Author Topic: Lore of the support Ninja I: The Log of DOOM  (Read 23316 times)

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Offline The E

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Lore of the support Ninja I: The Log of DOOM
One day, a young apprentice came to the Ninja Master, seeking enlightenment.
"Master," he said, "when looking at your past accomplishments, I see that you are always asking the people seeking your help for their log files. Wishing to become a master myself, I looked upon my own logs, but I could not divine the meaning of its utterings. Please tell this humble student the secrets contained therein, so that I may do your work for you."
For a moment, the Master sat in silence, pondering his student's request. Then, with only the slightest nod, he commanded one of his ravens to bring forth a scroll of learning, and handed it to the student.
"Read, and be enlightened," he said. "So that your strikes may find the heart of the problem with unerring accuracy."
This is what the Student read:

Hello and welcome. We at Logomatic Industries are glad that you chose to invest in a LOGOTRON 3000 system to fill your logging requirements for <PRODUCT NAME HERE>. To help you understand the LOGOTRON 3000 output, a sample log has been provided with annotations.

Code: [Select]
FreeSpace version: 3.6.13
This is the first line of a log. In some cases, it will be all you need. Always check if the mod the user is using is tested with this version of the executable. Examples would be someone trying to play BP2 with a 3.6.10 or 3.6.11 build.

Code: [Select]
Passed cmdline options:
  -env
  -mipmap
  -missile_lighting
  -glow
  -spec
  -normal
  -3dshockwave
  -post_process
  -bloom_intensity 40
  -cache_bitmaps
  -ballistic_gauge
  -dualscanlines
  -orbradar
  -targetinfo
  -3dwarp
  -ship_choice_3d
  -weapon_choice_3d
  -warp_flash
  -snd_preload
  -mod mediavps_3612
  -no_set_gamma
  -fps
  -show_mem_usage
  -debug_window
  -fullscreen_window
  -output_sexps
  -output_scripting

The one command line flag that you should always look at is the -mod one. Are the mods listed in the right order? Are mods mentioned more than once? Also, make sure that the ship_choice_3d and weapon_choice_3d flags are set for most mods.

Code: [Select]
Building file index...
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Advanced.vp' with a checksum of 0x4076e449
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_AnimGlows.vp' with a checksum of 0x6a554026
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Assets.vp' with a checksum of 0x529cc70f
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Effects.3612.vp' with a checksum of 0x9c510aa0
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Effects.vp' with a checksum of 0xb9a9a485
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Music.vp' with a checksum of 0xb3e21469
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_RadarIcons.vp' with a checksum of 0x31dd7781
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Root.3612.vp' with a checksum of 0x7c9d7e74
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Root.vp' with a checksum of 0x6ffd5c78
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\FS2OGGcutscenepack.vp' with a checksum of 0x84396e99
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\multi-mission-pack.vp' with a checksum of 0x377695e0
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\multi-voice-pack.vp' with a checksum of 0xd50e7442
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\root_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0xce10d76c
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\smarty_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0xddeb3b1e
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\sparky_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0x164fe65a
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\sparky_hi_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0xa11d56f1
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\stu_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0xd77da83a
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\tango1_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0x4c25221e
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\tango2_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0x86920b82
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\tango3_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0x705e8d71
Found root pack 'D:\FS2\warble_fs2.vp' with a checksum of 0xd85c305d

Unfortunately, the checksumming algorithm is only accurate for files < 2 MB. Above that, and you might get valid checksums for corrupted files.

Code: [Select]
Searching root 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\' ... 109 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Advanced.vp' ... 1283 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_AnimGlows.vp' ... 1641 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Assets.vp' ... 1527 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Effects.3612.vp' ... 10 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Effects.vp' ... 1876 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Music.vp' ... 32 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_RadarIcons.vp' ... 24 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Root.3612.vp' ... 13 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\mediavps_3612\MV_Root.vp' ... 94 files
Searching root 'D:\FS2\' ... 1828 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\FS2OGGcutscenepack.vp' ... 10 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\multi-mission-pack.vp' ... 110 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\multi-voice-pack.vp' ... 307 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\root_fs2.vp' ... 157 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\smarty_fs2.vp' ... 10 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\sparky_fs2.vp' ... 3027 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\sparky_hi_fs2.vp' ... 1337 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\stu_fs2.vp' ... 2355 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\tango1_fs2.vp' ... 32 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\tango2_fs2.vp' ... 15 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\tango3_fs2.vp' ... 10 files
Searching root pack 'D:\FS2\warble_fs2.vp' ... 52 files
Searching root 'e:\' ... 0 files
Found 24 roots and 15859 files.

As a result of the inaccuracy mentioned above, this section is actually more important. If the number of files in a VP is off, it's a sure hint for corruption or outdatedness.
Note that due to changes in 3.6.13, it will report different file numbers than 3.6.12. If the mod creators haven't posted correct numbers themselves, try to get a clean copy of the mod yourself to check the numbers yourself.
The most important part however is that this will list exactly which vp files the game is loading. If you see vp files in the FreeSpace directory that are not part of the retail set + multi-missions-pack, multi-voice and OGG Cutscenes, they are almost always the source of a majority of all errors. The game will also list the number of files that are not in a vp; if those numbers are unusually high, it usually means that the user has done some tinkering with the various data\ folders.

Code: [Select]
AutoLang: Language auto-detection successful...
Setting language to English

If the language is not English, it may cause problems. Look out for this.

Code: [Select]
TBM  =>  Starting parse of 'mv_core-lcl.tbm' ...
Initializing OpenAL...
  OpenAL Vendor     : Creative Labs Inc.
  OpenAL Renderer   : Software
  OpenAL Version    : 1.1

  Found extension "ALC_EXT_EFX".

