NEWSA+SIMBION_tweaked Support and Gameplay

[audioave10]

Reloaded and then relooted the same corpse in the Rookie camp - was OK this time. These were Mercs. Body count is
getting a little higher so it may just happen sometimes. I'll
just deal with it and save often since I LIKE the high body
count...

[fiznerpin1962]

Decided to go on a "walkabout" around NPP today. Besides more APCs, I found:

-a dead end going nowhere
http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr49 ... _stanc.jpg

- this guy. (don't know how he does that! )
http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr49 ... _stanc.jpg

- then I wanted to see how severe the NPP blowout was. I went from 100% to 0% health in 2.5 seconds - with nanosuit and a -65 radiation artifact hanging!

http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr49 ... _stanc.jpg

- and I found this guy on my travels... never seen one before.
http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr49 ... 05_bar.jpg

[Balious]

FATAL ERROR

[error]Expression : fatal error
[error]Function : CScriptEngine::lua_error
[error]File : E:\stalker\patch_1_0004\xr_3da\xrGame\script_engine.cpp
[error]Line : 73
[error]Description : <no expression>
[error]Arguments : LUA error: ...shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\scripts\xr_logic.script:935: bad argument #1 to 'gfind' (string expected, got nil)


stack trace:

Got this in bar. Was just outside the bar in that small room that normally has a stalker in it watching the entrance and sometimes may go for walks. If this is that bug where you cross the line and it crashes then it was very slow as I managed to kill a monolith, rob a few corpses and watch in horror as a duty pushes me into a zombfied stalker invasion which was quickly dealt with. Thank god I have my shotgun to get me through all of this.

Garbage was quite easy as I was rushing through it. No signs of the helicopter but the big fight in hangar kept going on as soon as i got by it. I could still hear it as i was leaving garbage to bar. I wonder if Seriy make it.

[Grump642]

The Moonlight Zonemaker is the artifact I used to create the electrical field that got myself trapped. VERY deadly!!

[Kaidonni]

I've reinstalled and patched to 1.0005, gonna try the mod on 1024x768 with the 1.0005 compatibility patch. One thing I can think of that was causing me so many issues is the fact that I've only ever played mods for 1.0005, never really used the 1.0004 patch before. The other week I did play OL 2.2 on 1.0004, but not for all that long, so it's not really a fair comparison (nowhere near long enough or enough dead NPCs, etc, to know if it was 1.0004 on the computer). Strange, though, Nightwatch, that with your mod, radiation wasn't killing me, yet unmodified 1.0004 it was...

Anyway, anything is worth a try. The dead NPC CTD could easily be because of some instability between my system and the 1.0004 patch. Brother isn't back yet, and just upset about my OCD on the whole, need something to play to cheer me up. SMP 2.3...well, I wish the Lite version had the textures for Sid and for the buildings, because they do look ugly, and NS3.0 does have these textures. Vanilla textures just...lol...urgh! Unreal Tournament 2004 doesn't quite cut the cheese at the moment, either (got peed off tonight because one hell of an unbalanced match).

I'm redownloading just in case, by any stroke of luck, things were mucked up with the download. Wish me luck...1.0005 is my patch of choice, though. Ironically, it might work better for me, even if the mod isn't really designed for 1.0005. Yeah...it'll be sod's law on my end, the patch the mod wasn't primarily designed for fixes my problems.

EDIT: Just saw audioave10's post - yes, that is exactly the same error as I was having. When looting dead NPCs. It isn't a repeatable CTD, sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't. But for me, it occurred more and more often. In the beginning, not at all. In the end, at the Bar, it was becoming annoying. And the computer right now is being annoying because I can't end any tasks, least of all My Computer which is locked up...

EDIT 2: A reboot later and I am just entirely upset. I've self-harmed, and, well...I hate this computer. Something is always in the way of me relaxing this week. I haven't played Stalker all week. All the little things, including screen resolution issues. I can't get 1024x768 because a black bar appears down the right side of the screen and I swear that the aspect ratio looks squished.

[Nightwatch]

Reloaded and then relooted the same corpse in the Rookie camp - was OK this time. These were Mercs. Body count is
getting a little higher so it may just happen sometimes. I'll
just deal with it and save often since I LIKE the high body
count...

High body count? Yes, welcome to the club
And thanks for updating the situation. I checked all the files, no trouble in any of them. Everything about those guys/dead bodies on this level (cordon) particularly at the beginning stages of the game is vanilla. NatVac was explaining in great detail a few pages back, it should be related to how the Game manages to update the items on dead bodies. But, it's not repeatable at the least, And leaving and then re-entering the level can greatly help to reset things.


