Vanishing buildings

Beeg · #1 April 1st, 2021, 07:00 AM

Whenever a big (multi-hex) building is hit by a large enough bomb or shell in the top left corner, the whole building icon vanishes. For game play, the game still shows there is a building there but there's no corresponding graphic. This happens regardless of the scenario. I've searched as well as I can but can't find any discussions about this. Perhaps it's just on my end? Any help?

DRG · #2 April 1st, 2021, 07:33 AM

The top left corner is the registration hex for large buildings but there is something going on with your game on your computer that nobody else is seeing otherwise we'd be flooded with the same reports and we're not.

I just tested this and targeted the upper left of the multi hex building with Hvy arty... the building has not vanished

Beeg · #3 April 2nd, 2021, 05:14 AM

It must be my PC but it's bizarre that it only affects that one feature. I've been playing SP since it's inception and haven't seen it before but I did upgrade my PC a few months ago. Any thoughts on what the cause might be?

I also have a graphics hiccup when I play scenario 12 (Operation Jupiter)... I get grass hexes popping up over the regular hexes on the left side of the map during game play. They go away when I hit the 'clear' key but come back when the game resumes. As I recall, I may have seen that in other scenarios as well (maybe it's the older ones).

Karagin · #4 April 1st, 2021, 11:51 AM

I had them vanish and I was like cool total collapse, now I can move through the area...found out REAL QUICK the building was still there...and a stuck T80...

So they didn't go anywhere.

Imp · #5 April 1st, 2021, 07:43 PM

I have seen it once or twice in the distant past.
Some multi hex buildings do seem to have a problem when placing them.
To my knowledge roads are the only terrain feature that can be added to that hex once the building is placed.

however try filling a large area with trees & placing different multi hex buildings.
Some change the ground to clear & place the building as expected.
Some also clear the trees in the top left corner hex.
Some do not clear the ground the trees remain but the graphics for them vanish.
Not sure on this but a couple from memory clear terrain features from the hex row above.

Sorry if I ruined your day

Imp · #6 April 1st, 2021, 08:18 PM

Sorry for double post one of these may be the culprit - to my way of thinking possibly the one that clears a terrain feature in the top left corner. What happens when its replaced with a shell hole?

zovs66 · #7 April 2nd, 2021, 06:22 AM

I'd reinstall the game, you got some kind of corruption going on.

Mobhack · #8 April 2nd, 2021, 06:30 AM

Multi-hex buildings vanising if the key hex is destroyed has always been an SP "thing". I put in code long ago to make the other hexes of the multi-hex building register as a building (in the original SSI code, the hexes other than the key were left as clear or whatever terrain IIRC). That was long ago in the MS-DOS days of the game.

But it still comes up from time to time.

As to your weird scenario - looks like you have a corrupt set of terrain tiles?. As zovs said - reinstall, but I would do a windows disk check as well, there may be lost clusters.

Beeg · #9 April 2nd, 2021, 06:45 AM

Thanks everyone. Looks like I need to dig out my old game CD and do a reinstall.

I know you've heard it before but Don, Andy and the team... you're the best! Thanks for continuing the SP legacy long past when most other games fall by the wayside.

DRG · #10 April 2nd, 2021, 08:00 AM

Which scenario was it and which building was it SPECIFICALLY that you saw this happen to? Scenario number and X/ Y coordinate from the top of the screen is all I need if you cannot make a screen shot.

There used to be a problem that when the registration hex was off screen the multihex building disappeared but that was fixed so long ago I forget when that was.

I DID see a building vanish when I rubbled the registration hex in scenario 6 the barakady but it was very brief and the main building was restored to the map almost instantly But during the moment the hex was being rubbled the building winked out then re-appeared. Is that what you are seeing ?

The next question is what is your preference set to for animation? Animation controls far more than just shots fired or movement. It affects how many sounds you hear fired from a squad and a host of other things. If you have it turned down turn it up...if it's up turn it down halfway and try that