Possible solution to the sap death bug

would you mind deferring and instead beta testing MY patch?

i ask because:

1. i've studied these bugs extensively.  see a number of posts, admittedly scattered some, in this thread:
http://mnrogar.slickproductions.org/phpB...?f=2&t=108
this post is one of the most detailed:
http://mnrogar.slickproductions.org/phpB...9c9c#p7062
(i think most posts on the bugs span 2011-2013, thereabouts.  note that i've long-since abandoned the idea of separating the queues involved.)

2. i already wrote a patch in 2016 into late June 2017.

3. i've easily double- and triple- and quadruple- checked and OCD'd on this bugfix more than any other patch i've made, by a WIDE margin.  both to ensure that it fixes the issues it sets out to, and moreso that it avoids side effects (e.g. those wormholes to other dimensions), or at least keeps them known and minimal (whenever i finish my documentation, it'll cover 1-2 situations with small loopholes, 1 of those especially contrived).  mostly, my INTENSE scrutiny was in the planning and algorithmic stage; i've done in-game testing as well, albeit less.  in the former stage, the claim of quadruple-checking is no exaggeration; it's a vast understatement.

4. while you're on the right track, my patch is more comprehensive about shutting out loopholes, in accordance with #3, and probably about keeping the game working as-is in non-bug scenarios.  yes, it takes free space, claims 16 bits of unused RAM, and uses plenty more CPU cycles when the relevant queue has multiple entries.  but i'm convinced all that's necessary to address things fully and thoroughly while avoiding adverse interactions.  so paradoxically, this lets a patch larger in .IPS bytes have a smaller "footprint" than other approaches.

a couple examples of the comprehensive nature are:
a) fixes both factors contributing to the bugs
b) does not lean as much on Variable $3A56, also checking target death and unavailability in the underlying variables.  i consider this prudent/necessary given that $3A56 is more situational/narrow in context and thus less authoritative on target's condition than those.

5. i've put so much work into planning this damned patch that there's a good chance i would kill anybody who usurped it by throwing bloody clumps of my own hair at them.    given my unimpressive arm, consider this a testament to the sheer adrenaline that could be involved in the rampage.  also, a radius of 5 city blocks would spontaneously be leveled from the sheer "Nooooo!!!!!" of it all without me lifting a finger.  but it's the hair clumps that are your main concern.

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i realize i have no actual right to claim exclusivity or to half-threaten people to stay off of "my" turf.  especially when i've sat on this project for the better part of 3.5 years.  but i'm very close to the finish line in all but the longer, more elaborate, and subtler parts of the documentation.   iow, the patch and the basic description are most likely where they need to be (uh, aside from actually released).

so please sit tight; links are imminent! 

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here we go:

http://assassin17.brinkster.net/forum-po...h-beta.zip