Empty towns

[Finson]

I just bought the game a few days ago, so I haven't followed its progress for long. I haven't found any mention of this anywhere, so if this is just a very old issue that has yet to be addressed, then I apologize for the redundancy here.

I have version 0.29.0, if that's not a given.

Anyway, I was running around between towns and fighting and selling dead guys' swords, etc., when I got into some trouble with some dust bandits and tried to run to a nearby town (Eyesocket, I think) for help, but when I got there, to my dismay, it was completely empty. Luckily there were some Holy Empire guys nearby who were just perfect gentlemen, and they were much obliged to help me with my problem. It was my first time entering that town, so I just assumed it hadn't been populated yet or something, and this happened with one of the fringe towns as well (Back, I believe), and I shrugged it off, but I noticed when I started revisiting towns that they were empty too, whereas before they were full of people. Eventually, it got to where every town I went to was empty.

When I say "empty," I mean no guards, shopkeepers, anything. However, the desert was still full of bandits and trading caravans and everything. The weird thing to me is that it seemed like it got worse as I kept playing, though I may have just been unlucky at the end. I ultimately fixed it by starting a new game with the same squad, which was all the same to me since I hadn't built anything or done anything other than run around killing and selling stuff. No gamebreaker to me, though it may be if someone feels like they can't build or alter faction relationships for fear of the rapture taking all of the townsfolk away.

I have no idea how to duplicate these results, so I don't have any screenshots for you, but hopefully you get the picture. It may not happen again. Just letting you know it's out there. Again, sorry if this is redundant.

P.S. As an aside to the lone developer, since my first post was a complaint, I'd like to say that I am enjoying the game thoroughly and that I admire your efforts. I'm really excited to see what comes of all this.

[Captain Deathbeard]

Ok, if it happens again I need a savegame of the situation, preferably when there are still un-visited towns so I can see it happen in code code.

[Kanaro]

I can confirm that several towns in my recent savegame are empty. Not sure of the last one I visited, so I'll watch for the next one I run in to and send the save if it is. If memory serves, only the starter town and the capital had NPCs in them (and perhaps the town to the north of the map). All others were empty, and only one had a pile of dead NPCs outside.

[Captain Deathbeard]

Please send me the savegame then.

[Kanaro]

Attached a copy of the entire Save folder.

Brink and Capital are populated, as is Clownsteady. I don't recall Shark's population status. The northern outpost had NPCs, all were killed by hostiles.

Trader's Edge is completely empty for me, as is the town to the east Telbooze(?). I was working my way south through the mountains to check other towns for populations and recruitable members. Have yet to reach Eyesocket.

The two center towns though should give you an idea of what we're seeing for abandoned ones.

[Dukely]

I came across the same problem today. I also had run to a town to avoid being beaten up when it occurred. I can send you my savegame file if you like.

[Captain Deathbeard]

Yes, send it as well please.

A very important question for you all: The empty towns, have you been there before and seen NPCs? I need to know, did the NPCs exist once and then vanish, or were they never spawned to begin with?

[Dukely]

Unfortunately i started a new game so i don't have the save file, sorry. But yes i did visit the towns and see them populated with NPCs. The next time i returned all of them were gone. This occurred in three towns i checked before i started a new game.

[Kanaro]

Yes, send it as well please.

A very important question for you all: The empty towns, have you been there before and seen NPCs? I need to know, did the NPCs exist once and then vanish, or were they never spawned to begin with?

The two empty towns I noticed I had never been to before (in any game). First time the chunk of data had ever been loaded on my machine.

[King]

this does happen to me as well, usually after i kill everyone. Heal them. Then leave and come back later

[Mashiro]

This happened to me too, i was being followed by a group of bandits and i was close to Brink so i decided to get help from the guards, but there was nobody in town.

After i ran out of Brink to run to another town for help, a group of Holy Empire members were walking somewhere close which saved my life.

[Santaissick]

Now this happened to me too.

Version 0.30.0

Eyesocket is empty.

[Captain Deathbeard]

If you import or start a new game from version 0.30.0 onwards, the ghost towns problem should be solved (unless you are killing them all yourself)

[Saint_Ronin]

Hello, I've had this same issue (populated towns becoming unpopulated) and I'm not too inclined to start a new game since I have a strong settlement. I assume I keep my squads, but I'm not so sure. I was wondering if this was addressed in a new update and I just happened to set it off again.

Also, I have a problem of my settlement gate not opening or not being repaired when I order my squad to repair it. But the not opening issue is upsetting because it treats my settlement as a leper colony (in that my squad refuse to enter or even acknowledge that it's a place). I've closed and reopened the game and it works about a third of the time (I repeatedly do it until I can open my gate).

Again, I'd hate to restart my game when I've got a pretty self sustaining settlement going but no one in the cities to recruit, buy/sell, or even rush to when my squad meets the cannibal neighbors.

Like the person who started this forum, I address the developer. Chris, you have a great sense of humor (I got that from the confirmation email) and this game is pretty fun, even in the state it's in. I enjoy it and I'd like to see how far this thing goes.

Edit: I started a new game with my squad, town, items and all. But I still have trouble with my gate not opening/not repairing/not able to be acted on.

[Degrex]

I was playing an "Old soldier" beginning and I ran into Eyesocket and I thought everything was killed already before a large group of Holy guys with 25 att each ran after me. I guess it was just guards, but I saw noone else until I ran almost out of the other side of the city.

(Btw I was running from some bandits and I thought the city would help keep me alive. It was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Chased me all of the way back to Port South. )

Edit: I went into the Skinner something city and I saw enemy (because Holy is enemy diplomacy to "Old Soldier") citizens and everything else. Note going to Eyesocket and Skinner was the first time the character has ever gone to them and I've never been since on other saves.

[Bancheis]

Also, I have a problem of my settlement gate not opening or not being repaired when I order my squad to repair it. But the not opening issue is upsetting because it treats my settlement as a leper colony (in that my squad refuse to enter or even acknowledge that it's a place). I've closed and reopened the game and it works about a third of the time (I repeatedly do it until I can open my gate).

First off, some serious thread necromancy going on here. Secondly, keep in mind that walls and gates have been removed from the game temporarily because they are buggy and need to be worked on. Many of the issues people are encountering are a known issue and are being worked on by the dev team.

Given the age of this forum topic and the fact that the current version of the game is way more advanced, I would recommend this topic be locked.

[Clawdius Talonious]

Generally speaking empty towns have been addressed, this thread is nearly a year old, and not exactly related to the current topic. Issues with the gates should be entered into new threads, not old threads. We don't disapprove of thread necromancy for the most part, but in the bug reports thread it becomes troublesome. I'm going to lock this thread, if you'd like to post a new thread related to your specific problem rather than the empty towns that were long ago addressed that would be appropriate.