TuxRacer! Problems with just one course?

[LinuxRules]

Well, ok, some quick background since this is my first post here. I've been a professional programmer of Micro$oft products for years (VC++, VB, SQLServer, Etc.). And, I've been a Linux/Unix user for several years too (I manage 10 web sites hosted on Linux/Unix boxes). About 6 months ago I decided to add a Linux (RH8) server to my home network. For obvious reasons, I absolutely love the Linux platform (give me a command line and I am happy!) and have been very impressed with the stability and flexibility.

I am running RH8, 'Linux' version '2.4.18-26.8.0', architecture 'i686', Object format is 'ELF', libc version is '6.2' on a 2.4 Ghz P4 w/ 256MB memory and 30GB hard drive.

After much fanfare (and a great deal of help reading posts on this site) I managed to get an nVidia GeForce4 MX440 64MB AGP video card working nicely. Glxgears reports 1300 to 1600 FPS (depending upon what else is running).

Now, back to the subject of this post and my new favorite game: TuxRacer. (tuxracer-0.61-16 flies on this box at 800x600 full screen on a 19” monitor.)

So, I am cruising down my favorite course one day, which is “Who Says Penguins Can't Fly?”. Suddenly, the screen goes into convulsions. Blinking, flashing, and then an abrupt exit back to Gnome. With the screen left in 800x600, rather than the 1280x960 normal desktop resolution. And the .xsession_errors file shown below is produced.

Restarting X brings the desktop back to 1280x960. Running tuxracer again everything is fine, until I go to my favorite course (Who Says Penguins Can't Fly?). Then, convulsions and an exit back to Gnome, leaving the screen at 800x600. This is consistent: All courses work wonderfully, except my favorite.

I have tried cold-booting the system, deleting and re-creating my .tuxracer/options file, removing and re-installing the tuxracer rpm, running default tuxracer configuration, all of the above in various combinations. Still this one course, and only this one course, bombs out.

The bottom line: What is up with this? Why problems with only the one course? What can I do? I can't live without my favorite course! Please help me!

Thanks to you all in advance for your assistance with this. I have included contents of the .xsession_errors file below, along with partial output from glxinfo.

My .session_errors contents:
XFree86 Version 4.2.0 is installed.

SESSION_MANAGER=local/WuServer2x:/tmp/.ICE-unix/2139
Loaded background '0x8097c10
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0
FAMOpen failed, FAMErrno=0

Partial glxinfo output:
name of display: :0.0
display: :0 screen: 0
direct rendering: Yes
server glx vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation
server glx version string: 1.3
server glx extensions:
GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig,
GLX_SGIX_pbuffer
client glx vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation
client glx version string: 1.3
client glx extensions:
GLX_ARB_get_proc_address, GLX_ARB_multisample, GLX_EXT_visual_info,
GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_EXT_import_context, GLX_SGI_video_sync,
GLX_SGIX_swap_group, GLX_SGIX_swap_barrier, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig,
GLX_SGIX_pbuffer, GLX_NV_float_buffer
GLX extensions:
GLX_EXT_visual_info, GLX_EXT_visual_rating, GLX_SGIX_fbconfig,
GLX_SGIX_pbuffer, GLX_ARB_get_proc_address
OpenGL vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation
OpenGL renderer string: GeForce4 MX 440/AGP/SSE2
OpenGL version string: 1.4.0 NVIDIA 41.91
OpenGL extensions:
GL_ARB_imaging, GL_ARB_multitexture, GL_ARB_point_parameters,
GL_ARB_texture_compression, GL_ARB_texture_cube_map,
GL_ARB_texture_env_add, GL_ARB_texture_env_combine,
GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3, GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat,
GL_ARB_transpose_matrix, GL_ARB_vertex_program, GL_ARB_window_pos,
GL_S3_s3tc, GL_EXT_abgr, GL_EXT_bgra, GL_EXT_blend_color,
GL_EXT_blend_minmax, GL_EXT_blend_subtract, GL_EXT_clip_volume_hint,
GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array, GL_EXT_draw_range_elements,
GL_EXT_fog_coord, GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays, GL_EXT_packed_pixels,
GL_EXT_paletted_texture, GL_EXT_point_parameters, GL_EXT_rescale_normal,
GL_EXT_secondary_color, GL_EXT_separate_specular_color,
GL_EXT_shared_texture_palette, GL_EXT_stencil_wrap,
GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc, GL_EXT_texture_cube_map,
GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp, GL_EXT_texture_env_add,
GL_EXT_texture_env_combine, GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3,
GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic, GL_EXT_texture_lod,
GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias, GL_EXT_texture_object, GL_EXT_vertex_array,
GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat, GL_KTX_buffer_region, GL_NV_blend_square,
GL_NV_fence, GL_NV_fog_distance, GL_NV_light_max_exponent,
GL_NV_packed_depth_stencil, GL_NV_pixel_data_range, GL_NV_point_sprite,
GL_NV_register_combiners, GL_NV_texgen_reflection,
GL_NV_texture_env_combine4, GL_NV_texture_rectangle,
GL_NV_vertex_array_range, GL_NV_vertex_array_range2,
GL_NV_vertex_program,
GL_NV_vertex_program1_1, GL_NVX_ycrcb, GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap,
GL_SGIS_multitexture, GL_SGIS_texture_lod
glu version: 1.3
glu extensions:
GLU_EXT_nurbs_tessellator, GLU_EXT_object_space_tess

There, made it in < 10000!
Thanks again,
from LinuxRules

[bwkaz]

Try backing off to the 3123 drivers. 4191's have quite a few problems with stuff like that (random crashes, black screens on starting X, black screens when switching to a console, etc., etc., ad nauseum).

[LinuxRules]

Well, the 3123 drivers did it! Thanks for the tip. As a software guy, it remains a curiosity as to why the problem presented on one course only. Much easier to understand if it affected all. Obviously some condition in that course definition that is not present in the others. The other curiosity (as a software guy) is why the problem did not present at first, but rather appeared after a time of normal operation. Some things will just remain a mystery.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your assistance.