A modder's guide to errors

[Khelvan]

My hope is to generate a long list of exactly what can cause errors throughout all of RTW. I would love to be able to compile and update this list. I hope we continue to have participation, even if only adding a few here and there.

EDU = /data/export_descr_unit.txt
DMB = /data/descr_model_battle.txt

RTW Loading CTDs:
- Mismatch between descr_names.txt and names.txt

Loading Screen Slowdowns:
- campaign_descriptions.txt must have less than 1000 characters per line and less than 20 lines per faction, or file load time is increased by 85%

Faction selection screen:
- Lack of campaign descriptions.

Campaign Map Loading Kick to Main Menu:
- Typographical error in descr_strat.txt
- Overwriting rather than deleting and then copying an update of map tga files
- Resource not defined in EDB
- Typo in building capabilities in EDB

Campaign Map Loading CTDs:
- Landmass ratio problem causes a CTD when loading the campaign map.
- A named character has an invalid name in descr_strat.
- The game is loaded but the screen is centered onto a buggy region (see the campaign map scrolling CTDs).

In Campaign Mode CTDs:
During play/AI turn:
- A family member being generated without a general_unit for the faction.
- A new character is generated and not given a valid name.
- Some building bonuses in the same building level as certain unit recruitment strings (this will happen both during AI turn and when the building is right-clicked).
- Units able to be recruited in EDB but no faction "ownership" for a faction in EDU.
- Units added to descr_rebel_factions.txt but no slave faction ownership in EDU.
- Units added to descr_mercenaries.txt but no mercenary_unit in EDU.
- Bad defined type of unit for army spawned via script file
- Mismatch between export_desc_character_traits.txt and export_VnVs.txt entries causes CTD when viewing the portrait of a named character with the bad trait.

Scrolling over campaign map:
- Not enough province/settlements on a too large map (fix : add provinces on the map/may be fixed with BI) causes CTD while scrolling the map.
- Error with the rebel faction/settlement owner and or creator (when you scroll over a given settlement)
- Some hidden resources can cause CTDs when you scroll over the region.

Custom Battle Menu Selection CTD:
- If you forgot to put in the second (or first) skeleton to units with secondary attacks in EDU.txt, the game CTDs the moment your mouse arrow reaches that unit in the menu.

Battle Loading CTDs:
- A unit with the attribute mercenary_unit in EDU that has no texture line for "merc" in the soldier, officer, and other related models found in DMB.
- A non-mercenary_unit in EDU that has no texture line in DMB for any faction given ownership of the unit in EDU, for the soldier, officer, and other related models.
- A sprite defined in DMB with no distance value.

In Battle Mode CTDs:
- Bad defined formations for Human Player (i.e. mainly changing names of formations in "descr_formations.txt" file)

BI specific:
- A reference to spawn event in descr_sm_factions and have modded the game to include those factions at the start date will CTD on AI's turn.

[Seleukos]

Excellent initiative. This can help out everyone. Pinned.

I found that if you have, in BI, a reference to spawn event in descr_sm_factions and have modded the game to include those factions at the start date, it will CTD on AI's turn.

[Sinuhet]

My notices to possible things, which can cause the CTDs:

- in campaign: bad defined type of unit for army spawned via script file (I have really bad time than I have isolated the bug caused from the typos "merc merc samnite" instead "merc samnite", no help via -show_err in shortcut)
- in battles: bad defined formations for Human Player (i.e. mainly changing names of formations in "descr_formations.txt" file)

Thanks for this helpfule initiative.
Bye Sinuhet

[Lusted]

-in campaign and battles: typo's

[Dr Fox]

Faction selection screen: Lack of campaign descriptions

[nikolai1962]

If you have a trait description like

Level CursusVigilentivir
Description CursusVigilentivir_desc
EffectsDescription CursusVigilentivir_effects_desc
Threshold 1

in your export_desc_character_traits.txt but the link to your text description in the export_VnVs.txt file is wrong e.g

{Vigilentivir} Vigilentivir

{Vigilentivir_desc}
This character has come of age but is too young for military service.

{Vigilentivir_effects_desc}
No effects.

i.e it says Vigilentivir_desc instead of CursusVigilentivir_desc, then the game will CTD when you try and right-click a general's portrait that has the trait with the typo.

[Khelvan]

Updated.

[HorseArcher]

cool thread.

