Fixing SMACX Bugs

[Petek]

Another method would be to save your current turn. Go into the scenario editor and remove the condensor via the map editor. My experience was that when I placed and removed a condensor I returned to the same situation.

I removed the condenser. No change: the farmed arid tiles remained arid.

The one time I loaded that huge map into my map editor, I noticed that it took a long time to move via the arrow keys (using the mouse was a lot quicker).

For me, movement is the same whether using the mouse or keyboard.

I'm sure that after a condensor is completed, the game first increases the moisture content of the condensor square and each adjoining square and then it must run every square through the program to check for various conditions like no arid square next to a rainy one.

Good to know.

Edit: Is it possible to take a screenshot (say 10 by 10 squares) centered around the condensor in question (I assume the farm squares that turned arid would be within the screenshot)?

I can probably do that. I have a save from the turn during which the condenser was built, and also from the turn before. Would you like to see both screenshots?

Petek

EDIT: I just went ahead and attached the two screenshots. One of the changed tiles might be hard to see. It's directly to the right of Gagarin Memorial at the bottom of the screen.

[Russia4Life]

Looked at the screen shots. That condenser changed alot of tiles. not just the farmland ones. I can't tell for certain but it looks like tiles to the north turned rainy as tiles to the east and west turned drier. I do not know enough about rainfall mechanics to know why, but is it possible that the drastic effect is due to the large size of the map.

I really don't feel that this is a bug, I think it is just a not yet understood part of rainfall mechanics.

[Petek]

Looked at the screen shots. That condenser changed alot of tiles. not just the farmland ones. I can't tell for certain but it looks like tiles to the north turned rainy as tiles to the east and west turned drier. I do not know enough about rainfall mechanics to know why, but is it possible that the drastic effect is due to the large size of the map.

I really don't feel that this is a bug, I think it is just a not yet understood part of rainfall mechanics.

I agree. I think that the effect is due to the extremely large map size (32x larger than a 256x256 map!).

[Petek]

I don't think that the following has been discussed in this thread: In the Base Operations screen (F4), if you zoom to any base that's not on the first page, you are returned to the first page of the screen when you exit the base. That's annoying, because you then have to page down one or more times to get back to where you were. You should be returned to the page where you began. This is obviously not a game breaker, but it would be nice if the program's behavior could be changed.

Petek

[vyeh]

It looks to me that the square due South (below) of the condensor site is moist both before and after.

Could it be possible that some other event (e.g. a new borehole) also occurred?

[Petek]

It looks to me that the square due South (below) of the condensor site is moist both before and after.

Could it be possible that some other event (e.g. a new borehole) also occurred?

I haven't built any boreholes and I haven't raised/lowered any land. Also, since I built the WP, no other faction's terraforming could have affected me. I'm building another condenser, so I'll see what happens when it's completed.

Petek

[vyeh]

I think I recalled that AI's can raise and lower land before getting the tech.

[Petek]

I think I recalled that AI's can raise and lower land before getting the tech.

Perhaps that's what happened. I'll see what takes place if I can ever build another condenser (had the game open most of the day, but only played seven turns).

Petek

[vyeh]

Thinking about it, you're right that it is an artifact of the large map. Otherwise the surrounding squares should have moved from moist to rainy or arid to moist.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

I just want to be clear that I was not reporting a bug with the popup message. I was reporting an anomaly with a condensor creating arid tiles and wondered whether or not this behavior was standard.

Petek

Did I misunderstand, and you had the actual base closest to the condenser named in the pop-up?

I never get the base that was actually closest to any rainfall/temperature-affecting terraforming I know of named. I thought that was what you were talking about.

[vyeh]

I had a game where I built a lot of condensors and it was always the newest base that was named. Obviously, this is a bug.

[Cmcastl]

This is where I crash, please help!!

Can you help with a generic fix?

I read however that SMAC can't deal with the advent of the more powerful computers.

If it hasn't been uploaded properly, please let me know.

Live long and prosper.

[vyeh]

It didn't upload properly.

After you've zipped the game save, use the "Post Reply" button (if you use the quick reply, you will have to hit the go advanced button).

Then under additional options, click on the manage attachments button.

Choose the zipped game save from your computer. Hit the upload button.

Verity that it says

Current Attachments

[Name of the zipped save]


in the little manage attachments window.

It should also have the file listed under attach files in the big window.

Then hit Submit Reply.

You can also edit your original message to add the file.

A save just before the crash will help scient (I think he is dealing with end of the semester issues right now) locate the problem.

[Petek]

Regarding the effect of building a condenser on a 1024x2048 map: I've now completed two or three more condensers. Everything appears normal. No pop-up messages and no moist tiles turning arid.

Petek

[vyeh]

It looks like there are 3 potential messages:

Our Formers have altered the rainfall patterns near $BASENAME0.

A new Thermal Borehole has raised temperatures dramatically near $BASENAME0.

$ Formers have altered the rainfall patterns near $BASENAME0.

Which of these messages did you get (if you remember)?

If it was the first, then it was the effect of your formers.

I'm surprised there was no message on the completion of the other condensors. Did all 8 squares surrounding the new condensors rise in moisture level?