Topic: Nothing to see here (Unspecified bug, deliberation) (Read 5094 times)

FlameScion · « **on:** January 23, 2021, 10:19:52 PM »

Administrator note: This thread was created by splitting/merging three separate sets of posts.

Just back from trying the patch and setting the start map with some news:

1) The missing file problem is solved so that's good, it was just that the starting map wasn't selected just as you said.
2) Sadly I'm unable to start the playtest from both the map editor and the main menu. In the map editor after compiling and hitting playtest nothing happens, while from the menu, SOM loads correctly into the game start menu, but then it closes out of nowhere.

At first I thought that the same ATI error was happening as before, but after reading the log (which will be attached) a loop of various "som_game_ReadFile()" and "som_game_CloseHandle()" related to a model file called "o237.mdo" is the last thing that happens before SOM closes itself.

Holey Moley · « **Reply #1 on:** January 23, 2021, 11:02:06 PM »

Sorry, please try again, I just got a problem too, because empty monster placeholders on maps return a positive result in the loader even though their data is blank, so some new code crashes when it tries to access the model instance and nothing is there

I was about to edit in a notice, you got here before I could but at least I noticed before heading to bed

FlameScion · « **Reply #2 on:** January 23, 2021, 11:28:28 PM »

Don't worry about it, I think I'll keep with this tomorrow as well since it's weird because the map has basically nothing (no npc's, objects, monsters, etc) and still doesn't work (even with projects that are started from scratch).

Just in case I'll try to get a clean install and then apply the latest patch to see if it helps in anything.

Holey Moley · « **Reply #3 on:** January 24, 2021, 11:44:13 AM »

Please don't do a "clean install" for Christ's sake. If you have a problem that's not a way to solve it (and it won't) but we need to figure out what your problem is, to improve SOM, so please make a new thread/topic if we can't fix it in one or two posts here

EDITED: If you're using SOM at this time you're going to have to think of yourself as a beta tester and follow through with anything you can turn up. You're not allowed to be a passive, griping user. You should make a topic/thread and upload a copy of your project. It will behave the same on my machine, then I can quickly address any problem you have. (Also in case you didn't my reply to your PM please make use of this http://www.swordofmoonlight.net/bbs2/index.php?topic=179.0 topic/thread if you prefer.)

FlameScion · « **Reply #4 on:** January 24, 2021, 04:03:01 PM »

A quick summary:
I tried to start a new project with SOM a few days ago, and everything seemed to be working correctly until I tried to use the playtest function. in the map editor, after compiling and hitting playtest, nothing happened, while on the main menu, the start menu worked correctly but when it was supposed to start, it crashed a missing file error about a map.

After going into System Management -> Extras and setting the entrance map, the missing file error was solved, but still the playtest wouldn't start, closing the program a few seconds after starting the game.

Just in case I'll send a copy of my project in case anyone is interested and can see if it works correctly for them.

Holey Moley · « **Reply #5 on:** January 24, 2021, 09:32:31 PM »

Okay, I tried to access your Google drive with an old Gmail account, it's pending your approval. How big would your project be zipped? Usually a ZIP is very small if you're using public files.

It doesn't sound like you've neglected to set your start position in SOM_MAP. I'm assuming you downloaded the patch again last night after I replied about the problem I spotted? So I will just wait for your Google drive approval.

P.S. Please don't be dismayed. Kinks will get ironed out. Please when you copy over a "patch" backup your existing SomEx.dll file in case it doesn't work. I can't tell in this case if your project is the problem or the patch. (I will know after I get your files.)

EDITED: About your logs.zip attachment yesterday (http://www.swordofmoonlight.net/bbs2/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=316.0;attach=1418) for me when I open it there's nothing inside. I was wondering myself if your getting the Shader Model 3 mode or Shader Model 2. It's probably 3, and I don't think it's related to this problem, but I was just curious and the logs would've told me which. (2 is substandard, some effects can't be implemented.)

FlameScion · « **Reply #6 on:** January 25, 2021, 02:55:04 AM »

Sorry, I wasn't able to spend much time at home yesterday do I missed this. I gave yoj access to the Google Drive since I uploaded the whole project just in case (it's arround a 100mb ZIP file) so I'm not sure I could send it.

Yes, I downloaded the patch once more after you replied and still nothing happened, just to be safe I downloaded it once more and still no changes.

I try to maintain an "archive" of sorts for all the SomEx.dll I used and backed up for a while. As for the logs, db.log shows that the Shader Model is 3, and I also tried to set different start coordinates in the map.

Holey Moley · « **Reply #7 on:** January 25, 2021, 11:36:03 AM »

Today I still don't have access to your Google Drive, but 100mb sounds very odd to me. A new project on my system is 1.2MB unzipped. Find out what files are big and remove them, since they can't be essential.

EDITED: I made this into its on topic since it's 8 posts long and seems likely to grow, and we're not getting anywhere. I hope you didn't have trouble finding it.

P.S. I'm going into town today, including a dentist appointment, so I won't be back until 24hrs. It's pretty rare I get out of the house

FlameScion · « **Reply #8 on:** January 25, 2021, 04:02:17 PM »

Oh you were right, I forgot to take off the BGM i was using as placeholder lol. Ok now I can send it through here.

