Multiplayer Saves

[Lewin]

Hello Everybody,
I find it quite annoying that you cannot play saved multiplayer games in KaM. When you select them it displays some really random stuff in the description. (such as 0 players and out of bounds width/height) Here is a screenshot of that. You can see that no one is allow to join, because there are no free slots.
I thought that maybe the multiplayer saves were completely corrupt, but I disproved that by starting the save in single player mode, and it worked! (although I lost the game straight away) I could see the map and my storehouse/units for a few second anyway. So the multiplayer saving system was not so broken.
So I had a look at a save file. First I found that the map is saved in exactly the same format near the start of the file. (it varies between files, so I can't give an index) I found a few interesting values after quite a bit of experimenting. Each player has a section of code right near the beginning and in that there is a byte that states whether they are allowed in the game or not. In normal (single player) games these are just left as 0. When KaM saves a multiplayer game they are also 0. However, if you set them to FF then they are allowed to join.

Here is a list of the values I found:

$80 contains the total number of players displayed in the description. (but it doesn't effect whether players can join or not)

$361 is player 1's enable control (0 for cannot join, FF for can join)
$75F is player 2's
$F5B is player 4's
$1757 is player 6's

I can find the others, (but I am too lazy to do it for this) and I am sure you will be able to as well. They are evenly spaced due to the fact that they are in the players section.
Ok, so then I saved a 2 player multiplayer game and enabled the first 2 players. I then hooked 2 computers together and tested it.
I worked! The start button was now enabled, and both computers were selected. I clicked start. Then it said: "Transferring saved game"
Screenshot (as far as I know no one else has seen this before!!!)
Now for the bad news: It crashed just after the transfer was complete.
Still, I have achieved something, even if it is just that screenshot.

Then I had a great idea, why not test an old version to see if the bug existed then? So I tried 1.52, and it still didn't work, and it crashed after transferring when I enabled the players.
I did the same thing with 1.1471. When I selected a save created by a newer version it still displayed the corrupt values. I was unable to test creating a save due to computer availability. (family needed to use the spare one) My guess is that it still won't work.

I guess I was being a bit hopeful to think that I could fix this issue, but anyway. If someone else decides to decode the save files then my info may be of some help.

If anyone knows if the multiplayer saves were ever working then PLEASE let me know so I can see if it is a change in the save file or in the EXE.
Lewin.

[kuba11100]

Hmm... I tried with loading multiplayer saves in TSK (v 1.32 PL) on one computer (yeah, running two copies of game and connecting to 127.0.0.1), and it worked. In TPR 1.58 SR2 that trick is not working (error at starting 2 on 1 computer game, and then crash), so I couldn't check it there.

//edit:

Now for the bad news: It crashed just after the transfer was complete.

How many times you tried to load? If I remember correctly, it sometimes crash a second after start, also when starting new game.

[Humbelum]

In TSK 1.32 DE the savegames works everytime correctly. I tested it with 3 PCs in IPX and TCP/IP at LAN.

I think its pointless to play TPR in Multiplayer because every time I tested it, it doesn't synchronize. And loading Savegames doesn't work too. Corrupt Savegames or it loads till 99/100 and then stops.


On KaM de there is a patchhistory and it says:
TPR
in Version 1.471 new bugs:
-Problems with loading Savegames in Multiplayer
-Problems with Datatransfer in Multiplayer

in V 1.56 RE(I think
- After loading Multiplayer savegame the game crashes

TSK
with Patch 1.32
- Fixed Crashes in TCP/IP

Source: KaM de -> Version History

[Lewin]

Hmm... I tried with loading multiplayer saves in TSK (v 1.32 PL) on one computer (yeah, running two copies of game and connecting to 127.0.0.1), and it worked.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that I was using TPR. As far as I know TSK works flawlessly. (no out of synch, no crash when loading saves...)

How many times you tried to load? If I remember correctly, it sometimes crash a second after start, also when starting new game.

Twice. I really do think it's broken though, because all I did was stuff around with the file until it let me start, so I could have broken something else.

In TSK 1.32 DE the savegames works everytime correctly. I tested it with 3 PCs in IPX and TCP/IP at LAN.

Once again, I'm talking about TPR saves.

I think its pointless to play TPR in Multiplayer because every time I tested it, it doesn't synchronize. And loading Savegames doesn't work too. Corrupt Savegames or it loads till 99/100 and then stops.

Yeah, I guess it's pointless trying. After all, TSK works fine and even if loading saves did work, the out of synch bug would still exist.

Lewin.

[kuba11100]

Twice. I really do think it's broken though, because all I did was stuff around with the file until it let me start, so I could have broken something else.

How did it look like? Have you seen the game during one second and then freeze? That happens also in my TSK and I sometimes have to start the game multiple times before it stop freezing (more than twice).

[Danjb]

Once again, I'm talking about TPR saves.

I was gonna say, they've worked fine for me on TSK. I can't believe they'd release a game with a bug like that!

[Merchator]

Some months/years ago I tried to load a saved multiplayer game(TSK), but it freezes at 0/100. Because of this bug we had to cancel a tournament, which was planned by some users of the german fansite.

