Fixed Loss of base power after being away & returning [5929]

The rotten Food is not fixed, got it already today!
What do you need for check this?

 

Someone posted a bug report about the food spoiling stuff. Take a look there (click) ;-)

 

We did not encounter the power loss bug this time, but I may have found information to help identify it. We were thoroughly documenting/testing on our server tonight.

I use the Admin Helper Tool to start our server. In the tool, there is a place to pull up all the structure information, for all structures on the server, and part of the data shows... fuel and if the structure is powered.

This evening, we first did some base renovations, then went into orbit and spent several hours completely dismantling the "Derelict Ship" POI. Then we returned to base to log out.

I had us stop, and I copied the game files, and made screenshots of what was in the Helper Tool Structure info at several points:
- before we left the planet
- just after we entered orbit
- just before leaving orbit to return to the planet
- immediately after transitioning to the planet playfield from orbit

At this last screenshot, immediately after transitioning to the planet from orbit, our base showed having zero fuel and unpowered in the Helper Tool. The only 2 structures that had fuel and power were the SV we were in, and the Drone Base.

We were about 6 km from our base. We flew to the base... and it had power! Everything was fine?!?

The structures info out of the tool still showed zero fuel for the base (even when we were standing there, in it, looking at the fuel tanks). And at some point after we returned to the base, it jumped back up to the correct number in the tool (and it looks like the other structures did, too.

Now, this could turn out to be meaningless, depending on where the Admin tool gets it's information, vs. where things are actually stored for the server, or it could be an issue with the tool itself, etc. But I found it rather interesting that we suddenly had all those zero fuel numbers right as we transitioned onto the planet (and one was our base).

I will happily provide any of the files and screenshots I have to someone via PM (it is a server after all) for troubleshooting, if you think there is some value in looking at what I collected. And I'll gladly repeat this exercise the next time we play that server (typically only Friday nights) looking somewhere else in the tool, if that will help, too.

Or if this info is meaningless, please tell me why, and I'll stop looking at the structures info in the tool ...

(I'm just trying to provide data!)

 

I can confirm this is also a problem in MP still... Not able to reliably reproduce yet. Multiple players with solar capacitors lose all fuel and base power. Somethings worth testing:

• If I consume more power than solar power generates, and my batteries die, does fuel die with it?
• If I consume less power than solar power generates, but less than my generator produces, does fuel die?
• Does removing my generator kill all fuel (while on?)
• Does removing capacitors kill all fuel (while on?)

It's clear that something is wiping out fuel tanks power reserves. One thing our owner thought was it might be that the server's time configuration might be screwy (phasing time forward would drain fuel faster than "real" time).

 

I can confirm this is still a problem on MP servers. Some things I noticed when this happens:

1. Base is still powered
2. Batteries on capacitors are still >1%, in most cases over 50. This is with a base that has 5 capacitors, and 5 regular solar panels (consumption > solar production)
   
3. It doesn't seem to matter how much fuel you put into tanks, it will drop to 0. I've seen this with tanks at 30, 50, and 90% fuel tank capacity, which by itself would be able to provide enough power without solar
4. Nothing in terms of plants actually grows. When I log back in after picking plants last night, they are still growing when I log back in

I'll ask the server admin if they messed with time warping.

 

I have some theories that I think are worth investigating regarding this bug, and the other bug issues not reproducible so far:

• Terrain shifting during preload (very minor)
• Plants spoiling when picked

I believe this issue is caused by preloading code which doesn't properly finish loading before the player spawns into the environment (on the client, their loading screen finishes before the server does). It's inconsistent because the server and/or player and/or their internet connection impacts the reliability of reproducing the issue. If preloading doesn't finish, I feel the game wouldn't properly work, because the terrain, blocks, entities are all still in a preload state which is causing significant problems which players aren't aware of, partly because preloading inside a base might appear to be similar to just starting up the game normally. This can't be easily replicated by players, especially if they have no knowledge of how to use dedicated servers (or understand how latency works). I believe Eleon could test this stuff by trying the following:

• Run a dedicated server in a different box, and emulate latency between the server and client
• Run tracking on the server's time property, and have players use it normally (keep it tracking on resets as well!)
• Run tracking on a base's fuel reserve, and try inducing latency for play fields (or watch playfield loading to understand what's impacting the fuel)
• Examine preloading code, what does it do if a player is inside a preloaded playfield? Do devices work? can I manipulate devices/entities? What is the server time doing when I'm doing stuff in preload?

 

@Pantera
<3 <3 <3

(dangit, we have no "heart" smilie....)

 

This is good to hear, I encountered this problem again this evening. This time:

-From a timespan of 30+ hours (I have enough fuel for 70+ hours) my fuel tanks died
-Plants did not grow in the garden
-my build que's for 2 Adv constructors did *not* finish, despite having ample time to keep running

 

I have fuel for 4 days in my tanks, when the base would run on fuel only, the solar panels bring 70% of the energy that the base needed, so the tanks would hold fuel for 17 days! After 5 days my food is rotten, and my solar capacitors are at 100%, even if i left them at 0% energy after producing!

Just take a look at the playfield-shutdown-procedure, u will find the problem there! Anytime no players left on the playfield this happens!
I tested it nearly a month on the Eleon EU-Server, there happen nothing, cause nearly anytime there is someone on the playfield, so this is the only possibility that remains!

 

By the way, this seems to be only a problem on mixed bases (solar/fuel powered), my solar only bases haven't got any food issues since A9.3/9.4 (couldn't say it exactly)!

Thanks for fixing this part!

 

I've gotten power loss on my solar-only Engine Compartment base when I've visited it during my "base inspection" visits so it's not just mixed bases.

 

Alright I just verified my game files before loading my game and went off to visit my 2 old bases. On the one I had left it without anything in the fridges to spoil (about the only way I know to test for loss of base power) so no useful info. The other base was OK (fridge had unspoiled food) therefore no power loss.

The real test for the patch will have to be subsequent visits: before leaving the old bases I made sure fridges were on with fresh food/raw meat in them, other devices off (like constructors, food processors so as small energy footprint as possible). Capacitors were full before leaving. Both bases have excess solar capacity for their current needs (a couple fridges, a couple of turrets, one grow light, a few doors, etc.)

I'll spend a few game days at my permanent base and then do another "old" base visit and post my results then.

Update: Visited the bases after 3 real-time days of playing (probably 5x that in game-days) and both bases were fine: fresh food/meat in fridges, plants fully grown. So far so good