Thankfully I was able to find this post quite easily from the "Latest replies"

Holey Moley · « **Reply #9 on:** January 25, 2021, 09:19:57 PM »

I might be able to look at this later before bed, but before I forget, you can use a MP3 file now for your BGM (maybe other formats) that should be smaller than 100MB. But it's decompressed into a temporary file at runtime and if the game crashes Windows isn't smart enough to clean up after itself. That file may be 100MB. (Technically the temporary file may be a memory file, but I always find them in my TEMP folder from when I manually terminate in the debugger.)

EDITED: That gives me an idea to add some code where the crash generates a dump (DMP) file, maybe it can also delete temporary files too.

Holey Moley · « **Reply #10 on:** January 26, 2021, 12:08:43 AM »

Well, I will get to the problem, but in case you don't know it, you had left the do_log option on, and with the extensive settings in the [Output] section. Just in case you're leaving these on as you work normally, you definitely shouldn't do that, and it's a wonder if you can even get better than 1 fps with those on.

As for the problem, it seems somehow when I thought I uploaded that repaired patch, I either ****ed up, or it didn't make it, or maybe it got corrupted. Not only don't I have time to do proper release/patches, now I guess I have to double check everything I upload in the future

j/k I wish I could manage it and get any work done. I owe you one though, please grin and bear it.

Since it seems like this is a clerical error (we're learning things) I will delete this thread after a little while, if I don't forget to. Ostensibly this entire board is subject to pruning, which is why it's separate. Some will take offense at "Beginner and other Nonsense" but don't take it personally, it's meant in a good way, we'll need both if SOM has a future. Sorry

anyway. The only reason that bug happened is it was something I was working on that I didn't think would be an issue.

P.S. You can associate the SOM file extension with SOM_EX.exe to open your project with the SOM file, and you can make shortcuts directly to each tool, there's actually many things you can do by making shortcuts to SOM_EX.exe. (It can technically open PRT and PRF files too, but it's a little fuzzy which Ex.ini file to use in that case. I think it will generally use the TOOL/SOM_EX.INI file, which I'm a little unsure about future-wise. You can assign it a SOM file or just set the shortcut's directory to your project. There's more advanced stuff, but I don't know if there's a full write-up of everything anywhere.)

I thought I had another tip, but anyway you can also now open save files that way since they're SOM files.

Holey Moley · « **Reply #11 on:** January 26, 2021, 01:12:31 AM »

EDITED: Hey, please check your %TEMP%/Swordofmoonlight.net folder for DMP crash files. Next time I recommend starting by just explaining what happens and attach the DMP file, unless there isn't one. Although this time I think we're in the clear.

I can generally get an idea from that if any part of the stack trace is inside of the EXE. That tells me where the program is and I can either identify something in the EXE or think about what might be broken in the DLL relative to that part of the program. (I'm still getting used to it, I only added it before publishing my itch.io demo sense I thought it might come in handy. Plus at the time I crashed a couple times without the debugger and the crashes were pretty mysterious so I couldn't reproduce them.)

I really wish SOM had a vibrant community of artists and tech savvy people, I keep hoping if I can make it good enough it will pique more and more people's interest

FlameScion · « **Reply #12 on:** January 26, 2021, 05:12:05 AM »

It's okay, I really like to see to some extent the development of these programs, learning from mistakes (and weird bugs that plague my very existence

) is quite amusing and interesting. After downloading the patch once more, I managed to get the program running once again!

More than being offended I feel quite compelled and at home in the "Beginners and other nonesense" being the very definition of a noob lol, and I'm sure that, as many may be beginners, it is the first place where they will look for aid and hopefully they will find a solution there!

Will keep you informed should anything else come up or if you need something to be tested by the least tech savvy person!

Holey Moley · « **Reply #13 on:** January 26, 2021, 02:50:25 PM »

If you do hang around you can help a lot by being the first to assist others and if you can write some guides from the beginner's perspective. (I really have difficulty seeing things from a regular user's perspective because my view of SOM is so close up. You'd expect me to know everything about it but the truth is I only see it very piecemeal and every week or even every day is a new project for me, it's always out with the old in with the new and I never retain information, plus I have memory issues I think caused by aphantasia.)

It really brings me grief that people aren't using SOM and talking about it.

PS: Again, this one was entirely on me, I'm not sure what happened. I'm pretty clumsy, fair warning. I'm not careless, I have blind spots you can drive a mack truck through.

Holey Moley · « **Reply #14 on:** February 06, 2021, 05:52:18 AM »

Follow-up

I think I know how this happened now, I just did it again... I gotta lookout for this more...

What happens is if I build SomEx.dll while a SOM tool or game is running out of the installation, Windows won't let it be overwritten while it's in use. I always upload patches out of the TOOL folder, so if I'm in a hurry I don't notice that I'm uploading the old DLL

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Nothing to see here (Unspecified bug, deliberation)

Author Topic: Nothing to see here (Unspecified bug, deliberation) (Read 5094 times)

FlameScion

FlameScion says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

FlameScion

FlameScion says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

FlameScion

FlameScion says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

FlameScion

FlameScion says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

FlameScion

FlameScion says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

FlameScion

FlameScion says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

Holey Moley

Holey Moley says,

simple machines forum

News:

Sword of Moonlight| Archive (pre 2023)| Beginner and other Nonsense| Nothing to see here (Unspecified bug, deliberation)

Author Topic: Nothing to see here (Unspecified bug, deliberation) (Read 5094 times)

Sword of Moonlight|

Archive (pre 2023)|

Beginner and other Nonsense|

Nothing to see here (Unspecified bug, deliberation)