1.24 Impact

[Craka_J]

Blizzard Entertainment recently released a new patch for WarCraft III which mainly focuses on eliminating a function in maps that allowed them to store and release malicious content such as a Trojan Virus on a user's computer. There were several functions added for modders as well, amongst a few other things they included in patch version 1.24 like increasing the maximum map filesize on Battle.Net from 4MB to 8MB. It sounded like a great patch. However, the patch is flawed.

Because of the new patch, Wc3:WoW's GUI triggers were corrupt, bringing up an error message saying one or two triggers were not recognized/did not exist whenever I opened up the World Editor. Then a critical error window pops up and closes the editor.

To explain why this is an issue, the problem was the GUI triggers we used in Wc3:WoW. Apparently Blizzard removed the functions we used from the World Editor and it caused the editor to crash. If the triggers that were corrupt used JASS, no problem. It'd be an easy fix. However, it's GUI that is the problem. The World Editor processes GUI triggering while JASS is processed only as text, not as a sort of function, except when in-game of course. Anyway, the GUI triggers have potentially destroyed all triggering/coding in Wc3:WoW and now we need to recode EVERYTHING.

Luckily there's a good side and bad side to this calamity.
GOOD: Thankfully we were able to save the sounds, models, textures, object data, and the majority of the maps (we lost two pretty insignificant maps, no biggie) so really, all we lost were triggers and some scripted spells. The good side of that is that we planned to recode all the GUI triggers anyway. Too bad we didn't do it earlier though. Wc3:WoW will be coded from now and there will be no GUI triggers whatsoever. Not only because of the problems which are presented to us because of the patch, but also for security reasons and for making the mod perform better. In other words, leakless triggers from this point forth, although BETA Testers will be the only ones to experience memory leaks since the early coding part is usually messy.

BAD: We lost all the triggers and coding, meaning not even the developers can really alpha test Wc3:WoW and the BETA Testers of Wc3:WoW will have to wait even longer... sorry fellas. But it cannot be avoided. The only way around this is if we decided to work on the 1.23 version of Wc3:WoW which works only if you have version 1.23. Why don't we do that? Well, the new features in version 1.24 are really useful and future patches are expected to be even better, so we'd miss out on all of that. Plus, it's really doubtful that people will uninstall WarCraft III, reinstall it, then download patch 1.23 just so they can play Wc3:WoW.
Overall it's bad for everyone because this REALLY delays the release date - not like we even have one yet, but regardless it's being pushed back - even more and no one wants to wait any longer. How much longer? Who knows... depends on our development rate, but it could be another year before we release anything...

So there you have it. The WarCraft III patch version 1.24 nearly killed Wc3:WoW, but we're pushing forward to get it all done. This coding overhaul may take forever, but it's for the greater good and for the sake of this project's staying alive.

 

[Eleandor]

we lost two pretty insignificant maps, no biggie

I think I can still save them. May try tomorrow. But then again, the 2 maps were not exactly the most crucial ones.

I would also make the suggestion of allowing more people to join the coding team too. I may need to run some new tests first but for all I know, vJass is still allowed, and encouraged.
I think we wouldn't even necessarily have to distribute the campaign to everyone involved. Since we're starting from scratch anyway, we could just make the systems and spells in a normal map which could be downloadable in public. But maybe that wouldn't be a good idea.

 

[Craka_J]

Oh yeah, there's a good chance that Grayzzz will be joining the team to assist in coding Wc3:WoW.

I like that idea of everybody working outside of the campaign. Would make life much easier and development all around would be much faster. We'll try that until someone complains or until we learn the hard way that it's a bad idea or something.

 

[Yabooer]

So I just finally came back to wc3 and i downloaded the map pack i saved a while back. this Path pretty much made old games unable to play which I think sucks, We lost a good set of maps that aren't being updated anymore. GG Blizz lol.

GL wc3wow team! wish you the best in finding the problems fixing them and starting back up on updates.

