exc_bad_access when advancing simulation on device - sprite-kit

Question

This error only occurs on the actual device. When running on the simulator in Xcode 6, it does not crash.
I am creating outer space and have random shooting stars streak across the sky.
In the scene, [goToSpace] is called which sets up the starfield by using three SKEmitterNodes to simulate depth. Then a timer is initialized which sends stars shooting.
In the initialization of the starfield, it is necessary to advance the simulation of the three SKEmitterNodes to get a full sky of stars. When the line [emitterNode1 advanceSimulationTime: lifetime] is called, I get exc_bad_access. I followed tutorials to enable NSZombie which did not help.
I can't for the life of my track down why I am getting exc_bad_access. I use Parse.com's Crash Reporting which gives this stack:
> Stack Trace Thread 0 (crashed) 0 libsystem_platform.dylib
> OSSpinLockLock # 0x4 1 SpriteKit SKSpinLockSync(int*, void ()
> block_pointer) # 0x20 2 SpriteKit
> -[SKTexture loadImageData] # 0xec 3 SpriteKit
> -[SKTexture size] # 0x28 4 SpriteKit SKCEmitterSprite::update(double) # 0x117c 5 CorpBoard # 0x48d44 6 CorpBoard # 0xfbc50 7 CorpBoard #
> 0xfa6f0 8 CorpBoard # 0xfa070 9 UIKit
> -[UITableView _createPreparedCellForGlobalRow:withIndexPath:willDisplay:] # 0x21c 10 UIKit
> -[UITableView _updateVisibleCellsNow:isRecursive:] # 0x934 11 UIKit
> -[UITableView layoutSubviews] # 0xa8 12 UIKit
> -[UIView(CALayerDelegate) layoutSublayersOfLayer:] # 0x238 13 QuartzCore
> -[CALayer layoutSublayers] # 0xa4 14 QuartzCore CA::Layer::layout_if_needed(CA::Transaction*) # 0x13c 15 QuartzCore
> CA::Layer::layout_and_display_if_needed(CA::Transaction*) # 0x1c 16
> QuartzCore CA::Context::commit_transaction(CA::Transaction*) # 0x110
> 17 QuartzCore CA::Transaction::commit() # 0x1b0 18 QuartzCore
> CA::Transaction::observer_callback(__CFRunLoopObserver*, unsigned
> long, void*) # 0x4c 19 CoreFoundation
> __CFRUNLOOP_IS_CALLING_OUT_TO_AN_OBSERVER_CALLBACK_FUNCTION__ # 0x1c 20 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopDoObservers # 0x164 21 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopRun # 0x340 22 CoreFoundation CFRunLoopRunSpecific # 0x188 23 GraphicsServices GSEventRunModal # 0xa4 24 UIKit UIApplicationMain
> # 0x5cc 25 CorpBoard # 0x5be80 26 libdyld.dylib start # 0x0 Thread 1 0
> libsystem_kernel.dylib kevent64 # 0x8 1 libdispatch.dylib
> _dispatch_mgr_invoke # 0x110 2 libdispatch.dylib
> _dispatch_mgr_thread # 0x30 Thread 2 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib
> __workq_kernreturn # 0x8 1 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_wqthread # 0x3dc 2 libsystem_pthread.dylib start_wqthread # 0x0 Thread 3 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib
> __workq_kernreturn # 0x8 1 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_wqthread # 0x3dc 2 libsystem_pthread.dylib start_wqthread # 0x0 Thread 4 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib
> __workq_kernreturn # 0x8 1 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_wqthread # 0x3dc 2 libsystem_pthread.dylib start_wqthread # 0x0 Thread 5 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib
> __workq_kernreturn # 0x8 1 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_wqthread # 0x3dc 2 libsystem_pthread.dylib start_wqthread # 0x0 Thread 6 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib
> __workq_kernreturn # 0x8 1 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_wqthread # 0x3dc 2 libsystem_pthread.dylib start_wqthread # 0x0 Thread 7 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib mach_msg_trap # 0x8 1
> libsystem_kernel.dylib mach_msg # 0x44 2 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopServiceMachPort # 0xc4 3 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopRun # 0x3a8 4 CoreFoundation CFRunLoopRunSpecific # 0x188 5 Foundation
> -[NSRunLoop(NSRunLoop) runMode:beforeDate:] # 0x138 6 Foundation
> -[NSRunLoop(NSRunLoop) run] # 0x5c 7 CorpBoard # 0x206a28 8 Foundation
> __NSThread__main__ # 0x42c 9 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_body # 0xa0 10 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_start # 0x9c 11 libsystem_pthread.dylib thread_start # 0x0 Thread 8 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib mach_msg_trap # 0x8 1
> libsystem_kernel.dylib mach_msg # 0x44 2 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopServiceMachPort # 0xc4 3 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopRun # 0x3a8 4 CoreFoundation CFRunLoopRunSpecific # 0x188 5 CFNetwork
> +[NSURLConnection(Loader) _resourceLoadLoop:] # 0x1b4 6 Foundation
> __NSThread__main__ # 0x42c 7 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_body # 0xa0 8 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_start # 0x9c 9 libsystem_pthread.dylib thread_start # 0x0 Thread 9 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib
> __select # 0x8 1 CoreFoundation
