[Jeff Vader]

This is the FreeSpace troubleshooting FAQ.

Before doing anything else, read through this thread! In 9 cases out of 10, the problem/error you've encountered is a known issue and has already been answered here. Not to mention that it is really a lot faster if you read through this thread, find a solution and apply it compared to you asking about your problem and waiting for someone to tell you the same things that are explained in this thread.
The first post contains some useful general tips on what to do with different kinds of problems, as well as a list of the most common known problems, categorized under "General Issues", "Graphical Issues", "Sound Issues" and "Gameplay Issues".
The next four posts contain descriptions and solutions to those categorized problems.
The last post is extremely important if you are experiencing a problem that isn't included in this thread. The post contains instructions on how to create a file called fs2_open.log using the debug version of FSO. That file can be a tremendous help when us tech support lads try to figure out what might be wrong.

Also keep in mind that

• This board is for support of the games FreeSpace (FS1), FreeSpace2 (FS2) and FreeSpace Open (FSO). No other game is covered in this section.
• This board is specifically for problems and issues experienced while playing or installing the games FS1, FS2 or FSO.
  - Questions about other games belong to Gaming Discussion.
  - Questions about modding (eg. "what tools to use", "why doesn't my mod work" etc) belong to the Modding board.
  - FRED questions belong to the FRED board.
  - multiplayer questions should be asked at the multiplayer board
  - Campaign/mod specific problems belong to the campaign/mod release threads (or boards, if they exist), though it is highly likely that whatever you're experiencing with, say, Ancient-Shivan War or The Babylon Project is actually a known issue and is listed here.
  For a few Wing Commander Saga issues, see the Wing Commander Saga Troubleshooting Guide.
• General technical questions do not belong here. If you're wondering which new DVD burner to buy, please ask in the General Discussion board or do your own research on Google.
• Although FSO and the Source Code Project (SCP) are valid subjects for this section, bug reports and feature requests should not be submitted here. If you are experiencing bugs, please submit a bug report to Mantis. For further details on this, please see this topic.
• If you need real-time instructions or support, visit us at IRC: #hard-light @ EsperNet. If you don't know anything about IRC, you can use Mibbit. Mibbit is a browser-based application that can be used for IRCing. Basically just click this link, select a username and you're all set. You'll be automatically forwarded to the correct server and channel.
• If you've started a thread about a problem and the problem is solved, please Modify the first post and add "[Solved]" at the beginning of the topic. Without the quotation marks, of course. This will be helpful if other people search the forums about the same problem.

If your problem is about FS1, go ahead and start a new thread, as this FAQ deals with only FS2/FSO problems.

Before posting about a problem:

• Read through the common issues and solutions listed below
• Make sure all your drivers are up to date
• If you're using Windows Vista / Windows 7, make sure that your FreeSpace games are NOT installed anywhere under C:\Program Files\ , as both operating systems enforce heavy security measures to \Program Files\ and having the games there can cause all sorts of errors/problems. Also, if you happen to have FSO installed somewhere in \Program Files\ , you DO NOT have to reinstall it; simply cut-paste it to a new folder (like C:\Games\FreeSpace2\) and run the Launcher. It'll work.
• Make sure that you have a legitimate copy of FS2. That is, either an original copy from '99, or a digital download from Good Old Games. We won't give support to problems that occur if you've downloaded your FS2 from some other, shady source. If you have downloaded your copy from an "abandonware" or "free game downloads" site or whatever, just remove it, go buy a copy from GOG and then see if the problem persists. And if it persists, then contact us again.
• Check that you have all the retail files in your \freespace2\ folder. The retail .vp files are:
  
  • root_fs2.vp
  • sparky_fs2.vp
  • sparky_hi_fs2.vp
  • stu_fs2.vp
  • tango1_fs2.vp
  • tango2_fs2.vp
  • tango3_fs2.vp
  • warble_fs2.vp
  • smarty_fs2.vp
  In addition to these .vp files, there are three .vp files that you can have in \freespace2\: FS2OGGcutscenepack.vp, multi-mission-pack.vp and multi-voice-pack.vp. They are not necessary, but won't cause any problems either.
  No other .vp files can be placed to \freespace2\ as they will interfere with the game. They must be placed to subfolders according to the mod installation instructions in the other stickied thread on this board.
  

