FLServer crash at content.dll offset c458f

Cannon

This information might be useful to someone…

I’ve noticed that a crash in content.dll at offset 0xc458f is related to NPC spawning problems. In the last couple of cases I’ve dealt with, it was caused by patrol path problems after a dockable object had its reputation changed. Removing the patrol path made the crash go away.

Note that the code around this offset deals with random NPC spawning so if you have crashes with an offset similar to, but not exactly the same, then the crash is almost certainly NPC related.

Incidentally, I found the last particular crash by using the testbot feature in the playercontrol plugin for flhook 1.6.0. This feature ‘jumps’ a player’s ship to all zones in a system until the server crashes or you get bored and stop it.

FriendlyFire

Interestingly enough, I do believe we’ve had similar problems which also went away by commenting out certain patrol paths.

What I don’t understand is why they suddenly decided to crash when they are vanilla ones…

I think your plugin might be a boon for hunting those down, though ;D

LancerSolurus

**Thanks to FF for pointing out that Cannon had found the problem and a search led me here…

I am having the same issue and it has been in my mod since I started it in 2005. I will see what I can do to add a check for bad patrol paths in FLEC.

Thanks again FF!**

NeXoSE

Same problem here, LS, is your work done?

And i think my problem is strange, i’m not change patrol paths in that system – the Sigma-19 nearly Hawaii.

Can i solve the problem by remove comment from those patorl paths?

Chips

NeXoSE wrote:
Same problem here, LS, is your work done?

And i think my problem is strange, i’m not change patrol paths in that system – the Sigma-19 nearly Hawaii.

Can i solve the problem by remove comment from those patorl paths?

Did you make any changes to that system, or to connecting ones?

NeXoSE

Actually changed. I “rename” Ku* to Ek*

Here is output of fc.exe:
 Bw07.ini and BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
***** Bw07.ini

[EncounterParameters]
nickname = capitalships_Kusari
filename = missions\encounters\capitalships_Kusari.ini

[TexturePanels]
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK

[TexturePanels]
*****

***** Bw07.ini
[Object]
nickname = Bw07_to_Ek04
ids_name = 260874
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
[Object]
nickname = Bw07_to_Ku04
ids_name = 260874
*****

***** Bw07.ini
archetype = jumpgate
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_system_Ek04
jump_effect = jump_effect_bretonia
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
archetype = jumpgate
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_system_Ku04
jump_effect = jump_effect_bretonia
*****

***** Bw07.ini
difficulty_level = 9
goto = Ek04, Ek04_to_Bw07, gate_tunnel_bretonia
loadout = jumpgate_co_02
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
difficulty_level = 9
goto = Ku04, Ku04_to_Bw07, gate_tunnel_bretonia
loadout = jumpgate_co_02
*****

***** Bw07.ini
[zone]
nickname = Zone_Bw07_to_Ek04
pos = -30957, 0, -18238
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
[zone]
nickname = Zone_Bw07_to_Ku04
pos = -30957, 0, -18238
*****

***** Bw07.ini
archetype = sun_1000
star = Ek03_sun2
atmosphere_range = 8000
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
archetype = sun_1000
star = ku03_sun2
atmosphere_range = 8000
*****

***** Bw07.ini
[zone]
nickname = Zone_Bw07_to_Ek04_hole
pos = -25703, 0, -1190
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
[zone]
nickname = Zone_Bw07_to_Ku04_hole
pos = -25703, 0, -1190
*****

***** Bw07.ini
[Object]
nickname = Bw07_to_Ek04_hole
ids_name = 260875
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
[Object]
nickname = Bw07_to_Ku04_hole
ids_name = 260875
*****

***** Bw07.ini
archetype = jumphole_light
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_system_Ek04
ids_info = 66146
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
archetype = jumphole_light
msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_system_Ku04
ids_info = 66146
*****

***** Bw07.ini
visit = 0
goto = Ek04, Ek04_to_Bw07_hole, gate_tunnel_bretonia

***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
visit = 0
goto = Ku04, Ku04_to_Bw07_hole, gate_tunnel_bretonia

*****

***** Bw07.ini
density = 6
repop_time = 25
max_battle_size = 12
pop_type = Background
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
density = 3
repop_time = 25
max_battle_size = 4
pop_type = Background
*****

***** Bw07.ini
population_additive = false
faction_weight = fc_ou_grp, 4
faction_weight = gd_gm_grp, 4
faction_weight = ku_n_grp, 4
encounter = area_scout, 9, 0.40000
faction = fc_ou_grp, 1.000000
***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
population_additive = false
faction_weight = fc_ou_grp, 10
faction_weight = gd_gm_grp, 4
encounter = area_scout, 9, 0.480000
faction = fc_ou_grp, 1.000000
*****

***** Bw07.ini
faction = gd_gm_grp, 1.000000
encounter = capitalships_Kusari, 19, 0.50000
faction = ku_n_grp, 1.000000

***** BW07.INI.FLMMBAK
faction = gd_gm_grp, 1.000000

*****

I remove all comment from that system, but not lucky.

