Weird Playback Issues in PBEM in DL

[Geffalrus]

Been trying to think of how to properly describe what I saw that was weird recently, and this is the best I have.

Match #8 against Deve in the Biblical Division C. Battle has been going pretty well for me, I have a solid point lead, but now the melee clash between hoplites has happened, and that is always a bit stressful as equal fights between heavy infantry units can go a lot of different directions. We clash for two turns and I get him to 36% while he routs one unit bringing me to 4%. I have 3-4 isolated melees that I'm confident will go my way as they all have some level of POA advantage (general presence, enemy disrupted, 3vs1, and/or a unit ready to flank). I end turn and send it to Deve.

Two days later I get a Turn Over email. I assume he got unlucky rolls on his turn and something routed giving me 40%. Instead, the replay shows only the residual routing phase where I assume rolls are checked for units rallying from Broke to Fragmented. On that replay I see one unit that is clearly already broken.......that hadn't been broken on my turn. I had been prepared to do that on my next turn, but as of the end of my turn, it was only Disrupted. No idea what's going on.

Screen_00000301.jpg (484.81 KiB) Viewed 2595 times

Screen_00000301.jpg (484.81 KiB) Viewed 2595 times

The unit in question is a Raw Hoplite with General that is fighting 3 of my own hoplites at a bend in my line, right of center. In the first picture, you can see it. In the second picture, taken from the game end screen, it's broken and run quite a distance.

[rbodleyscott]

Hmm, it isn't even disrupted in the first screenshot, so how and when did it disrupt? Is that screenshot perhaps of your previous turn?

As it still seems to have a general's banner, I assume he didn't die but the unit autobroke. That might happen if you forgot to activate one of the melees and it got activated as part of the inter-turn phase.

[Geffalrus]

Hmm, it isn't even disrupted in the first screenshot, so how and when did it disrupt? Is that screenshot perhaps of your previous turn?

As it still seems to have a general's banner, I assume he didn't die but the unit autobroke. That might happen if you forgot to activate one of the melees and it got activated as part of the inter-turn phase.

Yes, unfortunately. I usually try to screenshot every turn (narcissism, post turn analysis while I wait, useful for the AAR, watching for these weird issues, etc). However, once I got involved in a third bracket, I kind of got less consistent and missed the turn in between. You can see from the rotation of the most central hoplite that in the missing turn, I rotated that one to flank the unit in question.

It's possible. I tend to obsess about crucial portions of the battle like this, since the PBEM format gives me plenty of downtime between burst of action. So the disrupted raw hoplite with general was a key player in that obsession since I was sure I could break that on my turn and maybe win. This match was kind of crucial since winning it would remove all the pressure for match 9, so I was paying pretty close attention. Though there's no guarantee that prevents mistakes.......

If I forgot to resolve a melee, would I see that in - my - replay? The one that is still visible in completed?

[rbodleyscott]

If I forgot to resolve a melee, would I see that in - my - replay? The one that is still visible in completed?

Yes, you should.

[Geffalrus]

Yes, you should.

Hmmmm, I don't see it. When I open the replay, the unit in question is already broken, and simply moves another two spaces before victory is declared. I definitely did not break it during what I remember as my turn.

[rbodleyscott]

Yes, you should.

Hmmmm, I don't see it. When I open the replay, the unit in question is already broken, and simply moves another two spaces before victory is declared. I definitely did not break it during what I remember as my turn.

Very strange. Unfortunately we cannot view other people's MP games, so there isn't much more I can do to investigate.

[Geffalrus]

No worries. Just wanted to get it reported in case others came up.

[rbodleyscott]

As you may have read elsewhere, the replay is not a video. The replay of your turn (for the other player) actually starts with the situation at the start of your turn and then runs through the actions taken, in the process reconstructing the situation at the end of your turn. If the two players' game builds differ in any way, the pseudorandom number sequence may be broken, and as a result the replay won't play out exactly the same as the events you saw during your turn, and the situation at the end of the other player's replay of your turn will be different.

This is probably what has happened in the case of this battle.

This is likely to happen to one turn in on-going games when the game is updated, but can also occur due to any mod that either player might have made to his build, including ones that merely alter the number of models shown per unit, which the modder might (erroneously) believe have purely cosmetic effects.

[Geffalrus]

The only mods I have are the TT mods necessary for Biblical, the Silk Road mod for Custom, and some individual campaigns. All but TT were acquired through the in-game portal.

[rbodleyscott]

The only mods I have are the TT mods necessary for Biblical, the Silk Road mod for Custom, and some individual campaigns. All but TT were acquired through the in-game portal.

It all depends on whether your opponent has modded his build. Otherwise, it is a bug.

[Geffalrus]

It all depends on whether your opponent has modded his build. Otherwise, it is a bug.

Maybe a quick ask of deve to see what mods he has installed?

[rbodleyscott]

It all depends on whether your opponent has modded his build. Otherwise, it is a bug.

Maybe a quick ask of deve to see what mods he has installed?

Could you send him a PM please.

[Geffalrus]

Only other mod he has is the Silk Road skirmish mod, which I believe is the one I also have.

[rbodleyscott]

Only other mod he has is the Silk Road skirmish mod, which I believe is the one I also have.

It must be a rare bug then.