SMACX bug reporting thread

[Bblue]

Four more entries added to the list.

Theben: the energy crash with Energy Grid is bug#10 (yep.. it is a long list )


Oleg: zsozso will enter those updates upon his return, Thanks for helping us confirm the status of these. If anyone else finds things that have been fixed or is incorrectly listed/described please by all means leave us a message


Wombat: It's all your fault!! I posted that PB_Fletchette bug and less then an hour later I had a similiar experience!! Had two pop-upscreens but luckly both of them said they stopped the PB and my base didn't become a huge hole Whew so at least they stop some PBs, but do they check twice when they should only check once? I'm going to post a thread to see if anyone else has info on this.

Keep up the bughunting
[This message has been edited by Bblue (edited January 19, 2000).]

[Fistleaf]

Cloudbase Academy/Air-drop bug:
I used QuickStart and activated scenario editor. Only the 1st air-drop works correctly. Subsequent air-drops cannot be made near enemy bases.

[Aredhran]

Fistleaf, what do you mean "only the first drop works" ? I have not had any problems with this since I installed the 2.0 patch.

[Bblue]

The Mass_Scrap and the Flechette_PB bugs are now both confirmed.

Fistleaf: I just finished a game where the airdops worked fine, so I went to editor and tried recreating your Cloudbase bug, I tried everything multiple drops, single drops, outside the base, into the base,etc.. and couldn't get the reported bug to appear. Are you sure that the v2.0 patch took? or can you email me a save of the scenerio situation you created so that I can recreate it and narrow down what is happening? or can anyone else confirm Fistleaf's experience?


Sorta a bug/ bug question.. In the interludes for when you transend what is suppose to appear in this line?

"Some, like the prankster $SHIMODA9 and the demon $NAME5 are semi-dominant and often hover near the plane of Your Thought"

I think $SHIMODA9 is your scientist but $NAME5 seems to be anything? from your faction name, an opponents faction name, or sometimes blank? I'm pretty sure it is suppose to be an enemy faction name. Is that what ya'll think? If so, what happens when you transend from a peaceful world, worst diplomatic tie is Treaty (Yes I have done it... once) hehehe talk about an obscure bug just seeing if I can confirm it.
[This message has been edited by Bblue (edited January 20, 2000).]

[gnome]

When I transcended as Yang one game, the final interlude said, "..and the demon Pact Brother"...

[Theben]

I can also confirm the "mass scrap" bug.

As for bug #10, I had mistaken it for something else. A "power surge" sounds different than an "energy crash". I also didn't realize you could lose mines from a crash.

More bugs (I have read the entire list, but I may have missed these. My disclaimer ):

1) In the military report, the computer lists units as "lost" that in some cases I have never built, or not as many as listed as lost.

2) RE: Lost air units from ally transfer- 1st case I reported was SMAC4. This is SMACX2. Ally transferred units in air; next turn all air units had full 2 turns of movement (and survived, mostly. See below). That turn ally transferred one more air unit; this one crashed before I could access it (as SMAC4 example).
3) Moreover, the Ally transferred *19* air units to me, to a newly conquered size 2 city. 13 had to be disbanded before I could take control.

4) Ally transferred air units to me in a city. Pop up asked if I wanted to change all new air units production (in same turn) to allied (inferior) type + newer reactor; responded no. During city change production but BEFORE my turn had actually started I entered the unit workshop and the AI had created the allied + new reactor unit type, upgraded this type to my preferred version (no actual units were upgraded or costs incurred). When my movement turn started, all newly transferred units had been upgraded to my preferred air unit type, apparently for free.

5) Not a bug, but those pods that you wander around and create instant trees, solar collectors, mines, or farms: would it be so bad if we could actually build something like that during the game? I mean it's old earth technology! Why can't we re-create it somewhere around mid-game? Maybe load it onto a crawler or transport and "detonate" it at the desired location? It would save a LOT of time when building up cities!

6) Also not a true bug, but the cost of empath "special option" should be reduced to 1. The AI puts it on pratically every unit even though it only works agianst PSI units. Either that or fix the AI so it doesn't use them all the time.
[This message has been edited by Theben (edited January 21, 2000).]

[Theben]

RE: res/pulse armor 3 and com jammers/trance-

Looking at the alphax.txt I noticed that the r/p 3 armor has a cost of "5", so that would explain why the com j/trance was "0" with impact guns. Also the cost of unarmored sea transports is lower than armored ones, so maybe this isn't a bug at all.

