The CTD before the menu is usually a problem with goods. If you have an entry in a goods file, which points ti equipment that isn't there its CTD time.
Have you made any changes to the goods files? Its not the only answer to the problem, but for me the most likely.

Hmm, double checked just tp make sure. No, I didn't make any changes to the goods.ini. Bummer, I was hoping that was all it was. I added two guns, one turret, two torpedos and launchers to weapon_equip and weapon_good... four shields and one thruster to st_equip and st_good. I used original files from those inis, tweaked the stats slightly, renamed and assigned new ids name and ids info to the blank .dll file from the Zen download. All the other changes I made before did not crash FL. Those additions were new wreck loudouts (kept originals, made new ones from pre-existing louadouts, just gave new names and cargo), new factions (already part of the Hispania mod with working ids numbers), factions_prop, empathy, and initial world faction reps. I have not populated any of the new systems space yet.

Now, if I have all of the modded .ini files in place, with some made up ids numbers that I found blank in the .dll files pre-existing with the Hispania and Baenes ship pack mods in my mod, but don't have a new .dll *or* those numbers actually assigned/saved in any .dll the game works fine. My guess is I somehow mucked up the new dll file. if it helps anyone interested in helping I can email the new item entries and a listing of which .ini file they are in and see if perhaps that is the problem. Thanks again for taking the time to try and help.

Nemo me impune lacessit.

The dll file's numbering sequence is of course related to the position it is in in the freelancer.ini file. If you put it anywhere but after all the other previous dll's you would crash. I suppose you know this, but not knowing you I cannot assume that. I also assume that you would use the numbers relative to the new position of the dll. You can only have 9 dll's. 6 come with the game... you said you had two from Beane, so that leaves you with only one... the 9th dll if you left his in the game.

Nevertheless, the number sequences for the dll's run like this...

DLL # 0 = 0 to 65535 (resources.dll) ...for a total of 65536 different numbers per dll (yes, 0 is a number)

DLL # 1 = 65536 to 131071 (InfoCards.dll) ...all dll's start at position 0 and go to 65535 for a total of 65536 per dll

DLL # 2 = 131072 to 196607 (MiscText.dll) ...so adding 65535 to the first # gives you the ending # for that dll

DLL # 3 = 196608 to 262143 (NameResources.dll)

DLL # 4 = 262144 to 327679 (EquipResources.dll)

DLL # 5 = 327680 to 393215 (OfferBribeResources.dll)

DLL # 6 = 393216 to 458751 (MiscTextinfo2.dll)

DLL # 7 = 458752 to 524287 (one dll you could have added)

DLL # 8 = 524288 to 589823 (another dll you could have added)

DLL # 9 = 589824 to 655359 (Yet another and last dll you could have added)

If the numbers you entered (using Fled_ids) matched the sequences listed for the positions of the dll you put in the freelancer.ini then we will assume they are ok.

One other thing bothered me about your entries...

You said you used a template from somewhere else other than useing a previous weapon pulled up in the Fled_ids program for a template. If you simply put in the ids_info number for a gun that already exists in the weapons_equip.ini file that came with the game you could then just put in your own number, overwriting the one in the ids_info box of Fled_ids, modify the information between the <text> markers and save the new file with its new number. You would have already put in a new number and simple text for the ids_name just prior to that.

Now there is the matter of perhaps having your own ini file for your new weapons which would correspond to the new numbers you are entering. You are allowed to have a "my_own_weapon_equip.ini", or whatever you want to call it listed under the "equipment" section of the freelancer.ini, a "my_own_weapon_good.ini" file listed in the "goods" section, and a "my_own_market_misc.ini" file listed under the "markets" section. If you did that as well, then we will assume the crash came from somewhere else.

If you neglected to close ANY bracket at the beginning of any weapon, ship, or other entry section when putting in a new "thing" in the game, you would get a crash to desktop immediately after the freelancer splash screen when entering the game.

You probably knew all this stuff, but hey... I don't know what you read so far and whether it all made perfect sense to you or not.

I went back and read my original post, I goofed on something I said. I suppose that is what I get for writing a post as late as I did that one. The xml templates I used for making my ids_info entries did not come from SDK, I got them using FLed-IDS by looking up original game items. Since the mod version *before* adding my .dll worked, I figured it was OK even though there is something odd... in the mods .exe folder are the following files:
baenemod.dll,
flserver,
freelancer.ini,
Freelancer.exe,
hispania.dll,
Infocards.dll(from baene's ship pack),
resources.dll

in freelancer.ini the DLL assignment is as follows:
[Resources
DLL = InfoCards.dll ; Contains all infocard text resources
DLL = MiscText.dll ; Contains other bulk text resource: rumor, offer, and mission text
DLL = NameResources.dll ; Contains names of things, primarily.
DLL = EquipResources.dll ;Contains names of equipment (in string table) and infocards for equipment (in HTML resources)
DLL = OfferBribeResources.dll ; Contains random mission offers and bribes
DLL = MiscTextInfo2.dll ;Contains MP UI elements as well as other misc. text
DLL = hispania.dll ;Contains all new information for the Hispania Reunited MOD

Set up like this the mod works fine. The ships from baenes pack all appear and function though I think there may be some overlapping of ids numbers between the Hispania dlls and baene's dlls because the "Gunstar" ship shows the name "Planetary Fragment Field" at the ship dealer in the new system it is for sale at.
When I use FLed-IDS, the only non original dll file that shows up in the drop down menu is hispania.dll. The other dll files in the mod, resources.dll, baenesmod.dll don't appear on the dropdown list. Should I add these files to the DLL list in freelancer.ini, even though the mod works (or at least does not crash) without them listed?


