Can't load save game (stuck in a cave)

[Psen]

I can't load my saved game. Each time I try it just crashes right back to the desktop. I entered a cave with three obelisks and a blocked door, now trying to restart the game here it just crashes each time. If I could remember the name of the cave or figure out the map number, I'd try to find the map files and see if deleting them worked as a first attempt, but other than that, this saved game is hosed.
A) Any idea on the map #? Is there a list I can look up somewhere?
B) Here's a bug regardless.

[Psen]

Found the map file (myst.*) I believe. However, deleting it did not solve the problem - still crashes on attempting to load the saved game. If anyone has a suggestion I'm all ears.

[Psen]

Posting these fast and furious -- found a workaround!
Loading any other save game first, and then loading the game I was trying to get into worked! Trying to load the game I want directly on starting the game just crashes it, but starting something else *first* works. I have no clue as to what's causing it, but I'm back in my game at least.

[Psen]

Mysterious Cave problem:
Ok, I'm finally done in there. Here's the problems I encountered:

1) Game would continually crash while in the Mysterious Cave. I started quick-saving every few steps. This is the only place in the game I've had crashing problems (other than the crypts which was missing audio files).

2) I could not load a game saved in the Mysterious Cave directly. Attempting to do so would crash. Loading another game and then loading this save worked.

3) I could not leave the cave. Attempting to do so would crash each time. Luckily I have the Portal spell and ported out (since you can't use quick travel in caves). I know of no work-around for this 3rd issue without the portal spell.

This may be a bug worth investigating if it's happening to others. Perhaps it's something simple like the missing audio from the crypts?

[bigjohn@texas.net]

I have the same problem and no portal...doh! It also crashes whenever I kill the first mercenary! If multiple mercenaries agro on me, it crashes after I kill the last one. Some kind of combat resolution fault or missing 'you won the battle' fanfare?

The last try I got a few steps deeper after killing the first mercenary before the game blew up. Me = not planning on buying book 2 at this point...

BTW, the same problem crops up in the Outpost at Burning Sands. Kill a floating eye = crash. I hope it will let me finish the game.

(

[IJBall]

Which version are you guys playing? Did you get it from either Steam, or MacGameFiles?

Any of these may make a difference...

[Dave in DC]

Hey all....exact same problem here. Game crashes in mystery cave (after killing the bandit) and lighthouse (after killing the eye). Anything worked yet? I am running the MAC version (downloaded from macgamesstore) and running the 1.05 version. I am running it on an iMac with MAC OS X 10.5.8. Very frustrating!

[IJBall]

Hey all....exact same problem here. Game crashes in mystery cave (after killing the bandit) and lighthouse (after killing the eye). Anything worked yet? I am running the MAC version (downloaded from macgamesstore) and running the 1.05 version. I am running it on an iMac with MAC OS X 10.5.8. Very frustrating!

OK, try reading this thread - I'm starting you off here - to make sure you're not missing any of these sound files from the new v1.05 compile. If you are, download BW's .zip file, and put those sounds into the game's Sound folder. This should fix the problem... hopefully.

[vinai]

This bug bit me, too. Since I had set the portal right outside the cave the game also crashed when I tried to teleport outside.

1) In a saved game a couple of days old, I set a portal to somewhere in the Blackwater region, and saved in a new slot. Remember the number of the slot!
Then I exited the game.

2) BACKUP THE DIRECTORY ~/Documents/Eschalon Book 1 Saved Games !!
This fix is quite hackish and I don't want you destroying all saved games!

3) Next open the file ~/Documents/Eschalon Book 1 Saved Games/slot6/char (Here use the slot you just saved the game in!)

4) Look for 2 Lines the specify the coordinates and the region map for the portal.
I used a portal level 2 and used the lines 10 and 11. Use some good editor, not Word or Textmate because there are non-printable characters in there, too (I used vim on the console). Copy those 2 lines.

5) Now, open the char file from the slot you want to fix in the editor.

6) Replace the lines with the ones you just copied from the other char file. Make sure you copy the whole lines, and replace the exact same lines from which you copied them (for me that was line 10 and 11).

7) Now I could open up the game again and teleport out to the Blackwater region!

I sure am glad I could work around the bug, otherwise I would have lost 2 evenings worth of gaming.

Hope this works for you, too. It did for me. Good Luck!

[Dave in DC]

Thanks, IJ....gonna try that tomorrow. I saw there was another whole download "part b" with the sound files included. Anyone tried that yet?

[vinai]

I tried but that but it didn't fix the problem for me.

[Dave in DC]

I downloaded the "b" game and reinstalled 3 times. No luck, either. Everything is exactly the same with the crashes. I noticed the "b" version listed the same as the original v1.05 release. I even copied the 3 sound files into the sound folder. Are we sure the crashes are linked to the sound files?

Any help?

[IJBall]

I downloaded the "b" game and reinstalled 3 times. No luck, either. Everything is exactly the same with the crashes. I noticed the "b" version listed the same as the original v1.05 release. I even copied the 3 sound files into the sound folder. Are we sure the crashes are linked to the sound files?

Any help?

At this point, I think you guys are going to have to E-mail BW directly about this issue.

And be prepared to send him a 'Save Game' very near the 'crash' point(s) (searching around these forums will tell you what you need to do (basically, you just need to .zip the relevant Save Game slot folder...).

[kcpiper]

The comment about the audio file gave me a clue to a work around. Turn off the battle music and all sound (set all three types to 0%). This will stop the freezing at the end of battles and allow you to exit the cave.

[lady dorian]

I see it's a while ago people we're talking about this, but I'm playing the first book right now and I noticed that I had the same problem. A lot of crashes while being in the Mysterious Cave and I couldn't get out (after loading the exit it crashed every time). The only thing I could do was load another game (on a totally different location) and then load the save game of the cave. I couldn't use the portal spell either. But then I tried to play the game not on full screen, but on 16-bit windowed and suddenly I got out! Not sure if it is kind of a solution but I am glad that I got out of the cave, because it didn't seem that would happen.