Gunslinger range does not increase with XP

[hidden oyster]

When I start a new game from the campaign launcher, I can see GUNSLINGER range increases automatically with experience (as it should).

Then after I save the game, experience level is locked at that last value.

When reloading that game again, the GUNSLINGER range stays fixed and never increases again, no matter how many kills you make.

Whereas health and reload time continue to improve with experience accordingly.

This is reflected on the stat and info card with a GUNSLINGER with only 6 kills (and 375 range):

[hidden oyster]

Here is an update of a gunslinger with 182 kills and only 365 range.

[quiet widget]

https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason/blob/a7f49f5b1d9d657f88998552030ac69e03100cf7/luarules/gadgets/unit_xp_range_bonus.lua#L21

This is the gadget that handles it. I don't see anything suspiciously out of sorts.

[hidden oyster]

I'm no expert but the logic seems OK I guess from what I can see in yellow.

BUT it certainly isn't updating the card per previous scrnshts. Notice how the GUNSLINGER with virtually no experience has a higher range displayed on the stat card (375) than the one that's a veteran (365)?

[quiet widget]

I'm definitely not saying "it's fine". That's weird as hell.

[hidden oyster]

Hmmm. I wonder. In those screenshots above, notice how the DPS is 271 on the lower experienced GUNSLINGER, and 416 on the other?

I'm new to this, but I didn't know DPS increases with XP too - does it?

If not, I wonder if perhaps it might be displaying/updating the wrong field(s)???

Just a hunch (I'm probably wrong).

[quiet widget]

Yes so the engine related stuff is being loaded with save but something about the way the gadget applies its bonuses does not.

[hidden oyster]

I'm thinking so?

[rancid snow]

Unitcards and the range circle while the unit is selected does not show the additional range.

However the range when you press attack is drawn with a different widget which does show the additional range.

[hidden oyster]

OK. But if so, how has my GUNSLINGER unit card displayed a range of 420 before (thinking this was correct behaviour), given HP also increase with XP and reload time decreases with XP.

Somewhat confused I'm afraid.

And when I use the attack button, I see no such increase in range.

And if the unitcard is static, then different engines seem to yield different results on the same map (One Robot Army campaign).

Hope these observations help?

[rancid snow]

Those are good observations and questions - I'm not sure which widget(s) I've turned on which show me the correct range when I press attack, I had assumed it was a default one but perhaps not! One for me to check this weekend if i have time 🙂

[mellow blade]

Just have the bug too, 2 stars gunslinger & range stuck at 365 range

[mellow blade]

+125% health but always 365 range. Just started a scenario without any save, even when i "attack" click, the range rendered is 365 too

[mellow blade]

Tested in 2 scenarios and even in multi games, gunslingers never improve their range with XP now. Bug alert !

[rancid snow]

@quiet widget fightwar's right, just tested in a Skirmish, it appears Gunslingers now get a reload increase with XP - with no range increase.

I can't actually recall if Gunslingers historically got reload, but the range is certainly missing

[quiet widget]

everything gets reload. That tracks.

The range thing. That's sus.

[quiet widget]

The callin Gadget:UnitExperience is broken.

Options? Rewrite gadget to use gameFrame() method instead
or
fix in engine prolly. Doesn't appear to be related to gadgets.lua entry being out of data (it's exactly the same.

[quiet widget]

I didn't wanna do it. I should be doing a hundred other things right now lol

https://github.com/beyond-all-reason/Beyond-All-Reason/pull/4239/files here ya go @visual raptor @upper mica whoever. This shit's busted because the experience grade was never set. Been broken since april.

Good catch gentlemen.

[quiet widget]

i don't know how to fix the incorrect range display

[quiet widget]

@candid stratus said that without my pull request, the feature works as intended it updates on game frame

[candid stratus]

yup, did few tests and all is fine, with fix it update on threshold which takes way longer then without fix

[quiet widget]

@rancid snow sorry to bother you again. But can you rerun your test with two Mavericks, one of which with zero experience the second of which with a lot of experience side by side on hold position with a bunch of targets outside of their displayed range?

Also, clarification. Is this only when you load a save or is it always?

[rancid snow]

My test was a skirmish on the public current live engine (at time of filming)

I'm happy to rerun this as you describe

[candid stratus]

yes you're right, the problem been introduced between 23 Jan and now so within 38 commits, someone slipped something that affected this gadget. I got branch from 22 Jan and everything works fine, but not now, so instead of workaround I thought it would be better to find root of the problem , which might affect something else too.

@upper mica @visual raptor any thoughts what has been changed within 38 commits that could affected working gadget? Yes it was working fine, got branch from 22 January and current one. There was 38 commits and one of it caused this one to not work anymore.

[upper mica]

Use binary search to find the commit that broke things

[visual raptor]

oh

i think i know

i removed the api_ranks gadget thinking it wasnt used

i guess this needs to be set still

[candid stratus]

yeah thats it

[quiet widget]

What is the XP grade by the way?