If you're playing FSO and do not have particular hardware limitations, always use either the latest official or the recommended build.
- The latest official and recommended build is currently 3.6.12 Final.
- The latest Launchers are also available from the two threads above (current Windows Launcher is 5.5g)
Whenever this FAQ mentions "the recommended build", it means the build above.

Useful links:
Mod Installation Instructions (also covered in the manual installation instructions stickied on this board)

Multiplayer Instructions


General Issues

• "Web cursor bitmap not found."
• "OpenAL32.dll not found."
• "The launcher must be in the same directory as the binary you are tying to use."
• "IMPORTANT NOTE: There was an error while installing this section. You may need to run the Installer again in order to ensure that this section works correctly."
• "Ship/Texture/etc. not found."
• "FreeSpace/FRED cannot be run from a root directory."
• "FreeSpace was unable to find [n] ship classes while loading this mission."
• "Failed to save pilot file."
• "Freespace has detected that you only have n MB of free memory. Freespace requires at least 32MB of memory to run."
• When attempting to play a red alert mission, everything is black/the game crashes.
• The cutscenes won't play.
• The cutscenes show up only in the upper-left corner of the screen and won't scale up to fullscreen.
• The game freezes to the splash screen.
• "I can't get the mods to work" / "None of the custom campaigns show up in the Campaign Room"
• ""Can't open model file <S_Rockeye.pof>" when playing FSPort."
• "Error: mv_strings-lcl.tbm is corrupt"
• "Slowdowns in nebula missions in FS2."
• "Error: Could not load in main hall mask 'MainScreen-M'! (This error most likely means that you are missing required 640x480 interface art.)"
• "The game crashes on startup, without opening a window"

Sound Issues

• "No sounds."
• "Simulated speech doesn't work."
• "There are no voices in <insert mod name here>."

Graphical Issues

• "Missing models / Missing textures / The game just crashes when trying to start/continue even the main FS2 campaign."
• "Game freezes when viewing ships in the Techroom database."
• "I have an ATI X1*** graphics card."
• "Unable to get proper pixel format for OpenGL W32!"
• "Invisible asteroids" / "Missing ship textures."
• "Black boxes around effects."
• "Severe slowdowns during gameplay."
• "The suns and other background elements move in a funny way."
• "Ships have black and white stripes all over them" / "Textures have a chessboard misplacement effect."
• "Unable to play in OpenGL."
• "There are no nebulas in the background, just stars."
• "The stars disappear whenever I am not moving."
• "No graphical updates, when trying to play the FS2 main campaign."
• "Shivan beams look wrong with the 3.6.10 MediaVPs."
• "Damage lightning looks weird."
• "Models are rendered partially invisible"
• "My Desktop is reflected on in-game objects"
• "DDS ERROR: Couldn't open 'somefilename' -- DDS is compressed but compression support is not enabled"

Gameplay Issues

• "Some ships/weapons are missing even though I'm told that they'd be available."
• "No weapons" / "Only the Ulysses as a usable ship" / "One or more ships replaced by a Ulysses."
• "No Interceptor missiles during Advanced Training in FSPort."
• ""Error: Can't open model file <S_Rockeye.pof>" when playing FSPort."
• ""Error: Invalid ship/wing name." upon starting the mission "Training 4" (the mission after you were chasing the Iceni)"
• "In-game dialogue is missing"

fs2_open.log / debug log


Most of the issues and solutions apply to total conversions such as The Babylon Project and Wing Commander Saga, too.

If you have issues with mods, such as Derelict or Blue Planet, and if the issue isn't listed here,  post in the release thread of the particular mod.