? Offline

I have this patch
http://the-starport.net/freelancer/forum/viewtopic.php?post_id=35415#forumpost35415

And in initialword all “max” negative values are switched to -0.59
(if -0.6 = crash)

Works fine for me.

NeXoSE

Thanks HeIIoween, Just done the patch for my mod and now for testing.

But…. why need change initialword? What happen if i’m not change -0.6 to -0.59?

FriendlyFire

Isn’t -0.6 the default “enemy” threshold?

NeXoSE

FriendlyFire wrote:
Isn’t -0.6 the default “enemy” threshold?

Yes, i don’t want a friendly universe… So i want to know if it must be change or not?

? Offline

Yeah, i have Nomads versus All at Dod.
My business - to offer, and then watch yourself, can come across the idea

NeXoSE

HeIIoween wrote:
Yeah, i have Nomads versus All at Dod.
My business - to offer, and then watch yourself, can come across the idea

DOD have problem lol

And i want to know if i’m not going to change -0.6 to -0.59, will my game crash? If that true i will going to change it, if not i will keep my faction project in FactionEditor LOL

UPDATE:
The crash looks go away, i already marked this problem as “DEPENDING”, Thank you! And still want to clear about the initialworld.ini….

Chips

So patrol path to a dockable object, had it’s reputation changed, do you mean the rep between the base’s faction and the patrol path’s faction? Or just the players rep to those factions?

Slightly confused, reputation for a patrol path to a base must be positive, can’t have unfriendly listed or patrolling under certain types or something? (grasping straws, not sure I understand what was done).

NeXoSE

Chips wrote:
So patrol path to a dockable object, had it’s reputation changed, do you mean the rep between the base’s faction and the patrol path’s faction? Or just the players rep to those factions?

Slightly confused, reputation for a patrol path to a base must be positive, can’t have unfriendly listed or patrolling under certain types or something? (grasping straws, not sure I understand what was done).

Reputation is not change, i just change nicknames for rename system. The problem must in other place.

? Offline

Are

star = Ek03_sun2

and

msg_id_prefix = gcs_refer_system_Ek04

really present?

NeXoSE

Hi HeIIoween.

Star is right, but voice id is not. If i made any mistake on that, FLScan will tell me and i will fix it immediately

adoxa

Here’s a plugin I made for the Void server. Never heard back again (I think RL got in the way), so forgot about it. Also forgot about this post, as we thought it was related to mobile bases, as it seems to be due to vanishing dock points. Anyway, restore any previous patches relating to this and install this plugin via [Initial MP DLLs] in Freelancer.ini. Here’s what I wrote then:

If it sees a bad address, it just returns 0 and logs it to Content-0C458F-bad.txt. The log includes the bad base address, the index used to offset it and the count used to choose the index. It also includes the path and docks (get the new CreateID/CRCTool to decode the paths).

Considering this post again, I don’t think there’s any real fix, so just a version that catches the exception (without any logging) is probably the way to go (the simple edit wasn’t enough for Void).

NeXoSE

adoxa wrote:
Considering this post again, I don’t think there’s any real fix, so just a version that catches the exception (without any logging) is probably the way to go (the simple edit wasn’t enough for Void).

Hi adoxa, im patched your offset hack and the crash seems really go away, at least for 7 hours test no crash, but if without the offset hack i will get crash per about 10 mins (randomly, when NPC showup) in same location.

But whatever => i want to say “anyway”, i will install this plugin when i got the error again. Thank you.

NeXoSE

NeXoSE wrote:
Hi adoxa, im patched your offset hack and the crash seems really go away, at least for 7 hours test no crash, but if without the offset hack i will get crash per about 10 mins (randomly, when NPC showup) in same location.

But whatever, i will install this plugin when i got the error again. Thank you.

adoxa, Your plugin get something for me. Here is the log:

2010-11-28 14:22:24.277: addr = 00000000, index = 0, count = 0
path = 3220634881 Unknown
dock = 2884229450 Bw07_01
dock = 2502019211 Bw07_to_Ek04_hole
dock = 3200522444 Bw07_gas_miner_16

I do CRC search via CRCTOOL, but still cannot found those objects in my Mod or SDK.

LancerSolurus

BW07_01 (BW07.ini) exists but Ek04 does not. The closest one to that is Ew04…