Tech tree-related crash

[ThichN]

Hello! I am having some trouble with the tech tree in my rules.txt file.

The scenario loads fine. I am able to found a city. I am able to view the techtree just fine in the Civliopedia. But after the first turn, the game closes out -- no message or anything.
I know this is distinct from small typos in the rules.txt. When this happens, there is an error message (you know, "Afl" instead of "AFl," things like that).

This seems distinct, and I wonder if anyone has had this experience or some advice. Does the game read tech loopholes, for example? Because I think I do have one of those, to prevent the U and X techs from being researched (they require each other, so are impossible to research -- is that the way I should be doing that?).

Thanks for any help!

 

[ThichN]

I used @tootall_2012 's great advice in another thread, and copied and pasted base game techs 10 at a time until I found the issue.
The issue is puzzling, though -- the "Monarchy" equivalent advance was causing a crash because of a "nil" prerequisite (the other prerequ was Code of Laws).

Anyway, not a problem -- I can require another prerequ for that, but curious indeed.

 

[JPetroski]

That's puzzling indeed. Are you sure it was actually that, and you didn't accidentally do anything else (like capitalize something in error, for example "Nil"?)

 

[ThichN]

That's puzzling indeed. Are you sure it was actually that, and you didn't accidentally do anything else (like capitalize something in error, for example "Nil"?)

That is a good theory. I wonder, too, if the game reads tech mishaps in terms of planning? Like nonsensical, cyclical research paradigms?

 

[JPetroski]

That is a good theory. I wonder, too, if the game reads tech mishaps in terms of planning? Like nonsensical, cyclical research paradigms?

It does - you need to have an unbroken path to future tech, for example. I'm not 100% certain if it crashes immediately or just when a tribe has nothing to research eventually, but I lazily solve the problem by calling future tech "delays" or some such and giving it nil,nil

 

[Blake00]

Yeah I remember the tech crash issue I fixed on the old Ultima 5 scenario a couple of years back was due to a broken path to future tech. Took me a while to figure out there as it's such an annoying problem. I think I figured it out by switching in a regular un-modified rules file and seeing what research options came up for the Civ that it was crashing on to see what they would normally get next however that may not work with a very heavily modified tree with all the pre-reqs rearranged.
https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/ultima-5-anyone.253145/#post-16196370
.

 

[ThichN]

@Blake00 Thanks for sharing your experience and methods! I did something similar to fix this, by plugging in little by little my tech tree to isolate the issue. I didn’t know about the Future Tech problem! That makes a lot of sense and explains the lack of an error message. Good idea for a fix as well @JPetroski , and I went digging and saw your other idea to make it 0,0 on AI desirability. Will give this all a go. Thanks for the responses all.