Combat Animations and Operational Reports

[Mr.Frag]

Please read carefully and fully. Your responses here will drive our actions.

The locking of PBEM options for the Combat Animations and Operational Reports was an attempt to correct the Sync Bug experienced by some folks in their Play by Email games.

Before we take action to make changes, we need to clearly identify that it worked or failed.

Please understand that the turn of the conversion and potentially the turn after the conversion between 1.5 and 1.6 is likely to be out of sync, this is normal and expected with patching.

What we need to understand is whether you are still having sync problems after these two conversion turns.

Additionally, when responding, please include whether or not your animations and operational reports are turned on or off (you see animations and/or reports when the turn runs, do not go by the settings you have)

Please bear with us while we gather the data to be able to move forward with the correct actions. Thanks for your understanding.

[Erik Rutins]

Here's a FAQ from Mike on the new PBEM sync and updating to v1.60:

PBEM Turn Sequence:

1) Japanese player gives orders. He saves the game. The saving routine looks at his settings for combat reports, summaries and animations and saves them.

2) Allied player gives orders. He saves game. The saving routine ignores his settings for combat reports, summaries and animations.

3) Japanese player executes turn resolution. The game looks at the settings saved during Japanese orders phase and uses those for execution. The settings in current use are saved elsewhere and restored after execution.

4) Allied player executes turn resolution. The game looks at the settings saved during Japanese orders phase and uses those for execution. The settings in current use are saved elsewhere and restored after execution.

5) Goto 1). If the Japanese player wishes to change settings, he so does.

In all cases and at all times in PBEM game, the hot keys for combat reports, combat summaries, combat animations and the ESC [escape] key do not function.

[Mr.Frag]

Please keep voting, gotta be more then 20 of you playing PBEM.

Looks at the results so far, it really starts to look like the problem goes away if both reports & animations are on. This is very similar to the original problem.

[Halsey]

I want to wait more than three turns first.[;)]

Animation is now working. Watching the combat reports for accuracy now.

[apbarog]

Mr. Frag, my PBEM game had a missing combat replay on the first turn after we patched. After that, everything appeared to be fine, after I reset preferences and shared my preferences file. Now we've played about a dozen turns since, and the Japanese have seen Singapore fall a turn earlier than the Allies saw it, and the Allies have seen Manila fall with the Japanese yet to see that and appear to be still battling there.

We had not seen any problems before the 1.6 patch. We are using stock scenario 15 with no mods, and we patched on the same turn and, we think, correctly. We have saved games pre and post patch, but like I said, we've played about a dozen turns post patch. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[EDIT----things appear to have synched up now, can't explain the past turns but we are proceeding like it is ok. No need for action at this time, thanks.]

[Mr.Frag]

Looks like in some games, the Combat Reports option gets turned off the turn of the patch upgrade.

Check all three spots by hitting your P key after loading the save.

It seems the best way to convert is this:

Japan loads and executes saved turn under 1.5 getting combat report/etc

Japan saves

Japan converts to 1.6

Japan loads save back in and checks these options within the save with the P key.

Japan enters moves and ends turn.

Allies load and run the turn with 1.6

[2Stepper]

Frag, one curiousity of note is that the "sync" issue of animations being off took place on a clean game as well as the upgraded PBEM. Both were resolved after a full exchange of emails (IJN saves/emails, USN saves/emails, IJN views, etc)

After the IJN player views the returned turn resolution and from that point onward there've been no obvious difficulties with animations being off or sync problems of any sort.

The only curiousity was that while this happened in a 1.57 game that was updated to 1.6, it ALSO occured with a fresh PBEM started under 1.6 only.

After one full turn exchange however, animations ran normally and we're a month into the war already.

Hope that chain of events is helpful. [8D]

[Speedysteve]

One thing I have just found out is that in my PBEM against Werner we had a 'rogue' combat replay. By that I mean in my replay it showed a Japanese bombardment attack at Wake Island. I have no troops on Wake so no combat can occur. However, Werner saw no such action in his replay.

P.S. We have combat animations all working fine now though [:)]

Steven

[medicff]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

One thing I have just found out is that in my PBEM against Werner we had a 'rogue' combat replay. By that I mean in my replay it showed a Japanese bombardment attack at Wake Island. I have no troops on Wake so no combat can occur. However, Werner saw no such action in his replay.

