ValveSoftware
"client.dll is not a valid Win32 Application" despite solutions from issue 615 and issue 671
I followed everything from #615 and #671 and yet for some reason when i try to launch the Local Windows Debugger i get the "client.dll is not a valid Win32 Application" i have double-checked that i have everything setup correctly in Visual Studio Installer and that i have the correct version of python installed. Opening the "source-sdk-2013\game\mod_tf_win64.exe" executable seems to open an unmodified version of frog fortress (unless i am making the wrong changes - but even then i would still prefer to be able to launch the game from the IDE)
When trying to manually input the Configuration Properties/Debugging/Command and Configuration Properties/Debugging/Command Arguments as mentioned in https://github.com/ValveSoftware/source-sdk-2013/issues/615#issuecomment-2667707703, launching resulted in an error of "gameinfo.txt not found". I copied the gameinfo.txt from my vanilla Team Fortress 2 install, which obviously didnt work - it crashed with the "Could not load library client". Changing all mentions of the "tf" folder to "mod_tf" found in the source-sdk-2013/game directory did not change anything.
In case this helps: i am running on Windows 11.
If you haven't already, check this guide: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Setting_up_Source_SDK_Base_2013_Multiplayer
There may be a component you forgot to install - its what happened to me. Be sure to do a clean build afterwards.
If you haven't already, check this guide: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Setting_up_Source_SDK_Base_2013_Multiplayer
There may be a component you forgot to install - its what happened to me. Be sure to do a clean build afterwards.
If you haven't already, check this guide: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Setting_up_Source_SDK_Base_2013_Multiplayer
There may be a component you forgot to install - its what happened to me. Be sure to do a clean build afterwards.
I have already followed both that tutorial and the one in the readme of this repo (not that they're much different). Thanks for sharing though, found out i had the wrong version of the Windows 11 C++ SDK. Though installing the correct version of that component for visual studio and rebuilding the entire solution didnt fix it.
I'm having a similar issue, except I only ever get the Could not load library client error. However, I did find out that apparently building the solution is supposed to generate two client.dll and two server.dll files. One client.dll file is supposed to generate in src\game\client\Release_mod_tf and the other is supposed to generate in src\game\client\Release_mod_hl2mp. While the client.dll for Release_mod_hl2mp generates where it should, the same cannot be said for the Release_mod_tf directory. In addition to this, building the solution also NEVER generates any of the two server.dll files in either src\game\server\Release_mod_hl2mp or src\game\server\Release_mod_tf, which is where the Valve Developer Wiki said they're supposed to show up.
Below are screenshots demonstrating the issue:
Error that shows after the valve intro plays.
Error that shows up in the IDE.
Neither
server.dll are anywhere to be found.
Only one of the two
client.dll files generate.
My configured
Client (TF) properties.
I've already said what the problem is, but people keep making issues about it. You have to use the Release configuration or copy the Debugging info the the Debug configuration.
I'll make the Debug configuration work with auto startup without changes on Monday.
@misyltoad this is probably something else, there are missing requirements that are not specified in the README.
They've been noted now with #932 for Desktop development with C++ and C++ MFC, and #636 for Python 3 (which might be your issue @Delfite as it's said to be required for the server dll).
One has to manually indicate the extra VS workloads and not many users have Python installed AND on their PATH.
@VortexParadox I'll get back to you on that. I'm pretty sure I installed both of those things, but I'll check when I get home.
I've already said what the problem is, but people keep making issues about it. You have to use the Release configuration or copy the Debugging info the the Debug configuration.
I'll make the Debug configuration work with auto startup without changes on Monday.
I was using the release configuration, i re-built the entire solution at least twice after having switched to the release configuration too, it still didn't work. I also had the missing requirements mentioned https://github.com/ValveSoftware/source-sdk-2013/issues/763#issuecomment-2692884350 in this comment by VortexParadox The solution from issue #886 seems to have worked for me, even if it doesn't solve the problem of the debugger not working (EDIT: i got that part fixed on my end too - i just typo'd the directory lol) - i at least now have the project set up.
Sorry for posting 2 weeks after this issue has been inactive. I will be marking it as closed now.