The Homeworld Map Makers Appendices v2.1 FINAL

 
Appendix B - Errors

 

TAKER's Exception Errors Demystified (Written by TAKER, aka James Tooman)

[Edited ever so slightly by Dylov]: So you are just making your first map, eh? Well, I just did and there was nothing more frustrating than having it crash out on me with an exception error in module Homeworld.exe. At first I had NO IDEA what was causing it but after days of frustration I noticed a few patterns. The key to figuring out why your map won't load right is often right in front of you!

 I put together this list of common exception error causes and what to check. The way this works is to very closely watch for when EXACTLY the error occurs.

A. If the error occurs BEFORE the load indicator bar even comes on the screen:

1. Your problem is most likely in the level file

2. Check to make sure you have two lines at the beginning of the file that says:

 

; MissionMan script
; Copyright (c) 1998-99, Relic Entertainment Inc.

 

3. Make sure that your Mission Sphere lines are all there, there need to be at least three (one for resource sphere and two for ships)

4. Make sure that there are no remark lines missing their ‘;’ in front of them

5. If you have an alternate background and/or lighting, check that the *.btg and/or *.hsf file are not missing from the folder

B. If the error occurs just after the load indicator bar comes up (one inch on my 19" monitor):

1. Your problem is most likely in one of the Mothership_#.missphere files

2. You may not have enough arguments per line, check yours with one that you know works

3. There may be a missing ‘;’ in front of a remark line

4. You may have accidentally put a return in the middle of one, especially if you used notepad to edit with

5. Check for typos for the shiptype names

C. If the error occurs after the load bar has gone a few inches, but not quite half way:

1. Your problem is likely with the ResourceSphere_#.missphere file (or files if you have more than one)

2. The most common problem is a mismatched distribution file to the resource type you specified e.g. the first argument is "Resource DustCloud" and the distribution file you specified is "Asteroid.dist" [Yup, tell me about this one! This is a good point to take note of.]

3. Again, not enough arguments such as only two co-ordinates or no distribution file specified at all! [Another favourite, be careful of the commas and full stops.]

4. Check for carriage returns splitting lines in half

5. Check for typos in the distribution file names

6. Make sure the distribution file name that you specified is actually IN the folder you are using

7. Make sure the distribution file specified is using the matching resources to the type you said would be there

These should help the novice map builder avoid a LOT of the frustration that I went through. If any of you experts would like to add some others, feel free to and I will update this help file.

 

[Top] [Primer Main] [Appendix B Main] [Tutorial Main]
*Or use the 'Back' Function on your Browser to return to the page you came from.*

 
 

© Dylov 2000. Written by Dylov. Original Page Designs by Dylov & Panther.