RBMOD 6.7 released!

[Lurker]

THIRD TEST:

 

I burned all the goodies to CD, and I then took Rebalance 6.7 downstairs to the Children's machine. It's a Windows ME machine. That machine had version 5.62 of the Rebalance running on it for a couple of hours while a child played and then got bored with it.

 

After removing 56_mod.vfs and installing 67_mod.vfs on WinME, I created a new game profile, Europe HARD. (That WinME 'puter is a pain. It will no longer allow me to create New folders. Have to copy a folder, delete the contents, and then rename it, to get a New Folder. I wonder if that's a present from the new Nero 6 that we put on that machine. So many variables!)

 

I then pressed PLAY and let 67_mod create a new game. Skipped the Tutorial. I got Conventional Armor, smoke, TNT, knife in Equipment section. Working 6.7, cause of the TNT! Got my third soldier. No ALLITEMS. Loaded up soldiers and went to the first available mission.

 

Frozen Visible Aliens immediately.

 

Except for the burning of the CD, that was a very quick test.

 

This time I just ran it and let it automatically END as it does with frozen aliens, and I went to a second mission with frozen aliens, and let it run and automatically END as well. I could do the whole game that way winning all the missions from beginning to end automatically I suppose. Dead end!

 

So, 6.7 of the Rebalance Mod is producing Visible Frozen Aliens on two different machines of mine, my WinXP machine and my children's WinME machine. Maybe, I should see if I can try installing the game on one-of-my-friend's Win98 machine, but I don't think it will make any difference. (And, don't know if he would want that on his machine, if it's showing signs of bugs. Some people get nervous or superstitous. Don't know if it's worth the effort or time.)

 

Anyway, with my English UFO:AM CD and my installations from that CD, I'm beginning to imagine that I'll get frozen aliens on any machine onto which I might install Rebalance 6.7. I'd have to buy another UFO:AM CD, in order to get a truly different sampling.

 

Thinking about other common denominators I should mention. There was all sorts of hype about the new Nvidia Drivers awhile back, and I did drive clean and install new video drivers on both machines, the same driver. It was the generic Nvidia 5664 drivers that I downloaded awhile back. Maybe I can try going back to the older drivers or the drivers made for the specific card and see if that makes any kind of difference. But, there are completely different Geforce cards in each machine, so I don't see why 6.7 should consistently do Frozen Aliens on completely different video cards. Don't know if that's an important avenue to pursue.

 

So for now, I think will try going back to Rebalance 6.61 on both machines, create new profiles, and import Aralez's 115.zip save game and see if I get frozen aliens with Version 6.61 of the Rebalance on either machine. I wasn't getting frozen aliens with any Rebalance on this WinXP machine until RB6.7 came along, but I don't know what 6.61 will do on the children's machine. And, I don't know yet if the new change of events has now permanently polluted both my machines where UFO:AM is concerned. So, gotta try going back to 6.61.

 

If it's some incompatibility between my personal 'scratched' CD and RB6.7, then I will never find a solution.

 

Meanwhile, if anyone can find people with the English version of UFO:AM and 1.3 update, and have them create a new game profile and try Rebalance 6.7 on their machines with ALLITEM's or with Aralez's 115.zip, that would be helpful to me, so that I can know if it's my CD that's causing the problem or if everyone with a specific language version is having the problem. Anyway, that's a plea to all the other (non-Aralez and non-Kret) English brand UFO:AM players out there.

 

I do feel a compulsion to try to get 6.7 on yet another different Win98 operating system and machine and Nvidia driver, but I'll have to see how that compulsion goes. Meanwhile, I'll go back to Rebalance 6.61 on my WinXP and my children's WinME, and see how that goes.

[BlackAlmaz]

has any met the bfg...on ther 2nd mission i have and i lost all my best equipment and guys.....so....its unbalanced.......it loocked like the scorpion..so i thought he was an easy kill....(talk about holding back)

 

trans use nades.....thats a bit of trouble.....not to much...

 

but the bfg and all the high tech weapons apear to early when trens have them....

played on easy...and mediem same problem..

 

one last faver i ask for..is giving me a sniper form the very start.....or early in bases......extrme range...but as power full as a a rifle...(fal)...or the other way around....

 

no make it like the lurker but no as strong

[Lurker]

TEST FOUR:

 

I got rid of 5.62 on the Children's machine and installed RB 6.61. I created a new profile, Europe HARD, and started a new game. Skipped tutorial. Did two separate saves, one save named 115.

 

Quit game. I then copied Aralez's 115.zip files over in place of mine.

 

I went back in, loaded up the soldiers, and went to Los Angeles base 33 capture mission. No problems.

 

I saved the game before selecting Next Area.

 

While loading next area, the game hung with this message on the WinME desktop:

 

assert_fatal

ver: UFO:AM RELEASE 1.3 file

C:\ufo_src\UFO\UFO\weapon.cpp

line: 449 item Template

 

 

SO,

I shut down WinME, rebooted, loaded UFO:AM, and loaded my last save, and then once again selected Next Area, and in it goes to next area. All fine.

