Unconfirmed Bug Bugs (Re-)encountered in build 14 february 2019

[ExtincE]

Hey Guys,

As I encountered a whole string of bugs in like 30 minutes of playtime yesterday and made a mess out of the original post, I thought I'd collect them in a new, more organized post.

Playing on:
Fresh install on a new, empty drive. Only has PotC (stock) and PotC NH install on it + the modfiles.
Version: Build 14 Beta [Last Update: 20 February 2019] + latest fix archive.

Playing Arcade mode, Mariner difficulty, Nathaniel Hawk storyline.

If produced, I'll attach "compile.log", "system.log", and "error.log" after re-encountering / reproducing an encountered bug.

 

[ExtincE]

So, it started off with this bug: CTD after talking to companion captain while at sea.

Steps to reproduce: get an escort mission from any tavern. Set sail. Go to ship deck > escort's vessel deck > escort's captain's cabin.
Talk to captain. Choose either "i'll get you to your destination ASAP" or "I will be raising a false flag", travel back to own ship, set sail again.

Game CTD's without warning, error or producing an error.log or compile.log file. CTD happens either when in loading screen of going back to own ship, or when in loading screen of setting sail again after succesfully making it back to own ship's deck.

Workarounds: tell the captain upon accepting his escort request in the tavern that you want to raise a false flag already. Option 2: go to any kind of land, moor ships in bay or port. Travel to companion ship, talk to captain, say you want to raise false flag, travel back to shore/port, then travel to own ship and set sail.

Untested/unconfirmed:
Wether this only happens with escort captains, or also captains of ships in your own fleet. i.e: travel to fleet ship, talk to captain in cabin, travel back to own ship > crash?

 

[ExtincE]

Bug encountered shortly after:
Have ship with 1 crew. No companion ship or other ships in fleet. Have 20 food / 10 rum, which according to officer suffices for 2000+ days each. Set sail, enter worldmap. The 1 crewmember suddenly mutinies 5 days later, claiming there is no rum or food on board. Forced to fight. Kill him, and with it thus the only crewmember you have. Crewmember has 180k gold (? is this normal?). Stuck on ship deck after striking down the mutiny. Presumably from not having any crew(?).

Reloaded save, hired 9 more crewmembers so I had 10 crew members. Same thing happened. Still only 1 crew member showed up in the mutiny fight, still stuck on deck after fight. Crew member still had 180k gold on him.

World map says the supply of food/rum is 33 days, rather than the 2000 days your officers mention. One day later, enough food and rum had disappeared that the quantity left was good for 12/14 days of food/rum. Another day later the mutiny happens.

Fixed by: going to store, buying a little bit more food and rum (10 units each). Cause: corrupted save perhaps?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

So, it started off with this bug: CTD after talking to companion captain while at sea.

Steps to reproduce: get an escort mission from any tavern. Set sail. Go to ship deck > escort's vessel deck > escort's captain's cabin.
Talk to captain. Choose either "i'll get you to your destination ASAP" or "I will be raising a false flag", travel back to own ship, set sail again.

Game CTD's without warning, error or producing an error.log or compile.log file. CTD happens either when in loading screen of going back to own ship, or when in loading screen of setting sail again after succesfully making it back to own ship's deck.

Workarounds: tell the captain upon accepting his escort request in the tavern that you want to raise a false flag already. Option 2: go to any kind of land, moor ships in bay or port. Travel to companion ship, talk to captain, say you want to raise false flag, travel back to shore/port, then travel to own ship and set sail.

Untested/unconfirmed:
Wether this only happens with escort captains, or also captains of ships in your own fleet. i.e: travel to fleet ship, talk to captain in cabin, travel back to own ship > crash?

I wonder if somehow the dialog interface is interfering with the 3D sailing scene.
But if that is the case, it sounds difficult, if not impossible to fix.

 

[ExtincE]

Like in previous build version, Mary Wood is still unforgiving in La Tortue Tavern.

Difference being, unlike previous Build Mod playthrough, I'm playing on a fresh install, I had no officers with me when I spoke to Mary Wood, and I'm playing Nathaniel's storyline rather than freeplay.

Other differences are: Mary Wood doesn't kill in a single hit anymore, regardless of armor and weapon used and if you are blocking or not as well as what your level and abilities are.

Workaround: don't talk to Mary (red lady in tavern) unless you're serving the pirate nation.

 

[ExtincE]

Completing a fetch quest for a gunsmith doesn't unlock corresponding Expert Marksman ability:

This bug occurred to me in last build's version as well as in the current one. I got a fetch quest for the gunsmith in Martinique, brought her the requested cargo in time. I received the money and reputation got increased, however the Marksman ability remained unlocked.

Unlike when completing the Apothecary's or Tailor's fetch quest for example, there is no mention of unlocking an ability in the upper left corner either.

