Problems starting the game

Nothing happens when I try to start the game

Solution:

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.

"Please make sure you have DirectX 8.1 or higher installed"

Solution 1:

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.

Solution 2:

1. Try playing any somewhat modern 3D game (Fortnite, Call of Duty Warzone, Counter-Strike Global Offensive, StarCraft II, Age of Empires IV, etc.).
2. If other games seem unstable or crash from time to time, then you may have an issue with your graphics card or graphics card display drivers. Download the latest graphics display drivers based on your graphics card (Intel HD Graphics / NVIDIA GeForce / AMD Radeon).
3. Download Display Driver Uninstaller.
4. Use Display Driver Uninstaller to uninstall your existing display drivers.
5. Install your newly downloaded display drivers.
6. Restart your computer.
7. Start the game.

If you still encounter serious errors, it is likely due to faulty hardware.

"You have encountered a serious error"

Solution:

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.

Problems playing the game

Base blows up within 30 seconds

Solution 1:

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.

Solution 2:

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Edit Serial Number.
4. Enter a different (valid) serial number and click Apply.

Solution 3: (The First Decade game installations only!)

1. Uninstall the game.
2. Install the game with a different serial code.

"Please insert the first game CD"

Solution

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.

Mouse scrolling is not working

Solution 1:

1. Stop playing the game in window mode, and play the game in regular full-screen.

Solution 2: Learn to scroll like the experts!

1. When in-game, hold down the right-mouse button when your mouse is hovering over the battlefield.
2. Move the mouse into the direction where you want to scroll.

Slow game speed

Assuming you have GenTool installed, keep an eye on the yellow number on the left top part of the screen. This number represents your FPS. If it is lower than 30 it means your game will slow down. If it is above 30 then you have nothing to worry about. Note: When playing online, the yellow number should be steadily above 35 in order to prevent the game from slowing down.

Solution 1:

1. Start the game.
2. Go to Options in the main menu.
3. On the left, under Detail, choose Low.
4. Click Accept.
5. See if the problem has been fixed.

Solution 2:

1. Start the game.
2. Go to Options in the main menu.
3. On the left under Detail, choose Custom.
4. Uncheck all checkboxes.
5. Slide the Texture Resolution and Particle Cap sliders to the lowest they can go.
6. Click Accept.
7. Click Accept again.
8. See if the problem has been fixed.

Solution 3:

1. Start the game.
2. Go to Options in the main menu.
3. On the left, under Resolution, choose 800 x 600.
4. Click Accept.
5. See if the problem has been fixed.

Solution 4:

Try playing the game in window mode. This can sometimes boost FPS.

Solution 5:

1. Restart your PC.
2. Disable virus protection on your PC. (Anti-virus uses a lot of processing power. Switching off your virus scanner when you want to play can make a big difference to the game.)
3. Close all other applications such as Skype, web browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera Web Browser, Microsoft Edge, etc.), Discord, Steam, word processing or spreadsheet software (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, etc) as well as any other applications that you do not need running.

If your game is still running slow, your PC may not be fast enough to run the game. Any modern PC or laptop manufactured in 2020 or later should be capable of running the game without problems.

Sudden loss of game audio

Solution:

1. Press Escape to open the game's menu.
2. Go to Options.
3. Without doing anything, just click Accept.
4. Click Resume Game.

Problems playing online

"Failed to join - the game is a different version"

This means that your game and the hosting player's game are not compatible. Could it be that you've manually installed a mod and haven't removed it? Or did you perhaps get your copy of the game from some random back-alley website? 🤔

Solution 1:

1. If you manually installed mods or additional content outside of GenPatcher, remove that first.
2. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
3. Download GenPatcher.
4. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.

Solution 2:

1. Uninstall the game.
2. Install the game by following the steps outlined in How To: Install C&C Generals.

Italics & "Unable to connect to other player(s)"

You seem to be having trouble connecting with one-or-more of the other players you are trying to play with. This can be due to (in order of likelihood): Very protective network settings; an active firewall; anti-virus / anti-adware / anti-malware software; NAT settings (which would require port-forwarding or a virtual server); limitations by your Internet Service Provider.

