Feedback on v1.08.07 comprehensive patch?

[pzgndr]

Just curious what the latest concensus is on the recent standalone comprehensive patch. Is it working ok for everyone? Are pbem MP games working ok now? Are folks finding the updated user manual in \Data\docs more helpful?

Marshall is busy these days with real life and it's unclear when we'll get to the next patch. He has started work on a v1.09 update and made a couple of changes, but things are proceeding slowly. As usual, a little more patience may be needed...

[bOrIuM]

Well, I dunno if its the patch, but never had a buggy version like that... is it normal that wehn someone send you money it deduce it from your money instead of adding ? Plus a lot of incomprehensive other bugs.. like attacked Bavaria at same time as France and we didnt go to war. and many more.

[pzgndr]

never had a buggy version like that...

Never? Surely you jest... [;)]

There are still bugs, to be sure. But to review the saga of v1.08, the original intent way back when was to focus on pbem play and make diplomacy, reinforcements and economics simultaneous. That proved to be a programming nightmare that introduced more bugs and eventually had to be undone, leaving only simultaneous diplomacy. Plus a whole of other bug fixes that at least get the game closer to where it needs to be.

The final pbem enhancements and bug fixes, as well as the new host admin menu and standalone comprehensive patch, means that players should be able to get back into multiplayer pbem games that don't crash and burn and require divine intervention from Marshall to keep going. So the real question remains whether players are getting back into the game and whether new players are getting into the game?

[alexvand]

I started playing a PBEM gaming which is working quite well. The biggest concern I have is that while playing a hotseat game where I played all the powers to practice money being lent from one power to another did not arrive. Which is a big deal.

But if that were fixed, this is a game I will be happy to play for some time.

[pzgndr]

Marshall showed the money problem being fixed in v1.08.05 per Mantis #661? It may have gotten unfixed with the later versions. I'll take a look and add something to Mantis again. The code changes to implement/undo the simultaneous economic phase really messed with things.

There is a workaround for this for the time being. The host can make money adjustments with the admin menu, as well as other adjustments to help compensate for some of the other lingering bugs. Hopefully enough for the game to be playable without major showstoppers like before.

[alexvand]

Are their any fixes or workarounds for a hotseat game? I've got two hotseat games I'd like to keep playing, but with hundreds of dollars missing in loans, the games just don't work.

[pzgndr]

Unfortunately, the pbem host admin menu does not apply to hotseat games. One suggestion would be to restart as a pbem game in hotseat mode, which is what I do to playtest pbem features. It involves copying files from commout to commin and then loading the files each turn. It's a little tedious but doable, and allows you to set a host who would then have acccess to the admin menu to fix things.

Btw, I verified the problem and listed it in Mantis as #846. If you have any additional information, you can add a note.