Release candidate 2.8.2.0 - testers needed

[Nightinggale]

I have uploaded 2.8.2.4. It can be downloaded here. (This link always points to the newest release)

The changlog is also in the link. It should be noted that not everything planned for the next release is included. Most noteworthy large rivers are absent.

On the other hand there is only one DLL now. When you start the game, it will ask you which colony radius you want to use. No more issues because you forgot to copy a DLL file.

The main goal of this release is to get testers to use the new savegame format. Bug reports where I can load the savegame are way more useful. Please report all the bugs you encounter, preferably with savegames. Do note that savegames can be big because I added debug information to them. If somebody uploads a savegame, which can't be loaded, then the debug info gives an idea of what it is trying to do, hence a chance of fixing the problem.

Please playtest multiplayer. Whenever a desync is encountered, please upload a savegame where it happens when you click end turn or something else. It doesn't matter if the desync has been reported before. I want it with the new savegame format and I want savegames where I can reproduce the desyncs or I won't be able to figure out what is causing them.

I recently started looking into network desyncs, but I got nowhere because of issues reading savegames. I really want to fix all desyncs prior to next full release if possible.

 

[Hecur]

In the attached savegame, end the turn, the game does not process to the next turn.

 

[HobyMorgan]

In the attached savegame, end the turn, the game does not process to the next turn.

That's strange. If i load your savegame, it does progress (albeit after quite some time).

 

[Mr. ZorG]

very rarely, when the game is loaded, desync starts again. but we will try.

 

[Hecur]

That's strange. If i load your savegame, it does progress (albeit after quite some time).

You are right, though it might be still interesting why this turn takes so long.

 

[ConjurerDragon]

...
It should be noted that not everything planned for the next release is included. Most noteworthy large rivers are absent.

Is the stuff from rays challenge branch included? I just downloaded that to try it out and if not would stick with that for a while. If that is included however I would download the larger package.

 

[raystuttgart]

@ConjurerDragon

2.8.2.0 includes everything from "Challenge".
(The previous test release.)

It simply does not include the massive amount of newer features (updated graphics or events) that were developed after "Challenge".
They are still in a separate "feature Branch" we currently call "Large Rivers" - because that is by far the largest feature in it.

"Large Rivers" is currently in internal alpha testing by team and supporters - "Map Generation with Large Rivers by MapScripts" is still missing though.
(Some other smaller features and events are also still added and thus still need to be tested as well.)

-----------

Please help with testing this development branch.

This development branch contains great improvements like the new Savegame System, AI improvements, better pathfinding, ... (from [B]@Nightinggale[/B] and [B]@devolution[/B])
By getting test data and feedback we can check and improve these to be able to fully integrate and publish them together with all the new features of "Large Rivers".

It is also important to get test data (and saves) for it because @Nightinggale may thus be able to analyze and fix OOS desyncs.

 

[Mr. ZorG]

the hardy pioneer started building roads in 1 turn instead of 2 turns.

 

[Nightinggale]

In the attached savegame, end the turn, the game does not process to the next turn.

That's strange. If i load your savegame, it does progress (albeit after quite some time).

I will take a look. No idea yet what's wrong, but I have a savegame to test on. If nothing else, I can profile what takes up the CPU time and work from there. Most likely the AI gets stuck on something and attempts X times (like 100) before deciding to give up.

Is the stuff from rays challenge branch included? I just downloaded that to try it out and if not would stick with that for a while. If that is included however I would download the larger package.

Challenge yes it is included. It's not "Ray's challenge" though as we all contributed to it. Most of us anyway.

 

[raystuttgart]

It's not "Ray's challenge" though as we all contributed to it.

Absolutely correct.

This is and always has been a massive "team project".

• I focus on creating game mechanics - that get a lot of attention - but I only can because the rest of the team helps me (e.g. with analyzing and fixing bugs)
  
• @Raubwuerger or other team members however implement features and events as well.
  
• @Nightinggale focusses on better core systems that features may use or often unnoticed under the hood improvements that enhance our modding possibilities.
  
• @devolution focusses on optimization of performance, AI, pathfinding and a lot of other really complicated deep programming
  
• @Schmiddie creates all the great graphics we need or also implements new events
• @Mr. ZorG focusses on testing and giving valuable feedback for balancing
  
• @Kendon, @Zeta Nexus and other supporters help with texts, additional testing, additional graphics, ...
• All of us take their share in bugfixing and improvements
  
• ...

