Modmakers Guide: Common Crashes, Glitches, Errors, and AI problems

[MindsBigger]

my game crasehes at a very spefic point....i have a heavily modded civ3mod.bic with added units and snoopy's greener terrain.... around 1000bc the game seems to crash around a certain point on the map....the game will crash when i use a unit to explore that part of the map....or sometimes it will crash if i just leave a unit in the region....which leads be to beleive that it might be a unit entering into the non-darkness that causes the crash......has anyone had this happen before?....what can i do besides check my unit dir for incongruities...?

thanks

[Willem]

Originally posted by D0SBoots
Here's a strange bug that I get with 1.29f. I made a new unit and a new building, and everything seems to work fine, except that sometimes getting a goody hut will crash the game with a stack overflow. It's only certain goody huts, but if a hut crashes the game once, it will crash every time. I can only assume that the hut has pre-determined what it will give, and whatever it's trying to give is crashing the game. Anyone else seen this?

--
=D ave

I suspect that the hut is trying to give you one of the new units you added and crashing for some reason. If you go into the editor and look for Barbarian Chiefdom in the civ list there, then deselect the unit, I'm guessing your problem will be solved.

[Willem]

Originally posted by gnome
I am having further problems with this same process... I have added the splash screen graphic for the small wonder Space Center to the appropriate directory, and also added it to the pediaicons.txt... I no longer get the error that it is missing the file...

BUT now when I build it, it just crashes with an illegal operation.

Any ideas?

Did you add it to the pediaicons twice? Once for the civilopedia, and again for the wonder splash graphics. It sounds like the game can't find the splash graphics that pop up when the wonder is completed. Check towards the bottom of pediaicons.tx, you'll see the entries there.

If you have 1.29f or before, be sure that the number of the wonder exactly matches it's order in the bic list. Spaceship parts count as improvements, so your first new building will be number 74. If you're off even by one, the game will crash, or use another wonder splash graphic.

[Willem]

Originally posted by MrFun
I am having a problem with a wonder that I added.
I created the Magna Charter, and copied the Sistine pediaicon for the Magna Charter, since I am not adept with graphics.

But, when it comes time to complete the construction of Magna Charter, an error message says something about not being able to read the Wonder Splash icon.

So, I went back to the appropriate text file, added a copy of the Sistine Chapel wonder splash icon for the Magna Charter.

It still contains this error message when I try to complete the construction of Magna Charter.

Please help, anyone. thanks

The problem is in the pediaicons.txt file. Towards the bottom, you'll find some entries for the wonder splash graphics, which include a path to the graphics you want to use. You'll need to add a couple of lines for any new wonders you add.

How you add them is different in 1.29f and before, and PTW. In PTW, you just have to add the name that appears in the Civilopedia Entry box that I've highlighted in the screen shot.

In all other versions, you have to number the new wonder exactly, according to where it appears in the list that's stored in the BIC file. Keep in mind that spaceship parts count as improvements. So if it's the first building you've added, you should number it 74.

BTW, that's Magna "Carta"

[Willem]

Originally posted by smellymummy
(edit, added #3)
not 100% if these are what causes crashes, but when I finally found these things and changed them, my scenario wouldnt crash no more..

1 - dont make a settler require a tech or resource.

No, that didn't cause your problem. I've done both and everything worked fine.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Pythagoras
Whatsup, I tried adding a 'pioneer' unit - a modded settler using your tutorial. (uses a copy of settler graphics) However when I attempted to select the unit to build Civ3 crashed and went to the desktop.

Chances are it can't find the graphics it needs. Check your ini file to make sure all your paths are correct.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Elucidus


Anyone know how to change the base city tiles food output? That would clear a lot of things up.

You can't. As of 1.29f, the base tile automatically produces what a single citizen requires, even if you're on top of a bonus tile.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Elucidus
I believe that is to represent the power of the hoover dam. Those cities gain something from the Hoover Dam. The other cities gain nothing from having a harbor. They can't build ships, so they can build veterans, etc...

No it's just the way that Wonders build improvements. All cities will get one, regardless of what conditions you place on those improvements.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Alcatraz
More questions:
What happens if you flag a wonder to give every city a building, but you don't yet have the tech to build the building?

I'm not sure about the tech but any other conditions don't matter, each city will get a building. I suspect tech doesn't matter either.

What happens if you switch governments while building a gov't req'd wonder?

The city will keep building it. When it's completed however, it will disappear from your city list as if it was never built. Should you switch back to that gov, the wonder will reappear.

What happens if a wonder gives every city a gov't req'd building?

If you're in that particular government, then your cities will get one of the buildings. If you're not, it will disappear from your city list. Again, if you switch back, they will reappear.

Why oh why can't I flag a unit to only operate within it's nations borders?

Sorry, you'll have to ask Firaxis that one.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Alcatraz
Question about terraforming and the AI:
If you check all of the terraform functions, you can then set the AI to use terraform strats. If you then uncheck one or more terraform functions, the Terraform strat box remains checked but greys out. Will the AI then use the strat because it's checked or not use it because it's greyed out?

The unit will just sit there and do nothing. You have to have all the flags checked before the AI will be able to use it.

[Willem]

Originally posted by The_Aussie_Lurker
Hi Korn,
You mention that gov't specific wonders don't work as advertised, but what about government specific small wonders and improvements-do their effects disappear after you change governments?

The_Aussie_Lurker

Only the effects covered by the general improvement flags will disappear, along with the building itself. So culture will be gone, and things like "Increases Tax by 50%" etc. Flags like Reduces Corruption, build Armies Without Leaders etc. will linger into other governments.

[Willem]

Originally posted by WesW

If a gov't enables a building, then the building and its effects disappear correctly when you change out of the gov't.

Correct.

If a gov't enables a wonder, then the wonder's effects disappear but its culture remains when you change out of the gov't.

No, the culture is a function of the building itself and will disappear along with the wonder. However it's effects will still linger. The only exception I've found so far is if the wonder creates a gov specific building.

The problem is when a gov't-specific wonder enables a building. When you change govt's, the effects of the buildings remain?

No the buildings will disappear. Any other effect however will linger. This includes all of the small wonder flags from what I've seen.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Rothy
If you add 25 or more icons in the resources.pcx file, they wont show on the map.

That's only a pre 1.29f problem. It works just fine now.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Gramphos
Very useful thread.

I agree! I wonder why no one thought of this before.

[Willem]

Originally posted by SpencerH


I'm not quite sure what you mean by "all available terraform commands". I've added "build road" to the Roman legions with no problems. Perhaps I had all terraform commands available?

You can build roads manually that way, but you can't automate that unit to build them. And since you can't automate, the AI can't use it. Unless you have all the terraform flags selected the unit will just sit there if it's told to automate.