My contraption worked once but then will not win anymore

[d_1999]

Hi,

I recently produced this design http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=5516079 After a bit of tweaking I managed to get it to win (although it was quite slow ~2200) so i saved the design. When I go back to it now it does not work, the replay is the same up until the third ball gets thrown in, it used to release the fourth ball at this point but now it no longer does. Does anyone ahve any idea why this is the case/any way to fix it?

[tmusquiez]

Replay inconsistencies do happen, and it has something to do with the float number on each processor. The only thing really is to tweak it a bit until the replay works every time. It's a really neat concept design though.

[d_1999]

Thanks,

Tweaked it and redesigned the valve. Works now and is faster also.

http://FantasticContraption.com/?designId=5517993

[weasel]

The floating-point-number-thing only affects transporting an application from one device to another - so designing a contraption on an older Mac might not work so well on a newer PC. But on the same computer it should be the same.

However! There is another bug we haven't tracked down yet. Sometimes what gets saved isn't *exactly* what was on the screen at the time. We fixed a similar bug, the "expanding chain bug" a few months back - and it might be related. Make sure you don't have any really tiny spans of rods/wood anywhere. If anyone can recreate this bug so we can fix it we'd be deeply appreciative.

[d_1999]

Hi,

Just to confirm this problem occured on the same machine I designed it on. I actually saw it complete the level, saved, watched it complete again, quit to menu and then loaded from my designs only for it to now fail. It definately sounds like what you suggested weasel where it hasn't saved exactly what I had. I don't have any really small rods in the design (depending on your definition of small i guess) however one of the goal balls actually starts slightly within one of motor wheels so maybe this caused the effect though im not really sure. Obviously feel free to use the design (given in first post) to investigate the bug if you want to.

Thanks

[weasel]

Ah yes, starting with the goal ball inside something should not be allowable and will cause the same results. I'll see if I can get that patched out.

[d_1999]

The problem (im not sure if you're aware although i'd guess you are) is when a goal piece starts only partially in the goal area it can be placed anywhere. Anyway i'll let this die now that the cause has been identified. Thanks

[mtdewd]

[Bump]
Well we're having this problem a lot over in slow world, starting on page 5.

One other issue I've noticed in some of the slower designs is that even with already saved designs you can win with a certain tick count, then click Back, STOP, START (that is, without reloading) and get a different tick count, or something that doesn't win at all. I think it's the butterfly effect.

[i need a user]

this happened with my up the stairs design. it worked, i saved and viewed, it tno longer worked. if you want to see the desighn its on the c first or second page called "never let me down"