diff --git a/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp b/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp
index 24995d7b21..255f8c6282 100644
--- a/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp
+++ b/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp
@@ -371,12 +371,7 @@ void AsciiString::format(const char* format, ...)
 // -----------------------------------------------------
 void AsciiString::format_va(const AsciiString& format, va_list args)
 {
-	validate();
-	char buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(char)-1, format.str(), args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	format_va(format.str(), args);
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------
@@ -384,10 +379,16 @@ void AsciiString::format_va(const char* format, va_list args)
 {
 	validate();
 	char buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(char)-1, format, args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	const int result = _vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(char)-1, format, args);
+	if (result >= 0)
+	{
+		set(buf);
+		validate();
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(false, ("AsciiString::format_va failed with code:%d format:\"%s\"", result, format));
+	}
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp b/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp
index 6d7b35d408..1f8aa59a14 100644
--- a/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp
+++ b/Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp
@@ -308,12 +308,7 @@ void UnicodeString::format(const WideChar* format, ...)
 // -----------------------------------------------------
 void UnicodeString::format_va(const UnicodeString& format, va_list args)
 {
-	validate();
-	WideChar buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnwprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(WideChar)-1, format.str(), args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	format_va(format.str(), args);
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------
@@ -321,10 +316,16 @@ void UnicodeString::format_va(const WideChar* format, va_list args)
 {
 	validate();
 	WideChar buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnwprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(WideChar)-1, format, args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	const int result = _vsnwprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(WideChar)-1, format, args);
+	if (result >= 0)
+	{
+		set(buf);
+		validate();
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(false, ("UnicodeString::format_va failed with code:%d", result));
+	}
 }
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp
index dbdc5b0d55..bae77bb02f 100644
--- a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp
+++ b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/AsciiString.cpp
@@ -284,12 +284,7 @@ void AsciiString::format(const char* format, ...)
 // -----------------------------------------------------
 void AsciiString::format_va(const AsciiString& format, va_list args)
 {
-	validate();
-	char buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(char)-1, format.str(), args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	format_va(format.str(), args);
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------
@@ -297,10 +292,16 @@ void AsciiString::format_va(const char* format, va_list args)
 {
 	validate();
 	char buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(char)-1, format, args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	const int result = _vsnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(char)-1, format, args);
+	if (result >= 0)
+	{
+		set(buf);
+		validate();
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(false, ("AsciiString::format_va failed with code:%d format:\"%s\"", result, format));
+	}
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp
index 1fe351c2ad..6115baae1d 100644
--- a/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp
+++ b/GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/UnicodeString.cpp
@@ -308,12 +308,7 @@ void UnicodeString::format(const WideChar* format, ...)
 // -----------------------------------------------------
 void UnicodeString::format_va(const UnicodeString& format, va_list args)
 {
-	validate();
-	WideChar buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnwprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(WideChar)-1, format.str(), args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	format_va(format.str(), args);
 }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------
@@ -321,10 +316,16 @@ void UnicodeString::format_va(const WideChar* format, va_list args)
 {
 	validate();
 	WideChar buf[MAX_FORMAT_BUF_LEN];
-  if (_vsnwprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(WideChar)-1, format, args) < 0)
-			throw ERROR_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
-	set(buf);
-	validate();
+	const int result = _vsnwprintf(buf, sizeof(buf)/sizeof(WideChar)-1, format, args);
+	if (result >= 0)
+	{
+		set(buf);
+		validate();
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH(false, ("UnicodeString::format_va failed with code:%d", result));
+	}
 }
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------