When something goes wrong

The left column is empty and nothing works#

Roller is locked (there's a red ! next to the password field). Type your password and click set. This is needed every time Roller starts.

"Pick a model first"#

No model is selected. Pick one in the list at the top. If the list is empty:

  • With LM Studio: make sure LM Studio is open and its server is running (Developer tab, Start server), then click the reload button ↻ next to the list.
  • With Local: there are no model files in Roller's models folder (or LM Studio's) yet. See Download a model from Hugging Face.

"LM Studio not reachable"#

LM Studio isn't running, or its server isn't started. Open LM Studio, start the server in the Developer tab, and click ↻ next to the model list. Or switch to Local.

Loading takes very long#

Big models (around 20B and up) can take several minutes the first time, especially on a Mac with less memory. The loading window shows the progress. Loading the same model again is usually much faster.

If it never finishes, or your Mac becomes very slow, the model is probably too big for your Mac's memory. Cancel, and pick a smaller model or a smaller context size.

"This game doesn't fit into the model's context"#

The game has grown too long for the model's context. Make the context bigger (Make a long game fit), or summarize the game and go on in a new one (Continue a long game). See How long can a game get? for the background.

The characters say something completely unrelated#

If the characters suddenly talk about something that has nothing to do with your story, the model probably didn't see the whole play. Check the token gauge: if it's red, the game doesn't fit (see above).

If it happens even in a brand-new game, the model file itself may be faulty. Try a different version of the model (for example from another publisher in LM Studio), or a different model.

"The reply was not in the turn format"#

The model didn't answer in the form Roller needs. Click Back and Send to try again. If it keeps happening:

  • Open Config and make sure Enforce JSON schema is ticked in your preset.
  • Some models must "think" before they answer and fail when that's switched on. For those, make a preset with Enforce JSON schema unticked.
  • Or try another model.

The characters all sound the same#

  • Make their descriptions more different: what they want, how they talk. See Write characters that come alive.
  • Use a bigger model: small models (7–8B) tend to blur characters together.

Listen doesn't write anything#

  • Check that your browser is allowed to use the microphone (Safari asks the first time).
  • The first phrase after starting Roller takes a few seconds longer.
  • Dictation needs a speech model and a small helper program. Double-click setup-speech.command in the Acopa folder (it needs Homebrew); it installs whatever is missing, including the speech model (about 550 MB, into the models folder). Then restart Roller.

There's no Speak button#

Speak only appears while text is selected, up to about three sentences. Select a shorter piece. If it still doesn't appear, the voices haven't been set up yet: double-click setup-speech.command in the Acopa folder, then restart Roller.

"acopa.db is for a different version of this app"#

Roller found a database file it can't use. Move acopa.db out of the Acopa folder and start Roller again; see Database.

A world file won't import#

  • "This is not a Roller world file": the file isn't a world exported from Roller (or from an app built on it), or it was changed by hand and is no longer complete. Export the world again.
  • "…follows Roller baseline 2; this app only knows baseline 1": the file was made by a newer version of Roller. Update Roller, then import it again.
  • "Locked": enter your password and click set first.

I forgot my password#

Unfortunately, there's no way to recover it: your worlds and games stay locked. Scripts you exported earlier are still readable, and worlds you saved with Export legacy can be imported again once you've chosen a new password.

To start over with a new password, move the file acopa.db out of the Acopa folder; Roller then starts empty and asks for a new password. See Database.