Scenario editor wierdness in MP games

[Zeiter]

I couldn't decide where I should post this, but as this is the general help forum, here we go:

In a couple of my past pbems, I've loaded my turn, only to find the scenario editor on when I open it up! Fortunately, I didn't expose myself to any sensitive information and kept the pbem experience pristene, as I immediately hit ctrl+K to close the editor. So, what is causing this? I checked my alpha.txt file, and I'm playing with the vanilla version (no mods or anything different about it). I really need to make sure this doesn't happen again, because one unwanted glance at something could ruin entire months of pbem-ing.

[smacksim]

It doesn't sound like you are confusing the scenario editor with the 'residual graphics' of the scenario editor. I think you know what I mean. If you quit a game with the SE on and then load another game, it'll look like the SE is on, but you have no powers. At least, that's how I think of it. Maybe it is on? I just get in the habit of always checking to see if the little tile-editor graphic in the center is showing, then hit ctrl-K before going anywhere.

So I don't actually know if I'm confirming your observation or differentiating it from residual graphics effects.

-S

[johndmuller]

I'm not sure exactly what either of you are talking about, but an ongoing PBEM shouldn't be able to come up in Scenario Editor mode at all without there being something fishy going on.

I could possibly see something like that happening at the very beginning of the game if the scenario was not started correctly, like if the Scenario Editor was in the mode where you can make moves and the tuirn was 'saved' (rather than the Scenario being saved) and the PBEM played from there (even then I'm not sure that the game could be played without there being some obvious wierdness), but I would think someone would notice something funny early on.

Other funky situations arise if someone 'quits', but saves a file instead of cancelling when the file name to save box comes up - that too should be obvious to several people (and shouldn't be correctable by a ctrl-K either).

[Zeiter]

No, I'm pretty sure it was the real scenario editor on. But what do you mean by residual graphics effects? Also, when I look in the F7 screen in that game, it says "CHEATED!" just like if I had activated the SE myself. But the scenario editor was already on when I opened the turn up, that's what's so baffling. And there's nothing I can really do except shut my eyes as fast as possible and hit ctrl+K. In fact, lately I've been covering up parts of my screen with my hands when I open my turns up to make sure that if the editor is on, that I don't see something I'm not supposed to see.

Just so you know, I solely play vanilla SMAC, and I have all of the patches for it. But I wonder, if other pbem members are playing the game on SMAX, would that cause this SE wierdness? But then the game would probably crash pretty quickly anyway, because there are just too many incompatible things between SMAC and SMAX. I don't know, I'm really at a loss with this.

[Enigma_Nova]

It only seems to happen in Testalossa-0.
CTRL-K can activate scenario editor in that game.
I don't know WTF happened there;
I can neither replicate the problem nor trace its source.

Your other PBEMs are safe, Zeiter.
If anyone wants a Testalossa-0 save to see the CTRL-K wierdness, Zeiter and I still have copies.

[Zeiter]

No, I had it happen a while back with a few other pbems. I wonder if it is just something wrong with my computer.

I do remember that it happened right after I had been working on some SP scenarios (like my Overthrow of the Hive one). Maybe the game "remembered" that it was last in scenario editor mode, and chose to load the testalossa game with the scenario editor on?