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When playing KQ3 Redux the game crashed with the following message:

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Illegal exception
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An exception 0xC0000005 occurred in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x0043B2AA ; program pointer is +25, ACI version 3.20.1110, gtags (3,8)

AGS cannot continue, this exception was fatal. Please note down the numbers above, remember what you were doing at the time and post the details on the AGS Technical Forum.



Most versions of Windows allow you to press Ctrl+C now to copy this entire message to the clipboard for easy reporting.

An error file CrashInfo.dmp has been created. You may be asked to upload this file when reporting this problem on the AGS Forums. (code 0)
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OK   
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I have an error dump file if you need it, but I don't know how to upload it.

I tried that just now, and it still crashes as before.

With the release of AGD's KQ3 Redux, I decided to go back and replay Radiant's Kings Quest 3 Plus:  An Heir Raising Tale in order to compare the two.  At one point the game terminated with the following error message:

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Illegal exception
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An exception 0xC0000005 occured in ACWIN.EXE at EIP = 0x00449B26 ; program pointer is +77, ACI version 2.62.772, gtags (1,10)

AGS cannot continue, this exception was fatal. Please note down the numbers above, remember what you were doing at the time and notify CJ on the Tech forum.

(Global script line 3782)


Most versions of Windows allow you to press Ctrl+C now to copy this entire message to the clipboard for easy reporting.
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OK
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The error occurs when I am in the treehouse and click the rope on the sleeping bandit.  I first reported this in the forum for Radiant's game, but then I noticed that the error message said to "notify CJ on the Tech forum," so I am reporting it here as well.

When I first played this game a few years back I was able to complete the task without getting this error, so I wonder whether something has changed in Windows that causes this to happen.  I am using the same computer as I used before, running Windows XP.

EDITL  I changed the title of this thread because I thought the original title was too non-specific.

I am actually working on a newer version called Flux Warrior 2D.  You can read about it here:  http://www.replinemeadowsoftware.com/fluxwarrior2d

Just when I thought I had this game figured out, that skeleton thing emerges from a dung heap and crushes my skull.  What's with that skeleton?  He keeps popping up out of everywhere.

Ah, but you didn't have everything figured out.  You can't keep using the same combination of soldiers every time.  Try using a different combination sometimes.  And pay attention to what the civilians are doing (those little men in yellow).

I checked out the game like you said, and it's kind of interesting so far, but there's one thing I don't understand.  I'm supposed to click the mouse in the opposite direction that the arrows go to move that turnip thing so that it hits the beast and knocks it down.  But when the beast becomes a ram, it doesn't seem to work any more.  To get the turnip thing to hit the ram, I have to ignore the arrows, but then the ram doesn't fall down, or is he supposed to?  The ram turns out to be a skeleton in sheep's clothing.  When the skeleton takes off his ram's costume, he chases me and bashed me in the head.

All the beasts in the game don't require the same vortex to knock them down.  Although the Narulung (the bull) requires the Troforian Vortex (that turnip thing) to knock it down, the Shultung (the ram) requires the Carfurgian Vortex (looks like a child's top).  So instead of trying to align the Troforian Vortex with the Shultung, you should try to align the Carfurgian Vortex to it.  That should prevent you from being killed by that skeleton thing.

If you have any further questions on playing the game, as opposed to general comments, please post them in the hints and tips thread.

When creating accounts to periodically bump your game's threads in the completed games and hints and tips boards, you should probably not make them rhyme so that it isn't so obvious.

It's true that I have asked some people to post here to bump the thread to the top, but I have no control over the names of the accounts that they create.  If the mods have any problem with this, they can check the IP addresses of the posters.

There are no dead ends in the game.  Did you talk to everyone after looking at the dilapidated buildings?  If not, then go back and talk to them again.  Sometimes the same NPC will give additional information if you go back and talk to him later.

Yes, that is a bug in the demo, and it will be fixed in the final version of Flux Warrior 2D.  That was merely an early demo; the game is much further along than that demo would suggest.  I don't plan on fixing the demo, as I want to spend time working on the game itself.

Have you been to the Armory on your own (not counting the one time that you are taken there in the first half of the game)?  Have you created all the weapons that you can?  When researching new weapons, you must drag the icons in the precise way, with the spot where you grab the icon lined up with the image that you are dropping it on.  It can be a bit tricky.

