OMG!!!WTH??

Bakas · Seaman Posts: 162 **232 Gold** -

ok, i just attacked Havana when it was controlled by the English after they had captured it. I over ran them 186 to -2678!!! how can you have negative soldiers??? WHAT THE HECK??? is this just a really weird bug?
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Kristian95 · Boatswain Posts: 3091 **4687 Gold** -

it is one of those "we haven't made the byte size for the soldier counter big enough" bug..... thus there's been an overflow and it's gone back to negative numbers Sad

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DrBeast · Cutthroat Posts: 489 **5316 Gold** -

Yah...the maximum number of soldiers that can be garrisoned are 2520. If that number is increased somehow (eg a troop ship arrives with more troops) that number will become negative. Something similar will happen if the city is crowded to the max (46000 or 48000, don't remember): if another immigrant ship arrives the number will reset, not to negative values, but to the minimum of inhabitants (whatever that is, can't remember right now!).
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Vulture · Gunner Posts: 501 **606 Gold** -

Just be glad they didn't have negative gold!!! There is a negative gold bug effecting ships out there too.
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DrBeast · Cutthroat Posts: 489 **5316 Gold** -

QBRADQ · Seaman Posts: 134 **4756 Gold** -

Yesh, what ever happened to 16-bit intergers? These are the kind of bugs that occur when a peice of software is targeted at too low a minimal system.

Also, why would a city or ship ever have a negitive amount of anything? HELLO! Unsigned variables, please! I swear, I will never understand why they call those types of practices "Professional".

Kay, thought I would rant a bit.
QBRADQ
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headrock · Rigger Posts: 1512 **354 Gold** -

rupertlittlebear · Helmsman Posts: 4434 **10381 Gold** -

QBRADQ · Seaman Posts: 134 **4756 Gold** -

Wow, I go to the bathroom to wash my hands, and there's already two more replies. Holy cow! Very Happy

The most I've ever seen was 1600 in Panama (1680, on Rouge), and I thought that was obsurd enough!

I suppose if I ever manage to get 1Mil in gold (and thus can keep a crew of 1000) I'll sack the place. But that doesn't seem likely. I'll probly move up to Swash before that happens.

Q-MAN-CHEW!
QBRADQ
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TheDon · Rigger Posts: 1289 **16718 Gold** -

Hmmm... the negative number bug must be active on ship damage, too. I've pounded ships to splinters before and then, once boarding and capturing, the ship shows 0 damage to sails and hull.
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QBRADQ · Seaman Posts: 134 **4756 Gold** -

Speaking from a programming point of view, that seems very unlikly. Ranges for values include:

Signed Character: -127 - 0 - 127
Unsigned Character: 0 - 255
Signed Short: - 32767 - 0 - 32767
Unsigned Short: 0 - 65535

And it goes up from there. Unless they are using some application-defined floating point value with custom opperators and such (read, Unless they are using something way to complicated to be benificial), I don't think that would be caused by rollover.

Then again, it's quite possible they are using something like this. Seems programmers (myself included, though I'ma amature) tend to think the more complicated something is, the better it is.

Perhaps this is realted to some other, less identifyable bug. Could you post some specifics on when this usualy occurs, and what the situation is? That is, if you can recall.

I know that after quite a few battles in which I took shot after shot from large war vessels, I had not suffered any damage. I chalked this up to lower difficulty levels and iron reinforcements. Never seen it with an enemy ship though.

Blogs are bad, m'kay?
QBRADQ
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TheDon · Rigger Posts: 1289 **16718 Gold** -

It happened just last night. I was attacking a Spanish Treasure Galleon that had a Sloop of War escort. I pounded the 20-gun escort til she had 3 guns left, then demasted her. She was a floating hulk of splinters with massive amounts of smoke pouring out of her. When I captured her to get her booty (67 tons of Luxuries and 68 tons of Spice, plus just under 1000 gold), she showed NO damage. I took her to port and sold her, but I don't remember if she showed damage then. In fact, I think I remember she did, something like 98% Hull damage because I was surprised that with that much damage it didn't just sink.
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Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon Bonaparte

rupertlittlebear · Helmsman Posts: 4434 **10381 Gold** -

TheDon · Rigger Posts: 1289 **16718 Gold** -

QBRADQ · Seaman Posts: 134 **4756 Gold** -

Perhaps this is realted to the odd behaviors one can observe with escort ships. I'll see if I can't reproduce this inconsitenet damage reporting.
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