 

Finish the mission, get two bases for it.

 

I then load up soldiers and head to Alaska for the Third Mission. Get to Alaska, and surrounded my aliens. A tough fight, but NO visible frozen aliens. Didn't finish that mission, just saved it. Running out of time.

 

I never got in three separate mission parts with 6.7 without frozen aliens, so I assume the frozen aliens are gone with 6.61?

 

My daughter likes dressing the soldiers and aliens in the crew, but I can't get her to go on tactical missions, and despite her initial exuberant enthusiasm when she sees Aralez's alien crew, she will only play Barbie dolls with the soldiers for about an hour or so before she gets bored. I need someone besides me to play tactical in order to speed up the mission. Maybe I can con my son into it if I can pull him away from schoolwork. My daughter wanted Aralez's 115.zip crew on her WinME machine, so I imagine she'll be playing with it, but don't know if I can get her to run tactical testing for me to make sure that Frozen Aliens never appear.

 

Anyway, I think 6.61 works. The assert_fatal is what I call a transition glitch. I think I experienced it a couple of times before whenever I was installing and running a saved game from someone else's computer onto the WinME machine. It's a self-correcting glitch. I think it's the transition that takes place as his saved game becomes my saved game.

 

I don't think the WinME machine will give me any more problems unless I switch back to RB 6.7. But, I don't have time to test it now. Wanna get WinXP machine working right again.

[Kret]

@Lurker:

 

There's a command line instruction that is intended for file comparison. It's FC and it's one of the commands inherited from good old DOS. For a binary compare (wich you should do for vfs files) you type:

 

FC /b

 

paths are accepted in each ID. If there's no difference, then it will say so, if there is it will start displaying a list (long or short) of offsets where there's a difference.

 

I recommend that if you really want to test this carefully have a fresh install of UFO:AM followed inmedietly by the 1.3 patching up (this of course includes pre-patching to 1.2) and only have the RBmod installed. I think you already did this, but making sure of it.

 

Since this bug doesn't seem to appear on every single mission makes it hard to spot. It is even possible that it's not a bug, but an after effect of a previous bug. Since you're getting odd inventory items in your stores, this could be well what's causing the fronzen aliens.

 

I'm not testing the mod, but am looking into the contents of the mod, let's see with what theory I can come up with.

 

BTW: you have to con your son into playing a game rather than do homework? Does his "homework" have to do something with "Taking over the world"?

[Lurker]

The UFO:AM installation on my Children's PC (the WinME machine) is a fresh installation, as far as I know, though it's been fresh and relatively unused since Rebalance 5.62. Never set up WinME machine to do ALLITEMS.

 

Not so fresh on my WinXP machine, but never had Frozen aliens at all on WinXP machine until Rebalance 6.7. And, with RB6.7, I have now had frozen aliens on both machines.

 

Thx for the FC explanation! Gonna probably end up downloading RB6.7 a third time before this is over, and would like to check if they compare right.

 

Only used the RBmods on this WinXP machine. Never have had any other mods installed here, except the eq_mod long ago.

 

6.7 Frozen Aliens come in second part of a mission, Next Area, or next mission, though they came immediately on WinME machine after creating a new profile or new game. Never experienced Frozen Aliens with any previous rebalance, and I've played constantly since February or so. Only RB 6.7.

 

--

 

Son, funny story there. Years back, he not doing so well in school. I sat him down and watched Starship Troopers with him. I said, "Now see what happens to Rikko when he does poorly in school." He gets to be there face-to-face with the Bugs, in the infantry. See what happens to smart boy and smart girl who does well in school. Smart boy becomes Colonel and does testing in safety away from front lines. Girl gets to navigate star ships. I says, "If you drafted into the army and you appear dumb, you go straight into infantry and get to take point and be first one in line to be shot or torn apart by BUGS. If you smart and do good in school, they make you an officer, and you sit back behind the lines in a tent and give the orders. If you super smart, you get to make the weapons, and then you are the one that the infantry is protecting."

 

He has put homework first ever since and has been tops in class ever since. I'm not going to fight it. He got the message from Starship Troopers, the one I hoped he would get. He does homework first, and then plays games if any time left over.

 

--

 

EDIT: Actually, it's not really about smarts or intelligence. My son was always smarter than average, but he was never all that dedicated until he saw Starship Troopers and made his own conclusions what it meant to him. In Starship Troopers, Riko was a playboy of sorts, and thus landed in the infantry, but his hidden intelligence or smarts started to emerge as he became more dedicated and disciplined. Dedication, loyalty, and discipline can easily trounce genius, but watch out and see what happens should genius and discipline just happen to combine in the same package, then you end up with something like Aralez's rebalance mods.

