[Blitzerland]

Could somebody please inform me what it is?

[phreak]

can you repeat the question?

[Axem]

I'm guessing something with Fred. I've gotten that error too before from Fred. If that's the case something is screwed up in your mission. Your only options are to either start from scratch or open the file up in Notepad and take educated guesses on what could be screwing it up and fix it.

[Lightspeed]

Mantis is your friend: http://mgo.maxgaming.net/mantis/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0000245

During loading, FS2open messes up, and can't find some files afterwards. This can lead to missing textures, crashing because briefing icons, interface graphics could not be found, disappearing of any text (font not found anymore), and much more.

Normally, when it happens, the loading bar (loading screen) has advanced to two "blobs", after that, the loading bar ANI (i.e. lightened blob graphics) vanish as they can't be found anymore. It will load the mission to the end, but might crash if it doesn't find some of the briefing files. Other times, it even gets to in-game (see bug report), but will most likely crash if you try quitting the game afterwards (didn't find the mainhall, etc.).

This is "corruption on load". A simple re-start of the game and everything is back to normal.... until it messes up again.

[SadisticSid]

This problem seems to be mitigated somewhat by using different command lines, so I've found - though which combinations of flags are responsible I have no idea. One thing I've noted is that the safeloading tag fixes it initially, but causes crashes at specific points in some of my missions (one, notably, when any shivan ship attempts to fire a primary weapon).

Unfortunately 'a simple re-start' is not even a workaround for such  missions that cause this bug even when loaded for the first time after starting Freespace.

[terren]

some one should update the severity of this bug, it's gamebreaking.  In the last two days, I've been able to play 3 missions, after trying 8 or 9 times to get through them, some times it works if I swap flags, some times it works if I extract the Effects files from the VP file, some times it works if I use a difrent build.
Now though it wont work at all I crash out when I finish the mission, if I win it gives me a straight CTD, if I die it tells me the death popup cant be found.

[Trivial Psychic]

Originally posted by SadisticSid
One thing I've noted is that the safeloading tag fixes it initially, but causes crashes at specific points in some of my missions (one, notably, when any shivan ship attempts to fire a primary weapon).

I get this if I try to use the -loadonlyusedweapons flag.  Whenever a Manticore gets within firing range, the game CTDs.  I guess that its something to do with the Shivan Mega Laser, since thats the only primary the Manticore carries by default.

Later!

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Axem
I'm guessing something with Fred. I've gotten that error too before from Fred. If that's the case something is screwed up in your mission. Your only options are to either start from scratch or open the file up in Notepad and take educated guesses on what could be screwing it up and fix it.

That's not the corrupt on load error.

However I do suspect I know one of the causes for it.

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,26951.0.html

[Lightspeed]

This problem seems to be mitigated somewhat by using different command lines, so I've found - though which combinations of flags are responsible I have no idea. One thing I've noted is that the safeloading tag fixes it initially

This is incorrect. It happens as well with the safeloading flag. What you mean is -loadonlyused which causes the crashes in-mission. -safeloading doesnt cause any crashes, but doesn't fix the corrupt on load problem either. It has nothing to do with command lines, it's just that the more command lines you add, the more stuff gets loaded, and the problem is more likely to occur. It tends to happen a few missions into the game when it already has a lot of "trash" filling the memory.

Unfortunately 'a simple re-start' is not even a workaround for such missions that cause this bug even when loaded for the first time after starting Freespace.

There is no mission that can reliably reproduce the corrupt on load bug.

some one should update the severity of this bug, it's gamebreaking. In the last two days, I've been able to play 3 missions, after trying 8 or 9 times to get through them, some times it works if I swap flags, some times it works if I extract the Effects files from the VP file, some times it works if I use a difrent build.
 

Unnecessary. Just restart the game and try from there - it's pretty random in occurring. (for example, it happened to me three times in around 5 missions about a week ago, but only happened once or twice since then).

Now though it wont work at all I crash out when I finish the mission, if I win it gives me a straight CTD, if I die it tells me the death popup cant be found.

Check if your files are in order, it shouldn't happen that repeatedly.

I get this if I try to use the -loadonlyusedweapons flag. Whenever a Manticore gets within firing range, the game CTDs. I guess that its something to do with the Shivan Mega Laser, since thats the only primary the Manticore carries by default.
 

Once again, Mantis is your friend. I reported the bug with cause a few weeks ago. If a ship class jumps in having weapons not mounted on any ships at mission start, it's weapons are NOT loaded using -loadonlyused. This means, any ship jumping in carrying new weaponry will crash the game.

