This is non-negotiable for stable AA2 gameplay.
Windows 10/11 Instructions:
Note: This will not change your Windows display language; it only changes how legacy programs read text.
Overlays inject code into the game’s rendering pipeline. Discord, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, Steam (if added as non-Steam game), and MSI Afterburner are known to cause unhandled exceptions in AA2. artificial academy 2 unhandled exception new
Disable all overlays before launching the game.
Common missing: d3dx9_xx.dll, vcomp100.dll, msvcp120.dll
This is the single most effective fix for the new unhandled exception, especially if you have many mods. This is non-negotiable for stable AA2 gameplay
The Problem: AA2 cannot use more than 2GB of RAM. When you click "New," it loads all character assets into memory, hitting the 2GB wall instantly.
The Solution: Modify the AA2Play.exe to be "Large Address Aware" (LAA), allowing it to use up to 4GB of RAM.
How to do it:
A specific variant of this error happens when you launch the main game (AA2Play.exe) but it worked fine in the character creator (AA2Edit.exe). This usually points to a missing or corrupted save.bin file.
The Fix: