[Tool] EPW-Bug Repair (Excalibur has no primary weapons)

url=http://forum.wcsaga.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=32:1bw42knn]from wcsaga.org (german)[/url

Reference: Excalibur has no guns

Backlinks: CIC News

1. Background

In very rare cases the WCS profile can be corrupted and the Excalibur lose her primary weapons (canons). So continue of the campaign is impossible. The good news is, this bug (between mission 36 and 37) is really very rare and the profile can be repaired. And if the profile is repaired, the campaign can be completely finished.

To understand what exactly is the EPW-bug here are 3 pics. The first one shows the bug, the following pics shows the repair process. To keep this thread clear, i used the spoiler feature.

EPW-Bug screenshots
[spoiler:1bw42knn][attachment=1:1bw42knn]<!-- ia1 -->screen0085.jpg<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment:1bw42knn]

[attachment=2:1bw42knn]<!-- ia2 -->screen0086.jpg<!-- ia2 -->[/attachment:1bw42knn]

[attachment=0:1bw42knn]<!-- ia0 -->screen0087.jpg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1bw42knn][/spoiler:1bw42knn]

2. The repair tool

The repair process have 3 steps. Step 1 and 3 can be done in WCS, only for step 2 the tool is needed. So the tool is "minimally invasive". All steps are described in the readme. The tool have several checks included to ensure that the profile have the correct structure for the tool. Only if all 3 checks was positive and the EPW-bug is found, you get the choice for repair.

After starting the tool it is asking you for the corrupted WCS profile, then the tool checks the structure of this profile. If all is fine, you can start the repair process. A backup of your profile will automaticaly be created before the repair begins. All actions have her own validation process and you will be informed by the tool if anything is wrong. If you get an error message, then you can find the description for this message (and what is to do) in the readme.

3. Pictures from the repair process (step 2 of 3)

[attachment=5:1bw42knn]<!-- ia5 -->PicPick_2013-07-16_19_29_12.png<!-- ia5 -->[/attachment:1bw42knn]

[attachment=3:1bw42knn]<!-- ia3 -->PicPick_2013-07-16_19_29_27.png<!-- ia3 -->[/attachment:1bw42knn]

[attachment=4:1bw42knn]<!-- ia4 -->PicPick_2013-07-16_19_29_32.png<!-- ia4 -->[/attachment:1bw42knn]

4. What to do if the tool doesn't accept/repair the profile?

If you have exactly done what i wrote in the readme, then it is maybe a variant of the EPW-bug i don't know. So i need your profile for analysis. The easiest way for sending me your profiles is to use our Support Tool . Select "Include game profiles" additionally and click <Create Support ZIP only>. Or you do this manually:

On your computer you can find the profile files here:

Profile path on Windows XP / Vista / 7
My Documents > Volition > Wing Commander Saga > data > players > single

I need the following files:

Profile files
{profile name}.pl2 <- NEEDED
{profile name}.codename_hermes.cs2 <- NEEDED
{profile name}.prologue.cs2 <- optionally

5. One thing please: give feedback and send me your profile

Every pilot with this bug in his WCS profile, please report here. Also if my tool have successfully repaired your profile. I am still searching for other corrupted profiles. Help me to help you.

At this point thanks to KalEl and Moisha. Without their feedback the tool would never have been possible.

6. Known cases

WCS Forum: Moisha , EXRoller
WCS Bugtracker: zamboni59
Wingcenter WCS: KalEl
Wing Commander CIC: EXRoller , Oceankhayne
HLP: CT27

7. Download

Download from wcsaga.org forum thread

Changelog
[spoiler:1bw42knn]1.0.0.1 2013/7/16

• Fix: If the WCS profile contains no prologue profile the backup process can&#39;t work properly and failed with the error message "Backup has failed!" before the repair begins. (Report: Catty)
• The most requester have now english buttons instead of local Windows language. This makes step-by-step instructions more simple. Except the FileOpen dialogoue.

1.0.0.0 2013/1/23

• First release

[/spoiler:1bw42knn]

Added point "7. Known cases".

Moisha reported this morning that the repair process works: "I repaired my profile and can continue career."

Welcome on board Catty

Catty wrote: Hope this post belongs in here!

Relative to the "Backup has failed!" problem and because the tool said the profile have the EPW-Bug:
yes. But the effective issue have nothing to do with the EPW-Bug so the tool can't help here.

First i need your profiles for further investigation. And i need to know more about your system:

Please download Debug-Build Support-Tool and activate the following options:

Include system report (DxDiag)
Include installation check (MD5)
Include game profiles (x found)

Then press <Create Support ZIP only> and post here the fs2_open_SupportTool.zip.

Thx for the ZIP. At the moment i'm in the office so i have no time to analyze the logs.

At evening i can say more maybe. Stand by.

Now it's lunch time here, time to read the logs and have a first sight at the logs and profiles. ^^

Wowowow, this looks not good. Your profile is nearly completely empty. This is an extremely rare bug. There is nothing i can repair, sorry. The only possibility is to create a "mixed" profile with yours and one of Tolwyns reference profiles. But then you have not your own statistics until to your current mission. Have you no backup?

And my first assumption was correct, the EPW-Repair can't help here. But the "Backup has failed!" message and your profile pointed me to a problem in my tool. There is definitely a bug i will fix ASAP. I simply forgot that not all pilots starts with the prologue campaign.

Apropos prologoue, have a look at this post .

Edit: and another point: your WCS installation is ok, but it is the original release. Please update .