GAME BREAKING BUG (Cemetery Crypt)

[Jericho]

In the crypt, the toxic cage that traps you triggered but I jumped back and didn't get caught in it, and I went back down into the karkian pool because I thought the escape was down there. Now it is impossible for me to finish the level. I don't have a save prior to attempting to avoid the trap, so my progress is completely locked.

This section is simply badly designed. Why would you place a trigger at the very edge of a doorway if you're trying to trap someone? You're supposed to place triggers like that midway or at the end of the corridor so that the player doesn't have the chance to evade capture. This is basic game developer knowledge. Typically if you make it avoidable, you're suppose to be able to avoid it.

This mislead me into believing you couldn't go that way in the first place and so I thought that if you did you were supposed to get caught and die. So I avoided it on purpose and went back to the drop pit trap thinking I was suppose to go down there, but it just leads you back to the cage. It was a complete waste of 12 minutes, and then I realize I can't even finish the game now, it's completely broken. I literally CANNOT get through this section. My only option is to literally restart the entire game, and I'm not doing that.

Is there a console command I can use to noclip through the gate, and if I do that, will it disable achievements? With this being my first run, disabling achievements is not an acceptable either.

(Let me also state that the complexity of the two traps being right next to each other is a recipe for disaster because of how misleading they are. First of all, it's redundant and pointless to have a drop pit, when you can just load a quick save to avoid the mistake, like any normal person would. With this preconceived notion in mind, when I saw this pit, I was given the idea that this area was meaningful, that I was SUPPOSED to fall down there, and so I first went around the pit to see what was up ahead, but the cage up ahead traps and kills you, and with no obvious exit, it felt to me that the game was trying to tell me "This is not the way." So I went back and tried to see if you could avoid capture, but I would take this as confirmation that it's avoidable, just like how the drop pit can be avoided initially if you are careful, and sure enough it is. So I saw this as enough evidence to believe you are intended to avoid the second trap altogether, and proceed into the pit, only to my dismay to find out this is untrue, that pit is completely pointless, and that the cage with the smoke is actually the way. WHAT!? This section of the level is just badly designed, there's no denying that. The placement of the trigger is just objectively bad no matter how you look at it. If the player is supposed to be trapped in that cage, then the trigger to close the gate behind the player should not be directly at the entrance.)

[Jericho]

I used cheats to get through the gate but now my play through is permanently tagged with cheats so I'm pretty sure I can't get achievements now. Please just move the trigger further into the cage, this is ridiculous and should have never happened to me, or at the very least add a lever for that gate on both sides so that if it happens to anyone else they can correct the issue.

[PolaricEntropy]

We will look into adjusting the triggers even more so it would be harder to back out, because as you say that will softlock the game. Thanks for bringing it up. However there are multiple things like the speed aug that might be hard to take into account.

Apologies for not seeing your post earlier, and I guess it's too late now but if you want you can send your save over and I can remove the cheat tag for you.

[PolaricEntropy]

Also I can agree with that the level design there is not top notch, but currently we have no good way to overhaul it.

[Jericho]

Originally posted by PolaricEntropy:

We will look into adjusting the triggers even more so it would be harder to back out, because as you say that will softlock the game. Thanks for bringing it up. However there are multiple things like the speed aug that might be hard to take into account.

Apologies for not seeing your post earlier, and I guess it's too late now but if you want you can send your save over and I can remove the cheat tag for you.

I think your best solution would be to adjust the trigger, but also adjust the map as precaution if it's possible so that when you exit from the karkian pool it takes beyond that gateway. I'll send you my save later. I already progressed to the next level but haven't actually played far into it because I was waiting for a response and didn't want to miss out on achievements, so I'll have to return to my manual save and bypass the gate with cheats again and then send you that file.

Also, maybe you could help me out here? What exactly am I suppose to send you? The file structure is a bit atypical here. I'm seeing several folders here and then a variety of files in each of them.

Current
QuickSave
Save-005
Save-006
Save0007 (This is really how it's named, not a typo, but I'm guessing the programmer accidentally hit '0' instead of '-' here?)

The only folder that I presume has the appropriate save in it is Save0007 because I see 09_NYC_Graveyard.dxs in it. However there's also similar files named exactly the same except instead of Graveyard they are named Dockyard, Ship, ShipBelow, and ShipFan. There's also SaveInfo.dxs here. So which file do I send you? The entire Save0007 folder, or just a particular file?

[PolaricEntropy]

This is for reference how the triggers (tinted green) are positioned (haven't touched anything yet):
https://puu.sh/H7VR7/54e478c00f.png

They are centered, but their radius is large so the player will trigger them as soon as possible. The reason for this is so it's not possible to run through the trap with the speed aug or hide in the corner (every collision in the engine is cylindrical). I'll look into decreasing the radius while at the same time increasing the speed which the doors close so it's less possible to have time to either go through or back out. I can also make fence that drops down behind you crush you if you are in their path, instead of stopping once they hit your head.
Level design changes are a bit more impractical at the moment, but certainly something to take into advisement.

So the Current folder is for the currently loaded save you are playing through. The first time you visit a level in the current mission number like 09, it will load up that level from the Maps folder into memory, and that's the game you are playing. When you hit a level transition it will save the current state into a .dxs file into the Current folder. If the map you are transitioning to have been visited before it will load it's .dxs file, otherwise it will load a fresh level from the Maps folder. When you save the game the contents of the Current folder gets copied into a permanent save folder, because as soon as you exit the game the Current folder will be cleared. The SaveInfo contains save metadata while the other .dxs files are the full levels. Since levels are uncompressed they take up a lot of space.

