Enemy Territory: Frequent Problems and Solutions

[Scarhand]

Here is a topic where I will post the most common problems for W:ET and their solutions. Press Ctrl+F and type in whatever words you need to find, so you can quickly jump to where you need to be. Note that this is not a complete list, more will be added with time. The list could be long and get longer with additions. If you know of something I should add, let me know; a post in this topic is fine. There is a post length limit, so I will split this between 2 posts.

I think one of my programs is causing conflict with ET. Where can I find a list of such programs?

Programs that can cause problems with ET or PB are:

Get Right
DU Super Controler
Macro Toolsworks
Girder 3.2
PRTG Traffic Grapher
MS Office: ctfmon.exe (rarely)
CyberCorder: cybrcrdr.exe
Paessler Router Traffic Grapher: prtg4.exe
3dnasys.exe
mIRCStats
[possibly] PeerGuardian
iTunes
Realtek Audio

These may or may not cause conflict with ET, I never tested any of this out, it is just what I found.



I get an error that says "Game Code (ui_mp_x86.dll) failed Pure Server check". What should I do?

If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, make sure you check the box that says "Run as Administrator". Not doing so will cause problems for ET.
If you don't know what to do, rick click on the ET icon and press "Properties". Click on the Compatibility tab. Look at the Privilege Level section and check the box that says "Run this program as an administrator".



I get an error that says "hunk allocate temp memory: failed on 3145784"

Some maps need more memory than the default. Change the setting "com_hunkmegs" to 128. You can set it higher, but only if you have lots of ram. 128 should be fine for anything.



I get an error that says "nv4_disp.dll" + infinate loop.

This is a problem that might occur from an Nvidia graphics card. This error is not that common, but I decided to post it here anyway, as I heard Nvidia graphics cards don't work well with ET on rare occasion. To fix it, you need to install a patch, which can be found here:
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=4432



I get "openGL subsystem failure" error.

You need to update your graphics card drivers. You may even have to try an older driver. You may also need to remove the extension limit for you graphics card if you use Nvidia. It is possible for this to be caused by an antivirus or firewall. It is also possible that you need a newer sound driver, though graphics is more likely.



I have weird textures: jagged black areas, shiny surfaces, messed up colors, ect.

This one is difficult to describe, hopefully you recognize it if you have it. First, make sure that r_primitives is not set to 3 (should be 0 I think?). Try updating you graphics drivers. Try disabling Catalyst A.I. if you use an ATI card.



I only see a black/grey/other screen when I start ET. How can I fix this?

Try updating your graphics card drivers. If you are still experiencing problems, make a post with screenshots to better understand the problem.


Punkbuster problem "O/S Exception Violation / Ignoring Queries #9006"/

Try updating punkbuster manually. You can get this error if PB failed to auto-update. If you still have the problem, open Task Manager. Look for PnkBstrA.exe and PnkBstrB.exe in processes. If it isn't there, look in Services. If both of those are in neither tab, you will get this error. Restart your computer. If they are present, or restarting didn't work, try making sure you are logged on as admin and have compatibility mode for Windows XP. Turning off the UAC might work, but it is recommended NOT to do so.



Punkbuster keeps kicking me for ignoring MD5 tool queries. How do I fix it?

This is likely because a firewall or antivirus on your computer is blocking PB. Tell it to allow PB, or disable it while playing ET (turning off your firewall is not recommended).



I have an error that says "RESTRICTION: Service Communication Failure: PnkBstrB.exe initialization failed". I have a different error for punkbuster not listed here.

Try updating punkbuster. Make sure nothing is interfering with PB, such as an antivirus or firewall, or some program that interferes (list at top of page).



PunkBuster keeps kicking me for no CD_KEY

Start ET and enter "/pb_cdkeyreg" into the console.



I have an error that says Couldn't reopen C: \PROGRA~1\WOLFEN~1\etmain\pak0.pk3. I have an error that says "could not open default cfg". I have an error that says "Couldn't load an official pak file".

These problems are most likely caused because you are missing some necessary paks. Make sure you never delete any paks named pak0.pk3, pak1.pk3, pak2.pk3, or mp_bin.pk3. If you have deleted them, you will need to extract them from a fresh installation of ET, or reinstall ET.

If it says Couldn't load an official pak file, it may also mean that you are trying to connect to a server using a different ET version. Some servers run on 2.55 only, make sure you are not playing on 2.60b version.



I get an error "cl_ParseServerMessage: Illegible Server Message 0" whenever I try to connect to a server. What do I do to stop this message?

You may have older versions of pk3's that you need to get rid of. Delete some older pk3's from etmain and/or a mod folder. You can always download the ones you need from the server, but make sure you do not delete everything, as some paks are necessary to play ET: pak0, pak1, pak2, or mp_bin.



