Running The Feeble Files crashes ScummVM

rdp837 · Post by **rdp837** » Mon May 22, 2006 7:29 pm

Hello,

I've probably done something stupid. I'm running WinXP on an AMD XP1900+ and when I use the SVN builds (14th, 20th and 21st of May) of ScummVM to run the Feeble Files, ScummVM crashes after I click on "Start New Game" giving me the standard "Please tell Microsoft about this problem" dialogue box and nothing of any use from the console ("C:\Program Files\ScummVM>scummvm Looking for feeble Trying to start game 'The Feeble Files'"). Other Scumm based games seem to work fine though and I realy like the new menu.

I think I've copied all the necessary files from the 2 CDs and the installation directory of Feeble. And I converted all the *.smk files I could find. I'll attach a directory listing of all the files in my Feeble directory as well as the MS Error Report to the end of this message.

I'm not sure where to start to rectify this problem. I think there is something wrong at my end. Any suggestions? Is there a crash log for ScummVM (I had a brief look but couldn't find one)?

Thanks for your help in this matter,

Richard

The Microsoft error report reads:

[Excessive file list removed by moderator to make reading this thread a bit less of a nuisance]

Post by **sev** » Mon May 22, 2006 7:47 pm

See here on how to give a meaningful bug report. That info you provide either incomplete or not needed. Also see question #4.6 in our FAQ.

Eugene

rdp837 · Post by **rdp837** » Mon May 22, 2006 8:39 pm

Sorry about that I'll try again.

* ScummVM version (PLEASE test the latest Subversion/Daily build)

SVN Builds from 14/5/06, 20/5/06 and 21/5/06

* Bug details, including instructions on reproducing it

The Feeble Files (2CD version, English) crashes upon clicking on "Start New Game".

* Language of game (English, German, ...)

English

* Version of game (talkie, floppy, ...)

Talkie

* Platform and Compiler (Win32, Linux, MacOS, ...)

Win32

* Attach a save game if possible

Sorry no saved game.

I've done what is mention in 4.6 and (as I mentioned in the original post) it just displays
Looking for feeble
Trying to start 'The Feeble Files'

At this stage the Feeble Files game window appears, I click on "Start New Game" and ScummVM crashes and after the windows crash dialogue box I'm left with the command prompt and no helpful message.

I don't think its a bug (as more people would have mentioned it) but I think I've messed up with the files somewhere (I'm not going to cut and paste that list again but its on the end of my first post). Is there anyway of obtaining a meaningful error message. What is ment to happen after I click "Start New Game" (ie is there ment to be a video playing if so which one)?

Thanks,

Richard

Post by **eriktorbjorn** » Mon May 22, 2006 9:08 pm

rdp837 wrote:(I'm not going to cut and paste that list again but its on the end of my first post).

Looks like all the important files are there, as well as a couple of unimportant ones, like left-over Smacker files etc. My version has a couple of other movies, but that's all: disk1.dxa, disk2.dxa, disk3.dxa, disk4.dxa, charisma.dxa, nextdoor.dxa, omnitoy.dxa and qtime.dxa.

The dixk*.dxa ones aren't used by ScummVM, and the other four are optional. At least, from what I hear they're not included with the Macintosh and Amiga versions.

rdp837 wrote:Is there anyway of obtaining a meaningful error message.

From what I understand, you've already tried starting ScummVM from a command-line. You could try adding the "-d 9" option, e.g. "scummvm -d 9 feeble". This will print a lot of more-or-less cryptic messages, and may at least give an idea how far it's getting before crashing.

For reference, this is what I see around the time the intro movie begins:

Code: Select all

Switch to CD number 1
Opening hashed&#58; /usr/local/games/scummvm/feeble/movies/winasoft.dxa
Playing video winasoft.dxa
frames_count 300 width 640 height 480 rate 10 ticks 100
frame 0 type 2 size 3673
frame 1 type 2 size 8519
frame 2 type 2 size 11563
frame 3 type 2 size 11111

rdp837 wrote:What is ment to happen after I click "Start New Game" (ie is there ment to be a video playing if so which one)?

Several videos, actually: winasoft.dxa, mososp1.dxa, NewCredits.dxa, fasall.dxa, mus5p2.dxa, Coach.dxa and OutMin~1.dxa. And then the game should (finally) begin.

If you remove those files from the game directory, and that makes the game start, the something's amiss with the cutscene files. I'm told - I haven't tried it myself - that the --adpcm option to encode_dxa should not be used yet, so if you did that you may have to re-encode. Or wait for someone to fix whatever the problem is with it.