  Sample rate: 44100 (44100)
  EFX version: 1.0
  Max auxiliary sends: 1
  Playback device: Generic Software on Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
  Capture device: Microphone (Realtek High Defini
... OpenAL successfully initialized!

There isn't much to say about this. If the user is reporting sound problems, it might be worthwhile to try OpenAL-Soft instead of the standard implementation.

Code: [Select]
Failed to init speech
This isn't fatal, it usually means that the build was compiled without speech support.

Code: [Select]
Initializing OpenGL graphics device at 1600x900 with 32-bit color...
  Initializing WGL...
  Requested WGL Video values = R: 8, G: 8, B: 8, depth: 32, double-buffer: 1
  Actual WGL Video values    = R: 8, G: 8, B: 8, depth: 32, double-buffer: 1
  OpenGL Vendor    : ATI Technologies Inc.
  OpenGL Renderer  : ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5400 Series
  OpenGL Version   : 4.1.10666 Compatibility Profile Context

This is another very important part. If the engine crashes here, or if the reported OpenGL Version is lower than what the GPU can support (check Wikipedia if you're unsure about this), it hints at having out-of-date or corrupted GPU drivers. Another thing to look at is the requested and actual colour depth values. They should always be the same, and they should always be 32 bits (or 24 or greater, for Linux/MacOS builds)

Code: [Select]
  Using extension "GL_EXT_fog_coord".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_multitexture".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_texture_env_add".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_texture_compression".
  Using extension "GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc".

These last two extensions are vital. Without them, a majority of the textures currently used in the mediavps and mods will not work. This is a problem commonly seen with Open Source GPU drivers on Linux. Installing DriConf and switching texture compression on manually fixes this.

Code: [Select]
  Using extension "GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_texture_env_combine".
  Using extension "GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array".
  Using extension "GL_EXT_draw_range_elements".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_texture_non_power_of_two".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object".
  Using extension "GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap".
  Using extension "GL_EXT_framebuffer_object".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_texture_rectangle".
  Using extension "GL_EXT_bgra".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_texture_cube_map".
  Using extension "GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_point_sprite".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_shading_language_100".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_shader_objects".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_vertex_shader".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_fragment_shader".
  Using extension "GL_ARB_shader_texture_lod".
  Found special extension function "wglSwapIntervalEXT".

  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (null-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (null-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lb-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (b-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (b-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (b-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (bg-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbg-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbgs-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbs-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (le-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbgse-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (le-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbse-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbgn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbgsn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbsn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lne-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbgsne-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lne-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lbsne-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lf-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfb-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lf-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbg-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lf-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbgs-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lf-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbs-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfe-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbgse-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfe-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbse-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfn-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbgn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfn-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbgsn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfn-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfn-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbsn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfne-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbgsne-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lfne-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lfbsne-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (null-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lg-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lgs-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (l-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (ls-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (le-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lgse-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (le-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lse-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lgn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lgsn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (ln-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (ln-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lsn-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lne-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lgsne-f.sdr)
  Compiling shader: main-v.sdr (lne-v.sdr), main-f.sdr (lsne-f.sdr)

  Compiling post-processing shader 1 ...
  Compiling post-processing shader 2 ...
  Compiling post-processing shader 3 ...
  Compiling post-processing shader 4 ...

If there are error messages during shader compilation, it's another hint at driver corruption. Another possible source would be to use a Nightly build with the 3.6.12 MediaVPs on a machine that is only capable of GLSL 1.2; Use of the "-no_glsl" commandline switch is recommended in these cases.

Code: [Select]
  Max texture units: 8 (16)
  Max elements vertices: 2147483647
  Max elements indices: 16777215
  Max texture size: 16384x16384
  Max render buffer size: 16384x16384
  Can use compressed textures: YES
  Texture compression available: YES
  Post-processing enabled: YES
  Using trilinear texture filter.
  Using GLSL for model rendering.
  OpenGL Shader Version: 4.10
... OpenGL init is complete!

The important bit here is the Max Texture Size rating. If it is reported as 2048^2, the user should be instructed to ditch any "advanced" texture packs (mv_advanced, for example).

Code: [Select]
Size of bitmap info = 760 KB
Size of bitmap extra info = 52 bytes
ANI cursorweb with size 24x24 (25.0% wasted)
GRAPHICS: Initializing default colors...
SCRIPTING: Beginning initialization sequence...
SCRIPTING: Beginning Lua initialization...
LUA: Opening LUA state...
LUA: Initializing base Lua libraries...
LUA: Beginning ADE initialization
ADE: Initializing enumeration constants...
ADE: Assigning Lua session...
SCRIPTING: Outputting scripting metadata...
SCRIPTING: Beginning main hook parse sequence....
Wokka!  Error opening file (scripting.tbl)!
TABLES: Unable to parse 'scripting.tbl'!  Error code = 5.

Even though the dreaded word "Error" appears here, this is non-fatal, and indeed expected. Most mods that include scripting use -sct tbm files, so not finding a master scripting.tbl is not a big deal. The same applies for armor.tbl and interface.tbl (Which does nothing, don't ask about it). Parsing errors are usually a sign of either using a build that is too old for the mods being loaded, or tabling errors in the loaded mods.


This concludes a preliminary look at the sections of the log that are most commonly used in troubleshooting. Wishing you a productive day, your friends at Logomatic Industries.
If I'm just aching this can't go on
I came from chasing dreams to feel alone
There must be changes, miss to feel strong
I really need lifе to touch me
--Evergrey, Where August Mourns

 

Offline headdie

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Re: Lore of the support Ninja I: The Log of DOOM
nice 1, cant wait for part 2
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