1.7 Delay: Soft-lock bug. (Part 2: The solutioning)
Added 2025-07-01 15:19:42 +0000 UTCDo you remember that post I made about studying the dark arts of DD modding to making certain functions work as intended?
The time has come. To prevent the softlock the tome must be unfurled once again. We must use AX-A to get around this issue, a particular brand of deranged lunacy that can force DD enemies to target anything we like.
Here's how it works, step by step:
1) We give the rider's grab skill a tiny bit of stress damage. Literally 1 stress damage. Why? I'll explain:
2) We spawn the rider into the fight with an effect that disables stress skills on herself, which means her grab is no longer a valid option and she can't use it.
3) We give the rider a new attack called 'rider_check' that it is set to use in place of rider_grab.
4) Rider launches rider_check, and it does four different effects in rapid sequence (here's the unhinged part):
4a) rider_check targets the entire hero squad. It does 0 damage, but it does do the first of three effects.
4b) rider_check applies it's first effect that will call for two different buffs against the whole party:
4ba) The first buff applies a 3000% debuff weakness to anyone with crimson curse
4bb) The second buff applies a 3000% debuff resistance to anyone who doesn't have the crimson curse
4c) rider_check does its second effect: With a -1500% chance to trigger a debuff, it targets a the whole party.
4ca) If it finds a heroine who has a 3000% debuff weakness, the result chance is a 1500% chance to activate!
4cb) we use 'swap_source_and_target' to change the target of the 1500% chance from the heroine to itself
4cc) having found a heroine with crimson curse, and now swapped the target to itself, the monster actvates the 1500% chance to use a buff that REACTIVATES stress moves ON ITSELF. With stress skills reactivated, Grab is now available to be used again.
4d) rider_check's third effect sets all the heroine's debuff resistances back to normal.
4e) rider_check gives the rider an extra turn in the initiative to replace the turn it last (we can't use .is_continue_turn true, because that would upset the order of operations for the next two steps.)
5) With rider_check concluded, we now use a bonus initiative desire that checks for the last skill used.
6) if the last skill used was 'rider_check', ignore all turn orders and immediately use 'rider_grab'
6a) If no heroine had crimson curse, then the buff that reactivates stress moves never happened, so 6 can't happen and the fight continues. Because we gave the rider another turn in step 4e, she uses a different move while rider_check is on cooldown.
7) crimson_cockrider uses rider_grab
8) rider steals a heroine, transforms to rider_full, and the fight carries on as usual.
9) When rider_full is defeated and she releases a heroine, she also re-applies the buff to herself that once again disables stress skills, resetting herself back to step 2.
10) Fight carries on as usual!
Voilà! An unhinged solution using the terrifying dark magic of AX-A. Once i've applied this fix to both sucker and rider, hotfix 1.7b will be ready.
This game is a nightmare, but I do it for you, lovelies. I do it for you.
Also, a big thanks for s1r-manaplay for their consultation on some of the minutiae. They were tipped generously <3
Kind regards,
Ancestress.
Comments
Holy heck batman, that is a doozy of a work around! Well at least you know know how to combat this issue if it occurs for any other weird soft-lock/targeting issues (or at the very least you will be better equipped to tackle such a monumental task). Once again, beautiful write up as always. If I did not know better I would assume you have experience with teaching because you present information in an easily digestible way (it does help that the nature of the topic also helps keep my attention better than some other subjects). Cheers
Scar3dCr0w
2025-07-01 22:52:48 +0000 UTCHere, have some eyes! Aren't they fun?
Ancestress
2025-07-01 19:18:55 +0000 UTCFelt like I gained Bloodborne Insight by reading that.
Stage2Smoothbrain
2025-07-01 18:45:35 +0000 UTC