UFO:Alien Invasion

Technical support => Feature Requests => Topic started by: Kenner on December 27, 2008, 11:52:03 pm

Title: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Kenner on December 27, 2008, 11:52:03 pm
I've noticed a few problems when playing with Destructavator's latest Windows build of 2.3 (rev. 21212), some of which have been around for awhile, so I thought it best to report them.

1. When I start a new game, as soon as I click on the second message in the Maillist (Proposal:Electromagnetic Rifle), the game crashes to the desktop with an assertion error:

File: F:\UFOai\src\renderer\r_state.c
Line 58
Expression: texnum > 0

Happens every time. If I run the game in safe-mode, the error doesn't occur (but of course sound is gone).

2. A couple of terror missions in South America (specifically, city name is Cayenne), the text reports an attack on an "African" village.

3. I have a jungle-based terro mission that won't run. Crashes to desktop with following assertion:

File: F:\UFOai\src\client\cl_le.c
Line: 117
Expression: lm -> model

4. I know stairs and pathfinding are apparently buggy at the moment. However, there are many areas on all maps that I cannot move onto at all. It's almost like there are invisible lines around some tiles that soldiers can't cross. Is this the problem with pathfinding?

Thanks,
Ken
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Destructavator on December 28, 2008, 02:47:14 am
Regarding point #4, I've seen this too, and I suspect it is because up through that version the map compiler (ufo2map.exe) was worked on and tweaked many times and yet most of the maps were not rebuilt because the actual map source files were unchanged, and the script for compiling them was set at the time to only rebuild updated map source files.

I haven't tried this with an installed development build, but I'd imagine it would be possible to go to the folder "contrib" and then "scripts" under the installed folder and run the "compile_maps" batch file with the "/clean" switch after it to rebuild all the maps with the updated compiler, and this could probably be done without Codeblocks, without SVN, or any other programming tools, and be very easy to do.

I must warn you - rebuilding all the maps can take hours, it might be best to do it overnight if you try this.

For the next build I upload and link to, I plan to do this beforehand so this won't be necessary.

I'll try to upload a new one with re-compiled maps within a week, if my schedule permits.


Regarding your other points, the developers will need to address those (if they aren't on vacation for the holidays).
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: BTAxis on December 28, 2008, 01:35:45 pm
Rebuilding maps is a lot faster if you pass -quant 6 as a parameter. The shadows will look like crap though.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: DuKe2112 on December 28, 2008, 01:50:12 pm
I already askeed last time and didn't get a response WHERE do you pass the parameter -quant 6, to which command?
The only thing that comes to mind is 'make maps', but that's doesn't know quant.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: BTAxis on December 28, 2008, 02:07:45 pm
It's a parameter to ufo2map. There is probably a "fast" target in your makefile that passes the parameter.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: DuKe2112 on December 28, 2008, 03:00:36 pm
Ah, thanks.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on December 28, 2008, 08:46:39 pm
It's almost like there are invisible lines around some tiles that soldiers can't cross.

Very interesting. Do you mean 'tile' like in
- one soldier's step per tile or
- the building blocks that random maps are made of ?

rev 21212 already contains one fix to ufo2map. Unfortunately, it fixes only some of the problems.
So yes, recompiling the map could help. If the problem persists, please report it (preferably to the bug tracker).
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: geever on December 28, 2008, 10:11:50 pm
I recompiled all my maps recently I think just after that change and there are some RMA problems reintroduced like RMA tile accessible only from one direction. (tested on +farm)

-geever
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Kildor on December 29, 2008, 02:57:08 am
If it may help.
there are some problems with brushes with nodraw flags on some faces. But it doesn`t have 100% correspondence. Look to debug_map 1
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: DuKe2112 on December 29, 2008, 03:14:32 pm
Duke i think he ment steptiles, at least I have that problem too.
But the strange thing is, so far I have only encountered those between buildigs, meaning along the block tile edges, but not the whole edge only one or two steptiles wide.
Forgot to make a screen though.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on December 29, 2008, 09:18:15 pm
Ok, we have (at least) 3 different types of walking-bugs here:
1. nodraw
2. compression
3. RMA tile border

1. That one is new to me. Thx for the hint, Kildor. Where can I find more info on this ? Tracker ? Forums ? ...?

2. the compression bug had the potential to corrupt 'single' bytes of the routing table. several hundred per map, but most of them were not critical to walking. It's highly unlikely that the corruptions would produce an 'invisible wall' longer that 2 or maybe 3 steps.
However, it's fixed. So by recompiling the map you can exclude this bug.

