How Do I: diagnose a crash to desktop...

[Bikerdude]

This one has always anoyed, me, getting a CTD and not know WTF was causing the crash.

 

So to that end, whats the easiest way for a non programmer like me to pin-point whats caused a crash.

[SteveL]

You really only have 2 options: do it the traditional way by experimentation and caulking out parts of the map (if it's a TDM problem), or you use programmer's tools. You don't need to be a programmer to use those tools, but you do need access to the source code and to know how to make yourself a debug build of the application.

 

If you don't have access to the source code, then googling or emailing the company is usually the best way. There are tools that will print a stack trace for you on a crash. That'll mostly look like a pile of gibberish (to programmers too), but if you read the gibberish from the bottom up you can sometimes spot a clue as to what general area of the system caused the crash -- sound driver, graphics driver etc. It's a lot more helpful if you're running a debug build (and then you don't need special tools either), but it's about the only way to get any information out of a CTD in a closed-source app.

 

Is this crash in a TDM map? I could show you how to run a debug build that'll halt instead of crashing to desktop, and show you how to see what part of the code it crashed in. TDM code is quite helpfully named.

 

Failing that, I'm always happy to help diagnose a TDM bug. That reminds me, now that I've finished those tracker issues I'll look again into the buzzing lights causing a crash in that map you sent me last week.

[AluminumHaste]

Turn on logging in thedarkmod.ini.

 

If it crashes check the log file.

[Bikerdude]

If it crashes check the log file.

This sound a lot quicker and simpler, sorry Steve :-)

 

Er where do I enable logging, can I assume I change "LogError=0" to "LogError=1"...? if so that did nothing, the darkmod.log remains unchanged.

[SteveL]

That's ok, wish I'd thought of it And if the log tells you nothing I might still get to be useful.

 

Try 2 instead of 1. I don't know for sure whether that'll work, but I remember that TDM console logging has 3 levels: 0 = don't log, 1 = hold the log in memory and write it to disk occasionally so that performance isn't knackered by constant writing to disk ; 3 = write every single line to disk as it gets generated. That hurts performance but it means you get to see the log in the event of a crash. Option (1) fails when the game crashes because the log entries held in memory get lost.

[Bikerdude]

hmm 2 and 3 still did nothing,m its CTD'ing within a few seconds.

 

:-/

[AluminumHaste]

And the log file is empty?

What are you trying to do, just run TDM or load a map?

[AluminumHaste]

I won't be home until tomorrow night, but I can compile you a debug version of the exe and dll, might give more useful info.

Do you have visual studio installed?

[AluminumHaste]

This sound a lot quicker and simpler, sorry Steve :-)

 

Er where do I enable logging, can I assume I change "LogError=0" to "LogError=1"...? if so that did nothing, the darkmod.log remains unchanged.

 

That turns on logging, but then you have to turn on what you want to log. Try this:

 

Hmm, that didn't do anything. Hang on.

[AluminumHaste]

Okay don't use 3, and don't turn on logging for everything.

after 15 seconds, my log file was 25 MB!

 

But if it's only a few seconds you might be fine. I was getting 0 fps btw lol.

[Bikerdude]

Okay don't use 3, and don't turn on logging for everything.after 15 seconds, my log file was 25 MB!

Got a copy of your ini file and I'll see if it update thew darkmod.log file with anything that isnt in there as standard.