Mission was completed in 5 days. Reloaded the save I made before talking to gunsmith, did the fetch quest again, same outcome.

Workaround: unknown.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Reloaded the save I made before talking to gunsmith, did the fetch quest again, same outcome.

Maybe you could zip up that save and post it here?

 

[Grey Roger]

Game CTD's without warning, error or producing an error.log or compile.log file. CTD happens either when in loading screen of going back to own ship, or when in loading screen of setting sail again after succesfully making it back to own ship's deck.

That can't be right. There must be "compile.log" and "system.log". They're produced even if you just load a savegame or start a new game, then quit at once.

Food/rum: I'm not sure what's going on there, and haven't been able to follow the calculations for food used, but I suspect that it's not working properly with such a tiny crew.

Mary Wood: hasn't changed. Maybe your frequent encounters with her have given you enough practice that you're becoming better with the combat system. Suggestion: stay away from La Tortue, it doesn't feature in the "Tales of a Sea Hawk" storyline. Next time you start a new game, stay away from Mary Wood unless you're an official pirate. Even if you are, all she wants to do is join up with you for a while, then take half your loot, and attack you if her share isn't big enough because you didn't do enough pirating. I tend to stay away from her even if I am an official pirate! (If you are an official pirate, she wants to join forces with you. Her ship is a brigantine. When you choose to split up with her, she wants half your loot. By the time I'm ready to do any serious pirating I probably have something a lot better than a brigantine. Having a permanent companion means one less prize ship you can take from each group you attack. So she's not a useful addition to the force, she's costing me money in each attack because I can't take as many prizes, and she eventually wants half my loot. Not likely!)

 

[Grey Roger]

Completing a fetch quest for a gunsmith doesn't unlock corresponding Expert Marksman ability:

This bug occurred to me in last build's version as well as in the current one. I got a fetch quest for the gunsmith in Martinique, brought her the requested cargo in time. I received the money and reputation got increased, however the Marksman ability remained unlocked.

That would be because there is no gunsmith on Martinique. She's a blacksmith but no gunsmith; she fixes swords, not guns. The only dedicated gunsmith I know is in Sao Jorge on La Grenade. (There's also a dual-purpose blacksmith on Turks Island who fixes both swords and guns. I don't know if he qualifies as a gunsmith for the purposes of fetch quests.)

 

[ExtincE]

That would be because there is no gunsmith on Martinique. She's a blacksmith but no gunsmith; she fixes swords, not guns. The only dedicated gunsmith I know is in Sao Jorge on La Grenade. (There's also a dual-purpose blacksmith on Turks Island who fixes both swords and guns. I don't know if he qualifies as a gunsmith for the purposes of fetch quests.)

Mind. Blown. Wow am I stupid. That never even crossed my mind, lol!

 

[ExtincE]

That can't be right. There must be "compile.log" and "system.log". They're produced even if you just load a savegame or start a new game, then quit at once.

Just managed to reproduce it. It has nothing to do with escort missions apparently, as I just had the CTD happening by going to a ship in my fleet while being moored, traveled back to my own ship and then wanted to set sail again. Not sure if talking to the captain of ship is necessary either, although I did do so.

No error log appears. System and compile logs added.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

There's also a dual-purpose blacksmith on Turks Island who fixes both swords and guns. I don't know if he qualifies as a gunsmith for the purposes of fetch quests.

I think he does, but I'm not 100% certain either.

 

[Grey Roger]

Confirmed, at least in theory: the gunsmith's character definition includes this line:

ch.Dialog.Filename.Groupdialog = "Gunsmith_fetch.c";

That ought to mean that she'll provide gusmith fetch quests.

 

[Grey Roger]

CTD after visiting another ship in your fleet: confirmed. It happens as a result of visiting the ship; you don't need to talk to the captain. It reliably happens if you visit the other ship while at sea. The game seems to get confused about whether it's at sea or docked because when you visit the other ship's deck, the link to the last port visited is still there, even if you're on the worldmap and nowhere near any island.

Visiting the other ship is safe as long as you're docked in port. So, if you're escorting a ship and forgot to tell the captain that you'll be using a false flag, sail to the nearest port and visit him there.

 

[Grey Roger]

Mary Wood: confirmed. The reason is that her dialog file puts her into LAI_GROUP_MONSTERS. Unlike citizens and soldiers who automatically reset, she does not, presumably because she's a specific character. The fix is to set up a quest case within the dialog file which triggers when you leave the area, the quest being merely to put Mary Wood back into AI group "TORTUGA_CITIZENS".

Download this, unzip it and copy it into place. It works on a game already in progress; I've tested it. When you go back into the tavern, Mary Wood still has her sword drawn but soon puts it away, and she does not attack again - at least, not unless you're stupid, didn't learn your lesson the first time, and talk to her again.

