| Author | Message | |||
| Earldridge Jazzed F. Pineda (Earldridgejazzedpineda)
New member Username: Earldridgejazzedpineda Post Number: 1 Registered: 7-2022 |
I wanted to remind everyone about a bug that I found in Zillions of Games. If a user tries to view Session Status while he/she is in a net-play session, Zillions will crash. I tested the bug with Zillions version 2.0.1p on Windows XP 32-bit (Service Pack 3) and Windows 10 64-bit (version 21H2, build number 19044.1826). How to reproduce this bug: 1. Click "Net" on the menu bar, then click "Join/Host Session..." 2. Select "DirectPlay8 TCP/IP Service Provider" as the Connection Type, then click the "OK" button. 3. On the dialog that follows, click the "Create" button. 4. The Game Name does not matter. Click the OK button. 5. Click "Net" on the menu bar again, and this time click "Session Status". The background music should stop, then Zillions should crash. On Windows XP, this error message should appear: "Zillions of Games Demo has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." I have also included a video demonstration of this bug. How did the developers not notice this bug for 19 years?
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| Earldridge Jazzed F. Pineda (Earldridgejazzedpineda)
New member Username: Earldridgejazzedpineda Post Number: 2 Registered: 7-2022 |
When downloading the video demonstration of the bug, please rename the extension to ".mp4" or it will not work. | |||
| david bennett (Dpoly)
New member Username: Dpoly Post Number: 54 Registered: 4-2017 |
It's likely this bug did not occur on versions of Windows in use at that time, or it would have been noticed. Zillions may never have been formally tested on XP. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to investigate or correct this bug. The original source code does not build on current versions of Visual Studio, and there is little interest in trying to make it do so. So the workaround is: don't view Session Status. :-) | |||
| Earldridge Jazzed F. Pineda (Earldridgejazzedpineda)
New member Username: Earldridgejazzedpineda Post Number: 3 Registered: 7-2022 |
I also contacted the developers of Zillions about this bug via e-mail, and they still have not yet replied. If they were able to find and fix this bug and release a new patch, this would have been a new update in almost 20 years! | |||
| david bennett (Dpoly)
New member Username: Dpoly Post Number: 55 Registered: 4-2017 |
As said, I can confirm from personal knowledge and consultation with the developers that the original source code does not build with current tools, and the original tools are no longer available. The prospect of a new update is virtually nil. I encourage you to try out A Modern Zillions (AMZ) which was built from the original source code, but with a Unity player. However it does not currently have network features. https://github.com/david-pfx/AmzPlayer/releases/tag/amz-21l31 |
A demonstration of the net-play bug in Zillions 2.0.1p (recorded on Windows 10)