Crashes and how to fix them

[Sacrebleu!]

Yes, qingwin.bik is a faction won the game video.

However, this mod does not attempt to add new videos to new event messages other than replacing the existing assassination, sabotage and spie's infiltration videos. They all work fine except sabotages.

I've checked the mod's data folder. Strangely, it does not have:

descr_movies_tracks.xml
descr_movies.xml

Copy and paste those vanilla xml to mod folder doesn't seem to resolve the issue.
The mod folder does have the file descr_event_images, but I'm not sure if it has glaring bugs that causes the CTD either, I've run a search for qingwin.bik and nothing comes up.

And earlier test with all assassination / sabotage video disabled in .CFG also results in CTD.

[makanyane]

So it looks like it's decided the campaign has been won, then goes splat out of confusion!?

Something in the campaign script? Can you test that by making a temporary replacement version with just the header and trailer?

[Sacrebleu!]

Dabbling in campaign_script.txt yielded some promising results which I initially thought solved the bug at last. But further tests shows the CTD bug still exists.

Deleting all entries in campaign_script enabled the assassin to sabotage buildings without CTD, so I then went back to the script to try and identify the buggy portion that causes it. But I'm not familiar with certain aspects of scripting (events counters especially). I will continue to do some further tests in the campaign_script.

Meanwhile, attached below is my campaign_script.
campaign_script.txt

[makanyane]

hmmmm. I can't spot anything obvious - all the events seem to be faction_turn_start and/or I_SettlementOwner based which shouldn't be firing during the sabotage mission!

anyway double check again (or ideally a few times) if it works by deleting all entries in campaign_script - in case it was a fluke that it worked

if it does definitely work with a totally empty script - then you get to do trial and error:
Either start with the empty script and add things back - a few monitor_events at a time, till you find the area that causes the CTD again.
Or start with complete file and progressively delete chunks and test each time till you find the point where it works.
(when I do this it's always the last thing I test )


The script having
;ÉèÖóõʼÔ·ÝΪ1ÔÂ
converted Chinese? comments worries me a bit - but they do all seem to be behind the ;
still might be worth doing a run through the file and deleting them...

[Sacrebleu!]

After a few more tests with the a variety of empty or partially deleted campaign_script the game consistently crashes every time the assassin is ordered to sabotage a building. Below is the latest error log

21:17:08.892 [game.script.trigger] [trace] Trigger <0201_Message_First_Incoming_Message_Trigger> fired
21:17:09.126 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX M.bik (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:09.126 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX M.bik]Open
21:17:09.198 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX F.bik (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:09.198 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX F.bik]Open
21:17:09.283 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/fmv/generic/END TEN D.bik (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:09.283 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/generic/END TEN D.bik]Open
21:17:09.361 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX M.bik]Pause off
21:17:11.492 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX M.bik]Pause on
21:17:11.492 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX M.bik]Pause on
21:17:11.496 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/sabotage/BUR TEX F.bik]Pause on
21:17:11.498 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/generic/END TEN D.bik]Pause on
21:17:18.016 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.016 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.016 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.017 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.017 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.017 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.017 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.018 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/portraits/portraits/dead/000.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.018 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/americas/data/ui/generic/eventpics/assassin_slain.tga
21:17:18.019 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/eventpics/assassin_slain.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.020 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/eventpics/assassin_slain.tga.dds
21:17:18.020 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/eventpics/assassin_slain.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.021 [system.io] [trace] file open,,21784FB8,217308
21:17:18.021 [system.io] [info] open: found mods/americas/data/ui/southern_european/eventpics/assassin_slain.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
21:17:18.062 [game.script.trigger] [trace] Trigger <agents13> fired
21:17:18.122 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/faction/qingwin.bik]Pause on
21:17:18.122 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/faction/qingwin.bik]Pause on
21:17:18.730 [system.rpt] [error] Medieval 2: Total War encountered an unspecified error and will now exit.

I'm leaning with your analysis that the game most likely CTD'd while firing the qingwin.bik victory message when sabotage command is triggered.

Of course qingwin.bik victory message shouldn't be triggered unless the faction has won the entire campaign. But is there another file containing triggers / commands for campaign missions that I should analyse?

