Gameplay bug (v1.1): instant structure upgrades

Took me a while to figure out how to reproduce this...

First of all, I'd like to express my thanks to Stardock for making this awesomely addictive game, and for continually adding new content. GalCiv II easily offers the most replayability of any game that I've played. That said, I'm afraid I've found a strange gameplay bug that I'm pretty sure hasn't come up on the forums (I did run into it in v1.0.X as well, but couldn't figure out how to reproduce it until v1.1 came out).

Summary: I was building a xeno lab from scratch on one of my planets, with 1 turn remaining to finish building it with normal social production. If I then trade for the 'Research Centers' tech (or research that tech) during that same turn, upon going back to that planet, I find a completed research center in place of the xeno lab that was under construction (instead of the research center under construction that should be there.

If this was all there is to it, then it could be simply classified as an exploit. However, the instant research center produced produces zero research. In effect, the planet tile in question becomes useless - there is zero change in the amount of research that the planet produces, even if you demolish the instantly created research center. And what's worse, if you then build a different type of structure on that tile, then you get the benefits of that structure (e.g. increased income from a market center), but the amount of research your planet produces decreases.

I've also seen this problem with basic factories and regular factories (in place of xeno labs and research centers). My first hypothesis was that the amount of social production being used to complete the more primitive structure in 1 turn was enough to cover the cost of upgrading the next-generation structure in the same turn, but that doesn't seem to be the case (going by the structure costs). Anyway, I don't think the above explanation is too intuitive, so I'll illustrate exactly how this bug comes up with the help of a few pictures below:

Here's a screenshot of my colony of Russom II. I have a factory and a basic factory pounding out social production hammers, ready to complete that xeno lab in 1 turn. The 4 research flasks produced come from the basic colony structure.

I decide to talk to my friendly (for now!) neighbours, the Torians. We reach an agreeable trade, I close the deal, and I now have research centers.

I check back on Russom II, and find a completed research center in place of the xeno lab I was about to finish building (and now the upgrade of my basic factory is at the front of the queue). However, notice that Russom II is still producing only 4 research flasks.

After decommisioning the faulty research center, there is no change in planetary production. (In fact, if I try buying a new research center on that same tile on a future turn, there is still no change in research!)

If I instead build an adv. market center on that tile (either by upgrading the buggy research center, or decommisioning it and then building the adv. market center from scratch), the colony's income does rise from 15 bc to 18 bc, but the research produced by the colony goes to zero!

I know that sometimes research times, build times, etc. take a while to update, but I also did click a few turns ahead to make sure that the decrease in research was real (and not simply a 'display not updating right away' issue). Note that the bug doesn't happen if I purchase the xeno lab before trading for the research centers technology - in that case, the 'upgrade xeno lab to research center' build order is correctly added to the back of the queue.

Anyway, I guess the only workaround for this bug is to make sure you're not on the verge of completing certain primitive structures when you are about to research or trade for the technology that upgrades those structures. I do have a saved game that I used to reproduce the above sequence of events, if that would help. Apologies for the lengthiness of this post, and keep up the great work, Stardock!

4,304 views 12 replies
Reply #1 Top
Yeah, I reported this bug fairly soon after release. Good job on the description.
I have also seen this happen with both production and research buildings but it wouldn't suprise me if it could happen with different kinds of upgradable buildings.
I have also noted that if you reload the game, the "fake" factories/labs will become normal and start producing correctly.
Reply #2 Top
Wow, those are some nice step by step directions. No way they shouldn't be able to track this sucker down now.
Reply #3 Top
Hi,

I am still fairly new to the game. I wanted to say thanks for posting this. It's good to know about such a bug!



They've put a new option into the new v1.1 Update...

"New Option: No tech trading."

