The QA Lodge

[Hakushi]

I've noticed since Mod 8 that a lot of the floaty damage numbers are missing. My combat lot shows I'm hitting but I just can't see the numbers on the screen sometimes.

Most noticeably it happens when the frame of the target is very large (i.e. the Pit Fiend) or if the target is adjacent to a large piece of terrain or a wall.

Anyone else noticing this problem or is maybe a symptom of lag on my end?

From what I saw, the damage numbers are now behind the monsters instead of "in front of". The bigger the monster is, the harder it is to see the numbers. The damage numbers still show up, but are hidden because of the size of the monster. That's also true for some other forms of test, like the name of players hidden by some objects, monsters or other players. This was probably to fix an issue where in some landscapes, when you entered a cave, you could see if an orange name was there while loading. I hope they fix the damage numbers to show up in front of the monster you're attacking so you can more easily see the damage you do.

[Silthe]

Is it intended that when the game crashes or upon losing connection, frequently upon logging back in we find ourselves outside of the quest? For example, when losing connection in the Shroud quite frequently we will log back in to find our character in the Harbor, in the Volano area outside Twilight Forge when losing connection in the Titan, or in the Marketplace if losing connection in A Vision of Destruction?

This should only be happening if the instance is deserted. Normally, once everyone leaves an instance, it takes a few minutes for it to reset. In order to fix an early Dragon exploit, all raids are set to have their instances reset as soon as they are empty. You're noticing this mostly in the multi-part raids such as the Shroud, because people often move on instead of waiting for the disconnected player.

So if you disconnect in the Shroud part 2, and the rest of the party moves to Part 3 before you get back, the instance of Shroud 2 resets and you'll log back in outside the Shroud. The only way to avoid this is if someone else waits for you and holds the instance open.

That's how it's intended. If you're coming back outside the raid dungeon, and you haven't been kicked from the party and the instance you were in when you disconnected was never deserted, then that's a bug and should be reported as such.

EDIT: Digging a little deeper, it turns out this needs more explanation. It's true that the Shroud is one big instance, so the use of instance in the above explanation is misleading. The code involved resets by "landblock" which is just a large section of geography our engine uses for various calculations and such. Most dungeons are contained within one landblock, so resetting it resets the instance. The Shroud covers several landblocks, and when a landblock in a raid becomes empty, it will reset. My example above isn't terribly accurate since the landblocks don't coincide directly with the phases, although the workaround is. If someone disconnects, have someone else hang out in the general area until they come back.

I hope that made more sense.


~Silthe

[Pwesiela]

So if you disconnect in the Shroud part 2, and the rest of the party moves to Part 3 before you get back, the instance of Shroud 2 resets and you'll log back in outside the Shroud. The only way to avoid this is if someone else waits for you and holds the instance open.

That's how it's intended. If you're coming back outside the raid dungeon, and you haven't been kicked from the party and the instance you were in when you disconnected was never deserted, then that's a bug and should be reported as such.


~Silthe

OK, word to the wise then everyone. If someone dc's in part 1 (portal lag anyone?) keep someone in the section. The next time could be YOU!

[tihocan]

This should only be happening if the instance is deserted. Normally, once everyone leaves an instance, it takes a few minutes for it to reset. In order to fix an early Dragon exploit, all raids are set to have their instances reset as soon as they are empty. You're noticing this mostly in the multi-part raids such as the Shroud, because people often move on instead of waiting for the disconnected player.

So if you disconnect in the Shroud part 2, and the rest of the party moves to Part 3 before you get back, the instance of Shroud 2 resets and you'll log back in outside the Shroud. The only way to avoid this is if someone else waits for you and holds the instance open.

That's how it's intended. If you're coming back outside the raid dungeon, and you haven't been kicked from the party and the instance you were in when you disconnected was never deserted, then that's a bug and should be reported as such.

Hmm this doesn't make any sense to me, the Shroud is a single instance.

[Gol]

So if you disconnect in the Shroud part 2, and the rest of the party moves to Part 3 before you get back, the instance of Shroud 2 resets and you'll log back in outside the Shroud. The only way to avoid this is if someone else waits for you and holds the instance open.

Silly me thinking that 5 spots of the same map with the same instance name were actually the same instance.

[Turial]

This should only be happening if the instance is deserted. Normally, once everyone leaves an instance, it takes a few minutes for it to reset. In order to fix an early Dragon exploit, all raids are set to have their instances reset as soon as they are empty. You're noticing this mostly in the multi-part raids such as the Shroud, because people often move on instead of waiting for the disconnected player.

