sync error

[Cowardly Maggot]

Some time ago I remember reading an "invite" to post games with reproducible sync errors. Well, I have such a game (2 player, various AIs) which gives a sync error at the end of every turn. I am attaching it to this post. Hopefully someone finds it useful.

Edit: I should add this is with BAI 0.81.

 

[JimMac99]

There is a known MP bug in version 0.81

Replace you Better AI mod with version 0.82 from the following link:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=10720

Load in a save from a few turns prior to your OOS and see if you can now get past the problem.

 

[Cowardly Maggot]

Oh I see, that seems to be the same file as in the development thread. I hadn't realized development downloads existed.

Are there a lot of development conversations going on outside of the forum? I haven't seen anyone talking about this sort of bug.

I think that I will come back here and comment on how it turns out, whenever we get the chance resume our game.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Borya]

Even with 0.82 you might get a sync error.
I don't have a save unfortunately, but it did pop-up during one of our MP games.

I don't know if it's harmful for the game when you only get 1 sync error during the match, or it still affects the gameplay somehow.

 

[jdog5000]

I'm certainly interested in making sure BBAI works in MP, so definitely please report back if it's still an issue!

 

[Cowardly Maggot]

I have the latest 0.81g, just downloaded from the development thread about 6 hours ago. It fixed the really obvious sync error. However, we still get a sync error in response to user actions which we have been able to reproduce many times.

Inca player is game host, and we have true turn based mode enabled.

Actions are something like this::

inca - end turn (no actions)
- - - - - - -
maya - end turn (no actions)
inca - end turn (no actions)
- - - - - - -
maya - view goes to capital because of new built crossbow
- select warrior in capital
- upgrade to pikeman
OUT OF SYNC

Hopefully in the process of retrying I have not forgotten some detail needed to recreate the error.

 

[Cowardly Maggot]

I have confirmed that the sync error happens in exactly the same way with the official version 0.82 from sourceforge.

 

[jdog5000]

Inca player is game host, and we have true turn based mode enabled.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean ... are you playing a LAN game, direct IP, or something else? With simultaneous turns turned off?

Actions are something like this::

inca - end turn (no actions)
- - - - - - -
maya - end turn (no actions)
inca - end turn (no actions)
- - - - - - -
maya - view goes to capital because of new built crossbow
- select warrior in capital
- upgrade to pikeman
OUT OF SYNC

Hmmm ... on unit upgrade it could either be gold or unit types that aren't being transmitted. Do you remember whether you had to hold down ALT (ie, to upgrade all Warriors) for this to happen?

Thanks again for following up on this, I'll try to get it sorted out.

 

[Cowardly Maggot]

We play with direct IP in true turn based mode (not the simultaneous mode). I mention that just to make it clear that the order of actions is very reproducible.

I do not hold down any key. I simply select and upgrade the single warrior. It does not matter if I apply promotions to the newly built crossbow first or not.

We're very excited about the possibility of the bug being fixed. In almost a year of playing 1 vs 1 vs AIs I've had to reconnect (and download the game state) hundreds of times. So thank you for checking on it!

 

[Cowardly Maggot]

I had a spare moment with two computers and have verified that I can still create the sync error in v0.83 with the save file ("thatonegame") from above. (The second save game, not the first one.)

Both computers had a totally unmolested copy of the mod.

It is quite easy to reproduce (end turn, end turn, end turn, select warrior, upgrade, BOOM) and now I have shown it using a total of 4 different computers, running Win XP, Vista and 7 (both 64-bit and 32-bit) with many different installs of civ and three different versions of Better AI.

I'd love to know if anyone else can reproduce it!

My brother and I are having a great time with Civ4 and Better AI, we'd just like to be able to go to larger maps without spending our entire time downloading the game state.

 

[Cowardly Maggot]

I had even more time, so I tried more things.

To recap, the error is reproducable by:
Turn 521 Incan: end turn
Turn 521 Mayan: end turn
Turn 522 Incan: end turn
Turn 522 Mayan: various things....

So the "various things" include:
- Upgrading a unit in the capital city (including upgrading multiple units at once, for example everyone becomes pikemen, macemen or longbowmen as applicable).
- Moving a unit from the capital city (I tried a catapult).
- Changing the top priority project at the capital (I tried a castle and a monument).

However the error can be avoided by:
- Moving a unit from another city (I tried a holkan from Køby and a crossbow from Landgrab).
- Adding something to the empty production queue of Landgrab (I tried a courthouse and a ball court).

Some things do not effect the error, for example changing the production queue of at least some cities. I think I tried changing the queue of Stienby.

 

[phungus420]

Would it be possible to provide a save and state explicit behavior that causes an OOS error? It makes it much easier to debug if the bug is reproduceable by the developer.

 

[Cowardly Maggot]

Yeah sorry about how things are spread around in the thread. Here is where I posted the save game:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8576186&postcount=6

Just above your post (#11) I wrote detailed steps to reproduce the problem. It is very easy to reproduce. The only problem is getting someone to try it and report back. For all I know, no one else can reproduce the error.