Could one of the reasons for that new option be because they haven't worked this bug out yet? I think I'll use the new option until the bug this bug is fixed. I really don't want to have to remember to go around to all my planets and check them out to see if I have some tech building currently under construnction of the tech I am trading for. Even if you did that what are you going to do? Cancel the building when it has four weeks out of eight left to build? Purchase every single type of that tech building that you currently have under construction? haha! Reload the game every time you do a tech trade? Probably the least amount of hassle and best workaround if you want to have tech trading 'enabled'. Still, I think I'd personally rather use the other workaround now available in the new v1.1 Update to disable it.

This is probably a known issue since you reported it fairly soon after release ignuss, and may a reason for the new option in v1.1. If it is one of the reasons I wish they would have stated that on the front page right where the new option is listed! You know, explaining that you should enable it because it helps take care of a bug they that haven't been able to work out yet. Anyway, I kind of wish there where a real 'Known Issues List'. There is a sticky post on here by Frogboy, but it's dated 3/5/2006 and is mostly about crash issues. And then it has a number of posts that are 10 miles long with crash dump text pasted in them. If there were a real known issues list(with the original post being updated from time to time) then people could be referred to it and deterred from taking their time with... taking and posting screenshots and making carefully constructed posts to explain an issuse that is, 'already known'.

Cheers
Reply #4 Top
Could one of the reasons for that new option be because they haven't worked this bug out yet?


No, the reason why they included is that people (like me ) whined endlessly on this board about the lack of this option untill they had the mercy and put it in.

Btw. superb step by step description RoguePhalanx.
Reply #5 Top
@ignuss: Ah, I should've figured that someone else had noticed this...I'm sorry I wasn't able to find your post. I didn't think of reloading after the bug had taken effect, that's interesting to know that the buggy structures work fine after reloading... hopefully that means that it shouldn't be too hard to fix.

@Linuxman6: Vandenburg is correct, the 'no tech trading' option has nothing to do with this bug. In fact, this bug can arise during the course of normal research, e.g. if I had finished researching 'Research Centers', or 'Xeno Factory Construction' while on the cusp of completing construction of the primitive structures. It's just that the particular example I described used tech trading, apologies for not being too clear

As an addendum to my original post, if I move the almost completed xeno lab back in the queue (behind my factory upgrade) and then trade with the Torians for research centers, the bug still occurs (the buggy research center instantly appears). So even messing around with the queue order isn't a workaround. I think that covers all of the bases now; hope this can be fixed for v1.2
Reply #6 Top

Vandenburg is correct, the 'no tech trading' option has nothing to do with this bug. In fact, this bug can arise during the course of normal research, e.g. if I had finished researching 'Research Centers', or 'Xeno Factory Construction' while on the cusp of completing construction of the primitive structures.


OMG! If this is really the case then this is a fairly major bug. It may not be a crtitical bug because it doesn't cause the game to crash, but it certainly has a LARGE adverse effect on gameplay(imo) with an air of evil subtlety.

Heck, I've got Xeno Research Facilites(ect.) under construction all the time while researching Research Centers(ect.). If this is what happens when reasearching new techs, it's like the game is stabbing you in the back. Now I guess I know why I've been behind in the tech race.

I don't want to be harsh, and believe me, I realize we don't live in a perfect world. But I feel I should state my dissapoinment that a bug of this nature, which I will take ignuss's word for it that he reported it fairly soon after the initial release of the game, was not fixed for a v1.1 release.

In case a dev reads this...


GC2 Devs please put this bug on HIGH Priority!


And I for one would really appreciate knowing when it's been fixed, so that I can install the beta that it's been fixed in. Btw it would be really great if there were a locked 'Known Issues List' that was updated from time to time, if that's possible on this forum.

I cannot directly say that I have noticed this bug, but I am taking the word of RoguePhalanx and ignuss that it does in fact exist. Now that I am aware of it I will be looking for it of course. I feel fairly strongly about the need for this bug to be fixed a.s.a.p. and so, sorry, but you might see me bumping this thread up to try and get some attention.

Regards
Reply #9 Top
Linux, I think the bug only happens when you recieve the tech exactly 1 turn before the lab is finished, lol. I'm not sating it isn't a devious little bitch, but I don't think it's as common as you're believing. I will keep my eye out when researching upgrades, though. Thanks for the report, people.

