For Easycor, HiTech, and Skuzzy:
Aces High V2.31.3 (the current version as of this writing in mid-December 2013) crashes in a repeatable and uniform manner while trying to interpret a great many offline missions. I have experienced this on each of my seven XP machines and also on LINUX with the well-known "Wine" Windows emulator. Some missions don't seem to suffer from this malady, but (in my experience) most of my older ones do.
I can demonstrate this with any of several of my offline missions.
To help localize the problem, I stripped down my well-known "PeabodySimple" mission to the barest minimum, with all media files stripped out. This mission has a pair of P38s take off from an airstrip in ndisles and make a single pass over the nearest enemy airfield, where a pair of A6Ms are patrolling.
The mission source code compiles without error in V2.31.3 of the Mission Editor. It also "runs" to completion in the Mission Editor as expected. But when flown with in the usual way with the V2.31.3 front-end it always crashes at about the time the two sides come within icon range of one another. When it crashes, the current image freezes, and a brief snippet of engine sound repeats over and over again for about 20 or 30 seconds before Windows XP brings up a diagnostic frame complaining that the program is not responding and offering to terminate it. When I accept Windows' termination offer, it is properly terminated as you would expect and I am returned to a fully functional desktop.
You can access the source code and the resultant .res file here:
http://askmisterwizard.com/FlightSimMovies/AcesHigh/Ah2Missions/PeabodySimple/For2313/The exact same source code compiles and runs without error in old version 2.12.4 (which I use as my primary mission development platform). I've also had fine success with the larger version of the same mission (with a lot of optional media files for mission briefing and dramatic radio banter) on all of these old versions of Aces High:
V2.21.x
V2.26.x
V2.28.x
I am not sure when this problem first emerged, but it must have been in one of the versions between 2.29 and the current one.
I have experimented with some variables to try to isolate their effect on this problem. I have found that the crash occurs at the same point whether I use an older version of ndisles or the current one. Also, the presence or absence of optional media files (.wav, .bmp) makes no difference.
This problem may be difficult to find. In my experience with it, missions typically run for several minutes before the crash. I can't be sure what is triggering it. Some of my missions get well into frenzied combat before they lock up. Others lock up just before or just as opposing sides come within icon range. But it seems that if I "fly" one of these missions in a uniform way, each will lock up at the same point.
I hope this helps. Thanks!
