Fixing SMACX Bugs - Page 17

Mart · May 17, 2009, 23:58

We just hope, the patch will be released public one day.
The question of multiplayer is a bit complex I think, for pbem it is format of the save file, for tcp/ip, I'm not sure...

Lefty Scaevola · May 18, 2009, 23:22

Originally Posted by GooglyBoogly

that would be MADNESS.

To which Corazon Santiago would reply "THIS IS SPARTA!!".

Doux · May 31, 2009, 15:42

Could somebody send me the latest exe by scient? I might just start a new game in the next couple of days.
Too bad he hasn't been here for a while now..

Petek · May 31, 2009, 16:45

Originally Posted by Doux

Could somebody send me the latest exe by scient? I might just start a new game in the next couple of days.
Too bad he hasn't been here for a while now..

Scient asked that those who have the patch not send it to anyone else. However, we have heard from him and expect him to reappear "soon." See this thread for more information. After he comes back, send him a PM to request the patch.

Petek

Nevill · June 1, 2009, 07:30

I am very glad to hear he is still around. Is the patch still open to suggestions? It seems to me that the latest buglist is far from being comlete. Is there a need to mention what was not yet covered?

Petek · June 1, 2009, 08:48

Originally Posted by Nevill

I am very glad to hear he is still around. Is the patch still open to suggestions? It seems to me that the latest buglist is far from being comlete. Is there a need to mention what was not yet covered?

Sure, feel free to jump in and post any previously unmentioned bugs.

Petek

Nevill · June 4, 2009, 12:56

Ok, here it is. Based on a buglist that Mart provided.

Commented on entries: 1, 5, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22, 27, 33, 34, 35, 44, 50, 57, 63, 65, 67, 71.

Added 16 more entries. Hopefully, it will be updated as I remember things.

Petek · June 4, 2009, 17:46

Originally Posted by Nevill

Ok, here it is. Based on a buglist that Mart provided.

Commented on entries: 1, 5, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22, 27, 33, 34, 35, 44, 50, 57, 63, 65, 67, 71.

Added 16 more entries. Hopefully, it will be updated as I remember things.

Nice work!

Petek

Mart · June 19, 2009, 14:20

Nevill, I read your comments, thanks. We need exactly such remarks.

As for releasing the patch, Civ4 together with Civ Colonization got DRM removal. They are much newer games than smac, only publisher is different afaik, but might serve as a good example in case of negotiations/petition.

Cmcastl · June 20, 2009, 14:06

This game, when I could play it, on older systems and computers was my all-time favourite. It would still be now but I have given up - I am now playing Civ-IV Planetfall.

The reason? Nobody anywhere I have gone on the Web has come up with a patch which will guarantee I can play with a large map,using XP, and not some time around game turn 320 crash! I have been disappointed too many times to try again.

Pity.

Live long and prosper.

Mart · June 20, 2009, 15:14

Another thought, maybe Mastertronic would be interested in allowing the patch. They now released both smac and smax, smac has no drm, but smax does. To me it looks like "left over" maybe they just do not have drm-free executable, but if they had, they would not mind allowing it as a community patch?
Also, they may better negotiate with EA about the patch, if they see it as an incentive to buy this game.

Nasrudin · June 22, 2009, 16:24

I can respect the sentiment behind waiting for firaxis/publisher/whoever's approval of a patch that breaks drm if it were released now, but I don't think it matters that much - check post #2 here http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=299445. While apolyton and civfanatics may be different sites, i thought civfanatics had a don't-help-people-break-drm policy, too. SMAC may "only" be 3 years older than civ3, but i don't think anyone's making money on it anymore. It's a shameful fate for such a good game, but i don't think it's to be found anywhere except at garage sales, bargin bins, and ebay. Am I wrong?

Lord Avalon · June 22, 2009, 16:35

Yes. Mart found it on sale.

