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[diego gr]

Hey guys, I just want you to know that we are playing MAX online using Hamachi using its IPX simulation.
If you want to play, look up our facebook group called Mechanized Assault and Exploration,
or call me at diego4779 AT gmail DOT com

On top of that, there is a Russian group that programmed a copy from scratch called MAX Touch. It works on touchscreen cellphones. At this moment, the only way to play multi is hot seat, where each player have to end turn and pass the cellphone (or tablet) to the other player (or through saved games sent by email). Real-time multiplayer is under development (note: from scratch!)
Jah bless russians LOL

[JustForLogin]

Hi.

I just registered here.
The reason I'm posting is that I tried to find a fix for the crash related errors which make it impossible to have a really long game and nothing worked for me BUT some others reported that they didn't have or had less crashes. This post is intended to summarize everything helpful I can think of related to the game.

For crash issue testing I used one of my savegames which would always crash next round. None of the fixes worked for me. Maybe a fresh start would also have been necessary but I doubt it.

Tries to fix the issue:
1) I tried to optimize the Dosbox .conf file, which didn't work:
output=ddraw
memsize=64 (and also with 63)
cycles=max
core=dynamic

What I forgot to change and was mentioned earlier was to change

mpu401=intelligent
to
mpu401=uart
or
mpu401=none

I guess that doesn't matter as this only affects midi which M.A.X. doesn't use ?

2) The official 1.04 patch (I have version 1.01) made the game crash by just loading my save game.

For those who still want to give it a try:
English patch version 1.04: scroll to the bottom link or Ctrl + F "last entry"
German patch version 1.04: http://www.patches-scrolls.de/patch/2523

3) I searched for the 1.56 inofficial patch which was really, really hard to find and which didn't work either. And let me tell you that: This patch is so hard to find because it introduces some new, also game crashing bugs and also changes the keybinds and some things in the game to the earliest version of M.A.X. which is the reason this was actually taken down and why it is so hard to find.

One of the 1.56 bugs was: Exiting the game will cause and endless loop of text spam inside Dosbox which requires Alt+Tab and then a task kill.

Also all previous save games won't work with this patch and the other way around.

Patch 1.56 download:
http://www.sal4.de/new/max/maxrun156.rar

4) Then I stumbled upon this post:

http://www.gog.com/forum/m_a_x_serie..._for_all_of_us

It's contents in short:
M.A.X. uses Dos 1.97 which has an error related to memory:
"A bug in our DPMI INT 31h/0800h caused mappings of 4MB or to be misaligned."

As far as I understood this bug exists either within the Maxrun.exe inside the M.A.X. folder because the Dos 1.97 executable is somehow part of the Maxrun.exe or something.

The workaround to this:
1) Get the program PMODE/W
2) Search for a Dos extender (which I heard of for the first time)

copy the Maxrun.exe inside the folder of PMODE/W's file, named Pmwbind.exe and either type in the command prompt or text code of your .bat file:

PMWBIND /U MAXRUN.EXE
=> Upon code execution this will create a new file called Maxrun.le

What's to do with this file ?
Well, as far as I understood PMODE/W has now removed the buggy 1.97 that was part of the Maxrun.exe and created that new, fixed file, named Maxrun.le.

This ".LE"* file can't run on it's own.
*Line Executable -or- Linear Executable

The .LE file needs a Dos extender to run:
http://maximumhoyt.blogspot.de/2008/...ternative.html

I went with Dos/32A with it's file Dos32a.exe
I copied both files inside the M.A.X. folder.

Next I edited Dosbox' .conf file I have for M.A.X. and replaced the starting parameter Maxrun.exe with the parameter

Dos32a.exe Maxrun.le

so that the Dos32a.exe will execute the Maxrun.le and all that within Dosbox.

Well that didn't fix my permanently crashing savegame but maybe I should have started a fresh game or whatever.

Deep down I fear it's no use and the crashes will continue even after a new game.

[Casual information:]
To get Dosbox running to execute the game you want you need to know the drive your game is installed on, it's path and which executable starts the game.

As Dosbox is a command prompt and no GUI you need to navigate to your game's folder and start it's executable.

Dos (and Dosbox) commands:
1) mount letter path:\

[Example:]
mount c e:\Dosgames\KKND\

[Does this:]
Tells Dosbox that the drive e and the path E:\Dosgames\KKND will be viewed to the game run as if it was the drive c alone.

Mounting is required to acutally be able to browse drives and folders within Dosbox.

2) dir/p

[Does this:]
This command will list the files and folders that are within the path you're currently in.

3) letter:

[Example:]
c:

[Does this:]
Browses to the drive you've picked and, in case you've been in any of the drive's sub-folders before, you'll automatically land there again instead of the main path of the drive.

4) cd path

[Example:]
e:
cd Dosgames
cd KKND

[Does this:]
Browses from outside of a folder to inside of the named folder if it exists as a sub-folder of your current path.

Better pick names of less than 9 characters because Dos requires the use of 6 characters + ~1 etc. numbers in case the folder name is more than 8 characters.

5) cd..

