[Dan C.]

Originally posted by Dan C.:

I guess I'll have to replace them with the originials one-by-one until I find the culprit...

There must be something against quoting yourself...
Anyway I finally found the error, and I am explaining this in case anyone else sees this problem.

Replacing the files one-by-one led me to the fact that it was my TechArea.txt file that was in error. So thinking I had some sort of loop I fire up the mod editor by DavidG. So I see that a number of "leads to" techs are not being displayed So noteing that one tech is a prerequisite for 20 techs per level for 3 levels, I am thinking maybe this is the source of my overflow. I reduce the number down to 5 each, and set the other 15 techs to no-prereq, and nope. But I did find a limit in the mod program that it only displays 20 leads to techs... (must be some sort of internal array limit

After much reviewing of the file, dropping pre-reqs, dropping branches of the tree (and all derived components, facilities etc), I see the error. I somehow typed a -1 instead of a 1 for maximum level. This tech was a minor tech (actually Fighter Missiles) not granted at the start of the game, (requiring 7 levels from 3 different techs) but I guess when the program was setting up the initial tech for the players, it hit this level issue and even without the pre-req's it crapped out (better at the beginning than in the middle of a game though). So I don't know why it wasn't caught when the file was initially read in, but there it is.