8.5 KiB
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Setting up and playing
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| "This file is not a CD image (ISO)" | You picked another kind of file. Choose the game's .iso file, or use Folder / CD… for the CD or a copied folder. |
| "The game was not found here" | The folder is not the game CD. Choose the CD drive itself or a folder you copied the whole CD into – it contains a folder named Setup. |
| "The ISO file is incomplete" | The download or copy of the ISO was interrupted. Copy or download it again. |
| "Some game files are damaged" | The CD or ISO copy is faulty. Try another copy, or clean the CD. |
| "Not enough free disk space" | The game copy needs about 900 MB. Free up space or choose another Data folder. |
| The game hangs or its window is gone | Click ■ Quit game in LlamaMod (the Play button while the game runs). |
| "The game crashed" | Switch off the mods you turned on last, or click Restore original, and play again. If the original game crashes too, report it with game.log (Settings → Logs). |
| All monitors flash black for half a minute or more when the game starts | The Built-in cheats option Troubleshooting: write display diagnostics is on. It makes the game try every screen mode of every monitor before it starts. Switch it off; use it only when you are asked for a display report. |
| "groove.exe was removed or changed" | Click Rebuild; LlamaMod writes it again and then starts the game. On Windows, see Antivirus warnings. |
The editor
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| "OpenGL 3.3 is not available" or a black viewport | Update the graphics driver. In a virtual machine, switch on 3D acceleration. Without a usable driver the editor can still run with software OpenGL, but slowly. |
| The editor is slow in a big level | Hide what you do not need (H, or switch layers off), close the Textures window, use the top view for large moves. |
| A key does nothing | Single-letter keys do not work while a text field has the focus – click into the viewport first. Some keys are shared by two tools (see Keys); use the toolbar button. |
| I lost my changes after a crash | Start the editor again and choose Recover – autosave keeps unsaved changes (Edit → Preferences sets how often). |
| A project does not open ("…is damaged", "…does not exist") | The current level stays open. Try the autosave (start the editor again → Recover) or an older copy of the file. When you report a bug, click Details in the message and copy the text. |
| A panel is gone | View → Panels opens it again. |
| An object type I want is not in the list | The Objects list shows the base level's types and the ones you imported. Import the type from Assets → All worlds (Importing objects from other worlds). |
Building and play-testing
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Build or Play is refused | The Problems panel lists errors; fix them first (double-click a message to find the item). |
| "The game is still running" | Level files cannot be replaced while the game runs – click Quit game and play in the message, or quit the game yourself. |
| The llama falls through the floor | Show collision (C). The floor needs collision: check the brush's collision faces in Brush shape, or paint the floor with the Collision tool. |
| Play from camera position says there is no floor | Point the middle of the view at walkable ground (hold Shift: the crosshair turns green on a valid spot). Tree crowns, roofs and decoration often have no collision. |
| The exit does not work | The LevelDoor needs exit floor (16) in its cell. The Exit setup in the Objects panel places both together. |
| The level does not load / the game crashes | Level → Check for problems; keep tiles inside the grid; exactly one player start; no tile model over 8000 vertices. |
| My level is missing on the world map | New levels are in world 9 (TestLevel). Unlock it in LlamaMod's Save games tab, or play with F5. |
| Two levels show the same content | They use the same TestLevel chapter – change the TestLevel chapter option of one of them. |
| Objects near the start are invisible at first | Also true in the original levels: objects within a few cells of the start appear after a moment. |
Windows
Antivirus warnings
Some mods (and every play-test with Play boots straight into the level) add code to groove.exe in LlamaMod's private game copy. Antivirus programs such as Windows Defender may report this changed file as a threat – a false positive: your original files are untouched and nothing is downloaded.
- On Windows, LlamaMod shows a notice before it applies such mods for the first time (Linux has no such problem and shows none).
- If groove.exe was removed or blocked, LlamaMod says so and offers Rebuild.
- To stop it from happening again, add the LlamaMod data folder as an exclusion: Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings → Exclusions → Add or remove exclusions → Add an exclusion → Folder.
- Or switch off Level → Play boots straight into the level: play-tests then start at the main menu and do not change groove.exe.
Windows in a virtual machine
LlamaMod and the editor work in a virtual machine with 3D acceleration, but the game's old DirectX 6/7 graphics often do not: "Direct Draw kann nicht gestartet werden" or an upside-down picture are typical. Use a real Windows PC, or play under Wine on Linux. On real hardware no extra wrapper should be needed.
Linux
- The game runs through Wine; install it from your distribution. Settings → Wine command points LlamaMod at a specific Wine (leave it empty for the installed one); the line below it says whether that Wine was found and its version. Wine older than 5.0 is marked in red, and Play warns once before starting the game with it (you can still play anyway).
- The first Play prepares Wine for the game, which can take a minute.
- Settings → Run in a window (Wine virtual desktop) is recommended – otherwise the game switches the whole screen to its resolution.
- LlamaMod uses its own Wine prefix in the data folder, so your other Wine programs are not affected.
The mod cache
LlamaMod keeps built mod files in the data folder's cache folder. If something looks wrong
after an update, Settings → Clear cache throws it away; active mods are rebuilt on the next
Apply.
Known limits
- Object types from other levels can be imported, but imports are permanent and limited by the engine's 16 MB level memory, 128 sounds and 127 texture pages (Importing objects).
- Tiles and objects only turn about the vertical axis; only brushes scale and turn freely.
- The engine has no free texture coordinates: every triangle shows one half of a texture rectangle (Textures).
- At most 8000 vertices per tile model and 127 texture pages per level.
- Lights only light object models; tiles use baked vertex colours.
- Texture animations are not animated in the viewport (the texture manager previews them).
- Many object parameters and some data fields are not understood yet – they are shown raw.
- The editor was tested mainly on Linux; Windows works, but real Windows hardware has seen less testing.
FAQ
Which versions of the game work?
The German CD (groove.exe of 2001-02-12) and the English first release (2000-10-17) are
supported, including every mod. With another version LlamaMod shows a warning at start and before
the first Apply (nothing is blocked); the level mods still work, but the mods
marked modifies groove.exe stop with "unknown program version" – the first lines of
logs/apply.log name the version LlamaMod found. Please report it together with that
groove.exe, then it can be added.
Can I share levels with people who do not have the game? No – levels are built from the receiver's own game copy. That is also what makes sharing legal: a project contains no game data.
Does the editor change my installed game or my saves? No. LlamaMod works on its own copy in the data folder. Play-tests use one save slot of that copy (slot 3 by default) and back it up first.
Can I edit a level I downloaded?
Yes – open the .llamalevel file with File → Open project.
Where are my levels?
In the levels folder of the data folder (Settings → Data folder → Open folder in LlamaMod).