Exult Forum

Up till recently I was using RC1, but I felt like trying out a snapshot to see how much was different and after a couple days I came across this problem. I'm using the current binary win9x snapshot (2002-05-18 21:55), Win9x SE, SB live!, and a GeForce2 GTS. Haven't had problems before this version so I'm pretty sure it's not me, but hey, you never know.

General background info that doesn't really have anything to do with what's happening:
Started having this problem in Serpent's Hold. I was in the middle of solving the statue vandalism when I decided to get something to eat, so I saved and quit. Came back and played a bit, saved and quit. Next time I tried to Journey Onward I got to the red screen when Exult shut down. Apparently any savegame I make from the first one I mentioned will cause the program to shut down. Even if I just load the game, immediately save, then load.

Savegames here:
This is an example of the one that crashes:
http://php.indiana.edu/~jtwalker/Other/exult00bg.sav
The save right before the crashing problem:
http://php.indiana.edu/~jtwalker/Other/exult01bg.sav

My attempt to Journey Onward (stderr.txt, stdout.txt, exult.cfg):

stderr.txt
Setting Shape to 721
Setting Shape to 721
Setting Shape to 721
Setting Shape to 721
Setting Shape to 721
Error reading saved monsters. Clearing list.
Exult Exception: Error opening file c:\games\ultima\ultima7bg-9xs\gamedat\schedule.dat
Trying /schedule.dat
============================
An exception occured:
Error opening file c:\games\ultima\ultima7bg-9xs\gamedat\flaginit
errno: 2
============================

stdout.txt
Exult version 0.99cvs
Built at: May 19 2002 12:46:40
Compile-time options: DEBUG, USE_EXULTSTUDIO, HAVE_ZIP_SUPPORT
Compiler: gcc, version: 2.95.3-6 (mingw special)

Platform: Windows 98 SE Version 4.10 Build 2222
Data path = data
Audio system assembled. Audio buffer at 22048
4 Midi Devices Detected
Listing midi devices:
-1: MIDI Mapper
0: Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth
1: A: SB Live! MIDI Synth
2: SB Live! MIDI UART
3: B: SB Live! MIDI Synth
Using device -1: MIDI Mapper
Internal Win32 Midiout Midi Player for Exult and Pentagram.
Created PCB 0
Created PCB 1
Created PCB 2
Created PCB 3
Created PCB 4
Created PCB 5
Audio initialisation OK
is_installed: 'c:\games\ultima\ultima7bg-9xs\static\endgame.dat': yes
is_installed: 'c:\games\ultima\ultima7si-9xs\static\sispeech.spc' : yes
Audio subsystem request: Custom Music track
Starting a BLACK GATE game
Okay. It looks like an IFF file chunk
length looks like: 1807418
Current path settings:
Static : c:\games\ultima\ultima7bg-9xs\static
Gamedat : c:\games\ultima\ultima7bg-9xs\gamedat
Savegame: c:\games\ultima\ultima7bg-9xs
Patch : none

Audio subsystem request: Music track # 3
Gamedat identity FORGE
Loading exult.flx...
Loading /exult_bg.flx...
Found Serpent Isle 'paperdol.vga', 'gumps.vga' and 'shapes.vga'.
Support for 'Serpent Isle' Paperdolls and Multiracial Avatars in 'Black Gate' ENABLED.
Loading default keybindings

exult.cfg





c:\games\ultima\ultima7bg-9xs


(default)


bgsfx.flx




c:\games\ultima\ultima7si-9xs


(default)


jmsisfx.flx




C:\Games\Ultima\Test\.\


C:\Games\Ultima\Test\.\/patch


yes




1




yes



yes


none




yes


none



yes


0




yes


0



1.000000


-1


yes




yes





yes


yes


yes


yes


yes


yes


yes


no


9


1


yes



0





400


300


2


Point


yes


no



1.00


1.00


1.00



4




blackgate


gimp-remote -n



898


645

Forgot to mention a few things. I was having a problem with the flying carpet a day or two ago so I updated from RC1 to the snapshot and things worked out fine, until this. I've been going back and forth between the versions today trying to figure out what's causing the error. Starting from the same place and making a new savegame with RC1 will not crash the game. Trying to load the savegame that crashes the snapshot will also crash RC1.

I hope I'm making sense here. ^^;

both work for me.

I have had the same problem as well with saving AND quick-saving. It started after I reached Shamino's castle, quick-save then blam, dumped back in XP. It only seems to affect one save game, in my instance the quick-save but the way I got around it was I loaded an earlier (much earlier, ack!!) save and quick-saved that. I know, it's a drag to go back and redo things but this works, because I believe you can fix anything you screw up - my brief philosophy of gaming. Enjoy!

Do you still have a copy of the savegame that causes these crashes? We'd like to know exactly what goes wrong, so we can try to fix the crashes.

Yeah, going back to an earlier save was the solution that I eventually turned to, much as I dislike it. I can never remember exactly what I've done since the last save, even though I save so often! Anyhow, my savegames are posted in my first message, but Dominus doesn't seem to have any problems with them. Though it would probably help if someone else posted theirs.

I've discovered that saving over a single gamefile multiple times causes the file to be corrupted (as I mention in another post). At least I was able to repeat it several times.

I generally make a new savegame every two or three saves. Do you think it has to do with overwriting the same files every time, or just saving often?