March 2021 - Allegiances and Alliances v1.1

[Korath]

On my second local harddrive, i.e. not the one used during boot, in the folder "D:\Program Files (x86)".

Still the system-wide Program Files (x86), and not just a directory bizarrely renamed to match, I take it? There's your problem. All versions of MicroProse MTG need permission to write to their installation directory, and not just to the per-user virtualized copy. If you put it in a tree like Program Files (x86) that Windows insists on holding your hand in, it'll die, probably at the start-of-turn autosave.

Install it elsewhere (best solution), continue to run it as administrator (worst), or change the directory permissions as instructed e.g. here (I've never tried this, but if I did, I'd definitely do it to just the MTG subdir and not all of Program Files).

[FastEddie]

Still the system-wide Program Files (x86), and not just a directory bizarrely renamed to match, I take it?

You have a mighty suspicious mind and rightly so I would say. Too much time spent in IT... Honestly, I can't tell, as this harddrive with this directory is a couple of years old now.

Install it elsewhere (best solution), continue to run it as administrator (worst), or change the directory permissions as instructed e.g. here

So that's what I tried, a couple of times actually in case I missed anything. The last try went like this:
Create a new directory D:\ML, copy the files from the old directory there, overwrite with the March update for good measure.
Switch to the Admin account, establish a new right for my everyday user that gives me full control over the D:\ML folder, all files and subfolders (I didn't see the Trusted Installer mentioned in the article you linked, not sure whether this is something to worry about).
Run Magic.exe while being Admin just for giggles and lo and behold, the same behaviour .
Just for sake of completeness, the same issue still occurs under the everyday user.

I mean, even if I add files afterwards or change something (e.g. copy Magic.exe in there again) it shouldn't matter since the rights are attached to the folder, no? You see me thoroughly confused .

Edit: the interesting thing is that it worked a couple of times when I ran it as Admin under the old installation. Could it be that there is something somewhere in the user files, that has been established after trying to open an old save game which causes this issue now?

[Korath]

Next thing to try would be to run it under a debugger to see precisely where it dies.

[FastEddie]

I played around a bit but I fear I need your support as I have zilch experience debugging multi-threaded applications, especially when they come without a symbol table.

I fired up gdb and ran Magic.exe. It looks like this:

Code: Select all

(gdb) exec-file Magic.exe
(gdb) run
Starting program: D:\Manalink\Manalink/Magic.exe Magic.exe
[New Thread 9320.0x2700]
[New Thread 9320.0x258c]
[New Thread 9320.0x1c74]
[New Thread 9320.0xf94]
Error while mapping shared library sections:
`D:\Manalink\Manalink\image.dll': not in executable format: File format not recognized
warning: onecore\com\combase\objact\objact.cxx(826)\combase.dll!76067B69: (caller: 7606656B) ReturnHr(1) tid(2700) 800401F0 CoInitialize wurde nicht aufgerufen.
[New Thread 9320.0x688]
[New Thread 9320.0xe34]
[New Thread 9320.0x1b5c]
[New Thread 9320.0x24f4]
[New Thread 9320.0xacc]
[New Thread 9320.0x1d8c]
[New Thread 9320.0x158c]
[New Thread 9320.0x19a4]
[New Thread 9320.0x1160]
[New Thread 9320.0x1d64]
[New Thread 9320.0x2254]
[New Thread 9320.0xa8c]
[New Thread 9320.0x754]
[New Thread 9320.0x1b7c]
[New Thread 9320.0x1df4]
// I think it breaks here
[New Thread 9320.0x2580]
[New Thread 9320.0x610]


From observing the behaviour a couple of times I think it breaks when starting the second to last thread but since addresses change every time and I don't have symbols I didn't figure out how to attach a breakpoint to this thread (or every thread, I don't care).

[Aswan jaguar]

For those of you that are not subscribed to mail list a new update version 1.1 mostly with bug fixes and a couple of dozens of new cards mostly from mirage has been released, see first post, enjoy.

[etphonehome]

THX for the new update


Installing...

And playing!

[FastEddie]

I just installed the update but same behaviour as before . Sorry for being the party pooper.

[ethermuchacho]

There is something wrong with the Draft.. as soon as I pick my cards, it says "YOU WON" and lets me... repick the cards AGAIN, never allowing me to play.
This issue hasn't been fixed in years.

Also when picking cards, some have the text exceeding the space in the square underneath the picture and it's impossible to scroll down.

[Aswan jaguar]

See wiki drafting: https://www.slightlymagic.net/wiki/ML3_Drafting
Right click on the big card to expand text.