When I added "DLL = ArtemasMod.dll" and the ArtemasMod.dll file itself, then used FLed-IDS to add ids names and ids info, FLed gave me ids numbers in the range where a number such as 524289(my new turret I added) would be found.

Now, I am thinking, even though resources.dll and baenesmod.dll are not listed in the DLL ref of Freelancer.ini, adding my dll brings the total number of dlls to ten if you count resources.dll, baenesmod.dll, and ArtemasMod.dll. I did not know if the total number of dll files would matter if they were not listed in freelancer.ini.

Do you think that since I only have 11 items being added that I should use FLed-IDS to add them to the pre-existing mod dlls (hispania.dll , resources.dll, and InfoCards.dll) instead of trying to add my own dll to the collection? If so I figure I could use FLed to find unused ids numbers in the dll files from the two mods I am merging into my mod.

Just writing this post has made me decide to cross check at least one ids name/info entry to see if it is overwriting one from another mod dll (gunstar/planetary fragment field). Yup, just checked, the ids_name numbers from baenesmod.dll and hispania.dll conflict, though they don't crash the game... odd. Time to reassign numbers and clean things up.

What I am beginning to realize is that I have a mess of dll files by trying to combine two other mods into one. Perhaps what I really need a lesson in here is how to clean that up, say, getting the new game data from baenesmod.dll nicely tucked into hispania.dll for starters. If I have read correctly and there is so much space available that is unused in even the original game dll files, this should not be a huge conflict, it should all be able to fit. I just of course would have to be certain not to overwrite or duplicate any ids references.

So, plan B is this.... open up baenesmod.dll and Infocards.dll from the ship pack mod, copy all the names and xml script. THEN, remove them from the mod, open up the hispania.dll with FLed and assign new ids name and info numbers for the ships into the hispania.dll file and test it. If it works, reopen hispania.dll and add my items with available ids numbers, then retest.

What is scary is that struggling with all this is still preferable to the day I had at work. You know it is going to be a bad shift when on your first call your ambulance catches on fire while you are treating a patient in back. We have such brilliant mechanics fixing our rigs.

Nemo me impune lacessit.

OK... I admit, I am officially lost.

1. I took all of the ids info xml templates for baenes ships from his baenemod.dll. Copied them to a text file.

2. Removed baenesmod.dll and baenes InfoCards.dll from the mods exe folder, leaving hispania.dll and resources.dll in the exe folder of my mod.

3. Removed my attempted ArtemasMod.dll file

4. Changed Freelancer.ini to have:

[Resources
DLL = InfoCards.dll ; Contains all infocard text resources
DLL = MiscText.dll ; Contains other bulk text resource: rumor, offer, and mission text
DLL = NameResources.dll ; Contains names of things, primarily.
DLL = EquipResources.dll ;Contains names of equipment (in string table) and infocards for equipment (in HTML resources)
DLL = OfferBribeResources.dll ; Contains random mission offers and bribes
DLL = MiscTextInfo2.dll ;Contains MP UI elements as well as other misc. text
DLL = hispania.dll ;Contains the hispania mod and baenes ship pack mod

5. Opened the mod with FLed-IDS, added the ids name and info entries for the ships (info, info1, info2, info3) , then added the entries for my new items, using the copied xml script from baenes mods for his ships, and the ones I made by copying original game files with new text where the old descriptive text used to be.

6. Changed the ids numbers in all applicable ini files (shiparch, weapon_equip, weap_good, st_equip, st_good) to match the new ones I assigned with FLed-IDS.

7. launched FL, crashed to desktop before getting the game menu again.

I am officially lost, I have no idea what I have done wrong. I know that in order to use baenes ships and the Hispania mod I have to change the ids numbers for the ships since they conflict with the Hispania mod (eg: the Gunstar is listed as "Planetary Fragment Field" when running the two in the same mod. So where do I go from here?



Nemo me impune lacessit.

EDIT: PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!

here is what I did: in addition to what I did listed already, I took the odd resources.dll file from the Hispania mod out. Copied the original Freelancer dll files:
InfoCards.dll, MiscText.dll , NameResources.dll, EquipResources.dll , OfferBribeResources.dll , MiscTextInfo2.dll

and put them in my mod's exe folder, activated it with FLMM, launched FL, and it worked. The new ids names and info I added from baene's ship mod to the hispania.dll also worked, things have the right names now! Crisis averted, computer no longer on list of things to drop-kick.

It took taking a nap and re-reading all the suggestions everyone had made to give me the idea. I thank you all and apologize for my non-standard thought patterns. Now on to adding new items to new markets, populating empty space and finally making vignettes and missions.

Edited by - artemas13 on 8/8/2005 12:46:58 PM

I must congradulate you... At the speed you're going, you should completlely rewrite Freelancer in about a week!

I'm glad you found, on your own no less, that some of the dll files with names like the originals had been substituted into your game. These, no doubt, caused all the headaches. It is for that reason that I do not mod the original files, but make my own dll's for anything that I add. Thus, if I mess things up, I can recover. If I only have to worry about 1 dll at a time, then I am more able to keep track of the numbers I enter and not worry about stepping on some critical number in another dll.

Still, you are making remarkable progress and I hope you will stay with it and someday be a resource to all who will come after you.