Troubleshooting and F.A.Q.

Xyth

History Rewritten
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
Messages
4,106
Location
Aotearoa
Reporting Problems

  • Check the Known Issues (below) and Troubleshooting (next post) sections of this thread, in case your issue is already described.
  • Ensure you have the logging system enabled. In your CivilizationIV.ini file, these entries need to be set as shown:
Code:
; Set to 1 for no python exception popups
HidePythonExceptions = 0

; Create a dump file if the application crashes
GenerateCrashDumps = 1

; Enable the logging system
LoggingEnabled = 1
  • If you are playing in Multiplayer you also need these entries to be set as shown:
Code:
; Enable synchronization logging
SynchLog = 1

; Overwrite old network and message logs
OverwriteLogs = 1

; Enable rand event logging
RandLog = 1

; Enable message logging
MessageLog = 1
  • If you are on Windows, BTS must be run as administrator or some logs won't generate and some settings won't be saved.
  • If you experience a crash, please describe what happened and post the crash report. On Mac, if you miss a crash report message, check for a copy in the Console application.
  • If you experience an in-game error message, zip your Logs folder and attach it to a post describing how the problem occurred. I also need to know the following information:
  1. macOS or Windows
  2. Steam or Non-Steam
  3. Mapsize
  4. Difficulty Level
  • If you experience an Out of Sync (OOS) error in multiplayer, I'll need the Logs folder from at least 2 players, preferably all.
  • Many issues I can solve just from these logs/reports, but sometimes I need a saved game. Keep a recent autosave handy in case I do.
  • Thanks for taking the time to report a problem with History Rewritten. I hope I can fix it for you!
Known Issues
  • Info Screen has a few issues, needs to be overhauled
  • Build queue options tooltips show Prophet GPP instead of Faith
  • Alerts about peace treaties are sometimes inaccurate
  • Tribal Islands display as suggested moves for land units (not fixable)
 
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Troubleshooting


Beyond the Sword won't launch on Mac

The download is a single file with the extension .7z but it won't open or run

I use 7zip compression as it makes the download considerably smaller than standard Zip compression. OS X cannot unarchive 7zip by itself, it requires a third party utility. I highly recommend "The Unarchiver" which is available for free in the App Store, or here. For Windows you should be able to find what you need here.​



The mod loads and the main menu appears but it has has no text

You've launched it in a language other than English. This was originally my own personal mod and thus I didn't keep any of the other language tags when putting it together. Furthermore, there are a lot of English texts still missing or incomplete texts which need to be completed first. I humbly apologize but I simply do not have the time or knowledge to add support for other languages.​



- History Rewritten isn't listed when 'Load a Mod' is selected
- GFC Error: failed to initialize the primary control theme
- There are numerous XML error messages on launch
- It says 'History Rewritten' in the corner of the title screen, but game is standard BTS
- The mod loads but when a game is launched the interface is missing



These issues are all caused by one of the following 5 situations:

1) You've installed the mod in the wrong location. The vast majority of people who report launch problems to me have done this, so please check the correct installation locations very thoroughly. History Rewritten will not work properly from any location in Documents or MyDocuments.

2) The mod's folder has been renamed. The mod's folder should be named "History Rewritten" with no version number. Some unarchiving applications seem to change the folder name to match the .zip, you'll need to check this.

3) You or your unarchiving software has 'double-nested' the mod folder. Check that there is not a History Rewritten folder inside another History Rewritten folder.

4) You have another copy of History Rewritten installed somewhere that's interfering. Be sure to check in both Mods folders and in Custom Assets.

5) Incorrect installation has overwritten the History Rewritten.ini file. Use the correct one from the download.​



None of the above helped, the mod is still not working

The key thing is that History Rewritten is installed in the correct place relative to BTS application itself. Wherever this is, there should be a folder called Mods in the exact same location. That Mods folder is the place where History Rewritten needs to be and there can't be any extra folders in between. For clarity:

<identical path>/Civilization IV Beyond the Sword.app
<identical path>/Mods/History Rewritten/History Rewritten.ini

Or, if on Windows:

<identical path>\Civilization IV Beyond the Sword.exe
<identical path>\Mods\History Rewritten\History Rewritten.ini



After playing for some time there was a Memory Allocation Failure (MAF)

