Level won't display properly with any script...

Seriously, anyone, any ideas? This level doesn't want to load regardless of what directories are referenced, and I've tried a bunch of different variations of the script file, and nothing works. It loads fine in preview mode, and loads fine with no level script, but as soon as I attach a level script--any of the A6 template scripts, the level will not load properly.

I've uploaded the level files, so if someone at Conitec is curious to see what's going on and would like to take a peek (Doug or JCL?) I'd be happy to PM the download link...

I'd still assume that there be something wrong with the paths. Although your setup looks quite okay, I'd at least have a try and simlpy copy all the map-entities into the same folder your level is in. Then simply open up your .WMP in Notepad and do a quick search-and-replace to correct all the map-entities' file paths. Open your level in WED again, recompile it completely and finally have another try.
Currently, that's the only reason I could think of... if this problem were related to the nexus, A6 sure would spit out an error message.

I checked the .wmp file, and all the folder/directory paths appear to be fine. All my entities and models are in the same directory as my level file already anyway.

Alright, I suppose that's out of the range of possibilities then.
The only other things that currently come to my mind are materials and origins. If you have any material effects (i.e. FFP effects or shaders) applied to your entities, I'd try to disable them in order to track down the problem. As for the origins: You might want to check the origins of your entities - if they are in a position to close to the camera, I think it likely that the whole entity might be clipped. I suppose I don't have to go into detail since you seem to know 3dgs's basics
But if I were you, I'd make sure all the origins are in the right place.

Currently, that's all I can come up with... keep us posted

I don't have any effects or shaders applied anywhere, so I guess I can check the origins thing, though there are plenty of entities that *should* be visible then according to that theory, since the camera is far enough back that it shouldn't be touching anything anyway (and I've tried from various camera positions already, with no effect)...

Regarding the origins issue, you could also try to find out whether fiddling with your camera's clip range does anything... I'd probably set a really huge clip range just to be sure nothing gets clipped.

Okay, I installed the 6.50.4 update, and now when I try to run the level with a script file attached, I actually get an error message before I see the messed-up 3D engine window view. It says "Malfunction W1508" and "Can't load". It doesn't say what it can't load, though according to the manual supposedly I'm trying to load a saved game or an info file from another game/project, but I don't see how that's possible since I'm using the basic walk-through script file as my level's main script file, unaltered. Can this error mean anything else? Is it indicative of some other error?

Well, this might be a long shot but, do you have a map entity inside of a map entity? The engine will (strangely) spit that error out if you do.

FixxeR

Ah.... when you say "inside", how exactly do you mean?
For example, I have a building and all its walls, floors, roof, built as a single entity. Then, I have the windows built as separate entities, and then in my main level, I have the building entity loaded, and then I have the window entities loaded and placed in the open window frames of the building entity. Is that what you mean? Or do you mean if I "built" an entity on its own that had another pre-built entity included in that build, and THEN tried using that combination in my level? If you mean the former example, then I'm not sure 3DGS is going to work for my project if I can't load pre-built pieces of my building like that, but if you mean the latter, I might be able to track down the extra entity in question and revise my build.
Thing is, it all works fine in preview mode. This really is a stumper.

I mean that latter. Having pre-built map entities inside of another pre-built map entity. Like, say you have some chairs that you built as map entities. Now, you create a house and put those chairs in it. You then build that house (with the chairs inside) as a map entity.

If you have a map-entity inside of a map entity it'll cause your map (and A6) to act strangely, and throw the W1508 error for some rason.

Hope this'll help,
FixxeR

Okay, this put me in the right direction!

I tried systematically eliminating entities from my main level until I would no longer get an error. I believe I have narrowed it down somewhat, though this didn't get the level to run. What I *did* notice after that that I was starting to get messages indicating a certain action/material wasn't found, so I added those back to my level script, along with some directory paths for at least one texture that wasn't being found. And I had to set max_entities to a higher level.

This allowed my level to load.

However, the template script I was using had me stuck in the middle of my level with no way to move (I don't have a player model--I want to use just cameras to move), so I edited the script to take out those player model references, as well as an erroneous camera script, and this allowed me to move around with the camera in my level.

A few problems remain, however. I still need to fix those entities that aren't loading, and now that my level loads, it seems that there are more entities missing than the ones I had previously narrowed down to (and some of them are simply TGA sprites that had been loaded into the level, which I wouldn't think should go missing at all). Also, movement is very slow, especially compared to preview mode, which is pretty fast. So I need to fix these somehow...

Here is my level script file:

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// A6 "Walk Thru" Project wdl:
// Created by WED.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// The PATH keyword gives directories where template files can be found.
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\template_6"; // Path to A6 templates directory
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\template_6\\code"; // Path to A6 template code subdirectory
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\template_6\\images"; // Path to A6 template image subdirectory
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\template_6\\sounds"; // Path to A6 template sound subdirectory
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\template_6\\models"; // Path to A6 template model subdirectory
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\work"; // Path to work subdirectory
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\work\\Exterior GL PIX\\Horizon Pix"; // Path to HPIX subdirectory
path "C:\\Program Files\\GStudio6\\work\\Exterior GL PIX\\Textures"; // Path to textures subdirectory

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Filename of the starting level.
string level_str = <GLMain.WMB>; // give file names in angular brackets

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Included files
include <gid01.wdl>; // global ids
include <display00.wdl>; // basic display settings
include <door01.wdl>;
include <nogouraud.wdl>;
include <sky01.wdl>;
include <tree1.wdl>;





/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Desc: The main() function is started at game start
function main()
{
// set some common flags and variables
// freeze all entity functions
freeze_mode = 1;
// no level has been loaded yet...
gid01_level_state = gid01_level_not_loaded;

