Unable to Initialize Display

[bobpaul]

Attached are my xorg.conf (renamed due to forum restrictions) and hpl.log.

When I start Penumbra, it tries to launch fullscreen but puts the LCD into a mode it can't handle. The screen just shows "OUT OF RANGE: H: 84Khz, V: 64hz, Max 1280x1024".

[code]$ lspci | grep nVidia
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV43 [GeForce 6600] (rev a2)
$ aptitude show nvidia-glx-185 | grep Version
Version: 185.18.36-0ubuntu9
$ glxinfo | grep direct\ rendering
direct rendering: Yes [\code]

I can't seem to figure out where the game stores it's config... it would seem it hasn't created one yet. ~/.frictionalgames/ has the hpl log file and some directory structure, but that's about it. /opt/PenumbraOverture/config doesn't seem to have anything pertaining to my problem. I'd like to either set window mode or change the resolution it attempts to run at, but I don't know how. Unfortunately I can't just hook up an old CRT to configure it as I no longer have one

[jens]

There is a default_settings.cfg in /opt/PenumbraOverture/config/ that you can edit to change the resolution. I think the easiest way to see if things work is to change the fullscreen="true" to fullscreen="false" and then run the game.

[dakkar]

There is a default_settings.cfg in /opt/PenumbraOverture/config/ that you can edit to change the resolution. I think the easiest way to see if things work is to change the fullscreen="true" to fullscreen="false" and then run the game.

Hi,

I have a similar problem but from a different cause. I tried to increase the screen resolution to 1600x1200, but upon restart, I only get a black screen with the mouse pointer. There is no way to get out of it without doing a hard reboot. I tried to change the config according to your instructions in the previous post (fullscreen="true" to fullscreen="false") but no success.

I've purchased the game as part of the humble bundle and I'm running it on Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 64bit on an acer laptop Nvidia video card 9600M GT.

Thanks!

[jens]

In your case, as the game has launched successfully you have to edit the settings.cfg file located in home directory/.frictionalgames/PenumbraOverture/. The deafult_settings.cfg file is only used on first launch and should only be edited if experiencing a problem with launching the game at all.

You could most likely use crtl-alt-F1 to bring up a terminal window, then run top, press k, enter the PID of the penumbra process, kill with 9 and then go back to the desktop with ctrl-alt-F7?

[bobpaul]

I think the easiest way to see if things work is to change the fullscreen="true" to fullscreen="false" and then run the game.

Oh, thanks. I had opened that file with vim, but the line lengths made it look funny, but now I've found that setting.

I only get a black screen with the mouse pointer. There is no way to get out of it without doing a hard reboot.

Ctrl+Alt+Backspace will restart your X11 environment (bring you back to the GDM/KDM login window). This will close most of your programs, but it's still better and faster than a hard reboot. It would really be helpful if the game responded to Alt+F4.

You could most likely use crtl-alt-F1 to bring up a terminal window, ...

I know in my case this wasn't an option since the nVidia 185 drivers don't handle the context switching properly. If I kill gdm I can switch between ttys, but if I have X11 on tty7 I just get a blank screen when trying to switch. . The fullscreen setting works, though, and I can build from there to find a working resolution.

Edit Final solution was to change this line in my xorg.conf:
Option "metamodes" "CRT: 1280x1024_75 +0+0; CRT:1024x768_75; CRT: 800x600_75; CRT: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
From playing around in nvidia-settings, where I could apply resolutions without reloading X, I found my monitor won't tolerate less than 75hz except in 1280x768, and of course 60hz seems to be what "nvidia-auto-select" likes to choose.

[dakkar]

Hi. First, thanks for the quick response!

I've tried to locate the setting.cfg but it does seem to be there. Since I have no saved game, would it be easier to just reinstall?

BTW, my install is directly in home directory/PenumbraOverture/

Thanks!

[dakkar]

Well, tried to do a reinstall. No luck. Is the config file in a different diifferent directory than the game itself? Because all files should have been overwritten by my new install, no?

Thanks!

[jens]

Yes the settings file is in home directory/.frictionalgames/, you have to turn on show invisible files or use ls -a if using the terminal to see the folder.

[dakkar]

Got it! Thanks! Didn't realize it was in a hidden folder. Issue resolved!