3. I'm also suspecting a bug in RMA. I would expect it to produce impassable tiles at or very close to the border/corners of RMA-tiles. So if you encounter a group of tiles that are impassable for no apparent reason (on an already recompiled RMA map), a screenshot would surely help. It should
- have medium zoom (so we can identify the RMA-tiles involved) and
- mark *all* the impassable tiles (so we can recognize the pattern).
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: canahari on December 30, 2008, 01:22:50 pm

3. I'm also suspecting a bug in RMA. I would expect it to produce impassable tiles at or very close to the border/corners of RMA-tiles. So if you encounter a group of tiles that are impassable for no apparent reason (on an already recompiled RMA map), a screenshot would surely help. It should

- have medium zoom (so we can identify the RMA-tiles involved) and

- mark *all* the impassable tiles (so we can recognize the pattern).


Hallo!

I created some screenshots about this problem. (Well, if there is really just one.) This was on an Athens farm map, today, 3-days-old SVN source, Linux version, OpenSUSE 11.1.

impassable.jpg: This is the area on which I first encountered the problem. The soldiers can't enter the brown field, not even crouching of course.

impassable-area.jpg: I kept trying,  and I found the followings: for the soldier marked with the red arrow, the whole area seems impassable. However, I had a soldier near the right corner, and he found a way through the upper gate. (Yellow arrows.) That is passable, and if he goes through that then all the brown area seems passable. I marked the impassable tiles with blue, passable are red.

area.jpg: Much more weird - I found an impassable area in the open field (between the buildings) to be seen on this image. 




[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: canahari on December 30, 2008, 01:53:48 pm
Eh, I cannot upload any more images :)
They can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/canahari-debug/

area-marked.jpg: Here I marked the tiles passable to the soldier.

area2-marked.jpg: This is the same area, between two buildings (the dead green alien is the same one as on the last pic). Red tiles are passable, blues aren't. On the right that is the same brown field here that I mentioned above. The gate that can be seen here is too impassable, so it seems there are only one passable gate to this field.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Kenner on December 30, 2008, 03:37:01 pm

impassable-area.jpg: I kept trying,  and I found the followings: for the soldier marked with the red arrow, the whole area seems impassable. However, I had a soldier near the right corner, and he found a way through the upper gate. (Yellow arrows.) That is passable, and if he goes through that then all the brown area seems passable. I marked the impassable tiles with blue, passable are red.

area.jpg: Much more weird - I found an impassable area in the open field (between the buildings) to be seen on this image. 


Canahari,

Thanks for posting these screenshots. These are exactly the problems I was talking about, especially the impassable areas in open fields. If you look closely enough, you can almost see lines on the screens where the two blocks of areas are joined together and it seems like these joints are acting as impassable walls.

Ken
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on December 30, 2008, 09:23:13 pm
Thx canahari, good work :)

I've been able to narrow it down to a problem that's already in the tile *before* assembly. Investigating...

Currently no more screenshots needed.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: canahari on December 31, 2008, 12:08:57 am
Okay, I'm ready to play some test games again if you need me ;D
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: DuKe2112 on December 31, 2008, 12:31:00 am
Not sure if this is related.
Low schrubs or small debris that should be passable is instead blocked.
One example is the firebird djungle tile, but only those schrubs in front of the firebird, not the ones on it's sides.
the red line probably is related to the edge problem.

(http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5086/bildschirmfototd4.th.png) (http://img517.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bildschirmfototd4.png)
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on December 31, 2008, 01:41:05 am
@DuKe2112:
What is the exact name of that map ??
We don't have no djungle folder nor djungle.map.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: DuKe2112 on December 31, 2008, 01:59:59 am
Ah sry it should be the tropical set, tr_drop_firebird to be exact.

But I have to revoke my comment about the schrubs, the front of the tr_craft_ufo_fighter has the exact same problem and that is almost empty.
Also the other debris I meant, was actually on the edge of it's tile.

Notice that the blocked area is exactly one tile width?

And btw, how can you see the name of the map, or even of a special tile in game?
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Destructavator on December 31, 2008, 03:57:44 am
Well, if you pull up the console with the "~" key (above the TAB key and left of the number "1" key on a US keyboard, don't know about other keyboards), the console shows a log, including what maps/models/files/etc. have been loaded.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: DuKe2112 on December 31, 2008, 03:55:27 pm
oddly for me it's the same key, but here it is ^ not ~.
I should probably have just taken a closer look, before asking...

