I believe I have prop pox, but I am not sure yet.
Here's a picture:
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi29.tinypic.com%2F2hppsgm.png&hash=c8139cd99b371b5a2a7c3d7928cd4312773fc59f)
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?
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.
there is a tool on the LEX to check for it: here (http://sc4devotion.com/csxlex/lex_filedesc.php?lotGET=2021)
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.
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
You will see how to use SC4Save from here (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=7066.260) in the main thread about Prop Pox.
CAM will not cause Prop Pox in itself.
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...
So is my SC4 career over?
Should I empty the Plugins?
Should I load from a backup?
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?
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
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... :D
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... :D
Hey, even my short posts are sometimes as difficult to understand as your long ones! ()what() :D
Jayson
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.
So what you're saying is I'm not going to be able to play this game anymore?
Unless someone comes up with a solution, no. It is no longer useful for long-term play
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.
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.. :)
Man.... Very close call. I just got prop pox a few seconds ago but thanks to this guide I think I corrected it...
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?
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!
The final appearance of the prop pox (as is explained in this thread if you go back and read it HERE (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=7066.320)) has nothing to do with the city as it gets "pox'd". The "infection" if you want to call it that no doubt occurred A LONG TIME BEFORE IT SHOWS UP... Then BOOM!! it shows.
This seed "flowers" at the time explained earlier (ie when a certain decompression occurs causing "spillover' of the pox which corrupts the items loaded "above" it) When that finally all comes to be, ie after the decompression and the addressing of props that are located in the corrupted area, you get the VISUAL CONFIRMATION of it.. but going back to before it happened likely won't help.
This WILL NOT get rid of the pox unless the "pox seed" was, in an EXTREMELY LUCKY CASE placed in the prob list between the "backup" and the occurance.. In other words if you have backups far enough back, you can recover to before the "pox seed" was planted, but it may be so far back that it would be for all practical purposes a new city.. ie. you would have lost ALL THE INTERVENING development and would have to redo it all (while at the same time avoiding any "pox seed" .. which we all admit we don't really know what the full set of "pox seeds" there are) As also explained above we are at a loss to explain the full range of what "seeds" there are that eventually manifest themselves in "THE POX"
So the bottom line that I'm trying to convey is that YES YOUR CITY IS LIKELY PERMANENTLY CORRUPTED and that it will show up time and time again even though you thought you got rid of it.
Actually SC4Boy, from what DreamCat said, it sounds like the corrupt file was installed after the backup and he is probably safe with the back up.
DreamCat, do you know what you installed during the rebuild? It may help us identify other Pox Causing files if you do.
Quote from: Diggis on August 26, 2009, 12:36:17 AM
Actually SC4Boy, from what DreamCat said, it sounds like the corrupt file was installed after the backup and he is probably safe with the back up.
Quote from: SC4BOY on August 25, 2009, 09:10:33 PMThis WILL NOT get rid of the pox unless the "pox seed" was, in an EXTREMELY LUCKY CASE placed in the prob list between the "backup" and the occurance..
That would be great! He would be a lucky fellow.. :)
Quote from: Dreamcat on August 25, 2009, 07:01:26 PM
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?
I'd like to take a closer look at the prop subfile of your city.
Do you think you could zip and upload that 23 MB file somewhere (e.g. Fileden or RapidShare)?
Here you are, dear sir: http://rapidshare.com/files/272141193/Abingdon.zip.html
Thank you all for your help.
Thank you and good news,
Dreamcat! :thumbsup:
This city has an uncompressed prop subfile sized 18,371,931 bytes.
In other words, you have already surpassed the critical size of 16 MB.
And the city is prop pox free!
I also took a closer look at the appearance of the known offending props in your city...
- Exactly 10 Umbrella props (0x29000000)
- Some 1325 Patio Chair props (0x290D0000)
- Some 1360 Recliner props (0x29110000)
- Some 1450 Beach Chair props (0x29B20000)
None of those appear as deleted, and they are all modded the way Maxis made them, with night state and not timed.
In other words, you haven't had the BDK installed previously in this city,
and I'm rather confident that you can keep playing from here without developing the pox.
That, on the other hand, brings us back to Shaun's question...
Quote from: Diggis on August 26, 2009, 12:36:17 AM
from what DreamCat said, it sounds like the corrupt file was installed after the backup and he is probably safe with the back up.
DreamCat, do you know what you installed during the rebuild? It may help us identify other Pox Causing files if you do.
Would you have any idea what new prop packs (that you did not have before) that you installed shortly before getting the prop pox?
It might help us quite a lot if we'd find another offending prop pack...
Thank you, friend. :D
As for the prop packs, I'll need to check the backed-up version of the plugins folder and the present-day plugins. I'll write back later.
EDIT:
Hmm, I'm not exactly sure how to identify a prop pack once it's already installed and the download deleted. But I looked through my plugins and found these, most of which I hope are prop packs. Any way to really identify them?
