Bug Reporting

[EmperorFool]

This is really weird. Let's go through the basics:

1. What type of Civ4 installation do you have? Is it the normal game with BTS as a separate expansion? Or are you using CivComplete/Gold? Did you get it from Direct2Drive or Steam or some "other" source (I don't care or need to know where, just want to know what might be different)?
2. Have you patched BTS to at least 3.13? From the main menu, can you click ADVANCED and then ABOUT THIS BUILD and take a screenshot?
3. Did you install BUG as a mod this second time around? And the game works without BUG, right?
4. Are you running Vista or XP?
5. Are you using a foreign language O/S installation?
6. Is there anything non-standard about your system or setup?

 

[CaptainPlatypus]

1. I got it from an "other" source that repackaged things, which may very well be the problem. I'll have my disks mailed back from Virginia (never lend things to someone who's going to move, ever) and try installing from them if you think that'll help.
2. BTS is listed as being version 3.17, so that shouldn't be an issue.
3. I'm running BUG 3.6 as a mod this time around, and it works fine without the mod.
4. Windows XP sp3.
5. American English.
6. Nope, other than a horsehockey graphics card.

 

[EmperorFool]

1. I got it from an "other" source that repackaged things, which may very well be the problem.

Perhaps, but I know many people are using this other "trusted" source. I myself used to use a NoCD version of the EXE so I could keep my CD safe and my drive empty so I know BUG shouldn't care one way or the other.

You may want to patch to 3.19 as it no longer requires the CD at all. That would allow you to use the real EXE and might (hopefully) solve the problem. Backup first, of course.

All the other things look fine. BUG doesn't add any graphics beyond a couple simple buttons, and certainly none to the main menu, so your graphics card shouldn't matter.

When it crashes, is it the standard XP crash dialog box that asks if you want to send an error report to Microsoft?

 

[draco963]

Sorry to interrupt, but I just want to confirm: Does BUG 3.6 work with BtS 3.19?

 

[ruff_hi]

Sorry to interrupt, but I just want to confirm: Does BUG 3.6 work with BtS 3.19?

Yes. There are a very small handful of things that require changes (already done in SVN) but you will not even notice them.

 

[CaptainPlatypus]

When it crashes, is it the standard XP crash dialog box that asks if you want to send an error report to Microsoft?

I'm sorry for not clarifying further, it doesn't actually crash - it hangs indefinitely with the spinning globe (busy) icon on the mouse, the process gets listed as "not responding", and if I kill the process, it hangs a further 20 seconds or so (as soon as I send the kill order, the audio hangs as well, it's fine up to that point), and then vanishes and gives me the error report to Microsoft window.

I have access to a friend's disks in the absence of my own, so I'm going to try reinstalling from them and then patching to 3.19 to see if that makes a difference. Patching to 3.19 on this build did not.

 

[EmperorFool]

Hmm, I wonder if anything in the CustomAssets folder is causing the problem since I can't think of anything in BUG that could cause this. I've caused an infinite loop in BUG's Python during my own work before, and the result is a slow-running game for a few seconds and then Civ4 detects it and stops the loop.

Hopefully using your friends disks will solve the problem.

 

[CaptainPlatypus]

EDIT: It isn't actually freezing any more. Just taking a really, really long time to open up the singleplayer menu, relative to not having the mod loaded. Factor of about ten.

 

[Stormbringer]

I have a problem after playing BTS for a few hours last night. Everything was going excellent, until around 1685 when I finished my turn the game just went on thinking indefinitely with the "waiting for other civs" displayed. Usually turns take abut 5 or 10 seconds so after 5 minutes I loaded an autosave. This time I played until 1690 before that happened. And every time I loaded the save I would play 1, 2 or rarely 3 turns until the same thing happened. Any ideas?

I have BUG installed single-player, and then loaded BAT on top of it as a mod. Could that be a problem?

I am playing 3.19, latest versions of BUG and BAT.

Thanks!

 

[EmperorFool]

BAT 1.2 includes BUG 3.6, so you should probably uninstall BUG. Though if those are the versions you have installed, technically they shouldn't interfere.

@CaptainPlatypus - Perhaps try removing the custom maps installed by BUG in the PublicMaps folder. I can't think of anything else that could cause such a delay, nor do I think those maps would either.

 

[Stormbringer]

That's the two versions. Although I added the change to BUG that was made a couple days ago by you guys. Didn't add it to BAT though... should I? It was something about autosaves, so I don't see how that would have made a difference.

 

[EmperorFool]

That's the two versions. Although I added the change to BUG that was made a couple days ago by you guys. Didn't add it to BAT though... should I? It was something about autosaves, so I don't see how that would have made a difference.

Do you mean you pulled some changed files from SVN and added them to BUG? As long as you pulled everything that changed since 3.6 was released, you should be okay. Pulling only some changes could cause issues. Still, I wouldn't expect a game freeze or CTD no matter what you pulled from BUG.

 

[entwood]

I have a strange error using BAT 1.2 on top of 3.19. Playing as the Khmer, their Axeman have this sort of stiff animation and the heal button is not available to repair their wounds! Strange, but could this be some issue in the graphics stuff within BAT 1.2? It does not seem to be 3.19 related but I have no clue. Just thought to report it in. Have installed and playing BAT 1.2 as a MOD. My installation appears to be ok.