[visual raptor]

local EXP_GRADE = 0.0005

[quiet widget]

Can you fix that in my pull request I set it to 0.1

But also consider making it a slightly larger number because that one will cause the call-in to trigger very very frequently

I explicitly didn't use this for the XP inheritance gadget for drone carriers because it was so expensive

It is currently the only gadget in the code base that uses this

[visual raptor]

i could if you cant do it

i dont even know what 0.0005 actually represents

[candid stratus]

how often change to range is applied based on XP gain

[visual raptor]

i guess thats the amount of xp value change

then 0.01 at least sounds better

[upper mica]

So SetExperienceGrade has a global effect? It's not per-addon UnitExperience function?

[candid stratus]

0.1 work poorly update every few XP ranks and not every XP gain

[visual raptor]

its how much gadget:UnitExperience(unitID, unitDefID, unitTeam, xp, oldxp) gets triggered

[upper mica]

i.e. You can't have two gadgets with two UnitExperience callins with two SetExperienceGrade with different numbers?

[visual raptor]

there is a widgethandler one too widgetHandler:UnitExperience(unitID, unitDefID, unitTeam, experience, oldExperience)

its set once and forget yes

the one that sets is last wins

its global, not needed per widget/gadget

[upper mica]

Then it shouldn't be done in a widget/gadget, it should be done at the LuaRules and LuaUI entry points

[visual raptor]

indeed

[upper mica]

Or at an even higher level, if possible

[visual raptor]

i m wondering why this isnt a modrule, why would you'd want lua code to dynamically set it

[quiet widget]

I won't be able to touch it for around 12 hours

Right now there's a lot of sad gunslinger boys

[upper mica]

@little bronze Why is SetExperienceGrade a synced function, rather than a modrule?

[visual raptor]

merged

[mellow blade]

Gunslinger goldStar at 520 range, it is good now ! GG

[quiet widget]

https://tenor.com/view/success-three-stooges-moe-curly-curly-the-three-stooges-gif-14274668519316955102

[visual raptor]

https://tenor.com/view/finger-guns-cowboy-man-candy-turn-around-gif-16476619

[little bronze]

2007 was a different era

in theory it allows you to change it dynamically at runtime, which may have been desirable back when it had stupid semantics

[hidden oyster]

I confirm that when starting a NEW SCENARIO afresh, the GUNSLINGER range now increases with experience and the unit card reflects this. THANK YOU!

BUT, every time I save the game (latest engine) and reload it, the GUNSLINGER's range stays FIXED and never increases, no matter how many kills you make.

See screenshot.

Instead it increases the DPS with XP.

[hidden oyster]

Any ideas what the problem cld be?

[candid stratus]

Do you roughly noticed, when the problem started, since its not just limited to XP gadget but as well other parts like scenarios completition mark if loaded. I'm just looking for time frame to find the reason behind.

FYI @visual raptor @quiet widget and maybe @upper mica . Its only related to some recent changes and saves

Here is other recent problem with loads (saved game).
#1336319202151235646 message

[hidden oyster]

I first noticed this on the campaign map One Robot Army, where you start with a Fatboy, a Welder and a GUNSLINGER.

I only picked up on this because you don't have builders and therefore need to get the most out of your troops.

I will run some tests to see if the problem is replicated on other maps/campaigns.

[candid stratus]

Sorry let me rephrase it. When did you spotted it. Rough time frame ( how long ago days/weeks).

[candid stratus]

I can confirm that this bug affect only saves on scenarios or skirmish

same time Saved game cause another bug related to scenarios

[hidden oyster]

Apologies. For me, the problem has always been there.

But that cld be because the campaign forced me to micromanage my units thus paying closer attn. to detail.

[hidden oyster]

OK. So I loaded one of my old, saved games from Oct 2024, and I can confirm that GUNSLINGER never increases range, regardless of how many kills.

It stays 'locked' on the default value.

[candid stratus]

Its gadget issue not Engine @quiet widget this gadget never had it #🚂｜engine message

[quiet widget]

I don't know what functions are called upon a save load. Initialize probably? So if initialize calls some kind of recalculation function that sets the correct range then should be fixed

[fiery rover]

I got a Gunslinger today and his range did not scale and that made me sad

[rancid snow]

I just watched a 8v8 game where it was scaling, can you link the replay of your game?

[fiery rover]

hmmmmm effort..... but give me a minute

[fiery rover]

nvm it did increase

[rancid snow]

s'all good 🙂 ty for checking

[candid stratus]

@quiet widget dont bother bro we found it its Engine bug, Ivand will try to fix it tmrw

[quiet widget]

i've had my nose to the grind working on something else

porting zombies toggle from zerok

we'll see if it gets blocked but I'm pretty pumped about it.

[candid stratus]

Scenario bug remains , will work on it tmrw as far as i can tell in engine: rel2501.2025.01.3 scenario bug didn't exist so its new stuff

[hidden oyster]

Interesting development reloading a saved game on the latest engine playing the One Man Army scenario. We know the 'bug' with GUNSLINGER range permanently fixed and range never increasing with XP (for saved games).

However, after my GUNSLINGER got killed and I resurrected him, new kills automatically started increasing XP as expected. Strange. Maybe I'm seeing things? Or maybe EXISTING GUNSLINGERS do not increase range when reloading saved games?

[candid stratus]

@hidden oyster@quiet widget@rancid snow
Fix for Gunslinger save will be live with next Engine Rel. ***confirmed & fixed ***