During Battle:

- If your game CTDs while your units switching weapons - the secondary weapon description either contains typos or the secondary attack of the unit is defined wrong (their skeleton does not support it) in the export_descr_unit.txt. for example, giving your general a missile for secondary attack (to a "sword-only" general), and ALT+right click-ing on an enemy, the game will CTDs at the time of the unit trying to switch weapons.

At the game Loading/During any time:

- If you have edited the "export_descr_building.txt" it is one of the most sensitive files in the game. One small mistake as a comma, or an extra space missing or added can cause the game to CTD during the loading or during sometime the campaign.
(edit: oops you added this one already)

- At loading/during campaign or battle:

The game will CTD if you try to go beyond the Hardcoded Limits of RTW.

[Malrubius]

Trying to assign a trait or ancillary that has not been defined in export_descr_character_traits.txt or export_descr_ancillaries.txt will cause a CTD with no error message. This means a line like:

Affects Loyl  1  Chance  100

or

AcquireAncillary  doctr  1  Chance  100

would cause a CTD, due to misspellings.

[PatWest]

Removing a faction from the game without removing the culture line from descr regions.txt and the creator line in descr strat.txt will cause a campaign map scrolling CTD.

[Muizer]

I'm pretty sure about these:

1) Campaign map scrolling CTD: if this occurs everytime at or near a given junction of regions it means the region has an "illegal geometry". Sometimes this can be solved by minor changes to the region shape (usually making it more compact works). However, sometimes this only leads to the CTD shifting to another junction. Larger regions seem more sensitive to this. Splitting the region into two or more smaller/compacter ones could remove the problem.
Based on extensive bug hunting.

2) Campaign map loading CTD occurring nearly instantaneously: possibility of having cities or characters surrounded by a combination of impassable terrain (mountains and dense forest) and rivers without fords.
Based on: map loading with impassable ground_types OR with unfordable rivers, but CTD with both at the same time and the fact that this was solved by either replacing the impassable terrain with passable terrain or replacing river pixels with ford pixels (or both of course).

I'd like to hear about alternative explanations if anyone has them.

Muizer

[Csatádi]

I made 4 new units and used other soldiers' skin for them.
I can play custom battles with the new units but I get 'Campaign Map Loading CTDs'.
Any help even where should I look for the mistake?

Edit: ok, i found it. Huh. The problem wasnt with the new ones but another unit I deleted but forgot to save before the reinstall.

[Malrubius]

Having a blank line in export_VnVs or export_ancillaries where RTW expects to find text will cause a CTD when the trait/ancillary is gained, before the chance to display it occurs (a missing tag causes a CTD when you try to view the character scroll, but this causes one when the trait is triggered).

Example:

{Trait_desc}

Should be:

{Trait_desc}
Some description

[Orb]

If you use the my_mod system you must have the export_VnVs file in the text folder of your my_mod folder. Not doing so results in a CTD on invoking the generals scroll. I've only tested this in B.I 1.6. It seems we can't redirect the exe to the vanilla...

[Khelvan]

I would ask for a volunteer to update this. I am no longer able to, I can barely keep up with other things, much less remember this, and I think it is important enough to have someone keep it up to date.

[LestaT]

I got CTD while loading screen (during splash screen) but my name files are all in order. Any idea how else can I trace the bug ?

Anyway this is on personal project to port RTR 6.0 gold to RTW 1.5 platform.

Thanks for any help. The main thread is here

[Snevets]

Leave the dds ending off textures or the game crashes without telling you why when loading a battle with your unit.

[Acme1970]

Here's one i finally figured out, If you get a CTD when you click on the Senate Tab then check if the Roman Faction your playing with says "superfaction romans_senate" under the faction name in the descr_strat file without this line the game will CTD everytime you click on the Senate tab, Also then Senate will not give you missions & will be very agressive against you

[Marcellus Trajanus]

I just figured out that adding a script - like a 4tpy - via
"script
[script_name.txt]"
at the end of the descr_strat.txt may cause your game to disable saving and loading your campaign though the campaign starts without complaining and even the script works out properly. Quick save/load button combinations won't work, resulting in a load-to-menu when trying to quick load.

Would be great if anyone could confirm that or give further information concerning that.

[LestaT]

Campaign Map Loading Kick to Main Menu:
- Typographical error in descr_strat.txt
- Overwriting rather than deleting and then copying an update of map tga files
- Resource not defined in EDB
- Typo in building capabilities in EDB

I Have the error as above , but the difference is there's no error reported when quitting the game. Anyone have any ideas as to why ? It's a BI base mod though.