Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't help

This forum is meant for requesting technical support or reporting bugs.

Moderators: time-killer-games, Vengeance66, Candle, reneuend, GM-Support

Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't help

Postby JSCharnley » Tue Mar 05, 2019 4:51 am

Hi everyone! I purchased Adventure Maker back in 2012 and I had a lot of fun with it back then. I'm at a point now where I wanted to get into making things with it again. However, I've run into a huge issue that is halting any kind of progress. This is a pretty long post but I figured I should give you guys as much detail as possible.

When I first installed the software on my new machine a few days ago, everything seemed to wok fine. However, randomly a few hours into working with the software, all video suddenly was unable to play. In the fame editor, the hotspot where the video is supposed to be is just filled with solid black or white, while in the compiled project (installer .exe) the video will be "invisible". No sound plays either. Videos between frames ("when this is clicked play a video") don't work either. The video seemed to stop working around the time I got an error when testing it; I accidentally deleting the .ico for one of the inventory items, but the program didn't crash or anything so I can't imagine that had anything to do with it.

After being unable to play any movie of any kind, I decided to do a reinstall just in case something got corrupted. It still didn't work and hasn't worked since. Occasionally (in regards to the looping hotspot video) it will work in the frame editor once I've run "test frame" once and quit, but it will never work in the "test frame", "run project", or the compiled project.

I've tried the compiled project on a few other machines (both windows 10) and the video works. While this means that I can just use a different machine to use AM, I would like to A) figure out why this is happening since I don't want players to run into this problem, and B) this is my workstation PC where I do all the rendering, editing, etc. so I would prefer to do it on this machine. Also, the video didn't stop working on my machine until after hours of work, so I can't say for sure that those other computers would have still worked if I had just kept clicking the video again and again for hours on end.

It is a complete mystery to me what's going on. It's obviously something related to my PC, but I can't figure out what - here are my "findings" after a few days of researching and testing.
1. As I said, I've tried all different kinds of formats (avi, mpeg, wmv, and mp4 with the help of the windows media player plugin on this forum) as well as different resolutions and codecs (including mpeg2 and cinepak) and none work. I've also tried exporting it from different editing/exporting programs (pinnacle, da vinci resolve, any video converter) in case something weird was happening and it also didn't do anything.
2. I installed the Windows Media Player plugin and for a few minutes after install that worked, but suddenly it stopped working and acted just like the default video player did.
3. I read a post on here about some of the newer nVida garphics cards having issues with AM and videos (I have a 1080ti on this machine) and thought that might be it, but one of the other machines I tested it on (not one of my machines) had a 1060 and the videos seemed to work fine. I haven't disabled my driver like the poster on here did because I've had driver issues before on this machine and I don't want to risk messing something up, but since the 1060 plays it fine I don't think its that anyway.
4. AM/the finished project isn't freezing, as the program keeps acting like the video is playing normally (ex. if I have it set so that when I click a hotspot a 3 second video plays and then it jumps to a new frame, then after 3 seconds of nothing happening it will jump to the next frame).
5. I thought file size might have something to do with it, but I've tried extremely small video files and it doesn't help either.

After days of messing with this I have come up with nothing. Due to the nature of my project it is going to require a lot of video playback so if I can't fix this I'll have to figure out a different program, which would be disappointing since I really love Adventure Maker and it makes everything else so easy. I don't know what to do next, so I had a couple of questions for you guys:

1. Have you heard of/experienced anything like this? If so, how did you fix it?

2. Does anyone with a coding background know how AM handles its video playback? I'm thinking maybe whatever program/code it uses could just be different or corrupt on my machine (I use a lot of different media production programs so maybe a file type association is wrong or something). If I knew more about how it works maybe I could pinpoint the problem (although I doubt it as the WMPlayer plugin also doesn't work and it seems to handle things differently).

3. Are there any files left over after uninstalling AM that could be left over from the initial install? If so, maybe that is causing it, so is it possible to remove those files as well?

