Chef Archive
Thread: CONFIRMED: They fixed stacks & totally b0rked buffs
Um, not that I've played with this at all, but from what I've read this is what I've assumed:
They added some sort of cap to the amount a stat can be buffed. But they still subtract out the original buff when you lose your buff. For example (completely hypothetically):
1. Your stamina is at 1000, the cap is 1500.
2. You use a buff that adds 800 to stamina .
3. You cap at 1500, so you actually just added 500.
4. The buff wears off. Instead of subtracting 500, the code subtracts 800 (the original buff).
5. Your stamina is now 1500 - 800, or 700. You've lost 300 from your original stamina.
Again, since I haven't played the game since the patch, this is completely an assumption. Just it seemed the most natural thing to go wrong.
Here are the current bugs and step by step instructions on how to reproduce each one. SirVimes, if you could, please direct the dev's to this list for how to reproduce each of these. These problems are not specific to food. This is an inherent problem in the new buffing mechanism and occurs with all buffs: Food, Drink, Spice, Doctor, and Entertainer.
1) Stacking buffs do not buff your current value.
With the update buffs that boost a primary HAM should also boost your current value. So, for instance, if you have 1000/1000 Mind and you drank a Charde that gave +120 to Mind, the end result should be 1120/1120. The bug is that this only works with the first one; any subsequent consumption does not boost the mind. Thus, a second charde taken at this time would yield 1120/1240, and a third would result in 1120/1360. The primary HAM will still regenerate to max as normal, however, this functionality is not the way the enhancement is described.
To reproduce:
o Make sure your character is at full HAM.
o Consume one Charde from a stack and note your current and max values. The max and current should be identical.
o Consume a second Charde from the stack and note your current and max values. The max should be correct but the current will not.
2a) Expiration of any buff erases all buffs on that HAM.
For this example I used a Spiced Tea with the stats Act +69 Focus +93 for 2'50". I consumed 4 spiced teas consecutively. My normal Action max is 1050. Each consumption yielded the following results:
(0) Act 1050/1050
(1) Act 1119/1119
(2) Act 1119/1188
(3) Act 1119/1257
(4) Act 1119/1326
As time passed my Act eventually became 1326/1326. Shortly after this time, the first buff wore off. When the first buff expired my Act became 1050/1257. Thus, the first buff to expire brought my current value to my normal max, 1050. The following is the values as they expired, in order:
(0) Act 1326/1326
(1) Act 1050/1257
(2) Act 981/1188
(3) Act 912/1119
(4) Act 843/1050
As you can see, the current Act value continues to go down at each expiration, however since the first buff expiration brought the current value to my old normal, each consecutive expiration resulted in my character taking damage to her HAM. A larger buff may result in incapacitation on expiration.
I reproduced this bug with Veronian Berry Wine, Karken Ribens, Spiced Tea, and Bofa Treats. I will not test all foods, as it appears to be an across the board problem. This is the cause of the problem with the secondary stat buffs resulting in permanent stat loss (until reloaded). I will, however, address the secondary stat problem separately below to clarify this statement.
To reproduce:
o Make sure your character is at full HAM.
o Consume four Spiced Tea's (Minimum needed to reproduce the bug is two)
o Allow your HAM to be fully healed over time.
oWhen the first buff expires, make careful note of the current and max values for the Action stat. While the Maximum should be correct, the current will have dropped back to the characters unbuffed maximum. The current value should not have been dropped to this value, as there are still 3 more stacked buff on the character.
o Watch each buff expire sequentially, taking note of each expiration. Each one should reduce the maximum correctly, but will damage the players HAM by the opposite value of the buff for each subsequent buff expiration. Again, a larger buff can yield incapacitation upon expiration in this manner.
2b) Buffs are being incorrectly applied.
I believe the problem causing 2a is also causing 2b. Because the secondary stats do not regenerate like the primary HAM though, problem #1 is causing the value max to be correct, but anything after the first buff to not be applied to the current. Problem 2a will then yield the stat loss. This bug can also be reproduced with Spiced Tea, just pay attention to the focus for each consumption and expiration.
With all this said, if food stays broken in this manner over the weekend, I will be terribly disheartened and lose tremendous faith in the programmers of this game and their ability to empathize with their customers. This is a broad based problem that is affecting every player, but decimates the chef class. The stack bug couldn't hold a candle to these bugs. So, in an effort to get these issues resolved, I have instead of enjoying myself when I returned from work today in the evening playing SWG, I have been reduced to working for the developers and doing the work that QC should have done, outlining in depth, every problem with buffs and how to reproduce them. I'm sure SWG will hold no entertainment for me this weekend with these bugs in place.
SirVimes, I understand that you also reported these problems to the developers prior to the patch going to LIVE on the TEST Center? If this is true, please tell me. I was going to set up a character there, but if that statement is true, I won't bother.
Here's hoping some developer is reading this...
its sad that sir vimes told them about this bug before it went live and they went ahead anyways with this buggy patch. whats the point of a correspondant if theyre not gonna listen to him?
If secondaries regenerated, there wouldnt be a problem
drink 1 tat sunburn : works fine... current/max both increased
drink another tat sunburn : only max is increased.
Sigh..
This buff problem is only bugging secondary stats..NOT PRIMARY.
In other words if you eat food that effects: Con, Str, Quick, Sta, Will, Focus it fubars your stats...
My only work around is I am now only eating foods that buff my primary stats...
This seems to work.
But yeah I am NOT happy as I just bought 120k in food.
Nolof
What gets me is they aren't even acknowledging this as a bug. It's not in the development 'bug' list and wasn't fixed this morning.
And it boggles me even furthur that they knew about the bug and brought it over from the test center.
Bashin wrote:
This buff problem is only bugging secondary stats..NOT PRIMARY.
In other words if you eat food that effects: Con, Str, Quick, Sta, Will, Focus it fubars your stats...
My only work around is I am now only eating foods that buff my primary stats...
This seems to work.
But yeah I am NOT happy as I just bought 120k in food.
Nolof
Bashin, this is untrue. I have reproduced this bug many times with both secondary and primary stats. This is why buffs expiring can sometimes incapacitate you. The only reason it appears different is because, as Fatgit says above, the secondary stats do not regenerate so the bug will "stick" itself to you.
If you drink or eat multiple items that buff only your primary stats, you will notice when the 2nd, 3rd, etc. expire, they are actually damaging your HAM. This is a very dangerous phenomenon.
I took a Action Blaster and after awhile I noticed my action was not comeing back at all. I checked to see that my Stamnia is at 150/500 with 19 wounds, strength is150/400 2 wounds. I read about it this so I log off, does not fix it. However things to the screwed up stats I was killed easliy, I went and got healed and them seem to help. Got to looking at my stats again and decided to moved 30 points from mind to constituion. ThenI noticed my health was not going back as fast is it usally does, then I see my constituion at 150/500 with no wounds. Tried loging, getting killed again and thi does not help. Then my other 2 messed up stats seem to go off and on for no reason...
Eating just one food will mess it up, and doing /quit and coming back won't even fix it. I now have 450/600focusand 278/600 willpower from eating 1 food and 2 drinks.
I would hate for SOE programmers to actually hurt their little fingers by testing anything before they check in their code. It's not like this isn't an obvious bug. Just eating the foot and seeing "600/800" ought to have been a big tip-off.