I never tried TPR. I even never played it online. Too much bugs, it is unplayable if you want to play it more than 1 hour.

BTW, wouldn't it be interesting how the normal (offline) savegames are coded? Changing existing mission should be possible? (Okay, at least you can change the amount of wares in your storehouse.)

[Danjb]

Actually, when I say they've worked fine for me on TSK, sometimes it crashes and takes a few tries before it decides to work, for some reason...

[Lewin]

How did it look like? Have you seen the game during one second and then freeze? That happens also in my TSK and I sometimes have to start the game multiple times before it stop freezing (more than twice).

Ok, once the transfer was complete, the screen went black, and the crash report appeared. I never saw the game at all.

@Merchator: Did you retry it when the copy wouldn't work in the TSK competition? From what people say it sometimes freezes when starting or transferring, but after that it works.

BTW, wouldn't it be interesting how the normal (offline) savegames are coded? Changing existing mission should be possible? (Okay, at least you can change the amount of wares in your storehouse.)

Well, I know something! I know that the map is stored near the start of the file, but not at a fixed location. (it varies between saves) It is the same format as in normal map files. (I think...) This might explain some of the unknown values, they might only be used in saves? So it's quite easy to extract a map file from a save. (or modify the map in a save)
I don't know much else though...
Lewin.

[Litude]

Hmmm... I wonder if the save format between TSK and TPR is any different at all. Maybe it would be possible to put a save from TSK into TPR with some minimal tinkering? Note that the save format was changed in 1.56 so use 1.52 or earlier if you intend to test that.

[Lewin]

Yeah, that was what I was thinking. However, who would want to? You'd still have the out of sync bug. (well I assume you would)
Such a shame, because it would be great to play TPR with other people. Still, TSK is pretty good.
I have no intention of trying to do this though, because it seems pointless. I have some far more important things to do. (like mission editor, assembly changes for SR3 and beta testing SR3)
Lewin.

[Categoricus]

Well, during two tries I haven't succeded to reload a game in 1.31 Hungarian. You can say that Hungarian version is totally a joke, as Battle tutorial was left out from the main menu etc. but anyways. TSK you mentioned to work fine and it doesn't.

[Litude]

I think the battle tutorial was exclusive to the English version of the game (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), but restoring saved games should be possible. What kind of problems did you get?

[Categoricus]

As I was the host, process stopped at 0% or 1%, to the client it stopped at 2%. After changing task (it heither worked properly) KM_TPR.exe never listened to me more, although it did to the client and kept showing the same process state even when I had already forcingly terminated my application. After all we had tried it three times, always having the same problem. Maybe the trouble is we Hungarians don't have an 1.32 just an 1.31 version (I neither know any 1.30 one).

[Syriusz]

Hello Everybody,
I find it quite annoying that you cannot play saved multiplayer games in KaM. When you select them it displays some really random stuff in the description. (such as 0 players and out of bounds width/height) You can see that no one is allow to join, because there are no free slots.
I thought that maybe the multiplayer saves were completely corrupt, but I disproved that by starting the save in single player mode, and it worked! (although I lost the game straight away) I could see the map and my storehouse/units for a few second anyway. So the multiplayer saving system was not so broken.
So I had a look at a save file. First I found that the map is saved in exactly the same format near the start of the file. (it varies between files, so I can't give an index) I found a few interesting values after quite a bit of experimenting. Each player has a section of code right near the beginning and in that there is a byte that states whether they are allowed in the game or not. In normal (single player) games these are just left as 0. When KaM saves a multiplayer game they are also 0. However, if you set them to FF then they are allowed to join.

Here is a list of the values I found:

$80 contains the total number of players displayed in the description. (but it doesn't effect whether players can join or not)

$361 is player 1's enable control (0 for cannot join, FF for can join)
$75F is player 2's
$F5B is player 4's
$1757 is player 6's

I can find the others, (but I am too lazy to do it for this) and I am sure you will be able to as well. They are evenly spaced due to the fact that they are in the players section.
Ok, so then I saved a 2 player multiplayer game and enabled the first 2 players. I then hooked 2 computers together and tested it.
I worked! The start button was now enabled, and both computers were selected. I clicked start. Then it said: "Transferring saved game"
(as far as I know no one else has seen this before!!!)
Now for the bad news: It crashed just after the transfer was complete.
Still, I have achieved something, even if it is just that screenshot.

Then I had a great idea, why not test an old version to see if the bug existed then? So I tried 1.52, and it still didn't work, and it crashed after transferring when I enabled the players.
I did the same thing with 1.1471. When I selected a save created by a newer version it still displayed the corrupt values. I was unable to test creating a save due to computer availability. (family needed to use the spare one) My guess is that it still won't work.

I guess I was being a bit hopeful to think that I could fix this issue, but anyway. If someone else decides to decode the save files then my info may be of some help.

If anyone knows if the multiplayer saves were ever working then PLEASE let me know so I can see if it is a change in the save file or in the EXE.
Lewin.

OMG... you use to HEXeditor or other program?? I use HEXEDITOR but I can not find a value of $ 361 ($ in hexeditor... ???) , etc. why? Where are they? I need hel