Civ4 is a 32bit program and thus can only access 2GB of memory. If it tries to allocate more than this then a MAF occurs. Civ4 is not written in a particularly memory efficient way and any large mod with lots of graphics will likely cause an MAF after a period of time. This is amplified on larger maps and they will be more frequent in the late game. With every version of History Rewritten I strive to reduce the memory load of the mod to reduce the occurrence of these as much as I can, though I can never eliminate them completely. There are a couple of things you can try though:

  • If you are on Windows, you can try this tool which can apparently double the memory limit of 32bit programs like BTS (to 4GB). There is no equivalent tool for OS X that I know of.
  • You can unpack the .fpk files of the mod using Macapaka (OS X) or PakBuild (Windows) to reduce memory usage further. Unpacking HR_Units.fpk will make the biggest difference, then HR_Structures.fpk. Don't unpack HR_Terrain.fpk. Note that unpacking these files will significantly increase the time it takes for the mod to load.
Otherwise save regularly and if you get a MAF, quit BTS completely, relaunch and reload. Unless your game is on a sizeable map with many hundreds of units active you shouldn't get one again for some time. If you're getting them non-stop you'll have to abandon your game and start a new one with a smaller mapsize.​



Game is "Waiting for Other Civilizations" permanently, control is never passed back to the player

There is a nasty bug that can cause a unit to get stuck in an endless cycle of joining/leaving a unit group. This can happen to any type of unit but it seems to be more common with Naval units, especially those with hidden nationality, or those with cargo passing through other units with cargo. This bug is present in unmodded BTS. I've implemented a method to force a stuck AI player to stop moving its units: Press 'Ctrl-C' to trigger this (can be 'CMD-C' on OS X, depending on your settings). Alternatively you can enter the WorldBuilder and use the 'Units+Cities' panel to try find the problematic unit.

EDIT: Since 1.24 this bug might be fixed if playing on Windows. It cannot be fixed on Mac.​



Units sometimes change art when selected/fortifying/etc

Make sure you do not have 'Frozen Animations' switched on as this graphics option is not compatible with mods that use custom unit art.​
 
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F.A.Q.


How hard will this be on my system?

History Rewritten contains a lot of art and thus will be more memory and graphics intensive than standard BTS. However I have optimized and scaled a lot of the art with efficiency in mind so it should be not be as intensive as many other available mods. But if your system is struggling to cope try a smaller mapsize with fewer civs.​


Why are there no custom unit graphics for vehicles, motorized ships and aircraft?

I'm working on it. Slowly. Will be minimal though, as custom unit art uses a fair bit of memory, and that can be scarce in the late game.​


Why are so many Civilopedia entries unwritten?

Well, I love history and I'm a perfectionist. I can't bear to just copy and paste from Wikipedia without significant editing and expanding (see Nubia as an example of one that I have written). I could easily spend all my time writing history entries and never get any modding or playing done. I do plan to go back and add all the missing texts in eventually but for the time being I'm focused on balancing and improving the mechanics and features of the mod.​


Where did all the real world maps go?

All but the Earth map were removed in 1.24 as they didn't support all the new content and mechanics. Some (but not all) will return as soon as I've had a chance to get them updated.​


Can I use a different map or mapscript from those included?

No, mapscripts and maps need a lot of modification to support the new content and mechanics.​


Can you add a particular scenario?

I do not have the time to devote to making scenarios, I'd rather focus on improving the entire mod.​


Can I play with more than 18 civilizations?

Windows – Yes! You can now have all of History Rewritten's civilizations in the same game if you want. Remember though, that the more civilizations there are in a game, the more likely you are to get MAFs.

Mac – No, it's impossible.​
 
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I am having some issue with the mod. In Earth map around 200-300 turn when I am ending my turn I am not getting my turn back. Please help
 
I am having some issue with the mod. In Earth map around 200-300 turn when I am ending my turn I am not getting my turn back. Please help

If you could post your saved game I'll take a look at it.
 
I have attached the save game on the same turn I am facing the problem. Please suggest.
 

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I have attached the save game on the same turn I am facing the problem. Please suggest.

I'm unable to reproduce this, but that may be due to some differences in our versions of 1.17 (I've dismantled my original 1.17 test setup and possibly haven't set it up again correctly). I'll can keep trying though if its an important game to you.

Otherwise, 1.18 is out now with many fixes and additions. Give that a try, though it won't be compatible with your saved game I'm afraid.
 
I'm unable to reproduce this, but that may be due to some differences in our versions of 1.17 (I've dismantled my original 1.17 test setup and possibly haven't set it up again correctly). I'll can keep trying though if its an important game to you.

