2.5 Bugs

[Steve Walmsley]

I think I've discovered a big fat exploit.  

A nifty new feature for 2.5 is that a race can gather sensor data on tech systems that they can see.  This is converted into RP's, which can then be downloaded into research centers.  This is a very cool feature, but it has given me quite a bit to think about in terms of letting other races get close to my ships/bases.

With this ability in the game, I think many races would regard the use of active sensors as a potentially hostile act. There may also be a few "Russian Trawlers" following non-hostile alien fleets. The detail of which tech different sensors can detect under different circumstances is covered in the following thread:

http://aurora.pentarch.org/viewtopic.php?t=891

At any rate, RP's are gathered for individual systems, like, say, "Fire Control Speed Rating 4,000 kps", and the RP's gathered are subtracted off of the total amount of RP's you have to research to develop the system.  

The exploit is related to the fact that you can continue accumulating RP's for that system even when you've accumulated enough to develop the system.  In other words, the amount of RP's needed to develop the system will go into negative numbers, and when you do develop the system, those negative RP's will be applied to whatever you develop next.  Free RP's!

The solution is either to make sure that no research project can have negative RP's, or, when any given research project reaches zero or negative RP's it is automatically developed rather than having to wait for the player to schedule it for R&D.  

Thanks for spotting this. I have added some code to automatically develop any tech that accumulates sufficient points.

Steve

[Manekaalecto]

Strange occurrence.

Game started 1st January 2000. When game has reached 1st January 2002, it showed an error message:

Error 3075 was generated by DAO.Database
Syntax error (comma) in query 's.SystemID = 2550 and s.Xcor = 70581806,8592 and s.Ycor =
-99943232,1695 and p.SystemBodyID = s.SystemBodyID and p.Race = 563'.

followed by a lot of:

Error 91 Object variable or With block variable not set

 I have deleted game and started a new one, also 1st January 2000. 2nd January 2002 similar error message has popped out (different coordinates and different race ID). This time followed by only a few Error 91's, so after a lot of clicking game goes forward.

In event updates for 2nd January there is lot of command assignment events. With length of tour set for 24 months and automatic assignment on, I suppose that the errors are connected with automatic assignment code. I can send a database with this game, if it helps.

Wieslaw Juda

[Steve Walmsley]

Game started 1st January 2000. When game has reached 1st January 2002, it showed an error message:

Error 3075 was generated by DAO.Database
Syntax error (comma) in query 's.SystemID = 2550 and s.Xcor = 70581806,8592 and s.Ycor =
-99943232,1695 and p.SystemBodyID = s.SystemBodyID and p.Race = 563'.

followed by a lot of:

Error 91 Object variable or With block variable not set

 I have deleted game and started a new one, also 1st January 2000. 2nd January 2002 similar error message has popped out (different coordinates and different race ID). This time followed by only a few Error 91's, so after a lot of clicking game goes forward.

In event updates for 2nd January there is lot of command assignment events. With length of tour set for 24 months and automatic assignment on, I suppose that the errors are connected with automatic assignment code. I can send a database with this game, if it helps.

I don't think its the assignment code itself because I have been running with it for several years of game time without a similar error. However, it might be referencing some data that is a problem. Do you have any commander names, system names or ship/class names that contain an apostrophe or a comma?

Steve

[Manekaalecto]

Nope. No apostrophes in commander names (Chinese), planet names or ship names (Mongol theme). When restarted from earlier date database (1 Jan 2001) same thing - "Error in RemoveCommander".  Tried a few times - 50% chance for infinite loop, 50 % for about 20 Error91's.
When looking at individual units, "Error in PopulateLocationPops" shows up with similar message body as previous errors.
I am afraid that it could be a comma thing, specific to national Windows installation. (In Polish notation comma is used as decimal places separator instead of dot used in English - speaking countries).

Wieslaw Juda

[Erik L (OP)]

How is the auto-assign shaping up so far apart from the above?

It doesn't seem to fill staff positions. Though it will empty them. I can't say I've seen it do any automatic assignments, just when I click, but it seems to do okay. Some choices I wouldn't make, but that's the point I think :oops:

[Erik L (OP)]

Marking "Eligible Only" on the commander filters does not filter out slots that are too low.

[Erik L (OP)]

When showing the PP Rules window, the Officer traits box does not go to the background.

[Erik L (OP)]

Are trade convoys not working? I've got 2 spaceports in different systems, connected by a jumpgate network. Both spaceports are sitting at 0 days to next convoy. Have been for months. I don't see any convoy messages in the log.

[Manekaalecto]

Tested theory on Windows localization causing errors by running Templar campaign and setting tour length as 1 month. The same errors happening. So I must learn to live with it (make frequent database copies).
Sorry to take time that could have been spent on making 2.6 even better.  

Wieslaw Juda

[Valhawk]

Two things.  

1. Pressing the Research button in the system menu brings up the shipyard task screen.

2. I keep getting

Code: [Select]

"Error 3421 was generated by DAO.Field data type conversion error" after every five day period" for Add to race wealth and get race weath.   Considering wealth is still being added and displayed it seems strange that this should pop up over and over again.

[Erik L (OP)]

I somehow managed to shoehorn 5 troop units into 2 ships with a capacity of 2 each.

I deployed the 5 units for transport via the Economic/Ground Unit window. I then realized I had moved troops to a couple ships undergoing refit. I went to the ship window and transfered them to available, mobile ships. Looking at the fleet, I see a capacity of 4, and 5 units loaded.

[Erik L (OP)]

Can you fix the spelling of "Antietam" from "Antienam"?

[Erik L (OP)]

Troops units deployed to a planet affect protection (I'm guessing, since the political stability went back to 100%), but do not show on the Summary page.

[Father Tim]

Troops units deployed to a planet affect protection (I'm guessing, since the political stability went back to 100%), but do not show on the Summary page.

They don't affect protection, they remove unrest points through martial law - although they do so in a manner that's vastly more cost-efficient than building massive PDCs or fleets of parasite ships.  So the low protection level causes unrest, which the 'security battalions' then remove.  As an added bonus, they remove Unrest points from all sources, not just low defenses.

[Erik L (OP)]

Troops units deployed to a planet affect protection (I'm guessing, since the political stability went back to 100%), but do not show on the Summary page.

They don't affect protection, they remove unrest points through martial law - although they do so in a manner that's vastly more cost-efficient than building massive PDCs or fleets of parasite ships.  So the low protection level causes unrest, which the 'security battalions' then remove.  As an added bonus, they remove Unrest points from all sources, not just low defenses.

I've always gone the PDC route prior. I was constructing a PDC on the colony, and shipped in the garrison early.