Nasrudin · June 22, 2009, 17:22

Ah. a google search does reveal it to be on sale from a number of vendors, but that's not to say a significant number of people are buying. (not that i think anyone here will be persuaded by that or any line of reasoning short of a personal OK from Sid signed in blood)

I guess I will wait for scient to return with his own CD check or a publisher's OK...

arturosybios · June 27, 2009, 08:14

guys...noob here. i've actually played smac and smax for a very long time. ever since it was first release but everytime will i start, i will stop playing due to the air defense crash. its just bloody irritating and theres no patch for it. i've just recently started playing again and once again im starting to get frustrated by the crashing. googled around and found references to this being fixed by mart. i saw in the bug listing that it is already fixed by mart but have failed to find how to fix it. can anybody please help?

arturosybios · June 27, 2009, 08:28

Originally Posted by scient

@Darsnan: I'll add these to my notes to look into at some point. These mainly are things that would be questionable to consider as fixes/bugs. First thing I plan on doing is resolving as many of the unquestionable game breaking bugs / exploits. Then I'll move on to things like these.

If I ever did work on some of these I would make them separate from my main fix patch. That isn't to say I don't agree with you that improving the AI and such would be a good thing.

Fixed! What seemed to be the problem is that there are some global variables which never get reset when "Air Scramble" is toggled. There is a function used in other areas during combat/movement which takes the current unit id and sets these globals. So, the current fix I've done is calling this function using the unit id of the jet being scrambled at top of "air scramble" code. I've got to do some more testing and analysis but it's now working 100% without crashing.

edit:
I thought I'd throw these in.

it says fixed...but i cant find how it was fixed. anybody can help me out here?

vyeh · June 27, 2009, 08:49

Welcome, arturosybios!

After scient used a disassembler to turn the machine code into assembly code, he used a debugger to find the error, and rewrote the assembly code to prevent the error and then recompiled the new assembly code into a patch. There is an issue with posting or providing a link to the patch at 'poly.

arturosybios · June 27, 2009, 10:26

dang....thats what i was afraid of. i've had this bug buging me ever since i first started playing AC...and this is always the reason y i stopped playing. i've even wrote to Firaxis about this but no response whatsoever about it. i thought it would have been fixed when the patches n crossfire came out but WTH....still no change.

anyway...if somebody would like to "donate" the fix to me, you can send it to sybios@gmail.com. i would be forever grateful. trust me. a lot of ppl i know would be grateful(there are at least 5 ppl that are hooked on this game but have always been put off by this bug)

arturosybios · June 27, 2009, 23:02

just crashed for the 20th time...so i decided to read thru the whole thread and found out that the patch isnt for distribution...why is it that scient is on Firaxis' payroll? it would make life for AC fans so much better. superb game...crappy tech support. this is frustrating as hell...

vyeh · June 28, 2009, 13:43

arturosybios, nasrudin, scient is currently online at the Spellhold Studios site. I've asked him if I could distribute his patch on a test basis.

Please check your PM's over the next couple of weeks.

Edit: scient said it is OK for me to distribute it on a test basis subject to the following condition:

Originally Posted by scient

Just make sure it has the readme with it.

I don't have the readme, so I'm trying to get my hands on it.

Please note that our agreement with 'poly is no attachment and no links in the thread; however, PM communication is allowed.

Second edit: I got the readme from scient. I'm trying to test a way of distributing it. I need to get some technical issues worked out. I'll let the two of you know by PM when I'm ready.

vyeh · July 8, 2009, 11:14

A few words from scient on the status of the bug fix project:

Originally Posted by scient

At the moment this project is on semi-hold until I've finished up work on another project for the classic isometric RPG Planescape: Torment (shameless plug). That said, I plan on looking into isolated problems like crashes and such. However, any major overhaul to game mechanics such as morale (ugh) will have to be after I've completed my work on PST.

While I will be checking this thread, if you prefer that scient sees your bug report unfiltered, you can post your bug report here

DrazharLn · February 4, 2010, 19:08

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it here, but scient has hosted his patch here. You'll need a forum account to download, but it's no biggie.

