Issues with making *1st map* - following tutorial

[Techromancer]

Hi everyone,

Ok, I am following the tutorial once again to make a new, basic LC map - just to get reaquainted with the process.

FYI Win 7 64 bit, patch and mods installed and currently deactivated since I finished User Error *(which was awesome)*

path - computer/Local Disk (C) / Program Files (x86) / Buena Vista Interactive / Tron 2.0 / Game / WORLDS
***

Saved as a .tbw - even though in the save window I also see it as a .ltc

The new world I made compiles and packs. Now, on the next step to go to windows file folder and highlight my map file name (I named it "ch_test1-4-18-12" - but have tried other names - same result) - I do NOT see the file to copy and place elsewhere. Also if I use windows to search for the same file it will appear, but says it is missing a shortcut and cannot be found, hence - moved.

I have a couple of times run the world through dedit and it worked and sometimes it causes a mfc error-crash.

I left everything to default settings when setting up dedit, if anyone would like to see file paths or some thing I missed, I would appreciate the help. Sorry - it has been quite a long time and new Os/system may play a role.

please advise - ...

Be well

[HangmanEXE]

Greetings Program

Well on testing your map one thing I can advise from learning the hard way.... [never test a custom map in DEDIT]!

There are two MAJOR reasons for saying this.
------------------------------------------------------
1. Eventually that launch button will stop functioning.
--usally after your VERY used to testing this way.

2. When testing in DEDIT, certain things like glows and lighting will display ALOT differently than they do in the actual games engine.
--and the second one is a major issue!! TRUST ME! I learned this lesson the hard way while working on my SARK HD Movie Carrier Project.
You will spend alot of time getting glows an lighting set to look good and just right in DEDIT, then finally test it in the actual game engine an it look "almost" TOTALLY different due to the different way they process the light settings.
Usually due to variations in the light intensity, color, hues, etc... being just "off" a little bit.
It can be very disheartening, so avoid my mistake if possible so you don't find yourself getting frustrated an end up just giving up.


As for locating your file
------------------------------------------------------
Check your setting in DEDIT first to see where on your PC that your saves are being saved.
Basically double check to confirm they are where you think they are going, which is a more common mistake that you might believe.

Also, -just in case- open up your virus vault an look for your files name an make sure that the program that your using might not be "mistakenly" flagging them as a potential virus due to the extension format and be moving them to the virus vault... an check recent cleaned files as well, just in case.
--This is what happened to me the first time I used DEDIT. It may just be that your PC might be cleaning them.
As I still have issues with WINREZ an my Antivirus not getting along at all, and I have to disable my antivirus when working on my files.... an that goes the same for any .rez file.

So that it might not hurt to check these options. If it is neither of these, then if nothing else the guys here will have more information as how to help you out some. So list your antivirus and antimalware program as we have flagged a few here in the past that dont get along with some of the programs required for editing.

I hope this helps you out some.

An I am glad to see some new faces around here.


End of Line

[TronFAQ]

About the tutorial videos. Don't forget, I did those 7 years ago. Long before Vista and 7 came out. It's why you can see me still using XP.

Since I released the last version of the tools, I've realized that if you have UAC turned on in Vista/7 it causes trouble sometimes with some of the programs. DEdit is an example.

The easiest way to potentially solve the difficulties is: Right click the DEdit icon > Click Properties > Click the Compatibility tab > Put a checkmark in the "Run this program as an administrator" box > Click OK. Now the next time you save your map files, they should be where you expect them to be.

I'll update the next version of the tools to set the programs to run with admin privileges by default, in case UAC is on.


It's also possible that what Hangman mentioned, is happening. Sometimes anti-virus or firewall programs are a bit too paranoid and quarantine files they think are even the slightest bit suspicious.

[deeahchur]

Or when searching for the file, just click on the "Compatability" view. Voila, they appear as a separate list as though they were in a different folder.

SO FREAKING ANNOYING!

[Techromancer]

Greetings Program

Well on testing your map one thing I can advise from learning the hard way.... [never test a custom map in DEDIT]!

As for locating your file
------------------------------------------------------
Check your setting in DEDIT first to see where on your PC that your saves are being saved.

