Custom damage bug - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Custom damage bug

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
ayar
Dec 25, 2011 10:28:34 A bug with the Monster Builder, that I had in the old (offline) version also, that I reported in detail with back-and-forth emails to the WotC team just before the new builder was launched:

- Custom damage expressions spontaneously change to impossible values when I create a new monster, save it, close the Builder, open it again and load the monster.

For example, yesterday I've created a party of NPCs and used damage expressions such as "1d12 + 15", entered manually on the keyboard (as opposed to choosing the default values suggested by the program). Today, when I fire up the builder, the damage expressions appears as "-73", "112d12 + 73", and the like.

Note that the damage expressions appear correctly as long as the builder is not closed and then re-opened.

OP: Windows XP home edition.
Browser: Firefox.

Terrible, terrible bug. Please fix this. (How many years before the program is actually, like, usable in a sensible way?)
#2
ayar
Dec 25, 2011 10:36:44 By the way I just tried the Builder with Internet Explorer instead, and the result is the same. I first loaded my monster, then customized it to correct my damage expressions, saved the monsters, closed the Builder, opened it, and the monster now appears with -881 damage instead of 1d12 + 15.
#3
kenjoon
Dec 28, 2011 14:03:30
By the way I just tried the Builder with Internet Explorer instead, and the result is the same. I first loaded my monster, then customized it to correct my damage expressions, saved the monsters, closed the Builder, opened it, and the monster now appears with -881 damage instead of 1d12 + 15.

I just tried exactly what you describe and didn't have an issue. If anything, I'd have to guess it's an encoding problem. There is likely some character you're typing that their parser can't figure out what to do. What are your regional settings?
#4
Peter_Bergholtz
Dec 29, 2011 19:47:47 Could it be due to regional settings? Me myself are having the same bug and are using a non-us keyboard.
#5
kenjoon
Dec 30, 2011 11:35:21
Could it be due to regional settings? Me myself are having the same bug and are using a non-us keyboard.

That's what I was referring to (keyboard/en-US). Depending on your character "set" their parser may not "know" what the "+" symbol is if it's using a different "encoding".

Edit: See here: www.asciitable.com/

The plus symbol is given a value of "43" decimal in en-US. If your keyboard is generating a different value for your character set (for numbers [48-57], the + symbol [43], or even "space" [32]) then their parser can be gagging on it.

Further reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_encoding
#6
Peter_Bergholtz
Jan 06, 2012 11:16:07 Excellent! I will try to set it to us-en then. Thank you.
#7
kenjoon
Jan 06, 2012 14:07:58
Excellent! I will try to set it to us-en then. Thank you.

A quick google turned up this downloadable 30 day trial software that you could test your keyboard in your normal settings: www.passmark.com/products/keytest.htm

Once installed and running, in the upper right corner it shows the "code" that I referred to above for each keypress. I couldn't get it to show the key code (for the + sign) when pressing (shift)+(=), but if I used the number pad I could get the code.
#8
Peter_Bergholtz
Jan 06, 2012 21:19:10 Yep, I got it to work as well. Fun to see that what I had wiewed as a bug was a hardware related issue. Thanks for the help and let us hope that Wizards can squeeze in a workaround for the problem as soon as possible.
#9
kenjoon
Jan 08, 2012 15:51:49
Yep, I got it to work as well. Fun to see that what I had wiewed as a bug was a hardware related issue. Thanks for the help and let us hope that Wizards can squeeze in a workaround for the problem as soon as possible.

To be clear it is a software bug (not hardware as you suggest). Their parser simply doesn't handle non-ascii character codes (unicode and such). A correctly written parser will "understand" all the different codes that represent the given character.
#10
Peter_Bergholtz
Jan 09, 2012 14:48:09 Right you are. ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ayar Dec 25, 2011 10:28:34	A bug with the Monster Builder, that I had in the old (offline) version also, that I reported in detail with back-and-forth emails to the WotC team just before the new builder was launched: - Custom damage expressions spontaneously change to impossible values when I create a new monster, save it, close the Builder, open it again and load the monster. For example, yesterday I've created a party of NPCs and used damage expressions such as "1d12 + 15", entered manually on the keyboard (as opposed to choosing the default values suggested by the program). Today, when I fire up the builder, the damage expressions appears as "-73", "112d12 + 73", and the like. Note that the damage expressions appear correctly as long as the builder is not closed and then re-opened. OP: Windows XP home edition. Browser: Firefox. Terrible, terrible bug. Please fix this. (How many years before the program is actually, like, usable in a sensible way?)
#2 ayar Dec 25, 2011 10:36:44	By the way I just tried the Builder with Internet Explorer instead, and the result is the same. I first loaded my monster, then customized it to correct my damage expressions, saved the monsters, closed the Builder, opened it, and the monster now appears with -881 damage instead of 1d12 + 15.
#3 kenjoon Dec 28, 2011 14:03:30	By the way I just tried the Builder with Internet Explorer instead, and the result is the same. I first loaded my monster, then customized it to correct my damage expressions, saved the monsters, closed the Builder, opened it, and the monster now appears with -881 damage instead of 1d12 + 15. I just tried exactly what you describe and didn't have an issue. If anything, I'd have to guess it's an encoding problem. There is likely some character you're typing that their parser can't figure out what to do. What are your regional settings?
#4 Peter_Bergholtz Dec 29, 2011 19:47:47	Could it be due to regional settings? Me myself are having the same bug and are using a non-us keyboard.
#5 kenjoon Dec 30, 2011 11:35:21	Could it be due to regional settings? Me myself are having the same bug and are using a non-us keyboard. That's what I was referring to (keyboard/en-US). Depending on your character "set" their parser may not "know" what the "+" symbol is if it's using a different "encoding". Edit: See here: www.asciitable.com/ The plus symbol is given a value of "43" decimal in en-US. If your keyboard is generating a different value for your character set (for numbers [48-57], the + symbol [43], or even "space" [32]) then their parser can be gagging on it. Further reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_encoding
#6 Peter_Bergholtz Jan 06, 2012 11:16:07	Excellent! I will try to set it to us-en then. Thank you.
#7 kenjoon Jan 06, 2012 14:07:58	Excellent! I will try to set it to us-en then. Thank you. A quick google turned up this downloadable 30 day trial software that you could test your keyboard in your normal settings: www.passmark.com/products/keytest.htm Once installed and running, in the upper right corner it shows the "code" that I referred to above for each keypress. I couldn't get it to show the key code (for the + sign) when pressing (shift)+(=), but if I used the number pad I could get the code.
#8 Peter_Bergholtz Jan 06, 2012 21:19:10	Yep, I got it to work as well. Fun to see that what I had wiewed as a bug was a hardware related issue. Thanks for the help and let us hope that Wizards can squeeze in a workaround for the problem as soon as possible.
#9 kenjoon Jan 08, 2012 15:51:49	Yep, I got it to work as well. Fun to see that what I had wiewed as a bug was a hardware related issue. Thanks for the help and let us hope that Wizards can squeeze in a workaround for the problem as soon as possible. To be clear it is a software bug (not hardware as you suggest). Their parser simply doesn't handle non-ascii character codes (unicode and such). A correctly written parser will "understand" all the different codes that represent the given character.
#10 Peter_Bergholtz Jan 09, 2012 14:48:09	Right you are. ;)