High guys. I've been on and off for a while but anyway, here's my problem.
So I was downloading tons of plugins for the past month but I got lazy to process them to the plugin folder. When I finally felt that I wanted to process them, I did. About a week later, which was two days ago, I thought I'd get back to the old SC4, but the game crashes when I load a city. I thought it must've been due to the plugins I downloaded recently, so I tried removing the plugins one at a time, but it still crashes. It took me about two days on and off but after some time, I realized that Columbus Terrain Mod was the problem. I found it odd because that file was always there in my plugins folder for years and I never really touched it and only now did it start to cause problems. In fact, what's stranger is that it came to the point that Columbus Terrain Mod was the only thing in my folder the game still crashed when I loaded a city. I came to the point of downloading it again from simtrop but it still the same. I'm not sure though, I think I'm missing something. I'll try reinstalling the game if it works, but some serious support is really needed here. I'm using Windows 7 RC1 by the way and yeah, it used to work then. Thanks for your time :).
It has dependencies.. I forget the details.. but clearly you have removed them it would seem.. go read up on what it needs and you'll probably solve your own problem.. and unlike most lots with dependencies, terrain mods often crash to desk
I'm not so sure. I have copies of the columbus terrain mod in datpacked and non-datpacked versions. Both seem to cause CTD. I also could not have lacked dependencies since I never touched the folder for years now. Thanks for the help anyway SC4BOY :).
Well, I tried the datpacked version and it still didn't work. I'll just reinstall and see what happens. I'm still open for more suggestions :).
Hey guys. A little update. I reinstalled the game tried it but same effect. With that, I decided to go to my XP hard drive and I tried the plugin folder that had the working datpacked Columbus Terrain Mod and it worked. No CTD. I then tried the ones that I left in the Windows 7 hard drive and I got a CTD. With that, I guess SC4BOY is somehow correct :-[. I must've removed something somewhere in sometime. The thing is, I dunno what's in my datpacked Columbus Terrain Mod. So yeah, I wish someone could give me a list of links to the dependencies (or to reroute me to a thread that has the list) pretty please ;D. I could just put the datpacked stuff in my Windows 7 SC4 plugin folder but a link to the dependencies would do nicely :).
Hmmm...
Try here (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=655) and here (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=644)
Another lesson is that you should not datpack files and then remove the original plugins.. this is asking for trouble.. it is not maintainable nor debuggable in datpacked form. In fact I archive the download packs .. of course if the dependency is only specified in the DL page and not in included doc's that can be a problem.. I try to zip a small notepad file with the stuff to show the dependencies that were required.. Keeping up with all that stuff is difficult enough without having some fallback positions
Yeah, this mod, if I remember correctly, needs the CPT trees no 3 and 4 (which are so widely used in almost any sort of terrain mod, it's surprising that you don't have them :D)
Quote from: SC4BOY on September 29, 2009, 12:19:42 PM
Another lesson is that you should not datpack files and then remove the original plugins.. this is asking for trouble.. it is not maintainable nor debuggable in datpacked form. In fact I archive the download packs .. of course if the dependency is only specified in the DL page and not in included doc's that can be a problem.. I try to zip a small notepad file with the stuff to show the dependencies that were required.. Keeping up with all that stuff is difficult enough without having some fallback positions
Maybe I should make myself clear unno, just so we understand each other. I've played SC4 for a long time and I already know the dangers of removing the original plugins. which is why I have at least 4 back-ups: 1 in 1 separate harddrives, 1 in 1 laptop and 1 in a private online harddrive. The plugins in the plugin folder I have is not the dat-packed. I don't use a datpacked plugin because it's hard to reorganize everything again.
You have a small notepad file you say. Can I look at it :)?
Quote from: Strategist01 on September 29, 2009, 12:38:03 PM
Yeah, this mod, if I remember correctly, needs the CPT trees no 3 and 4 (which are so widely used in almost any sort of terrain mod, it's surprising that you don't have them :D)
I do have them. I think I said that SC4 worked before it started crashing. It crashes with them sadly :(. In fact, I redownloaded everything that's supposed to be related to Columbus Terrain Mod. No luck so far. I'm still looking for what I'm lacking.