Also, -just in case- open up your virus vault an look for your files name an make sure that the program that your using might not be "mistakenly" flagging them as a potential virus due to the extension format and be moving them to the virus vault... an check recent cleaned files as well, just in case.

Hey Hangman,

Thanks for the advice. I did as you said and it all looks to be in the clear, but I will double check just to be sure.

[Techromancer]

The easiest way to potentially solve the difficulties is: Right click the DEdit icon > Click Properties > Click the Compatibility tab > Put a checkmark in the "Run this program as an administrator" box > Click OK. Now the next time you save your map files, they should be where you expect them to be.

Thanks Tronfaq,

I could have sworn I was running it that way based on what we were directed to do, but maybe I am thinking of the KA or UE install. I will try this now, thanks for your help.

[Techromancer]

Or when searching for the file, just click on the "Compatability" view. Voila, they appear as a separate list as though they were in a different folder.

SO FREAKING ANNOYING!

I agree - yes. Thanks!

[Techromancer]

One thing I do see in the Programs arguments is on the last line it also has " +errorlog 1 +alwaysflushlog 1 " - I did not see this in the tutorial. Should it be removed?

[TronFAQ]

No, leave it. Again, since those tutorial videos were made, I've discovered more things and decided to implement those settings by default in the tools for everyone's benefit. (In fact, since the last release of the tools I've even discovered a couple more things.)

Those extra settings create a log in your Tools folder every time you compile your map. Which you can check for errors that crop up during the compile.

[Techromancer]

Hello,

Well - getting ever so much closer - almost there.

It was probably the compatability mode that worked. I can see and move the file once it is complete.

The good, the bad & the ugly......

I can select it on multiplayer hosting and when I try to launch and test it out....

" Client MFC has stopped working.." - " windows is searching for a solution as to why it is a hairy pain in the ass sometimes...... Debug? ( I have virtual studio - but have never used it) or close program.. Needless to say i have not toyed with debugging, especially at this juncture.

Once again - I really appreciate the help and advice very, very much.

Be well,

[TronFAQ]

What type of map are you making? Disc Arena maps are the most difficult to create, and the easiest to make a mistake where it can actually cause the game to crash. But certain mistakes in any type of map can cause the same thing.

Also, did you change your hosting settings to "Dedicated Server - No"? You want to host a map in-game. If "Dedicated Server" is set to "Yes" the game will quit and load the ded server, which is useless for testing purposes. Sometimes the game or ded server will crash during this process.

I don't know why, but at least 50% of the time a crash will happen when the game quits and tries to launch the ded server. Always been that way, since day one. But if you launch the ded server by itself, it's fine.

[Techromancer]

i will reply in serial to make things orderly -

What type of map are you making?

Oh! Sorry - Lightcycle to start...

Disc Arena maps are the most difficult to create, and the easiest to make a mistake where it can actually cause the game to crash. But certain mistakes in any type of map can cause the same thing.

Understood - thank you.

Also, did you change your hosting settings to "Dedicated Server - No"? You want to host a map in-game. If "Dedicated Server" is set to "Yes" the game will quit and load the ded server, which is useless for testing purposes. Sometimes the game or ded server will crash during this process.

Ok- good info, but no I did not have ded. server set

I don't know why, but at least 50% of the time a crash will happen when the game quits and tries to launch the ded server. Always been that way, since day one. But if you launch the ded server by itself, it's fine.

I can certainly try it - it would not hurt I don't think - just to see. In any event I am happy that I am closer to actually being able to try it out than I was days ago. it sucks because years back I had less trouble and more success with this whole process, but things have changed. Do you need (at your convenience) any information from me that might help us solve this and get it working so we, or some of us can test it out? Any diagnostic or something I can provide that may give anyone clues? Granted, I love Tron and was working on maps years ago, but now I am actually working on a degree in this industry and learning - so it is even more important to me. I would be more than willing to make some stuff we can all use and I am certainly capable and creative enough, but I want to see it work first and not get ahead of myself.

I could have made quite a disc or death map by now, but I will wait until things are working the way they should.



