GearHead2 v0.511

[Joseph Hewitt]

I've just uploaded GH2 v0.511 to SourceForge. It's late at night so here's a brief list of changes:

- Added two more episodes of the BeanPole campaign, plus two extra episodes
To restart a deadend from v0.510, press "#" and type "rcs". Please post some details if you hit  a deadend before episode 7; a brief description of your campaign so far would be good, but the info dump that shows when the deadend happens would be better.

- Added Ramuh mecha
The Ramuh is a medium-to-high-end battroid from Comet. My character got the absolute best mecha from Rishtan: it was a Steel Special Rishtan. The intercept laser in the head was replaced with a solvent squirter. My partner had a Vadel with a Mecha Bazooka, so the two were a perfect match. After rusting an enemy mecha with the solvent one hit from the bazooka would destroy it. Unfortunately, this mecha later got destroyed when it was hit by a guided missile. Stupid intercept laser.

- Fixed indestructible building bug (locale.pp)
Now you can burn down the city. Hooray! Consequences to be added later...

- Added PMemo ASL command (arenascript.pp)
Now subplots can store their own memos, so for example when you discover your enemy's hideout the original mission memo won't be overwritten.

- Reaction time calculator changed (ability.pp)
The Initiative skill is less important, and the Speed stat is more important. Previously I felt that Initiative was too much of a must-have skill; almost all characters without the skill had the same minimum reaction speed. Now, any character with a Speed higher than 10 will get an improvement to their base reaction time.

- Player-owned gears always moved from metascene (arenaplay.pp)
This should fix some of the disappearing salvage and not-working Tech Vulture bugs.

- Added some new plots
It's now possible to make faction enemies. Hooray!

- +Tht, +Tpt tasks folded into +Tgt
- Items given to PC will be given to pilot if possible (backpack.pp)
- NeverFail with unspecified job creates random NPC (playwright.pp)
- NeverFail NPCs get search string applied as chardesc (playwright.pp)
- Personal allies include LANCEMATE in search description (interact.pp)
- \PPR, \SPR, and \OPR with argument 0 gives PC's pronoun (arenascript.pp)
- Megaplots won't combine components with similar changes (mpbuilder.pp)
- Added some new attitudes, motivations (playwright.pp)

Try it out and let me know what you think.

[clasic_traveller_diehard]

I must be cursed must be cursed, but my adventure ended before it even stared again.

There was no dead end dialog, but here's how things played out. I met my lancemate at the star plaza, and when we left he suggested we crash a party at the star plaza, but when I tried to go back it said there was nothing interesting inside. I even went to a different spinner and came back with no luck.

[Joseph Hewitt]

I find your lack of a deadend message... disturbing.

I have two things to try. First, press "!" to see the adventure structure, locate "core story", click on it and tell me what is listed inside. Second, open the console with "#" and type "rcs" now. This should print a diagnostic message, whether or not the story is deadended.

[clasic_traveller_diehard]

placeholder is listed inside core story

where does the diagnostic message show up?

[Joseph Hewitt]

I don't know whether to scream or celebrate- this is an obscure bug I've been trying to replicate for ages. Please zip your save file and email it to me.

The diagnostic message should have appeared in the regular text area; the fact that it didn't means that there's something seriously going wrong.

[clasic_traveller_diehard]

well it could be my fault i did compile it from sources after all i'll get the save file zipped in a minute

EDIT: sent check your inbox

EDIT: maybe the bug stops all diagnostic text from being displayed

[Burzmali]

Got this message:

While you have some free time, you feel that you should head to Maquise Spinner and visit your friend Character.

It could be coincidence, but I've stashed a save just to be safe.

[clasic_traveller_diehard]

3 things a big bug, an issue, and an idea.

1. I made a robot lancemate out of a sports helmet and some cricket bats and now when i go into "character info" from the advanced menu and then back out to the advanced menu the game shuts down.

2. a minor issue when i wanted to go into the sewers under an administration building it told me that i didn't believe i had a reason to go down there personally i want to explore every nook and cranny that isn't locked or guarded by sentinels even if there is noting to see.(please )

3. how about destroyed doors drop scrap metal (worth like between 5-20 general repair points (value chosen at random)) since normal repair supplies are kind of expensive.

[Burzmali]

Dead end at second episode:
> Plot deadend in Core Story: #A +P-- +C-- +Tgt +F-- +Hwn +Bor +G-- C:CORPO =P00 !Ne E:++ E:NOFAC E:CRAFT E:M.--- E:A.---
F:-- P:-- R:-- T:++ T:NOFAC T:ADVEN T:M.--- T:A.--- S:perm S:++ S:NOFAC L:perm L:++ L:EMESP L:SPACE L:FCOMS L:GROUND I:--
A:--

This was after a "Character is in Emerald Life" message.

