Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!linac!midway!gargoyle!chinet!saj
From: saj@chinet.chi.il.us (Stephen Jacobs)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: moria problems
Summary: set the date/time
Keywords: bug repentance
Message-ID: <1991Jan16.152144.3906@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 16 Jan 91 15:21:44 GMT
References: <11219@helios.TAMU.EDU> <1991Jan15.171931.6845@ims.alaska.edu>
Organization: Chinet - Public Access UNIX
Lines: 34

In article <1991Jan15.171931.6845@ims.alaska.edu> asedm@acad3.alaska.edu writes:
>In article <11219@helios.TAMU.EDU>, maf4003@summa.tamu.edu (FITCH, MICHAEL ANTHONY) writes...
>> 
>>	Recently, I acquired and subsequently became addicted to the st-port of 
>>Moria (version 4.8? I think).  It's a great game but the problem is that it is 
>>very flaky about executing - sometimes it works flawlessly the first time but 
>>frequently it appears to have loaded in properly (ie. the map is visible, etc) 
>>but after about 8-10 keystrokes (for movement) the whole thing locks-up.  This 
>>is especially irritating because it takes 5-10 minutes to re-boot, recover char 
>>files, etc. 
>>	I am running it on a 520stfm w/ 1meg and TOS 1.2 with no desk access-   
>>ories or ram disk installed so I am completely baffled.  Any suggestions or sim-
>>ilar problems out there???
>> 
>>						Adios,
>>			
>>							Michael Fitch
>
>I've noticed this as well, I have a 1040 STf and TOS 1.0 :-(

One mention I email, 2 I post.  I made a mistake with the random number gen-
erator in umoria 4.87.  If it gets a seed of 0 in one of its 3 sections, it
goes into a tight loop.  If the date/time (which is used as a seed) is left
at the default startup value, that happens.  The solution is to set the date/
time before starting the game.  Unfortunately, when the game was first 
distributed over usenet, I mentioned in the cover note to the posting that
it was important to set the date/time (I didn't then know HOW important), but
didn't put it INSIDE the distribution package.

In any event, new versions of umoria are ready.  I think (hubris) it's reason-
able to wait about 2 weeks for the one I compiled, which gets support from
me, and which seems clean, even when I look for bugs.

                                         Steve J.