After you have created a new weapon, you must follow the instructions for using it in the precise way.  Read the text when you have created the weapon, and talk to all the NPC's to find out precisely how the weapon must be used.

The first half is rather repetitive after a while.  Once you've constructed all the barracks, you keep doing the same stuff over and over until your "approval" ratings get high enough to get you to the second half.

Repetitive tasks are rather common in some games.  For example, in a certain type of game it's common to fight the same monsters over and over to increase your stats.  In this game, your approval ratings are the stats that you're trying to increase.  And a certain amount of repetition is necessary in order for the player to recognize certain patterns and figure out the symbolism of the Telmorg and Telnorg, which you state that you have indeed figured out.  Without the repetition, you would not have seen the pattern and figured out the symbolism.

I'm going to try to finish this thing . . .

That's what I like to hear!

[T]here are only two soldiers there (plus some civilians), so there are only two possible orders to use the soldiers in.  But if I don't have to use every soldier, then I am only using one soldier, so how can one soldier be used in the right sequence?

There are actually five soldiers for you to command, two in the screen with the fork in the road, and three more in the screen immediately to the north.

Or are you counting the civilians as soldiers, too.

No, because civilians are not under your direct command; they are actually controlled by the soldiers, which you do command.

But, in any case, there is no time to use the soldiers, for as soon as I talk to them the Narulung appears, and I have to take him down or be killed myself.

You use the soldiers after you have taken down the Narulung.

I have uploaded a new version of the game with the following changes:

The Gold Mirror and Silver Mirror now each have a hole in the middle to make it easier to find the hot spot.

You may now enter the help screen by walking through the doorway as well as by pressing the help button.

The main character's walkcycles have all been reversed.

The trees are now solid objects.

Debug mode has been disabled.

The About button now behaves in a consistant manner throughout.

The Skeftist now clearly explains that you must aim in the opposite direction to the direction that the arrows go.

In the help screen there is a new dialog option which also explains that you must aim in the opposite direction to the direction that the arrows go.

The Gonthanten will be properly scaled when you return from the help screen.

The game manual is now part of the download zip file, rather than a separate download.

I have also fixed two additional bugs that nobody has reported yet.

I did what you said and fired multiple times in the opposite direction as the projectile was traveling (nothing in the game suggested to me that I was supposed to do this, if you hadn't told me I would never have even gotten this far) and finally got the vortex to appear and clicked around to direct it onto the dog thing.

Did you download the game manual before playing?  The game manual states:  "You fire your weapon by clicking anywhere in the screen. Note carefully which direction the missle flies. To move the flux properly, you must keep clicking in the direction opposite that to which the missles are moving--that will drag the flux in that direction. When the vortex is alligned with the beast, the vortex will knock over the beast."  I thought I had the Skeftist say the same thing, but apparently I didn't.  I'll have the Skeftist say this in the next iteration.

So, I've done the whole practice thing.  Then, nothing happened for a while, I talked to everyone, but the other monsters wouldn't come.  After five minutes or so of wondering what I was supposed to do, they finally started coming, but I'm not sure what I did to trigger it.

You shouldn't have to wait to trigger the beast.  The beast will come after you have looked at all the buildings in Troforia, clicked on the two barracks, looked at the two soldiers, and talked to the two soldiers.

I killed a couple, and I now know that some are not good for offering.  Now, some other red guys come and steal my meat.  I'm not sure how to stop them.  One of the villagers in the new house says he'll try to stop them, but I have to hold the mirror to them first.  I do so.  But nothing happens.  He still steals my meat.  What am I supposed to do to stop him?

I have started a new thread in the "Hints and Tips" section to answer this.

And then I noticed that you left on debug mode, so I skipped forward through many rooms and saw how long this game was.

Oops, I'll have to turn this off for the next iteration.  Actually, I consider this a medium-length game.

The cursors have no clear hotspots which makes clicking on the tiny guys frustrating, . . .

I know that the characters are small, and that makes it hard to click on them.  The hotspot is in the exact center of the mirror.  Since the mirror is larger than the character that you are clicking it on, I'm not sure that marking the hotspot would do any good.  I suppose I could put a hole in the center of the mirror so that you could line up the NPC with the hole.  It would make the mirror look funny, but it would make it easier to click.  Would you like me to do that?