4. If Adventure maker ends up not working for me in the long run, does anyone know of any other similar programs? I've messed with Wintermute and Adventure Game Studio but they seem tailored to 3rd person adventure games and I'm not sure how easy it would be to do a 1st person game in one of those programs.

Thanks for reading all of this! If anyone can answer any of my questions that would be a big help! I love AM and really want to use it but I don't want to make a big project in it if I A) can't see what I'm doing and B) don't know what is causing it (thereby being unable to ensure it won't happen to players).
JSCharnley
Junior Member
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:47 am

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby reneuend » Thu Mar 07, 2019 3:23 am

What graphics card are you using on the machine where the video doesn't work?
What format (file type) are you using for video?

Apparently, you are not using code to run the video? I can show you how if you would like.

I had something similar, but the sound was playing, just no video - it was just a black image.
The problem I found was due to the gpu being too high. The fix was to disable the device driver for your gpu just before starting the game. When finished, just re-enable it.

disable_device_driver.jpg
Disable the Device Driver
disable_device_driver.jpg (128.89 KiB) Viewed 5624 times
---


Image
Image
User avatar
reneuend
Administrator
 
Posts: 2762
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Midwest Cornfield, USA

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby JSCharnley » Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:22 am

reneuend wrote:What graphics card are you using on the machine where the video doesn't work?
What format (file type) are you using for video?

Apparently, you are not using code to run the video? I can show you how if you would like.

I had something similar, but the sound was playing, just no video - it was just a black image.
The problem I found was due to the gpu being too high. The fix was to disable the device driver for your gpu just before starting the game. When finished, just re-enable it.


Thanks for responding!

1. The grahpics card is a GTX 1080ti. I actually read your topic on your issues when I was researching. However, it runs fine on a friends machine with a GTX 1060 (which seems to be the same card you have) so I'm not sure that is the issue. I'm also very hesitant to disable my driver (on an older computer I did that once and it caused some other issues, although that computer had all sorts of driver issues so I doubt it was that alone). I will look more into that if I rule out other options but on the other hand, as you say in your topic, you can't ask players to turn their driver off, so if that IS the issue then I'd have to figure something else out anyway.

2. I've tried all sorts of files, including AVI, mpeg, and mp4 (mp4 through the Windows Media Player plugin). All of them do this. I've tried various codecs as well, including common ones.

3. I haven't messed with any code yet, as I don't know any although I'm willing to learn. I'm just using the video options included in AM's GUI. I would love to learn! Are you saying that setting up the videos through code might be more reliable?

Your problem does sound pretty similar, although I'm not getting any sound either. However, once again, if it is an incompatibility with modern GPUs then that would be a problem for my game in the long run, as players wouldn't feel comfortable messing with driver settings to play the game (and if it was the graphics driver then whatever changed probably won't be changed back in the coming years). Once again, though, the videos ran fine on a machine with a 1060 in it so I feel like it has to be something software-related, whether that be AM, a codec issue, or something else on my computer.

Could I ask you a few questions about your situation?
1. Is your computer a custom-built one or one purchased from a store like Dell or Best Buy? (I'm asking because sometimes the pre-built machines have special versions of the GTX cards with slightly different drivers.)
2. When this happened were you using the latest driver? Have you updated your drivers recently, and if you have, have you tried your game again?

Thanks so much!
JSCharnley
Junior Member
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:47 am

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby reneuend » Thu Mar 07, 2019 11:30 pm

JSCharnley wrote:
Could I ask you a few questions about your situation?
1. Is your computer a custom-built one or one purchased from a store like Dell or Best Buy? (I'm asking because sometimes the pre-built machines have special versions of the GTX cards with slightly different drivers.)
2. When this happened were you using the latest driver? Have you updated your drivers recently, and if you have, have you tried your game again?

Thanks so much!



