Battle display not matching the results in multiplay

Adept · #1 January 16th, 2011, 11:41 AM

How common is this, and what can be done to minimise it.

In our current multiplayer game (now in an extended stalemated endgame, turn 122) we've had three or four turns where the "summary" and actual results haven't matched what is seen in the battle display. Units who seem to live through a battle turn out to have died afterall, and sometimes even the "wrong" side emerges victorious, quite contrary to the battle display.

It's rare but very frustrating. Seems to be happening now that we have more players in our multiplayer matches.

Edi · #2 January 16th, 2011, 11:54 AM

Known issue. In these instances usually the client and the server instances of Dominions 3 are running on different operating systems and something (possibly random seeds or their interpretation) goes out of whack since the server hosts the turn and the client has to interpret the server output.

Theoretically there should not be a problem, but to isolate this, you would need several different test sets meticulously documented, one set with only Linux instances, one with Windows only, and one with mixed operating systems. If there is only discrepancy with the mixed set, there's little that can be done, or likely little that can be done without massive effort.

And massive effort to fix cosmetic bugs at this stage is rather unlikely.

thejeff · #3 January 16th, 2011, 12:29 PM

That was the old diagnosis of the problem and I think that it was fixed or improved in an earlier patch. I can't find any mention in the progress list, but I do remember a change.

There is now definitely an issue with battle replays even on the same system. I've seen it playing SP, where it's the same instance of dom3 running both the hosting and the replay.
This doesn't make it any easier to track down or any more likely to be fixed.

Gandalf Parker · #4 January 16th, 2011, 12:51 PM

The game does not visually record battles. It resolves battles using a programmed formula and then tells you the results. And then later on your machine if you say you want to actually watch the battle then the game tries to recreate the battle in a viewable mode. But even though it uses the same code, variations in operating systems and random seeds can change it. Even waiting and asking to view the battle again the next day can alter the results. It might also be aggravated by mods. When there is a disagreement between what the game tells you and the viewable battle then consider the viewable version to be false.

thejeff · #5 January 16th, 2011, 01:29 PM

Variations in mods can certainly cause a problem, but the problem exists without them and without variations in OS. I've never seen it change watching the battle again. Even days later.

Obviously the replay is false. You have to work with the units that actually remain. It's still a handicap to not know what actually happened. Where your strategy went wrong, if it did.

I wonder if this is actually more common than reported. Minor variations in battle results might easily not be noticed. Obviously if you win but the replay shows a loss or vice versa you'll notice, or if major mages or thugs are lost/not lost. But there are differences in the number of chaff lost, I'd rarely catch it.

Gandalf Parker · #6 January 16th, 2011, 02:19 PM

If I ever get a nice clean example I will zip it up and send it. Unfortunately I rarely play vanilla anymore. I usually have quite a collection of mods in affect, and themes, and special maps. The cleanest would be on Ubuntu Linux, no mods, and a map that came with the game. Maybe I will start playing some of those to see if I can catch one displaying a wrong combat.

Adept · #7 January 16th, 2011, 07:21 PM

Thanks for all the replies.

Dorjan · #8 January 16th, 2011, 08:57 PM

The battles in question are all on XP home / pro machines (32bit) and even the server host and all people (since it was a big battle everyone watched it) got the same viewing battle. So the "random seed" was wrong on all 5 machines?

Seems unlikely.

Edi · #9 January 17th, 2011, 02:45 AM

If you have the files, send them to Illwinter per the instructions in the shortlist thread.

Adept · #10 January 18th, 2011, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edi

If you have the files, send them to Illwinter per the instructions in the shortlist thread.

What shortlist thread? Can you point me at these instructions and I'll save the turn file(s?) before tonight's hosting.

/edit Nevermind, I think I figured it out. Do I need to send something else than the turn file?