Strange unit teleports and crashes

[M_J_M]

I have a very strange problem in Alien Crossfire, patch 2.0, modified Alpha Centauri.ini modified for XP.
At some point in the late game some units of my faction (morgan) suddenly appear at two positions. One position is the normal position, the other position is at a completely different point in the map, always within settled territory, sometimes in bases (it is a really huge map and although i have now discovered every technology, just a bit of it is already settled, so i wonder why this didn't happen on empty territory). When i activate the units via the "wrong" square, the window jumps to the position where the unit really is. When i move the units, most but one mirror images disappear. The last mirror image just disappears when i destroy the unit. But the really weird thing ist that when i destroy the unit, other units from a random faction appear at the corrupted square. I have tried to kill/destroy every unit until i ran out of antigraviton/air assault units, and the square remains corrupted as it was. The real problem is that as soon as i try to move a units to the corrupted square or another factions units are on the corrupted square at the end of a turn, the game crashes.
I guess there might be a connection with the size of the map (512;256), and these problems always appear after some hundred years when the factions have gained a huge size. Can anyone help me?

 

[Petek]

I ran into the same bug several years ago, as reported in this thread on Apolyton. Other players also had seen it. I don't know of any workaround. I also play on large maps, but have only seen the problem once. Sorry I can't offer any advice.

Petek

 

[M_J_M]

At least most of those lucky guys there didn't have crashed games. Without these crashes i wouldn't care. But thanks to this bug my biggest and most beloved savegames become sooner or later unaccesable because the game crashes when a faction wants to do some bad interaction with such an corrupted square/corrupted unit (Currently my game crashes when the gaians are calculated, my units are in one of their bases). Interestingly, in the final turn before the crash my units are copied twice, so they appear at three points in the map. I'd be thankful for every hint how to aviod this bug, because currently even every new game i might start might end up with this damn bug

 

[Petek]

In my game, I was able to avoid a crash by opening the game in the scenario editor and deleting the unit that was being "ghosted." However, I think that you tried the same technique and still got a crash.

I think that this bug and the subsequent crashes are caused by exceeding the game's limits on number of units, number of bases or other parameters. I can't think of any way to avoid it.

By the way, you may want to check whether you're really playing on maps as large as 256x512. Some testing at Apolyton (see this thread and the link within that link) showed that games on maps more than ~94,000 spaces wouldn't start, except via the scenario editor. Those links contain more information about this matter.

Petek

 

[M_J_M]

Ive started with an customizeable map and typed 999999;999999 or so and 512;256 was the result, and it worked very well. I think i got the 40k squares "extra" in comparison with the guys in the link because i play rectangular maps rather than square shaped maps. Sadly this link didn't help me very much, just another guy there who mentioned the same problem.

The theory that i exceed some strange unit limit might be right. While searching the forums i found out that Firaxis has the tendency to set certain limits to relatively low values which are sooner or later exceeded by hardcore gamers, for excample the maximum base size of 127 in AC, or a 512 buildings limit in one of the Civ games. It would also explain why the problem seems to be unavoidable and becomes bigger with every turn.

i know this is very likely a question about hardcoding, but nevertheless i would be glad for any advice how to manipulate this limit(s), perhaps some modder might be able to help me.

 

[Petek]

I realize that most folks who inhabit the Internet don't like to have errors pointed out. So, if the following offends you, I apologize:

Your map has only 256 x 256 = 65,536 "squares", not 512 x 256 = 131,072. To verify, open your map in the scenario editor and place your cursor in the top row, at coordinate (0, 0). Hit the right arrow key and observe how the coordinates increment:

(0, 0), (2, 0), (4, 0), ..., (510, 0)

So this row has 256 squares.

Now place your cursor in the next row (which is diagonally offset from the first). The coordinates in row 2 are as follows:

(1, 1), (3, 1), (5, 1),..., (511,1)

Again, this row has 256 squares.

Continuing in this manner, we reach the bottom row, whose coordinates are as follows:

(1, 255), (3, 255), (5, 255), ..., (511, 255)

Again, 256 squares in this row. Since the rows are numbered 0 - 255, there are 256 rows. Thus, we have 256 squares in each of 256 rows, so there are 256 x 256 = 65,536 total squares on the map. It's misleading that the columns are labeled 0 - 511.

Of course, this has nothing to do with your original problem. I just wanted to help you increase your knowledge of the game.

AFAIK, no modders currently inhabit this forum. However, I seriously doubt that this bug can be modded out.

Petek

 

[vyeh]

This is a post from the link within the link Petek provided.

I believe that since you are not editing your alphax.txt file, that what you are calling (512; 256), the thread I've referenced is calling 256 x 256. (If you look at the coordinates, I think you will find one set of coordinates is only using even numbers.)

In the link I've provided, gwillybj created a 360 x 360 map; he says that the rows are numbered 0-359 and the columns are numbered 0-719.

Edit: Petek did a more thorough job explaining.

 

[M_J_M]

Don't worry, i am not the least bit offended, i just didn't know much about the map.

 

[Flygon]

For the record, I've actually had spore launchers spawning on me and even spore launchers from he planet fighting each other.

I don't quite think thats suppose to happen >.>'

 

[M_J_M]

That Spore launchers attack each other ist a different bug. But what i have seen is a red (planet) terraforming sea unit spawning next to the square were the other strange stuff happened.