Fun.net.

Set all your Catalyst drivers 3D settings to default.

Have you tried the -maxvram with a value lower than 1024MB (eg.896)? Crossfire off?

Had similar problems with my 4870X2 on Arma, it drove me to Nvidia.

Tried both yes, didn't seem to make a difference. In the mission editor the screen takes 3-4 seconds, and during that time since it is local, I guess the game stops. But in MP, the server keeps my plane running while I can't control it and that's a big problem.

Drivers for this card have been flaky since release, I don't know...maybe I can try with Windows 7. I'll probably switch to nVidia next card as well :)

[-=seany=- 5]

I get the same problem with Nvidia. It happens every now and again (maybe once every 5 games).

The screen freezes for a period of time, it looks for all the world like my pc has frozen, I even hear sound loop. Then the screen the screen flickers and goes black. Then "Receiving" appears on the screen for a bit and then the game comes back fully and I can continue to play. For me, the whole process can be up to 50-60 seconds.

After I have finished playing the game and exit I see a message in the notification area/System Tray saying: "Display Driver has Stopped Responding and has recovered"

I only ever have this with Arma games.

[anno1505 1]

Ok then, edit the parameters in the description.exe,

Open the mission folder and look for a file called description you can open it with notepad.

two parameters to look for:

Either make the mission not ranked:

class GVAR(with_ranked) {
	title = "Ranked:";
	values[] = {0,1};
	default = 1;
	texts[] = {"Yes","No"};
};

and change this parameter:

or

class GVAR(pilots_only) {
	title = "Only pilots can fly:";
	values[] = {0,1};
	default = 0;
	texts[] = {"Yes","No"};
};

Make it say no by changing the value to 1 here -->default = 0;

then everyone can fly, not just pilots

Or just add planes you want, place them as empty, but then transfer the codes of other planes into

the init line of the new empty plane so thy respawn.

Thanks it worked for me!

[quantum112 10]

Hey, check this out. I installed Windows 7 64 this afternoon, and after reinstalling the game and checking Arma2OA.cfg;

localVRAM=2131763200;

nonlocalVRAM=1878253568;

So far I have not been able to reproduce the "Receiving..." in the editor, and I've dive-bombed the hell out of Feruz Abad from 3000 meters in the air for like 10 times... I hope I haven't spoken too soon. Still have to test multiplayer.