Anyone seriously testing the game save/load features?

from Stardock Forums
Besides me?

The reason I ask is that this is going to be one of the hardest areas to find errors that could
be the biggest problem with playability.

Just to have some pattern to follow (to make it easier on me - OK, call it cheating if you like),
I have been saving before exploring an anomoly, exploring the anomoly, then if it is not
money, reloading the game - directly from the options window (the one you get by pressing
the escape key). After doing this many times I have, on a few occasions, gotten a memory
wipe. Since WinME is so poor at protecting itself, it allows itself to get distroyed, and the OS
crashes. No Exception reports, nothing at all (only BRS works).

So, if someone with a different OS tests this way perhaps it would be possible to get an
exception report instead of a memory wipe. I am using a gigantic galaxy, have all races
in the game at about a midpoint intelligence with random goodness/evilness, and habitable
planets at max.

Anyone up for a challange? I have run the total population up to over 2,500,000 million. (I
was trying to "break" the population counter).

Cheers,
Jack
206 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I have used both the saved and resume and start new game features over and over. I did get one bug notice on exiting after saving. I haven't actually tried to distinguish the save and resume features (i. e., save, play some more, and then go back to saved game to see if it starts back when you saved it). I haven't since you can't give saved games names. Has anyone tested the distinction?
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Jack,
I have had no real problems with the save and load but I haven't been 'abusing' ;-) it as much as you. I have windows 2000 which is much better at protecting itself from memory errors. I can happily test this heavily over the weekend,

Paul.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Paul, and everyone,

May I suggest that the save/load function will be the most critical function of the game and that it
should be tested to the point well beyond the point of abuse? IMHO If it does not work flawlessly
by release 1.0 it will be the function most likely to get GalCiv panned by users and/or reviewers.

Cheers,
Jack
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Hey Jack/John do you want us to update your name... LOL
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Jack,
I spent the weekend playing with this. I've used the last two builds. Overall it's working very well early game for the older build. There are some random seeming crashes in the later stages of games, but over 470 out of 500 saves reloaded as expected (various times, before various actions and screens).
Not sure of the latest build yet. It seems fairly stable for loading and saving but I haven't checks that everything is being stored yet.
Paul.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I think that I have fixed the problem with the occasional crash when loading/starting a new game from within a game.