In fact there are two reasons why Mary Wood may attack. One is if you talk to her and are not a pirate, and that's the one which triggers the reset when you leave. The other is if you are a pirate, in which case she proposes joining forces. The condition is that when you split up, you split the loot 50-50, and her share needs to be at least a certain amount. If you disappoint her, she attacks. I have not set that to reset her AI when you leave - in this case, she hates you because you failed her and she remembers you! The difference is that a new player might wander into the tavern, see her, not know what she does, and try to talk to her. Such a player should not be permanently barred from Tortuga tavern, especially as he might need to go there to talk to Joshamee Gibbs, or on quest business. By contrast, if you accept Mary Wood's offer to join forces, the terms of the agreement are made clear, so you know what you're getting into, in which case Mary Wood doesn't show you any sympathy and neither do I.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

CTD after visiting another ship in your fleet: confirmed. It happens as a result of visiting the ship; you don't need to talk to the captain. It reliably happens if you visit the other ship while at sea. The game seems to get confused about whether it's at sea or docked because when you visit the other ship's deck, the link to the last port visited is still there, even if you're on the worldmap and nowhere near any island.

That's disappointing; I thought that used to work at some point.
Am I misremembering? Or if not, when did it get broken?

Mary Wood: confirmed. The reason is that her dialog file puts her into LAI_GROUP_MONSTERS. Unlike citizens and soldiers who automatically reset, she does not, presumably because she's a specific character. The fix is to set up a quest case within the dialog file which triggers when you leave the area, the quest being merely to put Mary Wood back into AI group "TORTUGA_CITIZENS".

Why is she even put in that group, I wonder...?

 

[Grey Roger]

That's disappointing; I thought that used to work at some point.
Am I misremembering? Or if not, when did it get broken?

No idea. It's not a feature I've used, so I never noticed it was broken. Presumably since it hasn't been reported before, nobody else has been using it either. It's certainly not new to the latest install because I tried an older install and it happened there as well.

Why is she even put in that group, I wonder...?

Putting Mary Wood into LAI_GROUP_MONSTERS is what makes her hostile when appropriate. The only problem was that whoever invented Mary Wood forgot to take her out of the group again when you leave, or perhaps thought she should always remain hostile. Of course, apart from ruining Tortuga tavern for any player who doesn't know to avoid her, that also means that if you've provoked Mary due to not being a pirate, and subsequently become a pirate, you wouldn't get a second chance. You do now.

 

[ExtincE]

No idea. It's not a feature I've used, so I never noticed it was broken. Presumably since it hasn't been reported before, nobody else has been using it either. It's certainly not new to the latest install because I tried an older install and it happened there as well.



Putting Mary Wood into LAI_GROUP_MONSTERS is what makes her hostile when appropriate. The only problem was that whoever invented Mary Wood forgot to take her out of the group again when you leave, or perhaps thought she should always remain hostile. Of course, apart from ruining Tortuga tavern for any player who doesn't know to avoid her, that also means that if you've provoked Mary due to not being a pirate, and subsequently become a pirate, you wouldn't get a second chance. You do now.

I could have sworn that the first time I encountered her, she did reset though.. odd? That was in the December build, while hostile to pirates, in nathaniel Hawk's storyline... weird..

As for the captain workaround: it can also CTD when traveling shipdecks while moored in port (or anywhere else) just less frequently than when at sea. The only 100% workaround is to travel to ship, talk to captain, travel to port, then travel to own ship and never to directly travel between shipdecks.

 

[Grey Roger]

There shouldn't be anything affecting Mary Wood in the new update, or for that matter in the December one. Maybe there is some mechanism to reset her which doesn't work reliably. The fix I posted in #15 should be reliable, though.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

The initial post about ctd's caught me eye. I have been playing POTC sparingly since summer and it has always been reliable.

Yesterday I DLed the patch and put it into me existing POTC install, which methinks was up to date. Then started a new game. Two times I got, not CTDs, but a buzz, an orange screen, and no mouse and keyboard. A reboot was needed both times.

I checked and there was nothing in the log files to indicate a problem. I also checked windoze event viewer and there was no entry there either.

I started the free play game as a rebel so was ok with pirates and Portugal. I was approaching Grenada in the heavy lugger and flying the Portagee flag when I spotted 2 ships. When they got close enough to see they were pirates I raised me personal flag but it made no difference as they attacked anyway. It was early on and all we hit with our shots was water when CRASH. The log did say that they recognized me as Portagee.

The 2nd time I was free sailing from Santiago to San Juan in the heavy lugger. As I was entering the port I noticed that the fort was firing on another ship that I could not see and was searching for it when CRASH.

Two other times Swedish ships fired on me but I just warped to the world map to avoid them. Methinks the Swedes don't like me because the first time I set foot on my ship it was flying the pirate flag and there were Swedish ships close by that did fire on me.

This is a new experience that needed to be reported.