BC Technical FAQ

[MLeo]

You mostlikly came here to find an answer for a problem you are having with BC.
Therefor I have compiled a list with the most common problems with BC.
If you can't find it here, then please, use the search function first before you make a new thread in this forum.

If you are having a "BSOD" (Black Screen Of Death as it's called, or Black Screen Of Death With Yellow/Federation (Shield) Cursor/Mouse) and you can't find the answer to it, then make sure you look here.
It is an extensive thread on how to "fight" BSODs. But if you can't fix it, then please, make a new thread on it (just make sure you have searched both this thread and the forum).

You can submit more FAQs by PMing or E-Mailing me (or contact me on MSN). Though if I answer a thread in this forum then I might add it here if I find it relevant. Though suggesting doesn't hurt.

And if you have a problem with BC, then do remember, reinstalling isn't an option. ;)

Without futher ado, is the list:

• CG Sovereign problem
  
• Crash in E3M1 or E7M*
  
• Save game problem
  
• D3D Render Creation Failure
  
• Seemingly random crash to desktop when AI or player using a ship
  
• Expansion001 missing, not found
  
• Floating Crew Problem
  
• SNS Galaxy Texture problem
  
• Coloured squares appear around ship(s)
  
• Mods don't seem to work
  
• The viewscreen is acting strangely *New* 2007-08-21

[MLeo]

Problem:
BC crashes in E3M1 when the Klingons warp in or E7M? when you get the Phased Plasma Torpdoes when you use CG Sovereign (V1)

Reason:
The hardpoint doesn't have the neccesary torpedoes needed (namely Quantums and Phased Plasma) which will make the scripts try and access things that don't exist, which, as you no doubtedly have guessed, will cause the crash

Sollution:
Add the following 2 torpedoes to the hardpoint:
Tactical.Projectiles.Quantum (for the sake of balance, you should make the maximum torpedoes 0, stock value is 60).
Tactical.Projectiles.PhasedPlasma (make the amount 0, just like stock)

Or you can download my fix for it (see attachments). The file goes to:
scripts\ships\Hardpoints

[MLeo]

Problem:
Save games won't work anymore (and/or say that they are corrupted) after I installed Mod X or I have NanoFX installed (and/or started again).

Reason:
The BC save system records almost everything, including current HP condition, and it's max condition, and it will say that the savegame is corrupted when the newly loaded values (from the hp file) don't match with the values in the savegame because a mod has changed them.

With NanoFX there is something similar going on. NanoFX is very random by nature, so the values it records from the save game, and provided by NanoFX don't have to match, and result in a corrupted savegame.

Sollution:
Try not to use save games, but use select the mission you were on in the Custom Missions section (above the QuickBattle button) that part gets updated when you complete a mission. You might not get accurate HP results, but it's better than nothing.

[MLeo]

Problem:
When you start BC you get an error message saying as a title:

Renderer Creation Failure

and as message:

D3D Render Creation Error
Error string from renderer was:
"Creation failed: Desired fullscreen display mode not supported"

After which you get a crash message and will exit to desktop.

Reason:
BC tries to start up in a resolution it can't do on your configuration, that may be possible in the case that you just changed your hardware, which doesn't support your the resolution, but usually, it is because (for some reason, like BC crashed to desktop) the width and height are set to 0 in the configurations file. Sometimes, a program (doesn't have to be BC) doesn't handle the exit of it's DirectX resources, leaving the computer unable to use it untill you reboot.

Sollution:
You can either delete your options.cfg or you can open it in notepad and edit the width and height values in there (set the values to say, 800 and 600 or any other "normal" values like 640 and 480, 1024 and 768).

You can find those variables under the "[Graphics Options]" header.
You must edit it on the same line and always behind the |. Spaces (or whitespace) are important and shouldn't be introduced, nor spaces afterwards. Also, only digits are allowed, no letters.

You can find options.cfg in the same directory as STBC.exe

Usually, a reboot will also fix this.

[MLeo]

Problem:
BC seems to crash to desktop at random times, or just when you try to fire.

Reason:
When this happens, it is usually that BC is trying to use a projectile that it can't find.

Sollution:
Try checking the torpedo settings, this is only once (or pulse settings, for each pulse weapon) in the HP, or try and contact the mod author.

Please note, that your problem might already been handled on the forum, I suggest you use search first with as search parameters: Name of ship, projectile and crash, I think these should narrow it down enough.