After sometime doing trial and error, I think I've got it. It appears that I did miss a dependency and it seems that it is in my datpacked BlaM folder. I dunno wat really. I din't even know BlaM had a dependency or maybe I just put something there and something. I'm gonna check with my other stuff if it clicks. I'll double check. I'm not sure yet.
EDIT: Well it turns out that my datpacked BlaM folder is a dependency to the Columbus Terrain Mod (Thank God it's not the BSC folder ;D). I dunno what's in it and I don't think I need to know what's in it anymore. The CTDs have stopped and I'm happy enough for that. Though, I think we need to investigate about this. If you guys knew about a dependency to BlaM, I'm surprised you didn't tell me sooner. I somehow speculate that what if there is a dependency from BlaM we don't know about. Other than that, I may have put something in the BlaM folder :-[.
Quote from: frdrcklim on September 29, 2009, 07:25:04 PM
You have a small notepad file you say. Can I look at it :)?
Not as extensive as I can tell you envision... what I mean is if a file doesn't have a readme, I make one myself (for example its a japanese file and I can't read japanese, or it doesn't specify some dependencies that are on the DL window, or the links for the dependency are broken or improperly referenced, etc) ..Then I just drop it on the zip file (and it of course asks me "do you want to add this" and I say "please" ;)
Quote from: frdrcklim on September 29, 2009, 07:59:18 PM
.... I din't even know BlaM had a dependency or maybe I just put something there and something......
EDIT: Well it turns out that my datpacked BlaM folder is a dependency to the Columbus Terrain Mod (Thank God it's not the BSC folder ;D). I dunno what's in it and I don't think I need to know what's in it anymore. The CTDs have stopped
Ya know.. I don't know the in's and out's of your case.. as it seems you don't either.. but I will say this speaking on your behalf... SC4 has an odd
save file structure which cannot be actually cleared.. instead its kind of like a lawn where lots of people cross to get to the school yard... tracks everywhere and depression in the dirt.. ya can mow over it all ya want, but those tracks are still there.. :) .. nothing gets cleared, but instead gets "zero'd" .. a term I'm not sure what it means, but it still leaves tracks.. if you go play an old region you almost ALWAYS end up with significant misbehaviour unless you use the precise plugin you played it with originally.. often taking the shape of increased CTD's.. I have come across this on numerous occasions.. for example the famous "seaport controller" situation (Link to "seaport memory" issue (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=8719.msg272785#msg272785)).. you clear up all the "bugs" by cleaning up your plugins and having a pristine setup.. then you go to add a lot or make some change to something and BAM.. it crashes.. for example I have one I made about 4 yrs ago that if I try to terraform certain areas.. COMPLETELY BLANK of any lot of any kind.. not even close.. yet it will crash if I alter the terrain in an area (This link to terraform CTD (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=8951.msg277219#msg277219)).. This kind of thing. .. maybe some genius will get a flash of insight into this some day by truly understanding the save files and their structures and footprints and whatever..and we'll be able to not only stop it but fix an old one.. Who knows?..... The closest I've seen anyone come to even a flash of light on this is the PROP POX thread (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=7066.0).. but it only uncovers hints of the problem
Quote from: frdrcklim on September 29, 2009, 07:59:18 PM
If you guys knew about a dependency to BlaM, I'm surprised you didn't tell me sooner. I somehow speculate that what if there is a dependency from BlaM we don't know about. Other than that, I may have put something in the BlaM folder :-[.
I think you might have a file called
CO$$8_4x3_Steinsaas_b23c08a6.SC4Lot in there. :)
It's not a dependency to anything, but removing it from your plugins always leads to a CTD...
Read more about that in
spa's post
here (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=6744.msg257337#msg257337).
That's interesting. The thing is, I never removed the undatpacked BlaM folder to begin with. But I'll check it out again. spa's post is somehow very reassuring and makes this file very notorius.