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FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still crashes

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:01 pm
by ghealy
Just downloaded and installed the latest version stated in subject. Go to add an outpost ship to production and system crashes

Made bad assumption that bug in previous version would have been fixed. My bad. Guess I need to wait another week and run the risk that it won't be fixed. A change log would certainly save time and be helpful.

- Gene

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:27 pm
by EricF
Yup, still crashes. You guys do realize that this issue makes the game completely unplayable, right?

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:34 pm
by Geoff the Medio
The previous working test build is still available.

For a specific issue, if it's not closed on GitHub, it's probably not fixed.

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 9:43 pm
by Dilvish
EricF wrote:Yup, still crashes. You guys do realize that this issue makes the game completely unplayable, right?
Sometimes the weekly test builds are not playable; sometimes that gets fixed immediately, it nearly always gets fixed fairly promptly, but once in a while the problems linger longer. Thanks for testing them, and reporting whether a problem is fixed or lingering for you, but please don't be actually upset if there are troubles with them, even if they linger a bit.
ghealy wrote:A change log would certainly save time and be helpful.
There is one, just not edited up nice and pretty like we do for the releases: FreeOrion Commit Log

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:09 pm
by MatGB
ghealy wrote: A change log would certainly save time and be helpful.
Yeah, but save who's time?

Basically, someone has to write it, it's not a straightforward task, and the commit log covers everything anyway.

(and when I say "not straightforward" what I mean is I tried to do it and failed miserably, there are things I'm better at)

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:19 pm
by EricF
Geoff the Medio wrote:The previous working test build is still available.
The previous test build is also unplayable. You cannot add anything to the build queue without the game crashing.
I'm sorry if I didn't make that clearer in my post on that build.
And sorry if I come across upset. I'm not. Just genuinely curious if it is understood how serious this issue is.
I understand that not every issue gets fixed right away, but this is a test build. If it cannot be played then how can
it be tested? Not mad or upset, just baffled.

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:49 pm
by ghealy
Guess I'm even more confused than I thought I was. :)

Why would you release a test build that you know is not playable? How could you possibly test the things that were modified in that build?

I am not angry. I am frustrated.

I've taken a look at the 'commit log'. Might as well be Greek or Martian as far as my understanding what it says. Without some indication that a significant bug like the one in the past two builds has been corrected, why would anyone want to download and test a new build? This is not my first rodeo with beta software. I know that there is a high probability of there being issues, some serious, some less serious. But I've not had the experience that after a major bug has been reported, that new versions are released that have not fixed that bug.

- G

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 11:53 pm
by Dilvish
EricF wrote:
Geoff the Medio wrote:The previous working test build is still available.
The previous test build is also unplayable.
You mean, "the previous week's test build is also unplayable"-- you can just go back an extra week, to the previous one that is working for you.
EricF wrote:I understand that not every issue gets fixed right away, but this is a test build. If it cannot be played then how can
it be tested? Not mad or upset, just baffled.
Vezzra is in charge of putting out the weekly builds, with whatever is current master at the time. It's not his responsibility to figure out if there is a crash-causing problem at that time or to ride herd on folks to get bugs fixed (even if he may sometimes find time for that).

Geoff has already noted what he believes the source of the problem is, and if you reviewed that information and also kept current on other posts here then you'd see that the author of the suspect code change just today let us know that he was unexpectedly gone for the past week (life happens, you know). I expect the issue will likely get cleared up soon now. And sure, one of us other devs could have looked into the problem more and tried to clear it up sooner, but we all have plenty to keep us busy already. Just reviewing and answering questions here on the boards can take a surprisingly long time....

Re: FreeOrion_2017-08-21.7ca62b4_Test_Win32_Setup still cras

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2017 8:31 am
by Vezzra
To shed some light on why a test build with an apparently/obviously game breaking bug has been provided:

I actually did ponder if I should skip this weeks test builds (because of that bug). However, my very brief test runs (didn't have time for more thorough examination) indicated that the issue could somewhat worked around by going to the research screen, closing the pedia window there, then going to the production screen, and closing the pedia window there too, which enabled me to queue techs and build items just fine. I mentioned that already in my post in the other thread about this issue.

That's why I decided to do the test builds, because I thought maybe there are people who don't compile themselves but want to test some of the most recent changes, even with that bug present (and if not, well, it's only my time I've been wasting ;)). I probably should have checked how that bug affected the ship design screen too, but I didn't think of that (have been in a hurry).

So, relax everyone, no need to get into arguments over this. ;) Besides that, Geoffs advice is a sound one: if you want to know if a specific issue has been fixed, take a look at the issue tracker on github. If it's still open, it's most likely still present in the latest test builds (unless we wait for feedback from playtesters for the latest test build to determine if a certain bug really has been fixed, as might be the case with this issue here).