Fixing SMACX Bugs

[Darsnan]

has anybody discussed yet the issue involving a flat map where portions of explored territory intermittently black out?

[BlackCat]

Well, it is a bug, but I think that it shouldn't be fixed :

Choose load and select one where the AI has reached a high level - fusion and like
When the popup with info about situation pops, choose Cancel
Start a new game

In the new game all (i think) units designed in the cancelled load will be active.

As said, I don't think it shall be fixed since it makes it possible to create some pretty interesting games without fiddling with the designer - fx the two alien facs as neighbours with missiles .

[Petek]

Well, it is a bug, but I think that it shouldn't be fixed :

Choose load and select one where the AI has reached a high level - fusion and like
When the popup with info about situation pops, choose Cancel
Start a new game

In the new game all (i think) units designed in the cancelled load will be active.

As said, I don't think it shall be fixed since it makes it possible to create some pretty interesting games without fiddling with the designer - fx the two alien facs as neighbours with missiles .

That is one cool bug! Can't remember seeing it mentioned before. I used it to start a game where the Drones were building Shard Invaders by MY 2130!

Also, I agree that it shouldn't be fixed.

Petek

[scient]

Here are three more fixes. Pretty minor patch data wise, only a few lines. Heh, #8 didn't even require patching exe to fix.

I'll send updated package out shortly.

7. choppers/missiles/grav ships lose rest of turn when moved through a city with no enemy units adjacent.
Fixed a check that was ending the turn for certain air units when entering a city. There is still a check which ends turn when an air unit enters a city with one turn or less left unless an enemy is adjacent to base.

8. Needlejet "DATA" edit window via scenario editor doesn't render properly making stats uneditable.
This is fixed simply by adding "#itemlist" to "#EDITVEH2A" inside scripts.txt.

9. City production exploit where it was possible to open hurry command window then switch between cities to complete projects for less then actual value.
Fixed a clean up issue with queue panel which was causing this.


edit:
Well, I'm going to hold off sending this out until I've heard back from Darsnan. He has been kind enough to create a customized scenario designed to display and test and various fixes I've done.

[scient]

Here is bug Petek noticed as byproduct of fixing repair bay. This seems to be due to RB being able to heal units 100%.

1. When units inside RB transport are completely healed, they're automatically unloaded. This seems to only affect ground transports (maybe air?) since sea work ok.

Another issue reported by Darsnan.

2. When using a flat map, intermittently portions of the explored map go black (i.e. as if they haven't been explored).

--

On another note, next thing I'll see about sorting are issues regarding morale and combat. Now, I've tracked down the huge ass function used to handle all combat stuff. Before I start doing analysis on it, are there any other know bugs/exploits regarding combat besides children's creche? I think somewhere in here someone posted something regarding incorrect combat stats? And there was an issue regarding strength probability? Also, with morale besides the children's creche issue are there any other problems? In Maniac article, it looks like there are issues regarding it and drone riots? Maybe if someone could highlight issues regarding morale and combat and whether there are any internal mechanics folks would like to know more about. I did find area in code that handles probability of increasing morale due to combat but I haven't looked at it further.

[vyeh]

Board transport ("L") is also used with sleep. In sleep a unit does not activate until an enemy unit comes near it or it has completely healed (or healed to 80% outside a base). I use it when I have a unit that has been damaged from attacking a mindworm and I want it to be as healed as much as possible before it trolls for more mindworms.

Notice that units automatically "unload" (activate) at sea if the transport comes next to land (there may be a preference that sets it), but if the transport moves, the units are automatically loaded and move with it. Unfortunately, this would probably be impossible to replicate for ground transports since it is conceivable a ground unit could be traveling along with a ground transport instead of being loaded with it.

I think the only other bug affecting morale is the instant demon boil bug (on the Mac it works the other way, the unit becomes very green).

Keep my other two issues in mind: the ecodamage exploit, where every clean facility built affects every base (instead of just the base it was built in) and the issue where the human genome project does not turn a worker into a drone in cases where the recreation commons has suppressed a bureacracy ("double") drone.

[Doux]

On another note, next thing I'll see about sorting are issues regarding morale and combat.

There is the issue of the odds that are calculated wrongly for normal units with reactor > 1 versus native life combat.

It was reported that with the `"Display and Confirm Combat Odds" option on, Locusts of
Chiron attack instantly without asking for confirmation'.

It was also reported (I am basing my post on the bugs thread) that `transports incorrectly count as combat units for determining whether all
non-combat units are lost with final combat defender at a base.
Example: Set-up: a base with one combat unit (say a garrison unit of any tech), a transport, a colony pod, and a probe team. Base is attacked and defender is wiped out. Transport being in base protects colony pod and probe team from being eliminated. Trying same setup without the transport, and when defender dies, so do the colony pod and probe
team."'

Thirdly, `When trying to probe a base with a team that's on a transport, I get the
message "Probe team must have amphibious pod blah blah", but this special
ability is not available when designing probe teams in the Design Workshop.'
Since adding the amphibious pods ability could be considered a feature, I think the only option is to let the game check whether the probe team on a transport is also on land (in a base).