Incidentally, guess what? I just found out today that my teacher in my current class for game art & design that I just started did a full evaluation of Lithtech for a developer once and also is familiar with Tron and the level tool as well. His name is Tom Meigs, is that familiar to you or your team by any chance? Just a shot in the dark... Maybe he mat be interested in hearing about our little "cult" here... - it's worth mentioning.

small world huh? - nah - Tron was NEVER small - I don't care who you are.

[TronFAQ]

Don't worry about the dedicated server, it's useless if you want to test a map yourself. Only comes in handy if you want others to test your map.

As for why the map is crashing: I honestly won't even try to guess. If it's a mistake in the map, it could be many different things. Maybe someone else, like X, might have some ideas. But without actually looking at the map source, it's hard to say. The fact that the game seems to be running fine, and only crashes when you try to host, does appear to indicate a problem with the map.

As for the gentleman in question teaching your class, I can't say I've heard of him. But I'm not surprised to hear that he's accustomed to Lithtech. It was commonly used in educational settings to teach game design and programming, because it was inexpensive compared to other game development engines. A license to use Lithtech cost something like $10,000. Which was dirt cheap compared to other engines at the time.

This was before companies like Epic and Crytek started giving away their engine development tools for free. And, even now, the Epic UDK doesn't include everything. They still charge extra for the complete set of tools. Which wasn't the case with Lithtech.

[Techromancer]

I copied and pasted this from the other thread since it applies a bit to my increasing difficulties in this endeavor

Sorry folks - I meant to sign on, but as luck would have it I have new issues with my Tron where I can't play - even without mods running. All I did to fix my dedit promlem was disable windows themes....
Three issues I am having that I wanted to fix:
# 1 getting closer - but still cannot play my test map
# 2 cant use custom bikes or character skins with KA mod - said "locked" on all previously - now I have no titles for them and cant tell if it is locked or not
# 3 cannot take screenshots in any case, or when I do - it pastes in photoshop as a balck screen

Also I now have a new screen to look at when Tron fails / crashes etc. which I did not have. -

[img][IMG]http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4478/tron20hosterrorscreen.jpg[/img]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/img]

or

[img][IMG=http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4478/tron20hosterrorscreen.jpg][/img]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/img]


if that did not work. ***ghhh @#!^&%@*! - I know - at this juncture I am start to FEEL like I am a pain in the butt. I am thinking about doing a full reinstall of at least Tron 2.0 and the update - if not all and have backed up my save & profile folders (wondering if I should start from scratch on all fronts - maybe it'll help.)

Wish I could have been there folks. I'll get this crap straightened out sooner or later.


also - here is a paste of the full error text in the box -

Initializing the server...
Server initialized.
Server is running.
Loading world: Worlds\RetailLightCycle\mynewtest
Loaded world: Worlds\RetailLightCycle\mynewtest in 0.01 seconds
DoRunWorld completed in 0.00 seconds
GameSpy error: Unable to query the server. You may need to open port 27888 for incoming traffic.

I know, I am a headache at this point. I will try to sort this out on my own as I feel I am becoming a pain in the **** for you guys at this juncture.
Be well

[TronFAQ]

I am thinking about doing a full reinstall of at least Tron 2.0 and the update

No, don't do that. You'll encounter the same issues again, and just end up wasting even more time. I see the solutions to your problems. They're all simple.

# 1 getting closer - but still cannot play my test map

Also I now have a new screen to look at when Tron fails / crashes etc. which I did not have. -

[img][IMG]http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4478/tron20hosterrorscreen.jpg[/img]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/img]

or

[img][IMG=http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4478/tron20hosterrorscreen.jpg][/img]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/img]

I asked you before if you had the Dedicated Server set to "Yes" in the game, and you said no. But it's clear that you do. Set it to "No" and your map testing trouble will go away.

# 2 cant use custom bikes or character skins with KA mod - said "locked" on all previously - now I have no titles for them and cant tell if it is locked or not

I told you how to fix it in my other reply to you. You clearly missed it.

# 3 cannot take screenshots in any case, or when I do - it pastes in photoshop as a balck screen

Just press the F8 key in the game. You'll get .BMP screenshots in your Tron 2.0 folder.