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Strange GSL Scenery Problem

K

kdriver

Library Staff
Staff member
A few days ago, when installing UncleTgt's latest masterpiece, the Caroline Islands, the cfs2.gsl file became corrupted. I replaced the file with my backup and since then I can't fly from or to any PTO airfield with GSL scenery without the game freezing. I installed some PTO GSL scenery into my European theatre but I still have the same problem. All the ETO scenery works beautifully but when I go to a Pacific airfield, which uses many of the same objects, the sim freezes.

I've tried a number of cfs2.gsl files, deactivating layers, replacing DLL files, replacing DP and object BGL files all to no avail.

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this?

Thanks,
Kevin
 
Is all of your PTO scenery in one big folder or do you have it broken up into different folder according to whose scenery it is- so that you can activate and deactivate specific sceneries to find out which particular one is causing the problem. Does it freeze while loading the scenery or freeze when flying around and shooting up the scenery?
 
Hi MaskRider,

The scenery is broken up into both geographical areas and by author. I've tried every configuration I can think of, including deactivating every area.

Achim suggested the cfs2.gsl file might be too big - it is over 8mb - so I tried to fly from a stock Pacific base in my ETO install which has a cfs2.gsl only half the size but still has the stock GSL scenery included.

The game freezes when I go to free flight, select an airfield with GSL scenery and try to fly. The loading scenery window appears but that's as far as it gets. If I go to free flight and enter in the co-ordinates of a position about 30 miles from an offending airfield, I can start flying from that position towards the airfield. When I'm about 15 miles from the drome the sim freezes.

I have a single installation of CFS 2 which uses batch files to select the various theatres. The DLL & EXE files, the EFFECTS, GAUGES, MODULES, OBJECTS_DP, SCENERY, SOUND, SHIPS and most of the SCENEDB folders are common.
 
Do you have Martin Wright's GSLEdit.exe tool available? If you do, try opening your GSL file (s) with it and see if it opens.

Achim might have a point. Your gsl files might just be too big. But I don't know. The biggest gsl that I use is only 2.5 MB and it doesn't give me any problems. You might try breaking the gsl file into smaller gsl files so that only the objects for the very limited area in which you find your self are included. For instance I have separate cfs2 start shortcuts for each sub area of the PTO: Solomons, PNG, DEI etc..

Each area-specific-cfs2-shortcut calls up its own area-specific-cfs2.cfg file which in turn calls up its own area-specific.gsl file.

For instance, the command line in the DEI shortcut looks like this:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 2\cfs2.exe" /CFG:MR_DEI_GSL.CFG

And the business line of the MR_DEI_GSL.CFG file looks like this:

[PREFS]
UseGSL=mr_dei.gsl

From what you said it sounds as though you may be using a similar sort of set up?

In any event, try opening your gsl files with Martin's GSLEdit. See if they open. Even if they do, it might not be a bad idea to reduce their size. And if they don't open, size still might not be the issue- they may be "corrupted" some how.

MR
 
Another thing that would be worth trying. Find a copy of "empty.gsl" attached.

Rename it with the name of your current cfs2.gsl files (make back ups of the current files) and swap it into the sim in their place.

Then try opening and loading your PTO airfield in free flight. If the sim still freezes up then the problem lies elsewhere and not with the gsl files. However, if it doesn't freeze up, then a rebuild or at least a breaking-up of your current gsl files might be in order.

MR
 
Thanks MR,

Yes I have GSLEdit - I used it to find that my cfs2.gsl file was corrupted. I've checked subsequent cfs2.gsl files with it and they all look good.

I substituted that file with the original stock one which is only 263 KB in size - still no joy.

I will try your suggestions of using the empty cfs2.gsl and breaking up my large file into smaller ones.

Thanks again for your help - I'll report back.

KD
 
kdriver said:
I will try your suggestions of using the empty cfs2.gsl and breaking up my large file into smaller ones.

Thanks again for your help - I'll report back.

KD
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, when you swap in the empty.gsl file, if the sim still freezes then the gsl file is not the problem.

MR
 
MaskRider said:
Just to be clear, when you swap in the empty.gsl file, if the sim still freezes then the gsl file is not the problem.

MR
Click to expand...

Looks like the GSL file is not the problem. That method made no difference.

My next step was to move my backup files into the main SCENERY folder but that also didn't work.

I'm running out of files to substitute.

Thanks MR.
 
