Bug Reporting

[EmperorFool]

The last comment on the config file for Better Espionage is "Removed unused EspionageEventManager" so it's a goner.

In general, BUG should have exactly one file with "EventManager" in its name: BugEventManager.py. Whenever we merge in a mod that has a custom event manager, we extract the events from it and toss out the rest. BUG's event manager dispatches events to all the modules that request them rather than having each module dispatch its own events.

While I don't have much time to work on BUG directly right now, you can always shoot me an email with code to review. I'll let ya know if there's a better or easier way to do something.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

I thought it was a goner, I just had to make sure. Thanks.

I might just have to ruin your day with an email soon.

Hmmm... Better yet. Maybe I could stuff a pillow in my blouse, find out where you work, and then show up claiming that I'm having your love child to anyone within earshot. Then force you to take me to a big expensive dinner where I get you drunk, bore you with code, and then try to fix you up with the waitress...

Oh, the possibilities...

 

[EmperorFool]

Bore me with code? Is that even possible? Fixing me up with a waitress sounds good. But I'm pretty drunk now so I'll just leave it at that. Shoot me an email with the particulars and I'll see how I can help.

 

[mitch_um]

can`t delete this post ... I am sorry, I tried to....

 

[illarion]

Hi all. I've come back to Civ4 after a long absence, and I've been playing a PBEM game with a friend. We're using the unofficial 3.19 patch as well as the BAT, BULL and BUG mods.

Hovering over my flag shows:
BUG Mod 4.4 [Build 2220]
BULL 1.3 [Build 216]
Unofficial 3.19 patch v1.50

I've just got Liberalism, but when I try to select my free tech, I get in red "You have already chosen your free tech(s)". Googling this phrase brings up this page:
http://code.google.com/p/planetfall...ssets/XML/Text/TextBULL.xml?spec=svn888&r=888, which lists that phrase as a text resource under "<!-- Free Tech Popup Fix -->" with the tag "<Tag>TXT_KEY_CHEATERS_NEVER_PROSPER</Tag>"


I am certainly not cheating - but it looks like the game thinks I am!

My guess is that something in either the unofficial patch or the BAT/BUG mods is causing this. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions on how to fix it?

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

Well, I've never seen this happen before, but I've never played a PBEM game.

You don't happen to have the cheat code ("chipotle") enabled in your .ini file, do you? Or does your opponent? I'm not sure how BUG or BULL could cause this, and it doesn't matter if you're running BAT, or not. This would come from the DLL (BULL), or from BUG, which are both built in to BAT.

I'm stumped. Sorry.

 

[illarion]

Well, I've never seen this happen before, but I've never played a PBEM game.

You don't happen to have the cheat code ("chipotle") enabled in your .ini file, do you? Or does your opponent? I'm not sure how BUG or BULL could cause this, and it doesn't matter if you're running BAT, or not. This would come from the DLL (BULL), or from BUG, which are both built in to BAT.

No, I definitely don't have the cheat code enabled (I've just checked - and besides, it was a clean install for this game, which I haven't fiddled with). In fact, I wasn't even aware of the cheat code until last night.

I'll check with him, but I think it's very very unlikely.

I'm more than happy to provide the save file if you want to see for yourself!

 

[Lemon Merchant]

No, I definitely don't have the cheat code enabled (I've just checked - and besides, it was a clean install for this game, which I haven't fiddled with). In fact, I wasn't even aware of the cheat code until last night.

I'll check with him, but I think it's very very unlikely.

I'm more than happy to provide the save file if you want to see for yourself!

Yes, please. The save file might be helpful. Can you also zip up the files in your Logs folder and post those too? I'll take a looksie after work tonight and see if I can help.

 

[illarion]

No problem, and thanks!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1789157/Illarion - troublesome turn and logs.zip

 

[ruff_hi]

From memory, this comes up if you save the game on the turn you get Liberalism and then restart from the save. It could be that PBEM with its saving, emailing and reloading runs foul of this issue.

@LM - the save won't help you without the password and even then it won't help you as you pbem saves are locked.

 

[illarion]

From memory, this comes up if you save the game on the turn you get Liberalism and then restart from the save. It could be that PBEM with its saving, emailing and reloading runs foul of this issue.

