Episode 1 sound problem

[jdoe]

When I start the game up, it runs normally. The Valve logo comes on with that sound clip. However, I then get to the main menu, but I don't get any sound when putting the mouse over the different options(that Half-Life "doink" sound). When I start up the game, I get that opening "Half Life 2: Episode 1" titlecard and then you see garbage falling down, along with that Breen moniter. But no sound at all. The garbage then falls down for a while(I usually just turn off the game after a few minutes of continuous garbage falling). I'm assuming that shouldn't happen.

The major problem is I'm not getting an audio, except with the Valve logo(if that means anything). I guess the fact that the opening "garbage falling" lasting for a long time is also a problem. I have the audio settings on 2 speakers. I'm using a SB Live Value(WDM), which worked fine with the HL2. Do any of you have any answers?

EDIT: I've looked at the console while the game loads up and I've noticed some other things. First, the console says something like "cannot exec userconfig"(something like that). Then, when the intro loads up, often it can't initialize textures like "Alex_eyeball"(again, this isn't exact). I've tried a reinstall, but its the same. I have a retail CD version.

Any help???

 

[Beerdude26]

Try validating your files.
steam://validate/380

Also, do you have the latest sound and video drivers?

 

[jdoe]

Okay, I downloaded Episode 1 from Steam, thinking maybe there was a corrupt file on the CD. No changes. Still no sound, a new game is stuck indefinitely at the falling garbage.

I opened the console and this is whats there, if it's any help:

maxplayers set to 1
Heap: 64.00 Mb
Parsed 15 text messages
execing config_default.cfg
Host_WriteConfiguration: Wrote cfg/config.cfg
1 CPU, Frequency: 3.3 Ghz, Features: GenuineIntel SSE2 MMX RDTSC CMOV FCMOV
execing valve.rc
CModelLoader::Map_IsValid: No such map 'none'
map load failed: none not found or invalid
couldn't exec userconfig.cfg
Host_WriteConfiguration: Wrote cfg/config.cfg
couldn't exec userconfig.cfg
Host_WriteConfiguration: Wrote cfg/config.cfg
execing chapter1.cfg
Spawn Server ep1_citadel_00
Begin loading faces (loads materials)
End loading faces (loads materials)
execing skill_manifest.cfg
execing skill.cfg
execing skill_episodic.cfg
Section [Scenes]: 1608 resources total 25.73 KB, 1.23 % of limit (2.10 MB)
Game started
Initializing renderer...
Error: Material "engine/colorcorrection" uses unknown shader "ColorCorrection"
couldn't exec userconfig.cfg
Host_WriteConfiguration: Wrote cfg/config.cfg


I tried the validation. It went through and then that was it. No alerts or anything.

I have the latest video drivers(Nvidia). I think I have the latest sound drivers(its an old soundblaster live- the newest driver was from 2000).

Does ANYONE have any suggestions?

 

[Barney Fife]

Go to Start, Control Panel, Sounds And Audio Devices, in the Speaker Setting, hit Advanced, select the right speakers you're now using, then on the top of the dialog box hit Performance, The Hardware Acceleration. bring the bar down on the third dot, and the Sample Rate Conversion Quality, leave the bar on the Second dot.
Do Disk Defragmenter.
Update and verify Game Files.
Reboot system.

Let me know how it goes.

Good Luck.

 

[jdoe]

Is this what you mean by the sound settings? I have Windows ME

Also, how do I update and verify game files?

 

[5parta]

that's where you change ur sound around. However, i think he meant for you to bring down sound accel. 3 bars down towards the left so that's its on basic acceleration.

as for the verifying of files, from your steam games list, highlight and rightclick on ep1, choose properties from the popup menu, and then the 3rd tab (dunno what its called) will have the "verify game files" options, just click and wait.

 

[jdoe]

I changed the sound setting to basic acceleration and the sample conversion between Good and Best(the middle). I went through the "verify integrity of game cache"- however, I wasn't there after it was at 60%, so I'm not sure if anything happened between that and it going away. I didn't defrag yet since that will take several hours with my computer. Regardless, no changes.

One more thing: whenever I've quit out of Episode 1, I get this message:

In addition, I was looking in my Steam folder I saw that there is NOTHING in my C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\USERNAME\half-life 2 episode one\episodic\cfg folder. Is that right?

Thanks for helping me so far, I sent in a question form to the Steam tech help 3 days ago and I've gotten nothing.

 

[jdoe]

Okay, I think I solved half of this. I deleted the "half life 2: episode 1" folder and then verified my files in Steam. I now get sound on the main menu.

However, I'm still stuck with starting the game. I noticed this in the console:

Begin loading faces (loads materials)
End loading faces (loads materials)
execing skill_manifest.cfg
execing skill.cfg
execing skill_episodic.cfg
-- Error --: empty soundname, .qc error on AE_CL_PLAYSOUND in model dog.mdl, sequence E1_intro_dog_climb_back, animevent # 3
-- Error --: empty soundname, .qc error on AE_CL_PLAYSOUND in model dog.mdl, sequence E1_intro_climb, animevent # 4
Section [Scenes]: 1608 resources total 25.73 KB, 1.23 % of limit (2.10 MB)
Game started
Initializing renderer...

It looks like DOG is supposed to do something(I'm just guessing), but there's some error preventing that. I'm still getting the DATACACHE.DLL message after quitting too. Any ideas?

 

[framling]

I'm having this problem too.

I tried re-installing Steam and then re-downloading only Ep. 1. Sound worked in the menu, as you described, but I still got stuck at the floating garbage opening. I tried verifying files, which killed sound off again. So just now, I tried your deleting/verifying trick and now I'm right back where you are.

This is annoying, to say the least.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Well, You're not using Warez... so i don't know... Try reinstalling, it (both Steam and E1) like someone else said...

 

[framling]

Well, You're not using Warez... so i don't know... Try reinstalling, it (both Steam and E1) like someone else said...

By "someone," do you mean me?

And by "Try," do you mean "I see that you already tried?"

 

[Gelde]

Hi all, I get the same game error as the 2 others - it is simply because we are trying the game on a win9x kernal. M$ added a couple of hex bits to make stuff xp compatible and a lot of the time 9x isnt going to work anymore - time to bite the bullet for gaming compatibility - really.........I hate the idea that my fast - stable - reliable 98 setup has to be ruined by the mem hog known as XP but now that vista is looming I might finally dual boot so I can actually play some of the latest games properly.

I know its not much help - but unless someone else has a workaround then it seems were stuck.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Interesting. Well i'm not sure if i have a complete understanding of the problem, but you can run the game in dx 7/8 modes by going to properties of the game and advanced and putting the appropriate command in the box (search the forums for the exact command) and click ok. I'm assuming you will be able to run the game but it will look a tad nasty.

edit: http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1662183&postcount=12 - example