Ref Walking Crash

[VoteByGaming]

So I'm having a couple problems. Well, mainly one. Here's a ref-walk script for picking items up off the ground (possibly soon to be published as the sequel to Auto Loot):

 

 

 

scn codeStickyFingersScript

ref refItem
ref refItemTest
ref refItemBase
ref refItemOwned
ref refItemCheck
int shrtKeyPressed
int shrtItemQuantity
int intItemCountTotal
int intItemDistance
int intItemOwnerFaction
int intConfirmOwnership
int intPlayerFactionRank

Begin GameMode

if shrtKeyPressed != IsKeyPressed 38	
	set shrtKeyPressed to IsKeyPressed 38

	if shrtKeyPressed == 1 && glbStickyFingersToggle == 0 

		set glbStickyFingersToggle to 1
		messageex "Your aura has grown..."
		set intConfirmOwnership to 0

	elseif shrtKeyPressed == 1 && glbStickyFingersToggle == 1

		set glbStickyFingersToggle to 0
		messageex "Your aura has receded..."

	endif

endif



if glbStickyFingersToggle == 1

	set intItemCountTotal to GetNumRefs 201 1
	set refItem to GetFirstRef 201 1

	Label 1
	if intConfirmOwnership == 1
		if refItem.GetDisabled == 0
		printc "Problem: Disabled?"
			if intItemCountTotal > 0
				set intItemDistance to refitem.GetDistance player
				printc "Problem:  Distance?"
				if intItemDistance <= 200
					set refItemBase to refItem.gbo
					printc "Problem:  Base Object?"
					set shrtItemQuantity to refItem.GetRefCount
					if shrtItemQuantity > 1
						set shrtItemQuantity to shrtItemQuantity - 1
						refitem.Activate Player 1
						player.AddItem refItemBase shrtItemQuantity 1
						set shrtItemQuantity to 0
						printc "Problem:  Right before disable?"
						refItem.disable
						printc "Problem:  Right AFTER disable?"
					else
						if refItem != 0
						printc "Problem:  Right before disable (1 item)?"
						refItem.Activate Player 1
						refItem.disable
						printc "Problem:  Right AFTER disable (1 item)?"
						endif
					endif
					printc "One down, %.0f to go." intItemCountTotal
				endif
			endif
		endif
		printc "Before Pencil?"
		set refitem to Pencil01
		printc "After Pencil?"
		printc "Next Ref probs: %n" refItem
		set refItem to GetNextRef
		set refItemBase to refItem.GetBaseObject
		printc "Getting next ref? %n %n" refItem refItemBase
		set intItemCountTotal to intItemCountTotal - 1
		printc "Item total count?"
		set intConfirmOwnership to 0
		printc "Confirming ownership?"
		Goto 1
	endif

	if intItemCountTotal > 0
		set intItemOwnerFaction to 255
		if refItem.GetOwner == 0
			set refItemCheck to refItem.GetParentCellOwner
			if refItemCheck == 0
				set intConfirmOwnership to 1
				Goto 1
			else
				if refItemCheck.GetType == 6
					set intItemOwnerFaction to refItemCheck.GetParentCellOwningFactionRequiredRank
				endif
			endif
		else
			if refItemCheck.GetType == 6
				set intItemOwnerFaction to refItemCheck.GetOwningFactionRequiredRank
			endif
		endif
		if intItemOwnerFaction < 255
			set intPlayerFactionRank to player.GetFactionRank refItemCheck
			printc "Variable set. Checking Actor: %n" refItemCheck
			if intPlayerFactionRank >= intItemOwnerFaction ;|| refItemCheck.IsActorEvil == 1
				;if refItemCheck.IsActorEvil
					printc "Could be evil?"
					set intConfirmOwnership to 1
					Goto 1
				;endif
			else
				set refItemOwned to refItem.GetOwner
				if refItemOwned == 7
					set intConfirmOwnership to 1
					Goto 1
				else
					set refitem to Pencil01
					set refItem to GetNextRef
					set intItemCountTotal to intItemCountTotal - 1
					Goto 1
				endif
			endif
		else
			set refitem to Pencil01
			set refItem to GetNextRef
			set intItemCountTotal to intItemCountTotal - 1
			Goto 1
		endif
	endif
endif
End

 

 

Everything was running great until I finally killed an actor and that actor dropped a weapon. When getting within range for me to pick up the item, the game does an immediate CTD. As should be obvious with the 'printc' statements, I've been trying to locate the source of the crash. It happens directly after setting the reference to Pencil01, aka the GetNextRef portion. I've repeated it several times just to verify. My question, then, is how do I filter out "actor's dropped inventory items"? I've already set it to watch for items not belonging to me but... I'm at a bit of a loss.

Edited May 29, 2012 by CDTalmas

[rickerhk]

GetFirstREF will return zero when there are no references and GetNextRef will return zero when the loop runs out of references in the cell. This can cause it to crash when you perform functions such as GetBaseObject, etc. It's always a good idea to make sure refItem is non-zero before performing functions on it, and use the null returned as a condition to exit the loop.

 

example:

 

Label 1
if refItem
if intConfirmOwnership == 1

....

set refItem to GetNextRef
if refItem
	set refItemBase to refItem.GetBaseObject
   	......
endif


endif

[VoteByGaming]

GetFirstREF will return zero when there are no references and GetNextRef will return zero when the loop runs out of references in the cell. This can cause it to crash when you perform functions such as GetBaseObject, etc. It's always a good idea to make sure refItem is non-zero before performing functions on it, and use the null returned as a condition to exit the loop.