Balious
Thanks for updating your progress. I think that you're playing any one of the Non-Extreme modes, as "that infamous Garbage Helicopter! comes only in Extreme mode.
And, the crash that you had is not the same one that a few guys experienced in v2.4 over the Garbage-Rostok entrance line, which actually turned out to be hardware related. If I remember right, it was Wombat_70 who had changed his ATI card and then that crash sopped, he reinstalled the card, it re-started. Yup, like this.
The one that you have in that small room near to Arena (I guess from your description) is the sound of engine coughing, as everything checks OK on the target that the log points. It's not repeatable, just reload and continue.
(But as I read your post on Hardware and Software section, if your PSU and other components can't cope with wildly increased demand in the very active Bar area, you may be prone to having some problems at those times. But it'd be still manageable, though )



Good Luck, Kaidonni


Yes, fiznerpin1962, that's a rare and very powerful artefact with which you can create electro-anomaly fields and anyone who walks into it will naturally fry. Just activate it as it describes on the item menu, and it becomes a deadly weapon. But mind you, if a neutral or friendly NPC walks in it (and if they've seen you activating it) then they'll turn against you as they see it as an assault on them.

[Kaidonni]

Okay...so, radiation still not killing me at all. It was in SmP, and it was in vanilla. Why might that be...? It is very strange indeed...and we are talking about red radiation symbol, no suit on...

EDIT: Curious...are the building textures and Sid textures compatible with other modifications? And what folders would I need to copy and paste for this? I might play SmP 2.3/2.4, and the only thing is, I'm reluctant to try the full version, but I do like the textures for buildings and Sid from NS 3.0. And the flashlight, too. The vanilla versions...ow...

[Nightwatch]

Thanks that you like textures in this mod, Kaidonni. Using textures from this mod in other mods is not an easy task and certainly not like drag-and-drop operation. Many textures use different names and DDS arrangements than what vanilla, and quite probably, many other mods use.
However you can use the shaders (it's SKY4CE 1.78) with fairly no problem with other mods and vanilla, but ask and research those mods, into which you want to install SKY4CE 1.78 shaders.
There are texture/particle packs, one of which needs to be mentioned at the top is from EggChen, Particle Enhancement P3.
The best way, in my opinion, to ask the authors of those mods if their mods are compatible with any other textures/shaders, etc, and proceed from there. A lot of mods may have some dedicated settings and performance related settings in respect of their currently employed textures, etc. Best way is to ask them.

[Balious]

Okay Nightwatch I try continuing on see if that works. On Garbage helicopter. It is extreme as I have not changed anything I just think its either A. The helicopter was too slow in finding me and had not appeared yet. Or B. It spawns after speaking with someone like Bes or Seriy or even Yurik maybe? Although its problay just a delay that it hadnt appeared yet. But im not complaining I just went lightning speed out of that place even the Bandits couldn't hit me when I ran pass them.

Bar is very mad. Soon as I enter a Pseudodog or Firebite (can't remenber which) welcomed me straight away. Two/three shotgun shells kept it quiet. After running pass the mad dogs and into the Bar I heard quite some gunfire and went to figure out everyone was all over the place. I was in the room where the Duty guy goes get out of here stalker, he was dead and there was a monolith runinng round like a child. He didn't see me and so I took the chance to get my first ever Monolith kill. Just outside this building were a few Duty and Loners crouching shooting far off. I figured it was more Monoliths but as I got out I heard zombie noises followed by gunfire from their direction. I quickly got pass the middle of this battle and saw a corpse in the corner next to where I came from. It was a Monolith and to my surprise he has a rocket launcher on him. This made me so happy that I didnt even need to waste my money to take out that annoying helicopter now. And so I joined the battle against the zombified stalkers. I was wondering how they got here and thought of a Controller but there was no effects from one so I figured they got hungry and went to a big place with lots of meat (hey theres over 30 people in Bar it makes sense). But Duty really need to sort out their defense, why do these fights always end up in the middle when its all secured and I have yet to see the enemy come from the entrances but always appear inside the base.

Thats a brief explaination of what happened in Bar. Hopefully I will post my journal version with pictures tomorrow.

Also I rested in Cordon before heading into Garbage incase of a blowout and one did happen so I didn't have to worry about that

[Nightwatch]

Thanks for updating, Balious. It seems you've just fallen in the middle of a "settling of accounts" in the Bar Area. Monoliths, Zombified Stalkers.. you entered Bar in a very hazardous time. But, you've hit a good luck with that RPG, though.
You must've been very fast really in your Garbage re-entry after Agroghom in order to be able to pass through the area without being caught by the chopper. On your return to Garbage, the chopper comes within 10 seconds. On return to Garbage, you don't need to speak to anyone for the chopper to come after you.

