BLADE THRUST TACTICS BUGS Last Updated 16 October 2009 Current Game Version - 0.90 Next Game Version - 0.91 "There's too many of them. No matter how many we kill, they'll keep coming..." History ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 0.90 - First Release 16 October 2009 - improve pathfinding!!! ( I can't stress that enough ) - remove dependencies on msvcr90.dll - now operative demand a higher daily service rate ( 5 times more than the previous rate ) - enemy can now taunt, insult or even plead on you ( you have to have a strong gut playing this mentally abusive game! ) Version 0.89 - First Release Candidate 18 September 2009 - tweak career path mechanism for operative which mean every hire operative use their real career path instead of generic career path - soldiers can carry weapons from different manufacturers ( eg. soldiers at Valour town use weaker weapons from FZG while soldiers at Honour town use powerful weapons from VIG ) to make the tactical combat game much easier to play at the beginning - most infantry soldiers don't use night vision goggle but this has been compensated with war machine fitted with night vision ability - add food item which can instantly improve energy points - introducing Lady Junk which can buy any working item carried by dead enemy at 20% discount - dead bodies must now be disposed if squad finish the mission in the game level before permission is given to to go another game level - overhauled item economy to make resource management game more challenging but fun: 1) it's a scarce world - every enemy on average lose 500 value of their total item possession 2) most soldiers no longer carry spare ammo 3) medical soldiers only carry painkillers shots but not meth pills 4) some explosive soldiers don't carry TNT explosives 5) some medical soldiers don't carry painkillers shots 6) male infantry soldiers only carry fragment grenade or stun grenade but not both 7) female infantry soldiers no longer carry spare pistol 8) painkiller shots only contains 10 shots from previous 50 shots 9) lists of rare items - PE gun, RPG launcher, E charge, nerve gas, meth pill, cigarette, anti depressant and cell vigour 10) your squad only begin with hunting rifle 11) high explosive shell is scarce but can be found in places you never expected 12) weapon cache? The intel might be wrong... 13) all traders are made older which mean their trade skill is improved - enforce enemy boss for each game level which always carry rare items - Tactics 101 texts has been rewritten to incorporate new tactical changes - bleeding enemy lost health points every 5 minutes ( critical enemy might die of bleeding ) - operative can exchange place with dead enemies ( with creativity and some effort, dead bodies can be arranged nicely ) - prisoners will leave the sector after the mission in the sector is finished - climb fence now can be made from both inside and outside area ( previously only outside area ) - expand TNT damage radius from 5m X 5m to 7m X 7m to allow TNT to provide damage to war machine if TNT is put on the side of war machine ( TNT will NEVER destroy war machine if TNT is put on the back of war machine ) - creature default movement has been set to move fast as long as their encumbrance is less than 100% - fix operative movement bug in DirectX game which render move slow useless and squad moves twice as fast as they should in Town Map Panel - fix super nasty bug which force DirectX game to lose texts and GDI game to have black creature if operative somehow destroy any plant or tree with TNT - fix skill point allocation bug for NPC of which each NPC ( that includes enemy ) in the same game level share the same skill points rendering age factor almost useless ( OMG how I can let this happen all this time! ) - fix creature disappear when get hit in fall position - fix high explosive shell has 0 quantity when retrieved from cabinet - fix reloading ammo problem through Main View Panel which incorrectly consume lots of ammo if the ammo sits on pouch slots - fix enemy disappear upon entering or stop at open door - fix enemy can't see operative which stand in open door spot ( this defect allow your operative to kill all enemies in a room without breaking a sweat! ) - fix total carry weight don't get updated after operative deposit coin money - fix squad don't get credits if commander is assassinated in strategic assault mission - fix prisoner rescue mission don't get finished even if all enemies has been killed and all doors has been unlocked - fix memorized action doesn't point to the target cabinet or person when player move his/her cursor while operative getting closer to the target ( previously memorized action only points to the target cabinet or person if player don't move his/her cursor ) - fix operative can't automatically equip locksmith kit on their hand even though the locksmith kit is already in their pouch and there is empty big backpack slot to put any big item on hand - fix operative can't attack war machine ( attack cursor is shown but there is no machine and status on it ) especially if operative make noise close to the machine - fix any operative have 0 mechanical skill when travelling to other town Version 0.88 - Lucky Beta 26 August 2009 - the game now runs at 16 bit colour for the first time so any PC with 24 bit graphics card will be able to run DirectX version for the first time - add patrol capability to some creature to inject more unpredictability to the game - overhaul sound detection mechanism - enemy will respond if they hear gunshot, someone's falling, scream, item being thrown or explosion but not movement - movement sound has been downplayed - no sound for movement so movement don't register audible sound which can be heard by enemy ( the game is much quieter right now ) - it is now possible to throw throwable item on empty ground to attract the attention of enemy ( use stone for this purpose ) - it is now possible to remove any hired operative through Squad Panel during campaign game - add keyboard shortcut for scrolling the game world ( use numpad cursor ) - add coloured texts on most panels to improve info visibility - Tactics 101 texts has been rewritten to incorporate new tactical changes - fix dead operative stand still in the next sector ( they didn't try to be a ghost BTW ) - fix irritating game crash during End Screen when running DirectX version - fix enemy freezing after shooting at operative ( happen to stealth enemy who can't find spot to take cover ) - fix stance text and stance button don't get updated in Main View Panel when chosen operative automatically change to crouch to take cover - fix mission title doesn't get shown in Talk Panel when player mention he/she has finished the mission Version 0.87 - Fifth Beta 22 July 2009 - fix infinite wait cursor problem when operative get hit in prone position - fix operative saying something when recover from lost focus even if he/she is already dead! - fix scary infinite "Where do you want me to go?" message when operative can't get close to enemy to do punch or kick ( put any ranged weapon on Hand 1 slot to get rid the infinite ) - remove all interface buttons and text fields in both Select Scenario Panel and Start Scenario Panel that might trigger game crash during Loading Screen when running DirectX version Version 0.86 - Fourth Beta 16 July 2009 - tweak sprite rendering algorithm by introducing gradient colour which force the whole sprite assets to be replaced ( say goodbye to old plain sprite ) - add chat capability on Main View Panel ( press Delete key ) - tweak civilian on daylight rule ( change civilian can populate game world from 7.00 am to 6.59 pm, previously from 8.00 am to 7.59 pm ) - fix LOS bug of which you can't see creature you are supposed to see ( now you can see all creature you are supposed to see and some creature you aren't supposed to see ) Version 0.85 - Third Beta 14 June 2009 - add training/tutorial mode for newbie so there is no need to refer to manual when playing for the first time - memorized action finally work ( eg. takes only single click to open door from distant ) - speed up slow pokes movement, now everyone move at the same speed when set to move fast - modify game difficulty - add percentage chance for burst shots so soldiers doesn't necessarily fire burst shots all the time in normal or hard game ( no need to thank me... ) - add keyboard shortcut for interacting within the game world using Control, Shift and Enter key - remove fixed path dependencies ( c:\BladeThrust ) for relative path dependencies but due to my weird coding, the game can only be installed to the root directory of any drive ( eg. c:\BladeThrust or e:\BladeThrust ) so the game can now run straight from USB flash drive - tweak role playing system to give distinct differences between race ( eg. each race has now specific strength and weakness in primary statistic ) - fix message and talk floating text flicker - fix squad member can step into zero tile - fix dead enemy don't get shown when entering the sector the second time - fix dead enemy refuse to fall when loading a saved game - fix creature keep shooting at dead target - fix new operative arrives too soon before arrival day comes - fix item lost problem if operative whose ended his/her service try to transfer items to full cabinets at the Alliance base - fix minimap problem related to sector which has underground level - fix another item duplication problem - fix remote detonator, machete and high explosive shell graphics does not get shown properly when running DirectX version - fix silver/gold coin confusion problem in Buy/Sell Panel - fix the Alliance gives wrong amount of credits if chief/leader is assassinated in destroy cult/group mission Version 0.80 - Second Beta 13 May 2009 - campaign game is now playable ( what a relief... ) - the game does not pause while accessing Inventory Panel - fix creature merging with each others - fix squad member can step into non passable wall or object - fix creature move in zigzagging - improve pathfinding ( less irritation I must say... ) - fix item duplication problem - fix item get lost during switching process - fix item get lost during moving process - fix game automatically exit if player save a game after arrive at new sector - fix squad member can't move in new sector after loading a saved campaign game ( thank goodness I managed to fix this scary lethal bug ) Version 0.75 - First Beta 27 April 2009 - there's way too many bugs