Finally, if you've spotted errors, outright inconsistencies, broken links, or if you have any information which you think may be useful and should be added to this thread, please PM The E about it.[/list]

[Jeff Vader]

General Issues

"Web cursor bitmap not found."

• You're running FreeSpace Open from somewhere other than your FreeSpace 2 folder. Move the FSO executables and the Launcher to the same folder where you have FS2.
• You've somehow corrupted your FreeSpace 2 installation. Try reinstalling the game.
• You haven't installed FreeSpace 2 at all. Note that using Turey's FreeSpace Open Installer, ShivanSPS's FreeSpace 2 SCP Update Pack or hip63's FreeSpace Open SCP 3.6.10 Final Off-Line Installer does not remove the need to install FreeSpace 2. Yes. YOU NEED A WORKING COPY OF FREESPACE 2. Get a cheap ($5.99) copy of FreeSpace 2 from Good Old Games.

"OpenAL32.dll not found."

• Install OpenAL.
• If no success, remove ct_oal.dll and nvopenal.dll from \Windows\System32\ and install OpenAL.
• If still no success, remove OpenAL32.dll and wrap_oal.dll from \Windows\System32\ and install OpenAL.
• If the problem still persists, check that none of the mentioned .dll files are in your \freespace2\ directory. ShivanSPS's SCP Upgrade Pack, for example, places an old OpenAL32.dll to your \freespace2\ directory and that will prevent the game from running.

More discussion in this thread.

"The launcher must be in the same directory as the binary you are tying to use."

• Delete the file "launcher6.ini" from your \freespace2\ folder.

"IMPORTANT NOTE: There was an error while installing this section. You may need to run the Installer again in order to ensure that this section works correctly."

• Turey's FreeSpace Open Installer might sometimes fail to download some files, because it works like this: certain users (mod makers, SCP/FSU personnel) add links to their files to the FSO Installer and the Installer will use these links to download the files. If the server hosting the files dies, the Installer can't do **** about it and will fail when it tries to download the files from the server. Rerunning the Installer doesn't really solve anything. The best bet is to check what files the Installer failed to download and then search them from HLP or freespacemods.net.
  The following files are unavailable via the Installer, but can be downloaded manually from freespacemods.net. I also included the location where you should place the files (of course, if they're zip/rar/7z, extract them first):
  
  • FS1 OGG cutscenes (non-vp version) -> \freespace2\fsport\data\movies\ .
  • FS2 OGG cutscenes (non-vp version) -> \freespace2\data\movies\ .
  • Multiplayer mission pack -> \freespace2\ .
  • Multiplayer voice pack -> \freespace2\ .
  • Homesick -> \freespace2\homesick\ .

"ship/texture/etc not found."

• If you are playing a mod, like Derelict, make sure that you've selected the correct mod from the Launcher and the correct campaign from the in-game Campaign Room.

"FreeSpace/FRED cannot be run from a root directory."

• If you've installed the game to the desktop or My Documents, move it somewhere else, like C:\games\freespace\ for example.
• Run Launcher.exe and select an fs2_open build before doing anything else.
• Delete launcher6.ini, then refer to solution #2.
• If you have a shortcut to the Launcher, make sure that the path defined in the shortcut is correct.

"FreeSpace was unable to find [n] ship classes while loading this mission."

• This error is pretty self-explanatory: you are trying to play a campaign with the wrong mod. If, for example, you've selected FSPort as your mod, you also have to select the FS1 campaign from the in-game Campaign Room. No, don't start telling me you've done everything right, because obviously you haven't. If you're unable to find out what's wrong, prepare an fs2_open.log for us, as described at the end of this post, and then ask for help while presenting the fs2_open.log for us.
• Alternatively, there may be incomplete/otherwise faulty .ibx files in your cache folders. Delete the contents of \freespace2\data\cache as well as the contents of any \freespace2\modfolder\data\cache folders.
• The third possibility, often encountered in the re-released Blue Planet campaign, is that you are playing a mod built for an Inferno build of the exe with a regular build. Go to the download page for the recommended build, get the version marked "Inferno", and use that instead.