Here is another for cross reference, all instances of these two ufocrash tiles (which are a bit too common btw) are blocked in exactly this way.
(http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/5913/ufo00ax0.th.jpg) (http://img124.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ufo00ax0.jpg)
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: canahari on January 01, 2009, 02:44:31 pm
Hallo!

I have got some screenshots from revision 21356, where the problem still exists. Do you need them?
Actually, there are another problems with pathfinding, I hope you already know them. Walking through walls (this happens very often), soldiers placed in unleaveable tiles at the beginning of the mission, etc.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: DuKe2112 on January 01, 2009, 03:53:53 pm
I already posted the one with the unleavable tiles, but the open walls might be usefull.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on January 01, 2009, 06:59:21 pm
Atm we at least know of 'enough' problems with routing/pathfinding to work on ;)

The 'starting in unleavable pos' should be fixed once Wilminator accepts the patch I submitted yesterday.
It also fixes some impassable tiles but unfortunately also adds some new ones.

The bugs are highly interconnected, so squashing one of them can bring up new ones that were obscured by the first one. But in the end we'll get them all :)
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on January 02, 2009, 12:13:20 am
GOOD NEWS :)

Wilminator found the real fix for routing/pathfinding. I tested with some village tiles and the farm/f_field_c mentioned above. Everything works like a charm :) (except for stairs and some map problems).

I guess it's time to get rev 21362 or better and recompile the maps you want to play on.

Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: BTAxis on January 02, 2009, 12:43:26 am
What about the stairs then?
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on January 02, 2009, 09:44:56 pm
Afaik Wilminator has not yet decided how to proceed with stairs. Whatever the solution will be, it will certainly require another map-compile.

Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on January 02, 2009, 11:24:05 pm
btw I noticed that compile_maps.bat has that nice environment-friendly '/shutdown'-switch, which - guess what - shuts down your PC once all maps have been compiled.

So compiling all maps while you sleep or work (or both) shouldn't be that much of a problem :)
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Destructavator on January 02, 2009, 11:45:36 pm
Quote
btw I noticed that compile_maps.bat has that nice environment-friendly '/shutdown'-switch, which - guess what - shuts down your PC once all maps have been compiled.

So compiling all maps while you sleep or work (or both) shouldn't be that much of a problem

Yes, I've used this myself and should have mentioned it, but I see you beat me to it.

Regarding a new binary installer, I'm currently uploading one now (with fully re-built maps) but it will take ~2 to 3 more hours.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Duke on January 02, 2009, 11:48:19 pm
:)
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Destructavator on January 03, 2009, 01:57:39 am
Ugh!  The upload didn't quite reach my website properly, I'll have to try again by uploading it overnight.  Sorry, it'll take some more time before a link is ready.  Crapwise, after a little more testing it still had some issues that didn't work right, and radiant wouldn't work at all.

What I'm going to do is update everything again and upload r21433 tonight, and hopefully it'll get up there this time around so I can give a link to it first thing in the morning.  Fortunately, I'm an early riser, I do well getting up ~5:00 AM.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Mattn on January 03, 2009, 10:19:07 am
what is the problem with radiant?
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Destructavator on January 03, 2009, 12:13:14 pm
Quote
what is the problem with radiant?

I'm not sure, but whatever it was I think it was already fixed by now as I've updated and packaged this installer:

http://www.destructavator.com/public/ufoai_2_3Dev_r21433.zip

...and it seems to have packaged OK.  The first one I tried to upload (that didn't make it) gave me compile errors, but as I said I think this has been fixed now.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21433)
Post by: Kenner on January 04, 2009, 01:13:30 am
Upgraded to Destructavator's latest Windows build (rev. 21433) and the maps are working much better now. I haven't run into any blocked areas yet. Of course, the aliens are free to move around now as well, so it takes more work to hunt them down and kill them. Now, if only stairs worked again...  :D

Still have run into a few bugs, however:

1. When I start a new game, as soon as I click on the second message in the Maillist (Proposal:Electromagnetic Rifle), the game crashes to the desktop with an assertion error:

File: F:\UFOai\src\renderer\r_state.c
Line 58
Expression: texnum > 0

Happens every time if I run in full screen mode. If I run the game in windowed mode, the error doesn't occur.

