Bug I just can't figure out. RM2k3

[Crav]

SO I've been helping out on somebody else's RM2k3 project. Giving it a fresh coat of paint, helping him add extras, custom systems, new graphics, etc... Basicly, I've got plenty of experience and know how to use the program.
Well, I was testing out a beta of the new version of the game and occationally it stops the game and tells me the event script referenced a battle animation that doesn't exist.
I narrowed it down to a new AI controller chartacter using a certain healing move. Switched the character to  manuel control and sure enough it still causes the crash everytime he uses this move.

Here's what confuses me. There's nothing wrong with the move, a few other characters have the exact same move and it doesn't cause any problems. There's nothing wrong with the character either. Infact the entire thing was copied and pasted from another hero in the party. Has all the same animations. I triple checked. the only difference is his overworld sprite.

The guy I'm working with tells me that he used to get that error at the start of every battle when he first added the characters but the problem went away when he change's the sprites location on the battle layout (what?).
I made another new character just to test it out, and sure enough every battle crashes with the same error the instant it even tries to go to the battle screen. Changing it's battle layout location has no effect (though I have no idea why it would.)

Basically, any new characters added past the old ones in the original version of the game seem to cause some variation of this effect.
I even tried replacing the executable with a new one, but that didn't fix the problem either.

At this point, I'm thinking there must be something wrong with the project itself, because I've never seen anything like this before. But I figured I'd ask anyway. Does anyone have any idea whatsoever what could be causing this error and if there's anyway to fix it?

Many thanks.

[drenrin2120]

Try making a brand new character without copy pasting the glitchy one. Don't do anything to it and test the new hero in battle. If the new hero doesn't crash the game, then it's like the error message said: "the event script referenced a battle animation that doesn't exist." So, in that case, have you deleted any battle animations either manually or through the resource uploader? Do any of the Heroes use battle animations with their weapons instead of the standard three-framed animation or in any other way that may be easily forgotten and buried in the database?

If none of that is the case, you said it crashes with any new hero? Past what number are we talking? Google for weird rm2k3 glitches (if you haven't already) there are a ton out there that I didn't even know about.

[Crav]

Thanks for your speedy reply.
Your advice has helped me try a more logical approach.

I tried making a new character, testing it every step of the way to see if it worked.
It starts having that error as soon as I give it a weapon. Any weapon at all. It does this if I give it any of the battle sprites the other characters use or no sprite at all. And obviously the weapons work with the old characters just fine.
This seems to imply that it's actually a different bug that the one originally effecting the problem character, or if it's the same one, it's expressing itself in a different way.

The slot I stuck this new test character in was 30. I figured I'd go for broke and try a high number.

[Moosetroop11]

I reckon you aught to be focusing on the file side of things. It's definately calling a file which isn't in the folder. What makes it complicated is that the exact same animation is working elsewhere, right? With every single option, such as, as Dren pointed out, the type of animation (the option for using 'battle skill' animation as a pose), exactly the same? If that's the case then...

I remember one case where something like this happened occasionally in one of my rpgs.  It didn't seem to make sense and only happened sometimes.  So it could be an rm2k3 bug...?

[Crav]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. There seems to no reason for either of these variations of the problem. The situations are exactly the same for everything, the only difference is the characters using them, even when the characters are set up to be identical in every way.

Thanks for the input. If anyone gets any bright ideas, I'd love to hear them, but otherwise I guess I'll have to resign myself to the idea that it may be a problem in the program itself and find a way to work around it...

[Meiscool]

Have you been making the game on two separate computers? Sometimes issues like that arise when rpg maker isn't run in administrator mode on both computers.

[Crav]

hmmm... there might be something to that...
We haven't been making the game on different computers per say... but I've written him a few custom systems and then sent them to him as separate projects where he'd then copy and paste stuff into his own.  I don't think that would mess up the project itself, since all the editing was done on one computer, but running this beta of the new build on my own could be causing problems.

[greenraven]

I agree with Moosetroop on this one. Sounds like a missing file.

Link removed

It'll scan your project and tell you if there is anything missing.

[drenrin2120]

Sorry greenraven, that site contains download links for rm2k/3/xp/vx. It's against forum rules to post links to those programs or to sites with those programs available for download.

[greenraven]

My bad, sorry, didn't know. >_<

Well in that case google for "RMtool".

[drenrin2120]

xD don't worry about it.

[benosalankelley]

My bad, sorry, didn't know. >_<

Well in that case google for "RMtool".

That's if they decide to bring rpg maker 2k3 legally.

http://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?/topic/1605-if-we-were-to-release-rpg-maker-2003-in-english-would-you-buy-it/

[Crav]

Yeah, there's nothing actually missing from the project. I scanned it anyway and it came up blank. But thanks for the suggestions anyway. We found a workaround for the problem, so hopefully that'll be the end of it.

btw, forgive me if this is the wrong place to ask, but does it always make you answer all these questions every time you want to post or is just because I'm still a new member?
It's actually kind of annoying. Must have had a serious bot problem if you really needed all of these.

[Prpl_Mage]

btw, forgive me if this is the wrong place to ask, but does it always make you answer all these questions every time you want to post or is just because I'm still a new member?
It's actually kind of annoying. Must have had a serious bot problem if you really needed all of these.

Just because you are new. We had some serious bot issues some time back and this was a very efficient solution. It will go away once you reach 10 posts or such I believe.