Null reference errors when using my mod (but everything works)

[edvardass]

TL;DR: When using my radio mod (like TV, but bigger radius) I receive a lot (~100 per second) null reference errors when looking at certain objects (ex.: muffalo). See attached .png. Should I be worried?

So, I decided to make my first mod. I created a tree structure like this (yes, I shamelessly stole the sd_chickennest texture as a placeholder  ):

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RadioBoom
├───About
│       About.xml
│       Preview.png
│
├───Defs
│   ├───JobDefs
│   │       Jobs.xml
│   │
│   ├───Joy
│   │       JoyGivers.xml
│   │
│   └───ThingDefs
│           radioboom_ThingDefs.xml
│
└───Textures
    └───sd_chickennest
            sd_chickennest.png

The radio building itself works fine, so I guess ThingDefs are good.

Here is the JoyGivers.xml:

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Defs>
   <JoyGiverDef>
      <defName>ListenToRadio</defName>
      <giverClass>JoyGiver_WatchBuilding</giverClass>
      <baseChance>2</baseChance>
      <canDoWhileInBed>true</canDoWhileInBed>
      <thingDefs>
         <li>Radio</li>
      </thingDefs>
      <joyKind>Passive</joyKind>
      <jobDef>Job_ListenToRadio</jobDef>
      <requiredCapacities>
        <li>Sight</li>
      </requiredCapacities>
   </JoyGiverDef>
</Defs>


And here is the Job_ListenToRadio I defined:

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Defs>
   <JobDef>
      <defName>Job_ListenToRadio</defName>
      <driverClass>JobDriver_WatchBuilding</driverClass>
      <reportString>listening to the radio.</reportString>
      <joyDuration>4000</joyDuration>
      <joyMaxParticipants>20</joyMaxParticipants>
      <joyGainRate>1</joyGainRate>
      <joyKind>Passive</joyKind>
   </JobDef>

</Defs>


I didn't find any useful tutorials online, so I had to improvise. If you have any suggestions, be free to tell me

Thanks.

[attachment deleted by admin - too old]

[skullywag]

The error is with a thing called "Ball", thats not your radio.

[edvardass]

Yeah, and the error was with the Muffalo as well. I checked the same colony without the mod, and there weren't any errors. I think it's a rendering error, since it only appears when I look at the object. Are you sure it's OK? If nothing else, it makes debugging worse...

Thanks anyway!

[Master Bucketsmith]

Psssst! If you put that structure in code tags, it'll look like below!

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RadioBoom
├───About
│       About.xml
│       Preview.png
│
├───Defs
│   ├───JobDefs
│   │       Jobs.xml
│   │
│   ├───Joy
│   │       JoyGivers.xml
│   │
│   └───ThingDefs
│           radioboom_ThingDefs.xml
│
└───Textures
    └───sd_chickennest
            sd_chickennest.png

Are you absolutely sure you haven't got a stray file or def in there somewhere?

[edvardass]

I don't know, here's the radioboom_ThingDef, maybe it has some wild tag somewhere...

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<Buildings>

<ThingDef ParentName="BuildingBase">
    <defName>Radio</defName>
    <label>radio</label>
    <description>Radio for colonist's pleasure.</description>
    <graphicData>
      <texPath>sd_chickennest/sd_chickennest</texPath>
      <graphicClass>Graphic_Single</graphicClass>
      <shadowData>
        <volume>(0.7, 0.6, 0.7)</volume>
        <offset>(0,0,-0.15)</offset>
      </shadowData>
    </graphicData>
    <altitudeLayer>Building</altitudeLayer>
    <drawPlaceWorkersWhileSelected>true</drawPlaceWorkersWhileSelected>
    <rotatable>false</rotatable>
    <minifiedDef>MinifiedFurniture</minifiedDef>
    <socialPropernessMatters>true</socialPropernessMatters>
    <fillPercent>0.40</fillPercent>
    <statBases>
      <WorkToMake>1000</WorkToMake>
      <MaxHitPoints>100</MaxHitPoints>
      <Flammability>1.0</Flammability>
      <MarketValue>100</MarketValue>
      <EntertainmentStrengthFactor>1</EntertainmentStrengthFactor>
    </statBases>
    <costList>
      <Steel>30</Steel>
      <Component>1</Component>
    </costList>
    <pathCost>70</pathCost>
    <passability>PassThroughOnly</passability>
    <building>
      <isJoySource>true</isJoySource>
      <watchBuildingStandDistanceRange>
        <min>1</min>
        <max>7</max>
     
  </watchBuildingStandDistanceRange>
    </building>
    <placeWorkers>
      <li>PlaceWorker_WatchArea</li>
    </placeWorkers>
    <comps>
      <li Class="CompProperties_Power">
        <compClass>CompPowerTrader</compClass>
        <startElectricalFires>true</startElectricalFires>
        <basePowerConsumption>50</basePowerConsumption>
      </li>
      <li Class="CompProperties_Flickable"/>
    </comps>
    <tradeTags>
      <li>Radio</li>
    </tradeTags>
    <constructEffect>ConstructMetal</constructEffect>
    <designationCategory>Joy</designationCategory>
    <designationHotKey>Misc4</designationHotKey>
    <researchPrerequisites><li>TubeTelevision</li></researchPrerequisites>
  </ThingDef>
  </Buildings>


[Master Bucketsmith]

On a side-note; you have to put any parent defs you reference to inside the scope of your mod.
So you gotta find Buildings_Art and search for the code below. Feel free to copy it now, but remember to look there if there's an update to the game, to check if anything changed!

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  <ThingDef Name="BuildingBase" Abstract="True">
    <category>Building</category>
    <thingClass>Building</thingClass>
    <soundImpactDefault>BulletImpactMetal</soundImpactDefault>
    <selectable>true</selectable>
    <drawerType>MapMeshAndRealTime</drawerType>
    <terrainAffordanceNeeded>Light</terrainAffordanceNeeded>
    <repairEffect>Repair</repairEffect>
    <leaveResourcesWhenKilled>true</leaveResourcesWhenKilled>
    <filthLeaving>BuildingRubble</filthLeaving>
  </ThingDef>
Put this between <Buildings> and <ThingDef ParentName="BuildingBase">.

Other than that, I don't see anything wrong with the ThingDef you made. There might be something missing? Is it a copy of the television with altered values?

[edvardass]

Thanks for the advice.

Yeah, you guessed it, it's a copy of a TV with some values changed. The downside is that the worker area is kind of "+" shaped and not round (like a sun lamp), I haven't found a way around that just yet.

[kaptain_kavern]

Dunno if it can help but I noticed two things comparing your objects defs and vanilla ones.

None of the vanilla joy objects have a min watching distance lower than 2 and they all use another tag : <watchBuildingStandRectWidth> that it isn't in your code.

Keep up you will find

[edvardass]

Thanks for the input, everyone. In the end, it seems that the bug was unrelated to my mod.

I have added the parent building class definition, and the <watchBuildingStandRectWidth> tag made my area look like two intersecting rectangles, not quite the sun lamp sphere, but I'll get there.

You can get the source code here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g6ugjojllwtivhe/AABeAfhwwMnjiJjMV-R91LzDa?dl=0. There's a nice radio texture