If it gets as far as the message "Playing video winasoft.dxa" it only means that the movie file was found. If it gets to the "frames_count 300 ..." message, it has verified that the file appears to be a DXA file, and has managed to make sense of the header. If, instead, it prints a message about a failed assertion, the file wasn't even a valid DXA file.

noize · Post by **noize** » Mon May 22, 2006 11:01 pm

I got the same trouble.

Opening hashed: E:\scummvm\adventuresoft\feeble\movies/WINASOFT.dxa
Playing video winasoft.dxa
frames_count 300 width 640 height 480 rate 10 ticks 100
frame 0 type 2 size 3673
frame 1 type 2 size 15633

And then crash.

In my case it is due to adpcm. Without adpcm encoded the video's and game plays fine.

rdp837 · Post by **rdp837** » Tue May 23, 2006 6:50 pm

Thanks eriktorbjorn & noize for your help.

I'd enabled the --adpcm switch without realy understanding what it did.
That'll teach me to blindly copy commands from a forum post.
Plays fine without the video. I'll amend my perl script and re-encode the videos.

And thanks for pointing me towards the debug mode I've just got to remember to use it next time I get stuck

Would it be possible to include it in the FAQ?

Once again thanks for your help and thanks to all the devs who have made ScummVM possible,

Richard

Post by **eriktorbjorn** » Tue May 23, 2006 7:24 pm

I took a closer look at the ADPCM trouble earlier today. I think I see what's causing it, but I'm unsure of the right way of fixing it.

noize · Post by **noize** » Thu May 25, 2006 9:33 am

Kirben solved the bug, adpcm encoded video's will play with latest build.

Post by **eriktorbjorn** » Thu May 25, 2006 10:37 am

noize wrote:Kirben solved the bug, adpcm encoded video's will play with latest build.

ADPCM seems to make the sound quality noticeably worse, though. Or maybe I did something wrong.

noize · Post by **noize** » Thu May 25, 2006 11:58 am

Odd, here it's hard to note the difference between the smk or dxa soundwise.

Another thing I noted is the size difference per frame, based on your posted debug output:

Opening hashed: /usr/local/games/scummvm/feeble/movies/winasoft.dxa
Playing video winasoft.dxa
frames_count 300 width 640 height 480 rate 10 ticks 100
frame 0 type 2 size 3673
frame 1 type 2 size 8519
frame 2 type 2 size 11563
frame 3 type 2 size 11111

and mine:

Opening hashed: E:\scummvm\adventuresoft\feeble\movies/WINASOFT.dxa
Playing video winasoft.dxa
frames_count 300 width 640 height 480 rate 10 ticks 100
frame 0 type 2 size 3673
frame 1 type 2 size 15633
frame 2 type 2 size 24881
frame 3 type 2 size 27962

Seems odd, no? I have used the latest encode_dxa build.

EDIT: I am using 4 CD version btw.

Post by **eriktorbjorn** » Thu May 25, 2006 1:24 pm

noize wrote:Odd, here it's hard to note the difference between the smk or dxa soundwise.

With norml WAV data there isn't any difference, of course. With ADPCM compression, I though I heard some distortion, at least with the file I tried. I seemed to get similar distortion when using SoX to convert the file as well, but I didn't do much experimenting with it.

noize wrote:EDIT: I am using 4 CD version btw.

I'm told the movies in the 4 CD version are of higher quality, so it doesn't surprise me that they're bigger than the 2 CD version.

noize · Post by **noize** » Thu May 25, 2006 3:10 pm

So you are using the 2CD version. Makes sense then. Thanks.

I was talking about ADPCM compressed files. Which file gave you distortion then?

Post by **eriktorbjorn** » Thu May 25, 2006 4:16 pm

noize wrote:So you are using the 2CD version. Makes sense then. Thanks.

I was talking about ADPCM compressed files. Which file gave you distortion then?

I only tried it with the "winasoft" one, i.e. the first movie that's played when starting a new game.

noize · Post by **noize** » Thu May 25, 2006 5:51 pm

Sounds ok over here. It's amplitude is a little softer then the original smk but nothing which I would call distortion.

Post by **eriktorbjorn** » Wed May 31, 2006 11:14 pm

Maybe the more aggressively compressed Smacker movies of the 2CD version, in combination with ADPCM, is what's causing the distortion?