In the meantime, just remember that when you click the mirror on the proper soldier, the game will always give you a message.  If you don't get the message, then you have not clicked on the right spot.

. . . you can walk right through trees, . . .

More beta-testers would have helped.

. . . you can't re-enter the house in the center without pressing the help button which warps you in there, . . .

I thought this would make it easier for the player, since you can go there from any room without having to walk all the way back there from wherever you are.  It's unlikely that you'd already be right outside that building when you needed help.  But, okay, I can make the doorway lead back into the building if you'd really like that feature.

. . . there's no in-game indication of how you're supposed to go about what you're supposed to be doing, . . .

The help system was supposed to do that.  If you notice, a different dialog comes up depending upon what point you're at at any particular point in the game.  The game manual, the help system, plus talking to all the NPC's should tell you all you need to know to play the game.  But if you can point out some more questions to add to the dialogs, then I can add them.

. . . multiple bugs, . . .

Could you please list them.  Thank you.

walk cycles playing in reverse (have you not noticed that your main character is walking backwards?), . . .

I have looked at this over and over, with the game both in windowed mode and in full-screen mode, and I could not see what you're referring to.  Are you referring to the large sprite that Fribbi drew or the tiny sprite that I drew?  Do you mean when the character is walking to the right, left, forwards, or backwards?

Here is the walkcycle that Fribbi drew for the main character walking to the right.  I don't see anything wrong with it.

. . . typos, and a slew of other problems.

Again, could you please list them.  Thank you.

[A] new game mechanic doesn't make a new game genre.

It's not the game mechanics that make this a new genre.

Vince Twelve, I'd really like you to continue playing the game, so just tell me what I need to do to get you to play some more.  Would you like me to put a hole in the mirror to make it easier to click it on the soldier?  Allow the player to reenter the help screen through the doorway without having to click on the Help button?  Just make a list of all the things that I would need to do to get you to keep playing, and, if they're reasonable, I'll do them and upload a new version, probably in about a week or so.  I think that hints would be more useful than game changes, but I'll try to do whatever I need to do to get you to keep playing.

May the Flux be with you.

Here are some questions, with answers, that I have copied from another thread, because I thought that they could more appropriately be answered here:

So, I've done the whole practice thing.  Then, nothing happened for a while, I talked to everyone, but the other monsters wouldn't come.  After five minutes or so of wondering what I was supposed to do, they finally started coming, but I'm not sure what I did to trigger it.

You shouldn't have to wait to trigger the beast.  The beast will come after you have looked at all the buildings in Troforia, clicked on the two barracks, looked at the two soldiers, and talked to the two soldiers.

I killed a couple, and I now know that some are not good for offering.  Now, some other red guys come and steal my meat.  I'm not sure how to stop them.  One of the villagers in the new house says he'll try to stop them, but I have to hold the mirror to them first.  I do so.  But nothing happens.  He still steals my meat.  What am I supposed to do to stop him?

There are two soldiers that will help you with this, the Meridorian and the Diachorian.  The first thing to remember is that the soldiers must be used in the correct sequence.  Trial and error will tell you the correct sequence, or you can read on.  You must first command the Apoforian, then either the Meridorian or the Diachorian (but not both), then the Hagorian, then the Trogorian.  If you use the Meridorian, you must first hold up the Gold Mirror to the enemy Hagorian.  You can get most of this information from talking to the NPC's themselves.

However, one thing that you will notice is that the Diachorian will only work fifty percent of the time.  The Meridorian will not work at all the first time that you use him, because you need another soldier, the Prosphorian, in order for the Meridorian to work.  However, you will have the opportunity to obtain the Prosphorian after the first time that you try to use the Meridorian and fail.  After that, the Meridorian / Prosphorian combination will always work, but you will still need the Diachorian to finish the game, for reasons that will become apparent after you've used the Meridorian / Prosphorian comination more than a few times.

The cursors have no clear hotspots which makes clicking on the tiny guys frustrating.

I know that the characters are small, and that makes it hard to click on them.  The hotspot is in the exact center of the mirror.  Since the mirror is larger than the character that you are clicking it on, I'm not sure that marking the hotspot would do any good.  I suppose I could put a hole in the center of the mirror so that you could line up the NPC with the hole.  It would make the mirror look funny, but it would make it easier to click.  Would you like me to do that?