I think many would like to know about why the chance of winning is not linear in the damage the attacker and defender have. A graph has been made, but I cannot find it right now. I mean, a defending unit which has already taken a great amount of damage when engaged in a battle, has a smaller chance of winning the battle (or doing some significant counterdamage) than one would reckon.

[Petek]

On another note, next thing I'll see about sorting are issues regarding morale and combat. Now, I've tracked down the huge ass function used to handle all combat stuff. Before I start doing analysis on it, are there any other know bugs/exploits regarding combat besides children's creche? I think somewhere in here someone posted something regarding incorrect combat stats? And there was an issue regarding strength probability? Also, with morale besides the children's creche issue are there any other problems? In Maniac article, it looks like there are issues regarding it and drone riots? Maybe if someone could highlight issues regarding morale and combat and whether there are any internal mechanics folks would like to know more about. I did find area in code that handles probability of increasing morale due to combat but I haven't looked at it further.

Yes, see item #4 in this post.

Petek

[BlackCat]

It was also reported (I am basing my post on the bugs thread) that `transports incorrectly count as combat units for determining whether all
non-combat units are lost with final combat defender at a base.
Example: Set-up: a base with one combat unit (say a garrison unit of any tech), a transport, a colony pod, and a probe team. Base is attacked and defender is wiped out. Transport being in base protects colony pod and probe team from being eliminated. Trying same setup without the transport, and when defender dies, so do the colony pod and probe
team."'

Formers has the same effect - considering the fact that the AI seems to have a tendency to have vast amounts of such, it would probably be a bad idea to fix it - at least not without fixing the habit of building "useless" units.

[vyeh]

Thirdly, `When trying to probe a base with a team that's on a transport, I get the
message "Probe team must have amphibious pod blah blah", but this special
ability is not available when designing probe teams in the Design Workshop.'
Since adding the amphibious pods ability could be considered a feature, I think the only option is to let the game check whether the probe team on a transport is also on land (in a base).

The alphax.txt (under #ABILITIES) can be modified to allow probe teams to have amphibious abilities (by setting the sixth flag from the right to "1" = Allowed for Noncombat units (non-terraformer)).

So I don't see this error message as an error.

I put a land transport and a probe team in the same square next to an enemy base. I loaded the probe team on the land transport. When I activated the probe team, it had no trouble probing the enemy base.

So I don't think anything needs to be done with this item.

[BlackCat]

That is one cool bug! Can't remember seeing it mentioned before. I used it to start a game where the Drones were building Shard Invaders by MY 2130!

Also, I agree that it shouldn't be fixed.

Petek

To be honest, I've known it from before I sold my soul joined this site, but thought it was common knowledge - you guys had a wast amount of knowledge about the program that I didn't.

[scient]

I think the only other bug affecting morale is the instant demon boil bug (on the Mac it works the other way, the unit becomes very green).

Is this the three waypoint patrol bug I've already fixed?

There is the issue of the odds that are calculated wrongly for normal units with reactor > 1 versus native life combat.

Can you elaborate?

It was reported that with the `"Display and Confirm Combat Odds" option on, Locusts of Chiron attack instantly without asking for confirmation'.

Can't confirm. This setup seems to be working here? (locust aren't attacking w/o confirmation).

---

I've tracked down two locations in code (functions are next to each other) that handle setting up unit's "power" on attacking/defending. I've got to go through it all but I have found the code that handles if unit is in a city and if that city has Children's Creche and/or Brooding Pit. Thankfully, this is a much smaller and more manageable function to do analysis on then the main attack code which is HUGE. I'll look into seeing if Headquarters bonus is taken into effect on defense and if not sort it (PG 104 of AC manual). Also, how drone riot effects morale while attacking/defending. I believe these three things are only issues regarding morale? I'll see about sorting them this weekend.


I've also fixed exploit Petek pointed out to me. It was very simple to track down and sort (~15 mins) since I already know location of function that determines if tile is city or not.

10. When you click on an unexplored tile, the map recenters on that square. However, if the tile contains a base, the map doesn't recenter. This allows you to ascertain the location of enemy bases.
Fixed so when an unexplored tile with city on it is clicked, the game will now center map like rest of tiles.

Lastly, does anyone know of oddities with Flecette Defense System? While testing some stuff I noticed that it doesn't destroy conventional missiles at all either hitting units outside base or base itself. Also, there seems to be some weirdness with planet busters and the like where it will say that it shot it down but it will then pop up window with count down and missile still goes off.

[vyeh]

Is this the three waypoint patrol bug I've already fixed?

Yes.

[Doux]

Can you elaborate?

Sure. If your unit with reactor 4 and 40 health attacks a Psi unit, 10 health, with 1:1 modifiers (for example in air vs. air), the odds will be stated as being 4:1 [40 health * 1 strength / (10 health * 1 strength)] - but this is not true. In truth the odds are 1:1, because Psi combat is fought out ignoring reactors. Yet the odds calculator does not take this into account.

Can't confirm. This setup seems to be working here? (locust aren't attacking w/o confirmation).

I know the bug myself and should have corrected the report, because it is not accurate.
The actual bug is: when you attack a Locusts of Chiron, combat starts immediately without confirming the odds.
I only tested this with wild LoC and on SMACv4, by the way.

[Nims]

Doux, were you by chance attacking the locusts with air units ? Locusts have SAM and thus you wouldn't get an odds screen in that situation.