[Does this:]
Leaves the sub-folder you're and goes one up in the folder hierarchy.

[Example:]
While inside the E:\Dosgames\KKND folder this would go to E:\Dosgames and show the sub-folders of the folder Dosgames when dir/p would be used.

Dosbox can run individual .conf files with the command prompt -conf
-> Example: Doxbox.exe -conf MySettingsFileForGameABC.conf

The .exe executable file to run the game normally is either an executable with the game's name, a short term for the game's name, a file containing "start" or "run" as part of it's name or "main".

[Example:]
I have Dosbox installed on drive D within the folder Dosbox (D:\Dosbox).
My Dos games are installed on drive E within the folder Dosgames and there within a sub-folder for the specific game that I refer to, like KKND for example (E:\Dosgames\KKND).

To start KKND's KKND.exe file I use two files:
A .bat file which contains all the text I'd normally have to type manually in the command prompt each time.
A .conf file for optimal configuration for that specific Dos game and most likely some start parameters.

What the .bat file does:
Starts Dosbox and tells Dosbox which .conf file to use.
-> Text within the .bat file:
@echo off
Dosbox -conf KKND.conf

What the .conf file does:
Aside from the optimal settings for the refered game at the end of the file it contains all the gibberish that I'd usually have to type within the command prompt each time I want to start my game:

mount c e:\Dosgames\KKND
c:
KKND.exe

Dosbox presents the path E:\Dosgames\KKND to the executable of KKND as if it was within the drive C which is useful for some games that require drive c to be installed but not really important otherwise.

Dosbox key bindings:
Ctrl + F12 increases the cycles
Ctrl + F11 decreases the cycles
Alt + Tab changes between fullscreen and windowed mode

And as last entry...
A very good fan site (file and content wise) that has the patches and a tutorial how to get multiplayer running.
http://tauronr.netii.net/dl_bse/fnc_...ads_bgbd2.html

------------

Ignore this:

Google tags so that this fucking trainwreck of a search engine actually manages to find that hard to gather information:
Interplay
M.A.X.
Mechanized Assault and Exploration
Stack Overflow
assertion failed
smartlst.cpp, line 189
error errors
crash crashes
bug bugs

Edit:
Untested: 1.56 version with Dos extender
Now tested. Result: When saving a game manually in 1.56 it'll crash MAX but the savegame will work when loading it after a restart. Autosave works without any issue so enable it in the options.
1.56 didn't help at all to get around the "Stack Overflow!!!" error.

One thing I forgot: On page 25 someone wrote that
-having a Maxrun.exe with version 1.03
and
-having a Maxrun.exe with version 1.04
was a workaround for him whenever a crash occured. In case of crash proceed to switch one version with the other until the next crash occurs.

Haven't tested THAT yet as that requires me to find the 1.03 patch and test that with and without Dos extender but as far as I can tell Dos extender didn't help anyway so as long as 1.04 and 1.03 save games are compatible with another this could work.
Will give it a try when I'm in the mood in.

The one thing 1.56 does well is unlock rounds so that the player gains control back but had rounds freeze with it nevertheless. Also the workaround for that is to load the quit and then load the autosave.


Bottom line:
No fix possible. The game will inevitably crash at some point.
The game's .exe needs to be fixed / reprogrammed.

Bugs exist when unit names are manually changed or too often due to upgrades being applied. I also noticed a cost calcluation bug for the -cost research, displaying other values in the construction menu as price than used by the game.

[Pol56]

I need help. When I play this game (option : Custom Game), the AI stops doing anything somewhere between turn 15 and 20.

Is this some kind of copyright protection? If so, what can I do to avoid it?

Thanks.

[Pol56]

My mistake. The AI doesn't stop altogether, it just doesn't do much anymore.

It's nothing to do with copyright, it's more likely that MAX doesn't play well in Dosbox with 12k cycles.
Unfortunately, with 3k cycles the game is too slow to be playable.
Any help would (still) be appreciated.

[Pol56]

Dosbox 0.72 has solved my problems. Set cyles=max and the game runs fine.

[Wicky]

Originally Posted by Pol56

Dosbox 0.72 has solved my problems. Set cyles=max and the game runs fine.

Thanks that worked!
I forgot to update my Dosbox once in a while and was experiencing a lot of stuttering under v.68

Had my cycles set to 35000 already but it did stutter, now with v.72 (cycles=max) it runs faster than a Spartan down the Mount Everest with Oil on his foot while beeing chased by a cheetah!

[Wattytheman]

Hi anyone able to tell me how I can download this? Says I cant, sorry new here!

[AlumiuN]

We won't host it here, because it is sold here. Sorry.

[Angoose]

Why is this game not downloadable anymore?

I used to play this back on the older systems. I can clearly recall it's all about range/damage. Although if u can get infiltrators then you can nullify that and steal some of the enemy's units. But with infiltrators you have to watch for those with the ability to see you. Cause if they do your infiltrator unit is soft and easily splatted. Upgrade your range and damage then you can move in like a chess match and destroy defensive piece by defensive piece until the war is won.