Solution 1:

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.
4. Now go to the Playing Online tab and switch on the toggle: Network optimizations to help connect with other players.
5. Restart your PC.

By performing these steps, your network settings should become more relaxed, and a firewall exception should be created for the game. Similarly, Windows Virus & threat protection will also refrain from scanning (or interfering with) the game. If you still cannot connect to other players, try the solution below. If you are using your phone's 3G, 4G or 5G Internet connection via hotspot, check out Solution 3.

Solution 2:

1. Make yourself a nice tea or a cup of coffee, because this is going to take a while...
2. You must have Java 11 (or higher) installed. You can download it here.
3. Go to the UPnP PortMapper download page, and download the latest release in the Assets section. The file name should be portmapper-x.x.x.jar.
4. Open UPnP PortMapper. If it fails to open, go to step 2.
5. Click the Connect button on the left.
6. If Windows Virus & threat protection complains about giving network access, make sure you give UPnP PortMapper give full access.
7. Look at the bottom: If UPnP PortMapper failed to find or connect to the router, this solution will not work for you, and you're better off trying Solution 3. If the Connect button has now turned into a Disconnect button, you can continue.
8. On the right, click on the Create button.
9. For Description, write Generals.
10. If Internal Client starts with 26.xx.xx.xx (for example, 26.88.13.124), then uncheck Use local host and change Internal Client to match your local IP address. For most people, their local IP address starts with 192.168.x.x (for example, 192.168.1.106). If you're not sure how to find this, Google around a bit.
11. On the right, click the Add button.
12. Set Protocol to UDP, External Port to 16000, and Internal Port to 16000.
13. Repeat from step 11 and add two more entries for UDP 16001 and TCP 16001.
14. Now click on the Save button.
15. Click on the Generals port mapping preset, and then click on the Use button.
16. You should see the port added to the Port mappings section at the top. If nothing happens after clicking the Use button, go back to step 8 and make sure you did everything correctly. If nothing happens, this solution may not work for you, and you should try Solution 3 below.
17. Download & install Port Forward Network Utilities.
18. Run Port Forward Network Utilites.
19. Click on Trial and then click on OK.
20. Click on Port Checker.
21. For Port Number To Check, enter 16000.
22. For Protocol, select UDP.
23. Click the Check Me button.
24. If the Port Check Result gives you the message "Your port is OPEN on this computer!", then you are ready. Start the game and see if you can connect with other the players. If the result said "Your port is NOT OPEN or not reachable!", it means you will likely still have the problem. Regardless, you can still try and play with other players and see if the problem is somewhat alleviated.

If solution 2 did not work for you, then you either have very strong network security (like what businesses use), or your Internet Service Provider is limiting port-forwarding / virtual-server capabilities. You may want to phone up your Internet Service Provider and ask if port-forwarding is enabled or allowed. If you are using a 3G, 4G or 5G hotspot from your phone in order to connect to the Internet, port-forwarding will be disabled. Solution 3 is not a true solution, but it might be enough to get you by.

Solution 3:

1. Download & install a VPN. Here is a video on how to install a free VPN: https://youtu.be/J_d8TmgcvH4
2. Activate the VPN before you want to play a game.

"Game has detected a mismatch"

Solution 1: (Applies to instant and mid-game-mismatches)

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.

Solution 2: (Applies to instant mismatches on GameRanger only!)

1. When transferring a map that has a 'map.ini' file, you might get a mismatch the moment you load into the game. After the mismatch close the game and go back to GameRanger.
2. Start the game and try again. On the 2nd try (with the same map) you should no longer get a mismatch.

Solution 3: (Applies to instant and mid-game-mismatches on Cnc-online / Revora only!)

1. You have played a moded unofficial map at some point without restarting the game. First, close the game completely.
2. Start the game again.
3. Try playing another match.