in this version, kind of embarrassed releasing it prematurely - scenario game is playable but campaign game is a total disaster... Loading Screen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) For DirectX version, choosing multiplayer game as either host or join will crash the game during Loading Screen. Even clicking Host Session button in Start Scenario Panel will trigger the crash even if you continue to choose single player game. This is really bad as it might confuse a lot of people and ruin the gaming experience. So in order not to confuse a lot of people, I have taken the trouble to test every buttons and text fields in both Select Scenario Panel and Start Scenario Panel that might trigger game crash during Loading Screen and get rid the culprit. The interface update has been put on version 0.87. Main View Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) Pathfinding does not always work using mouse cursor. If squad member says he/she doesn't know the way to go, there are 2 possibilities- either there is obstacle along the way or there's flaw in pathfinding routine. You need to use your common sense in this situation. If you click move cursor to a tile in a room with its door closed and squad member happen to be outside the room, the pathfinding does not work because the door represent obstacle. This is normal. You just have to instruct squad member to open the door to remove the obstacle. If you are completely sure there is no obstacle along the way but squad member says he/she doesn't know the way to go, then you can blame the pathfinding routine. In this case, you need to use keyboard to move squad member. Press Up means to move them forward a tile while press Left or Right to change direction. Yes, it's a little bit cumbersome but it always work as long as there is no obstacle in front of them. Moving by keyboard has its own advantage because squad member will always follow the order no matter how depressed their morale can be. 2 ) If you point to a specific tile that's too far way from squad member, you might need to click several times on the tile before the squad member arrive on the tile. This is because he/she can only remember up to 40 tiles along the path. If he/she stops, clicking again on the tile will rebuild his/her memory. To find out if he/she stops, just move the cursor on destination. If stop move cursor change to move cursor, that mean he/she stops. This is actually not a bug but the limitation of pathfinding routine. Most of the time, this should not pose a problem because it's rare for you to instruct squad member to move too far away. 3 ) It is possible for 2 diferent creatures to merge with each other in a single tile! This has something to do with the pathfinding routine limitation as pathfinding are calculated when creature want to go the certain destination. During creature movement, no additional pathfinding calculation is made to notify new obstacle. But during creature movement, if creature see another creature in front of them, they will automatically stop. I have made some necessary changes in creature movement routine that will not allow creature to be merged with each other. The best thing I can do right now is if 2 creatures want to collide with each others, one of them will automatically step back to previous path - creating the illusion of bouncing back. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 4 ) Squad member can step into non passable wall or object. This can only happen if the squad member is in assist behaviour mode of which they will follow leader. I have made some necessary changes in creature movement routine that will not allow any creature to step into any non passable wall or object. If creature want to collide with any of this stuff, they will automatically step back to previous path - creating the illusion of bouncing back. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. Squad member can still step into wall or object on their way downstairs if they incorrectly step into zero tile while climbing downstairs. This situation can only happen if you click stairs to get close to it instead of using keyboard shortcut to move closer to the stairs. I have made some necessary change in creature movement routine that will not allow any creature to step into zero tile. If creature want to collide with zero tile, they will automatically step back to previous path - creating the illusion of bouncing back. This bug fix has been put on version 0.85. 5 ) Creature tends to move in zigzagging as they are supposed to move in straight line. It's pretty funny to see but can get annoying after awhile. After getting sick of watching those zigzagging annoyances, I take a very hard look at pathfinding routine and managed to trace the problem. The pathfinding also are much more improved right now as you can instruct squad member to move to tight space area and not getting that "Where do you want me to go?" crap most of the time. But you are still need to use keyboard shortcut as the pathfinding is still not working 100%. The code update has been put on version 0.8. 