// entry: Warning Level (0,1, or 2)
// entry_help: Sets sensitivity to warnings (0 = none, 1 = some, 2 = all).
warn_level = 2; // announce bad texture sizes and bad wdl code


// entry: Starting Mouse Mode (0, 1, or 2)
mouse_mode = 0;

// wait 3 frames (for triple buffering) until it is flipped to the foreground
wait(3);

max_entities = 5000;

// now load the level
level_load(level_str);

wait(2); // let level load
// level should be loaded at this point...
gid01_level_state = gid01_level_loaded;

//+++ load starting values


// un-freeze the game
freeze_mode = 0;

// save start of game here
wait(6); // allow time for functions that wait for "gid01_level_loaded" to load
file_delete("start0.SAV"); // remove any old savefile
wait(1);
if( game_save("start",0,SV_ALL) <= 0)
{
diag("\nWARNING! main - Cannot save 'start' of level (ignore on restarts).");
}
else
{
diag("\nWDL: main - Game 'start' saved.");
}


// main game loop
while(1)
{
if(gid01_level_state != gid01_level_loaded)
{
freeze_mode = 1; // pause the game
while(gid01_level_state != gid01_level_loaded) { wait(1); }
freeze_mode = 0; // resume the game
}
wait(1);
}

}


// Desc: this is the function used to restart the game.
function main_restart_game()
{
// wait 3 frames (for triple buffering) until it is flipped to the foreground
wait(3);

// freeze the game
freeze_mode = 1;

if( game_load("start",0) <= 0)
{
diag("\nWARNING! main_restart_game - Cannot load 'start' of level.");
}
else
{
diag("\nWDL: main_restart_game - Game 'start' loaded");
}

// un-freeze the game
freeze_mode = 0;
}


// Desc: this is the function used to quit the game.
function main_quit()
{
//+++ // save global skills & strings
exit;
}


Any suggestions would definitely be appreciated, and I appreciate all the help I have gotten so far. My goal at this point is just to be able to load my level with all entities and a camera view that is acceptably fast so that I can concentrate on testing my automatic doors, etc, before moving on with finishing the level architecture...

Alright, after some more tinkering around, I've discovered something else.

If I try to run the level now, there are a bunch of models and entities that show fine in preview mode but then do not load up in Run mode.

If I delete all the content of my level at one time and try to compile, of course it won't, but then when I hit "undo" and it all comes back, if I then compile again and "Run", DIFFERENT MODELS AND ENTITIES DISAPPEAR than the ones that disappeared before removing all content and then undoing.

Why would models and entities that had disappeared before suddenly appear, and models and entities that were there before suddenly disappear?

I'm thinking that there's nothing wrong with my models and entities themselves, but rather there may be an issue either with numbering system of the models and entities in my level (removing and "undoing" (re-adding) may change their "block number" somehow?), and/or 3DGS can't handle the number of models and entities I have in my level.

Can anyone else confirm or deny these theories? Is there some way I can force 3DGS/WED to re-number all the blocks and entities in my level?

Okay, after more tinkering and searching the forums here, I discovered that by lowering the max_entities a bit, I could improve the speed, so I lowered it to 2000 from 5000, and that seemed to help camera speed a lot.

When I build the level, it says it is placing 1234 objects. I am still getting an error of "Can't Load", and as per my previous replies, various entities/models just won't show up, even the all the ones I checked have noting wrong with them (ie, entities within entities). Does anyone know why WED would choose to not load some entities and models, yet choose to load others?

Thanks...

Also, is there a way to have WED report what object is causing the w1508 "Can't Load" error when I run it?

This is really getting interesting... in unfortunately rather negative a way. Since I have no ideas left as of now, you should probably consider posting a quick reference to this thread on the "Bug Hunt" forum.



PS. I thought I should mention this: You seem to be one of the rather oldschool Acknex users around here I suppose so because you refer to WED loading objects (instead of Acknex - WED has nothing to do with the errors you're getting) and to "Preview Mode". No offense but this is a little outdated
"Preview Mode" is an ancient term for the mode A4 still had. However A6 doesn't really have anything of the like. What you're refering to is nowadays simply called the WED 3D View. I'm telling you because when calling it "WED 3D View", it becomes more obvious that this view has plain nothing to do with the Acknex Engine. Since you stated you were a little bit surprised that your level showed up in "Preview Mode" but didn't once you ran it, I have a feeling you might have confused that.

Actually, I've only been using 3DGS for a couple of years now--you're giving me more credit than I deserve. heh

The "Preview Mode" I refer to is actually "Preview Level", available under the "File" menu... (as opposed to the 3D view window one sees while working in the level)

My level looks fine in "Preview", but for some reason it doesn't in "Run" mode. I can see the materials and actions working in "Run" (which don't show in "Preview"), but not all of the entities are loading. Like I said before, if I remove them all from the level, then add them back in, different entities will show and different entities will not show as opposed to running the level before I remove and re-add them. It's really weird. I think you may be right that this is a bug. I've gone over all my scripts, and I don't see anything (they're really simple scripts) that should be having any effect like this. I don't know why other people haven't noticed this, unless their levels just don't have enough objects in them to trigger this bug, but what do I know? At this point I think I'd pay money to have JCL or Doug look at my project file and tell me what's wrong with it... (assuming they'd do it)

Well, if nobody else has any comment on this issue (of some entities not appearing when a level is run that contains many entities, and which entities appearing and not appearing seeming to be entirely subjective), then maybe I'll go ahead and submit this as a bug with screenshots, etc, later this evening?