As for BAT 1.2 and it's components
Updated VD to version 5.0
Removed Improved Graphics
Added Improved Graphics Leaderheads
Updated BUG to version 3.6

Can it still be updated for more graphics? VD is up to 6.1?


EDIT: WOW. I just found this in the VD thread. From it's 5.1 release notes

v5.1
- added missing texture for the Sumerian Chariot
- corrected Khmer Axeman animations

It really seems that BAT needs an update. There appears to be several other important corrections made to VD that BAT does not have since VD 5.0. As these graphical errors cause some problems I think I may need to play BUG as a default install and install and select VD 6.1 as a MOD to approach what I want unless BAT can be updated fairly quickly.

 

[EmperorFool]

The problem is that VD updates pretty frequently. We just put out BAT 1.2 a month or two ago, and VD has gone from 5.0 to 6.1! I don't work on BAT, but Alerum has been pretty busy IRL.

I would suggest installing VD as a mod and copying the BUG files into it so you can keep your own merge and update more frequently. Do a BUG 3.6 mod install and then copy everything over into the VD mod folder. They shouldn't have any files in common, so you should be able to safely replace all files which will actually not overwrite anything.

 

[entwood]

The problem is that VD updates pretty frequently. We just put out BAT 1.2 a month or two ago, and VD has gone from 5.0 to 6.1! I don't work on BAT, but Alerum has been pretty busy IRL.

I would suggest installing VD as a mod and copying the BUG files into it so you can keep your own merge and update more frequently. Do a BUG 3.6 mod install and then copy everything over into the VD mod folder. They shouldn't have any files in common, so you should be able to safely replace all files which will actually not overwrite anything.

Thank you for this info. I will try it. One other thing. I uninstalled BAT 1.2 using the uninstaller. I then thought I should clean up the left-over BUG files that do not get uninstalled but I can't find the uninstaller for BUG. Or is everything already there so I can copy the left-over BUG Mod Folder to the VD Mod? (so that I will not need to reinstall BUG).

 

[EmperorFool]

BAT includes BUG, so uninstalling BAT uninstalls BUG. You'll need to install BUG 3.6 using its own EXE. You can copy the BUG Mod folder you see in the My Games BTS folder to the mod folder to keep your settings, or you can delete that folder and change your settings again.

Note that any saved games you have started with BAT will require BAT or a fake BAT mod folder. You cannot move saved games from one mod to another sadly. To get them to work, just create an empty "BAT Mod 1.2" folder in your Mods folder.

 

[entwood]

OK, It is just that the BAT 1.2 uninstaller specifically says that it does not uninstall BUG! and there appears to be left over data. No problem with saved games, just starting some news ones with version 3.19.

There seems to be one shared file between BUG and VD
CIV4ROUTEMODELINFOS.XML in the Assets\Art Folder
when trying to merge. Overwrite Y or N, not sure what to do here.

MISC:
If you install BUG with the Map Scripts Option, how does this affect the Vanilla game?

If you know, does 3.19 need a new Unofficial Patch. If so, is anybody working on that?

Do we need any new BUG updates for 3.19 itself? I read there were a few minor things.

 

[EmperorFool]

OK, It is just that the BAT 1.2 uninstaller specifically says that it does not uninstall BUG!

That either refers to someone who installed both BUG and BAT separately or to the fact that BAT won't uninstall the "BUG Mod" settings folder in case you want to transfer your settings when upgrading.

There seems to be one shared file between BUG and VD
CIV4ROUTEMODELINFOS.XML in the Assets\Art Folder
when trying to merge. Overwrite Y or N, not sure what to do here.

They may be the same file, but either way you choose will work. BUG/BAT include I Love Asphalt which replaces the modern roads with ones that are darker and easier to distinguish from railroads. VD may include the same thing or their own modern roads. It will only result in a graphical difference.

If you install BUG with the Map Scripts Option, how does this affect the Vanilla game?

If you install do the multiplayer install, they will remain separate from it. If you use the single-player install, they will be available to non-BUG games I believe. In either case, they won't overwrite existing maps of the same name.

If you know, does 3.19 need a new Unofficial Patch. If so, is anybody working on that?

There has been one verified serious bug so far for 3.19, and the fix was given to us by Alexman. There are a few other UP-type fixes that will go into a new UP soon enough. jdog5000 has already included them in his Better BTS AI mod, and I will include them in BULL.

Do we need any new BUG updates for 3.19 itself? I read there were a few minor things.

Most of the 3.19 Python changes were already in BUG, but I did make a few changes to BUG as a result of 3.19. They only relate to running a game using the No Espionage option, and not having them won't cause any problems.

 

[entwood]

I've been away a bit...What is BULL?

Thank you for above info; appreciate it. I enjoy BUG a great deal. Always play with it.

 

[EmperorFool]

I've been away a bit...What is BULL?

BULL is the BUG DLL. It is currently only available by pulling from the BULL SVN and merging in the few files and DLL yourself.