6 ) If you enter a new sector you have been visited before with some of the enemies are dead, you can't see the enemies but you still can interact with them ( loot their possession ). I have made some change to the code that will make the enemies get shown on the game world. The code update has been put on version 0.85. Take note that after 2 game days, dead bodies will automatically get disposed so don't be surprised to find that the dead enemies are missing. 7 ) If you save a campaign game and later reload the game, dead enemy will once again stand back to haunt you! Actually they are indeed dead but the game animation routine incorrectly assign stand animation to them as opposed to fall animation. So don't freak out as I already traced the bug. This bug fix has been put on version 0.85. In the mean time, just stare at the dead enemy who refuse to fall standing motionless... 8 ) On version 0.80, I have made some changes to creature AI routine that will make the creature to finish killing the target even if the target has already fall to the ground in critical condition. Unfortunately, I didn't realize to put check to verify whether the target is dead or not so it is possible to see creature killing dead target over and over again ( what a waste of ammo! ). I add the code for the check which has been put on version 0.85. 9 ) If you hire a new operative while you carrying out your campaign, the new operative will automatically join your squad once your squad enter the sector that match the new operative arrival point ( it could be the Alliance base ) without bothering to wait for the arrival day. The new operative might have to wait for 2 days or tomorrow to be included in the squad but somehow managed to arrive too early. This is highly unrealistic so I made some changes to the code ( you be surprised to know that I only change >= to == for this bug ). The code update has been put on version 0.85. 10 ) When an operative has ended his/her service, he/she will inform the squad and automatically leave the sector. All the item he/she carry ( except item worn on torso and leg ) will automatically be put in 3 cabinets at the Alliance base. This looks like a good setup but soon I realized that this setup might pose a big problem if all the cabinets are full. Trust me - the cabinets can become full pretty fast as traders have a limited amount of space to buy. If the cabinets are full, then I must say the items he/she carry will be lost forever. This is an example of design flaw - scenario that I never thought before that can ruin the gameplay. So I modify some code to allow the operative to drop all the item he/she carry on the ground so other operative can pick it up. The code update has been put on version 0.85. 11 ) When operative get killed in the battlefield and squad retreat to the base or any sector, the dead operative will magically stand still although the game confirm that he/she is already dead! This is another scenario that I never thought before that can ruin the gameplay. This came to me while I'm waiting for something. No one has ever bother to mention this :( So I put the code to remove the body and drop any item ( excluding item worn on torso and leg ) still available on the dead operative to the ground. The updated code will be put on version 0.88. 12 ) The game does not completely blank map graphics when your squad enter a new sector. Most of the time this should not pose a problem as the new map graphics will overwrite the old map graphics. But sometimes if your squad comes from old sector that does not have underground level ( such as Tranquility Inn ) to new sector that does have underground level ( such as Alliance base ), you can see some strange graphics on map graphics. I am quite aware of this problem for quite some time but didn't find it too much of priority to fix it. Now I'm fixing it. The code update has been put on version 0.85. Inventory Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) If you have any big item that has second accessory on it ( such as rifle with rifle scope on it ) put on backpack slot and switch it with any small item put on backpack slot, the second accessory on the big item will be duplicated next to the small item. You can't see the duplication instantly if you switch both of item. You have to exit from Inventory Panel and then access back Inventory Panel to see the second accessory will magically appear on next to small item. This is cheap way to duplicate item that can be put on second accessory such as rifle scope or laser sight. I have made some necessary changes to fix this duplication problem. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 2 ) It is possible to switch any big item on backpack slot with 2 small items put side by side on backpack slot but the small item on right part will be lost forever. This is a serious problem that I ignore for quite some time but fortunately I managed to fix it by not allowing such switching to be done. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 3 ) If there are 2 items put side by side on backpack slot, switching item on the left part with any small item on pouch slot will make item on the right part lost forever. I fix this bug which has been put on version 0.8. Give Take Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) If you have any big item that has second accessory on it ( such as rifle with rifle scope on it ) put on backpack slot and switch it with any small item put on backpack slot, the second accessory on the big item will be duplicated next to the small item. You can't see the duplication instantly if you switch both of item. You have to exit from Give Take Panel and then access back Give Take Panel to see the second accessory will magically appear on next to small item. This is cheap way to duplicate item that can be put on second accessory such as rifle scope or laser sight. I have made some necessary changes to fix this duplication problem. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 2 ) It is possible to switch any big item on backpack slot with 2 small items put side by side on backpack slot but the small item on right part will be lost forever. This is a serious problem that I ignore for quite some time but fortunately I managed to fix it by not allowing such switching to be done. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 3 ) If there are 2 items put side by side on backpack slot, switching item on the left part with any small item on pouch slot will make item on the right part lost forever. I fix this bug which has been put on version 0.8. 4 ) If you have any big item that has second accessory on it ( such as rifle with rifle scope on it ) put on backpack slot and move it to hand slot, the second accessory on the big item will be duplicated on the right part of backpack slot. You can't see the duplication instantly if you move the item. You have to exit from Give Take Panel and then access back Give Take Panel to see the second accessory will magically appear on the right part of backpack slot. This is cheap way to duplicate item that can be put on second accessory such as rifle scope or laser sight. I wasn't aware of this problem until I release version 0.8 patch. The bug can be traced to logic error of assigning wrong amount of array so this is just a silly mistake. I hope this is the last item related bug that I have to deal because I'm already tired of this kind of bug. This bug fix has been put on version 0.85. If you play version 0.80, this is the only way to duplicate item. Put Take Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) If you have any big item that has second accessory on it ( such as rifle with rifle scope on it ) put on backpack/cabinet slot and switch it with any small item put on backpack/cabinet slot, the second accessory on the big item will be duplicated next to the small item. You can't see the duplication instantly if you switch both of item. You have to exit from Put Take Panel and then access back Put Take Panel to see the second accessory will magically appear on next to small item. This is cheap way to duplicate item that can be put on second accessory such as rifle scope or laser sight. I have made some necessary changes to fix this duplication problem. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 2 ) It is possible to switch any big item on backpack/cabinet slot with 2 small items put side by side on backpack/cabinet slot but the small item on right part will be lost forever. This is a serious problem that I ignore for quite some time but fortunately I managed to fix it by not allowing such switching to be done. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 3 ) If there are 2 items put side by side on backpack/cabinet slot, switching item on the left part with any small item on pouch slot will make item on the right part lost forever. I fix this bug which has been put on version 0.8. 4 ) For any cabinet slot that have 2 small items put side by side, the small item on right part will be missing if the small item on left part is moved to any pouch slot or any part of backpack/cabinet slot. You can only see the item missing only after you go to Main View Panel and access the cabinet again. The solution is for any cabinet slot that have 2 small items put side by side is to move the item on the right part first and then item on the left part. If you remember to do this, no item will ever be missing. Fortunately, I've been able to fix this bug which has been put on version 0.8. So there is no need to remember this weird note after the version is out. 5 ) If you run DirectX version of the game, you'll notice that there's some problem when interacting with remote detonator, machete and high explosive shell. Sometimes the item does not get shown on the screen although mouse over on the slot confirm that the item exist. I trace the problem to interRect1.dat file of which I incorrectly assign positioning value to the item graphics. The updated interRect1.dat file has been put on version 0.85 patch. Once you downloaded the patch, the updated interRect1.dat should be put on data folder, replacing the old interRect1.dat. Take note that this problem does not exist on GDI version due to its different way of blitting graphics on the screen. Buy/Sell Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) If you have any big item that has second accessory on it ( such as rifle with rifle scope on it ) put on backpack/cabinet slot and switch it with any small item put on backpack/cabinet slot, the second accessory on the big item will be duplicated next to the small item. You can't see the duplication instantly if you switch both of item. You have to exit from Buy/Sell Panel and then access back Buy/Sell Panel to see the second accessory will magically appear on next to small item. This is cheap way to duplicate item that can be put on second accessory such as rifle scope or laser sight. I have made some necessary changes to fix this duplication problem. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 2 ) It is possible to switch any big item on backpack/cabinet slot with 2 small items put side by side on backpack/cabinet slot but the small item on right part will be lost forever. This is a serious problem that I ignore for quite some time but fortunately I managed to fix it by not allowing such switching to be done. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. 3 ) If there are 2 items put side by side on backpack/cabinet slot, switching item on the left part with any small item on pouch slot will make item on the right part lost forever. I fix this bug which has been put on version 0.8. 4 ) If you run DirectX version of the game, you'll notice that there's some problem when interacting with remote detonator, machete and high explosive shell. Sometimes the item does not get shown on the screen although mouse over on the slot confirm that the item exist. I trace the problem to interRect1.dat file of which I incorrectly assign positioning value to the item graphics. The updated interRect1.dat file has been put on version 0.85 patch. Once you downloaded the patch, the updated interRect1.dat should be put on data folder, replacing the old interRect1.dat. Take note that this problem does not exist on GDI version due to its different way of blitting graphics on the screen. 5 ) If you want to sell more than 2 small items at one time, don't put them in a single Sell Slot. Separate them into different slot. This is because the game can't still recognize both small items put on the same slot which mean only small item on left side can be sold. So up to 4 small items put on on either left or right side of different slots can be sold at one time. 6 ) If you want to buy more than 2 small items at one time, don't put them in a single Buy Slot. Separate them into different slot. This is because the game can't still recognize both small items put on the same slot which mean only small item on left side can be bought. So up to 4 small items put on on either left or right side of different slots can be bought at one time. 7 ) If you move any silver or gold coin from Money Slot to the any hand/backpack/pouch slot that contain silver or gold coin, the coin will be pooled with coin on the hand/backpack/pouch slot but the amount shown on Money Slot does not get updated. Not to confuse a lot of people including myself, I decided not to allow such move to be possible. You can only move any silver or gold coin from Money Slot to any empty hand/backpack/pouch slot. The code update has been put on version 0.85. 8 ) Although you can switch any coin in Money Slot to any coin in Money Slot, the amount shown on the screen will not be accurate. Not to confuse a lot of people including myself, I decided not to allow such move to be possible. The code update has been put on version 0.85. Mission Detail Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) For destroy cult/group mission, there has been error of allocating reward if your squad successfully assassinate the leader/chief. The reward was supposed to be 2000 credits, not 6000 credits and completing this objective should not improve any Alliance control. The code update has been put on version 0.85. Save Campaign Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) If you save a campaign game after your squad arrived at a new sector, the game will report that some important file is missing so the game will automatically exit. The saving process is successfull. You can run the game and load the saved campaign game to continue playing the game. I have fix the problem so the game will no longer automatically exit. This bug fix has been put on version 0.8. Town Map Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 ) Whenever you start the game by loading a saved campaign game, your squad entry point is reset to 0. Because of this, at Town Map Panel, you can't set your entry point. This can create a big problem if your squad want to move to another sector. Whenever your squad arrive at new sector, you can't move any of the squad member. This is really bad. I have fix the problem by setting squad entry point to SOUTH as default. The code update has been put on version 0.8. End Screen ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) In DirectX version, pressing Escape key to exit the game will crash the game most of the time. This has something to do with DirectX trying to release one of the surface used. I have no idea how to fix the bug because the surface need to be cleaned up to free the memory. This problem does not exist for GDI version. But recently after adding a new data structure to the game, the problem magically disapppear while I'm compiling the new version. If I face similar problem in the future, I could add or remove data structure to fix the problem. The update will be put on version 0.88.