In the meantime, just remember that when you click the mirror on the proper soldier, the game will always give you a message.  If you don't get the message, then you have not clicked on the right spot.

If any of the above is not clear, please ask again, and I'll try to explain in greater detail.

I don't want to finish a game to see that, I want to sense the new genre throughout the whole gameplay. . . . I don't want a philosophical treatise; especially not at the end of the game, when the *playing* itself is over.

When I developed this game, I had a choice to make:  Do I let the player know from the beginning exactly what the game is about, or do I save that for the ending.  I decided on the second choice.  Maybe it was a good choice, or maybe it was a bad choice, but it was the choice that I made.  You may think it was rather sneaky, what I did.  I'll be interested to see what you think at the end of the game.

[T]his game would've been more comfortable in a 3D environment . . . that allows a better navigation of a three dimensional world.

Yes, definitely.  In fact, I originally developed the game as a 3D game.  However, casual graphics don't go over as well in 3D as they do in 2D.  (Download the 3D demo on my website, and you'll see what I mean.)  If any 3D artist plays this game and would like to do 3D graphics for the 3D version, please contact me.

I see your heart is in your concept and idea. That's perfect, because it can carry you a long way, such an enthusiasm.

I appreciate your comments.  I'd also like to read your comments when you've finished the game.

Think of it this way:  Suppose you're playing baseball in a stiff wind.  Someone tells you that it's a new sport, but you don't understand what he means.  But, when you get to the end of the baseball game, you discover that the wind isn't really the wind at all; the wind is actually a Scrabble board, and the baseballs are actually Scrabble tiles.  So you weren't actually playing baseball at all, you were playing Scrabble!

Hey, that's a great analogy!  I wish I had thought of that.

Let me also point out one thing that I mentioned on my website:  Flux World isn't a true Flux-Based Computer Game; rather, it's an introduction to Flux-Based Computer Gaming in the form of an adventure game.  Flux Warrior, which is still under development, will be the first true Flux-Based Computer Game.  This game is more of a transitional game, to introduce players to some of the concepts of the new genre.  I deliberately made the beginning of the game have the feel of an adventure game, with a familiar interface, so that the game would not feel too strange.  Flux Warrior, on the other hand, has a completely different interface.  That's one of the reasons that I didn't spend any time customizing the menu bar--Flux Warrior has its own menu bar which is quite different.  Also, in Flux Warrior you left-click to shoot arrows, right-click to command soldiers, and mouse-over to look at objects.  But I tried to make this game have a familiar feel, so, if it doesn't feel like a new genre, that's the reason.

After I sent in my $20 payment, you sent me an e-mail with a bunch of different versions of Flux World, including one called "Director's Cut."  Does the Director's Cut contain any extra scenes that were edited out of the final version?

No, it doesn't contain any extra sceens.  However, two of the rooms in that version are scrolling rooms that are not scrolling rooms in the final version.  I called it the "Director's Cut" because Fribbi wanted to make those rooms scrolling.  When Fribbi dropped out of the project, I put them back to non-scrolling rooms.

I'm not really sure what's going on in this game.  I certainly don't see anything that makes it a new genre.  A new game mechanic, or unique type of puzzle, maybe, but that doesn't really make a whole genre.  Maybe I just didn't get far enough.

The game may not seem at the beginning to be of a new genre.  However, when you make it to the end of the game and understand the symbolism behind everything, you'll understand what I mean when I say that it's a new genre.  I can't really say anytbing else without giving the game away.

I couldn't even kill the dog thing.

The Gonthanten (the "dog") rolls over and plays dead, but, unlike the other beasts in the game, doesn't actually die.  He's only there for you to practice on.

Shooting missiles makes them fly down and slightly left no matter where I aim them.  This is due to the "Flux" I'm told. (If that's what makes it a new genre, then playing baseball in a stiff wind would be a new sport.  )

It's not the Flux itself that makes it a new genre, but what the Flux, and everytbing else in the game, represent.

I can orient the arrow based on what area of the screen I click on.  However, I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to kill the dog thing.  It seems to me that I should stand above and slightly right of the creature and then fire an arrow with it oriented down or down-left as it would look if I actually were shooting an arrow at the thing.

