Saving but not Saved?

MLoki · Post by **MLoki** » Sun May 28, 2006 1:24 pm

Why is it that even if you rest or change areas your character is not truly saved. I understand if you use your book it saves your character as well but after transfering gear and resting your gear SHOULD BE SAVED!!! In the last couple of days I've lost way to much gear to server crashes because of this bug. I actually used to use the book alot more often before it opened a dialog menu. Now it's more of a hastle to save your character and with all the crashes recently it's really getting ridiculous. Has anybody looked into the database to figure out why this doesn't work the way it should?

Shouldn't the message "saving your character" actually mean that?

I know the veterans all know that it happens and the DMs won't do anything about lost xp or gear because of server crashes but I've seen new players loose up to 5 levels because they didn't know how to save. Just today I logged in a toon I hadn't played in awhile and transfered some gear to him so that I could help LA defend. After about half an hour of fighting, changing areas and resting the server crashed. When I came back I had lost all the Planar Gear I had transfered to him. I am not likely to play him without that gear and it's not worth my time to try and go get that gear again since it is hard to come by. If this happened to a new player most likely they just wouldn't come back to the server. Last night I transfered gear to a character that just hit 16th. While doing so the server crashed 3 times. Once while the gear was still in the Guild Chest another time after I had picked it up but before I had a chance to save and a third time after I went to Avendell to get another set of the gear from somebody else. Somewhere in there I swore I even used the book to ID the other player but I still lost the gear and about 6k xp I gained after that. Amazingly enough I did get the money back I had used to get to Avendell and then to FD and I was still in FD.

Surely something can be done about the bugged saving process since it is deffinatly not consistant enough to be reliable in any way.

MLoki

Merrip · Post by **Merrip** » Sun May 28, 2006 1:54 pm

I 100% agree with what Mloki has said I have had the exact thing happen over the last couple of days and I personally feel that it is getting rediculous how unstable the server is becoming!!

You can not rely on saving working it is crashing more and more as each week goes by I dont know what future plans are for the box but I hope there are plans to replace it idealy,

But back on topic I have lost 2 days of pure item raiding ( 12 hrs + per day) in amongst the crashed in the last 12 hours. The gold is nothing the XP is annoying the rare item drops are the peak as far as i am concerned it can take you all day fighting the same mob and never get the drop you want you can get XP and Gold back easy enough.

Nemesis Revised · Post by **Nemesis Revised** » Sun May 28, 2006 2:08 pm

a bit related to post but during those recent crashes i saw a guy playing his shifter. someone named khaaan i think. i know for one that shifters can cause crashes on death if they respawned in the wrong time.

Post by **TGPO** » Sun May 28, 2006 2:17 pm

Not to be rude, but am I hearing a request to replace gear lost to meta-gaming?

Lorkar1 · Post by **Lorkar1** » Sun May 28, 2006 2:29 pm

While I agree with Mloki about the bugged saving process. We all have to realize that the NS servers are supplied(for free mind you) by people who have lives of their own and only have a certain amount of time and money they are willing to donate to the cause. Complaining about it does not make the situation any better, we are all aware that the NS4 server is on its last legs. If you are going to wail about it and not do anything then it is all just a bunch of wind. Had I the money I would gladly donate a box for this great mod to run on. Remember we are playing this mod for free on someone elses personal machine using their bandwidth and last but not least their electricity. So maybe just maybe a little more appreciation might be in order. That being said I believe I read recently about the possibilty of a server fund being set up. Maybe a Dev or someone with the power to get the ball rolling can give us(the players) a place to start with donations. A mailing address or a paypal account would do the trick. If everyone who played this mod donated 10 dollars (yes thats right just 10 measly dollars) that would be more than enough for a new box or 2 and maybe some left over to offset our gracious hosts cost of supplying this service to us(the players). Maybe a thermometer like counter can be setup on the forum (like the kind used in fund drives) to show how much has been raised.

Sorry Mloki for digressing but I felt it apropo to address Merrips gripe here.
Thank you to all devs and dms for giving us an alternative to outdoors activities and sleep. lol

CrazyJ · Post by **CrazyJ** » Sun May 28, 2006 2:51 pm

a bit related to post but during those recent crashes i saw a guy playing his shifter. someone named khaaan i think. i know for one that shifters can cause crashes on death if they respawned in the wrong time.

It may have been me, too... I try to avoid letting that happen, though. If a Res spell can be cast (rather than logging or attempting respawn with postive hp) there isn't normally a crash.

I would like to see the problem fixed, though. It's something related to HP and death status.

Merrip · Post by **Merrip** » Sun May 28, 2006 3:18 pm

In response to TGPO "meta-gaming" remark I dont care if i get the items back or not the simple point is if the save function worked properly there would be no loss at all other then that caused by stupidity on the players behalf I feel Mloki started the thread to get this point across I was merly reinforcing the issue as it is obviously global.

And yes I do realise that the server is run by people who have there own lives but not trying to be rude own lives or not if there is something fundementally wrong with the server say the save function it needs to be addresses! The issue is not a new one it is an old one I have had these problems since I first started here it seems that over time it is getting worse not better hence the thread for concern!!!

