How to hide the error message from user when the game crashes?

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Nodus Tollens
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How to hide the error message from user when the game crashes?

#1 Post by Nodus Tollens »

Hello!

I'm sorry if this was asked or explained somewhere, but I couldn't find any related topic with relevant searches.

Is it possible to hide the error message - or create a custom error message - when the game crashes?

As of now, when I tested it by playing an actual build (not the Ren'Py project), the game crashed and it seems that the user can clearly see what went wrong, they see a part of the code. Instead, I'd like to show a message such as "Something went wrong, please email support at....".

How can I do that?

Thank you very much in advance!
Mannequin Academy
~ an Omegaverse drama/mystery VN ~

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LateWhiteRabbit
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Re: How to hide the error message from user when the game crashes?

#2 Post by LateWhiteRabbit »

And what would they tell you that would be helpful if they emailed you for support, unless they had an actual description of what went wrong?

There are many variables that could lead to a crash, and them telling you - "It crashed when I went to talk to this NPC" might not be helpful if the reason for the crash was an incorrectly defined variable from the beginning of the game.

Trust me, 90% of players aren't going to understand the part of the code they see anyway, and if you are on top of bug fixes, not many of them will even see the crash. The error message is important to give them so they can give it to you.

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Nodus Tollens
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Re: How to hide the error message from user when the game crashes?

#3 Post by Nodus Tollens »

Hello and thank you for your response.
This is a very valid point, it's just that sometimes the game just will crash, for example if the user tries to load an old save while there were changes made before that save in an upgrade or patch that affect the game after save. I tried it with a choice that had a new variable defined that wasn't there before. The saved progress didn't have that variable remembered and didn't recognize it.
It would be great to have a message asking the user to start from the beginning instead of making them panic that something broke. Or start over and message the developer if the issue persists.
So my question still stands :) I have no clue how else such issue can be solved.
Mannequin Academy
~ an Omegaverse drama/mystery VN ~

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