SUPPORT FAQ - Having a technical pro ...

In an effort to help keep support moving smoothly, we'll be compiling a list of questions and answers as they come into the forums. If you're having a problem, please read through this first post (we'll keep it updated) or post your question in this thread. 

Thanks!

Orcs Must Die! Technical FAQ

UPDATED 12-01-2011

• Added Question #11 and #12
• Updated Question #6

1. I'm getting a "Failed to Initialize Engine" error when I try to start the game. What's up?

A. The most recent patch should fix this for most players. If you still experience this problem, there are a few things to discuss on this one, so let's jump in:

• Is this your first time starting up the game?
  • If this problem happens the first time you start the game, then one possibility is that your video card doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for your graphics card. You can see the min specs here. We'll say it again down below, but it's worth noting now that the game does not support SVGA drivers.
  • Go into your Windows Device Manager and ensure that your integrated video card (if you have one) is disabled. If you feel certain it is, try double-checking. It can't hurt. 
  • If you're absolutely certain that you meet the minimum specifications and you're getting this error, then we recommend that you reinstall your video drivers.
  • Done all of that? Still getting the error? There's a chance that something is wrong with your Dx9 or MSVC installations. Follow the instructions below to manually install these again (don't use the web installers):
    • These files will be installed as part of the game install.  If you need to reinstall only Dx9 then you can go the directory that steam installed the game to and install it directly from the installer directory.  
    • The directoy will look something like this - ##WhereEverSteamIsInstalled##\Steamapps\common\orcs must die!\Installer - For most installs this will be C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\orcs must die!\installer.
    • Find dxsetup.exe and run it by double-clicking on the file.  If this files are missing you should reinstall the game. When asked, accept the agreement and let the installer complete.  This should install the version of DirectX that is needed by the game.
    • To install the MSVC runtime look for the vcredist_x86.exe installer and run it by double-clicking on the file. If this files are missing you should reinstall the game.
       
• Did the game work with one graphics card but not another? Are you switching/trying different cards?
  • There's a chance that you have a settings file that is keeping odd settings from one of the cards. Try deleting your videosettings.xml file.
    • This file will be in your local current user’s "My Documents" folder, under the "Orcs Must Die" directory.
    • The directory  will look something like this - C:\Documents and Settings\##CurrentUserName##\My Documents\Orcs Must Die\ - The ‘##CurrentUserName##’ portion will be whatever name you are currently logged in as. This will be on the install drive for your operating system. 
    • Find the file named VideoSetting.xml.  Delete this file.
    • Relaunch the game. The file will be automatically recreated when the game launches.
       
• Are you using SVGA drivers?
  • The game does not support SVGA drivers. There's an outside chance that you might be running them and not even know it, so please double check just to be certain. 

2. I've downloaded the game from Steam, but it won't launch when I try to open it?

A. This seems to happen when some files haven't properly downloaded. To check this, follow these instructions:

• Close out of Steam completely.
• Restart Steam.
• In Steam, right click on the game's title. 
• Select "Properties"
• Click on the "Local Files" tab.
• Click on the "Verify Integrity of Game Cache..." button.
• This should identify and replace any missing files, and your game should work after the fix. 

3. All I'm seeing are tops of heads or piles of equipment - What’s going on?

A. Seeing onyl the tops of heads sticking out of the ground or piles of equipment on the floor? This happens on machines that are below minimum specifications, specifically single-core machines. The game manages a ton of animation, and the second core is used to process all of that data. Without the second core, everyone in-game just becomes a pile on the ground. The only fix for this is to run the game on a machine that meets the minimum specs - namely dual core or higher. If you're machine is dual core and you're still experiencing this problem, check to be sure that your computer isn't forcing single-core when you run the game.

4. I’m seeing black boxes on flaming arrows and other graphics glitches. What should I do?

A. This may occur on certain graphics cards. If it does, lower the graphics details slider in the options.

5. I got an error that says “Failed to correctly load data files. Please validate the game data files.” What should I do?

A. Data for the game has been corrupted. Please uninstall and reinstall the game.

A. This issue should be fixed by the latest patch, but if not, then follow these steps (assuming that you're running on an nVidia card):

• Open the nVidia Control Panel and click on "Manage 3D Settings"
• Then add orcsmustdie.exe
• Scroll down until you find "SLI rendering mode" and set this to "Force alternate frame rendering 1" and accept the warning that pops up
• Click Apply

  (thanks to Chris for this solution)

8. My game is picking up my kills from the Demo and I want to start fresh. What do I do?

A. To clear out your career kills in the game, you'll want to start a new profile in the full version of the game. Continuing with your demo profile will keep the career kill count from your demo playthroughs.

9. I pre-ordered the game, but my Knight of the Order DLC isn't showing up in the game? How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends? Can I fix it?

A. Yep! This was part of a larger issue across Steam that just happened to line up with our launch date. We're definitely sorry about the mess, but we talked with Valve about how people can fix this issue, and here's what they told us.

If you delete this file - <steamfolder>\appcache\appinfo.vdf - and restart Steam, the missing DLC problem should fix itself and your costume should show up properly.

11. My graphics card is running very hot or overheating.

A. You can use user.cfg to cap the framerate of the game. This generally seems to help with people having this issue. Instructions for using "user.cfg" to customize your frame rate:

1. If you have already setup a user.cfg file, navigate to where it is on your computer and skip to step 3. If you haven't setup a user.cfg file yet, then proceed to step 2.
2. Navigate to D:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\orcs must die!\data\startup\ (or wherever your Steam files are located) and create a text file called user.cfg (make sure you're not creating user.cfg.txt, as this is a common error on this step)
3. Edit user.cfg and add options from the list below to change your settings:

• forceFPS=X
  • Set X to the maximum framerate you want to run at (for example: forceFPS=30)

12. Can I run in Windowed Mode?

A. Yes. You can use the user.cfg file to force the game to run in windowed mode. Here's how:

1. If you have already setup a user.cfg file, navigate to where it is on your computer and skip to step 3. If you haven't setup a user.cfg file yet, then proceed to step 2.
2. Navigate to D:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\orcs must die!\data\startup\ (or wherever your Steam files are located) and create a text file called user.cfg (make sure you're not creating user.cfg.txt, as this is a common error on this step)
3. Edit user.cfg and add options from the list below to change your settings:

• window
  • This will force the game to run in Windowed Mode. Currently we don’t have a way to move the window around/reposition it.  We did this mainly as an option for people that want to run windowed mode but full screen.

13. Does this game support modding?

A. As of a recent patch, Orcs Must Die! on PC supports the customization of enemy waves, starting money, and other attributes to customize your experiences on existing levels in the game. Details about how to use this functionality are here.