[Lurker]

@Kret: If I zip up anything for Aralez, like NO ICON other items or some such in terms of saved games. Want me to try again to send them to you, too? I didn't get through to you last time, but I would try zipping the VFS files this time around and maybe you'd have enough room?

[Kret]

Here's some early results from my analisis:

 

Aralez uses equipsets for new aliens that use "inherit" weapons (spitter, popper, etc) but the problem here is that equipsets are designed for carryable weapons, nor really inherit ones, that's probably why you get them listed in your inventories when completing a mission with them in it.

 

Here's a sample taken from the floater thingy that fires paralysing rays (I actually forgot it's name )

 

  CREATURE

    ORIGIN M

    UNIT_TYPE COCOON

    SIZE 2

    WIDTH 200

    HEIGHT 240

    ADD_HEIGHT 100

    CONSPICUITY 2.0

    TRESHOLD 2.0

    CARRIABLE FALSE

    ROOF 0

    ARMOUR TICO0

    EFFECT_HIT "tactical/particles/hit_effect groups/blood_mutant_02.pgrp"

    EFFECT_DEATH "tactical/particles/hit_effect groups/rozprsk_mutant.pgrp"

    SOUND_HIT "share/sound/wavs/mutants/scream2.wav"

    SOUND_DEATH "share/sound/wavs/mutants/scream+growl.wav"

    HEALTH 1500

    FALL 500

    WEAPON1 RG-COCOON

    MELEE_TIME 0.0

    ICON "tactical/models/interface/items/creatures/mb.txt"

    WEIGHT_LIMIT 50.0

    WEIGHT 100.0

  END_OF_CREATURE

 

Notice where I've marked the line with a weapon. This is actually how you should define inherit weapons, but this means that you need to "create" a new creature type, with it's consequences and all. Aralez doesn't do this, not quite sure why. He uses an unusual system to create the "new" aliens.

 

More to come...

 

EDIT: Aralez, notice the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th lines? I think these define the "size" of the alien. The 1st one defines the actual space used by the alien in matter of squares (value is squared) The rest seems to "stretch" the model of the alien to that size, and the last might possibly be used for "floating" aliens (how much above ground they "walk") Need further analisis of this.

 

EIDT 2: Further analisis makes me believe that the 4th value is not used to determine the floating factor, since all creatures have some value or another (yes, even humans and rets)

[Lurker]

Appreciate your ideas Kret.

 

--

 

Okay, my next project:

I downloaded RB6.7 twice with my new updated GetRight 5.1. I believe that I downloaded the previous RB mods with GetRight 5.02 or with the old fashioned Microsoft way.

 

I uninstalled GetRight, and now I will download RB6.7 with Microsoft save method, and if I don't get disconnected during download, I can then File Compare two separate downloads and see if the new GetRight 5.1 isn't downloading right.

 

Here goes.

[Kret]

Hmm... I just tried to play the game with the rbmod 6.7 and my version just crashed to desktop. Will try again...

 

Tried again and this time the 1st mission loaded ok, but then it crashed when generating the 2nd one. All I can say from this is that 6.7 is not fully stable. The reason why needs a lot of investigating

[Lurker]

Okay. Downloaded a third copy of RB6.7 using a different method. I did binary File Compare between used zip and the new download, and No Differences were reported. They are the same, so my 6.7 problems can't be blamed on faulty download.

 

--

 

Thanks Kret. I needed someone besides me with an English version (or with another CD) of UFO:AM to verify that 6.7 isn't stable. From some of his screen shots, I think Aralez is developing and testing Rebalances on a different language version, and thus possibly getting different results?

 

Something 'alien' was added to 6.7 that wasn't there in 6.61, and 6.7 is the first and only time that I have had real and serious problems with a Rebalance since 4.X. And I started having my Frozen Alien problem only with 6.7.

 

Anyway, Aralez and everyone else, don't delete your copy of RB6.61.

 

I suggest that maybe Aralez could restart with 6.61 and slowly rebuild RB 6.7 one piece or one change at a time in an attempt for us to see if we can isolate the offending item. Maybe we'll have to leave the offending item out if we can isolate it, or maybe Aralez can use some of your tricks, Kret, in order to modify the offending item so that it no longer glitches once it has been isolated. Personally, I hope that it isn't the WTD that's the offending item, cause I really love that addition. There's gotta be a workaround, but the source of the problem has to be isolated first so that development can then focus on the cure.

 

It was a long time ago, but from what I remember, the last time that I had Frozen Aliens was when I did an install of ALPine. I had to uninstall ALPine and reinstall UFO:AM in order to make it go away. I was getting crashes as well with ALPine. I had installed some ALPin plugin apparently that was 'alien' to my machine.

 

I only use the RBmod, so that if things go wrong, I can point to the RBMod as the source of the problem. The Rebalances have been very stable for me, surprisingly and exceptionally so, until 6.7. So, hopefully, our input will be useful for Aralez, cause RB6.7 was a dream come true for me. Aralez read my mind when he came up with that wish list. The couple of times I got to try the WTD, I was a believer and a fan all over again! Awesome.

