Bug: P3P randomly stopped launching with mods

[CowHerdQueen]

Describe the Bug
I've been using Reloaded-II to mod P3P on Linux with almost no issues, besides some infrequent crashes. I've done this on both my steam deck running SteamOS and my PC running Manjaro. That was until I tried to add a new mod (Convenient Completion) and everything broke, I started getting multiple error messages when trying to launch the game 2024-11-22 05.11.43 ~ P3P.txt, both through Reloaded-II and through steam. I've tried many things to try and fix this, removing the Convenient Completion mod, rearranging the mod order, deleting the cache folder from Persona Essentials, deleting and redownloading Reloaded-II and all the mods I had before, but nothing has fixed the issue.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behaviour:

1. Open Reloaded-II
2. Navigate to P3P
3. Click 'Launch Application'
4. See error

Expected Behaviour
The game would launch with mods

Screenshots

[Sewer56]

@CowHerdQueen Try downgrading Persona Essentials to the previous version (2.7.1)

https://github.com/Sewer56/p5rpc.modloader/releases/tag/2.7.1 (extract over existing mod folder, replacing all files)

It could also technically be that changes in merging code broke the setup instead.

[CowHerdQueen]

@CowHerdQueen Try downgrading Persona Essentials to the previous version (2.7.1)

https://github.com/Sewer56/p5rpc.modloader/releases/tag/2.7.1 (extract over existing mod folder, replacing all files)

It could also technically be that changes in merging code broke the setup instead.

That didn't seem to change anything 2024-11-22 06.00.41 ~ P3P.txt, do you have any other suggestions?

[Sewer56]

I would suggest exporting your currently enabled mods for the time being with Save Mod Set.

Then reduce the mod setup mod by mod until it works. Chances are it's 1/2 mods.

CC.
@AnimatedSwine37 @DeathChaos25 PAK merge failure

[CowHerdQueen]

I would suggest exporting your currently enabled mods for the time being with Save Mod Set.

Then reduce the mod setup mod by mod until it works. Chances are it's 1/2 mods.

CC. @AnimatedSwine37 @DeathChaos25 PAK merge failure

I stopped getting error messages during the mod loading after deactivating: Buy Soda In Bulk, Change Party in Tartarus, Crane Game Redux, Easier Item Quests, Field QOLS, Find a Friend, Go Back Home Easily, Less Time for Maya, and P3P QOL Collection (2024-11-22 06.12.47 ~ P3P.txt). Now I get a new error message seemingly related to denuvo.

This now happens whenever I try to open P3P, even after deactivating all mods.

[Sewer56]

Yeah, seems Denuvo locked you out of the game.

I'm guessing you tried switching Proton versions at some point, Denuvo picks that up as new device activations and will lock you out if you do it too much.

I've been there myself, at least twice.
Not much you can do, other than wait.
A classic case of DRM only hurting the legitimate consumer. :/

[CowHerdQueen]

That sucks, I guess I'll just wait until denuvo decides I'm allowed to play the game again. Other than that, is there anything I could do to get the mods that I had to deactivate working again? Some of the mods I'm fine with deactivating if that's what it takes, but Find a Friend and the QOL Collection specifically would be really nice to get working again.

[Sewer56]

I would just enable them one by one till it breaks.
Denuvo doesn't stop you from booting the game, only running, and error seems to be at boot time.

Alternatively, could debug through the code to see where the merging fails. That's why I suggested using Save Mod Set, if you upload that, there will be an easy to read list of all your installed mods in order.

That's why I pinged Swine here, if they're interested.

[Sewer56]

All I can say is think twice before buying games with Denuvo in the future.

It makes modding harder due to code obfuscation, creates a worse experience for players, and if either the publisher or Denuvo's company goes under someday, those games would become completely unplayable forever.

At least my old legal SEGA disc games from the 2000s can still serve as paperweights. With Denuvo, you don't even get that much.

Wouldn't be a problem if product was used as it was intended to, to protect launch window sales, but some companies unfortunately don't get the memo.

[CowHerdQueen]

I would just enable them one by one till it breaks. Denuvo doesn't stop you from booting the game, only running, and error seems to be at boot time.

Alternatively, could debug through the code to see where the merging fails. That's why I suggested using Save Mod Set, if you upload that, there will be an easy to read list of all your installed mods in order.

That's why I pinged Swine here, if they're interested.

Causes_Crash.json
Doesn't_Cause_Crash.json
Does this help?

[Sewer56]

Yeah, that'd probably do it.

[AnimatedSwine37]

That error is are due to a bunch of flowscript files not compiling, I'm not sure why they would suddenly break though. There hasn't been any change to the bf merging stuff in ages and I don't think any of those mods have gotten any updates.
Maybe the files got corrupted somehow? It's very weird if that's the case...

You could try just redownloading the mods and see if that fixes things. I tried a few of them myself and they seemed fine. I don't think all of them actually exist anymore (I can't find the Maya one) as a creator of a lot of mods deleted them and restored them a few times, seemingly they missed restoring a few. (Drama stuff that doesn't really matter)

[Sewer56]

https://github.com/Reloaded-Project/Reloaded-II.Index

Sometimes I find looking at the search index to be helpful. It doesn't capture every possible mod pit there, but you can decompress AllPackages.json.br (brotli) and search by ID, Name etc. In there.

