Cause of scale-loss bug found!

[Kristoffer O]

We are not able to reproduce the bug. Neither on win nor Mac.

We tried Silent Seas with your scale settings without success.

How far into the game does this happen? First turn or after a while?

[Daynarr]

IIRC this happens on the second turn. First turn scales are normal, next turn all positive scales are gone.

[Endoperez]

What about copying the game folder and testing for the bug with that spesific file? IndyPendant can reliably cause it in his own computer. With even one game that causes the bug reliably, on his computer, we can test if it happens on the devs' computers reliably. It could be it only happens on certain OSs, or with certain hardware, or something similarly obscure.

[Kristoffer O]

How many other nations did you use?

Did you do anything except press end turn?

[IndyPendant]

Heh. This bug is starting to seriously annoy me. --In a good way, though; I love a true troubleshooting challenge! : )

I can still reproduce the error, but now with only about a 50% success rate. Still, I've got a game I've created, copied to another folder, then ended the first turn. Got the bug, copied that same game--the exact same files--back into the savedgames folder, ended the first turn again, no bug. Then no bug, bug, bug, no bug, no bug, bug, bug, bug.

I've attached the files for anyone to try that would like to. Game folder is 'Bug1', just as it is in the archive. I'm using the default Silent Seas wraparound map that came with the game. I'll be interested to see if anyone can reproduce this bug. If the bug doesn't occur, please try ending the first turn at least five times total to see if you can reproduce it. (Note: DO NOT end the same game five times, to reach Turn Six! I mean delete, recopy, and end the first turn up to five times to see if you can reproduce the bug.)

K.O., it didn't matter if I gave orders or not. If the bug kicked in, it *always* kicked in after ending the very first turn. When I first encountered the bug, I was giving my first-turn orders then ending the turn. But when I began my troubleshooting, I would just create the game and immediately End Turn, and I still got the bug. The bug takes three forms, so far as I can observe: 1) loss of all positive scales, which will come back slowly similar to converting from enemy dominion; 2) loss of all positive scales, that only come back very slowly, so that even after two years and more it still hasn't returned to normal; and 3) slight loss of positive scales, which spend the next year or two 'making up their minds' whether to go up or down, but never quite vanish or return to normal.

I have checked a few other nations, but could only reliably reproduce it with MA R'lyeh.

I'm sick again today, so I'm going to be around for at least another four hours, and I'll probably be around tomorrow as well with the way I'm feeling. So I've got time to work back and forth on this if you'd like. Gives me something to do. ; )

Edit: Took me a short bit to figure out how to upload it, since it wouldn't take the .trn file. Zipped it is!

[IndyPendant]

Well, this is a bit annoying.

I've just tried a few dozen more starts, and I can no longer reproduce the bug on the Aran and Silent Seas (nonwrap) maps. Just in case the previous file doesn't work though, I've attached a zip of a Glory game I've created where I can also reproduce the bug. My Glory .map file is heavily edited, if it matters. ; ) --And after doing all that, I went back and copied Bug1 in again and tested it: still getting the bug semi-reliably.

Oh, another detail, in case it wasn't clear: if the bug doesn't show up after ending the first turn, then it never shows up.

[IndyPendant]

...and now Cradle is bugged for me, when it never showed after dozens of tests earlier today. *sigh*.

Here's yet another file for you to try. Cradle is also heavily edited by me btw. When I tested this file, I got bug-no bug-bug-bug.

I'll stop for now, and see what happens when you try these files, before I continue troubleshooting on my end.