[Kret]

Actually, my version is the spanish one, but don't think that matters much since aralez doesn't touch the localization pack where differences could actually appear from pack to pack. As for the rebuild of RB, I would also recommend to Aralez that he uses 2 separate vfs files, one for weapons (and their magazines and such) the other containing the equipment sets and new aliens. This makes it quite easy for debugging purposes appart that it gives the choice to the player that has reached the limit and says "OK, I've had enough of these RB mutants kicking my arse but I don't wanna loose the RB weapons" and can just remove that file while leaving the other.

[Aralez]

I have a german copy of the game, but as Kret said: The RBMod doesn't use the localizationpack.vfs-file which is used for language, text etc.., so this shouldn't be the source of the problem.

 

@Kret: I added the aliens the way i did, because the game can recognize it and then display a name over it. The other way (adding them like Fulbys Human Raiders) works, too. BUT i got several complaints because the game didn't show a name over those new enemies and some users thought it was a bug. So i removed them.

 

The new reticulans can't be the source of the problems as they were introduced with 6.61. The two new weapons don't have anything "special" about them, the way they are added are the "old and trusted" way. So i think they aren't the problem either.

 

This would leave the only change i have done in 6.7 as the source of the bug: The rebalancing of the plasmashotguns ???? No way.

 

What is very disturbing to me, is the fact that Lurkers savegame shows the BOOM and SPIT weapon in the inventory screen (back in base), i designed those weapons to NOT show up there. And they don't show up on my installation, even when i use the ALLITEM cheat.

 

I'm out of ideas. The mod runs PERFECTLY flawless on my PC. The only thing i could propose to Lurker is to reinstall UFOAM and start a new game. See if that works. And maybe restore your Windows, too, not being able to create a new folder sounds VERY serious.

 

Btw, splitting the RBMOD is not possible, as several files "overlap" and need each other. Sorry!

 

Slaughter or anybody else: Please report here if you have problems with 6.7, too. Atm, Lurker and Kret are my only source of information about that troubles. BlackAlmaz game seems to work, too. My UFOAM works perfectly. And i did NOT get any bug reports from other players yet. Normally my mailbox is full of them WHEN something doesn't work (like back when the cyborgs were introduced. )

[Lurker]

Been getting Boom and Spit in inventory every time I encounter Purple Chompers (Poppers) and Purple Cudgels (Spitters), ever since they were introduced as best as I can tell. It's just that I haven't encountered them all that much since they were introduced into the RB because I was playing at 28 bases most of that time. Did get the occasion Purple Cudgel (Spitter) and did build up an inventory of Spit with 6.6 and 6.61. But never really encountered the Poppers and their NO ICON inventory all that much.

 

Sent Aralez and Cret a saved Tactical that makes BOOM and SPIT for me on my machine with RB6.7.

 

My Children's Windows ME machine no longer produces Folders, but this WinXP machine of mine does in great abundance, and I get Frozen Aliens with RB6.7 on both machines, so likewise, I can't see how that could be the source of the problem.

 

I don't know if my install CD of Windows ME erases the drive before proceeding. My children wouldn't be happy to have all their creations gone, but I probably should take the risk of losing it all in order to get back the Folder Options? But from past experience, I think I could just get them back by deleting Windows Accessories and restoring them one by one until I get the right one. WinME was always funky weird about Compressed Folders, cause it always allowed other programs to easily override the WinME default features. WinZip and other things will wipe the default WinME handling, and if you then uninstall WinZip, the compressed folders options are gone 'forever'. But I found that uninstalling and reinstalling Windows accessories on Drive Cleanup brought it all back to me when I got the right accessory. I think the Nero InCD wiped out the Folders of WinMe, cause InCD is a compression tactic. Just need to uninstall InCD and then find the right accessory to uninstall and restore, and hopefully the folders will be back. Not a drastic thing, cause that's what WinME just does naturally, defers its folder options to anything else that wants to take control. The joys of Windows ME.

 

I'll uninstall and reinstall UFO:AM on my WinXP machine. Don't know how that will help. I believe that all I have to do is go back to 6.61 of the RB, and suddenly my WinXP machine will be just fine for Rebalances, as it has been since February 2004.

 

The real potential problem is that my personal copy of UFO:AM could be incompatible with RB6.7 in some way that no other person's copy is, and in such a case uninstalling and reinstalling with the same scratched CD should probably produce the same results. I can't put as much time into it today, as I did yesterday. Gotta work and do stuff with family, so it will be awhile before my next tests.

 

--

 

Aralez, you describe the two new weapons as ingenious, brilliant, unique, and such, just a couple of days ago. Unique animation of explosion, unique icons. They sounded special or unusual to me.