=$= Big J Money =$=
Reply #10 Top
Big J Money,

Hello. Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. Of course I am curious, are you a Dev or asStardock Rep. of some sort? You don't have the Stardock banner that I have seen on other Stardock representative's posts. Whatever the case, I do appreciate the reply.

I want to let you know about something that happened to me a few days ago. There was a game that I played where I had the 700% Manufacturing Bonus tile. Probably the third game I've played so far. I thought that certainly a Manufacturing Capital must be considered a manufacturing district type of building. After the Manufacturing Capital was FINALLY completed, I wasn't getting squat. I wasn't getting what the Manufacturing Capital would give me had I built it on a normal square, I don't think I got a thing for taking all that time to build it! NOTHING. Needless to say I wasn't very happy. I thought, have I done something wrong? Have I hit on a bug?? Is the only building that's good for that tile a Non-Capital Manufacturing building?(a plant for instance) But I have seen a post in here where someone talked about putting a Manufacturing Capital on that 700% tile... as if it's a good thing to do. Atfer reading about this bug I am left thinking that I was researching manufacturing tech at that time, it completed while I was in the midst of building the Capital, that I had indeed hit on a bug(this bug), and that this bug must effect not only Plants but Capitals as well!

I don't know how common, or uncommon this bug is really. But I believed I have experienced it and I know that I did not like it, and it would be greatly appreciated if some priority were applied to tracking down the cause and fixing it. I know there are other bugs besides this, I've read about them and I hope they get looked into and get fixed. I'm sure everyone else feels the same. I'm feel pretty certain they aren't being ignored, and the squashing of bugs is appreciated a great deal. I realize this isn't a gamestopping bug, it's just that I feel this bug deserves to have a fairly high priority put on it. I suppose I could say that's because of my episode with the Manufacturing Capital. And I do have to wonder just how common, or uncommon an occurence it really is. If the bug really does ONLY happen when receiving the tech exactly one turn before a lab, plant, ect. then I suppose the bug doesn't deserve a very high piority. Nevertheless I will happily agree that it's a devious little s.o.b. that without a doubt needs fixing. Maybe not a.s.a.p., but I would hope sooner rather than later. I do hope this has given some insight on understanding why I feel the way I do about this bug.

I hope I have not come across as being overbeaing and pompous. I certainly realize there are many other people that would like to see a particular bug that bothers them get fixed, or have a certain niggle or pet peeve changed, and/or certain functionality they would like to see get implemented. I just felt I should make my statement about an issue, like many other people do.

Cheerio,

Linuxman6


"Variable this is EasyRhino, do you copy? Over." Loud and clear EasyRhino. "Do we have a gig? Over." That's a Roger, we have a gig. Target is painted, start the music. "Roger that Variable. Into attack. Pickling target. Target is acquired and lit. LGB comin' down!" EasyRhino, circular error probability zero. Impact with High Order Detonation. Thank You, have a nice day.
Reply #11 Top
*bump* To try and make sure this bug isn't forgotten, although it does seem rare as Big J Money says.

And yes, I now know that putting a Manufacturing Capital on a bonus tile doesn't give you a bonus.

Cheers
Reply #12 Top
I ran into a bug last night where one my allies found some relic device that changed all uninhabited worlds within a sector radius to value 15. Boy was I in the right place and time. Had a ton of freighters and transports with a nice sized savings account. Changd most of my area builds to colonizers and converted the freighters and transports to colonizers. Managed to colonize about 16 planets within 5 turns. Of course now nothing will build on them. No matter what I do I get a NEVER on the time frame for the builds. I have turned off all the builds and even tried just one build on one planet. No go. The few planets that were colonozed by the AI races are all building like normal. Even after I capture them. Note that I am building a ton of stuff and my research is up around 350. All the while my savings account is growing so I am not running on the ragged finance edge where nothing is building.