VisualMunge causes all of my space maps to crash with a fatal error. This is causing a lot of trouble for me since I’m primarily working with space maps. Even a default space map crashes with a fatal.

Over the past few months I’ve been struggling to get my BOC space map to stop crashing. Every time I ran the BF2_modtools.exe, it said that it couldn’t find BOCc_Diet Dr. Pepper.lvl. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to work.

On another space map, I made a few changes and munged. All of a sudden, I was getting fatal error on that map to. I undid all of the changes I had made and munged and it still resulted in a fatal.

Then I completely started over. I made a brand new default land map and munged it without making any changes. The map worked fine in all eras and modes.

I then made a brand new default space map. I went to the data folder and munged a brand new default space map (SDE). I went to data_SDE and munged without making any changes. When I ran BF2_Modtools, it still crashed with a fatal on all eras and modes.

Here is the log

Message Severity: 3
.\Source\LoadUtil.cpp(1019)
Unable to find level chunk in MISSION.lvl


Message Severity: 3
.\Source\LuaHelper.cpp(112)
OpenScript(SDEc_Diet Dr. Pepper): script (788618b2) not found

Message Severity: 5
.\Source\GameState.cpp(1283)
Could not open MISSION\SDEc_Diet Dr. Pepper.lvl

I opened the mission.lvl in the Addon\SDE with a hex-editor. I did find sdec_Diet Dr. Pepper mentioned in there (although I don’t know if the munged script was necessarily correct).

In the data_SDE\_BUILD\Common\Munged\PC folder, I did find the SDEc_Diet Dr. Pepper.lvl file.

I reinstalled modtools to make sure VisualMunge hadn’t been accidentally messed up somehow. I started over and created a new default space map like I did above (except named SDC). I munged again, and still a fatal.

Just for safe measure (to make sure it wasn’t the game), I ran someone else’s space mod map (Space Geonosis from BF1 Convo Pack) and it worked fine.

What’s really baffling is that I am only getting these fatal errors with space maps. I don’t know what could have possibly caused the space maps to have munged the wrong way, especially when nothing was changed.

Can someone help figure this out?

The only thing I can think of is that there are files missing in your space template folder. I'll pm you mine and see if there is any improvement.

Yeah that's my guess too. If nobody's solutions work just re-download the tools.

Well that would explain why its selective towards space maps but that doesn't explain why certain maps started crashing after being munged when their data folders were created way before the whole incident. They should be totally unassociated with the space_template folder

Just eyeballing the space_template folder, I didn't see anything missing.

I already reinstalled modtools and it still didn't work but I'll re-download and reinstall just to make sure.


EDIT:
Ok, I redownloaded the modtools, reinstalled, and created a data_ABC and munged the map, etc. and its still coming out as a fatal


EDIT2:
Update (again)

I created a new data_ABC folder again totally independent from any of the previous ones. This time, I zipped up data_ABC and sent it to Challenger and he munged it. The map came out fine.

So that means that the problem is actually in the munging of the map. If I'm not mistaken, isn't the munge process unassociated with the space_template since data_ABC is already created?

I believe that is correct. My advise would be to get the mod tools, but from a different site than you did previously. I had this problem, or something like it where you just have to go to a different site to get the complete munge tools.

Well I did make sure of that before I redownloaded and reinstalled the modtools.

I checked through the space_template folder you sent me and I didn't see any difference.

In VisualMunge, in the Munge Output, it did say "Munging SDEc_Diet Dr. Pepper.lua" and the corresponding lvl file came up in _BUILD\Common\Munged\PC.

Does anyone know how big the Mission.lvl in the Addon folder should be? I'm wondering if there's a section in the lvl missing at all.

I don't know the answer to your question, but if we can't solve this somehow than I can send you my entire modding tools. It will take some time, but I can do it. Space maps are working when I munge them. Just let me know if you want them. Then I'll send them to you.

No, it would just be the same as reinstalling the modtools. Nothing is missing. VisualMunge is munging all the appropriate files, but somehow, the game isn't reading the script in the mission lvl. I don't know where the mistake is.

This may sound odd but have you updated and or installed any software lately. I remember reading somewhere in the forums about a certain version of something like real player or similar affecting ZE. I can't rmember where I saw it though, dumb memory thing. Because you said it was affecting all your maps even ones that hadn't been touched you just tried to munge and it wouldn't do it. And after a reinstall you had the same results that is why I am thinking it may be something else.

If you uninstalled your mod tools and reinstalled them but it didn't fix your problem, then the problem is not with the files of the mod tools. What is your SWBF2 path and what is your mod tool's path? Make sure VisualMunge has the correct SWBF2 location set.

Both are installed to the default locations

C:\BF2_ModTools

and

C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars Battlefront II

so that's probably not it.

The whole software thing seems to make sense. I know this started happening around last December and since then I've installed a few programs since. I'll try uninstalling them and see what happens.

I would reinstall SWBF2 to a path without spaces in it. Also, don't forget to check where VisualMunge thinks SWBF2 is installed.

[RDH]Zerted wrote:I would reinstall SWBF2 to a path without spaces in it. Also, don't forget to check where VisualMunge thinks SWBF2 is installed.

Don't forget that only munging a space map seems to be the problem (he mentioned it in the first post). I was thinking the same thing about directory structure, but also the munge has presumably worked in the past (he said it stopped working) with the same setup. So like Shadowhawk mentioned, I'd be inclined to believe that it's some recent update to the computer that's the source of the problem.

Mav seems right, but why then does new software affect it?

I can see why Real Player would affect ZE. They both involve intensive graphics (intensive being anything a computer in 1990 couldn't handle).

I uninstalled the only things I've installed since and it didn't change.

Here's something very interesting though. I had challenger create the exact same data_SDE folder on his pc (same name, ID, description, modes, etc). So it was completely independent of any of my maps but it had the same setup.

He munged his own SDE map and sent his mission.lvl (from the addon folder) to me (both of ours were 82.7KB). I replaced my mission.lvl with his mission.lvl.

The space map still crashed.

Bear in mind that this was working just fine on his computer without any problems.

So thats telling me that it may have nothing to do with the munge process at all but maybe a problem with the game reading the LVL.

D'oh! I thought this had crossed my mind at some point but I forgot about it until you mentioned this. The reason you probably didn't crash running the Convo Pack's Space Geonosis is because Space Geonosis is a stock level, I think. It's localized for the game and probably was just disabled on the Instant Action screens like a lot of maps the Convo Pack restores.

I just ran Space Anuygara and it crashed with a fatal too. So this really is related to the game not reading mission lvls in mod space maps properly. So what is causing the game to do this?

I don't know but I bet reinstalling would be a quick solution. It's probably a file that you replaced but forgot about, if I had to guess.

Yep, I did a complete uninstall and complete reinstallation and --

it works!

Thanks for all your support guys!