All that being said I am the first persont to thank the DM/DEV/DD on how good the server is and the fact that it is free and I am all for the fund account for the new server.

One last thing instead of just taking as a winge post maybe take it as a post where players are getting there concerns accross to the DM's that is fundementally what the forums are in 1 way meant to be used!!

kingfatzo · Post by **kingfatzo** » Sun May 28, 2006 3:23 pm

First i must say - merrip is right : gear isnt that much of an issue to me, it can be replaced, and as much as we all whine at times ( me included

) we do owe the DM's/DEVs our appreciation -- becasue as it has been said; they arent getting paid to maintain the server.

-----------------------
now as far as the xp crisis over the past few days: i have lost ....to be rough: i would honestly estimate more xp loss on one character over the past 24 hours than i have overall on the 4 months i have been here. I BS you not...but i am not going to go into details or ramble out a 2 page story on a public forum...hehe

I think we all feel each others pain here and honestly after a second devistating crash last night where i lost roughly 20k on a level 28 i decided to take my paranoia to the extreme --- since i play toons that are atl least part cleric all the time, from now on when i rest to rebuff -- usually every 10-15 minutes, i rest fully, hit the journal, LOG off and run to the frige or somthing and relog a minute later.....this (so far) has prevented what i like to call "roll backs" on my characters beyond the point i rest -- so worst case senario, i loose say 3-6k and only 15 minutes of time ( which i can deal with) rather than tens of thousands of xp over a 3 hour span

I dont want to see anyone experience what happened to my toon, so until we see a more stable enviornment like we were blessed with in the past, i strongly urge you all to use the book&log strategy.

------------------------------
Fatzo's words of wisdom:

as hard as it is for me to remember myself i am going to begin training myself to book and log at these points:

1. after i rest
2. after a level up
3. after a gear transfer of any sort
4. after buying or selling crap
5. after picking up "rare" or "good" gear

yea its common sense, but often i get too into the game, or on a roll and i forget to save and log.....i might print a little sheet out that reads " did you save and log stupid ? " and slap it on the side of my pc case

Merrip · Post by **Merrip** » Sun May 28, 2006 3:37 pm

I know the feeling Fatzo on the XP loss and I have to add that I have tried the every irritating book/log/relog/save and in the past have still lost xp/gold/items as if I didn't do it

Hate to burst the bubble but that way although maybe safer still not secure

kingfatzo · Post by **kingfatzo** » Sun May 28, 2006 5:36 pm

I know the feeling Fatzo on the XP loss and I have to add that I have tried the every irritating book/log/relog/save and in the past have still lost xp/gold/items as if I didn't do it

Hate to burst the bubble but that way although maybe safer still not secure

aye, well so far it has worked .... hehe...if that is the case is any toon really safe ? i might have to go take a look at my mules

$chase$ · Post by **$chase$** » Sun May 28, 2006 6:56 pm

i assure you this is being looked into and is a top piority.
have a nice day

Charles I · Post by **Charles I** » Sun May 28, 2006 11:12 pm

Something that may help in preventing xp loss is opening your character sheet prior to saving. It appears that xp is not constantly updated. I have noticed my xp will have one number when the char sheet first opens and then change about 1/2 a second later. There may be something hard coded in the bioware engine that does not constantly update xp (maybe not). I do this regularly and have only lost xp a few times. Can't hurt to try.

Myrdyr · Post by **Myrdyr** » Sun May 28, 2006 11:34 pm

As someone who lost my first day's play here including all items, xp, and job status, I sympathize. I don't think the character sheet suggestion actually does anything - it's been explained to me as just a delay between the last displayed xp and retrieving the current xp.

Given my experience, I encourage everyone to log out regularly (every few hours at least). Besides, it's a good idea to get up to stretch and rest your eyes and hands.

Elagneros · Post by **Elagneros** » Mon May 29, 2006 3:12 am

Well, like the devs had said in the past, they won't outlaw or prevent muling, but they won't aid it either. It sucks to lose gear, but I usually don't transfer stuff when the server is acting up or unstable, too risky.

On the bright side, there was a crash earlier that actually benefitted my character — it gave me back the money I had spent on a ticket to FD. No XP loss because I had just logged and the crash occured before I got to where I was going to XP.

Post by **Lokey** » Mon May 29, 2006 10:44 am

Elagneros, I've been persuaded not to delete accounts when I see metagaming in the past. We'll see how long that stays true

Lorkar1, take the words right out of my mouth

There's a paypal button on the home page. See below as well.

chase
i assure you this is being looked into and is a top piority.
have a nice day

Actually this is a priority. The code is ok--if it weren't your saved location would be garbled when your character is (they are saved at the same time). The problem is we're stressing the engine a bit more with more content and some more demanding scripting on a server that's past its prime (character export calls are delayed by the engine in some weird unknowable fashion.)

Solution is two-fold:
- DD is shopping for replacement hardware. The server is older technology, but most of it is salvageable. Right now he's thinking Opteron dual core with new board, but like he and others have posted there's a new wave of chips coming out--that's the time to comparison shop or at least hope the last generation of chips drop in price.

- We'll see what we can do to do the same with fewer comp resources, but that will take time.

As always, thx for the patience, understanding and putting up with Chase