I did discover that NWN will also crash when loading the module as a local game in the client-only and loading the scout character. This will make it easier to test replacing the 3.3 haks one-by-one, which may have to wait for the weekend.

Stay tuned...

OK, being able to test it as a local game in the client-only significantly sped up the testing.

In all cases, I loaded the PRC 3.3 version of the module and selected the scout-6/bowman-6 character.

In the pure-PRC 3.3 environment the module loads the character successfully. That is the first attached Log file "nwclientLog1-worked.txt".

Through trial & error, I discovered that I had to use PRC 3.5 versions of two files to get the module to crash: prc_2das.hak and prc_scripts.hak. Using just one or the other did not cause the module to crash - I had to use both together. That is the second attached log file "nwclientLog1-failed.txt".

I really hope this gives you the info you need to track it down.

If it's in the top hak, than the log says it was executed.

I am not sure that I added it to the top hak properly. The 2 server logs are identical as far as I can see (with and without prc_scout in the top hak). Both logs say that prc_scout is being executed but the logs don't distinguish between the 3.3 prc_scout and the 3.5 prc_scout routines. Let me re-phrase the question:

Is there a way to tell if the prc_scout.ncs file that you sent (the 3.3 one) was executed or I screwed up adding it to the top hak with the result that the prc_scout 3.5 routine was run?

Maybe it's something in onenter script?

The onenter script is already finished by the time the crash occurs. I put my own debug statements in the hif_onenter routine. Here's the tail-end of the log showing them - ("starting onenter", "starting prc_onenter" and "finished onenter" are mine):

[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] starting onenter
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] starting prc_onenter
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] Deleting composite bonus list 'PRC_ComAttBon' on 'Anna Farrunner' - '' - '' - 7ffffffd
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] Deleting composite bonus list 'PRC_CBon' on 'base_prc_skin' - 'base_prc_skin' - 'base_prc_skin' - 594e
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] Clearing class flags
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] prc_inc_sneak: Rogue Sneak Dice: 2
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] prc_inc_sneak: Blackguard Sneak Dice: 0
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] prc_inc_sneak: Assassin Sneak Dice: 0
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] prc_inc_sneak: Epic Sneak Dice: 0
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] finished onenter
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] prc_scout running, event: 6
[Tue Sep  4 15:51:49] prc_scout: Scout WP for 'Anna Farrunner' - '' - '' - 7ffffffd didn't exist, creating. Tag: PRC_ScoutWP_Anna Farrunner


Could you test which hak is causing crashes? Just update PRC haks one by one - update prc_2das.hak - load the module and check your character, update prc_* etc. At some point the game will crash - this will tell us which hak is causing this.

   I don't know what you mean

update PRC haks

Do you mean replace 3.5 haks with the corresponding 3.3 haks one at a time in the hak folder or do you mean generate a .ncs file like you did with the 3.3 prc_scout.ncs? I have no idea how to generate a .ncs file from a PRC hak.

 

I have upgraded the top merge hak as described above (thanks for the instructions), but the module still crashes when the Scout character is loaded.

I went back to my PRC 3.3g installation and created a Fighter, then gained a level & took Scout. Exiting and reloading the character was fine. Restarting the server and reloading the character was fine. I was also able to load up the Scout-6/Bowman-6 character where we originally found the problem. So PRC 3.3g works fine with a Scout, PRC 3.5 does not.

Here is the latest log file from PRC 3.5 - much the same as the other one, except I added in debug statements in the hif_onenter script and around the on_heartbeat script. You can see that it executes hif_onenter, then executes prc_onenter, then finishes hif_onenter. Then it crashes. From my inspection of the prc_scout code, it looks like it is doing the calculation for Skirmish bonuses when it fails, but I've pretty well reached the limits of my expertise as far as understanding the coding.

The only other thing I can think of is that the module's onenter script does do a location move on the character that is entering, but it did that with PRC 3.3 as well, so I don't understand why it would make a difference with PRC 3.5, when checking for the Skirmish bonuses.

I don't know what else to try - as far as I know, the Scout is the only class with the Skirmish ability.

If anyone else has the time to look at this, the PRC3.3-version of the module is available to be downloaded from the vault at http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Modules.Detail&id=6096. Just open it in a PRC 3.5 toolset, and resave it after recompiling the scripts. The top Merge hak doesn't seem to make a difference to this situation.

Create a Fighter, talk to Barliman in the Inn, do the quest for Hamfast and that will get you enough XP for level 2. (or just use a leveller module or DM). Choose Scout as your second level. Exit the module & reload the character. It works.

Exit the module, restart the server & reload the character - it should fail.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Are you running the module in the graphical client or the stand alone server?

We are running it in the stand alone server. (the LINUX stand alone server).

But I do seem to remember that once we had hardware problems on the Linux box and one of the other guys ran it on his Windows standalone server as a temporary measure, until we got the hardware fixed.

Over the years we've done campaigns to play through various modules, but we always end up back on this module.

Unfortunately none of us has the time or skills to host it as a public server - it'd be great if someone would host it as a public server again.

Looks right.  Did you remerge the 2da files in your top hak, if any?

Oh-oh. 

There is a "top merge hak" from the last time I upgraded the module (to PRC 3.3g), but this time around I did not remerge 2da files into it. Frankly because I have forgotten what I actually did a number of years ago to create that "top merge hak" and everything seemed to be working - well until this Scout crash happened. 

So .....

If you would be so kind as to jog my memory of what I actually need to do to upgrade the "top merge hak", I'd be most appreciative - and maybe we can solve this pesky Scout situation.

If it helps at all, I have been doing some more debugging, and I had come to the conclusion that the module crashes when trying to determine if the Scout has moved in the last round in order to determine whether Skirmish bonuses are deemed or not (this seems to be an EventHook that is added dynamically and executed onHeartbeat). When the module crashes, the hif_onenter script has already been completed.

Thanks

I didn't know you could even run the PRC on a standalone server without using NWNx2.

My group has been running this module with PRC and no NWNx2 as a private server on and off for the past 6 years or so. Seems to work fine (except for this pesky Scout situation).

It might become a performance issue if you're running it for a large number of players, but for 4 - 6 players it works fine.

Have you had a chance to look at the log? Does it give any hints as to what may be going on?

Thanks

OK I loaded that character with PRC_DEBUG set to 1 - the log is attached.

One other data point is that I created a fighter in that module and played to level 2 where I selected Scout as the class. I then exited the module and loaded up that character without any problems. I exited again and re-started the server. I then tried to load that character again and it crashed the server.

So the server has to be restarted for it to crash when the Scout is reloaded.

I hope someone can figure this out.