 

There is a rumor going around that if the Effective Range is the same as the Aimed Range, then you could be looking at problems or bugs. Both ranges are 1 meter for the TNT. I could never figure out how to use the ALPine TNT without blowing myself up. While running towards the enemy in order to throw it or launch it, my person gets all shot up. And, if I do get it primed and tossed, my soldier is usually in the red and on the ground, and then then only one who dies from the TNT is the soldier carrying it. It had no range, so I could never figure out how to use it. And, I could never time it so that any enemy stepped on it.

 

When I had ALPine installed and was getting Frozen Aliens and Crashes long ago, I did have the WTD installed as a plugin, but I never got a WTD in any of my games, so I don't know as much about that one.

 

I just know, now, thanks to you that I really like the WTD.

 

Before uninstalling and reinstalling UFO:AM, I'll probably go back to 6.61 on this WinXP machine just to make sure that 6.61 is still working right without Frozen Aliens. Maybe start a new game profile with 6.61 and 115.zip and see how it goes, and see how the BOOM and SPIT build up in inventory and play out in the field.

 

It will take some time to try all the options and variables. Thanks for listening and for the ideas!

[Aralez]

I tried your savegame and can see the inventory bug. If i try to continue with the next mission the game crashes. But this still leaves me without idea, the icons shouldn't be there, they aren't in my own savegames. It looks like a somehow corrupted savegame from an old version.

 

The spit weapon and the boom weapon NORMALLY will apear in the tactical missions and in the list of things that are taken back to the base, that's ok. BUT i made them so they WON'T show up in the inventory screen back in base. (This was acchieved by setting their origin to MUTANT, if anyone wants to know)

 

The only vague idea i have now is that maybe your gamedata.vfs file got corrupted somehow and a re-install is needed.

 

Btw, regarding the folder problem: Maybe you created another user-account "accidently" on that machine with very strong restrictions regarding file accessability. Try to switch to the admin account (if possible) and see if it works again. The same mistake was made by a co-worker of me and it costed me some nerves until i suddenly realized the new icon he had for his account.

 

Me: "Didn't you have a frog as a sign?"

Him: "Yes, that somehow changed suddenly, too"

Me: "Hmmmmmm, hey wait, i have an idea"

 

Changed user. Worked.

 

I wish all problems were as easy to resolve as this. BUT i have to admit, it's pretty easy to re-create that problem and cause trouble again: Simply press the wrong button when exiting Windows and "end" your account instead. You will be asked for a name or a password then and the OS will almost look and behave the same. BUT there will be problems because you don't have admin rights anymore!

 

Regarding reinstalling the OS, be it ME or XP: Both OS'es give you the choice to repair your OS when you start the setup program (instead of a fresh install). They will then restore their files and don't overwrite any of your settings and docs.

[Lurker]

Speaking of unique:

 

I thought that UFO:AM weapons were limited to less than 10,000 damage. And, I have never seen a weapon before with more than 90 meter range. I thought that maybe there was a 100 meter limit to range.

 

The WTD is unique. If the original UFO:AM was never tested or designed to handle extreme damage or extreme range, who knows what subtle glitches might appear.

 

The TNT and WTD were both unique in statistics. If those statistics are incompatible with the programmer's original intentions or untested by the original programmers, who knows what's possible.

 

--

 

Windows ME doesn't have Admin that I know of, only NT and XP use the Admin and all the power and goodies and Services that the Admin feature provides.

 

Only using the original LogIn user on Windows ME machine. I will have to experiment, a lot, with everything.

 

--

 

I've been getting Spit in inventory all along ever since it came into existence. It just adds up, but ALLITEMS doesn't give it. I think we figured out what the NO ICON item is in my inventory. Haven't gotten as much of that since Poppers don't show up late game.

 

--

 

The SPIT BOOM tactical I sent was the result of a new game profile with no mod, and then I switched to Rebalance 6.7 on the Geoscape after a mission. It's what happens when I RB6.7 mod an unmodded Geoscape. That's essentially what I have been doing since 5.6. I mod a previously saved game with a new mod. I just sped up the process.

 

SPIT BOOM tactical only has the two starting bases. It's a new game.

 

Okay, yet other tests for me to try. I need to go new Game Profile created by 6.7 again after uninstall and reinstall of UFO:AM. I imagine that will result in frozen aliens. I believe I did already let Rebalance 6.7 create a new profile (see above), but instead of SPIT BOOM in inventory, that route leads to Frozen Aliens much more quickly.

 

Haven't uninstalled and reinstalled UFO:AM yet, though that WinME machine producing Frozen Aliens was essentially a fresh install of UFO:AM.

 

I also have to try to use that 6.7 savegame upload that you provided with a New 6.7 created Game Profile on this WinXP machine, and see if I can take off from there with 6.7.

 

Many things to try.

 

Do now believe that RB6.7 is incompatible with Spit Building up in inventory!!