[makanyane]

Getting slightly stumped on this one!

Did you ever try the thing I suggested in an early post;
temporarily delete all the triggers from the bottoms of export_descr_character_traits & export_descr_ancillaries and export_descr_guilds.txt ?
I can't really see how that would be creating the faction win situation but... this is all quite odd!

Have a look at your data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/win_conditions.txt it shouldn't be doing anything other than a regions held type check, but maybe someone did something really creative with it! I think you can run that with a completely empty file, if that's useful as a check.

descr_missions.txt is the only other one I can think of - if you've got a modded one - vanilla version doesn't look like it should be involved.

[Sacrebleu!]

It's solved at last!

Thank you very much makanyane. After several more tests and retracing my steps I can confirm now that this nasty bug is a trigger issue in export_descr_character_traits.txt Deleting the agent13 and other sabotage trait triggers in this file removed the bug and the game runs as intended.

I inherited this mod from the Chinese modding collective Beilai Domod and they've created a very heavy list of character traits. Earlier tests removing all triggers CTD'd, probably because I mistakenly deleted something else.

Huge thanks again to you and Gigantus for all your expertise and patience. I'm relieved this is finally solved and now I can move on with further modding....

[Sacrebleu!]

Hello again.

Have encountered a new bug and this time it's with emergent faction. Campaign game CTD when an emergent faction (Venice) is scripted to spawn army in turn 2. So far here are the conclusive results I've tested:

1. The emergent faction is working 100% in custom battle, with working units, graphics, names and descriptions
2. The emergent faction can appear (and works fine) in campaign if I change it from emergent to playable in descr_strat.

Here is the error log:

19:50:42.507 [game.script.exec] [trace] exec <spawn_army> at line 4285 in mods/americas/data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/campaign_script.txt
19:50:42.508 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/orthodox_generals/012.tga
19:50:42.508 [system.io] [info] exists: missing data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/orthodox_generals/012.tga
19:50:42.508 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.508 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.509 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.509 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.509 [system.io] [info] exists: missing mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/orthodox_generals/012.tga
19:50:42.509 [system.io] [info] exists: missing data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/orthodox_generals/012.tga
19:50:42.510 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.510 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.510 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.510 [system.io] [info] exists: found mods/americas/data/ui/middle_eastern/portraits/portraits/young/generals/012.tga (from: C:\Program Files (x86)\MTW2)
19:50:42.558 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/faction/eur_con_vic.bik]Pause on
19:50:42.559 [bink] [debug] [mods/americas/data/fmv/faction/eur_con_vic.bik]Pause on
19:50:43.104 [system.rpt] [error] Medieval 2: Total War encountered an unspecified error and will now exit.

Again, eur_con_vic.bik is the campaign victory video. It seems the game automatically assumes the player wins if the emergent faction is spawned in the campaign_script. What should I do?

[makanyane]

eeek, well as we never really figured out why the trait problem caused the attempted victory video in your last issue - I'd suggest trying deleting the trait triggers again for a test. Worth a go...

If it's not that, can you post the bit of campaign script that spawns that army, and any subsequent bits that move it make it attack etc - and also its section in descr_sm_factions.txt

[Sacrebleu!]

Thanks, deleting all triggers or traits yields no results. Here is the relevant section of descr_sm_factions that spawns the emergent faction Venice.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

faction venice, spawned_on_event
culture middle_eastern
religion orthodox
symbol models_strat/symbol_venice.CAS
rebel_symbol models_strat/symbol_rebels.CAS
primary_colour red 22, green 23, blue 70
secondary_colour red 255, green 255, blue 255
loading_logo loading_screen/symbols/symbol128_venice.tga
standard_index 0
logo_index FACTION_LOGO_VENICE
small_logo_index SMALL_FACTION_LOGO_VENICE
triumph_value 5
custom_battle_availability yes
horde_min_units 10
horde_max_units 20
horde_max_units_reduction_every_horde 10
horde_unit_per_settlement_population 250
horde_min_named_characters 2
horde_max_percent_army_stack 80
horde_disband_percent_on_settlement_capture 0
horde_unit Venetian Archers
horde_unit Venetian Archers
horde_unit Venetian Archers
horde_unit Venetian Archers
can_sap no
prefers_naval_invasions yes
can_have_princess no
has_family_tree yes

