So you you are just making your first map, eh? Well, I just did and there was nothing more frustrating than having it crash out on me
with an exception error in module Homeworld.exe. At first I had NO IDEA what was causing it but after days of frustration I noticed a
few paterns. The key to figuring out why your map won't load right is often right in front of you!

I put together this list of common exception error causes and what to check. The way this works is to very closely watch for when
EXACTLY the error occurs. 

A. If the error occurs BEFORE the load indicator bar even comes on the screen:
1. Your problem is most likely in the .level file
2. Check to make sure you have two lines at the beginning of the file that say:
; MissionMan script
; Copyright (c) 1998-99, Relic Entertainment Inc.
3. Make sure that your Mission Sphere lines are all there, there need to be at least three (one for resource sphere and two for ships)
4. Make sure that there are no remark lines missing their ; in front of them

B. If the error occurs just after the load indicator bar comes up (one inch on my 19" monitor):
1. Your problem is most likely in one of the Mothership_x.missphere files
2. You may not have enough arguments per line, check yours with one that you know works
3. There may be a missing ; in front of a remark line
4. You may have accidentaly put a return in the middle of one, especially if you used notepad to edit with

C. If the error occurs after the load bar has gone a few inches, but not quite half way:
1. Your problem is likely with the ResourceSphere_x.missphere file (or files if you have more than one)
2. The most common problem is a mismatched .dist file to the resource type you specified
e.g. the first argument is "Resource DustCloud" and the .dist file you specified is "Asteroid.dist"
3. Again, not enough arguments such as only two coordinates or no .dist file specified at all!
4. Check for carriage returns splitting lines in half
5. Check for typos in the .dist file names
6. Make sure the .dist file name that you specified is actually IN the folder you are using
7. Make sure the .dist file specified is using the matching resources to the type you said would be there

These should help the novice map builder avoid a LOT of the frustration that I went through. If any of you experts would like to add
some others, feel free to and I will edit this list. Maybe after a few days we can put it up on the web sites.