I built my machine several years ago. I recently updated the GPU from a 660ti to the 1060. This is when I noticed the video problem and found that by disabling the video, the game worked fine.
If you were using mp4, how did you get it to work in your game without programming?

I have the Nvidia updater that keeps the drivers updated.

I have to go, but I have some ideas...be back soon.
---


Image
Image
User avatar
reneuend
Administrator
 
Posts: 2762
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Midwest Cornfield, USA

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby JSCharnley » Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:16 am

Sorry for the delay in responding - I was away from my computer for a few days.

I used the "WMPlayer" plugin that can be found on this forum to try out mpeg4. It worked for about 5 minutes and then didn't play just like the default player didn't.

Thanks for looking into this!
JSCharnley
Junior Member
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:47 am

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby reneuend » Fri Mar 15, 2019 3:40 am

I'll have a chance to show you an example of how to run MP4 from code tomorrow (Friday, March 15th). Stay tuned!
---


Image
Image
User avatar
reneuend
Administrator
 
Posts: 2762
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Midwest Cornfield, USA

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby reneuend » Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:55 pm

I'm going to show you how to display a video in a blank frame first.

After you get it working, I will show you more options:
1. Using the Frame options to move to another frame after your video has finished playing
2. Using CreateTimedEvent with the video so you can do something automatically after the video has finished
3. Playing videos in hotspots


Before we get started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be sure to have the codec files for running mp4 videos.
If you plan on compiling your project to share with others, you will want to add a codec installer during the compile set up.
I use K-Lite Standard. Let me know if you want/need a copy of it. When installing it, you only need to run it and take the defaults if prompted.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps to run a video in a blank frame
Note: This is for videos that will fit the full frame!

1. Create a blank frame
Now lets add code to run the video...
2. Frame properties - Advanced Tab - Procedures
a. Enter the following code

Code: Select all
Sub PlayVideoWin7(VideoFile, NumRepeat, ChannelNumber)
   If ChannelNumber < 9 Then
      'With VBScript it is currently not possible to interact with the 8 first video channels.
      MsgBox "The specified video channel is invalid.", vbCritical, "Error"
      Exit Sub
   End If
   If Action.IsComponentInstalled("NSPlay.NSPlayCtl.1") = False Then
      MsgBox "Unable to find the media player component.", vbCritical, "Error"
   Else
      If Action.DoesComponentExist("MediaPlayer" + CStr(ChannelNumber)) = false Then
         AddComponent "NSPlay.NSPlayCtl.1", "MediaPlayer" + CStr(ChannelNumber)
      End If
      Component("MediaPlayer" + CStr(ChannelNumber)).Object.FileName = VideoFile
      Component("MediaPlayer" + CStr(ChannelNumber)).Object.PlayCount = NumRepeat
      Component("MediaPlayer" + CStr(ChannelNumber)).Object.Play
   End If
End Sub


Sub StopVideoWin7(ChannelNumber)
   If ChannelNumber < 9 Then
      'With VBScript it is currently not possible to interact with the 8 first video channels.
      MsgBox "The specified audio channel is invalid.", vbCritical, "Error"
      Exit Sub
   End If
   If Action.DoesComponentExist("MediaPlayer" + CStr(ChannelNumber)) = true Then
      Component("MediaPlayer" + CStr(ChannelNumber)).Object.Stop
   End If
End Sub


b. Close the procedures window

<Now we need to add the video file to the "External" folder in our AM project>
3. Copy your video file to: E:\Documents\Adventure Maker v4.7\Projects\test\External
- where 'test' is your project name!

