The instant defeat bug persists in patch 1.0.2.2429.
Reproduction Steps:
- Create a PUD file with three start locations assigned to slots 1, 3, and 7.
- Host a multiplayer game and fill the remaining two slots with players.
- Start the match. One of the three active players randomly fails to receive a starting Peon, resulting in an instant defeat.
Issue Analysis:
- Patch 1.0.2.2429 mandates sequential start locations, contradicting the original game’s design, which supported non-sequential player slots.
- This breaks many maps, including official ones, as PUD files have always supported arbitrary start locations.
- The bug stems from new code failing to respect PUD-defined start positions. Instead of randomly assigning players to valid start locations, the game randomly selects a slot between 0-7, even if that slot lacks a defined start position.
Suggested Fix:
The game should loop through available start locations and only assign players to valid slots with defined start positions, rather than picking from all slots indiscriminately.