BSC MEGA Props - CP Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - MJB Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - swi21 Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props Gascooker Vol02.dat
COBB MEGA Props Vol01.dat
COBB MEGA Props Vol02.dat
COBB MEGA Props Vol03.dat
COBB MEGA Props Vol04.dat
COBB MEGA Props Vol05.dat
CSX MEGA Props - Vol03
LBT Mega Prop Pack v.01
PorkieProps-Vol1.dat
PorkieProps-Vol2.dat
Mas71 PROPs Vol03_080808.dat
All but PorkieProps (I think) are from the LEX.
Also I found these in the folder BSCProps, don't know if they're prop packs or what, they seem to be ploppable livestocks:
jes_CowProps_Family.dat
jes_MayorMode_PloppableCows_Angus.dat
jes_MayorMode_PloppableCows_Brown.dat
jes_MayorMode_PloppableCows_Brown and White.dat
jes_MayorMode_PloppableCows_Hereford.dat
jes_MayorMode_PloppablePigs_Black.dat
jes_MayorMode_PloppablePigs_Red.dat
jes_MayorMode_PloppableSheep.dat
jes_PigProps.dat
jes_SheepProps.dat
And then a folder called this in BSCProps:
BSC Props Jeronij Vol 03 Trees Seasonal Woods
See if you can make any sense of this.
Were these all added after the "good save" and before the "prop pox event"?
No clue, all I know is those are in my plugins post-pox.
Looked at LBT Mega Prop Pack vol.01 ...lots of props but none seemed to be timed. All seemed to be RKT1.
Jayson
Dreamcat, do you still have that city saved after it was poxed?
If I would be allowed to take a look at that one, I might be able to find which props have been deleted and caused the prop pox.
http://rapidshare.com/files/272644985/Abingdon_poxed.zip.html
Thank you once again,
Dreamcat! :)
Unfortunately this city does not reveal anything of which props that have caused the pox.
Only one deleted prop exemplar exists after the point of corruption, and this one has all TGI information erased.
On the other hand, the number of previously known offending props have increased a little from your previous save,
and most importantly, still being modded the way Maxis made them:
- Exactly 18 Umbrella props (0x29000000)
- Some 1425 Patio Chair props (0x290D0000)
- Some 1400 Recliner props (0x29110000)
- Some 1500 Beach Chair props (0x29B20000)
I would at least consider this proof enough that there is another prop somewhere in your rebuilt plugins that has caused the prop pox.
And not a prop belonging to the BDK this time...
There are a total of 4,749 disabled props in this city (which are still in their correct places within the prop subfile),
and they all have their TGI information erased.
These are normally remains of props that have once been in the city,
but which have gone missing due to their physical files being erased from the plugins folder,
as explained by
Chrisim in
Disappearing Props - not to be confused with Prop Pox (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=7264.0)
This might be a bit far-fetched, but...
would you be aware of any files you might have had installed before or during the rebuild of your plugins,
but for some reason deleted before running the city?
Gahh..I am sooo glad I have not experienced this! It would probably make me crazy trying to figure out which little exemplar is messed up! Hope that it truly is not PP :)
Jayson
Uh, no, not to my knowledge. All I did was add some things and DAT-pack.
Which brings me to a very far-fetched hunch. Recently, I read that DAT-packing the CAM was a bad idea. I didn't know this before, and I found that I had DAT-packed the CAM. What would this do?
Quote from: Dreamcat on August 28, 2009, 01:14:22 PM
Recently, I read that DAT-packing the CAM was a bad idea. I didn't know this before, and I found that I had DAT-packed the CAM. What would this do?
It's a recommendation mainly due to the fact that we wanted to make sure CAM can be updated without having to include guidelines on how to return your un-datpacked folders first. It was also important for the reason that the traffic simulators in CAM are installed in z_CAM, overriding those included in NAM. Whenever a user updates NAM, he would have to be able to easily remove those in z_CAM. Otherwise no new traffic simulators could be installed. All-in-all it's a similar recommendation that comes with NAM, which gets updated 1-2 times a year.
On the other hand... Wouanagaine, the creator of DatPacker, personally datpacks both NAM and CAM... and there are no side-effects with that in the game. ;)
QuoteThis might be a bit far-fetched, but...
would you be aware of any files you might have had installed before or during the rebuild of your plugins,
but for some reason deleted before running the city?
Pretty sure that is NOT the case. The buildings with props missing are Maxis buildings, so I don't think removing any files in the Plugins would do that.
Then again, what do I know?
So, now what?
Can you give us a list of what you did install before DatPacking the rebuld of your plugins?
I have checked the BSC files listed above and none have modded Maxis props in them.
Hmm, what do you mean by that?
If you're wondering what changed in my plugins folder from before to after I redid the plugins, I have no idea, since the previous version was DAT-paked without an Un-Datpacked version... >__<
Dreamcat you said:
QuoteAll I did was add some things and DAT-pack.
Can you say what you added?
Ah, yes...I believe it was only a few CAM Industrial dependencies and .SC4models because I was growing some boxes. Shall I be more specific?
Please :)
BSC MEGA Props Gascooker Vol02
Pretty sure that's it, sorry. Should I tell you the .SC4model files I got too?
The model files should not be a problem and I have checked BSC MEGA Props Gascooker Vol02 and there is nothing in there.