Actually, it doesn't make any difference where you stand.  Simply shoot an arrow in any direction, and watch where the arrow goes.  Then shoot the next arrow in the opposite direction that the first arrow went.  Shoot the third arrow in the opposite direction that the second arrow went.  Keep doing that until you see the vortex approaching the beast that you are trying to kill.  Then shoot in the direction that will pull the vortex into the beast.  The arrows do not actually kill the beast; it is the vortex that does that.  The arrows merely pull the vortex in a particular direction.  The arrows are always sucked into the vortex, so shooting in the opposite direction that the last arrow went will pull the vortex in the direction that you need to knock down the beast.

If you need any more hints, you can ask for them on this thread.

However, the arrow just passes through the dog and it continues following me.  Perhaps there's a part to this challenge that I'm not getting.  You disabled my speech command, so I can no longer talk to the trainer guy, and the guy in the cottage at the crossroads offers no real help.  Perhaps whatever it is that I'm not understanding is the same thing that makes this some exciting new genre.

I tried to make the help system as robust as possible, but I couldn't anticipate every question or provide every detail.  So if you need more help, you can ask at one of the two places I mentioned above.

Also, I think the inteface and controls could use some work.  Actually, there's a general lack of polish all over, including broken walkbehinds, no way to walk back into an open door that you've just walked out of, useless dialog options that don't disappear, weird mishmashes of sprites, and a walkcycle that appears to be playing backwards.  Default GUI graphics.  And slapdash paint backgrounds.  I don't mean to sound harsh, I know you're not demanding money for this, I was just curious as to why you think this game warrants me sliding you a donation.

I know the graphics aren't great; that's why I'm offering the game as shareware.  If I can find a good artist, I'll produce a regular, non-shareware version.  But, as I've said, there's a lot in this game to understand.  When you get to the end of the game and figure out all the symbolism, you'll see what I mean.  Perhaps then you'll think it's worth a donation.

EDIT:  Link changed.

In the first half, there's still one room where the character sprites can walk a couple of pixels above the horizon.

That particular room is very "busy"; it is full of objects, hotspots, and walkable areas.  If I move the logical horizon down two pixels, it breaks some of the other functionality in the room.  I suppose I could redraw the background to move the visual horizon two pixels up to match to the logical horizon.  Anyway, I think it's hardly noticible.

I suppose you can attribute that to the influence of the Flux, if you wish.

Yes, you can think of it that way, if you wish.

When the player clicks on the "About" button he gets a message that gives copyright information but also supplies the URL of the website to go to to pay for the shareware.  However, if the player clicks the "About" button at the end of the game, it only gives copyright information; it doesn't supply the URL to pay for the game.  I would think that most players would want to pay after finishing the game, so it's strange that the URL is missing at the one time that it would be most useful.

Aaaaaarrrggghhh!  I'll have to fix this in the next iteration.  In the meantime, if you have finished the game and are ready to make a payment, you may simply restore an earlier saved game and click "About" to get the payment URL.  Of course, you don't have to wait until you've finished the game to make a payment.  Payments can be made at anytime.

I sent my payment, anyway, but I still thought that was strange.

Thank you.

I noticed a new feature added to your website that allows your home page to be translated into other languages.  However, no matter which language I choose, the final sentence, "May the Flux be with you!" gets translated as "The Flux be with you during the month of May!"  I don't think that that was what you intended.

Those are machine translations, so there's nothing that I can do about them.

[T]he room with the man behind the desk is the help screen; you are taken to that room whenever you click on the Help button.

But only in the first half of the game.

That is correct.  The help system works differently in the second half of the game.

May the Flux be with you!
June the Flux be with you!
July the Flux be with you!
All year round the Flux be with you!

Okay, I replaced the screenshot with one in PNG format.

So what don't you like about the screenshot?  It's taken from an early part of the game in a room where much of the action occurs.  There are other "better" screenshots, but not much action occurs in those rooms, so I didn't think that they would be good to use.  For example, the room with the man behind the desk is the help screen; you are taken to that room whenever you click on the Help button.  Fribbi drew that room, so the graphics are nicer, but it's not really representative of what goes on in the game, so I didn't think it would be appropriate to use that screenshot to represent the game.