"Failed to save pilot file."

• If you've installed the game to the desktop or My Documents, move it somewhere else, like C:\games\freespace\ for example.
• Check that the pilot file folder exists (\freespace2\data\players\single\). If not, create it manually and try again.
• If, for some unknown reason, you insist on using FSO 3.6.9, be advised that sometimes it fails to create a pilot file. Use the recommended build.

"Freespace has detected that you only have n MB of free memory. Freespace requires at least 32MB of memory to run."

• Most likely you're trying to play retail FS2 with too much RAM ( > 2GB), though this is known to occur with older versions of FSO. Download and use the recommended FSO build.

"When attempting to play a red alert mission, everything is black/the game crashes."

• This is known as the infamous red-alert bug of 3.6.9. Use the recommended build.

"The cutscenes won't play."

• Check that you actually have the cutscenes:
  
  • a .vp file called "FS2OGGcutscenepack.vp" inside \freespace2\ OR
  • a group of .ogg files inside \freespace2\data\movies\ OR
  • a group of .mve files inside \freespace2\data\movies\ .
  If you've bought your copy of FreeSpace 2 from Good Old Games, I've been told that the cutscenes are located in the \freespace2\data2\ and \freespace2\data3\ folders. They are files with .mve file extension. Move them to \freespace2\data\movies\ . Alternatively, download the OGG cutscenes and place them to \freespace2\data\movies\ .
• If, for some unknown reason, you insist on using FSO 3.6.9, switch from Direct3D to OpenGL. Otherwise, use the recommended build.

"The cutscenes show up only in the upper-left corner of the screen and won't scale up to fullscreen."

• This may occur with older 3.6.10 builds. Get the recommended build.

"The game freezes to the splash screen."

• Usually this occurs when a firewall throws a query popup about FreeSpace trying to connect to the Internet. Add the build you're using (and possibly the Launcher) to the firewall's rules list.

"I can't get the mods to work" / "None of the custom campaigns show up in the Campaign Room"

• It's not enough to just have mods in subfolders. They have to be in their own subfolders, yes, but something else must also be done: you must select an active mod before it will be used by the game engine. There are two ways to do this:
  
  • Open the Launcher's MOD tab. Click browse and select the folder of the mod you want to use. Click OK, Apply the changes and Run the game. Voila.
  • Open the Launcher's Features tab and write "-mod modfolder1,modfolder2... on the Custom flags field, without the quotations. For example, if you want to play Derelict with the MediaVPs enabled, write -mod derelict,mediavps .
    
    

""Can't open model file <S_Rockeye.pof>" when playing FSPort."

• You are trying to use the FSPort MediaVPs without the regular MediaVPs. If you have the regular 3.6.10 MediaVPs, check your mod.ini. If you don't have the 3.6.10 MediaVPs, get them.

"Error: mv_strings-lcl.tbm is corrupt"

• This occurs when the 3.6.10 MediaVPs are used with a German copy of FreeSpace 2 without the official 3.6.10 MediaVPs patch. If you don't have the patch, go to the 3.6.10 MediaVPs release thread at the FreeSpace Upgrade Project, download the patch .vp file and place it to \freespace2\mediavps\ .

"Slowdowns in nebula missions in FS2."

• For some reason, the nebula missions in FS2 can get really stuttery with modern hardware, even with top-of-the-line awesome gaming rigs forged from gold and win by Thor himself. The solution? FSO. Install it. There are various methods for installing FSO, and they're all listed behind the "Getting started" link at the very top of this page.
• If you're using FSO and are experiencing slowdowns in nebula missions, check your hardware. Most likely you're using the MediaVPs and they can be a strain on old hardware. If this is the case, upgrade your hardware or discontinue using the MediaVPs.

"Error: Could not load in main hall mask 'MainScreen-M'! (This error most likely means that you are missing required 640x480 interface art.)"

