PRACX v1.10 Release

[vonbach]

Not sure if this is the place for this but I installed your patch and it works great but when I try to mod a map
it wont save it. Maybe I'm making a mistake not sure its been awhile since i've played with the editor. I also cant exit out of the editor.

[Mart]

Yitzi patch 3.4 has PRACX 1.06 patch included. Maybe try it.

[hyperdriveJ]

[request]

I hope the next version includes a way to format the font size of text in windows such as the terrain yield info at the bottom of the screen or the base facilities list in the city screen (for laptop users, you can't see the "linked" beside the network node. You see, changing the value in "prefsformat" in Alpha.ini doesn't work.

[Vidsek]

  Probably the same issue mentioned by vonbach back in March.  Not sure if your PRACX patch is involved, just never had it occur before adding it. In any case, I'm in awe of your skills and hoped you'd look at the problem Edit: also occurs when PRACX is disabled (but not uninstalled).  Added some more info below.

  Only happens with map saving, not scenario or regular games.
  Opening up the 'save' window by clicking in the menu or by keystroke does -not- cause the problem, it usually occurs when I type in the save name (or click on a previous save to enter it), but sometimes allows typing/file name entry to occur and then crashes when I click the 'save' button or hit enter to save.
  Have now tried several screen resolutions, no change.  Also several different maps, small to huge, modified and random.
  The "lock" or "crash" is that Terranx.exe goes into a loop or whatever and starts using 98-99% of processor time.
  To get it shut down, I have to ctrl-alt-del to open taskmanager and 'end process' it there, since nothing else is getting enough cycles to work.
  To confuse the issue, the bug does not occur all the time, rarely everything works normally, and more rarely, an initial save works but subsequent attempts fail.  Mostly, tho, it's been happening.
  I'm trying to watch (and remember...) everything I'm doing and what else is running on my rig in hopes of seeing any patterns that might give a clue, but so far I'm, uh....clueless.  Will continue to look for one, tho.

  I remember reading about other bugs in SMAC/SMACX that caused an endless loop/100% processor time crash back when I was learning how to set up the game on a modern comp and OS a year or more ago.  Don't know if the same wrong calls or whatever might be involved here.

  Windows 7-64, patched to current.
  Yitzi's 3.4
  PRACX 1.06
  Any other pertinent system info can be provided if you think it might help


  I'm an avid modder at heart (with a pathetic skill set so far), so this save bug is horribly frustrating

                                                                        Vidsek Fayfisten

[vonbach]

You have to be in windowed mode to save a map. Thats the fix I found. The window comes up but you cant see it unless
your in windowed mode. So just go windowed mode save then go back.

[Mart]

Yes, that may be the same problem, as observed in other cases:
For some reason, already for several years, after a SP movie, the save game window does not "pop out" to the foreground. It stays in the background.
I was saving a game "blindly" e.g. hitting some key few times, and then enter. Then I quit the game and there was that save with name of the key-hits I made.
As I remember, I was not able to alt-tab to that save window.
Presently, with PRACX patch you can <TAB> to windowed mode. Then you can ALT-TAB to the save window.

So the game does not crash, it only opens a so-called modal window that needs to be dealt with before proceeding further.

[Vidsek]

    I ran across that same thing: pop-up window popping under.  Now I tab to windowed before opening the save window (since once that window opens under, I can't PRACX tab or alt-tab out of full screen).  Not a big problem once you know what's happening, just inconvenient.
   The first time it happened, I finally got to the desktop and discovered nine saves waiting for me.  Apparently I'm persistent, if not always very bright 

   Interestingly (to me at least) in the last year or so of playing SMAC/X, it never happened until just this last week...when I've had other pop-up window problems.

                                                                            Vidsek Fayfisten

 

[Vidsek]

[request]

I hope the next version includes a way to format the font size of text in windows such as the terrain yield info at the bottom of the screen or the base facilities list in the city screen (for laptop users, you can't see the "linked" beside the network node. You see, changing the value in "prefsformat" in Alpha.ini doesn't work.

   UI refinements are definitely something that would improve everyone's gameplay and being actually able to read what's there is top of my list (font size and the various windows' sizes as well).  Having more control over the UI in general would really help.
   I'm not sure where it should fall in the patch priorities, but I wonder: is the UI something that could be worked on by another person?  How integrated is it into Terranx.exe, and how much chance of messing up other parts of the game would changing it risk?

                                                                      Vidsek

[Neuromanger]

@PlotinusRedux

First of all, thanks very much for this great little mod!

I originally came here for Yitzi's patch but tried out yours too and I have to say I'm really impressed and find it very useful, especially the zoom scroll and <TAB> options.

I have a small suggestion though.

With respect to the <V> view mode / terrain info, there's a 'disconnect' when you actually want to view resource info rather than elevation and tile type or vice versa depending on what mode you were in originally.

What I mean is, yes, you can left click the terrain info to switch modes, but to do that you have to move your mouse from the square you were originally looking at, to the MFD screen! Hence the 'disconnect' if you see what I mean.

So, my suggestion is when you're in <V> mode could you have a toggle (or temporary enable)  to show elevation / resource info by using the very conveniently placed middle mouse button for example? Or <SHIFT> or whatever?

I think this would help a lot?

[Nevill]

Is PRACX compatible with kyrub's AI patch for SMAC?

[Lxndr]

I realize that I probably caused this issue by being an early adopter, but after upgrading to Windows 10, if PRACX is enabled, it crashed terranx (sometimes after the second turn I play). Any tips on how to troubleshoot this?

[DrazharLn]

Hi Lxndr, welcome to the forum.

PlotinusRedux still checks into the forum fairly regularly, so hopefully he'll be along in a bit with some more specific instructions.

For now, you could help by confirming that you can play a few turns with PRACX off. Pracx is compiled to be compatible with winXP, but win10 should be backwards compatible. Just in case, you could try running pracx in winXP compatibility mode by right clicking on it and setting the appropriate option.

The only other useful diagnostic I can think of right now is to check windows event viewer for any interesting log messages at the time pracx crashes.

Cheers,

[Lxndr]

Thanks for the reply!

I can confirm that I am able play a full game when PRACX is disabled in AlphaCentauri.ini (Disabled = 1)

It crashes whenever PRACX isn't disabled.  I am running in Windows XP SP 3 compatiblity.

[DrazharLn]

Thanks for confirming that. Could you have a look in Windows Event Log for anything interesting happening when SMAC crashes?

[Lxndr]

Thanks for confirming that. Could you have a look in Windows Event Log for anything interesting happening when SMAC crashes?

I'll admit I'm not up to the task of reading the Event Log.  I can't quite puzzle it out. But I found this:

Code: [Select]

Faulting application name: terranx.exe, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x31313931
Faulting module name: terranx.exe, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x31313931
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x001e076d
Faulting process id: 0x397c
Faulting application start time: 0x01d0d8ff39b5a244
Faulting application path: C:\GOG Games\Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri\terranx.exe
Faulting module path: C:\GOG Games\Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri\terranx.exe
Report Id: 3cf15e3d-2e47-43bc-bc7b-34d68e8428ca
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID: