Game Freezes computer

[transporter]

Apologizes if this problem already has a forum spot but I couldn't find it. On my Mac In every CM game the game has a random propensity to freeze.   It usually freezies on camera 1 or 2.  Sometimes if I wait a few seconds it will unfreeze and sometimes it locks up the computer to the point where I have to shut down the computer using the on/off button as the game will not force quit.  A while back I had a nice talk with support and we discussed several possible remedies all of which included reducing the graphic options of the game.   Now I have a relatively potent Mac, 3 Ghz - 10 core Xeon W, 64 GB memory, Radeon Pro Vega with 16 GB memory.  However even after reducing the graphics some but I have to admit not an awful lot the problem still exists.  I can reduce the graphics further but I am seeking an answer that would allow me to utilize the graphics capabilities of my computer.  Thanks for any help.

[Schrullenhaft]

Lockups of CM on Macs aren't common and I personally haven't experienced any (not that they absolutely don't occur, there just seems to be far fewer reports of them). It's strange that you're suffering the same problem on a new Mac, which suggests that there may be some sort of similar software setup on this new Mac that the old one had.

Are you running any security/anti-virus software on this computer ? If so, then add an 'exception' for your CM games in the security software so that it doesn't interfere with any operations.

Where did you install your CM games ? Are they on the boot volume or some older drive (external, etc.) ?

Do you have any mods installed (graphics, sound, etc.) ? If so, temporarily remove them (usually in the 'Z' folder) and see if that helps.

Are you using a wireless mouse and/or keyboard ? If so, try wired versions and see if the problem continues.

What resolution are you running CM at ? If you're running a super-high resolution, back it off to something less (1920 x 1080, etc.) and see if that helps. While your Radeon Pro Vega 16GB is pretty powerful, it might still run into some issues with 4K+ resolution games.

[lsailer]

Could you try firing up Activity Monitor.  Then, when you experience a freeze, quickly switch to AM and see if something is eating your processing power.

Also, some years back, I had occasional freeze/crash/panic issues.  I finally googled how to run a hardware test, and discovered I had a bad memory chip.  Replaced some memory, problem solved.

[transporter]

My old Mac was a 2009 Mac Pro with 2- 2.93 4 core processors.  I don't remember the graphics card but it was the best at the time and the programs ran OK.  No security/antivirus software.  Games are on the boot volume.   No mods installed. Do have wireless keyboard.  Toned resolution down to 1152x768, Vert sync - off, 3d model & 3d Texture - balanced, and antialias - off.  Will try this set up and see how it works.  As for running activity monitor, once the program freezes the entire computer is frozen;  nothing works.  I run some pretty involved games graphics wise i.e. Deus Ex Mankind divided and the CM games are the only ones I have problems with.  What I do, do , is save alot.  That way if it freezes I haven't lost much.  Thanks, hopefully we will figure this out.

[transporter]

Just tried again (CMFI) again with the reduced graphics and using a wired keyboard and it froze again.  The only other thing I can think of might be my screen.  The iMac Pro has a 5K screen running at 5160x2880 resolution.  Like I said I just save alot. 

[Bud Backer]

I’m on a 2012 MacBook Pro, quad-core, GT650M & 16Gb ram, so nowhere near your specs, and I run the game with all settings maxed, even with huge maps. I can’t imagine that you could not with that lovely rig. 
 

Are you on the latest version of MacOS ?

I saw this issue happen to a friend and it was resolved by updating the OS and reinstalling the games. 

Edited March 5, 2020 by Bud Backer

[transporter]

I am running the latest OS 10.15.3.  Perhaps reinstallation is the way to go.  Thanks for the tip.

[Bud Backer]

Fortunately the all-in-one installers make that quite easy.

Good luck! 

[Bulletpoint]

Have you tried disabling the shaders? At least on PC, the game's buggy shaders cause many crashes. Hotkey to disable them is Alt+R

[Ales Dvorak]

16 hours ago, Schrullenhaft said:

It's strange that you're suffering the same problem on a new Mac, which suggests that there may be some sort of similar software setup on this new Mac that the old one had.