Save-005 and 006 are QuickSave2 and 3 that we implemented. We couldn't actually change the naming there without having the source code for the DeusExGameEngine (only the C++ headers and libs were released, no actual source), instead it's the SaveIndex used which is -5 and -6. Any positively numbered save like Save0007 are manual saves (with SaveIndex 7 in that case).

Easiest way to check which folder is the right one is by checking which has the latest last modified date, and also have the level itself present 09_NYC_Graveyard.dxs). If in doubt, just enter the game, load the save and then make a new save (not quicksave) and see what Save-folder was created. We need the entire folder, so just zip that up. Preferably even before the trap and any cheat attempts, if you have a save that goes back that far.

[Jericho]

Originally posted by PolaricEntropy:

This is for reference how the triggers (tinted green) are positioned (haven't touched anything yet):
https://puu.sh/H7VR7/54e478c00f.png

They are centered, but their radius is large so the player will trigger them as soon as possible. The reason for this is so it's not possible to run through the trap with the speed aug or hide in the corner (every collision in the engine is cylindrical). I'll look into decreasing the radius while at the same time increasing the speed which the doors close so it's less possible to have time to either go through or back out. I can also make fence that drops down behind you crush you if you are in their path, instead of stopping once they hit your head.
Level design changes are a bit more impractical at the moment, but certainly something to take into advisement.

So the Current folder is for the currently loaded save you are playing through. The first time you visit a level in the current mission number like 09, it will load up that level from the Maps folder into memory, and that's the game you are playing. When you hit a level transition it will save the current state into a .dxs file into the Current folder. If the map you are transitioning to have been visited before it will load it's .dxs file, otherwise it will load a fresh level from the Maps folder. When you save the game the contents of the Current folder gets copied into a permanent save folder, because as soon as you exit the game the Current folder will be cleared. The SaveInfo contains save metadata while the other .dxs files are the full levels. Since levels are uncompressed they take up a lot of space.

Save-005 and 006 are QuickSave2 and 3 that we implemented. We couldn't actually change the naming there without having the source code for the DeusExGameEngine (only the C++ headers and libs were released, no actual source), instead it's the SaveIndex used which is -5 and -6. Any positively numbered save like Save0007 are manual saves (with SaveIndex 7 in that case).

Easiest way to check which folder is the right one is by checking which has the latest last modified date, and also have the level itself present 09_NYC_Graveyard.dxs). If in doubt, just enter the game, load the save and then make a new save (not quicksave) and see what Save-folder was created. We need the entire folder, so just zip that up. Preferably even before the trap and any cheat attempts, if you have a save that goes back that far.

Alright, so I'll go back and fix my save and then I'll send you the current save and let you fix it, thanks for telling me that.

EDIT: Alright, here's my 'Current' save folder. It's made right after the trap and I just need you to remove the cheats enabled tag for me. Unfortunately the oldest save I have is directly before the trap, but it's already closed and soft-locked. I thought it would just be easier for you to disable the cheats tag. As long as I'm able to get achievements I'm happy.

https://files.catbox.moe/y4a3ho.rar

[PolaricEntropy]

I forgot to ask, what gameplay style are you using? Settings -> Game Options

[Jericho]

Originally posted by PolaricEntropy:

I forgot to ask, what gameplay style are you using? Settings -> Game Options

Just default Revision.

[PolaricEntropy]

I assume "normal" then and not Biomod, Shifter, Vanilla or HR. The reason I ask is because saves are not compatible with each other and even though it loads it might cause problems down the line.

[Jericho]

Originally posted by PolaricEntropy:

I assume "normal" then and not Biomod, Shifter, Vanilla or HR. The reason I ask is because saves are not compatible with each other and even though it loads it might cause problems down the line.

Yes, "Normal."

[PolaricEntropy]

Apologies for the late reply, here is the fixed save: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wsersbx9m5lrfkl/Save0007.7z?dl=1
I've also added a command for the next release to print the status of the cheat flag so it's easy to check if achievements are locked out because of this.

[Jericho]

Originally posted by PolaricEntropy:

Apologies for the late reply, here is the fixed save: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wsersbx9m5lrfkl/Save0007.7z?dl=1
I've also added a command for the next release to print the status of the cheat flag so it's easy to check if achievements are locked out because of this.

Thank you. Maybe at the bare minimum a "Restart level" option could be added?

[PolaricEntropy]

There actually is a built in UnrealEngine.command called exactly that, "restartlevel" that you can enter in the say prompt that doesn't require cheats. Unfortunately it also resets your character.

[Jericho]

Originally posted by PolaricEntropy:

There actually is a built in UnrealEngine.command called exactly that, "restartlevel" that you can enter in the say prompt that doesn't require cheats. Unfortunately it also resets your character.

Yeah, that's no good. It would have to only restart the level without resetting your character.

[PolaricEntropy]

I've now committed some fixes for the next patch regarding the gas trap.
I made the flag trigger that activates the trap and damage trigger radius smaller so they don't trigger too early.
I doubled the speed of both the door and the fence there so you can't speed through with aug or back out as easily.
Made drop down fence crush on encroach.