[CowHerdQueen]

That error is are due to a bunch of flowscript files not compiling, I'm not sure why they would suddenly break though. There hasn't been any change to the bf merging stuff in ages and I don't think any of those mods have gotten any updates. Maybe the files got corrupted somehow? It's very weird if that's the case...

You could try just redownloading the mods and see if that fixes things. I tried a few of them myself and they seemed fine. I don't think all of them actually exist anymore (I can't find the Maya one) as a creator of a lot of mods deleted them and restored them a few times, seemingly they missed restoring a few. (Drama stuff that doesn't really matter)

I just tried this and a couple more mods are working, but a majority of them are still broken.

Also, the Maya mod is part of the Weekend Dorm Improvements mods, which is split into two mods, Less Time for Maya and Go Back Home Easily.

[AnimatedSwine37]

Could you send a log with your current state of things? Also your current mod set if you've changed it up at all.

[AnimatedSwine37]

I've gone through with the load set you sent earlier and I have found two mods that are actually broken.

In the Auto Healing mod delete the FEmulator\PAK\init_free.bin folder and it should fix that one. Its author is completely gone from modding so I don't think we can get it updated properly.
I do have a Wip version of Persona Essentials that improves the error handling and would change this to just be a logged error rather than a fatal crash so if I ever get that stuff out it'll be fine for everyone else.

The other one is by the same author so again, not sure if we can get this properly updated. Replace your copy of Change Party in Tartarus with this to fix it p3ppc.changepartyintartarus.zip.

This is one that I know I did mention to them multiple times before, it's because they were using a modified version of the script tools library which had an enum named differently. It probably could be fixed with an update to the script tools library but it's annoying to have to deal with :(

[CowHerdQueen]

I've gone through with the load set you sent earlier and I have found two mods that are actually broken.

In the Auto Healing mod delete the FEmulator\PAK\init_free.bin folder and it should fix that one. Its author is completely gone from modding so I don't think we can get it updated properly. I do have a Wip version of Persona Essentials that improves the error handling and would change this to just be a logged error rather than a fatal crash so if I ever get that stuff out it'll be fine for everyone else.

The other one is by the same author so again, not sure if we can get this properly updated. Replace your copy of Change Party in Tartarus with this to fix it p3ppc.changepartyintartarus.zip.

This is one that I know I did mention to them multiple times before, it's because they were using a modified version of the script tools library which had an enum named differently. It probably could be fixed with an update to the script tools library but it's annoying to have to deal with :(

I deleted the init_free.bin folder and tried the change party mod you sent but unfortunately they still didn't work.

Could you send a log with your current state of things? Also your current mod set if you've changed it up at all.

Here's the mod set of the mods that are currently working (Working.json) (2024-11-23 00.01.23 ~ P3P.txt)

Here's the log when I try and run all the mods (2024-11-23 00.04.59 ~ P3P.txt)

[AnimatedSwine37]

I'll have a look at the other errors in a bit but I've just found something really fun...

Depending on whether you download the release of bf emulator from the nuget package on the package server or github you get two different library files. This is why there's that Shinjiro and ShinjiroMetis problem where the name changed in an enum that caused one of the compiler errors.

I guess that at some point the version of script tools was changed without an actual release being put out (probably when bmd emulator was added) so the two releasees have different versions. Something will need to be done about this to put them back in sync.
I do have some bf emulator updates that I need to release at some point but they're pending me finishing some stuff off and TGE merging some prs so I'm not sure when that'd happen.

[AnimatedSwine37]

I think the other errors could be related to behaviour changes in script tools as well.
Could you replace your version of bf emulator with this one (if you just drag the file onto Reloaded it should install it), clear your cache, and then see if anything changes. If stuff's still broken send another log and I'll look.

Also @Sewer56 could you make a release of bf emulator that just bumps the current version so what's on github now is what everyone gets. I realise there's a chance this breaks something for someone but I think it's better to know that everyone is on the same version that we can then work on fixing rather than the version they're using effectively being random.

[Sewer56]

I just woke up @AnimatedSwine37 , and sure.

[CowHerdQueen]

I think the other errors could be related to behaviour changes in script tools as well. Could you replace your version of bf emulator with this one (if you just drag the file onto Reloaded it should install it), clear your cache, and then see if anything changes. If stuff's still broken send another log and I'll look.

Also @Sewer56 could you make a release of bf emulator that just bumps the current version so what's on github now is what everyone gets. I realise there's a chance this breaks something for someone but I think it's better to know that everyone is on the same version that we can then work on fixing rather than the version they're using effectively being random.

That didn't work either, just adding the Auto Heal mod breaks it (2024-11-23 06.45.40 ~ P3P.txt)

[AnimatedSwine37]

Could you try replacing it with this, based on that error message I think it will fix it for you.
p3ppc.qol.autoheal.zip