Download Area CRE Checker

Area CRE Checker v2 by Miloch
A utility for the Baldur's Gate II engine
http://www.shsforums.net/index.php

This is a small utility that scans all creature references in a particular area and its script. Its goal is to locate faulty creatures that can cause the game to crash. The main issues include:

- Creature does not exist
- Animation does not exist
- Animation is invalid
- Creature weapons cause animation glitches

The utility will output a list of creatures and animations to /areatest/arealog.txt for further analysis. A sample output from unmodded BG2's ar0406 (Copper Coronet) is:

File        CRE       Name                  Animation     AnimName                 AnimType
ar0406.bcs  escort1a  Cominda               nprohg1e.bam  harlot_woman             bg1_char_simple
ar0406.bcs  escort2a  Kerstia               cifb1a6.bam   fighter_female_halfling  bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  escort3a  Jenthan               chmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_human       bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  copamb01  Gladiator             chmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_human       bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  copamb02  Copper Coronet Guard  chmb1a6.bam   cleric_male_human        bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  copamb03  Gladiator             cemb1a6.bam   fighter_male_elf         bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  copamb04  Gladiator             cdmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_dwarf       bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  copamb05  Copper Coronet Guard  chmb1a6.bam   cleric_male_human        bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  doug      Festule the Alchemist cemb1a6.bam   thief_male_elf           bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  bunkin    Bunkin                chfb1a6.bam   fighter_female_halforc   bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  gorf      Gorf the Squisher     moghg1e.bam   half_ogre                bg1_monster
ar0406.bcs  ccguard1  Copper Coronet Guard  chmb1a6.bam   cleric_male_human        bg2_character
ar0406.bcs  ccguard2  Copper Coronet Guard  chmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_human       bg2_character
ar0406.are  lehtin    Lehtinan              chmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_human       bg2_character
ar0406.are  surly     Surly                 chmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_halforc     bg2_character
ar0406.are  wench1    Tavern Wench          nprohg1e.bam  harlot_woman             bg1_char_simple
ar0406.are  ruffian   Amalas                chmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_human       bg2_character
ar0406.are  rufpal1   Ruffian               chmb1a6.bam   fighter_male_human       bg2_character

The utility also generates a test area and script that will automatically spawn each creature to see which (if any) causes an issue. This saves you from having to go through the list and spawn each creature manually, as you can simply MoveToArea("t-test") from the in-game console.

Usage:
1.  Consult bg1aref.htm or bg2aref.htm in the areatest folder to look up your area code (or use the IESDP)
2.  Double-click on setup-areatest.exe in your game folder and input the area code when prompted
3.  View the output of areatest/arealog.txt
4.  If no issues are apparent in arealog.txt (such as UNKNOWN_CRE or UNKNOWN_BAM), start or load a game
5.  In the game, select only your main character (not other party members)
6.  Press Ctrl+Space to open a console window and type: MoveToArea("t-test")
7.  Wait while the test area script spawns and purges each creature
8.  Wait until you see either "Done and done!" or you get a freeze/crash (CTD)
9.  If you encounter a crash or freeze, note the last creature the script was attempting to spawn
10. Open a command prompt to your game folder (Start > Run > cmd)*
11. Type: cd C:\Games\BG2 (substituting the path for where your game is installed)
12. Type: weidu --change-log crefile.cre --out crefile.txt (where crefile is the CRE that caused a crash)
13. Type: weidu --change-log anim.bam --out anim.txt (where anim is the Animation from arealog.txt)
14. Report the issue in the proper forum for the mod (output by the change-log) if relevant

* As an alternative, you can use the change-log utility (see http://www.shsforums...or-the-megamods).

The full IESDP is available at http://iesdp.gibberlings3.net/.

Version History:

Version 2: 17 Apr 2011
- Enhanced CRE listing (mod CREs first)
- Added animation info to arealog.txt
- Added test script to loop through spawning all creatures
- Added readme

Version 1: 18 Feb 2011
- Initial release