 

example:

 

Label 1
if refItem
if intConfirmOwnership == 1

....

set refItem to GetNextRef
if refItem
	set refItemBase to refItem.GetBaseObject
   	......
endif


endif

 

Actually, I found out something a little disturbing... So after a bit of investigation, I found that the weapon attempting to be picked up was a PN weapon. Evidently attempting to Activate a non-vanilla item is causing the CTD. And so far it's JUST the PN crowbar. Any ideas on this one? I can Activate items from other mods without a hitch! And the refItem was never null. It always had a reference (though, occasionally it would show as "<no name>" when performing a %n; the base object was just an empty sarsaparilla bottle). 'Tis why I also have the "if intItemCountTotal > 0" in place.

 

Oh, I also read that utilizing a null/empty explosion for the area effect search will actually speed up the game. I'm looking into it. Have found very little on it thus far however. If you have any info on that, I'd be in your debt!

[rickerhk]

I don't see anything strange about the PN crowbar. Except that an item that has been dropped has a dynamic reference that is destroyed when you pick it up. An item placed in the geck always has it's reference available to the game engine, even if it's been picked up.

 

Since you are picking up inventory items, have you tried just using the default activation to pick them up? (refitem.Activate Player).Then you don't need the refitem.Disable. Or actually, i'm curious why the disable function is there?

 

As far as other scanning methods, explosions can be used to scan for actors by having a script effect on them. They have a radius, can be 0 damage, and ignore LOS.

You can do the same with a spell, with a touch radius, ignore LOS, etc. Which is my preferred method. The explosions will make your shield icon on the hud light up.

But both of these only work on actors. And sometimes activators. I don't know of another method for scanning anything else, other than refwalks.

[VoteByGaming]

I don't see anything strange about the PN crowbar. Except that an item that has been dropped has a dynamic reference that is destroyed when you pick it up. An item placed in the geck always has it's reference available to the game engine, even if it's been picked up.

 

Since you are picking up inventory items, have you tried just using the default activation to pick them up? (refitem.Activate Player).Then you don't need the refitem.Disable. Or actually, i'm curious why the disable function is there?

 

As far as other scanning methods, explosions can be used to scan for actors by having a script effect on them. They have a radius, can be 0 damage, and ignore LOS.

You can do the same with a spell, with a touch radius, ignore LOS, etc. Which is my preferred method. The explosions will make your shield icon on the hud light up.

But both of these only work on actors. And sometimes activators. I don't know of another method for scanning anything else, other than refwalks.

 

Regarding the refItem.Disable, I noticed that I was Activating items after a small delay (usually after a quick travel or movement between multiple locations)... that I'd already picked up. I picked up the whiskey bottles all around the campfire south of Goodsprings four or five times. However, I'm now thinking that perhaps activating the item disables it and I should be able to work with the GetDisabled without disabling the items. I'll run a couple more tests just to be sure but I'm almost certain that activating it didn't disable it. Maybe I should run a check to see if the Ref still exists after activating it? Or perhaps picking up the Dynamic ref is the issue. I'm more inclined to think that it's the former rather than the latter.

 

One quick question regarding ref-walking that I think a few people have asked before: Ref-Walking has a third option labeled "include taken refs". Now, what exactly does that look for? Picked up items? Are items that are picked up disabled and tagged as "taken"? Does it check for disabled items? I'm a little curious about adding that one in to test... but I'm going to just try working with the GetDisabled value and see what happens with that.

[VoteByGaming]

Activating items does not disable them, unfortunately. Also, now, I'm trying to get GetOwner to work, along with GetType and they're both pulling up 0's. Hope this doesn't require a whole new game... I did manage to clear the crash by setting up a second REF variable (by having the first variable move on to the next ref BEFORE the second ref activates the item).

[VoteByGaming]

Alright, looks like I got everything working. For some reason, it wasn't detecting items with Player ownership... but now it does. I've gotten the crashes out of the way, though my roommate says that it's not picking up currencies. They SHOULD be listed under form ID 201, right? I'm sure I'll be able to fix it with a couple of verification statements...

[rickerhk]

 

One quick question regarding ref-walking that I think a few people have asked before: Ref-Walking has a third option labeled "include taken refs". Now, what exactly does that look for? Picked up items? Are items that are picked up disabled and tagged as "taken"? Does it check for disabled items? I'm a little curious about adding that one in to test... but I'm going to just try working with the GetDisabled value and see what happens with that.

 

'Taken refs' are items that have been picked up. They were objects placed in the Geck editor, so the game engine still 'knows' about their REF Id's. And can access these ref ids when a cell is loaded from the plugins. They are marked as 'taken', and a ref-walk can include those too. Though in your case, you probably don't want that.

If you pick up a Geck-placed item, then drop it, the dropped item's reference is not the original Geck-placed REF ID, but a dynamic ref, and only available in the save game. If you pick it up again, the dynamic ref ID is deleted from the game.

[VoteByGaming]

So, theoretically, I should be able to switch that option on and not have to worry about the whole "Disabled" aspect?

 

(Sorry, one of my shorter posts)

[VoteByGaming]

Now I've run into another problem... but this one related to NVSE: It can't find casino chips. I've looked through the code and it says that it's listed as 6C, which translates to 198. It also mentions that it is a part of "Inventory Items". Still not picking it up (in console or in game) :/

 

[Edit]Problem resolved. Simply performed a second ref walk once the first was complete (lots of aggravation setting up the checks, mind you). I am going to start a new thread now for further problems involving ref walking, as more and more issues keep spawning.

Edited May 31, 2012 by CDTalmas