Exult Studio keeps crashing

[Korneluk]

Hi. I'd been hoping not to be asking for help again so soon....

Exult Studio won't load. It crashes each and every time I try to start it. It was kinda working though up until about 30 minutes ago. I had finally got the beginnings of my custom mod working and was happily creating new chunks and laying down shapes. Than problems began.

When I would attempt to save the game, exult would crash. Studio looked fine though, it was still running! I'd re-start exult, work a bit and than it might just shut on its own. I checked the error logs and found it was looking for something that it couldn't find, remains of a failed attempt to start a mod? I deleted what looked to be the offending lines in the .cfg
Still exult would crash.

Next I noticed in the logs that Shamino and Dupre seemed to be "pausing" the game since they were stuck. I had foolishly brought them into the world of MAP 01.

At this point I thought that there must be bigger problems caused by moving/altering files and decided that perhaps a fresh install of both my Ultima games plus all the Exult goodness might work out.

So, why is it, when Studio was working, that a fresh install of everything now has made Studio unable to start?

[Dominus]

Where is exult installed?
Where is exult studio installed?
How do you start exult and exult studio?
What did you do for a fresh install?
Please provide the log files for both exult and studio, see http://exult.info/faq.php#bug_report

[Dominus]

Also, to really make a clean install please nuke (you can save everything though) your exult folder in your profile http://exult.info/docs.php#exult_config_location and try again

[Korneluk]

Using WIndows XP

Exult is installed in C:\Program Files\Exult
EXult Studio is installed in C:\Program Files\Exult
(Tools is in the same spot)
For my "Fresh" install I uni-nstalled Exult, studio and tools with there personal un-installers.
I deleted C:\Program Files\Exult
I deleted C:\Documents and Settings\Use\Local Settings\Application Data\Exult

I didn't want to save anything since I was worried about some kinda gremlin hiding nearby. The weird thing(to me) is that even after this nuking than a reinstall of all the latest snapshots my old mod was still showing up.

I won't post the studio's 2 error logs because they are empty. I assume this is because Studio isn't even starting. It
"Exult Studio has encountered a problem and needs to close."

Here are the 2 for Exult stderr.txt & stdout.txt
Warning, trailing slash in path: "\"
Warning, trailing slash in path: "\"
Digital SFX's file specified: ... but file not found, and fallbacks are missing
Error while listing files: The system cannot find the file specified.

Exult version 1.4.05svn
Built at: Aug 18 2010 17:32:10
Compile-time options: USE_FMOPL_MIDI, USE_MT32EMU_MIDI, USE_EXULTSTUDIO, HAVE_ZIP_SUPPORT, HAVE_OPENGL
Compiler: gcc, version: 4.2.1-dw2 (mingw32-2)

Platform: Windows XP Service Pack 3 Version 5.1 Build 2600
Exult path settings:
Data : data
Digital music : data\music

Looking for 'blackgate' at 'C:\UC\Ultima7'... found game with identity 'FORGE'
Looking for 'serpentisle' at 'C:\UC\Serpent'... found game with identity 'SILVER SEED'
Looking for 'BLUEISLE' at 'c:\uc\serpent\mods\BLUEISLE'... but it wasn't there. \.)
Forge of Virtue : found
exult_bg.flx : found
Serpent Isle : not found (\.)
Silver Seed : found
exult_si.flx : found
Starting a SERPENT ISLE game
Game path settings:
Static : C:\UC\Serpent\static
Gamedat : C:\Documents and Settings\John&Izumi\Local Settings\Application Data\Exult\serpentisle\gamedat
Savegame: C:\Documents and Settings\John&Izumi\Local Settings\Application Data\Exult\serpentisle
Patch : C:\UC\Serpent\patch

played intro
Gamedat identity SILVER SEED
Reading usecode file.
Loading /exult_si.flx...
Loading default keybindings

Opened socket for Exult Server on port 4654
Cheats enabled.
Executing: exult_studio -x data -g serpentisle &
Game paused
Game resumed
Game paused

I am wondering if the latest update of Exult Studio doesn't like me. Was updated this Aug 17th, no?
I say this because early in the day, yesterday, I was using Studio with NO exult crashes. Than, to try and get my mod working I copied the .cfg of the sifixes, replaced serpent isle with BLUEISLE and after some more fiddling and got a mod to show up labeled BLUEISLE that I was able to work on.
It was after this that studio starting acting up, although not I didn't notice right away.
Error logs seemed to point to problems with Dupre and Shamino not being able to find a path(I had teleported them with me into the new MAP) and thought perhaps they were a problem. SO,
the nuking and fresh install.

Thanks to your help previously, installing 1.4 exult+studio+tools did the trick. I could use it all with no problems. It was after I started playing around with mods, which I had though were self contained....but it seems they must report changes back to Exult which became altered. Or not.

