Absolutely baffled - game CTDs when get too close to unit

**Epistolary Richard** · 10-13-2006, 18:09

So here it is - I'm doing a little modding - casually, you know like, helping Zulu along. Got a few new models in there, everything's going well. Play around, no problems - lots of launching and relaunching of the game - no problems. Go to bed.

Next day, wake up, load up game, now every time I get too close to one o the new zulu units the game CTDs with the models appearing to lose coherency in the split second before - almost like the 'beam' effect some people get. Absolutely no changes have been made from it working successfully the night before and it crashing now.

Using the mod switch on v1.5 BTW - any thoughts at all as to what this might be where good models turn bad overnight?

**Myrddraal** · 10-13-2006, 18:26

Crazy. If you're sure they worked before, reboot?

**caius britannicus** · 10-13-2006, 23:23

Thats crazy. Sounds like a corrupted highest level model, but that would normally crash on map loading. Could be something with your vid card. Speaking of turning bad over night. I had sprites do the same thing. One day they were all working fine. The next day I load up a custom battle to check unit names (only thing I changed) and now sprites are going invisible. very frustrating to say the least. So I feel your pain.

**Motep** · 10-14-2006, 00:48

Did you make sure all the files saved correctly?

**Epistolary Richard** · 10-14-2006, 01:51

Originally Posted by Motep the great

Did you make sure all the files saved correctly?

I'm guessing that if they weren't saved correctly - they probably wouldn't have worked the first time...

Originally Posted by caius britannicus

Thats crazy. Sounds like a corrupted highest level model, but that would normally crash on map loading. Could be something with your vid card. Speaking of turning bad over night. I had sprites do the same thing. One day they were all working fine. The next day I load up a custom battle to check unit names (only thing I changed) and now sprites are going invisible. very frustrating to say the least. So I feel your pain.

Were you using the mod switch or a direct overwrite?

I've also in the past modded the white highlights around the unit banners, had them work the first time and then when I relaunch the game suddenly the alphas fall off and they're now solid white blocks...

**caius britannicus** · 10-14-2006, 02:12

direct overwrite. With regards to the sprites I even had them in their own folder seperate from the other graphics files.

**Motep** · 10-14-2006, 03:35

quote:
I'm guessing that if they weren't saved correctly - they probably wouldn't have worked the first time...

...now i just feel stupid

**Epistolary Richard** · 10-14-2006, 10:56

Originally Posted by caius britannicus

direct overwrite.

Hmmm... I thought it might have been -mod: switch related.

It appears to only apply to three models - all of which were built off the same original model, most likely, so it's most likely a model problem. There aren't any LODs but it does seem to happen shortly after the switch from sprites to models. I say 'shortly after' 'cos you do see the models for a second or so before the screen freaks out.

**Bwian** · 10-14-2006, 12:22

I'd be inclined to add in a few dummy models for lower detail lods, and see if the CTD occurs when you get up close. This would pretty much pin it down to the model

**wlesmana** · 10-14-2006, 18:43

Does the entire screen filled with weird streaky things?
I have encountered similar problems when I attached too many objects to the bones. Try using the Skin modifier on objects that has a lot of polys, even if it's linked only to one bone. Merging the object to the main body is also a good idea, but makes working the lower LODs slightly harder.

**caius britannicus** · 10-14-2006, 19:17

Originally Posted by wlesmana

Does the entire screen filled with weird streaky things?
I have encountered similar problems when I attached too many objects to the bones. Try using the Skin modifier on objects that has a lot of polys, even if it's linked only to one bone. Merging the object to the main body is also a good idea, but makes working the lower LODs slightly harder.

I've had similar things to that happen. It occured when I had too many skin modifiers as well as too many objects simply linked to bones. It never crashed however, it either did weird things like vertices flying in all sorts of directions or really screwed up shadows. Sometimes it would also fail to load the cas file, but it never scrashed when I zoomed in close.