Suggestion: Tool for finding wrong Values (Bugs/Cheats) & common playermistakes
A tool that comes in two parts and deals with 2 different problems:
== 1 ==
It often happens to me that i forgot to re-set a warpsettig to a higher value after a repair, still had HYP on a Probe, or lacked fuel somewhere, things like that.
For good 'ol VGAP3 there was a tool, Tanascius, that could check your turns for common mistakes.
== 2 ==
I lately experience that, due to a client-crash, i lost Cargo - it was simply gone (doublechecked that).
I also experienced items appearing out of nowhere (also doublechecked that).
[== What the Tool should be able to do in detail ==]
== 1.: Check your turn for common mistakes ==
Such as:
- Warpestting lower then Ship is capable of
- lack of fuel
- lack of items when building ships
- ...you name it.
== 2.: Check the current turn for numbers that did not add up ==
Examples from a game i am involved.
=> Example A: Items out of nowwhere:
1. Starbase was set to build a ship
2. i decided i want a different ship
3. i sold the parts i did not need
4. lowered a certain techlevel
5 i used the now available money to build a different ships
6. after leaving the game and returning later, the parts i resently old were back again !
- The Base now did not had the techlevels to build them, and no minerals or money were used for their creation (doublechecked that)
- no clientcrash was involved, afaik.
-> Original Bugthread can be found here:
http://planets.nu/discussion/12172-cygnet-system-starbase-holds-components-it-should-not-have
=> Example B: Items / Cargo disappears:
1. LDSF beamed aboard 1,200 KT Supplies.
2. Clientcrash
3. relogging
4. Cargo was completely gone, could not be found anywhere on the planet, any Ship in orbit, they were not sold or used to build something
-> Original Bugthread can be found here:
http://planets.nu/discussion/cargo-lost-in-transfer-planet-ship
In both cases a simple calculator helped my evaluating that the values from
-> the beginning of the turn (-> when no orders was given yet)
-> to the actual point (-> after i gave orders) did not match (-> add up).
Resetting the values of all objects at this location (and only this one) would have undone these bugs.
"Values of all objects at this location" means:
- Host looks into the data of the copy of the present turn that was made right after host ran (you keep one, do you ?)
- searches up every single value (Speed, heading, Cargo, Structures present, Shipparts, Fuel, .. simply EVERY Value) of every Object (Ship, Planet, Starbase) that share the same location
- and replaces the currently found values with the original (post-host-run) ones.
== So my proposed feature come in 2 parts ==
Part 1. Check the Playerorders if he made mistakes / thinks that look odd (to slow Warpsetting, running out of fuel, etc, see above)
-> Inform the player about what was found
Part 2. Check if the Values add up - comparing the Values found at the start of the turn with those currently found (are less or more items present then the mathematical could be ? -> this can also find those strange incidents, where Starbase-Parts appeared out of nowhere for races, that did not even had the ability to build this parts (Eros at a Borg-Base, for instance)).
If wrong values were found:
-> reset the values to those found at the beginning of the turn
-> Inform the player about the mistake and that he has to give orders again, and where.
Part 1 only runs, if the player triggers it, via a button like [Check turn for common mistakes].
Part 2 is a more important check, due to possible exploits. So it should run at this occasion:
- every time right before the host runs (-> in this case the values will be reset and the player will be informed, but host runs nevertheless)
- triggered by the Player: [Check turn for corupt data] ... or how ever you will name it; player gets message if mistakes were found.
- automatically when a player hit the [End Turn]-Button (maybe the status "Turn ready" could beautomatically reset to "Turn viewed", if corrupt data was found, so the player has a chance to read the "Error found"-Message and rerun his turn (the part that was corrupt)).
I think this tool can be very helpfull for players
Part 1. helps to prevent making mistakes by simply overlooking something,
Part 2. can undo bugs that would either give them an unfair advantage (stuff appearing out of thin air) or disadvantage (stuff disappearing).
Part 1 is probably not half as important as part 2, since those bugs still happen and can have a great impact on the game (especially regarding fairness).
Part 2 can be especially valuable, if an automatic Cheat-Detector will be implemente ("Nu-Continuum"):
Such a Detector should find values that do not add up (additional Parts on Starbases, see above), and then... punish the player.
However, i (among several other players) have found additional parts in their Starbases, and reported this in the Forum.
So they clearly did not cheat.
The Detector however will still judge them as if they had cheated, and punish them.
This must not happen !
So such a tool as proposed in this thread might prevent this.
Regards,
Shrambot
-
kwesy commented
I find there are several nice ideas in this request, but it's too long! :-P
Perhaps you should split it.