Re: 2 Urgent fixes needed for MMF2
BODY OF REPORT SENT TO CLICKTEAM [04/05/10]
INTRODUCTION:
Essentially, the problem occurs upon loading a saved frame position, most often in complex frames where many objects are being handled although some objects trigger the display glitches more readily than others (for no apparent reason). Objects that are either disappearing (after being destroyed) and objects that are being launched/fired are those most at risk of being affected. Where there are many instances of the same object (ie. bullets) - these objects are also those most at risk of suffering from, what several other users describe as a "graphical glitch".
SYMPTOMS:
Sometimes when the frame is restored the objects, mentioned above, exhibit the following behaviour:
1. Collisions no longer work. (making homing missiles loop around and around their targets and flying straight through them without being destroyed),
2. Bullets' movements no longer work, as though the object has been pasted into the background, (although use of the event editor action "clear all created backdrops" fails to eradicate these objects).
In both cases above - these objects cannot be destroyed.
3. When any of these above situations occur, application stability is compromised. After (at-most) a handful of further attempts at loading/saving or changing between frames will cause the application to freeze in many recent versions of MMF2 (or prompt an error message).
FURTHER OBSERVATIONS:
1. The action "Load Application Position" seems to be non-functional.
2. Save Frame files are only useable within the same instance of the game. If I save a game on Wednesday, I cannot then open it after I start the game again on Thursday. That save-file is only useable until I close my game. After that it is somehow invalid and causes many crashes mentioned in Symptom 3 without the conditions of Symptoms 1 and 2 needing to be met. These crashes occur when leaving the loaded frame or when an attempt is made to load again.
EXAMPLE
Here is a simple example of the problem. The 'disappearing' object featured in the example wreaks havoc with Save/Load. Press S and L to load the application.
1. In certain versions of MMF2, the object is 'pasted' into the background as described and is unremoveable and unresponsive.
2. In other versions the loading operation is interrupted by an error message and the application continues without having been loaded.
http://www.xbomber.co.uk/files/SLTEST.mfa
FURTHER REMARKS / OBSERVATIONS / REVIEW
I would direct you to the following thread where the matter is discussed at some length
http://www.clickteam.com/epicenter/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=177621
The issue in question is also the subject of the following forum threads (and possibly others). It is described by others as a graphical glitch, which is accurate, however this glitch is only part of a larger problem.
Most importantly to me, as these two others have reported this problem in applications that are doubtless newer than my game and which were surely originally created in MMF2, (my file dates back to 2002 and TGF), it alleviates my application of guilt.
http://www.clickteam.com/epicenter/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=171173
http://www.clickteam.com/epicenter/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=171635