• Well, as the error report says: you are most likely missing the 640x480 interface art. And the game will only try looking for the 640x480 interface art if you're running the game at a resolution lower than 1024x768. Usually people experience this with mods that include their own interface, like Blue Planet, FSPort or ASW. Switch your game resolution to 1024x768 or higher. It's 2010 (right now as I'm writing this), for crying out loud. Your hardware should handle it. If it can't, sucks to be you. Buy new hardware or skip the mod that brought this error up.
  Also: note that if you've done a fresh reinstall of FSO, the game engine will default to 640x480 with 16-bit colours. You are strongly adviced to use the Launcher to set an appropriate resolution after installing FSO.

"The game crashes on startup, without opening a window"

• A possible cause is a corrupted multi-mission-pack.vp. Delete that file, and if it doesn't help, consult the last post of this FAQ on how to generate an fs2_open.log, post it on this board, and some ninja will help you out shortly.
  

[Jeff Vader]

Sound Issues

No sounds.

• Check from the Launcher's Audio/Joystick that you have Generic Software selected.

Simulated speech doesn't work.

• Correct. The majority of 3.6.10 builds don't support simulated speech. (Actually, I think 3.6.10 Final includes text to speech. Well, in any case simulated speech is horrible.)

There are no voices in <insert mod name here>.

• Very few mods feature voice acting. Make sure that the mod you're playing is actually supposed to include voice acting. If it doesn't, do like the rest of us and read.

Not all sounds are played

• Open the Launcher, and go to the "Audio" tab. There, change the audio device to "Generic Software".

[Jeff Vader]

Graphical Issues

"Missing models / Missing textures / The game just crashes when trying to start/continue even the main FS2 campaign."

• Your MediaVPs are corrupt. We are sorry for the inconvenience, but it seems that whatever the source used by Turey's Installer is, it has some issues. Download the MediaVPs manually from the release thread. Use the Sectorgame links. They seem to work.
• If you're using the 3.6.12 MediaVPs, don't. Go back to the 3.6.10 MediaVPs. (This as a "Jeff Vader's IMHO advice". Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.)

"Game freezes when viewing ships in the Techroom database."

• This is known to happen with the 3.6.10 MediaVPs. And no, the game doesn't freeze; on weaker systems it just takes time to load certain models. Just give it some time before declaring your computer dead and throwing it out of the window.

"I have an ATI X1*** graphics card."
The drivers for ATI's X1[somethingoranother] cards after version 7.10 include a ****ed up version of OpenGL. Problems that you may experience when playing FSO with an ATIX1*** graphics card include (but are not limited to) random crashing, persistent crashing, graphical oddities and such and such. But not to worry; there are cures.

• Quick fixes:
  • On Windows XP: Just install the latest drivers for your card, then download one of the following atioglxx.dll files:atioglxx.dll #1 or atioglxx.dll #2. Place it to your \freespace2\ folder. This will make the game engine use the older OpenGL .dll without the need to tamper the drivers themselves. If one of them doesn't work, try the other one as well; they're different versions.
    Do not use the .dll's unless you're having problems with the game. Also, keep the file name as atioglxx.dll ; the FSO engine won't use the file if the file name is something else. One more thing: these .dll files will work on Windows XP ONLY!
  • On Windows Vista/7: Open the Launcher, open the "Features" tab, select the "Troubleshoot" list type and tick on "Disable GLSL (shader) support". FSO should now work. You won't get normal maps (that is, the absolutely bestest graphics), but it'll work.

• 1337 fix:
  • Install Catalyst 7.10 drivers. Surf to C:\Windows\System32\ and copy the file atioglxx.dll to your \freespace2\ folder. Uninstall Catalyst 7.10 and install the newest drivers for your graphics card. The result: FSO will use the older (but working) atioglxx.dll in \freespace2\, while other games can use the newer atioglxx.dll which resides at C:\Windows\System32\ . Handy.

"Unable to get proper pixel format for OpenGL W32!"

• Make sure that you have (the newest) graphics card drivers and chipset drivers installed. Note that on Vista (and any other Windows) you must install the latest drivers provided by the graphics card manufactuter, not the latest offered by Windows Update.
• Make sure that you're using 32-bit colours for both your desktop and the game itself (can be changed from the Launcher's Video tab).