Oh, and before I forget, someone at Firaxis needs to get rid of that slime-covered phallic-like "rock" on the caretaker picture... poor taste, guys.
[This message has been edited by Theben (edited January 21, 2000).]

[Bblue]

I've added a few more bugs/enhancements and am looking for some more information reguarding this one by Theben:

In the military report, the computer lists units as "lost" that in some cases I have never built, or not as many as listed as lost.

There are alot of problem with the F7(?) screen numbers and want to include as much as possible before I post it. The only thing reguarding it so far on the bug list is that it has a limit of 255 (see #0057 Unit_List).

I believe I have seen an indepth thread somewhere about this screen and I can seem to find it I think it mentioned that the unit slot# are not reset to 0 for the F7 screen. (ie. slot#12 was laser infanty which you had 6 lost, when that slot gets remade as say String Dreadnaughts it will list 6 loses when you haven't even built one(first part of Thebens post).
Also, if I remember correctly, it mentioned that independant units are not taken into acount on the F7 screen (resulting in the second part of Theben's post) Can anyone confirm any of this.. or have I been hallucinating agian

[korn469]

i came across a strange bug tonight...i created some custom factions in SMAC, and i was conducting diplomacy with the customized Morgan Faction and i asked him to sign a pact, he said he would but needed -100 energy before he would sign...i had 54 energy and he had 88

after we signed the pact he went to -12 energy and i stayed at 54 i have a save

korn469

[Bblue]

Just updated the list some, probably my last time for awhile since zsozso will be back tommorow. This week has really helped my post count If in your posts you mentioned you had saves for the bugs you found please go ahead and email them to zsozso so that he can get them linked into the list. The more bugs we get saves for the better chance I IMHO think people will take this list seriously. I would also like to stress that if you run across a bug (even one that you didn't report) while playing give at a quick save so we can fill out this list.

Thanks all for the help.. and now.. back to zsozso
[This message has been edited by Bblue (edited January 23, 2000).]

[Paul]

One request for a future patch: now that I'm playing the Apolyton SMAC tournament I often get new turns for more than one PBEM game. When I finish one game and choose "save and exit" the game quits to the desktop and I have to load the game again. I wonder if it would be possible to have an option to get back to the "load PBEM game" screen when I have played one game and have an other game to play.

[Bblue]

Paul: I don't know very much about multiplayer SMAC, but could the reason that the program is closing down be that the games are Ironman?

[zsozso]

Many Thanks to Bblue for keeping the bug list updated last week!

I just added Paul's request as #0172, Multiple_PBEM. BTW, it is not only for Ironman setting, it is a simple feature of the "Save and Exit" button, which actually says it in its name, so no surprise there
But it would be nice to have a "Save and back to Main Menu" button too!

Zsozso

[Fistleaf]

BugID:Spore Launchers attacking each other.
I actually saw it happening because one of my units was nearby. Can't repeat it because I play Ironman.

[Oleg Leschov]

I'll state here some more views on improving AC, I hope somebody will find these interesting.

BugID: Text_Scroll
Catagory: UI.
Priority: 4, minor
Status: pending

The window that appears when new technology is discovered.
In the bottom of it there is a text window with the description and citates.
This window may have a scrollbar which is supposed to scroll a text that doesn't fit in window. The problem is that it scrolls very strangely -- at least I haven't seen this kind of "scroll" elsewhere
When scrolling, every line of text still visible must remain constant. Obviously, but this is not so there.


BugID: Always_Recenter_Active_Unit
Version: Both AX and AC4
Catagory: UI.
Priority: 5
Status: pending

Don't recenter screen on active unit every time when exiting base screen
or anything else. Just do it only when 'center' command issued.
I like how it behave in civ2.


BugID: Minimum_Hurry_Cost
Version: Both AX and AC4
Category: Base.
Priority: 5
Status: pending

Concerning hurrying of production.

You may just pay whole cost, if you have it. This guarantees that in the beginning of the next turn that thing will be completed. But if the base does produce any minerals for next turn and if we suppose that there will not be drone riots then is is absolutely unneccessary to pay a whole cost. Even more -- if it's not a drone riot then paying whole cost is just a waste of money.

So what do I do: I am paying (C/A)*(A-B) credits where B is mineral production of base, A is cost in minerals to complete a thing, C is a cost in credits to complete thing; C/A is a cost of one mineral, A-B is mineral cost without mineral production per turn.

That is, suggestion --- make an additional option to hurry production -- calculate minimum amount of credits required to complete a thing in N turns with current minerals production.