[Wombat_70]

I wish had a camera
http://i42.tinypic.com/2lxt4pd.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/29xydy9.jpg

oops..damn I knew I shouldn't have searched that monolyth remains
FATAL ERROR

[error]Expression : assertion failed
[error]Function : CUILine::GetLength_inclusiveWord_1
[error]File : E:\stalker\patch_1_0004\xr_3da\xrGame\ui\UILine.cpp
[error]Line : 410
[error]Description : pos.word_1.exist()


stack trace:

[audioave10]

This was a new one...
FATAL ERROR

[error]Expression : fatal error
[error]Function : CScriptEngine::lua_error
[error]File : E:\stalker\patch_1_0004\xr_3da\xrGame\script_engine.cpp
[error]Line : 73
[error]Description : <no expression>
[error]Arguments : LUA error: ...shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\scripts\xr_logic.script:935: bad argument #1 to 'gfind' (string expected, got nil)


stack trace:

also got one from hitting "H" to check contacts...
also got one without log reason...
Great Mod...lots of wars going on everywhere...but it sure taxes
the x-ray engine alot. Made it to Bar...finally.

[Balious]

Thanks for the information Nightwatch. Well I went to Apro from Cordon and same way as I thought the Apro to Garbage section be a little dodgy full of Bandits and an APC or two.

Update on Bar issue. I reloaded my quicksave and instant crash with the same error so I thought my quicksave just saved before i crashed. So I reload to an earlier save next to the guards that stop the dogs and anything unfriendly entering from the south and before I could go back into the room with the get out of here stalker it crashed with the same error.

Perhaps theres too much going on in Bar for my computer to handle?

One reason why there are lots of wars in Bar I think is because its in the middle maybe? With Army Warehouses, Wild Territory and Garbage to go to that gives alot of factions to walk between them. How Monolith are getting here im not too sure though.

[Wombat_70]

Pripyat an other body search an other crash
FATAL ERROR

[error]Expression : assertion failed
[error]Function : CUILine::GetLength_inclusiveWord_1
[error]File : E:\stalker\patch_1_0004\xr_3da\xrGame\ui\UILine.cpp
[error]Line : 410
[error]Description : pos.word_1.exist()


stack trace:

Family reunion, they must be all related
http://i42.tinypic.com/2e4cldi.jpg

[Kaidonni]

Oooh...I hope I didn't start an epidemic of dead body CTDs...

For the moment I have shelved NS 3.0, no hard feelings or anything. I think it's a great mod, just that, unfortunately, it hasn't worked out for me as far as the technical aspects are concerned. I'm probably going to try Clear Sky and, when SmP 2.4 is out, that also (plus some prohibitive economics ). That's one thing I feel NS has done very well - lots of money doesn't equal all that much, because you have to stock up on various supplies and that eats away at the wallet faster than a swarm of moths, regardless of how much you have to sell. I do feel I was getting far too many medkits, though, off of NPCs, especially on Extreme. My health also always regenerated too fast, and bleeding didn't cause all that much of a fuss for me.

I do have to ask, also, how do you make NPCs harder to kill, and the actor easier to kill? If I play SmP, I don't want one-shot kills against NPCs, and likewise, I would like even pistols to hurt me if they hit. I've noticed NPCs are all the more tougher in NS 3.0. I'm assuming it isn't a whole load of scripting and messing around, just a few basic values?

Like I said, NS 3.0 is a great mod, and I would like nothing more than to play it. I'm upset that my favourite game, Stalker, is messing up at the moment, especially on such a great mod, and that other mods require me to do some modding first to get them more in-line with my personal preferences.

[Nightwatch]

Audioave10 and Balious
Well, while I was trying to answer your question, funny though, my daughter's PC crashed while she was using MS Word. OK. You of course see the underlying trouble of running PC games/mods on hugely diverse platforms.
Well, coming to the specifics of the problems that you reported, "bad argument #1 to 'gfind' (string expected, got nil)" is on this matter, a vanilla engine problem, possibly due to a "bed reading" of a sector under stress situation. This could have started even before the fault occurred and carried through the game and when it was checked by the game, the initial faulty reading was accessed. Also it can be a thing that developed at that very time. In this case a reload a few moments back will cure the situation, but if it (mis-reading) is coming from an earlier load and that's been carried to that point, then of course a relevant previous save would be needed. However, in these situations, it'd also help to leave the level and came back, or, in fact, sleeping a for a few hours, as these measures can help resetting the things.

