segment handler violation...

[Christoph]

I'm trying to finish a Legacy-specific level but it keeps giving me that error (Segment Handler violation) when I try to add any significantly new part of certain size/detail and then play it. It seems somewhat random, because usually after deleting various parts it goes away, but then returns when I try to add or expand parts again. I did use a line-to-line tele with AND without that error, so it's hard to say if that's a factor (though someone else did say it seemed to be a cause). However I've also gotten the error without using line-to-line teles - could it simply be an overload of misc data? It seems to be the game engine's fault, not the editor or even wad itself. Perhaps the amount of memory allocated to the game itself has something to do with it? Or perhaps similar limitations of the Legacy engine are causing it to crash?

I'm fairly certain it has nothing to do with linedef-actions or scripts (I don't even use scripts yet except what's already in Doombuilder) or if it does, it beats me why it crash from it. I'm pretty certain I have no problem linedefs causing any trouble, and even if I do the game apparently runs fine. Only when I add or embellish does it get that error.

My level IS rather large and intricate, having over 1,500 sectors and a similar number of things, and I'm not quite done yet either.

Anyone have any ideas what could be causing this Segment Handler violation, and any possible solutions that don't involve sacrificing or simplifying my map?

[Guest DILDOMASTER666]

IIRC a Segment Handler Violation means the engine has no idea what the fuck you did, but you sure fucked something up royally.

[Christoph]

Well I have no idea what I did wrong either, because as far as I know I did everything right just like on the rest of the level. Only when I add a certain amount more detail does the game, not the editor, decide that something's wrong.

[Searcher]

If I remember correctly; doesn't this have to do with the memory heap used when in game. Have you set your heap to at least 16 meg or so then tried it?

from legacy doc \ console
"[2-9] Miscellaneous
===================

memfree
Show the amount of heap, virtual and physical types of memory
available. The heap is the memory allocated for the game, and
you can change it using the '-mb' command line parameter
(see legacy.txt)"

edit: typo

[Christoph]

In the .bat file that I use to run the game, I already have it set to -mb 50. Also when it crashes, it does so when loading the level at the beginning of the newgame, or after typing "map map01" at the console. Is there a limit to how much memory you can allocate for Legacy? Even so I don't know if that's the problem in the first place or not.

[andrewj]

Fisk said:

IIRC a Segment Handler Violation means the engine has no idea what the fuck you did, but you sure fucked something up royally.

Not necessarily, could easily be caused by a bug in the engine.

How many linedefs in this level? Sounds to me like you have overflowed the limits of the Doom wad format, and that is causing Legacy to crash. Probably best to ask about it on the Legacy forums at NewDoom.

[Christoph]

Ajapted said:

...
How many linedefs in this level? Sounds to me like you have overflowed the limits of the Doom wad format, and that is causing Legacy to crash. ...

It's pretty close to 10,000. In fact I just did a test by adding more lines, so now it's more than 10,000, I added 2 line-to-line teles, and it still runs fine (I even removed the extra MB from the .bat file). But probably as soon as I put in some actual effort then it'll crash again, who knows.

[kristus]

When I made Phobia, I found myself forced to allocate more than 50 mb. or so I seem to recall anyway. For one of the maps to not crash I had to allocate over 300mb IIRC.

[Christoph]

kristus said:

When I made Phobia, I found myself forced to allocate more than 50 mb. or so I seem to recall anyway. For one of the maps to not crash I had to allocate over 300mb IIRC.

Good wad btw! Although when I played that one I never had to use more than 50, if any at all. I wonder the recent error(s) has anything to do with the semi-crappy state of the computer I use (it has to run in safe mode or it won't run at all, which really sucks). So maybe it's the decreased video support that could be causing the problem? On the other hand I remember that same wad crapping out with the same error a while before, when the computer was still good (although it had a slightly older motherboard back then, so maybe it's an even trade-off). Seems a bit dubious from any perspective so far..

Edit: Actually what I meant to say from the start of this thread was "signal_handler() : segment violation" (not whatever else I said) if you want to be technically correct. And just now, after I simply added a closed-wall staircase, it caused Legacy to crash with that error again. It seems pretty stupid not being able to finish a wad properly just because of some elusive yet deadly bug... I guess no one's actually found the cause of it then, unless my wad is just too big for Legacy to handle.. :rolleyes:

[kristus]

If you ran Phobia using the .CMD batch file I had enclosed with it, you would have ran it with 511mb allocated memory.

Segment violation error is something Legacy tosses out pretty much everytime it crashes. If you want to really find out what caused the crash, then you need to open log.txt in your Legacy directory.

It's not definitive that it's written there. But if there's something a bit more tangiable, then it'll be there.

I myself never had any problems with finishing the map structure in Legacy, all the issues came when I added monsters and scripts to the maps. And I could most of the time solve those by using a bit of "hacking".

Map05 in particular springs to mind. A script that had ran fine before I added monsters now would make the game crash. IIRC It wasn't the script itself that crashed it. But the way it was executed. So I went through a few hoops and got it to execute in a different way and there were no longer any problem.

[Christoph]

At Last! I have discovered a/the culprit!!

It seems to be the 2 wire-to-wire tele's I put in. When I removed only their effects/tags, it ran fine, and when I put them in again it crashed.

The memory seemed to have nothing whatsoever to do with it - it ran fine without any extra mb, and still crashed even with 511 mb added.

It kinda sucks because that's one of my favorite effects, and it would've been perfect for that part of the level. I have used it in that wad without causing it to crash, but this time it seems directly caused by it. I guess I'll just try to finish the wad without using it and hope it doesn't crap out anymore. Save the juicy effects for another wad..