Unhandled win32 exception? - Help!

[KarenB]

I recently installed aquaria on my laptop and am getting this error when I get past the AQConfig: "An unhandled win32 exception occured in AQConfig.exe [14612]"

An internet search turned out nothing related to Aquaria, but quite a lot regarding iExplorer, Word, and other windows applications...but nothing that helped me resolve the issue within Aquaria.

The error is followed with the option to start a Debugger (Visual Studio Just-In-Time, something like that...), but this doesn't seem to lead to anything.

I've already finished playing Aquaria twice and want to introduce my sister to the game - and finish it a third time.   So I'd be really happy to get it to work. I never had this problem on my stationary computer.

[KarenB]

So it seems the problem only persists if I run in resolutions 1024x768 or lower. Since 1024x768 is the highest resolution of my laptop, the game ends up being larger than the screen when it runs, and I can't see the map properly.

So I guess it's a resolution related error, but I do wonder how to make it compatible with lower resolutions on my laptop...

[GMMan]

AQConfig is fairly buggy. You'd have better luck configuring things in-game. If you can't do that, open the settings XML (usersettings.xml under Aquaria's program folder) and manually change resolution settings.

[KarenB]

Thank you!

After changing the resolution via the .xml, the AQConfig popped up again and then gave me the same error as before. But at second launch, the game accepted the new resolution and now runs perfectly.

[GMMan]

You're very welcome.

AQConfig would usually allow you to start the game, if you don't change the resolution through it. (Alec: Could you upload the code for AQConfig? It is a part of Aquaria after all, and doesn't really count as game data. Or maybe I should ask Ryan?)

[KarenB]

My sister really loves the game. Unfortunately it seems my troubles aren't over...

We played the game as far as defeating the Mithala boss. Up to this point, no problems. But then, mid-cutscene, the game crashes and the ol' Debugger thingy pops up again.

I want to add that I discovered the same problem in another Indie game I tried to run yesterday. Got through first level, crash, Debugger. I think the laptop I'm playing on is causing the issue (since I never had this problem my other pc), but I'm at a loss as to how I'll solve it.

I'll update here if I find out anything else. Maybe you guys have some idea what I might try next.

UPDATE: I defeated the boss again and skipped the cut-scene, which seems to have done the trick. I don't know why this problem pops up, but at least we can continue playing. Hopefully it won't pop up anymore, or at least be as easily solveable as this when it does.

[GMMan]

Extracting knowledge from the A+ certification guide I'm studying from... It's a General Protection Fault. Based on my experience, it happens mostly when a program is out of RAM. That usually means physical RAM, though not having enough virtual memory can also lead to the problem. Considering that most games don't unload resources until they quit (which  makes sense with Aquaria, as you'll switch to similar/same past maps often), they take up a lot of memory as you play. Eventually, they take so much memory that the system can't give them any more, and the game tries to access memory past its allocated addresses, and trigger a GPF. That's where the debugging comes in, though most people don't have the skills for debugging. (Though that's all my own theory...)

If you beat Mithala at the beginning of your game session, you shouldn't be out of memory. And you're missing out on some info at the end of the scene, so it's recommended that you go back and watch the cutscene (which you can only do by beating Mithala ...again).