Re: [Plib-users] Crash in plibsl

[Steve B. <sjb...@ai...>]

Alexander Rawass wrote:

> alex@annika:/vast1/source/3d/plib/plib-cvs0808/examples/src/sl > time
> ./mod_demo
> 
> Segmentation fault

OK!  So we can be sure it's not an application failure.
 
> Somehow, it crashes, but no debug printout this time.

Interesting.
 
> I suspect an illegal MOD file - it was just lying around, never tested
> it before.

OK - better email it to me (*NOT* to the list please).

> Urks - I don't know if I've got some Tracker lying around.

You should probably grab a copy of Funktracker or something - it's always
handy for simple things like speeding the music up or slowing it down.

> Aeh - no.
> You should abort the playing of this mod, maybe try it from the
> beginning
> (if called as loopMusic()), but you shouldn't abort the hole program if
> there's any chance that gameplay can continue without playing the MOD
> (or without playing any sounds) or report an error somehow back to the
> game that uses sl, but please no exit().

Well, that degree of error checking is expensive to implement - and you
wouldn't REALLY ever deliver a game with a corrupt MOD file - so I don't
think it's unreasonable to exit when you find a bad one.
 
> Have you thought about playing MIDI-Files? (I know it's very different
> in playing from mods)
> I personally would like that better, and I have many MIDI-files around.

Well, very few end-users have their MIDI set up done correctly...and even
when they do, you have no guarantee that their instrument setups are
compatible with the original artist's intentions.  You might play a
subtle, gentle piano sonata - only to find that your end user has that
voice set up as "Trobone" or something!  There is a standard for this
"General MIDI" - but the selection of instruments is miserable.

Altogether - MIDI is a poor choice.

I'm told there are tools to convert MIDI to MOD - but I have no idea
what they are.

> I didn't touch MODs since I dumped my Amiga, and I expect one can probably
> find more corrupt MODs with real bad sound in the net than good ones?

Not so far.  Every MOD file up until now has played OK.

> I proably didn't run that mission with that MOD for more that 2min
> before, so the error didn't occur

OK. But the mod_demo test proves it's not application problems - so
we need to look at the MOD file and go from there.

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