2. If I run in full-screen mode, the first terror mission will not load. The screen goes black, the hard drive churns for a while and then stops, and nothing happens after that (stuck on blank screen). If I run in windowed mode, the terror mission (a farm mission, btw) loads fine. Seems like full-screen mode has problems that the windowed mode does not.

3. When I killed my first alien, when I went over to pick up the kerrblade it dropped, as soon as I transferred it from floor to left hand, the game crashed to the desktop with an assert error.

Thanks,
    Ken
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21433)
Post by: Mattn on January 04, 2009, 10:22:17 am
thanks for reporting.

3. When I killed my first alien, when I went over to pick up the kerrblade it dropped, as soon as I transferred it from floor to left hand, the game crashed to the desktop with an assert error.

which error exactly?
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: bayo on January 04, 2009, 11:37:10 am
Hello. For the 1st one, Kenner, what language do you use? Thanks a lot.
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Kenner on January 04, 2009, 07:37:00 pm
Hello. For the 1st one, Kenner, what language do you use? Thanks a lot.

I wasn't sure if you meant my language or my computer's operating system, so I'll answer both.  :)

English, and Windows XP.

By the way, it's not a big deal, but since you asked about language, when you first start a new game, and you're asked to choose your name and language, the drop down list for the languages is so long, and English is at the bottom, there's no way to scroll down, so that you can't actually choose English on that screen. You have to pick No Language, and then go into the Options screen and choose English in there. Also, did you know that you can click on other menus on the main screen other than that opening menu before you answer the questions on that menu? For example, you can click on Tip of The Day, or even on the main menu. I know you're working on menus so I thought I'd mention this to you. You really shouldn't be able to shift focus from that menu, in order to force players to answer the start-up questions before they move into the game.

Ken
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21433)
Post by: Kenner on January 04, 2009, 07:49:48 pm
thanks for reporting.

which error exactly?

File: F:\UFOai\src\game\g_client.c
Line: 958
Expression: fItem

Hope this helps.
   Ken
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Destructavator on January 04, 2009, 08:31:57 pm
I've noticed the same issue trying to select English when first starting the game.  Perhaps the language selection during first-run should have a scrollbar or some other type of interface, or perhaps the NSIS installer script could be worked on to install a specific default language.

On the other hand, the game is still a work-in-progress, and many parts of the interface are being worked on and re-vamped.

UFO.exe can also be run with a command-line parameter that forces a specific language, I forget the syntax, but I know it isn't too difficult as I've done it once before, among other options (many are kinda cool, like forcing use of only a specific core on a multi-core machine if you are also running a screen video capture utility for recording demos, etc.)
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: GopherLemming on January 04, 2009, 10:34:38 pm
The starting window can be dragged. If you can't select english because it's at the bottom of the list, try dragging the window up (last time I did it was done by clicking and holding on the thin border).
Title: Re: Number of problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21212)
Post by: Destructavator on January 04, 2009, 10:38:29 pm
In that case, coding a fix would be easy I'd imagine: simply change the default starting position of that window to be near the top of the screen.

I'd think that would be easier for the coders to manage than to add a scrollbar or change the interface.
Title: Problems found in Windows 2.3 build (21433) - Menu Related
Post by: odie on January 07, 2009, 07:06:16 am
I've noticed the same issue trying to select English when first starting the game.  Perhaps the language selection during first-run should have a scrollbar or some other type of interface, or perhaps the NSIS installer script could be worked on to install a specific default language.

On the other hand, the game is still a work-in-progress, and many parts of the interface are being worked on and re-vamped.

UFO.exe can also be run with a command-line parameter that forces a specific language, I forget the syntax, but I know it isn't too difficult as I've done it once before, among other options (many are kinda cool, like forcing use of only a specific core on a multi-core machine if you are also running a screen video capture utility for recording demos, etc.)

Ah, i thought i was the only one with this problem until i began reading some of the bug entries. Yes, i do have the same problem when installed - the english does not appear. I was in windowed mode (win XP SP3, English, with Japanese for Unicode default [which does not matter, since main lang is eng]).

Only thing is i have upgraded to R21433 (yupz, i faithfully downloaded 500+++ MB once its up).

Then i switched to full screen and realised english is bottom too. Maybe for a start, u might want to default to english? And for a school of tot (thought) - Maybe have the various languages spelt in their original language? Eg - afrikane, francais, deutsch, 中文 (chinese) .... u know.

Next up....