 

--

 

It will take awhile to refresh or re-install OS's. I would want to backup first, which equals time. Uninstall and Reinstall of UFO:AM easy, but I have only the one CD, and if it's corrupted, the result should theoretically be same on every machine I use that CD on.

 

I also think that I have the same Nvidia Graphics Drivers and nForce Drivers on both the WinME and WinXP machines, same version numbers. Though they are completely different files now that I think about it. WinME and Win98 Use a different download of Nvidia Graphics and Nforce drivers from what XP uses, so they should make UFO:AM perform differently on the two machines instead of the same Frozen Aliens. Still, if I can install UFO:AM fresh on a completely different non-nForce Win98 machine, then run RB6.7, that would be an interesting test.

 

It could be days or weeks. Hopefully, others will see this and eventually join in.

[Lurker]

FIFTH TEST:

 

This one was really quick. I let UFO:AM combined with RB6.7 create a new game profile on my WinXP machine. I then saved two Geoscape games after getting the New Recruit.

 

One of the saves was named Upload. Quit Game.

 

I replaced my new Upload save with Aralez's 6.7 Upload (the one with the new Cudgel crew member) that I downloaded from here.

 

So now I have Aralez's save on my machine and I load that when I run UFO:AM again. I then tweaked a few things, changed bases, weapons, etc. I then went to the mission that's available. When I get there, there's Visible Frozen Aliens waiting for me. That's it. Game Ended. I continued and watched the Cudgel Crew member walk around for a bit. Then quit without saving.

 

--

 

Time to go back to 6.61 on my WinXP machine and see if anything has changed for the worse. So far, 6.61 and 115.zip saved game seem to be a working combination for me, need to make sure that it is still so here on WinXP machine as well.

 

--

 

Then probably time to uninstall and reinstall UFO:AM.

 

Actually, I wish I could find a good price on a used UFO:AM CD and see if the gamedata.vfs produced by that is different than the one my current CD produces.

 

--

 

I'm thinking of all the other tests that I haven't gotten to yet, and I have to go to work, money-making work now. So . . .

[Fulby]

There is a rumor going around that if the Effective Range is the same as the Aimed Range, then you could be looking at problems or bugs. Both ranges are 1 meter for the TNT. I could never figure out how to use the ALPine TNT without blowing myself up. While running towards the enemy in order to throw it or launch it, my person gets all shot up. And, if I do get it primed and tossed, my soldier is usually in the red and on the ground, and then then only one who dies from the TNT is the soldier carrying it. It had no range, so I could never figure out how to use it. And, I could never time it so that any enemy stepped on it.

The TNT is a delayed explosive, you have a soldier set it in place (attack the ground where you want it placed) then run out of the blast range before is goes off (5-7 second timer IIRC). From the plugin text:

Your soldiers can now place TNT charges, just get out of the blast radius before it explodes.

A powerful explosive package and detonator.  The TNT has a fixed timer so soldiers must evacuate the blast area with haste.

 

The detonator flashes red when active.

I don't know why you tried to use it like a grenade, it's not meant for that.

 

The explosion is powerful but you have to plan your attack well to make it effective against enemies. Place it at a corner just before an enemy walks round it, or take down a wall to reveal your troops and give them line of fire. It's also good at clearing structures since they stay in one place .

 

Speaking of unique:

 

I thought that UFO:AM weapons were limited to less than 10,000 damage.  And, I have never seen a weapon before with more than 90 meter range.  I thought that maybe there was a 100 meter limit to range.

 

The WTD is unique.  If the original UFO:AM was never tested or designed to handle extreme damage or extreme range, who knows what subtle glitches might appear.

 

The TNT and WTD were both unique in statistics.  If those statistics are incompatible with the programmer's original intentions or untested by the original programmers, who knows what's possible.

If that were the case then many more people than just yourself would be having problems. The WTD and TNT plugins have both been out for several months now and the plugins include more changes than the WTD and TNT in Aralez' RB Mod.

 

Actually, I wish I could find a good price on a used UFO:AM CD and see if the gamedata.vfs produced by that is different than the one my current CD produces.

You don't have to uninstall and reinstall UFO: AM to check that the gamedata.vfs is in its original state. Use sigget's vfstool in the main UFO directory with the command:

 

vfstool.exe md5 gamedata.vfs

This will calculate then print out the MD5-sum for the VFS archive. If you and a few other people all get the same result then your gamedata.vfs is the same as theirs. You can probably use the same command to check if your copy of the Rebalance VFS is corrupt or not.

 

Fulby

[UfoMan]

I know that Slaughter doesn't want me around, and the UfoMan has laid low regarding Aftermath bugs for a month or more now - just suffering in silence whenever Aftermath crashes or yucks up. But I have specific input to offer regarding this thread and the 6.7 Rebalance, so here goes.