Solution 4: (Applies to instant and mid-game-mismatches)

1. You trying to play a moded unofficial map that is new, broken, or has bugs. After the mismatch close your game.
2. Start the game again.
3. Try again but play a different map (official maps are recommended when testing for instant-mismatches).

Solution 5: (Applies to instant mismatches)

1. Remove any manually installed mods (this does not apply to mods installed via GenLauncher).
2. Remove any additional files you added to your original game.

Solution 6: (Applies to instant mismatches)

1. Uninstall the game.
2. Install the game by following the steps outlined in How To: Install C&C Generals.

Solution 7: (Applies to mid-game-mismatches)

1. Fully restart your PC before you want to play.
2. Avoid using software that use a lot of PC resources.
3. If you are using voice chat software, use Discord. Do not use Skype.
4. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
5. Disable any active anti-adware or anti-malware software.
6. Disable any active firewalls (including Windows Firewall).

Solution 8 (Applies to mid-game-mismatches):

1. If you have manually overclocked your CPU, set it back to its original clock speed.
2. If you have manually overclocked your RAM, set it back to its original clock speed.
3. If you have manually overclocked your graphics card, set it back to its original clock speeds.

Disconnection menu mid-game (DC bug)

This bug occurs because specific online game data has been blocked. This is usually caused by firewalls or high-security network configurations

Solution 1:

1. Wait approximately 5 minutes with the disconnection menu showing. Do not write in the chat, just wait patiently.
2. If the disconnection menu goes away and the game continues, do not do anything for a full minute. Do not touch your mouse or keyboard. If all players do this there is a chance the game will recover.
3. After a full minute of game stability continue playing the match.

Solution 2:

1. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
2. Download GenPatcher.
3. Run GenPatcher and click on Apply Fixes.
4. Now go to the Playing Online tab and switch on the toggle: Network optimizations to help connect with other players.
5. Restart your PC.

Solution 3:

1. If you are using voice chat software, use Discord. Do not use Skype.
2. Switch off your anti-virus scanner (also known as real-time protection if you use Windows Virus & threat protection).
3. Disable any active anti-adware or anti-malware software.
4. Disable any active firewalls (including Windows Firewall).

Solution 4: (GameRanger and C&C Online / Revora only!)

1. If you are using GameRanger as your online platform, avoid playing with players who are italics with one another.
2. Ideally only play with players who have their UDP port 16000 opened.
3. It can also help to open port UDP 16000, TCP 16001 and UDP 16001. You can try to open these by following Solution 2 of Italics & "Unable to connect to other player(s)".

Slow game speed when playing online

Solution 1:

1. Assuming you have GenTool installed, keep an eye on the yellow number on the left top part of the screen. This number represents your FPS. If it is lower than 35 it means the online match will start to slow down. In this case, follow the steps outlined in Slow game speed.

Solution 2:

1. One of the players you are playing with is causing the slow-down because their FPS is below 35. Ask in chat for everyone to say the 'yellow number in the left top corner'. If a player says their number is below 35, you know that this is the player causing the slow-down for everyone. Notify the player to fix their slow game speed issue by lowering their graphics settings. You may also wish to refrain from playing with this player until their issue is resolved.

Delay when commanding units

Solution:

1. The solutions are the same as those outlined in Frequent 1-second game freezes.

Frequent 1-second game freezes

In order to check your internet speed, try running a speed test. See the table below to which types of matches you can play without encountering severe lag:

If your download or upload speeds are below 1.2 Mbps, please upgrade your Internet before playing online. If that's not possible, please refrain from playing online as you will heavily slow down the game for all other players to the point where it becomes unplayable.

Solution 1:

1. Play matches with fewer players.

Solution 2:

1. Only play with players who have very good internet.

Solution 3:

1. Avoid playing with players who use a VPN.

Solution 4:

1. Upgrade your internet to meet the requirements outlined above.

Solution 5:

1. Play online via Radmin VPN. Radmin VPN provides the best speeds for playing online.

Solution 6:

1. Play online matches on Revora / C&C-Online instead of GameRanger as GameRanger tends to cause more lag.