So, you renamed the empty.gsl file to the name of your current 4+MB gsl file, swapped it into the GSL folder, and the sim still froze?

I wouldn't start willy nilly replacing all of your back up files. The first thing I would do is deactivate all of your add-on scenery folders. Then run the sim and see if you still get the freeze up at the same places.

You might have to go to overhead view and slew to the offending locals since the airfields themselves will no longer be choose-able due to deactivating their folders.

MR
 
Hi MR,

I renamed the empty GSL to cfs2.gsl and, as I expected, had no trouble going to any location in my PTO, as there was no longer any GSL scenery. As soon as I added a single GSL scenery, regardless of how many GOBs it contained, and then tried to go to that location, the sim froze.

I can fly anywhere as long as there is no GSL scenery. Consequently all your older airfields are fine. If I de-activate every scenery layer, including mesh, land and water class, etc, it makes no difference - if I try to go to a location which has GSL scenery but may be devoid of any other scenery, the sim freezes. A single tree or building is enough to have this effect.

The weird thing is all the GSL scenery is working in my ETO which shares the same SCENEDB\inf\scenery and OBJECT_DP folders. However, as I mentioned earlier, if I try to go to a Pacific GSL airfield from within my ETO install, the sim freezes.

It appears to me the problem could be an external file which affects the GSL in my PTO but not the rest of the world. India and China which are in my PTO are similarly affected. :ques::banghead:
 
Hmmmmm....

As you say, yes, that is very strange.

"if I try to go to a Pacific GSL airfield from within my ETO install, the sim freezes"
Click to expand...

And when you try to go to a Pacific GSL airfield from within your ETO install with the empty cfs2.gsl loaded the sim does not freeze- is that right?

Was there ever a time when everything was working OK? In other words, was there ever a time when, with the exact same set up, that it was all working fine?

MR

PS did you recently swap in some new landclass texture files or custom textures that came with some add on pack? I believe that there are some cfs2 incompatible texture file formats that will cause the sim to freeze-up. It could be one object texture- an object which perhaps is not loaded in the ETO but does get loaded in the PTO.
 
Kevin,

Seeing as I feel at least partly responsible for your current predicament, let's see if I can help.

Try the attached gsl -it's from my current PTO/ CBI install, & I know it works OK (for me). Probably has most of the objects you are after ....:kilroy:
 
Hello again Maskrider & UncleTgt,

Thanks a lot for all your help and suggestions, both here and at Lindsay's site.

Although everything was working perfectly in all theatres of war before I installed the Caroline Islands package, it may be purely coincidental that this problem surfaced at the same time. I now believe it is quite possible my PTO cfs2.gsl had been corrupt for some time, but was not affecting my GSL scenery. I now recall, about a year ago, I was installing some new scenery and found there were a few corrupt GOBs. The GSL still worked except for the new airfields. The issue made it into this forum but I can't remember which scenery it was. It was subsequently fixed by possibly Rami.

MR, yes that is correct, the sim does not freeze when the empty GSL is put in my ETO GSL folder and I go to the Pacific (the new Caroline Islands scenery looks perfect by the way).

UncleTgt, your good cfs2.gsl makes no difference to the problem.

Since this problem started, I've been testing Achim's new SCW and BoB scenery as well as Rami's ports and Peenemunde, which means adding to my ETO GSL, and everything is still working perfectly in Europe.

Therefore, I am now convinced it's not a GSL problem.

I took out all the Caroline Islands textures from my PTO install, but that made no difference. In any case, my ETO didn't have them installed. So that rules out the textures from that package causing the problem.

All the new land and water class files for the Carolines are contained within their own scenery layers which can be deactivated or removed. None go into the main SCENERY folder.

So it seems to me a BGL file or texture which was previously installed in a common folder may be causing the problem.

Kevin
 
Thanks a lot for all your help and suggestions, both here and at Lindsay's site.
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest that you go over to Lindsay's site or email Lindsay and see what he thinks. He is very knowledgeable about this kind of thing and might have an easier time pin-pointing the problem. Compared to your CFS2 install, my own is very basic and simple, no ETO or anything like that and I have to confess that I was running out of useful ideas! :isadizzy:

I'll be standing by to see what the ultimate solution turns out to be!

MR
 
Thanks MR - looks like I'll have to stay in Europe for the time being. Rami keeps sending me missions to test in that theatre anyway. :salute:
 
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