"Invisible asteroids" / "Missing ship textures."

• Use the recommended build (recommended option) OR
• If, for some unknown reason, you insist on using FSO 3.6.9, enable jpg/tga textures from the Features list in the Launcher.

"Black boxes around effects."

• If you are using the 3.6.8 Zeta MediaVPs (file names beginning with mv_ instead of MV_), make sure that you also have the appropriate patches (file names beginning with mp-710_). Also, you're strange. The 3.6.10 MediaVPs are better and shouldn't stress your system that much more compared to the 3.6.8's.
• If, for some unknown reason, you insist on using FSO 3.6.9, switch from Direct3D to OpenGL (Launcher's Video tab).

"Severe slowdowns during gameplay."

• Update the graphics drivers like I told you to do at the beginning of this thread.
• If you are playing retail FreeSpace 2, try FSO.
• If slowdowns occur with FSO and the MediaVPs, try removing AdvEffects.
• If slowdowns occur even without the AdvEffects, discontinue using the MediaVPs.
• If slowdowns still occur and nothing seems to help... well, life sucks and then you die.

"The suns and other background elements move in a funny way."

• Use the recommended build (recommended option) OR
• Play in a resolution with an aspect ratio of 4:3, such as 1024x768.

"Ships have black and white stripes all over them / Textures have a chessboard misplacement effect."

• Play with the recommended build.
• This occurs with Nvidia driver versions 169.xx.
  • Install newer drivers for your graphics card.

More discussion in this thread.

"Unable to play in OpenGL."

• Well then. Definitely not good for you. Also, I laugh at your misfortune. Direct3D (or DirectX if it's any clearer) support was dropped from FSO after 3.6.9. If you want to use the latest (and recommended) FSO builds and enjoy the latest features/performance enhancing things, get some new hardware, most importantly a new graphics card. It doesn't have to be top-of-the-line. Anything made after 2007 and not made by Intel should suffice for FSO.
• As a side note, most likely you have an Intel (integrated) graphics chip. Those things suck. Try finding and installing the latest drivers from the Intel website. If it doesn't help, you have no choice but to use 3.6.9 and Direct3D. Or invest into a new graphics card/computer and be a man.

"There are no nebulas in the background, just stars."

• Happens with certain mods. Get the 3.6.10 MediaVPs (recommended option) OR
• Install Lightspeed's Nebulae from FreeSpaceMods.net.

"The stars disappear whenever I am not moving."

• Do the following: (works for both FS1 and FS2)
  
  • 1) Go to: Start -> Run.
  • 2) Type in "Regedit", and click OK
  • 3) Go to the following folder:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> Software -> Volition -> Freespace2
  • 4) Backup your Registry, just to be sure. Do this by clicking:
    Registry -> Export Registry File.
    (Export "All" if you want, if you're worried you'll screw up something somewhere else by accident. Otherwise just export the selected branch.)
  • 5) Select: Edit -> New -> DWORD Value.
  • 6) Rename the newly created value to "D3DTextureDivider".
  • 7) Right-click on "D3DTextureDivider" and select "Modify".
  • 8) In the window that comes up, set "Value Data" to "1" then click on Ok. Note that the value thing is a boolean operation. If you set it to 0, it will be off. If you set it to anything else (like 1 for example), it will be on. So if some instructions tell you to set it to 64 or whatnot, it doesn't really matter, as long as it's not 0.
  • 9) Repeat steps 5-8 but this time rename the DWord to D3DUseLargeTextures.
  • 10) Repeat steps 5-8 but this time rename the DWord to D3DLineOffset.

"No graphical updates, when trying to play the FS2 main campaign."

• Reselect the \mediavps\ folder as your active mod from the Launcher's MOD tab.

"Shivan beams look wrong with the 3.6.10 MediaVPs."

• As seen here. This issue occurs, when using the 3.6.10 MediaVPs with a graphics card that is not powerful enough. Download this rachive and extract the contents to \freespace2\mediavps\data\effects.

