Uplink Assertion Failure on Linux

[NotPhil]

Uplink v1.54 crashes on Ubuntu v6.10 at the agent log-in screen ...

Code: Select all

===============================================
NEW GAME     14:44, 2/3/2007
===============================================
Version : 1.54
RELEASE
Linux Build
Version 1.54 (RELEASE)
Compiled on Nov 16 2006 at 20:46:23
(code-C)(code-M)(code-T)
Loading uplink options from /home/user-name/.uplink/options...failed

=====DEBUGGING INFORMATION ENABLED=====
Loading application data
Successfully loaded data archive data.dat
Successfully loaded data archive graphics.dat
Failed loading 'loading.dat'
Successfully loaded data archive sounds.dat
Successfully loaded data archive music.dat
Successfully loaded data archive fonts.dat
Successfully loaded data archive patch.dat
Successfully loaded data archive patch2.dat
Successfully loaded data archive patch3.dat
Finished loading application data
Init_Game called...creating game object
Finished with Init_Game
Initialising SDL...done
 SDL is now opening a 1024x768 window in 32 depth ...done
 SDL is now changing the window caption and diverse settings ...done
 Initialising OpenGL...
Finished initialising OpenGL.
Now registering callback functions...done
 Init_Fonts called...setting up system fonts
Registering fonts...done
 Loading system fonts into memory...
done
Unregistering fonts...done
 Finished with Init_Fonts
 Init_Sound called...setting up sound system
Compiled with SDL_mixer version: 1.2.7
Running with SDL_mixer version: 1.2.7
Finished with Init_Sound
Init_Music called...loading modules
Finished with Init_Music
Creating main menu.
====== END OF DEBUGGING INFORMATION ====
Loading LAN from data/lans/sample.txt...done
Saving profile to /home/user-name/.uplink/Orville.tmp...success. Moving profile to /home/user-name/.uplink/Orville.usr...success
Saving profile to /home/user-name/.uplink/Orville.tmp...success. Moving profile to /home/user-name/.uplink/Orville.usr...success
Saving profile to /home/user-name/.uplink/Orville.tmp...success. Moving profile to /home/user-name/.uplink/Orville.usr...success
REDSHIRT : Failed to load file : /usr/local/bin/uplink/lib/graphics/loading/filenames.txt

An Uplink Assertion Failure has occured
=======================================
 Condition : file
 Location  : mainmenu/loading_interface.cpp, line 64
============== B E G I N  C O R E  D U M P =================
retAddress = 0x804d83f
retAddress = 0x80f4384
retAddress = 0x80f472d
retAddress = 0x81814d7
retAddress = 0x81088cf
retAddress = 0x810896c
retAddress = 0xb7ae08cc
retAddress = 0x804d4c1
============== E N D  C O R E  D U M P =====================

The loading.dat file is in the .../uplink/lib directory with all the other .dat files, but its permissions are different. There is no .../uplink/lib/graphics or .../uplink/lib/graphics/loading directory.

The game seemed to work on its initial run. I registered an agent and played for a while. Has anyone run across this before, or know how to fix it?

[frenchfrog]

Strange indeed:

Code: Select all

Failed loading 'loading.dat'

The problem is really with the loading.dat file.

[NotPhil]

The problem is really with the loading.dat file.

loading.dat gives read and write permissions to user 990, and no permissions to group 1150 and everyone else. All the other .dat files give read and write permissions to user 990, and read only permissions to group 1150 and other users.

Is there a reason for this, and could it be causing the problem?

[lunchlady55]

loading.dat gives read and write permissions to user 990, and no permissions to group 1150 and everyone else. All the other .dat files give read and write permissions to user 990, and read only permissions to group 1150 and other users.

If you think the permissions are the problem, use

chmod 775 loading.dat
chgrp 1150 loading.dat

as root in that directory. That will make the file match the others.

If the chmod command doesn't help, it may be a different problem.

[NotPhil]

If the chmod command doesn't help, it may be a different problem.

Changing the permissions on loading.dat to match the other files doesn't seem to cause any problems and does appear to solve the problem.

[lunchlady55]

Out of curiosity, did you upgrade? If so did you install it as the same user as the original install?

AFAIK, software should always be installed as root for security. What are the names of the groups / users corresponding to the UIDs/GIDs you listed for your system.

[NotPhil]

Out of curiosity, did you upgrade? If so did you install it as the same user as the original install?

AFAIK, software should always be installed as root for security. What are the names of the groups / users corresponding to the UIDs/GIDs you listed for your system.

I re-installed it from the CD I had for my Mac, which also included the Linux version of the game. That didn't work, so I found the patch and applied it. I did both of these things with sudo.

I'm a little puzzled by some of the users and groups that appear on my computer too, and those are the actual names of the user and the group associated with Uplink. I suspect that some software packages create their own user-name and user-groups, though I can't figure out why they would do that.

[lunchlady55]

Wow, that's different. As an administrator of your own system, you may want to find out how that actually works. If random groups can make directories etc... that could be insecure.

[NotPhil]

Wow, that's different. As an administrator of your own system, you may want to find out how that actually works. If random groups can make directories etc... that could be insecure.

It looks like UNIX/BSD/Linux has several pre-defined users and groups. The bottom of this page at Hillsborough Community College lists some of the groups and mentions the users.

But user 990 and group 1150 aren't mentioned there, and a Web search on them just pointed me back to this bulletin board. Neither of those IDs appear in my users-and-groups settings, they just show up on some of the files Uplink installed. Running Uplink while top is running reveals that Uplink is being run by me, and not root or 990 or some other user.

I'm guessing that the IDs on these files are just left over from when someone at Introversion put them together, but I haven't found any other files like that in the software that I've installed.

[Hammerheart]

I don't know why you have those user and group ids but uplink doesn't need them to run properly. I would recommend changing the user and group ids to your username if you are the only user playing uplink or use a common group id if others do.

Go to the uplink directory.
chown -R username *
chgrp -R username *

[NotPhil]

I don't know why you have those user and group ids but uplink doesn't need them to run properly.

I went back and extracted some of the files from the Linux tarball on the CD and they didn't end up with those IDs. I'm not sure what to make of that.

I would recommend changing the user and group ids to your username if you are the only user playing uplink or use a common group id if others do.

I've changed them. Thanks.