So if you disconnect in the Shroud part 2, and the rest of the party moves to Part 3 before you get back, the instance of Shroud 2 resets and you'll log back in outside the Shroud. The only way to avoid this is if someone else waits for you and holds the instance open.

That's how it's intended. If you're coming back outside the raid dungeon, and you haven't been kicked from the party and the instance you were in when you disconnected was never deserted, then that's a bug and should be reported as such.


~Silthe

If that is the case, how do you explain cases where Segratta (sp?) ends up in part 1? I had a group where Segratta dissapeared on us and we submitted a ticket to the GM's.

I was contacted and the GM told me Segratta appears to be in part 1 of the shroud. To which we replied, would you be able to respawn him at full health for us at the central starting point?

He respawned Segratta for us but the mob teleported into a tree and was stuck.

Side story: We submited another ticket and got the GM to respawn the mob 1 more time. Needless to say we were all very surprised to encounter not 1 but 3 identical segratta mobs. We all went to our graves laughing.

[Silthe]

A question about the new character generator.

Is there any way to choose alignment, and utilize your 32 point build, if you select one of the 3 pre-made paths?

As far as I can tell, if you want the path name on your character sheet, you end up with an alignment chosen for you, and a 28 point build?

Regards,

Atisha

No, sorry. The "Path" system of character generation is intended for new players who don't really know what all the numbers mean. Since the paths give you nothing extra, just make creation and advancement decisions for you, it is expected that veteran players will customize their character and not use the Paths.

There was quite a discussion over whether to include paths for Drow or not, but ultimately it was easier to include them than have a separate menu system to create drow. And these days 400 favor doesn't necessarily mean you know what all the numbers signify.


~Silthe

[Silthe]

Hmm this doesn't make any sense to me, the Shroud is a single instance.

I went back and elaborated a little in my post. Hope that explains it better.


~Silthe

[Wizzly_Bear]

EDIT: Digging a little deeper, it turns out this needs more explanation. It's true that the Shroud is one big instance, so the use of instance in the above explanation is misleading. The code involved resets by "landblock" which is just a large section of geography our engine uses for various calculations and such. Most dungeons are contained within one landblock, so resetting it resets the instance. The Shroud covers several landblocks, and when a landblock in a raid becomes empty, it will reset. My example above isn't terribly accurate since the landblocks don't coincide directly with the phases, although the workaround is. If someone disconnects, have someone else hang out in the general area until they come back.

I hope that made more sense.


~Silthe

if it "resets" then why dont the objectives and enemies reset?

[Silthe]

if it "resets" then why dont the objectives and enemies reset?

Because the area resets, not the quest. The game still remembers the state of the quest as long as someone is in it. If no one else was in the raid and you disconnect, the area AND the quest would reset.


~Silthe

[Pwesiela]

Because the area resets, not the quest. The game still remembers the state of the quest as long as someone is in it. If no one else was in the raid and you disconnect, the area AND the quest would reset.


~Silthe

So basically, the Shroud is...complicated.

[Dymond]

OK to double up on this I also submitted it as a bug but I'm not sure if its just my machine or are other people seeing this as well. I have 3 vertical toolbars on my cleric so I can't have the The Quest XP box on the far right or it will end up under my toolbars. So normally you can reposition the box where you want it and the game will remember where it was the next time you begin another quest. Since Mod 8 this doesn't happen. Every quest the box ends up on the far right, under all my toolbars. Is this a bug or is it just happening on my machine?

[Shima-ra]

Thanks Silthe, thats good info on the Shroud.
Now we can help friends who loose connection.

[Silthe]

OK to double up on this I also submitted it as a bug but I'm not sure if its just my machine or are other people seeing this as well. I have 3 vertical toolbars on my cleric so I can't have the The Quest XP box on the far right or it will end up under my toolbars. So normally you can reposition the box where you want it and the game will remember where it was the next time you begin another quest. Since Mod 8 this doesn't happen. Every quest the box ends up on the far right, under all my toolbars. Is this a bug or is it just happening on my machine?

Heck no, that's not just you. And it sure as heck isn't intended. I'm fairly certain it's been reported already, but it never hurts to submit it yourself. We'd rather get two reports than no reports.


~Silthe

[Silthe]

So basically, the Shroud is...complicated.