<Now we need to call the video routine to run it>
4. From the Advanced Tab window enter: PlayVideoWin7 GetPath(2) + "HickchickGames_Intro.mp4", 1, 9
- change "HickchickGames_Intro.mp4" to your video filename
- Explanation of parameters:
- GetPath(2) -this is a built-in filepath shortcut to the "external" folder. there are other numbers that go to other AM folders
- 1 -the number of times to repeat playing the video (0 = endless replay)
- 9 -this is the channel that will be used to play the video on. It must be 9 or higher. If you play multiple videos at one time, you would use different channels

5. Close the form properties window and click on "Test Run (Preview)"

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


Image
Image
User avatar
reneuend
Administrator
 
Posts: 2762
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Midwest Cornfield, USA

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby JSCharnley » Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:26 am

EDIT: I just tried it out. Unfortunately I get the same "black screen". This makes me pretty sure the problem is something specific to my PC.

Before I ran the test I downloaded the basic K-Lite codec pack but it didn't seem to have an effect.

I'm guessing its one of these things:

A) It's the graphics driver issue you mentioned and had to deal with. I will look into this but if this is the case then it's kind of a deal breaker for a game needing to have out-of-the-box compatability.
B) Since it worked perfectly on this machine until I crashed AM that one time, I might have corrupted something and maybe the uninstall didn't remove all the files.
C) One of my other video editing/work programs is conflicting with AM's ability to play video.

I'm going to start investigating these options. I'm also going to go ahead and make my test project with another PC and try and get as many people as possible to test it. If absolutely everyone can play it but me then it's just my issue, but if it's a common issue then that means I'll have to look into other options.

Also, thanks for the code! That makes playing mp4s much easier and I'm going to start learning more of it because it seems to open up possibilities more.

I'll come back and update you when I've found something new out. Thanks again!
JSCharnley
Junior Member
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:47 am

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby reneuend » Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:44 am

I haven't heard from you. Please let me know if you are struggling. I would be glad to send you an example and/or how-to video and/or how-to with pictures.
---


Image
Image
User avatar
reneuend
Administrator
 
Posts: 2762
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Midwest Cornfield, USA

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby JSCharnley » Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:59 pm

reneuend wrote:I haven't heard from you. Please let me know if you are struggling. I would be glad to send you an example and/or how-to video and/or how-to with pictures.


Hi! When I tested out the code I edited my previous post with the results instead of creating a new post since a lot of forums don't really want you to double post, but I realize now it might have not looked like I ever got back to you/looked like I ever posted again, so sorry about that!

Like I said in my last post, I didn't have any problems with the code (and I think in the future I'll be going that route, so thanks for the tutorial!) However, the video still didn't show up so I'm 99% sure it's an issue with my PC.

My plan now is going to be to assemble my test game on another computer that doesn't have issues playing the video, and then test it on as many computers as possible to see if this problem is replicated on anyone else's computer. If 10 or more computers play it fine then that means it's likely something unique to my setup.

However, due to other work/time commitments this may take a while to do but I am going to try to have an answer by the end of April. I'll be sure to update you as soon as I've concluded my tests and (hopefully) have figured out why it doesn't run on my computer but it will on others (including others with 10-series graphics cards).

Thanks again so much for your help! I'll let you know when I find something out!
JSCharnley
Junior Member
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 1:47 am

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby reneuend » Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:05 pm

Thanks for the update.
Double-bumping is generally an issue on forums, but "and you didn't hear this from me", this forum is very dead, so if you double-bump to get attention, you won't get any grief from me! Any activity is better than what we have been getting here for a very long time now.

If you would like, you can set it up so I can download your project (compiled) for testing. Just send it to my email or message me.

All the best.
---


Image
Image
User avatar
reneuend
Administrator
 
Posts: 2762
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Midwest Cornfield, USA

Re: Video problem - videos not working, reinstall didn't hel

Postby reneuend » Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:23 am

I finally got the video working using MP4.
The trick was reinstalling K-Lite Codec pack and during the process there is an option to change from VMR9 as the default renderer instead of VMR7. This should be checked!
After that, my videos started displaying instead of getting a black screen with just sound.

Image

Image

Image
---


Image
Image
User avatar
reneuend
Administrator
 
Posts: 2762
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Midwest Cornfield, USA


Return to Adventure Maker Technical Support and Bug Reports

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

cron