> __CFSocketManager # 0x290 2 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_body # 0xa0 3 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_start # 0x9c 4 libsystem_pthread.dylib thread_start # 0x0 Thread 10 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib mach_msg_trap # 0x8 1
> libsystem_kernel.dylib mach_msg # 0x44 2 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopServiceMachPort # 0xc4 3 CoreFoundation
> __CFRunLoopRun # 0x3a8 4 CoreFoundation CFRunLoopRunSpecific # 0x188 5 CoreFoundation CFRunLoopRun # 0x6c 6 CoreMotion # 0x4298c 7
> libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_body # 0xa0 8 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_start # 0x9c 9 libsystem_pthread.dylib thread_start # 0x0 Thread 11 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib
> __workq_kernreturn # 0x8 1 libsystem_pthread.dylib
> _pthread_wqthread # 0x3dc 2 libsystem_pthread.dylib start_wqthread # 0x0
Related code:
NSTimer *space;
-(void)goToSpace {
[self shootingStar];
double lifetime;
SKEmitterNode *emitterNode1 = [self starFieldEmitter:[SKColor lightGrayColor] starSpeedY:1 starsPerSecond:.1 starScaleFactor:0.08];
lifetime = self.frame.size.height * [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale] / 1;
[emitterNode1 advanceSimulationTime:lifetime];
emitterNode1.zPosition = -10;
[self addChild:emitterNode1];
SKEmitterNode *emitterNode2 = [self starFieldEmitter:[SKColor lightGrayColor] starSpeedY:.8 starsPerSecond:.08 starScaleFactor:0.06];
emitterNode2.zPosition = -11;
lifetime = self.frame.size.height * [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale] / .8;
[emitterNode2 advanceSimulationTime:lifetime];
[self addChild:emitterNode2];
SKEmitterNode *emitterNode3 = [self starFieldEmitter:[SKColor grayColor] starSpeedY:.5 starsPerSecond:.5 starScaleFactor:0.03];
emitterNode3.zPosition = -12;
lifetime = self.frame.size.height * [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale] / .5;
[emitterNode3 advanceSimulationTime:lifetime];
[self addChild:emitterNode3];
space = [NSTimer scheduledTimerWithTimeInterval:2 target:self selector:#selector(shootingStar) userInfo:nil repeats:YES];
}
-(SKEmitterNode *)starFieldEmitter:(SKColor *)color starSpeedY:(CGFloat)starSpeedY starsPerSecond:(CGFloat)starsPerSecond starScaleFactor:(CGFloat) starScaleFactor {
SKEmitterNode *emitterNode = [SKEmitterNode node];
CGFloat lifetime = self.frame.size.height * [[UIScreen mainScreen] scale] / starSpeedY;
emitterNode.particleTexture = [SKTexture textureWithImage:[UIImage imageNamed:#"stars"]];
emitterNode.particleBirthRate = starsPerSecond;
emitterNode.particleColor = [SKColor lightGrayColor];
emitterNode.particleSpeed = starSpeedY * -1;
emitterNode.particleScale = starScaleFactor;
emitterNode.particleColorBlendFactor = 1;
emitterNode.particleLifetime = lifetime;
int rndValue = 1 + arc4random() % (45 - 1);
emitterNode.particleRotation = rndValue;
emitterNode.position = CGPointMake(self.frame.size.width / 2, self.frame.size.height);
emitterNode.particlePositionRange = CGVectorMake(self.frame.size.width, self.frame.size.height);
return emitterNode;
}
-(BOOL) getYesOrNo {
int tmp = (arc4random() % 30)+1;
if(tmp % 5 == 0)
return YES;
return NO;
}
-(void)shootingStar {
BOOL left = [self getYesOrNo];
int xPos = 0;
int height = self.frame.size.height;
int yPos = 1 + arc4random() % (height - 1);
if (left) {
xPos = -50;
} else {
xPos = self.frame.size.width + 50;
}
SKEmitterNode *shootingstar = [SKEmitterNode node];
shootingstar = [NSKeyedUnarchiver unarchiveObjectWithFile:[[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:#"spark" ofType:#"sks"]];
CGPoint xy = CGPointMake(xPos, yPos);
shootingstar.position = xy;
shootingstar.name = #"shootingStar";
shootingstar.zPosition = -2.0;
shootingstar.targetNode = self.scene;
[self addChild:shootingstar];
//make random size to simulate distance
float val = [self randFloatBetween:.1 and:.5];
SKAction *scale = [SKAction scaleBy:val duration:0];
[shootingstar runAction: scale completion:nil];
//now set speed depending on size (smaller = farther = slower)
int dur = 0;
if (val < .2) dur = 5;
else if (val < .35) dur = 3;
else dur = 2;
int moveY = -500 + arc4random() % (500 - -500);
int moveX;
if (left) {
moveX = 500;
} else {
moveX = -500;
}
SKAction *move = [SKAction moveByX:moveX y:moveY duration:dur];
int waitDuration = 2 + arc4random() % (5 - 2);
SKAction *wait = [SKAction waitForDuration:waitDuration];
SKAction *sequence = [SKAction sequence:#[wait, move]];
[shootingstar runAction:sequence completion:^{
[shootingstar removeFromParent];
//[self shootingStar];
}];
}
-(float) randFloatBetween:(float)low and:(float)high {
float diff = high - low;
return (((float) rand() / RAND_MAX) * diff) + low;
}

Answer 1

I was able to resolve my issue by referencing a couple answers from: this similar question
In my case, the image I was using for the stars, Stars.png, was in my project directory. I moved it to Images.xcassets and added #2x and #3x versions of the image. This solved my problem, though I don't fully understand why.