Main game menu problems update....

[wobbleguts]

Hi,

As promised I am keeping a close lookout for problems on the main game menu screen which for some reason stops displaying messages/game date/end phase button etc.

Here's one. I am at the Ground Strike def Intercept phase. I try and allocate a Russian plane for air to air intercept and get this......

[wobbleguts]

Stupidly, instead of just saving the game and re-loading it (which fixed the previous problems), I tried moving a Russian fighter. That locked the game up completely and I had to abort it. Note all the blank info panels on the menu screens.

[rkr1958]

ORIGINAL: wobbleguts

Stupidly, instead of just saving the game and re-loading it (which fixed the previous problems), I tried moving a Russian fighter. That locked the game up completely and I had to abort it. Note all the blank info panels on the menu screens.

My experience when you run into the problem(s) you described in your initial post is that you've run out of memory. The only thing that I found that works is to save the game, close MWiF, reopen MWiF and reload the game. I suspect that MWiF has a memory leak somewhere, or possibly several where, that's the culprit.

A rule I've learned the hard way to follow is to not close and load games without shutting down MWiF in the meantime. I'm not talking back saving and keeping open the current game, just closing and then loading (even the same) game(s).

[Joseignacio]

ORIGINAL: rkr1958

ORIGINAL: wobbleguts

A rule I've learned the hard way to follow is to not close and load games without shutting down MWiF in the meantime. I'm not talking back saving and keeping open the current game, just closing and then loading (even the same) game(s).

You mean even this console?

[paulderynck]

No. MWiF has yet to be launched in that.

In playtesting I have found that in between loading saved games, it is always best to exit and restart the MWiF exe.

[wobbleguts]

ORIGINAL: rkr1958

ORIGINAL: wobbleguts

Stupidly, instead of just saving the game and re-loading it (which fixed the previous problems), I tried moving a Russian fighter. That locked the game up completely and I had to abort it. Note all the blank info panels on the menu screens.

My experience when you run into the problem(s) you described in your initial post is that you've run out of memory. The only thing that I found that works is to save the game, close MWiF, reopen MWiF and reload the game. I suspect that MWiF has a memory leak somewhere, or possibly several where, that's the culprit.

A rule I've learned the hard way to follow is to not close and load games without shutting down MWiF in the meantime. I'm not talking back saving and keeping open the current game, just closing and then loading (even the same) game(s).

Yes it could be a memory leak but it must be a big one. My PC is set up to run numerous virtual linux machines and has 32GB of RAM. (No virtual machines are running when I play the game).

When I get these problems, I usually save the game (the dropdown menu - ie, save/exit etc still works), close the game down, restart it and load that saved game back up. Doing so allows me to continue. On this occasion I didn't do that. I selected an air unit, tried to move it and the game locked up completely, so I'll have to go back nearly a whole game year which is the last time I last saved it. LESSON: Save frequently. If fields disapear from the main menu, stop/save/close/restart/reload. Do not try to continue regardless.

What I haven't been doing is checking the memory usage and running processes when this problem occurs. Will do so from now on and update this thread.

[Angeldust2]

Probably there was no need to go back a full game year (6 game turns?), because of your last save. MWiF is doing autosaves every phase and they are easy to find and restore.

[wobbleguts]

I was going to ask about that, but you have answered it already, Thanks

[Joseignacio]

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

No. MWiF has yet to be launched in that.

In playtesting I have found that in between loading saved games, it is always best to exit and restart the MWiF exe.

I was asking because while palaying netplay, if I go out with "close" instead of "exit", I get an error that I cannot connect to the lobby, if i recall well it said something of some instance of the game being still active or something. Then it kicks you and I suppose it makes an "Exit " by itself, because the second time you can connect just fine. I thought it was working as intended and it was my mistake.

So I lately always use Exit.

[Joseignacio]

ORIGINAL: Angeldust2

Probably there was no need to go back a full game year (6 game turns?), because of your last save. MWiF is doing autosaves every phase and they are easy to find and restore.