"Damage lightning looks weird."

• Some people have described it as "flickering white triangles". Regardless of the description, it is naturally wrong. Download this shader fix pack and place extract the .vp from it to \freespace2\mediavps\ .
  

"Models are rendered partially invisible."

• This may happen if you are using an Intel GPU on Linux. As explained here, check to see if your card is falling back to software rendering. Enabling the "-novbo" commandline option may fix this for you.

"My Desktop is reflected on in-game objects"

• This is a known issue that occurs on MacOS for some users. To fix it, use the "-disable_fbo" option in the Launcher's troubleshooting section.

"DDS ERROR: Couldn't open 'somefilename' -- DDS is compressed but compression support is not enabled"

• If this occurs on Linux: Install Driconf. Then manually activate texture compression support.
• If this occurs otherwise, invest into a modern-ish graphics card that can handle compressed .dds files.

[Jeff Vader]

Gameplay Issues

Some ships/weapons are missing even though I'm told that they'd be available.

• Congratulations. You've succesfully ****ed up your pilot file. Create a new one and start over. A good way to corrupt a pilot file is to switch mods in the middle of a campaign. Always create a new pilot for each mod. But no need to get nervous! There is a way to correct your mistake without starting the entire campaign over. New campaign files can be created in which the campaign doesn't begin from the first mission but instead from another mission. Proceed according to the following instructions:
  
  • Download a campaign file where the campaign starts from the mission you were or as close to it as possible (mission articles can be found at the Wiki). The options are:
    
    • Slaying Ravana
    • The King's Gambit
    • Bearbaiting
    • Clash of the Titans II
      
  • Go to the campaign room and reset the campaign to start it again. Quit FS2.
  • Extract the file you downloaded to your freespace2\data\missions folder (or freespace2\mediavps\data\missions if you are using the MediaVPs). Create the directory if it doesn't already exist.
  • Go to the campaign room a second time and restart again.
  • Play the game.
  • Once the game is complete, go to freespace2\data\missions and delete or move away Freespace2.fc2 or you'll never be able to play the first missions. again.

No weapons / Only the Ulysses as a usable ship / One or more ships replaced by a Ulysses.

• Make sure that you are playing the right campaign with the right mod.
• Make sure you don't have any extra .vp files or table files in wrong folders.

No Interceptor missiles during Advanced Training in FSPort.

• This is a known issue with FSPort 3.0.4. It has been solved since 3.1, so go get the latest version from the FreeSpace Conversion board.

"Error: Can't open model file <S_Rockeye.pof>" when playing FSPort.

• You are using the FSPort MediaVPs without the regular 3.6.10 MediaVPs. That's rather stupid, don't you think? Put the FSPort MediaVP to \freespace2\fsport-mediavps\ , the rest of the FSPort stuff to \freespace2\fsport\ and the 3.6.10 MediaVPs to \freespace2\mediavps\ . Make sure that the mod.ini in the \fsport-mediavps\ folder has a line that says "secondarylist = fsport,mediavps;" without quotations. Select the \fsport-mediavps\ folder as your mod.

""Error: Invalid ship/wing name." upon starting the mission "Training 4" (the mission after you were chasing the Iceni)"

• You're using the 3.6.10 MediaVPs but have missed the patch! Go to the 3.6.10 MediaVPs release thread, download 3_6_10_Patch.vp from step 6 and place it to \freespace2\mediavps\ . And sell your music collection.

"In-game dialogue is missing"

• This error may appear when using the 3.6.10 MediaVPs. Upgrade to the 3.6.12 MediaVPs.

[Jeff Vader]

The help section

If you are facing an issue that isn't listed here and to which you just cannot find a solution, you can and must inform us of it. But, when starting a thread, you must be prepared to provide some information to us. Mainly, your fs2_open.log, dubbed "debug log" by some people, is a file generated by debug builds. It contains all sorts of useful information that we need in order to help you. That is why you should follow the instructions below and provide us with that file when asking for help.

