Duck and Cover

Every so often (each day), I get this error before we launch into a game. Its usually during when we're going to test one of my maps or play the WW2 mod. It says:

C:\dev\phoenix\display\direct7x\dd7_display.cpp(715):**fatal error**. Could not create primary and back surfaces

I don't understand it and its pissing me off.

So can anybody help me?

It'd help if you posted your technical specs, what version of direct x are you running etc? Is it only you who gets the error or do your opponents get it as well?

When you get it playing the WW2 mod does it happen with a particular map and which one?

What does the BOS.log text file under the root directory (C) say after you get the error?

I have a Windows 98 HP Pavllion P3 666mghz, 124 RAM or something like that, ATI Radeon 9600XT, 30 gig HD, I also have the newest Direct X (9 or something).

It's only me that gets that error. It happens when I launch regular FOT from gamespy too sometimes. What happens is, the host will launch the game, I'll go to the black screen then I'll hear an error sound. I tab out of the game and it says that crap. I can't find or don't have the BOS.log file

after that first gay error it then says


Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library Error
Program C:\Program Files\ 14 Degrees East\Fallout Tactics\BOS.exe

abnormal program termination

The Bos log should be directly under your C drive, along with the main bos.cfg file.

Do you get the error only on specific maps, only using the WW2mod path or all the time?

Can you run single player custom maps or the main campaign?

If it's only you then there's something wrong with your set up/installation, have you tried re-installing?

That error ;

"Could not create primary and back surfaces errors"


can also be generated if the application is launched twice in rapid succession, or if the games exit routine failes to kill off all the games temp shit VM allocation and all that junk.

Heed requiem's wise marklar of trying a reinstall. Tactics has some slop in its code and that could very well be the problem.

xbow wrote:requiums

Have ye not quite finished celebrating new years yet?

It could be that the tools haven't shut down properly, though usually when that happens to me the screen just goes black and freezes.

The closest to that error I've had, I can't remember the first message but the second one seems familiar, was when I edited the taunts.txt and missed a bracket, that caused errors when trying to start up the game and I had to re-install.

Bah, reinstall, damn you FOT! DAMN YOU!

It's sometimes when the game gets launched, it goes to the black screen then freezes, error sound plays, and I tab out and am greeted with the gay error screen.

I'll reinstall...grumble grumble grumble....ass

'requiums' arghhhhhhh! it was that last flaggon of ale I swear it!!!

came across this topic while doing a search for the same problem. I'm running a Pentium 2 350Mhz, 512Mb RAM, i have the appropriate video card but can't recall at the moment, yadda-yadda specs. I've installed uninstalled, reinstalled this bullshit 10 times and the same goof message surfaces. I'm running the latest directx. I'm considering the problem lies in a ghost directx reroute (the program jumps to an older version of dirX). I've tried deleting every relic of directx 7 from my computer, but i'm stuck. Should I go in and rewrite coding? Do they have a patch for this problem that I'm unaware of?

There's no patch, no one has ever posted a definate fix as far as I'm aware. General consensus is that it's either a conflict with your video card/drivers or most likely there's a program running/crashed in the background which is causing troubles.

If I meet the person who designed the direct X part of this game I will kick them in the kidneys. So far since I've posted this... it hasn't happened again.

From my leet FOT demo hacking days, I remember that the prototype files were (and still are in the final product) so redundant it's not even funny. Sloppy job, mates!