Otherwise, 1.18 is out now with many fixes and additions. Give that a try, though it won't be compatible with your saved game I'm afraid.

I am facing the same problem on 1.18 too. Any idea? :confused:
My system has 2.93GHz Core2 Duo, 2 GB RAM,NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT
 

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I am facing the same problem on 1.18 too. Any idea? :confused:
My system has 2.93GHz Core2 Duo, 2 GB RAM,NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT

I was able to reproduce the problem, but something strange is going on here. When I loaded your saved game all the civilisations had mixed up colours and leaders - a sign that something on your system is significantly different to mine. Since it's happened with both 1.17 and 1.18 it implies its something outside of the mod.

Are you fully updated to BTS 3.19? Do you have anything installed in Custom Assets that could be interfering. Have you made any changes to the default setup of BTS?
 
Domestic advisor is absent both in versions 1.16 and 1.18.
I press F1 or click the symbol on the screen with no success
(Windows XP)
 
Domestic advisor is absent both in versions 1.16 and 1.18.
I press F1 or click the symbol on the screen with no success
(Windows XP)

Hmm definitely not the case for me, and no-one else has reported that before. Could you please enable logging (in CivilizationIV.ini), load HR, click the Domestic Advisor button and see if any error messages pop up. If so, post the contents of PythonErr.log.
 
Hmm definitely not the case for me, and no-one else has reported that before. Could you please enable logging (in CivilizationIV.ini), load HR, click the Domestic Advisor button and see if any error messages pop up. If so, post the contents of PythonErr.log.

Unfortunately nothing appears in the log nor pops up. I thought somebody else has a similar problem. If not, it may be some individual trick of my system or even my comp. But nothing of the kind happens in other mods. Anyway thank you for reply.
 
Has anyone reported a bug where on multiplayer, as each person logs in it reports they have a different version of the game? This is not the case because they are all copies of each other. You click yes or OK and the game seems to play fine.

Not sure where this error is popping up or why?
 
Has anyone reported a bug where on multiplayer, as each person logs in it reports they have a different version of the game? This is not the case because they are all copies of each other. You click yes or OK and the game seems to play fine.

Not sure where this error is popping up or why?

I've not had any reports of this, however there are some incompatibilities when doing cross-plaform multiplayer, caused by modular loading. I'm completely demodularizing HR for 1.19 to solve these. Your issue could perhaps be related.
 
I love the Mod, but now I seem to get craches about every 15 mins. I don't know how to find any of the logs, but I've already tried unpacking all the art to reduce MAFs. I have a new Mac Mini Core i7. Attached is the current saved game.

Just went back and reloaded this game and noticed that the Spy I had in Neapolis before the last crash is gone. I think that city was in the field of view during the last crash. Come to think of it I seem to be missing a lot of Spys that I had running around earlier.

Hope this helps. Thanks!
 

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  • Mbemba AD-0660.CivBeyondSwordSave
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I love the Mod, but now I seem to get craches about every 15 mins. I don't know how to find any of the logs, but I've already tried unpacking all the art to reduce MAFs. I have a new Mac Mini Core i7. Attached is the current saved game.

Just went back and reloaded this game and noticed that the Spy I had in Neapolis before the last crash is gone. I think that city was in the field of view during the last crash. Come to think of it I seem to be missing a lot of Spys that I had running around earlier.

Hope this helps. Thanks!

I'll investigate this as soon as I can. In the meantime, it would help immensely if you could post the logs for these crashes as they give information specific to your system, in case I can't replicate them. You can find them in using the Console app in the Utilities folder. Look in the 'User Diagnostic Reports' section.
 
I'll investigate this as soon as I can. In the meantime, it would help immensely if you could post the logs for these crashes as they give information specific to your system, in case I can't replicate them. You can find them in using the Console app in the Utilities folder. Look in the 'User Diagnostic Reports' section.

Really appreciate this. I've tried to attach two crash logs.
 

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I'm unable to replicate the crash, both saved games work fine for me till well into the 1000s when I stopped testing. And indeed the crash logs indicate the problem is instead related to the graphical capabilities of your system (com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHD4000GraphicsGLDriver and CGen6PixelShaderKernelProgram specifically). The Intel HD4000 is an integrated rather than dedicated graphics chipset, so it's not as ideal for 3D gaming and uses system memory rather than having it's own VRAM.

The only thing I can suggest is lowering BTS' various graphic settings and see if any reduce or eliminate the crashes.
 
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