Freelancer Path Generator

Found it!

It was my Borg system having 13 jumpholes! FLServer.exe crashed on startup with the path files deleted.

I removed 3 of the jumpholes, it regenerated the path files and started OK.

I put one back to make it 11, deleted the path files and it crashed on startup again.

Removed that hole again and it regenerated and started.

Luckily I only have the one system with more than 10 holes and it’s easy to fix.

I have run your utility Chips, the first run told me there were 2 errors for ST03b being encrypted and 60 errors for paths too long, and it didn’t write them - I ran it again and selected “Keep long paths” and had the same errors - I attach all the files in the zip here, including the original ones I made with the beta version, the two runs, and the FLServer auto-generated ones, and the errors list.

No energy to look inside them right now, I’m knackered, going to bed!

Please let me know what you find.

In any case I like your utility and will continue to use it, many thanks for it pal. 8-) :pint:

I use ye proggy Chips… alot more over the past few days…
I have a Q…

Im had a ton of “to long” errors… so i went back and deleted ALOT of jumpholes and gates … ensuring no more than 10 all up and limited paths… ( i had a few “nexus” type systems… that are now self contained) …

But now the error count has doubled? would setting a Gate to a hole… somewhere in the middle of the “run” fix that… or not make much diff at all?..

& whats the benefit of keeping/not keeping long paths … obviously the shorter ones are better… but don’t contain all the jumps… im getting the same CTD’s both ways…

& a touch off topic… but kind of in the same realm… Transport encounters… tradelane paths with large transports… ect…

is this a known cause for problems with mods?.. im starting to think i’d be better off wipeing every trade zone/path and starting agian… has anyone else been at “this point” with vannila factions, paths… 'n all that… thoughts?.. I’d rather not kill “all” NPC trading… thats kinda dull… nothing to loot lol

I don’t think there’s any problem with having long paths in the path files - the problem is due to enumerating the connections within a system. The patch mentioned in another thread will stop that crash occurring, at the expense of ignoring gates/holes after the tenth. I haven’t looked into what effect having a long path without the enumerator seeing it does, or even if the enumerator needs to see it. So apply the patch, restore all the additional jump objects and re-experiment…

I agree with adoxa. Use the enumerator hack and run with the path files that FL generates for you.

Yes the long paths are not a problem as far as I can see they haven’t been causing my crashes, it’s just having more than 10 jumpgates / jumpholes in a system that causes the random crashes.

I have proved that for myself, because I had to fix my systems to reduce the jumps to 10 to be able to not have crashes (FL Server crashed when docking, much more heavily at one base than any other base in the same system). So be sure you have maximum of 10, if you use the patch and it works for you with absolutely no crashes then great!

But in my case I want to have a very stable mod, so I’m going to comply with as many “requirements of FL” as I can.

Thanks everyone.

Copy that, I just don’t understand why you don’t want to have your cake and eat it too tho…

The enumerator fix allows you to have more than 10 jumpgates per system totally bypassing this limitation to FL. ATM we have 11 jumpholes in NY on the SW:WT mod and have yet to see an issue since we done the enumerator fix.

No being difficult here… I’m just saying that you could keep the jumpgates if you’re willing to do the enumerator fix.

Oh yep, absolutely!

It’s just my own choice for my mod - feel the POWER! Haaaaarrrrrrr!!! - to be compliant for stability.

Heheheheh.

Well… after some jumpgate to jumphole tweaking… then running the Generator agian… im all clean… no more over 10 “legal” paths… & 0 errors when outputing…

It took hours to plan what to change and where… but it is a nice feeling knowing that paths are not the problem far be it…
at the expense of a few “easy” paths & quick jumps to far places…

Im still CTD’n when they take them Transport trains through the cali gate in magellan though… obviously nothing to do with paths…

@ Chips 8-) nice proggy… I don’t trust FLE’s generator, this has come in handy!

@ Forsaken… I’ll send ye my server.dll m8, changing the batt/bot limit was easy… but this edits a long one…

Chips wrote:
Yes, sorry, been a bit slow about informing.
I got carried away making auto-updaters and all sorts. They’re not needed, and have been removed - I just got carried away creating them is all :

http://freelancer.artificiallyintelli … ads/FL_Path_Generator.zip

Any feedback welcome. There hasn’t been extensive testing on this - mainly due to time of year and, as said, getting carried away with silly ideas

StarTrader wrote:
Checked just now, works OK for me. (Amazing!) lol

It still doesn’t work for me at all, just clicked it again and it stays on that spot???

@ HunterKiller:- it’s because the link you tried is truncated, the original one in Chips’ post still works, but here it is again for you anyway, I just tested it again…

http://freelancer.artificiallyintelligent.co.uk/downloads/FL_Path_Generator.zip

@Xarian…
Just a thought… I changed my trains and armoured transport to use the .cmp files some time ago because they seemed complete, but I got crashes whenever trains appeared and I was by a jumpgate. Changing them all back to use the .3db files fixed it. Anyone know why please? Check the trains out in plain FL shiparch.ini to see what I mean.

@ Chips: Did you spot anything odd between the files I sent?

The path length is not a problem, is it? So all paths can be included in the utility, maybe just tell the user that they do exist?

But more than 10 jumps in a single system is a killer unless they use adoxa’s patch, so definitely an alert is a great help.

@ ST… hehe… I’ve done the exact same thing… so back to .3db

I too am curious as to why they would crash… there is no “obvious” sign as to why… probably something deep in the .cmp… dam… could even be the sur… either way… thankx for the insight… thats the kinda help i need ATM… what’s worked for others… what just plain dont work… ect… . should really be a list of these things… something for the wiki methinks.

We will try this tool too, I had to use one from FLScan before and it has drawbacks (most importantly, cannot create shortest_legal_path correctly).

Is there a limit for systems and paths that it can process?

Just out of curiosity, I was under the impression that FL could generate the path files all by itself? What exactly would be the advantage/additional features that your software gives, Chips?

yes - FL can
question is if these paths are correct
chips started to create this tool long before we knew that FL is able to do that and he did a good job

I know that. I was just surprised to see a release of this tool now that the knowledge of FL being able to regenerate paths by itself being relatively widespread. I felt like it obsoleted the program, regardless of how purposeful it has been.

Well Chips, I believe it was at my request that you started this project, and so I reserve the right to say:-

• We had nothing else to go on at the time except manual editing.

• I was pulling my hair out.

• I will continue to use it in preference to the auto-rebuild.

• I think you’ve done a fab job of it.

• I respect you for keeping the urge to complete it.

• I admire you for finding the nooks and crannies and digging them into the light!

  And my full apprecation and thanks.

  Now - how do you feel about taking on my other request for a utility to dig out and check the material hashes in .mat files and compare them to what the .cmp file wants to find, looking for missing materials and duplicate material names so that we reduce problems of several ships using the same name accidentally?

  That would be a great one too.