[SadisticSid]

Originally posted by Lightspeed


This is incorrect. It happens as well with the safeloading flag. What you mean is -loadonlyused which causes the crashes in-mission. -safeloading doesnt cause any crashes, but doesn't fix the corrupt on load problem either. It has nothing to do with command lines, it's just that the more command lines you add, the more stuff gets loaded, and the problem is more likely to occur. It tends to happen a few missions into the game when it already has a lot of "trash" filling the memory.

There is no mission that can reliably reproduce the corrupt on load bug.

Ah yes, the -loadonlyused flag does seem responsible for the crashing.

However your comment regarding command lines is quite ignorant. Mine is currently C:\Games\FreeSpace2\INF_open.exe spec_exp 11 -spec_point 0.3 -spec_static 0.5 -spec_tube 0.05 -ambient_factor 75 -spec -glow -pcx32 -jpgtga -ship_choice_3d -nomotiondebris -2d_poof -snd_preload -pcx2dds -env -max_subdivide which allows me to play a certain mission of my own devising without incident. The old command line, C:\Games\FreeSpace2\INF_open.exe -spec -glow -jpgtga -ship_choice_3d -spec_exp 11 -spec_point 0.3 -spec_static 0.5 -spec_tube 0.05 -ambient_factor 75 has the loading problem occurring as soon as I start that same mission. Clearly something in the command lines, or in the "trash" that gets loaded, has some effect on this problem.

And this mission, with the old command line, DOES reliably reproduce this bug every time without fail.

[Lightspeed]

Is it an Inferno mission?

[SadisticSid]

Yes, unfortunately, otherwise I'd send it in to help with the debugging...

[Lightspeed]

I guess that's the reason it crashes so much more for you than for normal people.

As for the problem itself, I suspect it has to do with the ANI loading. I found out that I can recreate it without actually loading a mission, if I widly select different (memory intensive) ships from the techroom. At one point, stuff will start vanishing as well.

[terren]

It's almost certanly some kind of ANI problem,  Using LS new glowmaps I get it, without them, I dont.  This normaly happens in the briefing.

[taylor]

I don't remember anybody saying but does this happen in both D3D and OGL?  If it happens in one or the other then it's in the texture/bmpman code.  If it's in both then it could be something in the ani specific code.

ANIs are loaded sort of like regular graphics files for things like buttons, ship anis, HUD, etc.  Those type of anis go throught the normal bmpman code that's specific to the renderer but are streamed directly through the ani code for video type stuff like command briefing animations and talking head animations on the HUD.

[taylor]

*BUMP*

Any takers on the D3D vs. OGL question?  I'm going to release a new build this weekend and I'd like to have a go at fixing this but I don't have a lot of time to test this particular problem.  If someone can help narrow it down then I'll try to get it fixed.

[terren]

sorry, I missed your request some how, I'll test it in OGL, I've been using d3d for some odd reason, get back to you after I grab some food, and test this.

:edit:
tested, I got a difrent problem, it's still related though.
OGL seems not to work at all for me, it's giving me "could not load thruster#" swiching which thruster it is based on what outher flags I have.  it's anoying and I'm shure it's related to the corrupt on load bug.

[Blitzerland]

Originally posted by taylor
*BUMP*

Any takers on the D3D vs. OGL question?  I'm going to release a new build this weekend and I'd like to have a go at fixing this but I don't have a lot of time to test this particular problem.  If someone can help narrow it down then I'll try to get it fixed.

D3D is better and more widely used...in my oppinion.

[Goober5000]

That's not what he asked.

Originally posted by taylor
does this happen in both D3D and OGL?  If it happens in one or the other then it's in the texture/bmpman code.  If it's in both then it could be something in the ani specific code.

[taylor]

Originally posted by terren
OGL seems not to work at all for me, it's giving me "could not load thruster#" swiching which thruster it is based on what outher flags I have.  it's anoying and I'm shure it's related to the corrupt on load bug.

But it only happens with thrusters?  If it's corruption of some kind then it should be somewhat random in the graphics that don't work like the D3D problem.  And by "doesn't work at all" do you mean that it's not loading period because of missing graphics or something else.  It may just be a loading problem since OGL loads images a bit differently than D3D.  Assuming that you are using my build and have the DevIL DLLs in the same directory, try using and not using -jpgtga to see if that makes a difference.