Prop pox.

Dreamcat · August 22, 2009, 09:13:02 AM

I believe I have prop pox, but I am not sure yet.

Here's a picture:

So is this it?

Only a small part of my city has no props. I think things worked perfectly before I completely redid my plugins folder with CAM, but I doubt it's CAM's fault.

I am NOT obliterating this city. I worked so freaking hard on this city.

Any help?

RippleJet · August 22, 2009, 09:33:26 AM

I can see some props (fences and sheds) on the lots facing the street on the very left...
Thus, I think we can rule out the possibility that you'd have your Graphics Settings / City Details set on anything else but High.

If the edge seen to the right is the eastern edge of the the city, then yes, you most probably do have the prop pox.
16 tiles free of props corresponds to four tracts (4×4 tiles), and whenever the pox hits, the props usually disappear in those tracts being closest to the eastern edge.

WC_EEND · August 22, 2009, 09:48:00 AM

there is a tool on the LEX to check for it: here

Dreamcat · August 22, 2009, 11:30:56 AM

Um, how does that tool check for the pox?

Also, I have a backup of the city from a couple days ago, and I don't think it had prop pox then. I think that was also before I downloaded CAM...

I'll try uninstalling CAM.

WC_EEND · August 22, 2009, 11:33:50 AM

Quote from: Dreamcat on August 22, 2009, 11:30:56 AM
Um, how does that tool check for the pox?

Also, I have a backup of the city from a couple days ago, and I don't think it had prop pox then. I think that was also before I downloaded CAM...

I'll try uninstalling CAM.

just open your savegame with the tool

BarbyW · August 22, 2009, 12:19:50 PM

You will see how to use SC4Save from here in the main thread about Prop Pox.
CAM will not cause Prop Pox in itself.

SC4BOY · August 22, 2009, 01:33:19 PM

Currently there is no way to permanently fix the city for prop pox.. it appears that once its there its always there... it seems (as in the thread you were sent to) to be temporarily removed, but it always comes back.. There are still investigations going on wrt it.. but I think a lot of people have become rather resolved that it can't be permanently solved.. maybe someday...

Dreamcat · August 22, 2009, 02:14:34 PM

So is my SC4 career over?

Should I empty the Plugins?

Should I load from a backup?

Dreamcat · August 22, 2009, 09:51:42 PM

I'm starting to understand this a bit better.

The savegame explorer confirmed that my city was proppox'd. However I loaded from a recent backup and things are fine, So I'm happy.

I need to know how to not make it happen again though.

From the thread it says:

QuoteIf you have Prop Pox and does not have Pegasus' beach pack, I suggest you scan your prop packages in search of modified original Maxis props. Changing the values of the properties of a Maxis prop is fine. Changing the number of properties (p.ex., adding a new property) opens a way to Prop Pox. You are also advised to search for multiply defined custom props. They may also lead to Prop Pox if the exemplar of the last read definition of the prop is larger than the first read one.

HOW do I scan my prop packages?

This is what I want.

What is multiply defined custom props?

More than one of the same instance?

This COULD be it...

I may have installed the same pack more than once due to stupidity/and/or/forgetfulness.

Should I check through my folders?

sithlrd98 · August 22, 2009, 09:58:19 PM

OK, did you download anything between the backup and the save game you were running? I would suggest either using Cleanitol from the LEX or grab a dup file finder off of Google. I am not Tage so I can't answer as thorough as he does , but it may give you a start until he can respond.

Jayson

RippleJet · August 23, 2009, 06:46:17 AM

At the moment there is indeed no cure to the prop pox...
Even if your previously backed up city is not poxed at the moment, it is most probably infected and will develop the pox once the prop subfile exceeeds 16 MB in size and becomes uncompressed.

There is also no tool available for scanning your plugins for redefined prop exemplars.
What Barby has been doing is manually scanning (checking in Reader) almost all available prop packs for ingame props that would have been modded like those included in Peg's BDK.
So far no other such props have been found though.

Thus, if there's any possibility for you to avoid getting the prop pox, it would involve doing what Diggis and z have been doing in the last two pages of that thread, and make sure you do not have Peg's BDK installed when regenerating the prop subfile.

I'm also not Jayson, so my replies might be long and difficult to understand...

sithlrd98 · August 23, 2009, 06:20:05 PM

Quote from: RippleJet on August 23, 2009, 06:46:17 AM
I'm also not Jayson, so my replies might be long and difficult to understand...

Hey, even my short posts are sometimes as difficult to understand as your long ones!

Jayson

joelyboy911 · August 23, 2009, 08:58:26 PM

I had some cities in which, from the game point of view, I thought had the prop pox. What I discovered, through experimentation, was that if I entered the city from region view, and the graphics settings were all set to low, no matter what I did to the settings thereafter the props from maxis buildings (and some textures) could not be revived. However, seeing that you have textures on those lots makes me think that this might be a different problem.

To fix it, I set the graphics all to high, save and exit to region, and re-enter the city.

This may, or may not be of any help to you.

Dreamcat · August 24, 2009, 09:02:59 PM

So what you're saying is I'm not going to be able to play this game anymore?

SC4BOY · August 24, 2009, 09:08:00 PM

Unless someone comes up with a solution, no. It is no longer useful for long-term play

Diggis · August 25, 2009, 12:19:54 AM

Wait... No, thats not what we are saying. You have a bugged file in your plugins, most likely Pegasus's BDK set. If you remove this from your plugins you can continue to play the GAME safely. However, any CITY that is currently developed will ultimatly develop the Pox so you would need to start your region again.

In this post here: http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=7066.msg260648#msg260648

is a process we are currently testing to see if it might work. Could you try it on a copy of your backup and run that for a while and see if that maybe stops the Pox from appearing. I can get it to work, but not always and it might be due to the timing. As you have a back up either side of the Pox appearing it might be a useful test. Make sure you remove the BDK first though.

SC4BOY · August 25, 2009, 12:52:36 PM

LOL.. that's what I thought I was saying.. When he said "no longer play THIS GAME" I assumed he meant the City Tile in question.. not to stop playing SC4 forever..

KoV Liberty · August 25, 2009, 01:25:09 PM

Man.... Very close call. I just got prop pox a few seconds ago but thanks to this guide I think I corrected it...

Dreamcat · August 25, 2009, 07:01:26 PM

Dear RippleJet and Diggis:

The backed-up version of my city is 23MB. No prop pox. After the back-up, I completely re-did the plugins. Then I believe the pox appeared. So it seems the back-up is fine. So it must be something I got with the re-doing of mt plugins, right?

So is my city still bust or not?

KoV Liberty · August 25, 2009, 07:41:03 PM

Well... I not either one of them but I don't think your city is bust because you have the back-up (which works fine as you said). I'm not sure what went on there... But as I said I am NOT Diggis or RippleJet!