 

I know some people don't like to hear it, but the truth is that Aftermath has the most variable performance of any game that I have ever played. With other game titles, you get rather consistent game performance from one motherboard chipset to the next, but Aftermath performs very differently from one machine to the next. That's been my real world experience.

 

A Aftermath bug that will show up on one machine, will be completely absent on the next machine, will be majorly annoying on another machine, and will be there but inconsequential on another machine. You can also experience competely different bugs and crashes from one machine to the next. It's the same CD and the same installation, but completely unpredictable performance from one machine to the next.

 

I started a new Profile with Rebalance 6.7 on my ABIT KT7A-RAID motherboard, and then I transferred the Upload.zip contents into the new Saves in the new Profile. I played three games and didn't get frozen aliens and the spit didn't transfer back to base into inventory that I could see even though spit was in the capture list. Three missions is hardly conclusive, and the ABIT KT7A is a slow and painful 1200 Duron machine which makes playing Aftermath tedious. But Rebalance 6.7 works just fine so far on that machine.

 

Using English version CD. I usually only play one Aftermath game per day if work allows, so I don't make fast progress, and can't be counted on to provide timely conclusive results. But, three missions completed successfully with Rebalance 6.7 sounds like more than Lurker got.

 

I have a new ABIT NF7-S v2 motherboard with 2800 Barton, and I created a new Game Profile with Rebalance 6.7 and put the same Upload.Zip in there and went to a mission. I immediately ran into frozen aliens with Aralez's save. I then tried playing Rebalance 6.7 from the start, eventually got spit and empty icons in the inventory, and eventually got frozen aliens in subsequent missions. I did a lot of Aftermath playing. Not good results with the new machine and Rebalance 6.7.

 

My conclusion is that the Rebalance 6.7 works fine on my VIA chipset, and it seems to result in frozen aliens on my nForce chipset. Extrapolating, I would conclude that each person who plays the Rebalance 6.7 on a different machine will end up experiencing different results.

 

My other conclusion is that since I haven't had any noticeable problems with the Rebalance mods on my nForce machine until Rebalance 6.7, I would guess that the new Rebalance 6.7 has introduced some kind of incompatibility with the nForce chipset that wasn't there before. Again, just a guess, and not enough of a sampling in my humble opinion to be conclusive.

 

I probably won't report back in here again, because Slaughter doesn't want me to report crashes or bugs when I experience them. He is the moderator, and I broke his rule just now. But let me end by saying, that I'm tempted to uninstall and reinstall Aftermath on my fast new nForce machine and see if Rebalance 6.7 will then run right. Other than that, I don't know what more I can do.

 

And in summary, it looks to me that if you get spit or invisible icons in your inventory, then you are going to be experiencing problems soon with the Rebalances. From what I have seen in the past, the same Aftermath mod (whether ALPine or Rebalance) can and does peform differently on different machines. Lurker gets frozen aliens, Kret gets crashes from Rebalance 6.7, and my ancient Duron machine runs Rebalance 6.7 as it was meant to run.

 

Hope that helps and is topical enough to get past Slaughter.

 

UfoMan

[Lurker]

I have a rule against discussing the specific details of my machines online.

 

But, I will say that my machine and my Children's machine are both nForce chipset type machines and both produce Visible Frozen Aliens with Rebalance 6.7.

 

Still, it looks like it's time to try some uninstalling and reinstalling of UFO:AM. Maybe tomorrow.

 

--

 

EDIT: Hmm. Someone put in some advertising for us.

https://www.chatbear.com/?P639719

[Aralez]

Ufoman, many thx for your feedback! I don't know what problems Slaughter and you seem to have, but i can't comply about you. You delivered excellent information and reported them in a mannerful way. And you had some good ideas for the RBMOD as well. Please stay here with us, will you ?

 

Here's a small announcement: I uploaded a test-version of 6.7 without the WTD and the TNT (as they are the only NEW things i have added). Lurker, Kret, Ufoman and anyone else could you test that version and report back? It is really important.

 

The new savegames are taken offline for the moment as well.

 

Here the downloadlink: Testversion

 

Personally, i don't think the new weapons cause the problems, i suspect the new savegames or maybe the EXE itself causing troubles, as i could see from the posts some guys use the NOCD-exe and some don't. But as i could be wrong:

 

Please test the new download and report here ASAP, please, please !

[Aralez]

Damnit, as i got ZERO feedback i tested several things on my own.

 

I de- and reinstalled UFOAM,

patched it to 1.3,

applied the 6.7 mod , worked, no problems.

Tried the new savegames, no problems,

tried a no-cd exe, no problems,

Tried every cheat i know of, no problems,

tried old savegames, no problems,

Tried the redux-mod-version, no problems.

Tried a different VFS-tool to pack the mod, no problems.

I even installed an english localizatinpack.vfs: NO PROBLEMS !!!

