Svencoop 4.8 & rcbots crashing, bad crash problem just after adding bots Options

[madmax2]

Hey Cheeseh, I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear...

I just installed sc4.8 & the bots yesterday, and there is a serious crash problem now. I PMed w00tguy123 about it, and he confirms he is having the crash problem too, on the maps I list below, plus others...

Here is an edited part of my PM to him:

-----------------------------------------
I can verify there is a crash problem with sc4.8 and rcbot. The game crashes to the desktop with a repeating sound loop and the following windows dialog...

CODE

The instruction at "0x0cd93a89" referenced memory at "0x000000cc". The memory could not be "read".

Click on OK to terminate the program.

Then I click OK and the PC works normally afterwards....

So far, I get 2 memory locations for the instruction location, [edit] I get this one more now for some reason?... It's very consistant...

CODE

The instruction at "0x0ce13a89" referenced memory at "0x000000cc". The memory could not be "read".

I'm on winXPsp3.. I'm fully updated on steam as of yesterday...

So far I've checked 7 maps, multiple times, and get the crash very soon after adding the first bot, usually within seconds of adding a bot. Crashes on:

murks
crystal 1 & 2
intruder
activist2
activist3

I went all the way through activist 1, without a problem. I even played some. Then after a map change to activist2, it crashed within seconds of a bot spawning. I reloaded activist2 and it happened again...

Before I installed sc4.8, I moved my sc4.7 install to another location. I can quickly switch back to sc4.7, and the bots work perfectly on the same maps... This is the way I normally upgrade my HL mods with rcbot, by editing the nessesary files (liblist.gam, server.cfg, etc...) and copying the addons (metamod) folder over to the new mod version, so i'm sure it's not an install error on my part...
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It is not an intermitant crash on most maps I've checked, so far... I did some further investigation this morning with a surprizing result. Before I get into that, I want to add that crystal is a good map to see the crash on , cause it is always within a second or 2 of spawning the first bot (intruder might be the same). In murks & crystal2, the bots sometimes can go a few steps, before the crash.

Okay, here are the things I tried this morning. I have been testing this mostly with the latest rcbot dll (rcbot_mm_sc47_3.7z) and metamod-p-1.21p37. So first I tried the original rcbot sc4.7 dll (RCBot1_SC47_release_dll.zip), no change, same crash. Next I switched back to metamod-p-1.19p32, again no change.

So, since i had the rcbot sc4.6 dll handy (rcbot_mm_SC46_debug.zip), I thought I might as well try that too, and to my surprize the crashing seemed to stop, for a while!!!

I was able to play crystal past the underwater part, up to the first set of "problem" ceiling mini-turrets, without any crashes, 10+ minutes, then I ended the test. After a short test on crystal2 without a crash, I loaded intruder. I played intruder past the big lift room, past one of the side routes where a bot press a console button to open a new area/door. We back track to the main path, where I got shot up with 1% health left, so I retreated to the side route, a bot was coming towards me, I quickly spun the mouse wheel to select medkit at the same time bringing up the menu to call medic.. It was about there I got the same crash with the rcbot 4.6 debug dll... This all took about 10 minutes too.

But I should add, this needs more testing (rcbot 4.6 dll with sc4.8), it may be a very intermitant crash with the rcbot 4.6 dll. This could of been the same very very intermitant crash I was getting on sc4.7 with the sc4.7 dll's? I didn't report it because it was so very intermitant, it could take you days just to duplicate the crash... And most of the time I was waypointing at the same time, so i just shrugged it off as unimportant...

I will try a couple more tests today, with the rcbot 4.6 dll & sc4.8 maps, to see if the crash on intruder was just one of those freak intermitant crashes I was getting before? I'm not sure if that would help you find the problem or not? I was just thinking if the rcbot 4.6 dll is much more stable than the rcbot 4.7 dll's in sc4.8, then you could look at the code change's you made back then (4.6 to 4.7 rcbot), and it might help you pinpoint the problem?

I want to do some rcbot2/dods stuff today, so i'll try more testing on SC later today, if time allows... I just wanted to get this bug reported, so others can give feedback too...

Also, w00tguy123 thought the crash might possibly be related to entity changes made in sc4.8, but he wasn't sure about that?

max

[madmax2]

Yes, the revive works well, I was lying there dead & called medic, and 2 bots came over and fixed me right up ... Whats a good map for sentry repair?

I've tried the grapple wpt, but can't get it working for some reason... The grapples are somewhat horizontal on crystal2, and long distance. I tried a few different setups, but they won't shoot the barnicle gun at all? Tried these patterns, and I forced them to pick up the barnicle gun.

N---N======G

N---J======G

N---G======N

N---N==J====G

N---J==G====N

--- path on ground
=== mid air path
N = normal wpt
J = jump wpt
G = grapple wpt

Nothing I tried was over 45 degrees, most of this was done at almost 0 degrees... They would look but not fire...

I must be doing something wrong, do i need something enabled in my config file?

Maybe i'll try it on a different map tomarrow and see if I can get it to work? Think I'll just do some play testing tonite.

[Cheeseh]

Yes, the revive works well, I was lying there dead & called medic, and 2 bots came over and fixed me right up ... Whats a good map for sentry repair?

I've tried the grapple wpt, but can't get it working for some reason... The grapples are somewhat horizontal on crystal2, and long distance. I tried a few different setups, but they won't shoot the barnicle gun at all? Tried these patterns, and I forced them to pick up the barnicle gun.

N---N======G

N---J======G

N---G======N

N---N==J====G

N---J==G====N

--- path on ground
=== mid air path
N = normal wpt
J = jump wpt
G = grapple wpt

Nothing I tried was over 45 degrees, most of this was done at almost 0 degrees... They would look but not fire...

I must be doing something wrong, do i need something enabled in my config file?

Maybe i'll try it on a different map tomarrow and see if I can get it to work? Think I'll just do some play testing tonite.

you don't need a jump waypoint cos bots will stop moving and try aiming for the grapple waypoint.

should be N---G======N

I'm not on my pc now but have a look at my mspaint depiction.

The normal waypoint and grapple waypoint path must be looking in the same point as where the grapple should hit (the red line). The grapple waypoint is placed where the bot should let go of the grapple.

How long distance is it. If it's very long distance you'll also need to put the grapple waypoint at least at 1/100 length of the jump. which I'd think should be ok!

The algorithm works like this.

1. stop at the normal waypoint
2. look for a func_wall by looking from the start point and go through the grapple point
3. face that func_wall
4. change weapon to grapple
5. primary attack
6. when I reach or pass the grapple waypoint, let go of attack

[Cheeseh]

Btw the turret problem should also be fixed