Also, I had this

&..&&&..&&&..&&P..&S
..................O.
..................@.
&..&&&..&&&..&&&..&&
&..&&&..&&&..&&&..&&
....................
....................
&..&.&...&&..&&&..&&
H..&&&..&&&..&&&..C&
....................

 You enter the Theles Spinner lower level.
 Integra attacks with Shoulder Spike.
 Obstar Alhow is hit for 29 damage.
 Integra attacks with Right Arm.
 Obstar Alhow dodged the attack.

That's me attacking a Ovaknight (that didn't fight back) in the interior of Theles Spinner.

[Burzmali]

The target of a $12.5k bounty mission was jacked up enough to get 4 attacks to my 1.

[Trorbes]

I don't know if its a bug, but it seems that I keep dying and going to Maquise Hospital, even if I'm at another spinner.  If it's important but in the most recent deaths that I noticed this I was fighting the police.

Another maybe bug:  Sometimes, with taunt, the enemy "ejects", but the mech just leaves the arena and you don't collect it.  Even leaving before it doesn't recover it.

Edit: I chainsaw'd through a wall in the Emerald Spinner sewers, and it burst into flames.  The entire sewer level is now on fire.  I'm going to take a guess and say that this wasn't an intended consequence.

Incidentally, this is not the first game I've started such an all-consuming fire purely by accident.

[Burzmali]

Quoting: Trorbes

Another maybe bug: Sometimes, with taunt, the enemy "ejects", but the mech just leaves the arena and you don't collect it. Even leaving before it doesn't recover it.

You'll only get to keep the mecha if the mission awards salvage.  If the abandoned mecha don't disappear once you've killed the last enemy, you won't get them.

[Trorbes]

Oh.  That makes sense; I usually ignore that since I usually stick around and collect salvage myself at the end of missions.

[Joseph Hewitt]

I'm very happy to see so many bug reports for this release. It's not because I particularly enjoy making buggy programs; it's because for this many reports to show up the game must be getting playable, which is a Good Thing.

Quoting: clasic_traveller_diehard

where does the diagnostic message show up?

I still have no idea why you aren't getting the diagnostic message, but I think I've fixed the bug in the program that was creating the dangling placeholders and I can tell you how to restart the campaign in your savegame. Open the rpg file in your text editor and search for "name <placeholder>". Right underneath this, enter the following two lines:

start <NegateComp 0 .next>
.next <+T-- +F-->

Quoting: Burzmali

While you have some free time, you feel that you should head to Maquise Spinner and visit your friend Character.

The NewNPC created by NeverFail wasn't being individualized, resulting in a nameless character- so, "Character" was shown as its name. This has been fixed.

Quoting: clasic_traveller_diehard

"character info" from the advanced menu

I need to fix Robotics soon, since one of my current characters has the skill. Menu movement needs a complete overhaul, and isn't currently working properly. I should put up a warning message or something... if anyone with some programming experience would like to volunteer to fix GH2's menu mode, by all means do so. I don't think it's a difficult task but I don't know when I can get to it myself.

Quoting: clasic_traveller_diehard

when i wanted to go into the sewers under an administration building it told me that i didn't believe i had a reason to go down there personally

This just means that the sewer is associated with a quest that you haven't activated yet. If you search around town more you should be provided entry.

Quoting: clasic_traveller_diehard

how about destroyed doors drop scrap metal

Maybe. I'll think about how that could work.

Quoting: Burzmali

Dead end at second episode:

Interesting. The fact that T: is not your friend implies another problem with the NewNPC generator... yes, it's not making the NPC your friend. I'll patch up this plot hole and fix that bug.

Quoting: Burzmali

Integra attacks with Shoulder Spike.

Weird. I've seen this before but don't know what's causing it- some plot or effect is placing NPCs on the city map where they don't belong. I could simply avoid deploying NPCs on the city map, but this would prevent me from tracking down the source of the bug... Could you send me that save file, if you haven't killed the NPC in question?

Quoting: Trorbes

I keep dying and going to Maquise Hospital

Bug. It has hopefully been fixed.

Quoting: Trorbes

I chainsaw'd through a wall in the Emerald Spinner sewers, and it burst into flames.

Bug... or feature? I'll fix it anyhow.

[Burzmali]

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt

Quoting: Burzmali
Integra attacks with Shoulder Spike.

Weird. I've seen this before but don't know what's causing it- some plot or effect is placing NPCs on the city map where they don't belong. I could simply avoid deploying NPCs on the city map, but this would prevent me from tracking down the source of the bug... Could you send me that save file, if you haven't killed the NPC in question?

You'll have it in an hour or two.  The "target" was present on the city map the first time I left the CC, and regularly swapped between an Ovaknight, a Vadel, and a Z.  Try as I might to kill him, and loot his stuff, I couldn't land enough hits.