FIRAXIS: reproducible 'my mech inf just turned evil' bug

vulture · June 14, 2002, 15:53

Save file attatched. From the save point, fortify all the units (just to make life quicker) until you get to the first ICBM (in Xiang Gang). Use this to nuke Athens (southwest corner of the eastern continent, looking very green). Fortify the remainder of the units as they become active. Watch the little auto-workers scurry around. Smile contentedly (optional). Hit space to end turn, and watch one of your battleships get sunk, and someone else's submarine. Finish researching something (I forget what) and click okay to research ecology. Click okay to all the city build popups. When you get to the end, go to Xiang Gang (up in the north, if you've forgotten), and go to the city screen. Lo and behold, there is now a bomber and a mech inf there, where previously there was only a mech inf (and the ICBM that you used). The bomber only shows up on the city screen, not the menu you get if you right click on the city on the main screen. Pick the modern armour army just to the south and move it into the city. It will (eventually) kill the mech inf. If you move out of the city if appears empty, but the city screen still shows a bomber there (clicking 'activate' on it from the city screen fails to activate anything).

I've played around with it a bit. One time I dropped a tactical nuke on the battleship NW of New York (where all the artillery are living) to take out the battleship and frigate. I then sunk the transport SW of Philadelphia (extreme SW of continent) with the battleship that wasn't in port. All other units fortified, apart from the ICBM attack on Athens. This time I saw two mech inf in Xiang Gang.

This isn't actually the reason this was saved - it was because the stack of 28 artillery was going to the peninsula NW of New York to bombard the frigate and battleship. They couldn't move there. I tried to move a modern armour army there, and if fought against an invisible defender (NOT IN THE CITY, ON THE PENINSULA). From the amount of damage the armu took, I'd guess it was an invisible mech inf (I didn't think to check whether I had lost a mech inf anywhere). A turn or two previously I had used a tactical nuke to take out 8 battleships a few tiles further north of this (first use of nuclear weapons in the game - the save file is the autosave from the start of the turn where I discovered the invisible unit - it is no longer there in the reload).

Haven't tried using my other ICBM (in a different city), or attacking any other AI cities.

Apolex · June 14, 2002, 16:08

Yeah I too have noticed that type of weird bug shows up when there are nukes and mech inf present.

vulture · June 14, 2002, 21:50

It belatedly occurs to me to mention that I'm using v1.21. With a few mods to the bic file (overall tech rate changed, changes to ship speeds, tech requirements for spaceship parts changed, function of UN changed, diplomatic victory off) none of which seem relevant but which I ought to mention. And I also tried no using ICBMs at all from the save position - and when I did this there was no evil mech inf phenomenom. It only occured on the replays I did using ICBMs (and only, AFAICT, in the launch city of the ICBM)

Soren Johnson · June 14, 2002, 21:52

Quote:

Originally posted by vulture
Save file attatched. From the save point, fortify all the units (just to make life quicker) until you get to the first ICBM (in Xiang Gang). Use this to nuke Athens (southwest corner of the eastern continent, looking very green). Fortify the remainder of the units as they become active. Watch the little auto-workers scurry around. Smile contentedly (optional). Hit space to end turn, and watch one of your battleships get sunk, and someone else's submarine. Finish researching something (I forget what) and click okay to research ecology. Click okay to all the city build popups. When you get to the end, go to Xiang Gang (up in the north, if you've forgotten), and go to the city screen. Lo and behold, there is now a bomber and a mech inf there, where previously there was only a mech inf (and the ICBM that you used). The bomber only shows up on the city screen, not the menu you get if you right click on the city on the main screen. Pick the modern armour army just to the south and move it into the city. It will (eventually) kill the mech inf. If you move out of the city if appears empty, but the city screen still shows a bomber there (clicking 'activate' on it from the city screen fails to activate anything).

I've played around with it a bit. One time I dropped a tactical nuke on the battleship NW of New York (where all the artillery are living) to take out the battleship and frigate. I then sunk the transport SW of Philadelphia (extreme SW of continent) with the battleship that wasn't in port. All other units fortified, apart from the ICBM attack on Athens. This time I saw two mech inf in Xiang Gang.

This isn't actually the reason this was saved - it was because the stack of 28 artillery was going to the peninsula NW of New York to bombard the frigate and battleship. They couldn't move there. I tried to move a modern armour army there, and if fought against an invisible defender (NOT IN THE CITY, ON THE PENINSULA). From the amount of damage the armu took, I'd guess it was an invisible mech inf (I didn't think to check whether I had lost a mech inf anywhere). A turn or two previously I had used a tactical nuke to take out 8 battleships a few tiles further north of this (first use of nuclear weapons in the game - the save file is the autosave from the start of the turn where I discovered the invisible unit - it is no longer there in the reload).

Haven't tried using my other ICBM (in a different city), or attacking any other AI cities.

thanks!

notyoueither · June 14, 2002, 21:53

Hmmm. Vulture,

Do you recall how you originally obtained the city? City from Goddie Hut? Settler from Goodie Hut? Settler built in one of your other cities?

Carver · June 14, 2002, 23:03

Yes, the evil mech bug finally happened to me yesterday, I've been feeling so left out.

Similar scenario...I launched an ICBM from a core city (founded with my settler), after which the city's defenders were not visible. As my workers were milling about on auto two of the attempted to enter said city and were promptly mowed down by a mech infantry.

Also, there were other graphics bugs which accurred with my ICMB launches. Defenders were not visible in several of the launch cities - allthough only the above had an evil mech in it. And my units which wre very close (2 tiles) to the target cities were not visible when they came active. Only after moving them a tile did they reappear.

Hope that helps.

Captain · June 14, 2002, 23:11

Carver, if you have a save file of it, Soren might like another one to compare to vulture's.

notyoueither · June 14, 2002, 23:29

Carver. Did you use default rules, or modded?

vulture · June 15, 2002, 07:05

Quote:

Originally posted by notyoueither
Hmmm. Vulture,

Do you recall how you originally obtained the city? City from Goddie Hut? Settler from Goodie Hut? Settler built in one of your other cities?

Built it myself (nothing but barbarians in the goody huts :-( ).

Wittlich · June 15, 2002, 12:25

Does anyone know if the mechanized infantry bug (ie, attacking your own workers) only occurs after a nuke has been launched? The reason I ask this is because I have not seen this bug happen yet, but I also have not launched any nukes yet.

Carver · June 15, 2002, 16:33

I can't seem to reproduce it from the autosave. It occurred late in the game (2068 about) after a space win.

Yes, the game was slightly modded: all aicraft had a range of 8, carriers carried 8 and had a range of 5, and nuke subs and helos both carried 4 (that might be a bit much - loosing a sub with 4 nukes on it sux).

notyoueither · June 15, 2002, 16:54

I've never experienced this in my games even though I've played extensively in the Modern era. I have used nukes on several occassions. However, I've never modded extensively. I wonder if there is a connection. Oh well, Soren is on the trail now. It will be interesting to find out what he discovers.

That is bizarre vulture. By doing different things all kinds of ghosts pop up. And congratulations, you appear to be the first one to have the presence of mind to save a specimen of this rare bug.

Panag · June 15, 2002, 17:09

hi ,

okay , lets take this the good way , ...

after a launch the or during one the army ensures ma security , ....

anyway , the workers have bug with their Identity , a captured worker that you want to trade has problems and so on , so maybe the workers are forein ones , or build in a city that you captured , but did not grow before the worker was build , therefore the worker kept the ID of the original habitants , ...

the same happend with some other people , only with workers and ones in a while a settler , military units could move in and out .

have a nice day