A confusing mod problem

[Nylonathathep]

Hi, mates!

 

I don't usually hit the forums because I find some fun into trying to find solutions to my problems by myself, but this time I'm completely lost.

 

I've been working on the next release of one of my mods for some time now, and, about a week ago, I stumbled upon a strange and sudden problem.

 

The mod is an esp converted into an esm using FNVedit. It's a bit extense and contains many things, but what caught my eye is a specific issue: I use the famous autoclosing door script for the thing, and it seemed to work nicely... but suddenly, with no explaination, it stopped working. The doors open, but don't close after the timer is up!

 

Here is the script:

 

 

 

Scriptname AutoClosingDoor

float doorTimer
short closeDoor

Begin GameMode
if closeDoor == 1
if doorTimer > 0
set doorTimer to doorTimer - getSecondsPassed
elseif GetOpenState == 1 ; if the door is still open
SetOpenState 0 ; close the door
set closeDoor to 0
endif
endif
End

Begin OnActivate
if GetOpenState == 3 ; if the door is closed
set doorTimer to 5
set closeDoor to 1
endif
Activate

End

 

 

I thought maybe I had screwed up in the geck, so I reloaded a previous version that I knew that worked... and sure enough, the doors worked. But when I modified it with the geck, the doors failed again! Even just opening the esp, saving it with no modifications, converting it into an ESM and then going in-game causes the doors to stop functioning!

 

“Maybe it's the esp to esm conversion then?” I thought, but nope. If I convert the untouched .esp file of a working version of the mod without touching it with the geck, it works.

 

And there is a random component as well: some doors still work! Maybe doors in other cells, maybe some of the doors in the same cell. The results seem to be strangely semi-random, and this leaves me with little ground to detect a pattern. The only “consistent” element so far is that “persistent reference” doors seem to always work... for now.

 

This thing got me completely paralyzed: I can't just ignore a “healthy” script deciding to malfunction like this! It could be a symptom of other less evident scripts malfunctioning as well, or a computer problem causing issues to my mod.

 

So for the last week I've been testing like a madman, with zero results. I've tried...

 

*Reinstalling the geck

 

*Reinstalling FOSE

 

*Clean save

 

*Going back to a very old save

 

*Shaking my fist at the screen

 

*Deleting doors to check if it's a case of active script overloading -I use a lof of these doors-

 

*Disabling all other mods

 

*Yelling “Khaaaaan!”

 

* Many other things I can't remember at this time

 

*reverting and experimenting with different old versions.

 

That last point has been interesting, but still confusing:

 

-For some versions it seems to work, but then I locate a few doors that don't work.

 

-In others, no door works. Except the “persistent reference” ones, which seem to work consistently in all versions.

 

 

The door issue is the only malfunctioning thing I have been able to spot so far. I could ignore it and move on, but the fact that I can't find an explaination for it makes me believe that it could be a symptom of a more serious issue, and I won't feel like moving forward if I can't understand why does it happen.

 

Any help or suggestions would be very apreciated!

[jazzisparis]

 

 

*Yelling “Khaaaaan!”

Well, it didn't do any good when Kirk did it, either. ;D

 

Query: Why not make all the doors using this script persistent references?

[Nylonathathep]

Yeah, it only upset my neighbor.

 

As for the doors... well, yes, that would solve the thing, but I'd feel like I'm burying a problem rather than solving it. If this script stopped working for no reason, there's no guarantee that other less evident scripts are not dying as well...

 

I don't want to one day realize I've been working in a corrupt mod file for three months haha

 

EDIT:

 

Hmmm... and now I've tried placing trigger boxes with a simple script around and... they don't work in the master file (IF i add an esp file and alter them -move them slightly, etc...-, they work, with the same script and trigger box). This is starting to look very worrying, since I reverted to a very old file to check this.

 

I'm beginning to fear that the damn geck corrupted a file in a subtle way long ago... if so, this is serious and might lead me to abandon the whole project.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Nylonathathep

[jazzisparis]

Well, I probably should have mentioned that I've had a somewhat similar issue with scripted doors, that was gone once all the doors were set to be persistent references.

 

 

 

I'm beginning to fear that the damn geck corrupted a file in a subtle way

That's not something that is known to happen.

[Nylonathathep]

Well, I probably should have mentioned that I've had a somewhat similar issue with scripted doors, that was gone once all the doors were set to be persistent references.

 

 

 

I'm beginning to fear that the damn geck corrupted a file in a subtle way

That's not something that is known to happen.

 

I feared that, maybe, on a "save & quit" the geck crashed while saving and screwed things up... I am very careful with those things, but I've been working in this for so long that maybe one day I lowered my guard? But it would be a strange way to corrupt a file, too localized "corruption".

 

I've been looking for someone with a similar issue with the doors, I found no topics about it, and I was worried, because the script is quite popular. It is reconforting to know someone else had this problem, this makes me less worried about it being a screwed up mod file.

 

But I don't understand why the trigger boxes stopped working... and not even all of them! Just the new ones I place...

 

I made other tests with new master files and they work... but not in this one.

[Nylonathathep]

D'oh...uble post.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Nylonathathep