Game Mechanics: Buggy Forge / Inventory Behavior

[kaev]

Twice now, once last night and again today, I've had some weirdness with the Forge in West Freeport.

While making Metal Rings (a four item combine that returns 3 items on cursor), I have had a combine fail with the 'can't combine these items in this container' error. Once the error occurs I get it with every combine I attempt in that Forge until I relog. On relogging I find that the some of the items in my inventory have been rearranged (i.e. they are in different slots in my bags than I had them in when I logged out), items rearranged include those used for the Metal Rings combine.

I can't help but suspect that my client and the server are disagreeing as to which item is which when the three are returned on the cursor, thus other combines fail because two of the items involved are reuseable for various combines (smithy hammer and file), and so the server has me putting the wrong items in the Forge despite what is shown by my client. Then the client gets resync'd when I relog.

[Vega]

I actually have seen this same thing, but hadn't filed a bug report because it seemed difficult to reproduce. I didn't notice the rearranged items when relogging, but have had it get confused and say I couldn't combine something that I know I could. Once re-logged, the exact same items would work.

[kaev]

Just had to relog third time in less than 10 minutes due to this bug.

This is definitely a client/server sync issue arising when a combine returns multiple items. To verify that analysis I have twice now managed to combine what appeared to be a Large Brick of Ore, a Water Flask, & a Metal Rings to produce 2x Metal Rings. The item my client thought was a Metal Rings was actually the File returned by a previous combine (client showed one of the Metal Rings as the File, and showed the File as one of the Metal Rings.)

Relogging straightens it out every time, the appearance of re-arranged inventory is simply the client showing the correct items after logging back in.

Not a game-breaker, but definitely an annoyance.

[kaev]

Seems to happen more frequently lately than before. If I pay close attention I can tell which items are which and continue working for a bit before I zone/relog to resync. Today I appeared to make a piece of cultural armor using a file instead of a smithy hammer, and when the smithy hammer was returned correctly it appeared that I had 2x smithy hammer and no file in my bags (because my client still believed the file to be a smithy hammer.)

I do hope the problem with client/server communication here can be identified and corrected, especially if there is any chance we're going to see the classic wrong ingredients are destroyed on combine mechanic.

[kaev]

Sadly, this client/server desync bug is still forcing repeated relogs after latest patch. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[-Catherin-]

the bug presents itself when making the chain jointing in smithing combines. the chain jointing needs both the smithy hammer and the file in the combine, along with the metal rings.

when the combine is complete you get the chain jointing and the hammer and file back. however the file has the hammer graphic and the hammer has the file graphic when they are returned

easily duplicated. it happens almost every time now

[kaev]

It's actually been pretty random for me. Tonite, for instance:

* When combining block + file + water to produce 2x rings + file, 3 times in 6 combines it swapped the last two (the second rings and the file)

* When combining rings + file + hammer + water to produce jointing + file + hammer it swapped hammer and file 4 times in 12 combines

I managed to get by with only one relog tonite by paying (mostly) close attention. The server always returns items in same order so I could use what appeared to be rings as a file in the next combine & etc.


Speculation:
I suspect that this bug was exposed in the patch previous to today's. Prior to that earlier patch I recall fine plate and cultural combines, which return the item made plus the smithy hammer, occasionally showing the hammer on my cursor on a successful combine, where normally the item made is on top and the hammer is the second returned item. I'm thinking that perhaps this was the same desync I'm seeing now, but that the server was resolving the desync by trusting the client to tell it what was being taken off the cursor when you put it into inventory (or the trade window), which would have permitted a really bad dupe hack. By (presumably) fixing the dupe hack (in the prior patch) the desync problem has been exposed with no available resolution other than zoning (logging) to force a client sync. Just speculation tho.