Continuing on technical matters, and replying to:
Wombat_70, on this pos.word_1.exist() error prompt: after some rare occurrences of this error, extensive checks have been carried on ui files and no errors have been fault, which was the first thing to do in order to eliminate a mod file fault. Therefore, this error points to items being misplaced (and chosen) by the game engine on dead bodies during a reload and/or re-entry a level. This is a rare occurrence that is so far seen in once about every several hundred hours (combined players time) gameplay.
Possible recovery option is to leave the level and reenter and force the engine re-assign items.
This version 3.0 is an improved version on this matter, too, as it carries an wrong/empty item creation fix from Natvac (thanks), too. So such troubles have been even further dealt with and significantly minimized.

We come to the same initial point of the post in which I was referring to a diverse PC systems against a single entity system of Console gaming, and I have say that, cannot blame game companies now seem to be going towards Console Gaming by the flock, as they have only one hardware to worry about on which they prepare they games. If fact, as head, even GSC may go (fully or in greater part) Console.


Kaidonni
This mod uses a more complex system to make the game harder than just "increasing the actor's damage while also increasing the opponent NPC's resistance", this mod uses very diverse factor which range "bullet in-flight dynamic" and "bullet in-flight gravity, air resistance, etc) values and a wide range of other bunch.
But, you are right, there is a simple approach to make the game more damaging for the actor. Resisting suit values (please do not apply any to this mod, some suits run by scripts, unlike vanilla) or increasing the power of guns.

Please check the "Modding Techniques" section, if you can't find any relevant info about what you're specific question, then please open a thread ask there so we all can give ideas on how such things can be achieved on vanilla based approach, then you can take things from there onwards on your own modding work.

[audioave10]

the following error occurs when firebytes are spawned in the Bar
itself near Barkeep...have tested alot and this crashes my game
when I'm in the bar or a long way from it.

! error in stalker with visual actors\barman\barman
stack trace:

001B:0288F20C xrGame.dll

you might want to stop these spawns near Barkeep
Leaving the area and coming back seems to have stopped it for now. It was bad for awhile...a bad place for spawns maybe?

[Balious]

Well I like to update I loaded up the autosave and exited bar and slept for a bit (after a little game called escape the chopter). Everything seems to stay the same apart from the error i had. But this time i get the corpse error:
FATAL ERROR

[error]Expression : assertion failed
[error]Function : CUILine::GetLength_inclusiveWord_1
[error]File : E:\stalker\patch_1_0004\xr_3da\xrGame\ui\UILine.cpp
[error]Line : 410
[error]Description : pos.word_1.exist()


stack trace:

But on a more serious note with the helicopter. I am sure on my game it spawns after talking to Seriy. Was having a nice chat with Seriy and it was peace and quiet after the Bandits attacking died. Soon as I got my award the helicopter sound plays and next thing I see are rockets and bullets heading straight for me. Amazing I managed to avoid it and it couldn't even find me. Unless there are more then one helicopter in Garbage.

Also the zombiefied stalkers seem to of gone mad in Bar. Im sure a random number of Duty or Loner guys turned into them as I saw a few in position of what the others would be in (like the guard just before heading to bar and before the stalker thats trapped and can die easily). Well one of the zombies managed to get trapped inside the bar itself with a load of loners trying to take him on. After a lot of suicides he finally has gone down.

Edit:
I reloaded to my latest save which was a bit before the corpse bug and guess what happens. The problem I had before this one pops up:
FATAL ERROR

[error]Expression : fatal error
[error]Function : CScriptEngine::lua_error
[error]File : E:\stalker\patch_1_0004\xr_3da\xrGame\script_engine.cpp
[error]Line : 73
[error]Description : <no expression>
[error]Arguments : LUA error: ...shadow of chernobyl\gamedata\scripts\xr_logic.script:935: bad argument #1 to 'gfind' (string expected, got nil)


stack trace:

I think I should get an award for having the most crashes and quickiest time to have a crash as this happened 1 mini second after the loading screen. Why am I hated

[Nightwatch]

Balious
Please read previous posts in which I have answered the same crash report that you've repeating now. I have just above your post answered the same question. Please. I am also a human being and I should not be expected the answer the same report twice on the SAME page.
My answer is very clear over there. If it is not helping with your game, then your machine plays only that much. But whatever the reason is, please read before posting.