The linked thread also contains more up to date information on the patch.

vyeh · February 4, 2010, 22:07

scient recently made these comments:

Originally Posted by scient

Hey all, I just wanted to pop by and let everyone know I haven't abandoned AC community. I had to take leave of absence for awhile for personal reasons (this included my work on PST) and have only come back recently. I do plan on updating my unofficial patch in coming months. Just as soon as I finish a few things I've already 90% done with in Planescape. I guess this thread is mainly to say hi and to let everyone know to keep reporting bugs because I'll definitely look at them. I'll try to be more active on here than I have been (yay like 2 posts!). Also, everyone should thank vyeh for keeping me up to date and encouraging me to get on here.

Cmcastl · February 5, 2010, 16:02

Incidentally, never, ever in my Web life have I ever had as much trouble entering a forum as this.

Anyway, I have downloaded Scient's new patch. Will this patch fix the problem of using big maps in SMAC-X, which is what caused me to move to Civ IV Planetfall, or must I await another?

Live long and prosper.

DrazharLn · February 6, 2010, 15:09

I have no problem using large maps with his mod (even up to 1000x1000 + sizes). I can only speak for myself, however. I don't recall whether the patch specifically fixes this problem.

Cmcastl · February 6, 2010, 16:34

Of all space strategy games the original SMAC, and then with Crossfire, was the game I loved the most.

But I finally defected from SMAC to Civ IV: Planetfall after several attempts to get beyond mid-game with a large map, despite having applied the XP patch.

Some one suggested that the game would have needed major surgery for it to handle large maps. I have left a post on here querying whether that major patch had been carried out but have not received a reply.

I am trying it out again with this new patch.

Live long and prosper.

DrazharLn · February 6, 2010, 17:34

It's always good to see new players coming in.

vyeh · February 6, 2010, 22:37

There are several issues with large maps,

(1) There has been success in creating really large maps, but one actually has to create a scenario. (So try not to see where the other factions are.)

(2) The other issue is that apparently there is a maximum of 2048 total units among all factions. I suspect this is the issue Cmcastl is running into if he can start a game with a huge map, but runs into problems later. I'll send a PM to scient. Maybe this is an easy issue. It would help if Cmcastl could attach a saved game involving a huge map where he ran into a problem.

There is only one scient patch that has been released.

I realize Cmcastl has been persistent in bringing up the issue of huge maps and I'll direct scient's attention to the issue. If the problem in mid-game is something different from an issue with maximum number of units, please post.

Edit: Petek has reminded me that there is a saved game at post #453 above.

Cmcastl · February 7, 2010, 09:46

I say again, duhhh, as you Americans put it; I was playing this game in the years 1999-2000!

I came back to SMAC a year or two back, after having enjoyed a couple of years playing MOO3, my first love in space strategy gaming, but found that in several games I could not get beyond some 300 moves before it crashed therefore I gave up and started up on Civ IV: Planetfall, which I shall not bad mouthe. It is a great game, the eye candy is eye-popping and plenty of new techs.

EXCEPT there is

a) no workshop
b) very limited automation of units, particularly probe teams
c) far too strong native flora and fauna, at every level, particularly at sea.

In short, the automation of SMAC and the eye candy of Planetfall would make a game that would mean you would have to give up work, marriage and dedicate the rest of your life to the game but that is, probably fortunately fir many of us, not about to happen.

I have started on SMAC again because just possibly Scient's latest patch might cure some of the crashes I encountered before; we shall see. Although on the other hand, thank you Vyeh, for noting this absolute limit in units - this may be the killer! Very useful "knowledge nuggett" that. If it could be solved that would be a powerful plus for returning the original game with all the PC power we now have.

Hmmm... create a scenario, you say; I shall have to tinker with that then

Incidentally, it is a minor point but I can't get Alien Crossfire to work at all - I have, of course, upgraded to the XP patch - even though I use the AC CD to enter the game and then choose the classic SMAC! But it is, I re-iterate, a minor point, since I am happy enough with SMAC.

Live long and prosper.

DrazharLn · February 7, 2010, 12:59

You may be in luck, I wrote an installation guide for SMAC(X) over here.