Everybody has his own focus and specialization but in the end the mod only exist because all of us work together.
If we would not work together like this, WTP would be an unplayable broken mess ...

 

[Nightinggale]

@Nightinggale focusses on better core systems that features may use or often unnoticed under the hood improvements that enhance our modding possibilities.

Apart from missing my work towards better performance, it seems fairly accurate. A lot of my work is aimed at letting other modders do stuff or avoiding bugs. For instance adding checks of xml data. If a modder changes something and creates a new bug, if it is of a certain type, the DLL will tell you at the next startup and the bug can be fixed before anybody ever playtest. The players will then never know. It's good to have, makes the mod better, but players won't notice that it's there unless it fails.

You could say that when you look at new player features they are often not by me, but at the same time i often contribute to all of them, unlocking modding features used to make the new features.

 

[ConjurerDragon]

Please ignore money and units as I cheated myself a generous colonization corps for a quick test.

Hovering help text for missions is mixed with text for trading posts:

Spoiler :

e.g. here I already established a trading post and now wanted my Evangelist to use the cross-icon to create a mission. The text when mouse hovering ober cross-icon tells "Establish Mission <M> Establish a mission Succes rate: 90 Establish a trade post in the village to gradually generate treasure."

On the other hand the icon "Establish a trade post" lacks that descriptive sentence:

Spoiler :

Icon description only shows "Establish Trade Post and success rate but no descriptive text.

Has perhaps the mission description been accidentally overwritten with the trading post description instad of adding it?

 

[devolution]

@devolution focusses on optimization of performance, AI, pathfinding and a lot of other really complicated deep programming

Unfortunately, the merge of the adapted K-Mod pathfinder did not make it in time to be part of the current release candidate

 

[Nightinggale]

Unfortunately, the merge of the adapted K-Mod pathfinder did not make it in time to be part of the current release candidate

Yeah at some point we had to make a (pre-)release because we need feedback from a new version. We have some interesting stuff planned, which didn't make it. It's not the same as it won't be in the next release, but it was just not ready to be released for public testing this week. Without getting desyncing savegames using the new code/savegame format, I won't be able to do anything about network desyncs and ideally they should be fixed prior to next release. We just can't get the pre-release to contain everything we would like if it is to get release out in the foreseeable future.

Speaking of network desyncs, that's something else I could have mentioned in my previous post. Technical stuff, which are important, but won't be noticed by the players. The goal of coding related to network desyncs is to never desync, meaning perfection is to make my work invisible to the players. It just works.

 

[ConjurerDragon]

When ALT-TABíng out of the game during the start of a game and then returning to the game, not one but two poems/stories are displayed on the loading screen.

Spoiler :

 

[Mr. ZorG]

desinc №1
+save

after - the game crashed (see saving)

desinc №2
+save

 

[3tag]

Bugreport:

1. When the first ship went down the coastal line, I found a Jaguar attacking it. For the game it was a shark.

2. In a settlement connected to two lakes, I found a smaller one with freshwater and better food production and the bigger one was just saltwater like the oceans with lower food production. Was this intentional or should that be fixed?

3. A french Ironore Miner takes a walk across the mountain. I think he shouldn't be able to, right?

 

[Mr. ZorG]

3. A french Ironore Miner takes a walk across the mountain. I think he shouldn't be able to, right?

they can do it)

 

[Hecur]

2. In a settlement connected to two lakes, I found a smaller one with freshwater and better food production and the bigger one was just saltwater like the oceans with lower food production. Was this intentional or should that be fixed?

If a lake has more than 7 tiles it is considered as saltwater. That is intentional, however i am not 100% sure that the thresold is seven.

 

[ConjurerDragon]

Das Desktop-Icon von WethePeople ist immer noch das von R&R.

In den englishen und deutschen Readme-Dateien des Mods wird noch R&R beschrieben ohne ein Wort der Erklärung dass WtP der Nachfolger von R&R ist.

Die Datei install instructions beschreibt noch die letzte Version von WtP wo man die DLL Datei (1 oder 2 plot) selber installieren musste.

Desktop-Icon of WethePeople is still the one from R&R.
in the english and german readmefiles of the mod, R&R still is described without a word of explanation that WtP is the successor of R&R.

File install instructions still describes the last version of WtP where one had to extract and move the DLL (depending on 1 or 2 plot choice) oneself.