Reanimate bug, source discovered (?) Please read.

[IndyPendant]

After the Scale-Loss Bug fiasco last year, I hesitate to state definitively that "I have figured out what caused the bug". (Although at least my post eventually led to the solution to the Scale-Loss Bug, even if the solution I had offered ended up totally incorrect. *sigh* ; )

I was unwilling to go AI because I want to destroy the honourless pondscum who violated our treaty. So when I learned that no one else knew what could be causing this bug, or had even heard of it before, I started thinking. What had I done differently two turns ago (three now) that could be unique enough to have caused this issue for me--and no one else?

And I realized that I have been paying for Obscuro the Hidden Master since very nearly the beginning of the game. He was my lowest-numbered unit, first in the leader display on the map in my capital province, Researching there almost from the start of the game. --Researching, that is, until...two turns ago.

Two turns ago (again, three turns now) I had set Obscuro to repeat-cast Auspex. And I suddenly stopped Reanimating. So last turn I changed him back to Research and completed the rest my turn as normally as possible--limiting myself to recruitment, moving armies, etc, and avoiding anything I hadn't done before (so I did not bid for any mercs for example). I then submitted my turn and waited for Llamaserver's response. When I checked my new, current turn I'm Reanimating normally again.

So I now state that I am reasonably certain (heh), without delving into the programming itself, that something about Obscuro repeat-casting Auspex instead of Researching interferes with Reanimation. Possibly he has to be at or near the top of the sequence of unit ID numbers. Perhaps he has to have been Researching previously. Perhaps it's just Obscuro, perhaps it can be any merc. Perhaps it's just Auspex, just site-searching spells, or perhaps it can be any Ritual spell. Perhaps he has to be set to repeat-cast the spell, or perhaps it's any time he casts Rituals. Or perhaps it's even something else entirely, and the bug went away for a completely different reason. For obvious reasons, I'm unwilling to experiment further in a MP game in the middle of a war against someone I really want to bury. ; ) --And if I do discover more information that narrows things down or eliminates any possibilities, I will let you know.

I'm just glad the bug is no longer crippling me. The loss of two turns of Reanimation is definitely a noticeable blow, but one I can recover from.

Thanks for your help everyone! --Edi, do you think I should post this on that bug list thread?

[MaxWilson]

Hmmm, interesting. Thanks for the update.

[Ironhawk]

Did you lose Obscuro by not paying for him?

I dont have any real experience with your situation, but off the top of my head, I would guess that the problem has to do with monthly rituals interacting with Reanimation (another monthly event). I wouldnt think it was Obscuro or Auspex specifically.

[Evil Dave]

IndyPendant,

If you saved a copy of your files while you were having the problem, the Devs will probably want to look at them. Even if Obscuro is blameless, it seems like strange behavior.

[Aezeal]

Well this situation is quite specific.. it should be reproducable and then one could change each factor and see which one was the perpetrator. (I'm not doing this btw)

[Wokeye]

I blame Obscuro. As an honourless merc, I suspect someone had him on the payroll to disrupt your nation. It *may* have been me...maybe not.

[llamabeast]

Is it on the LlamaServer? If so I'll have copies of all the files.

[Chacal]

Yes, Obscuro has bribed your reanimators ! You should put him to death immediately, better : polymorph him into a random monster and send him against your foes as well as the reanimators he bribed !