This.

 

p.s. mini mac /1,4 Ghz intel core i5/ 4GB memory - no problems , CM runs smooth, not so on really big maps.

[dw]

Having the same problem - every once in awhile things freeze - wait for a minute and then comes back - although I have had a couple of crashes to desktop. Have a 2019 iMac w/ProVega 48, 64GB memory, 3.6GHz 8-core - running on Mojave...

Not frequent - but has happened...

Use bluetooth for both keyboard and mouse...

[transporter]

Trying one more time on the computer freezing.  I am running all of the CM games  with the latest eng. 4 upgrades and Shock force 2.  For troubleshooting purposes I have set different video settings on each game.  All of them freeze the computer usually when the camera is on setting 1 or 2.  I have not reinstalled them - yet - as I am trying to figure out what is happening.

I think one of 2 things may have happened.  When I migrated them from my old 2009 Mac Pro (where they worked flawlessly) to my 2017 iMac Pro something happened.  Or  the games are not fully compatible with the Radeon Pro Vega 64  16GB video card.  If anyone else has a similar setup let me know how the games run.  The next step is to reinstall one game and see how that works.  I'll let you know.

[Ultradave]

On 3/22/2020 at 4:48 PM, transporter said:

Trying one more time on the computer freezing.  I am running all of the CM games  with the latest eng. 4 upgrades and Shock force 2.  For troubleshooting purposes I have set different video settings on each game.  All of them freeze the computer usually when the camera is on setting 1 or 2.  I have not reinstalled them - yet - as I am trying to figure out what is happening.

I think one of 2 things may have happened.  When I migrated them from my old 2009 Mac Pro (where they worked flawlessly) to my 2017 iMac Pro something happened.  Or  the games are not fully compatible with the Radeon Pro Vega 64  16GB video card.  If anyone else has a similar setup let me know how the games run.  The next step is to reinstall one game and see how that works.  I'll let you know.

I think you're on the right track. I would try a clean installation of one of the games, the one that gives you the problem most often, if there is one. To save downloads, (just in case the new install blows up completely), rename the folder for your existing install by adding "-original" or something obvious. Then you could trash the new install and revert to the existing one if need be.

The only time I've had anything resembling a freeze is just a momentary hiccup where it pauses panning in some of the biggest scenarios. (I'm discounting beta testing crashes where sometimes weird things happen). And I run mine on a 13" MacBook Pro laptop - far below your specs and I run with all the graphics settings maxed out all the time. My laptop is pretty new and I didn't have issues migrating from my old one, but that's certainly a possibility.

[Blitzkrieg'd]

@transporter - are you still having your problem? I've just purchased/installed CMFI and am experiencing the same issues you describe. iMac Pro, 10.15.5, Radeon Pro Vega 56 8 GB.  The game will completely freeze, locking my entire computer (I can move the mouse but no clicks or keystrokes registered) and causing it to reboot after a couple minutes.

[Schrullenhaft]

It looks like there may be some sort of incompatibility with the Radeon Pro Vega hardware and the drivers that AMD/Apple provide for the OS and CM. This is one of those situations where you wish Apple would update the video driver much more frequently for their OSes. Instead you typically have to wait until some x.x.x release down the road to have an updated driver that may fix the problem.

[transporter]

I think Schrullenhaft is correct.  I tried reinstalling with no effect.  Mine usually freezes on camera 1 or 2 when there is movement.  Considering the screen and sound stays the same it is almost as if the Vega has entered into an irrecoverable loop.  So I save quite often and stay away from camera 1 or 2 except when there is no movement needed.  Bit of a pain but tolerable.   Keep the faith!!

[Blitzkrieg'd]

When you say movement, do you mean moving the camera, or game movement (like troop movement)?  Those close in views are so useful I have a hard time not zooming way in or close to the ground.