I'm reasonably sure I've got Liberalism in a PBEM before, without trouble. That would have been 3.13, no BAT/BUG though.

@LM - the save won't help you without the password and even then it won't help you as you pbem saves are locked.

I gave him the password What do you mean by "locked"? I was able to open that save on a different machine, so why wouldn't he be able to?

 

[ruff_hi]

I'm reasonably sure I've got Liberalism in a PBEM before, without trouble. That would have been 3.13, no BAT/BUG though.

The 'no cheating allowed' stuff was added in BUFFY.

I gave him the password What do you mean by "locked"? I was able to open that save on a different machine, so why wouldn't he be able to?

Firstly, its 'she'. Secondly, I mean locked as in you cannot open WB and use other debugging methods that are available in a single player game.

 

[illarion]

The 'no cheating allowed' stuff was added in BUFFY.

Ahh, got you.

Firstly, its 'she'.

...my apologies! No excuse for that really

Secondly, I mean locked as in you cannot open WB and use other debugging methods that are available in a single player game.

I see - but would you not still be able to obtain useful debugging information from running it through yourself, rather than hearing a second hand report? Excuse my ignorance if not - my experience with Civ is purely as a player.

 

[EmperorFool]

The saved game will help me test if I come up with a fix. I know what the problem is and just need to work around it in a way that only affects PBEM.

Ruff is correct about the saving timing of PBEM being the cause. Normally you cannot save the game in between turns and would have to choose your free tech and then save the game. BULL stores a temporary variable saying, "hey, this guy's next X techs are free," that doesn't get saved into the file. So when PBEM saves it before letting you pick the tech, that free tech is forgotten when you load the file. The game thinks you get a free tech, but BULL disagrees and brands you a cheater.

 

[illarion]

Emailed you the save. Oh, I did try loading the save as a hot seat game, with the same result, if that's useful information...

 

[EmperorFool]

How do you load it as a hot-seat game? You can switch between the two using the same save? Cool. Yeah, since the "you have X free techs available" field is not stored in the saved game, it won't matter how you load it. That value (1) was lost the moment the PBEM game got saved and the game exited.

 

[illarion]

How do you load it as a hot-seat game? You can switch between the two using the same save? Cool.

I was surprised too! But apparently, Civ4 is designed so any save game can be used for any style of turn passing.

Or so I've read. I have never actually done it apart from this time.

You just load it in the type of game you want (so Single Player -> Hot Seat -> Load Game rather than Single Player -> PBEM -> Load game). And if I understand correctly, you could equally load it into Pitboss, or a "normal" direct MP game or whatever.

Yeah, since the "you have X free techs available" field is not stored in the saved game, it won't matter how you load it. That value (1) was lost the moment the PBEM game got saved and the game exited.

I have all the previous turns - am I right in thinking that going back to the previous turn and playing by anything other than hotseat/PBEM would get around the issue?
We won't in this case - we already went on when everyone said it was a lost cause - but it might be good to know for next time.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

It looks like things might be getting sorted out without me. That's good, since I had no time last evening.

...my apologies! No excuse for that really

Don't worry about it. It happens often here, and it's perfectly understandable, since you can't see or hear me.

Though, if it starts to happen in real life, I may just have a little crisis.

 

[ruff_hi]

@EF - I think the solution is to disable the 'you cheater!' code for pbem as it is impossible to execute the cheat in those games. Not sure on hot-seat or pitboss versions.

 

[EmperorFool]

I have all the previous turns - am I right in thinking that going back to the previous turn and playing by anything other than hotseat/PBEM would get around the issue?

Exactly what I was thinking. If it happens again, have the previous player do all their moves but save before hitting end turn. Then the player who is going to get Liberalism loads the game, ends that other player's turn, and receives the free tech.

@EF - I think the solution is to disable the 'you cheater!' code for pbem as it is impossible to execute the cheat in those games. Not sure on hot-seat or pitboss versions.

Yup, this is the only fix I can think of off hand. The key is that I didn't want to change the saved game format, so I cannot save the fact that you have a free tech coming to you on disk. I'm not familiar with how PitBoss works, but HotSeat wouldn't be affected by it since you're both at the same computer.