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

And here is the relevant section from the campaign_script

monitor_event FactionTurnStart I_TurnNumber = 2
historic_event EIGHT_NATIONS_ALLIANCE_FILM movie event/EIGHT_NATIONS_ALLIANCE.bik
historic_event EIGHT_NATIONS_ALLIANCE
console_command add_money england, 85000
console_command add_money france, 85000
console_command add_money russia, 85000
console_command add_money venice, 85000
snap_strat_camera 171, 196
reveal_tile 176, 204
reveal_tile 170, 197
reveal_tile 172, 198
reveal_tile 171, 195
reveal_tile 172, 194

spawn_army
faction venice
character random_name, named character, age 45, x 171, y 195, family, label baguo_wave_america
unit Venetian Archers exp 9 armour 3 weapon_lvl 2

end

terminate_monitor
end_monitor

[Gigantus]

The victory movie plays on the odd occasion, usually when an error happened.

descr_sm_factions and script seem to be fine, what's the set up in descr_strat, not the top portion, rather the faction entry itself. Would also suggest to trim the spawn monitor to absolute minimum for testing purpose to rule out other stuff, like adding money to venice before it exists.

[Sacrebleu!]

I see, thanks Gigantus, here's my descr_strat

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

faction venice, balanced smith
ai_label orthodox
dead_until_resurrected
denari 60000
denari_kings_purse 8000

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

[Withwnar]

Are both EIGHT_NATIONS_ALLIANCE_FILM and EIGHT_NATIONS_ALLIANCE in historic_events.txt? If not then trace mode will be showing you that this is where it crashed.

[Sacrebleu!]

Hi Withwnar. Yes, both entries are in historic_events.txt, they can play without CTD when I disable spawning Venice command in campaign_script.

[makanyane]

I'd try use a specific name for the character that you know is properly coded for Venice, instead of random_name
- in case it's reading all of them and falling over at a bugged one - (launching the battle editor with bugged character names crashes)

instead of Venetian Archers (unless it's a 'general_unit' in export_descr_unit.txt) - use whatever Venice already has as a bodyguard unit with that attribute & check there is something! - in-case it's a version of adopted/coming of age characters dying if they don't have an available general_unit...

[Sacrebleu!]

Because the mod has already changed Venice faction into USA. So I have reassigned the character name to one that is properly coded under Venice in descr_names.txt and names.txt.

This faction also has its own unique general unit, so I have also assigned "general_unit" attribute to the Stradiot unit (to stand in as general's bodyguard), this has replaced the Venetian Archers in the script.

However, the game still ctd without any changes to the error log.

[Gigantus]

All the text stuff appears to be fine - does the strat model exist (entry and model) for the general? Can you submit the whole crash log (compress please)?

[makanyane]

oooh, hang on, I suspect it's not the spawn itself, it's that you're missing bits about the first emergence of the faction.
Timurids and Mongols in vanilla have

			add_events
				event	emergent_faction	timurids
<snip>
			end_add_events

in campaign script and

{THE_MONGOLS_EMERGE_BODY}...
{THE_MONGOLS_EMERGE_TITLE}....
{THE_TIMURIDS_EMERGE_BODY}....
{THE_TIMURIDS_EMERGE_TITLE}....

in historic events (that aren't actually called by a 'historic event')

RTW needed the event text added
I think you need the
{THE_VENICE_EMERGE_BODY}....
{THE_VENICE_EMERGE_TITLE}....
if you haven't already got it and possibly that add_events thing in script too, before the spawn army...

[Gigantus]

That command spawns an initial army (as long as the faction hasn't settled) based on the horde parameters in descr_sm_factions, it is not connected with further spawns of that faction. In vanilla it's the 'scouting army' which is used as reference then (wherever they spawn from the list of possible regions) to then spawn the follow up armies two rounds later.
The event text for it is covered in event_strings and event_titles.

[Sacrebleu!]

All the text stuff appears to be fine - does the strat model exist (entry and model) for the general?

Yes, the strat model exists and test shows it's working fine when emergent faction Venice is made playable in descr_strat.

And here's the full error log (compressed)
M2TW.system.log.rar