I'm trying to find a good balance between graphic fidelity and how much it crashes - seems like it crashes less when you have things turned waaaay down.  I ran it with literally everything off or at the lowest settings and at 1024x576 (correct aspect ratio for this machine) and I managed to get through a campaign scenario without freezing (camera in low and close a lot). How do you have your video settings... set?

I'm really bummed with this situation! I last played Combat Mission with Barbarossa to Berlin in 2012 and am so excited to come back to Combat Mission, but this is making it really difficult to enjoy... It can be brutal to play with really low video settings!

[transporter]

It will freeze when either moving the camera or following troop/vehicle movement.  I have tried virtually all the different combinations of video settings to no avail.  BTW, I have the problem on all of the CM games.   Having said that,  all my games are on turn based and basic training as I play for fun and like to take my time figuring things out.  I have not tried any other setting.  If you do let me know how it comes out.  

[Blitzkrieg'd]

Following up with a bit more detail:

The only thing that seems to matter is the display size. The higher the display size, the more likely (and more quickly) it will freeze. If I drop down to 1024x576 (16:9) it seem very unlikely to freeze at all (although it's hard to look at that resolution on this huge 5k monitor!).  If I set it to native resolution (2560x1440) it will freeze within a few minutes at most.  In between is... in between - the higher the faster the freeze.  I've messed with various other video settings, but they don't seem to affect the length of time to freeze.

I'd love to be able to play at native resolution as it seems to be the biggest driver of visual quality for me - other than the random freeze the machine doesn't seem to struggle at all at that resolution.

 

[transporter]

I have an 2013 Macbook Pro and the game plays perfectly on it.  I agree that it has to be the Radeon Vega card.  One thing I have found is if you move the camera via the keyboard while simultaneously moving the mouse it tends to lock up more frequently.  At least the game is playable which is a good thing.

[transporter]

Just upgraded to the recent version and ironically the program has not frozen - yet.  Hopefully others with the freeze dilemma will have the same positive results. 

[IronwulfAlpha]

FYI: I'm having this same issue with Shock Force 2 - ever after applying the latest patch (2.04).

I'm running Catalina on a stock 2019 iMac Pro.

Activity monitor doesn't reveal any resource issues so its definitely not due to pressure on the CPU, MEM, HDD, etc.

But it freezes up regularly requiring a cold reboot of my Mac.

[Schrullenhaft]

I'm not sure if transporter's issue was resolved with an OS/driver update or what. He was originally running 10.15.5, what OS version are you running currently ? What video chip do you have in your 2019 iMac Pro ? I've seen some models listed as having Radeon Pro 570X's, but the most common being the Radeon Pro Vega 56 or 64X. The Radeon Pro Vega and its drivers were probably at the heart of the original poster's issue and the update to the OS/driver fixed it (I assume).

[Panzer Lehr]

For two years now, I have been having problems such as described in this thread.I have had to play on the lowest setting with no trees, no shadows, no shaders, still I would get freezes and sometimes crashes. This despite having bought 2020 iMac (3.8 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon Pro 5700 8 GB, 64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4) stillI have got freezes and crashes on ALL my CM games.  (RT, BN, FB, FI, CW, SF2, BS) Well yesterday, I updated the OS to Ventura from Monterrey. So far … I can play on highest settings with all the bells and whistles turn on, no freezes or crashes!

[transporter]

I found that if I go to level 1 to track movement I have to pause repeatedly to, I guess, let the video catch up.  I don't use 1 very much anymore using it mainly to look around.  My system, on occasion, will still freeze on level 2 but I found that if I just wait for a few seconds, sometimes up to 15-20 seconds which can seem like a long time when you are waiting, that the video will catch up and continue as normal.  Don't know if that makes any sense or why it works but it does for me.  I still have the best video settings but find that the more scenery intensive the more processing the video card has to do and the greater chance of a freeze.  Perhaps the new engine they are working on will solve the problems. 

My computer has the save specs as yours except it is a 2017 Imac Pro with a 10 core Xeon W, and the Radeon Pro Vega 64.  I just upgraded to Ventura so we shall see.  Good lick!

Edited November 8, 2022 by transporter
Additional info.