Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:56 pm Post subject:
How to find cause of game crashes
This tutorial will teach you how to determine the cause of a game crash on your own.
In some cases it'll work, and in others it won't. For various reasons.
Whenever you get a crash, first thing you're going to do is look for the except.txt generated at the time of the crash.
If you crashed in TS, FS, RA2, YR, be it with or without client, you'll get an except.txt or and except_cncnet.txt generated.
If your version of the game somehow doesn't generate an except you're doomed.
If you crashed in Ares DLL (stand-alone version that shouldn't be used for mod releases) you'll find the except TXT in debug > snapshot-XXXXXXX-XXXXX where the Xs are date and time of the crash.
Don't ask me about the Ares DLL CnCNet client thing; I haven't dabbled with it yet. When I eventually do I may or may not come back to this and append it, so how about those who use CnCNet client + Ares DLL already add that bit please
When you find the except, open it.
(example for a except.txt, how it might look like, what hex numbers it'll give you)
It'll look something like this (this is stand-alone Ares DLL)
(example for a except.txt, how it might look like, what hex numbers it'll give you)
Spoiler (click here to read it):
example for a except.txt, how it might look like, what hex numbers it'll give you
If you find something, congrats! Read and surmise from that what went wrong on your end.
If you find nothing, congrats! Or you're doomed.
It means the EIP hasn't been documented yet, and that means either no-one knows the actual cause and/or fix (yet), or you're the first person to get the EIP.
If the later please update ModEnc when you find the cause and its fix so others may benefit.
Ares DLL in this case has crash dump that could help.
Ares DLL also has a log function you ought to make use of, see here: http://ares-developers.github.io/Ares-docs/ui-features/commandlinearguments.html?highlight=log
Generally that debug.log is created loose in the debug folder, but also a copy in the snapshot folder in the event of a crash, but the file will only be generated if enabled by the modder.
The logs also get numbered based on when they were generated, so over time remember to delete the logs you don't need; they're probably useless clutter after a month or two.
You ought to open the debug.log and look for anything preceded by [Developer warning] though even if you didn't get a crash.
_________________ One and only developer of the Command & Conquer Dune "C&C D" mod.
m7 wrote:
I tend to release things I create so that assets are never lost to hard drive problems, accidental deletion, or me having to pretend to care about rippers taking things from my project when it is done.
Last edited by TAK02 on Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:39 am; edited 3 times in total QUICK_EDIT
I can still use an old disassembler to find a lot of the reasons. I'd have to set it up again, but I can still do it.
Sometimes works for RA2, but no guarantees. I can usually diagnose TS stuff too. _________________ KGR | AT
AZUR
Discord: theastronomer1836
Steam QUICK_EDIT
A few more undocumented on the site (for clean YR 1.001):
E 004914EF - Using a voxel named PROBE. If you need probes, name them different.
E 007601C7 - Start coordinate for IsMagBeam is invalid.
This happens when a weapon IsMagBeam is being used at too long range. Minimum error range TBD. Thanks tomsons26lv for confirming properly this one.
E 75CCB662 - Trying to add CruiseLauncher to structure (exact details of why it happens unknown). QUICK_EDIT
A few more undocumented on the site (for clean YR 1.001):
E 004914EF - Using a voxel named PROBE. If you need probes, name them different.
E 007601C7 - Start coordinate for IsMagBeam is invalid.
This happens when a weapon IsMagBeam is being used at too long range. Minimum error range TBD. Thanks tomsons26lv for confirming properly this one.
E 75CCB662 - Trying to add CruiseLauncher to structure (exact details of why it happens unknown).
I've used probe just to test what it looks like. I never got an ie but I did not use it on an aircraft type and quickly decided I did not want to use it anyhow
CruiseLauncher or any spawned aircraft weapons fare much better on 1x1 cell buildings if I can recall correctly QUICK_EDIT
Here's a good old RA2 specific one, though it should have a YR equivalent: 6A610F5D
Happens when you have generic and theater specific art simultaneously. So say you have CGBUNGHOLE.shp and CTBUNGHOLE.shp and load a temperate map... it seems to find both, and pushes too much data to the pointer/array/whatever. _________________ http://www.moddb.com/mods/scorched-earth-ra2-mod-with-smart-ai QUICK_EDIT
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How to find cause of game crashes
