The Castle Doctrine Forums

ShootsOnFilm

Member

Registered: 2013-04-04

Posts: 3

Question about save-states AND did I get cheated?

(Jason is going to be so annoyed that I emailed him about this already, but I just wanted an answer from the other CD players)

If I'm correct in my understanding, your house's state (placement and interactions of items on the map) are saved whenever a player:
- Reaches your vault
- OR kills a family member.

I recently had a house near the front page.  It had a bunch of L-shaped steel walls near the entranceway (with dogs hidden behind those walls) and my dead family was within view.  Here's a pic to show (sorry, taken on my cellphone), and I'll note it was taken before my daughter died:

I just came back and saw my money was gone.  This was no big deal cause I was excited to commend the person who robbed me, but the weird thing I noticed was all my dogs were still behind the L-shaped walls, and the two dogs that I placed directly south of the entranceway were still sitting against the wall.

I did a thorough check of my house to see if any ladders were placed, dogs dead (dogs will die if you pass through my house successfully), or wires had been cut, but everything was just as it always is (or at least when I set up the house safely).  During the test process I ended up dying cause a dog was now outside of a "closet" that I have them stationed in, and they flipped a switch that blocked my path forward.  Now I can't watch the videotape of this mystery robber.

Does anyone think this is suspicious?  Am I the only one who finds it unfair that you can't at least watch your videotapes while in your house?  I mean, don't we tend to watch our TVs indoors to begin with? That last part was a joke, but seriously, it's not like my character is watching the video feed outside of their house on their cellphone.

Basically...this blows...

Last edited by ShootsOnFilm (2013-04-04 20:03:50)

Omnipotent

Member

From: California

Registered: 2013-04-02

Posts: 23

Re: Question about save-states AND did I get cheated?

I'm sorry to hear about that. I too have lost at least 4 characters where I was trying to get back into my house and I accidentally went the wrong direction or they released dogs into an area that was not previously possible. Or they disabled floors that were supposed to be on because they turned off power thinking it would free up an entryway, but it only made it more impossible. I think the whole problem comes into the fact that there is no chance for you to try and get in if you make ANY mistake WHATSOEVER. Which is usually okay, but when you accidentally add power to an area or lose power in an area and your expected mental picture doesn't line up with what's happening, you might lose it all if you made a mistake and locked yourself inside because it used to work and doesn't anymore.

Needless to say, you lose a lot of characters while testing, but it's these mistakes you make that help you learn a lot. After you try so hard and end up failing you can get pretty angry. But in the end, you'll realize it's all re-attainable. So although it sucks right, you can probably get it back at some point. (Assuming it's not behind a bit-lock, then only those who are lucky and the lame cheaters are getting those)

I've seen a guy worth 70,000 and had 0 attempts, 0 deaths. I immediately went to it and I noticed it was a safe and wife, but I had no crowbar. So I left immediately, and came back with a crowbar and I was lucky enough to still be the first guy to try again. So I clubbed his wife, made $0, and I got 149 guns and like 80 ladders. I sold 100 guns and had like $30,000 and I managed to re-make the base I had lost like 45 minutes before and bought back most of the paintings I had, plus a few more. I have no idea how that guy had those items or why he had no defense but it sure helped me, haha. Keep in mind the game is in alpha right now so nothing is final.

What I hope happens is that we are given at least 1 grace life while testing per successful completion (with a max of 1 or 2 or something) and you aren't guaranteed to lose everything if you messed up entering your code because your keyboard stuck and went twice in one direction instead of once, you accidentally input the wrong combination for something but you locked yourself inside a cage, and etc: I understand the hardcore concept but I feel like sometimes when you have a room that people can use 8 items to get out of, but you get 0 to try, it just isn't fair. They can easily come in and out to try it with only a couple items while you would have died every time you made any mistake at all. You know just how hard it is sometimes to get to the exit, while they can just saw, weld, and put a ladder over a couple things sometimes and just get to the exit within a couple steps if they are lucky.

Edit:
Hahaha, after writing this I logged into my house and tried to get into my house because someone tried to get in and it was different. So I tried getting in and before I could even get past my pads it killed me so I died while testing it. A perfect example, I couldn't have gotten in if I wanted to, nor could anyone else. The only way to have won would have been to not log in I guess?

Last edited by Omnipotent (2013-04-04 21:52:13)

ShootsOnFilm

Member

Registered: 2013-04-04

Posts: 3

Re: Question about save-states AND did I get cheated?

Yeah, and I think I get most of that.  I understand how careful you have to be.  I've died dozens of times while designing this one house cause it's not just the wiring that requires attention, it's...other things.  Can't really go in to detail cause it gives away the process of successfully robbing me, but let's just say I'm used to being very hesitant when testing (or prepping to test).

But can you confirm:

The house save-state gets saved when a person:  1.) Successfully reaches your safe OR 2.) Kills a member of your family

That's my main gist.  My house was robbed, but nothing was changed, and by nothing I mean my pitbulls.  When a player walks one block EAST, off of the doormat, there is a direct path leading SOUTH where two dogs bee-line straight for the "visitor".  I placed them right up against the SOUTHERN edge of the map and when I entered my house they were still there.

Am I correct in thinking that something suspicious happened?  That someone was able to walk through every wall, and make it so the dogs wouldn't follow them or leave their "starting positions"?

jasonrohrer

Administrator

Registered: 2013-04-01

Posts: 1,235

Re: Question about save-states AND did I get cheated?

Yes, that's correct about when your house is saved post-robbery.

v6 will let you watch security tapes before editing/testing your house again.

Could have been something suspicious!  It's hard to tell, given that report, though.

DrNoid

Member

Registered: 2013-04-06

Posts: 56

Re: Question about save-states AND did I get cheated?

Was the save, by any chance, against the south-wall of the house? Because that would make those two dogs you mentioned return to the south wall...
If not, than I don't know. Unless the state gets saved the moment the kill happens and they shot your wife before actually entering the house?

ShootsOnFilm

Member

Registered: 2013-04-04

Posts: 3

Re: Question about save-states AND did I get cheated?

My family was already killed before this incident.

And anyways, Jason confirmed that the person cheated and walked through my walls. They might have also did something to make themselves invisible which would explain why none of my dogs moved.

Glad to know they've been banned, but $8 is such a throwaway that I'm sure they'll be back again.

Matrix

Member

Registered: 2013-04-06

Posts: 137

Re: Question about save-states AND did I get cheated?

v6 will let you watch security tapes before editing/testing your house again.

Thanks! That's a really nice addition.