Errors! [FIXED]

[pschlik]

I have a very confusing error report here; I'm not very sure what is exactly making it happen, but every time I try to do anything on a route with something other than the Sherman Hill, I get an error. The error is always:

ERROR: Not a serialized binary file(or "ERROR: *something is incorrect with* serialized binary file)
FILE: D:\build\CoreRelease\Code\Libs\Foundation\API\core/cFXException.h
LINE:113

This is horribly non-descriptive as the file is non-existent, and it has utterly no helpful information. I've been getting this for a while, in fact, I planned to make my first scenario on the Cajon Pass, and I started getting this error. Since then, I've re-validated the files twice and uninstalled all mods, but I still get it. This will seriously screw me up when I start making more scenarios, and I'd like to solve it before then. So, could anyone decipher what I need to do to fix this, maybe without a complete un-install and re-install?

[buzz456]

I suggest you go to http://railworksamerica.com/index.php/l ... -in-ts2013 and do what he says. See if that helps. If not come back and we'll see what else might work. This is a bad one in my world.

[Chacal]

The error message is confusing because it is not meant for players.
The file D:\build\CoreRelease\Code\Libs\Foundation\API\core/cFXException.h is not on your computer. It is on the programmer's computer, presumably in RSC's offices. It is the source code for the program that got the error (actually it is not as simple as that, but close enough). You should never see that message but sadly the programmers for the game core did not believe in error trapping.

The first line of the error message is more useful.

What it means is: the program encountered a problem with an xml or bin file (a serialized binary file).
It may be a blueprint for an asset, a route, a scenario,or any other game data file. This file is corrupted or has an incorrect xml syntax.

It would be great if the error message said what xml or bin file has the problem, but it does not. You have to find and fix the file, or end up reinstalling.

First do the obvious: clear the blueprint cache. Then do a local verify in Steam, if the problem is in a default file, this should fix it. Then do Bob Latimer's trick that Buzz pointed out above.

If the problem persists, you might still find the corrupted file by guessing and experimenting. Do you remember what you were working on when you started getting this error? If you were working on a scenario, try moving the scenario folder outside of your railworks folder structure. If the problem stops, you found the culprit. If not, try moving the whole route folder (the route for which you were writing the scenario). Keep moving folders out, one by one, in a process of elimination.

If you can't find which file is corrupted, you may have to delete the whole railworks folder and let Steam reinstall it.

[pschlik]

I'll do that for now, I guess. Hopefully the fan recommended better error messages discussed on Engine Driver come soon.

[pschlik]

I reinstalled, and everything works. I noticed how little folders are in a vanilla install. When I thought I brought it down to "vanilla" earlier, it was nowhere near the base stuff. I'll try to keep away from assorted mods next time.

[Chacal]

I just found this great trick from rivimey on UKTrainSim:

There is a slightly faster way to locate the errant file(s).

Download the program Process Monitor from the Microsoft website and install it. It enables you to see what interactions a process has with the OS - opening or reading files, thread creation, registry entries and whatnot.

Configure the Filter in it to exclude all processes that are not RailWorks.exe, and use the toolbar buttons to show only file operations then start capture and then start the sim.

You will then see all the files that RW references as it runs. Wait for it to hit the error, then stop capture and look at the logged operations. One of the last should be the file that was read when the error was encountered.

You will likely find that there is either extraneous text in the file - i.e. stuff that isn't XML - or that the file has been truncated.