I am trying to set up a 4 player game. They’re all using different versions of VASSAL and all claiming it doesn’t matter. One has said it is impossible to run multiple versions of VASSAL even though I have dozens of versions of VASSAL installed on my Linux machine.
Any advice on how I can bring order to the situation?
So I suppose I have spent more time editing VASSAL modules than playing them. I’m not sure. Anyway maybe that has got me overly paranoid. I suppose I only have to worry about the VASSAL version when I edit a module. For a stable module, people can use different versions. Any issues with this?
Not so paranoid. A module edited in the latest Vassal version will be incompatible with earlier versions, so I understand. In any case, you will need to apply a workaround to allow users to open your module from earlier versions of Vassal from the one you edit in.
To keep things simple, everyone should use the same version of Vassal.
Maybe I have been misunderstood.
The module was edited in 3.2.17 and has been tested in later versions. I am not editing this module.
The issue is that some people one person is using 3.3.2 and another 3.4.2. The rest of us are comfortable running multiple versions. But these two apparently are not. So I am worried if there will be issues with moving the .vlogs and .vsavs between VASSAL versions.
So I tried creating a .vlog in 3.4.2 and stepping through it in 3.2.17. All the tiles were face-down. So I guess there are issues.
If I take the same file and step through it in 3.4.2, it;s fine.
So then I need to know how to educate my users on how to run multiple versions. I am trying to find out which OS’s they use.
Just tell them to do a “custom” install and pick a different installation folder for each version. Then, use File Manager (or the Mac equivalent) to navigate to the correct folder and open the VASSAL executable there (or create and appropriately name a shortcut to it for future use).
Thanks. But is that documented anyone? I don’t know how technical these people are.
Thus spake slimy:
“marktb1961” wrote:
Not so paranoid. A module edited in the latest Vassal version will be
incompatible with earlier versions, so I understand. In any case,
you will need to apply a workaround to allow users to open your module
from earlier versions of Vassal from the one you edit in.To keep things simple, everyone should use the same version of Vassal.
Maybe I have been misunderstood.
The module was edited in 3.2.17 and has been tested in later versions. I
am not editing this module.The issue is that some people one person is using 3.3.2 and another
3.4.2. The rest of us are comfortable running multiple versions. But
these two apparently are not. So I am worried if there will be issues
with moving the .vlogs and .vsavs between VASSAL versions.
For what reason is one of the people using 3.3.2? We’ve fixed some
significant bugs since then, so I’d recommend that anyone who can use
3.4.2.
If that person is using 3.3.2 because something they need is broken in
3.4.2, then we don’t know it and that person should not expect it to
ever be fixed. The solution there is to tell us what the problem is.
–
J.
I use a developers version of Vassal to play my PBEM games, it’s basically the latest 3.5.0-SNAPSHOT with some custom changes. No idea what my opponents use. So far no one complained about anything.
Maybe it depends on the module as well. The two modules I play are made with 3.2.17.
So I have managed to get everyone on 3.3.2.
I understand that 3.3.2 is buggy. That’s why I tried to stick in 3.2.17 because generally I trust that one. I will try to move forwards rather than backwards in future games.
So the conclusion is that moving between VASSAL versions should work but sometimes doesn’t (and does not in this case). Presumably when it fails that is a big in VASSAL. It is not immediately obvious whether it is an old version which won’t be fixed or a new version. The only way of identifying where the issue is identifying which bit of code broke. Does this all sound correct?
Sometimes, it’s a bug in 3.2 which the modules used, the bug was fixed in 3.3/3.4, and now the modules can’t use that bug anymore and seem to break. Like in the case of various COIN modules.
Moving forwards is usually better than backwards.
Which bug are we we talking about?
Some undocumented use of the $xyz$ - syntax, which shouldn’t have been working in the first place, but worked due to a bug, one of the module designers used it for his modules, other module designers learned this from him and copied it into their modules.
I don’t see how that would explain my issues. It would make it work in old versions but not in new versions. I have not seen any issues in new versions. Only when .vlogs are created in a new version and used in an old version. Anyway I will try to investigate a bit more.
If you are having issues, I think it will greatly increase the likelihood of a diagnosis and resolution if you can specify what module(s) you’re using and what features/behaviors are not working when you create a log using one version of VASSAL and then play it back with another version!
Sorry about that. This thread was originally as much about how do I manage my players as technical issues.
So this is as far as I have got so far on the technical side. I am using the Tigris and Euphrates module 4.3. If I create a vlog in the latest version of VASSAL and try to run that .vlog under 3.3.2 the tiles in the player’s hand are face-down. I guess you would need to see my password to see that. But the same is true in the player order window. This does not happen if you trace in 3.3.3-beta1.
Going the other way seems to work. So the lesson seems to be that if we all upgraded we’d be okay.