The Prop Pox!

BruceAtkinson · June 27, 2008, 11:25:52 AM

....so, I have decided that I will not destroy Wesley and start over....I'll just keep conducting Urban Renewal and Rural Renewal....as I believe that we can collectively come up with a cure for this Prop-pox thang!
Here is a picture of the CSX Farming Fuel Depot, and the CSX Produce Packaging plants....please note all building props are non-existent, however each lot is fully functional.

BruceAtkinson · June 27, 2008, 11:27:12 AM

....now, here is the same area after I re-plopped the affected lots.....

BruceAtkinson · June 27, 2008, 11:29:56 AM

...one more! This is a picture of a residential area, showing the prop-pox at work, however with varying degrees of missing models.....

allan_kuan1992 · June 27, 2008, 12:37:51 PM

Bruce, you may want to stop doing multiple posts. The edit button is there for a reason. For images, please host them offsite at a free image-hosting site, like Imageshack.

Now... I don't have the problem yet... at least... but it is puzzling to find out what's the cause of all this prop disappearing.

- Allan Kuan

Edit: Actually Bruce multiple posts are perfectly valid. As for the pic, yes they should be hosted offsite Wouanagaine

flame1396 · June 27, 2008, 12:41:59 PM

May have to do with game instability from dual or quad core processors....

snorrelli · June 27, 2008, 04:10:27 PM

Quote from: flame1396 on June 27, 2008, 12:41:59 PM
May have to do with game instability from dual or quad core processors....

Been a while since I posted the table, but as you can see, we've only got a couple of victims with dual core processors. Doesn't seem to be a dual/quad core issue, nor an nVidia/ATI issue, nor a RAM issue, nor a virtual memory issue, nor even an XP/Vista issue...

BruceAtkinson · June 27, 2008, 10:18:02 PM

...So, kids....tell me how to host images offsite.....
Is that what everyone does in the "Show Us Your..." thread?
Let me know, as I do not want to take up valuable web space, here, on the forum.
Bruce

snorrelli · June 28, 2008, 12:56:22 AM

Hi Bruce - try this thread. It has a tutorial for how to use imageshack and photobucket, which are the two most popular image hosting sites...

The short version is:

1. upload image to hosting service
2. copy the direct link to the image provided by the service
3. click the picture frame icon (above the smilies) on the post reply/edit screen here at SC4D
4. paste the direct link address between the brackets

allan_kuan1992 · June 30, 2008, 10:15:51 PM

~~I see a small relationship... if Itrskn has his program running under compatibility mode with Windows XP SP2 as the compatibility mode selection... then hmm...~~

But still, seeing that most other people's computers work well without the bug, this should not be a problem at all.

Although I do not have the bug, I find it worrying and odd that this would occur. = \

- Allan Kuan

BruceAtkinson · July 01, 2008, 03:32:42 PM

....Not sure if we have discussed this aspect before, however since in our affected cities, the prop-pox manifests itself with missing props, however the lots are fully functional...and the base texture is still present. So, maybe the problem lies in the 3-d rendering portion or the way the engine assigns the locations for the models? Just some Canada Day thoughts!
Bruce

ltrskn · July 01, 2008, 08:02:39 PM

In reference to XP compatibility mode for Vista -- I double-checked the properties and I am not currently using the compatibility mode and still get the prop-pox. I did use the mode for a while out of initial uncertainty over the reliability of Vista-- I can't remember when I stopped using XP compatibility mode and any correlation of that choice with the dreaded pox, except that it still occurs on occasion.

wouanagaine · July 02, 2008, 12:03:05 AM

As almost all people listed in snorelli table run under XP, I don't think it has something to do with Vista specific

As said before, I suspect a corrupt in the props entry in the savegame ( I made a post about it somewhere in previous pages )

What I like to know is : Does the first time the prop pox appear is during game playing or after a load of a city ? I'm not sure this point has been made clear ( if it can )

If last time the city was saved the city was ok, then if you load it the prop pox appears, then we can certainly guess it is a savegame problem

Nardo69 · July 02, 2008, 01:59:54 AM

Before quitting everything was OK, after saving with the above mentioned effects the prop pox became visible.

I know for sure as I made a lot of pictures of my affected city each time I quit the city.

In the next days I hope I will find the time to compare my cities Rhenbrücken (made under XP with 1,5MB RAM, 15MB filesize, prop pox) with Gleiwemünde (made under Win2000 with 512mb RAM, filesize > 33mb)

Bernhard

ltrskn · July 02, 2008, 03:59:38 AM

for me it is always after loading a saved city that it first appears

snorrelli · July 02, 2008, 07:29:22 AM

Quote from: wouanagaine on July 02, 2008, 12:03:05 AM
As said before, I suspect a corrupt in the props entry in the savegame ( I made a post about it somewhere in previous pages )

What I like to know is : Does the first time the prop pox appear is during game playing or after a load of a city ? I'm not sure this point has been made clear ( if it can )

If last time the city was saved the city was ok, then if you load it the prop pox appears, then we can certainly guess it is a savegame problem

Always after loading a saved city. The city plays and looks fine. Then I save it, exit it and reload it at a later date, and it is corrupted...

wouanagaine · July 02, 2008, 02:50:50 PM

So can we definitly acknowledge the problem lies in the savegame, and more exactly I guess in the entry that contains all props of the city ?

BruceAtkinson · July 02, 2008, 04:10:22 PM

...yes, we can acknowldege that....however when one re-enters the city and replops some of the lots that are affected, saves and exits...then re-enters, one will stand a 50% chance that those lots will stay corrected, but others are then affected, plus the odd occurance that happened to me with the oil refinery and the fire...instead of 90% 0f the props gone, there are now 70% there....and I have entered and re-entered the city in question three times.....
Just another thing...I remember way back when the Prop-pox first appeared in my city, it was Bus Stops with parks, both 2 tile and 3 tile ones, and then it spread....and that is when I noticed that re-plopping actually had some positive affects.
Bruce

flame1396 · July 02, 2008, 04:15:30 PM

Personally I'd nuke the city and start over.

BruceAtkinson · July 02, 2008, 04:46:43 PM

...aaahh, that's the easy way out....trying to find a cure is much more productive for all concerned!
Bruce

snorrelli · July 02, 2008, 11:28:56 PM

Quote from: wouanagaine on July 02, 2008, 02:50:50 PM
So can we definitly acknowledge the problem lies in the savegame, and more exactly I guess in the entry that contains all props of the city ?

Yes - and more specifically with subfile 2977aa47, which seems to contain network props.

This subfile greatly expands in size when the city is affected by the bug, but before the bug has actually been observed by saving and reloading the affected city. Then, when one reloads the affected city and observes the Prop Pox, the subfile shrinks dramatically, presumably as a result of the missing props. This fluctuation has an affect on the overall size of the savegame file, but has been pinpointed to this specific subfile by silentbreaker.