 

[Craka_J]

Well the plan is simply to recode everything from scratch. There's no fixing process involved at this point, other than recovering the sound, image, texture, model, etc. files.

Thanks for the support.

 

[Dr Super Good]

Well, I personally am able to restore all maps. The only thing broken with them are their triggers and so I can just remove them.

Also on top of that I can recover all JASS triggers the maps used, although they may be in messy script form and it would be up to you to put them back in the map.

The totals were 21/30 maps were broken by the patch and only 9 maps were unaffected.
To fix all that is needed is to delete the atributes file which is used to detect damage to the triggers and then replacing both GUI and JASS trigger files (not the actual script) with dummy ones from a blank map. Then reimport all the maps back into the campaign itself.

I did one of the broken maps as a test however I then haulted due to abscence of Craka_J being online to report my findings to.

On top of that blizzard has announced that it is resuming work on patching WC3 again... Thus this whole problem may actually end up blowing over as they may fix the GUI again. I think what has happened is blizzard fucked up their GUI system a bit which caused this.

 

[Eleandor]

Also on top of that I can recover all JASS triggers the maps used, although they may be in messy script form and it would be up to you to put them back in the map.

Well, I think it's a problem. GUI-jass mixed with other jass in 1 big file, I don't want to mess arround in that pile of...

I mean, putting all scripts back in their original triggers "may" still be doable in a day or 2. But recreating all those globals in GUI globals, making sure it all fits together and works, AND fixing the actual code so if/then/elseif blocks actually work, and replacing/fixing all code that uses Local Handle Vars? Might as well just remake the whole thing in vjass?

On top of that blizzard has announced that it is resuming work on patching WC3 again... Thus this whole problem may actually end up blowing over as they may fix the GUI again. I think what has happened is blizzard fucked up their GUI system a bit which caused this.

*May* blow over. And it's not going to be something that'll happen tomorrow. So just *assuming* they will fix our problems, what are we going to do in the meantime?

 

[Dr Super Good]

I can give you the JASS trigger WE data. There are 3 trigger files. GUI, main trigger and JASS. The GUI and JASS are WE only files, and I can give you the JASS ones to help you rebuuild those from.

Only 11 maps left to restore, and then it will be as good as new (except for triggers).

 

[Craka_J]

Start recoding everything. We aren't sure if the fix will necessarily bring the campaign to a working state, so it's best to push on. And if we manage to have a lot recoded by the time they do fix everything, we'll stick with recoding everything anyway probably since it's just a lot better for the project and all of us in the long-run. It'll be a tedious process and you'll need to be really active, but I'm confident that as long as I keep terraining and you recode a lot of systems and such, we should be back on track or close to it.

General Ray may help with recoding everything if you think he's needed for that. I'll work on getting more people, but doubt we'll successfully recruit new active JASS Experts who really dedicate themselves to the project.

This conversation is beginning to head in a direction which should make the rest of this be private. Respond to this post in the Team Discussion thread.

 

[JakeCake]

Ain't Blizzard makeing somekind of hotfix soon, just to make at least some more stuff work again. Some of my maps at least, make no sence in not working' x(

 

[Linaze]

Yay! Wait.. fuck! :<

 

[Miss_Foxy]

I Wanna Help Outside The Campaign Too...

I like that idea of everybody working outside of the campaign. Would make life much easier and development all around would be much faster. We'll try that until someone complains or until we learn the hard way that it's a bad idea or something.

I'll be the entertainer!

 

[PurplePoot]

Downgrade to 1.23, fix them, then upgrade?

 

[Vosty]

Can't you edit the .j and .wtg files to aggree with 1.24?
All those game-cache BJ's. Such a bad mistake.

 

[Oblivion65]

I don't get it...what about just grab out the proper systems that Elendor had already programmed? At least those might be more useful than the systems that previous programmers used. That way you guys might Save a lot of time.

Also I agree with PurplePoot. Why not downgrade and fix? I know you guys want to reorganize the programming, but there must be a larger reason why? Thanks...