P.S. We have combat animations all working fine now though [:)]

Steven

On BOTH of my PBEM games, I had improper replays with no animations. On the next turn I looked and the combat report was wrong date (probably from another game in progress) but the rest of the reports had the correct date (didn't really check the operational if correct or not) so that turn did not create a combatreport.txt. So far after second turn doing fine with all ON. I am still checking so I haven't voted yet to be sure. Sure is nice to be working. Thanks Again. [:D][:D][:D]

[Mr.Frag]

Yep, the conversion seems to be turning off the Combat Report (the one in the middle box) while leaving the two in the lower box. This means all the other files are written but NOT combatreport.txt for that one turn. Make sure the Japan player goes into preferences and toggles it back on before ending the turn.

[treespider]

Not sure if this is the appropriate venue for this....I was installing the CHS and AB's map when I stumbled across these in the ART file....

A_NavalBombardment_512.bmp
and
J_NavalBombardment_512.bmp

I do not recall ever seeing these during a bombardment although I do see a summary. It's not a game breaker or anything...just curious.

[Mr.Frag]

You never will see 'em ... the bombardment popup never really did anything so it was turned off.

[jwilkerson]

I finally "voted". "No Problems" .. but wanted to elaborate for the record.

In my 3 active PBEM ... we did have some problems, but all have been solved. One problem was due to CHS needing Andy Brown special extension pwhex.dat ... so that one was our fault. The other problem happened AFTER we'd played about 10 turns post 1.6 upgrade ... all of a sudden combat reports turned off. Maybe I ( Japanese player ) hit a function key inadvertantly ... but I looked, reports were off ... I turned them back on ... and after 2 more turns they actually came back on ... and have been on for 5 more turns now ... so ...

We did have problems, but I believe all problems can be resolved by players and thus I voted " no problems " because I don't think developers need to work on this any more. So, I'd rather them be free to work on some other more pressing WITP problem ( if they were to have time to work on this ! ).

[Speedysteve]

I have voted sync problem with both on. Main reason being the Wake Bombardment attacks I have had in PBEM against Werner. I am sure this is not 'true sync' problems but caused by the warping units but nonetheless it was out of sync since he would see an attack and I wouldn't.

Steven

[scout1]

Ok, so I only half read the postings here (it's still early).

Question ....

Does v1.6 force BOTH players to be running EXACTLY the same preferences, such as combat animation, combat summaries and combat report ? Personally, I run with combat reports on (otherwise you don't get any), but with summaries and animation OFF. I just let WitP run its combat replay on its own and use Bodhi's tool to see what happened.
However, my opponents may/may not want to follow suit.
So what;s the story ?

[Mr.Frag]

ORIGINAL: scout1

Ok, so I only half read the postings here (it's still early).

Question ....

Does v1.6 force BOTH players to be running EXACTLY the same preferences, such as combat animation, combat summaries and combat report ? Personally, I run with combat reports on (otherwise you don't get any), but with summaries and animation OFF. I just let WitP run its combat replay on its own and use Bodhi's tool to see what happened.
However, my opponents may/may not want to follow suit.
So what;s the story ?

Judging by the results of the poll, running with them off is what causes the sync issues. If they are on and you just escape your way through them, your results will match for both players.

[Halsey]

Ok, one game running smooth with both animation and reports on.

The other game is still out sync. No animations viewable yet after 6 turns, and discrepencies still in the combat report.
This one is with both anime and reports turned on.

[Mr.Frag]

ORIGINAL: Halsey

Ok, one game running smooth with both animation and reports on.

The other game is still out sync. No animations viewable yet after 6 turns, and discrepencies still in the combat report.
This one is with both anime and reports turned on.

Please verify that both players are running the same versions, same pwhex.dat, etc. It could be that one of you is suffering from a failed patch (Windows XP security type problems where files did not get overwritten).

[Halsey]

I'll check it out.[;)]

[treespider]

JBurns and myself are experiencing a serious sync problem...the latest manisfestaion ...

He observed a strike on the CA Houston by Japanese CV A/C that did not take place in my replay. In My replay his CA was covered by clouds in the AM and I was covered by clouds in the PM and my planes never flew.

JBurns also reported other anaomalies since the start with this being the most severe. This morning we double checked our files and all of the dates matched as follows:

Pwhex.dat…..3/26/2005
War in the Pacific.exe…..6/20/2005
6/19/2005 for these….
Scen\
wps155.dat
wpp155.dat
wpl155.dat
wph155.dat
wpg155.dat
wpd155.dat
wpc155.dat
wpa155.dat
scn155.cmt…..6/21/2005
cam155.dat…..6/17/2005

In addition this game was started post patch. IMO something like this makes PBEM unplayable...

Treespider