And yes: the name of the file really is "fs2_open.log". The error message you get is not the thing I'm after here. Neither is "errorlog.txt". We want your fs2_open.log!

Creating an fs2_open.log happens like this (click each step for a helpful picture):

Windows launcher (aka 5.5g)

• Open the Launcher.
• Open the "Features" tab.
• From the "Dev Tool" list, select "Run in window".
• Click the "Browse" button at the top.
• Select a debug build (begins with "fs2_open_3_6_12d).
• Apply the changes.
• Run the game.

wxLauncher (also Diaspora launcher)

• Open the Launcher.
• Open the "Advanced Settings" tab.
• From the "Dev Tool" list, select "Run in window".
• If you're on Linux or OS X, also select "Don't grab mouse/keyboard in a window" from the "Dev Tool" list.
• Open the "Basic Settings" tab.
• From the box labeled "FS2 Open executable", select a debug build, such as FreeSpace 2 Open 3.6.12 Debug Inferno SSE2.
• Run the game.

• If you've been experiencing crashes, do exactly what you've done previously, up until it crashes.
  If you have had other issues, it is sufficient to run it until you get to the Main Hall. If the debug build crashes fatally even before getting to the Main Hall, no worries.
  Note that warnings and errors are not the same thing. Warnings are there to tell that something is a bit wrong, but not fatally wrong. You can skip warnings by clicking "No". Errors are more severe and if an error occurs, you really have to quit the game.
• Quit the game.
• Find the file called fs2_open.log. The location of the file depends on your operating system:
  - Windows: \freespace2\data\ *
  - Mac OS X: ~/Library/FS2_Open/data **
  - Linux: ~/.fs2_open/data
  
  Copy the file to a safe location and deliver it to us by using one of the following means:
  
  • include it to your post as an attachment (click Additional Options when posting)
  • include it to your post using the "code" tags
  • send it to pastebin and provide us with the link to it
  
  *NOTE FOR PEOPLE USING WINDOWS VISTA OR 7:
  If you installed FS2 to C:\Program Files\ (or C:\Program Files (x86)\ on 64-bit versions of Windows), the log file will not be in FS2\data\, but rather in a "virtualized" folder. This can be found by either going to the data folder, and clicking on the "Compatibility Files" button in the Explorer window, or by manually navigating to C:\Users\<Your Username>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\<Rest of the path to your FS2 directory>\data
  
  **NOTE FOR PEOPLE USING MAC OS X LION:
  The library folder is hidden in the Finder for some excellent reason. Please see information here on how to access the folder.
  
  

If you want to try and figure out the problem by yourself, details on the contents of fs2_open.log can be found here.

Your improved fs2_open.log:
Your improved fs2_open.log is not needed by default, but if some helpful HLP member asks you to provide one, here's how you create them:

• Download this file (it's really just an empty file) and place it to your \freespace2\data\ folder. Then, do exactly what what you did when creating the first fs2_open.log. Note that this log is quite a bit larger than the previous one, so you'll probably have to compress it into a 7z/zip/rar/etc before attaching it to your post. Alternatively you can use pastebin.org.
  

fred2_open.log:
Even though this board is for problems with playing/installing FSO, I thought I'd mention something FRED-related as well. If you have problems with FRED2 Open, you might sometimes want to generate a debug log with it as well. Or some tech support person might ask you to generate one. With 3.6.10 and earlier versions of FSO, FRED2 Open has also generated its debug info into fs2_open.log. This might have been a nuisance, since both FSO debug and FRED2 Open debug wrote their data into the same file, effectively overriding the previous version. However, with 3.6.11 builds and the upcoming 3.6.12 things are done a bit differently. 3.6.11 nightly builds released November 16, 2009 or later, contain a change in FRED 2 Open so that FRED2 Open debug writes its debug info into fred2_open.log. Meaning that if you have a recent enough nightly build, you can create separate debug logs for FSO and FRED 2 Open without having to take backups of fs2_open.log all the time.