Shifting forms causing lag and crashes - Shifter

[Ewe]

Can someone help me out with reproducing the issue? I've not been able to crash a single time.

I'm unsure which forms or what is needed to setup the crash scenario. If anyone has reliable steps to take that result in a crash every time please let me know.

[Steve]

Can someone help me out with reproducing the issue? I've not been able to crash a single time.

I'm unsure which forms or what is needed to setup the crash scenario. If anyone has reliable steps to take that result in a crash every time please let me know.

Are you testing on the live Servers?

I can share a copy of my shifters build, which is Druid 6 / Shifter 17 / Fighter 4 / Rogue 3. The build has Epic Elemental Shape and Legendary Animal Shape feats.

Pretty much one just has to Wildshape over and over using Epic Elemental Shape, and a crash will happen eventually. Anywhere on the Server, be it S1 or S2.

[Nilden]

I crash constantly with epic elemental.

I found waiting for the animation to finish helps reduce it but I have crashed after the casting animation finished. I have crashed when I logged back in and it was just the selection menu and crashed with no animation. I crash people near me not even in my group. Every time I click that selection, doesn't matter what elemental, I cross my fingers. I also only do it now when nobody else is around. I've been crashed by other druids as well.

Character: Saman Ogden
User: Will

Be glad to help and reproduce it.

Just an aside but these shapes even with my shifter ones are some of the best. Even with the earth elemental not being immune to acid and the air not being immune to electricity, which I'm sure is an overlook. The DR, crit immune, poison and disease immune, immune to cold and fire, and refreshing elemental abilities and natural stats are all really good.

[Steve]

If someone experiences a crash from Shifter, please collect your crash dump log files and send them to ewe/Dae-Glyth.

Cheers.

[Nilden]

https://file.io/fCS1xJHYUMTy

I got 2 crash log files and just put them on the first file hosting thing I found via google. Hope this helps.

[Nilden]

I clicked on earth elemental today and got this...



I don't even have plant shape.

https://file.io/SFvSmxpuuZFb

Here's another crash log. I just used the first thing on google again, it's good for one download for like 2 weeks. Let me know if you want these sent somewhere or reuploaded. I dunno who or where to send to what Steve said. Hope this helps.

[Steve]

I clicked on earth elemental today and got this...



I don't even have plant shape.

https://file.io/SFvSmxpuuZFb

Here's another crash log. I just used the first thing on google again, it's good for one download for like 2 weeks. Let me know if you want these sent somewhere or reuploaded. I dunno who or where to send to what Steve said. Hope this helps.

Hello! Thanks for this. I notified Dae about your uploads. Cheers.

[Ewe]

Hey guys I managed to isolate the issue and confirm a fix in local testing. I've escalated the information to Rhifox and Dalo for options to correct on the live server.

[Ewe]

Initial Testing: Deployed a series of automated tests on my local server, but the bug remained elusive.

In-Depth Investigation: Examined various game aspects, from the GUI mechanics to the intricacies of model loading and the 2DA files governing appearances and transformations.

Breakthrough via Dump Files: Analyzed player-submitted dump files to pinpoint the crash address. Live server testing with a breakpoint led to a discovery: the crash triggers consistently when the inventory screen is open.

Reproduction Steps: Identified a near-certain reproduction method—shifting to a water elemental form with the inventory open. Captured my findings in a video demonstration using x32dbg. The video is short and goes into some techy stuff if interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqeMGJb5IAM


Despite these insights, the issue couldn’t be replicated on my local server. This led me down a rabbit hole comparing the local and live server environments.

Culprit Identified: Discovered the Aspect Manager plugin installed on the live server, which seems to interact with the new appearance system. This had not been setup on my local server. Once set up on my local server, the issue manifested immediately.

Plugin Analysis: The plugin’s closed-source nature limits direct inspection, but discussions with its creator, Septirage, revealed that it alters the server’s logic during appearance updates. Notably, the update polling rate spikes when the inventory is open, explaining the ease of reproduction in that scenario.

While initially thought to be a frame-perfect bug by Dalo, it’s now clear that the issue is tied to the update polling rate, not the casting animation. So with inventory closed you'd be at the mercy of when the last poll had triggered which isn't something visible to the player to tell easily.


The Fix: Septirage has offered a new version of the plug-in with a fix for the issue. Rhifox and team to integrate on live server.

[DM Spartacus]

Thanks for amazing bug hunt and detailed and inspiring journey hope this lands well

[DM Spartacus]

Thanks for amazing bug hunt and detailed and inspiring journey hope this lands well

[JustAnotherGuy]

This bug has been plaguing many for a while. It's nice that someone was able to finally nail it down. Sounds like it took a ton of effort to figure out the specific details and exact circumstances, so kudos to you for getting it done.

[Rhifox]

Dae's fix will be applied in today's update. Be free, my furry brethren!