 

That's it, i quit. I can't find ANYTHING buggy in the RBMOD, i'm sorry to say so but the problem seem to b e caused by either

 

a. Using the wrong patch version

b. Using old buggy savegames

c. Using a buggy exe

d. Unspecified computer problems

e. incompatibilty of my uploaded savegames with other PC's (but that wouldn't explain the problems people have when starting a new game)

 

None of this problems can't be corrected by me except the last one, which isn't crucial.

 

Btw, Kret i re-read your post, what do you mean you EVENTUALLY got problems? Did you have them or not ?

 

Alas, i'm drifting off. I deleted the savegames and will keep the RBMOD available.

But I will quit modding UFOAM. The lack of feedback from ALTAR, and the apparent lack of interest in UFOAM generally brings me to this decission.

 

I mean, look at this thread, three people made 99% of it's entries, and one of them was me.

 

I will still be around in the forum, though, i just wanted to inform you about the end of the RBMOD.

[Kret]

You got me confused there Aralez, the only time I've posted something with the word "eventually" was in the Future Projects thread. Are you talking about that?

 

BTW. About to test the new mod. Let's see the results.

 

EDIT:

 

Ok, quick rundown: NO BUGS.

 

I have played about 5~6 missions, including spitters and poppers in them. No crashes, no %d items.

 

Before placing the new vfs mod I removed all the other mods, a total of 3 different files were taken out:

 

- The 1st person view mod

- A partial R&D sort mod (started working on this long ago, but left it unfinished)

- Personalized rebalance (obviously this would of been incompatible)

 

I would like to make a note that last time I did NOT remove the FPV mod, so there's a chance that under certain conditions the game doesn't properly load multiple mod files, but doesn't happen always. I'm gonna try the 6.7 again on it's own and see what happens.

[Aralez]

Yes, i got that confused

 

Actually it was Ufoman getting those "eventual" bugs

 

Sorry about that :angel:

 

Now i need ONE more special user to check out this mod: Lurker ?!

 

Please tell me: Does it work ?

 

Btw Kret: I use the FPV mod, too. It hasn't delivered any problems yet....

 

And please tell me about your tests with the original 6.7, so i can finally sleep again

[Kret]

OK, so far all tests have resulted in NO BUGS, *** BUT *** I haven't gotten a single mission with poppers (nor chompers as a matter of fact), so the tests are not really complete. At least the spitters work.

[Lurker]

You don't have to uninstall and reinstall UFO: AM to check that the gamedata.vfs is in its original state. Use sigget's vfstool in the main UFO directory with the command:

 

 

CODE 

vfstool.exe md5 gamedata.vfs

 

 

This will calculate then print out the MD5-sum for the VFS archive. If you and a few other people all get the same result then your gamedata.vfs is the same as theirs. You can probably use the same command to check if your copy of the Rebalance VFS is corrupt or not.

 

--

 

Actually, this information from Fulby got me really excited. I need to find the link to that tool!

 

I missed Fulby's message the first time through, last night. Just scanned and went to bed. A checksum would give me and the rest of you a way to see if our gamedata.vfs or 67_mod.vfs are changing.

 

I also thought Fulbly's test would be interesting to try with the Upload.zip files. Load the Upload.zip into the game, and then immediately save the load back to disk under a different name, checksum the new save, and thus see if different motherboard chipset writers are writing the same vfs file back to the disk differently than other chipsets do.

 

This Upload 'load' and 'save' and 'checksum' would be a particularly good test for the UfoMan to try. UfoMan, try it on nForce machine and then on the VIA machine, and see if they are saving the same file differently.

 

Aralez, if you make another Test RB, between now and then, make it with the WTD and the TNT and without the SPIT and BOOM, without Spitters and Poppers. I too was wondering if the SPIT building up in inventory is causing my saves to go bad or causing interferrence with the new goodies. Personally, I would much rather have WTD and TNT in my Rebalance than SPIT and BOOM, if one or the other has to go in order to make it run right. I know that removing the Poppers and Spitters would make some of my past games incompatible, but who cares at this point. Those few of us who are having problems will be starting new games and needing new working saved games from you anyway.

 

Don't give up Aralez, just realize that it will take some time for us to download and try the stuff. And unfortunatly, I won't be able to download the new test until Easter and relatives are gone. It is kind of sad that our small little group is getting smaller as people find other interests and move on, but it happens everywhere. Nevertheless, we could indeed use a bigger sampling and more reports from more people.

 

Just know that I really appreciate your efforts, and as time allows, I'll continue to trudge along seeing what is what. So, meanwhile, I continue to do what I can as I can.

 

I need re-read this thread and start making a written list of things to do and things to see.

 

Meanwhile everybody, if you could, please post here the checksums of your gamedata.vfs, your 67_mod.vfs, and the new testmod.vfs. And, when relatives are gone, I'll queue up the NewTest Mod and the vfstool for downloading. And, then tomorrow.

 

I have yet to uninstall and reinstall UFO:AM. Here come the relatives. Gotta go!