Updated 2009-05-22, a proper solution has been found for this problem, in the form of the mod DiamondBC - Projectiles

[MLeo]

Problem:
In the console report it says something about Expansion001 not being found.

Reason:
This error happens when you first had ATP1 (or 2) installed and then installed NanoFX. ATP (pre 3) are relying on a QuickBattle modification to "inject" ATP into your game.

NanoFX also uses a small modification, but it doesn't include the modification of ATP.

Sollution:
The simplest is deactivating ATP.
Some people have managed to get success with reinstalling ATP (this is possible because the modification to QB by NanoFX isn't a real major one).
Another is to add the change of ATP1 to QB.


UPDATE 2006-07-23: I plan on making mod that will make ATP1 (and 2) always compatible with your BC.
UPDATE 2007-08-11: I guess I forgot to link this:
Fix in beta here, so far it works

[MLeo]

Problem:
I just installed this bridge and my crew is floating!

Reason:
The original bridge plugin with the Foundation didn't include the proper code to allow new locations (for the crew memembers) to be added, so the code defaulted the locations to their default ones (namely the galaxy positions). A fix for the bridge plugin was made to allow these new locations, but there was a lot of transitional problems, some bridges didn't include it, and others do. Those that didn't include it overwrote a file (commonanimations.py) that included _all_ the animations for that specific bridge. And the fix reset that file to the stock file, since it wasn't needed anymore to include all the diffrent locations.

Sollution:
Download the latest version for your bridge in which you are experiencing the floating crew problem and let it overwrite _all_ files.
If it is a really old bridge, contact me (MLeo) and I'll see what I can do about it, but for most bridges there are new versions of them with the plugin.

[MLeo]

Problem:
My SNS Galaxy does not have the correct ID textures or shows a garbled version of the stock galaxy textures.

For this problem there are 2 common reasons, if reason 1 isn't it, then it's likly to be reason 2.

Reason 1:
To allow Scotchy to release a pack of galaxy's of his size without the need to have lot's of duplicate textures, I made a V2 of my SDT (starship Skinning and Damaging Tool) which allows modders to include many id textures with a common set of textures and common models so that the size would be kept smaller than to have many duplicates.
The reason why your galaxy doesn't have it's correct textures is that the SDT is off.

Sollution 1:
You need to activate it in the mutators screen. It has the name "Skinning And Damaging Tool."

Reason 2:
It could be that BCMP has disabled the ship plugin for SNS Galaxy.

Sollution 2:
Go to scripts/Custom/Ships and see if you have a file called Galaxys.disabled if you have, then change disabled to py
The checker of BCMP failed to see that the plugin is valid. This is because the checker isn't really made for all the new plugins and can disable a lot of plugins that are valid.

[MLeo]

Problem:
There are coloured squares around my ship or around other ships.

Reason:
NanoFXv2Beta has a feature called "Blinkers". And ships can include them. So the squares you see are those blinkers.
If you see these squares you don't have NanoFX installed or the blinkers aren't configured correctly.

Sollution:
Install NanoFXv2Beta. If you already have it installed, check the configuration panel of NanoFX to see if it's activated. If it is, contact the mod author to see if he can do something about it.

[MLeo]

Problem:
Mods don't seem to work.

Reason 1:
You didn't install the mod properly.

Reason 2:
You didn't install the Foundation

Sollution 1:
Read the readme that is included. Or if there isn't, do a search (likely someone else will have had the same problem), or look at the comments of the file if you got it from BCFiles (last time I check, all mods require a readme).

Sollution 2:
Install the Foundation. I would go as far as to say that the Foundation is the second most important thing for BC, right after BC itself. It what makes mods go, without a lot of hair pulling and swearing and reprogramming BC.

The Foundation is included in BCMP and BCMI (see BCFiles for those).
I'm planning for a FoundationSDK, which will include the Foundation, but it won't be ready for some time.

[MLeo]

Problem:
After starting QB none of the crew respond normally (no menu) and the viewscreen seems to copy the surrounding bridge when moving.

Reason:
It would appear that this is caused by a hardpoint not being found in the starting ship you are using.

Sollution:
You will have to fix the reference, it's possible that a typo is made in the ships file in scripts/Ships.
If you can't fix it yourself, then start a thread here with the link to the mod you installed.

Thanks to USS Sovereign for identifying the cause of the problem.