10 replies to this topic

[rainmaker]

I have been playing Contra extensively in multiplayer mode with the new network patch (thanks to those who worked on that). With all games that go 45 minutes or longer, there is a problem as an interval of 45 minutes is reached: Either at 45, 90, or 135 minutes, the game just crashes with a synchronization error, or the crash to the desktop. Usually, on the latter, there will be some users left in the game with the disconnect screen, but once it counts down the crashed players, another player crashes and so on until the last player with the disconnect screen also crashes and everyone is on the desktop (kicked completely out of the game).

I can furnish 5 or so replays which demonstrate the problem, meaning they all end at either 45 or 90 minutes. This seems to be independent of the number of players, we have had this problem with anywhere from 2 to 6 players.

It's always right around 45 minutes. If you make it past 45 minutes in a game, you know you have another 45 before the next possible crash.

Somehow there has to be some bug in the software, this is too much of a coincidence to be right around that number.

[Su8perkillr]

This is very interesting, and requires a skilled person to look at. Good finding my friend. I bet it wouldnt be found any other way.

[Casojin]

Maybe there is something wrong with ZH installation in your platform. Something like this rarely happens.

[Creator]

Does it happen with anybody else who play Contra with network patch?

[Lukas 45]

Does it happen with anybody else who play Contra with network patch?

I havnt tried to time it, but it seems right for me tho

[rainmaker]

This is happening to at least 8 different people on different computers, when we play multi-player local network games. Everyone has installed the latest network patch. So it's not my computer or just 2 computers, but all these different computers and at random. Meaning one game my computer may be the first to crash, another game its one of the other guys.

This problem did not occur when we played Zero Hour.

Edited by rainmaker, 29 September 2010 - 03:05 PM.

[Su8perkillr]

Did it occur when playing offline?

[Arcadian Daze]

when i play a very long offline match it crashes with me\

though its seriously long, think about times of 1 and a half hour or longer

Edited by Arcadian Daze, 30 September 2010 - 07:24 PM.

[lil tasman]

Rainmaker, when and where do you play online? By Hamachi or Garena?

[Creator]

I can recommend you to install Leatrix Latency Fix. It may help.
http://www.wowinterf...LatencyFix.html

[rainmaker]

My next LAN party is today in a week, and I will try this. Along those lines, I will also do some experimenting with the computers' clocks then. iI get a sense that when the game starts, it has a very small out of sync interval among the member machines that probably then grows as the game progresses, and in my controlled local area network, the point of mismatch is just naturally reached at 45 minutes when I have 6 players and 90 minutes when I have only 3 players. That seems to make sense.

I will probably have 8 players at my house next week and do some testing, then force everyone to get the Leatrix fix and see if things change. If people are interested, I will report back here with my findings.

Thanks creator, you got a fan club here in Philadelphia, USA. Hope Contra 8 is coming along nicely.