Hmm, what now? Should I tell you everything in my plugins sans the models?
Eh, I think this is worthy of a bump.
Recently I've decided to just give up on my Plugins folder, and I'm going to go and delete everything and redownload things, this time writing down EVERYTHING installed. And then, maybe after like...oh, every twenty-so installations, seeing if my city gets prop-poxed. But how would I test if my current plugins caused prop-pox?
Quote from: Dreamcat on August 31, 2009, 04:01:12 PM
But how would I test if my current plugins caused prop-pox?
It cannot really be tested before you actually get it, while playing, saving and reopening your city.
If you, on the other hand, would be able to get the prop pox to strike again, it might help us knowing what you've installed in between.
And feel free to post your city whenever you'd like, and I'll take a look at it, seeing if it is poxed or not.
Well, I do have the SC4 savegame explorer, so I can at least tell if I have the pox or not.
Hmm, how about installing a few files, letting the game run for about ten years, then seeing if it's poxed? Would that work?
Quote from: Dreamcat on August 31, 2009, 05:12:03 PM
Hmm, how about installing a few files, letting the game run for about ten years, then seeing if it's poxed? Would that work?
Sounds like a plan! ;)
Dear Ripplejet & others:
I seem to have found the source of the pox, but that's up to you to decide. I have installed several items, listed as so:
CSX MEGA Props - Vol02
Network Addon Mod (Windows)
SFBT Essentials
BSC MEGA Props Misc Vol02
BSC Essentials
BSC MEGA Props CP Vol01
BSC Textures Vol 01
BSC TexturePack Cycledogg V 01b
Little Asia Condo's
BSC MEGA Props D66 Vol01
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01
The Maxx
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol01
BSC CAMelots bixel Model Pack Vol16
Orange Burj Al Alam World Tower BSC
Pencil Towers
Al Burj
NYC Housing Projects Set 2
HKBAT bixel MEGA Pack Vol19
Elwood Towers
BSC Textures Vol 02
BSC CAMelots bixel Model Pack Vol19
CSX MEGA Props - Vol03
BSC Textures Vol03
HKABT Bixel MEGA Pack Vol16
CSX MEGA Props - Vol06
Colossus Addon Mod (Windows)
All of them can be found on the LEX. I installed all of those, nothing more, started up the game, let the city run for ten years, saved and exited, and reloaded the file. Both SC4 Save Explorer and the game showed signs of prop pox.
Here is the file, post-poxed:
http://rapidshare.com/files/274125589/proppox.zip.html
Thank you for any help you may be able to offer.
Could you also see what happens if you run your un-poxed city for 10 years, without adding any new prop packs or other custom content to your plugins?
:bomb:
Yah dah dah dah dah. So, I got that city you requested. Positive it was the right one, it said it was prop-pox free. I started up the file, and I saw prop pox immediately. I saved and exited. Prop pox was here, it said.
The Plugins folder was COMPLETELY empty.
Feels like we're banging our heads into a brick wall with this... ()sad()
Should I just reinstall the whole thing?
I have your unpoxed city, so in case bap or someone else would like to continue to explore it, I'll hand it over.
As we most likely will not be able to cure Abingdon from the pox,
I'd say you probably will feel better if you start a new one now, rather than wait for our feeble attempts to find a cure.
Yes, I had given up on Abingdon a long time ago. I just want to make sure this won't happen again. Will it?
Quote from: Dreamcat on September 01, 2009, 02:33:40 PM
I just want to make sure this won't happen again. Will it?
For the time being, the only prop pack we know that for sure will cause the prop pox, is the Beach Development Kit, BDK by Pegasus.
As long as you never have the BDK in your plugins, you should be safe.
With a slight reservation though... there is probably something out there that we still haven't found...
something that existed even before the BDK was made.
OK, thanks for all your help...I'll just pray that this region doesn't acquire the prop pox, and backup often.
As I was curious , I also downloaded the city. I am unsure of how to find that offending prop (saw the hex #) as I still don't fully understand how to find it in the prop listing. Is there a document out there for deciphering results?
Jayson
Quote from: sithlrd98 on September 01, 2009, 04:12:10 PM
As I was curious , I also downloaded the city. I am unsure of how to find that offending prop (saw the hex #) as I still don't fully understand how to find it in the prop listing.
You can sort the props by clicking the IID or IID1 column heading in the Prop Record View.
Quote from: sithlrd98 on September 01, 2009, 04:12:10 PM
Is there a document out there for deciphering results?
Real programmers like Wouanagaine never write tutorials or manuals... $%Grinno$%
Quote from: RippleJet on September 01, 2009, 02:30:42 PM
As we most likely will not be able to cure ...the pox,
This was so dissappointing.. I thought surely we were very close to finding a cure.. or at the least identifying another "pox seed"
Quote from: SC4BOY on September 02, 2009, 11:07:04 AM
This was so dissappointing.. I thought surely we were very close to finding a cure.. or at the least identifying another "pox seed"
It takes time, no doubt about it... but we won't give in as long as we're still playing this game.
Maybe someone else as committed to this as
bap will step forward and investigate further... ::)