I can't see any servers in the server list. How do I get them back?

For one thing, make sure your internet connection is not out. Get on ET and click play; at the top are filter options: make sure source is set to Internet, Game Type is set to all, and try disabling the other filters as well. Sometimes the master ET server goes down for maintenance or for some issue. If this is the case, the server list will be down for everybody, but you can still connect to a server if you know the IP; this usually will not last long, so be patient and you can satisfy your ET crave soon.



Illegible server message or other error connecting to server.

You may have various errors during connecting to a server. All you have to do is wait a few seconds and then reconnect, and you should have no problems entering the server. If you do, just restart ET and try again.



Help! I am banned from a server and don't know why!

Make sure punkbuster is enabled. Click the button below the server list, or type pb_cl_enable in your console. Try replacing your ETkey in case something like xfire caused it to change. If you are still banned, make a request for an unban on the clan's forums. If you are banned by PunkBuster, you would have to make an appeal at pbbans.com.

[Scarhand]

I am getting terrible lag! I can hardly play ET!

Check the setting of com_maxfps for starters. Make sure it isn't a low number, it should be at least the 40s or up. Next, try setting cg_drawfps to 1. Look near your kill-counter to see your FPS. If your FPS number is low when you lag, you have CPU based lag. If you have a high FPS number but still lag, it is connection lag. A high ping also determines connection lag, such as 400+, which you can check while pressing tab. Check the cfg section of this forum and try my low graphics cfg to reduce cpu lag.
As for connection lag, try setting these cvars to these values based on your connection:


-----56K Modem-----------

cl_maxpackets "20"
cl_packetdup "0"
snaps "20"
rate "5000"

-----ISDN Single (64K)---------

cl_maxpackets "30"
cl_packetdup "1"
snaps "20"
rate "7000"

---ISDN MultiConection/DSL (128K)---

cl_maxpackets "60"
cl_packetdup "1"
snaps "20"
rate "15000"

----DSL 256K or faster-----

cl_maxpackets "100"
cl_packetdup "1"
snaps "20"
rate "25000"


There isn't much else in game you can do to lower your ping. You would have to have less background internet usage or have less people tapping into the same connection. Maybe you just have a slow Internet Service Provider.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.



I lost or keep losing my xp and admin levels!

Always save the file named "etkey" found in the etmain folder of your ET directory. This file contains the code called a GUID used to identify who you are when you connect to a server, so that it can give you your xp and admin levels. Email this file to yourself or keep it on a flashdrive so you can restore it any time you need to. If you lost your GUID from something like reinstalling ET, just paste and replace into the etmain folder to insert your etkey if you ever need to.
To get back xp that was lost and you didn't save your etkey, you will have to ask an admin of the server to put xp or admin levels onto your current GUID. Should you do this, make sure to gather up as much proof as possible (screenshots, videos, reliable witnesses).
It is possible that you lost your xp some other way than your GUID being changed, in which case replacing your etkey cannot help you. Your xp could be lost by being taken away by an admin, or you were inactive from the server for too long.
Xfire has been known to overwrite your etkey. Should your etkey be continuously overwritten, right click on your etkey, go to properties, and make it a "read only" file.


I am getting kicked for "Bad User Info".

You need to create a new profile in ET. You may also have to delete your old profiles, in etmain folder and all mod folders of you ET directory.



I keep getting kicked by punkbuster for r_allowextensions = 0
If you set your graphics quality to the "fastest" preset, it will set r_allowextensions to 0, which may cause punkbuster to kick you. You can make a cfg and have the following lines it it to run fastest and not be kicked:
exec preset_fastest_ui.cfg
r_allowextensions 1



My binds and settings keep resting to default!
Delete profile.pid in the profile folder of etmain and mod folders in your etmain directory and try again. Also if profile.cfg becomes larger than 21kb, it will not load. To fix this, place all your binds and settings into a cfg named "autoexec.cfg" which will automatically be run when you start up ET.



I keep trying to add servers to my favorites list, but they aren't favorite every time I get back on ET.
Start ET, add the servers in the server list to your favorites list by checking the favorite box but do not connect to any servers; quit ET and start again and it should be a favorite and stay there.

[[TfL]DeV!L]

Great work man :)

It will help many poeple :)

[Spl@$h~]

Yes thank you for sharing this on TB, its nice and helpfull , should be move later to turoial section or tips.

[Shagileo]

Moved it to the tutorial section. Very handy, thanks for your efforts !

[Zaintkb]

Good tutorial, good work. I will maybe link this tutorial on my clan forums