Thanks again. I should note that other than Exult +friends I've not changed anything on my computer.

[Dominus]

Nuke C:\Documents and Settings\John&Izumi\Local Settings\Application Data\Exult\
And also nuke your c:\uc\ultima7 and serpent and copy those from the uc cd again. Most likely you still have some misleading cfgs around...
I will also try to see whether the last update broke studio... Later or tomorrow

[Korneluk]

Thanks Dominus. I've been reading and re-reading the exult and studio docs. Things seem to be in the right place.
As for the nuking,
the files in the locations you stated
C:\Documents and Settings\John&Izumi\Local Settings\Application Data\Exult\
&
c:\uc\ultima7 and serpent

were nuked. It was my initial worry of seeing Exult crash that caused me to do so. (I am sure the crash was a result of not properly setting up my mod though,.)
After the defoliation of exult+friends+ultima family I did what should have been a clean install.
I was wondering about the last update breaking studio as my studio snapshot that functioned was taken before the 17th, likely the 15th or16th.

[Dominus]

Looking for 'BLUEISLE' at 'c:\uc\serpent\mods\BLUEISLE'... but it wasn't there.

This is a strong indication that you did not nuke everything.

But anyway, it was indeed the latest changes that prevents ES from starting. I reported it and lets see how it plays out

[Korneluk]

@Looking for BLUEISLE but it wasn't there...
I agree wholeheartedly with that, but even deleting the said files in the location specified by you doesn't remove those lines. I can do it manually in the .cfg, but I wonder where they hide...

Anyway, thanks very much for looking into the ES changes.

[Dominus]

@Blueisle, I *think* (I tend to get confused by the mods at times) the cfg that makes this go wrong is either to be found in C:\Documents and Settings\John&Izumi\Local Settings\Application Data\Exult\serpentisle\mods
or in C:\uc\serpent\mods
If you completely deleted
- c:\uc\ultima7
- c:\uc\serpent
- C:\Documents and Settings\John&Izumi\Local Settings\Application Data\Exult (the whole folder not just the contents)
- c:\program files\exult
there is no WAY that this error should still pop up.

I can send you the previous version of Exult Studio to your email address if you want.

[Korneluk]

I would very much like the previous version of Exult Studio, thank you Dominus.
@ the error popping up...that's what I am so puzzled(well, the list is actually long, but in this case)
I trashed all those files, contents and folders. Visually, there was no trace of either Exult or Ultima on my comp. As you say though, if the BLUEISLE mod popped back up, a trace of it remains. So I've been looking through things, trying to see if Windows XP hides stuff elsewhere. For example, it has some crazy "roll-back" feature which let's you restore your comp. to a previous state. Who knows if this is the culprit though.

[Dominus]

I've just sent the file to you. I had to rename it due to gmails stupid restrictions on sending executeables...

As for blueisle, do a thorough search on this subject and see where it turns up on your hard drive.

[Dominus]

and please copy/paste your exult.cfg

[Korneluk]

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you Dominus. That older snapshot got it working. My intuition tells me(since my logic doesn't understand enough of this yet,) that it was my BLUEISLE mod causing Exult to crash(the problem that led to the nuclear strike) since I hadn't set it up by normal, in-program means, but rather by trial and error. It must have left a hole somewhere. I haven't found the BLUEISLE yet, but I am still looking for the traces.
I had made a copy of Exult.cfg(with the order to load the BI mod written) on my desktop just before the nuke to compare it to a fresh Exult.cfg
Now, I don't know why this would affect Exult since nothing is telling it to look at the desktop.


the current exult.cfg






C:\UC\Ultima7


(default)


sqsfxbg.flx




C:\UC\Serpent


(default)


sqsfxsi.flx




1




yes



yes


gs




yes


gm



yes


0




no


0



1.000000


yes


FluidSynth


yes



no


yes





yes



no




yes


no


no


yes


no


no


no


no



3


original


no



8


yes


yes


0


yes


-1


-1




512


384


2


2xSaI


no


no



1.00


1.00


1.00



5




blackgate


gimp



793


798





Thanks again,
John

[Dominus]

new snapshot of ES should be fine again

[Korneluk]

So far so good!

[Dominus]

thanks for reporting this right away. This way the culprit could be narrowed down much more easily.

[Colourless]

thanks for reporting this right away. This way the culprit could be narrowed down much more easily.

But do we know what it was yet...

[Dominus]

kirben might enlighten us

[Korneluk]

In fact, with the older snapshot, previous to the first update on the 17th(not the revised one) I was getting an error upon loading Studio that said something kinda, sorta along the lines of '00000xpo cannot open window'.
Studio would still run though so I didn't worry, perhaps foolishly.
Anyway, with the revised august 17th snapshot, I have yet to get the error so, for me at least, it is working very well.