Artemis DevLog CH7

'Evening all!

So, I had an interesting week, having spent a couple days troubleshooting a bug reported. The part that was frustrating was the goosechase, searching for something broken that well...was never broken to begin with. At least as a result of the base code. The issue came up and off the bat it didn't sound normal (I guess what bug does lol). So, after some digging someone else had reported the same issue and thankfully this person was at least able to share their save files. I was able to review the case and confirm my code was modified and as a result caused the issue.

Now, most of you know my stance on mods in general. I shared my history of modding games like Skyrim. But I'm not going to send an email to Bethesda when I get a CTD (crash to desktop) because I'm modifying the game and thus breaking (albeit Skyrim is notoriously buggy even without mods, lol)

The point I'm trying to make here is most people don't fess up with they report a bug and not sharing if they've modded the files. In my Discord, I have it stated in the Rules that I can't provide support bugs if you modded the game. I also state why which is:

I will not support any modified versions or saves given to you by another. What is considered modified? Using applications to unpack Artemis and modify the files. When releasing updates, I know what is in the code and can better troubleshoot. When you modify code, modifying variables could cause a cascading effect and troubleshooting could be a hassle and will take time away from development. If you intend to modify, please make sure you're willing to troubleshoot your modifications

This bit right here "modifying variables could cause a cascading effect and troubleshooting could be a hassle and will take time away from development." is basically what happened. Someone modified the code and it broke freeroam for them. I was able to confirm this by reviewing the save files. It was annoying because I had spent a couple days trying to replicate, meanwhile this person was posting every chance they got to point out the bug. Thankfully someone else shared their saves and fessed up about it.

So, for those who mod the game. By all means, I don't care if you do. I get it, so play Artemis however you want to play it. Just be mindful when you report bugs. Unfortunately, this was the tipping point for me. I spent a couple more days this week working on a script that will check for modified files. If it finds anything, the game will pause, inform you the quote above. Then you'll have to confirm you read and understand modding can break the game. After you can continue playing Artemis modified. This prompt will only display if it detects anything. If it doesn't, Artemis will run normally without this prompt.

Anyways, sorry for the rant-y update. I almost went scorched earth and made the game CTD if it detects mods, but that's being a bit spiteful lol. The mod-detection will be part of the CH7 update.

*kicks soapbox*

Hope you all had a great week. Remember to hydrate and take your vitamins!

- digi ❤️