I should have just said that.


~Silthe

[SlipperyPete]

Second attempt

Could you please tell me if the tool bar problem mentioned in the below thread is a legitimate bug and if so why it hasn't been addressed in almost 2 years and if it's not, why?

Bug reports and threads trying to address the matter have been ignored over and over and over.

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=130327

Thank you

[vyvy3369]

This should only be happening if the instance is deserted. Normally, once everyone leaves an instance, it takes a few minutes for it to reset. In order to fix an early Dragon exploit, all raids are set to have their instances reset as soon as they are empty. You're noticing this mostly in the multi-part raids such as the Shroud, because people often move on instead of waiting for the disconnected player.

So if you disconnect in the Shroud part 2, and the rest of the party moves to Part 3 before you get back, the instance of Shroud 2 resets and you'll log back in outside the Shroud. The only way to avoid this is if someone else waits for you and holds the instance open.

That's how it's intended. If you're coming back outside the raid dungeon, and you haven't been kicked from the party and the instance you were in when you disconnected was never deserted, then that's a bug and should be reported as such.

EDIT: Digging a little deeper, it turns out this needs more explanation. It's true that the Shroud is one big instance, so the use of instance in the above explanation is misleading. The code involved resets by "landblock" which is just a large section of geography our engine uses for various calculations and such. Most dungeons are contained within one landblock, so resetting it resets the instance. The Shroud covers several landblocks, and when a landblock in a raid becomes empty, it will reset. My example above isn't terribly accurate since the landblocks don't coincide directly with the phases, although the workaround is. If someone disconnects, have someone else hang out in the general area until they come back.

I hope that made more sense.


~Silthe

That makes more sense, but doesn't seem to match the behavior we've been seeing. The most accurate theory we've seen is that it seems to make a difference in how the game exits - if you're stuck on a long loading screen and close/alt+f4, you seem to come back OK. If your client completely crashes, internet connection dies, etc. you seem to get booted out of the instance upon logging back in. For example, the day I originally posted that it happened to me twice (client crashed once and I think my internet connection died once) - once in VoD while fighting one of the waves of bearded devils (so the area most certainly wasn't ever vacated), and the other was inside the Twilight Forge Core up on one of the ledges (they may have moved around the ledge a bit, but they were still in when I reconnected to find myself in the Volcano). In any case, it's good to have more knowledge and hopefully prevent this, and thankfully it doesn't happen incredibly often.

[AxeM]

Also everybody can exit the Twilight Forge and come back and it won't have reset at all.

Perhaps we could get an accurate explanation of how this works instead?

[Gadget2775]

That makes more sense, but doesn't seem to match the behavior we've been seeing. The most accurate theory we've seen is that it seems to make a difference in how the game exits - if you're stuck on a long loading screen and close/alt+f4, you seem to come back OK. If your client completely crashes, internet connection dies, etc. you seem to get booted out of the instance upon logging back in. For example, the day I originally posted that it happened to me twice (client crashed once and I think my internet connection died once) - once in VoD while fighting one of the waves of bearded devils (so the area most certainly wasn't ever vacated), and the other was inside the Twilight Forge Core up on one of the ledges (they may have moved around the ledge a bit, but they were still in when I reconnected to find myself in the Volcano). In any case, it's good to have more knowledge and hopefully prevent this, and thankfully it doesn't happen incredibly often.

Don't know if this will help lock the bug down or not...When we have a guildy go link dead while running the Shroud we've found that if they avoid reconnecting prior to showing fully LD (gone and grayed out in the party indicator) they can return to the quest. (We use Vent to let them know when they're fully disconnected) If they try to reconnect their client without waiting to be fully LD they end up back in the harbor.

[Pwesiela]

Don't know if this will help lock the bug down or not...When we have a guildy go link dead while running the Shroud we've found that if they avoid reconnecting prior to showing fully LD (gone and grayed out in the party indicator) they can return to the quest. (We use Vent to let them know when they're fully disconnected) If they try to reconnect their client without waiting to be fully LD they end up back in the harbor.

Ah, but when they appeared in the harbor, was the part of the shroud they DC'd in still inhabited by team members? From the above posts, it looks like it doesn't matter if they've "totally dc'd" or not, only that the section of the shroud you're in (portals, maze, puzzles, big reds) still has at least one teammate in there.

Also, when you get back to your selection screen after rebooting the game, you will (or should be) always be grayed out in the party.