Well yes, but if you have like I did yesterday night a naval battle where GE sinks Ark Royal in a stormy weather, with the GE subs sinking most of the Feroes CONV at the cost of a couple of subs damaged, invading Denmark up to the northern port (but not yet Copenhaguen) and overrunning 4 out of 6 CONV and killing one in the return to base, plus sinking a CR, ..., and there was a wild answer in the allied impulse by the CW fleet that damaged all GE BB and CR at the cost of one CW cruiser sunk, and 2 damaged, plus a search in the (still open) Baltic with several damaged cruisers and some french cruisers...

how can you replicate all this if you need to go back several impulses? Too many rolls and aborted, damaged, returned with possible interceptions, ..., et al.

the last impulse, the CW counterattack and french task force in baltic we tried several hand made saves but they stuck when reaching the same point, the return to base of the undamaged GE CRs-

[paulderynck]

Sounds like you are enjoying your game.

Between judicious selection of which auto save and a good memory and setting die rolls - yes you can replicate a lot of things if you need to.

[Joseignacio]

I was enjoying ,and then it was all deleted because I can not replicate it, we tried several times.

We will increase the saved games and will try to do them in the most propicious moments but if this doens't work it will be agreat disapointment.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Joseignacio

I was enjoying ,and then it was all deleted because I can not replicate it, we tried several times.

We will increase the saved games and will try to do them in the most propicious moments but if this doens't work it will be agreat disapointment.

When using NetPlay, we always make a manual save after each naval combat where something happened. If both searches failed, then that is easy to replicate (if necessary). Saving the game when one or both sides flew air units into a sea area isn't necessary, but you need to remember to make fly the same units if you need to restore an earlier save.

Note that we are doing saves after each Round of a naval combat. Those can be restored safely - if problems arise.

---

I have thought about writing code to force an automatic save after each round of a naval combat, but that would generate dozens of more saves.

[AxelNL]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

ORIGINAL: Joseignacio

I was enjoying ,and then it was all deleted because I can not replicate it, we tried several times.

We will increase the saved games and will try to do them in the most propicious moments but if this doens't work it will be agreat disapointment.

When using NetPlay, we always make a manual save after each naval combat where something happened. If both searches failed, then that is easy to replicate (if necessary). Saving the game when one or both sides flew air units into a sea area isn't necessary, but you need to remember to make fly the same units if you need to restore an earlier save.

Note that we are doing saves after each Round of a naval combat. Those can be restored safely - if problems arise.

---

I have thought about writing code to force an automatic save after each round of a naval combat, but that would generate dozens of more saves.

Steve, maybe stating the obvious, but your proposed manual save generates as well quite a few? And somehow you forget exactly when it was needed....

[wobbleguts]

I'm still keeping an eye on missing info on the main game screen.

In a previous thread I posted...

Also, the black game date field on the main window is often blank. I found it frustrating that there was no easy way to see the date I was up to in the game, then saw it and thought it had been right in front of my eyes all the time. But it's not. It goes AWOL for long periods.

Well, it's gone missing again. I'm at the land movement phase (Axis) and looked up to check the date but it's gone. There are probably other missing things as well (not sure).

[wobbleguts]

Update: The date field remained blank through the rest of the axis phases, all of the allied ones, but came back during the next axis land movement phase.

[wobbleguts]

Another problem....

Saved the game last night. Fired it up today and the main game screen is as follows.



I couldn't remember which phase I was up to and those details (along with dates etc) are now blank. Luckily the main drop down menus still works. Using the info/sequence of play options I can see I am at Declare combat phase.

This time the game didn't lock up when I tried to assign a unit so I was able to progress ok. When I got to the next game phase the missing info came back.

[Centuur]

Can you post that gamesave here? I'm curious if I can recreate this problem, using your gamesave.

[wobbleguts]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Can you post that gamesave here? I'm curious if I can recreate this problem, using your gamesave.

It's been overwritten so I can't. Next time something like this happens I'll post the gamesave as well..

[wobbleguts]

ORIGINAL: Centuur

Can you post that gamesave here? I'm curious if I can recreate this problem, using your gamesave.

It happened again. I saved the game, loaded it up today and the phase details/date etc are blank.

This time I am at the the axis naval phase - Att bombers and escorts.

Closed the game straight away. A copy of the saved game is attached.

Have since loaded it again and the fields are still missing, but I can progress because because the main drop down menus still works.