[BUILD 41.66 MP] VHS TAPES DO NOT GIVE XP IF ALREADY WATCHED BY PREVIOUS PLAYERS

[Moxypony]

I saw a similar post a few months ago about this problem on 41.65, but there was no info given about it. Now I'm running into this problem on  my new characters.

 

When I spawn in with a new character on my multiplayer server, they're already marked as having used the skill boosting vhs tapes so I can't use them.

 

I assume this is a bug.

[hnrq8]

Im having this issue in solo server too, there is a fix ?

[Turkeygiblet]

I am also experiencing this issue… on both solo, and MP (which I am hosting from my house). I’ve disabled mods as a sanity check and no luck :/ 

[8bit_nacho]

It seems like there's some kind of flag or file that needs to be deleted on player death to enable a character with the same User ID to receive exp from VHS tapes and TV shows. Players with the same User ID also retain their map data so I suspect there's something being retained that needs purged in real-time on death.

Edited February 27, 2022 by 8bit_nacho

[SerMarston]

Came here to report this but glad I'm not alone having this happen. Hopefully it gets a fix soon

[dexternl]

Same issue here expierenced on solo and MP

[Pandorea]

Yes, this is a known issue already on our list of things to fix asap. 

[deafinbothears]

I'm also experiencing this on solo. Is there a way to get around this without starting a new game? I'm also part of a vanilla MP game, so will check if it's the same in MP.

[8bit_nacho]

If you're using a saved character template, you could try creating a character with a different name maybe.

[deafinbothears]

Hi 8bit_nacho

I usually use a template to create a new character, however I used a different template and had the same issue. The new character had watched the VHS tapes, even though they hadn’t.

[Jecks]

I saw the latest patch fixes the naming issue with the tapes , but has the XP problem been corrected with the latest patch ?  Being unable to re-watch these on new characters has stopped people playing on our server, so the sooner its fixed the better before people move onto other games

[Pandorea]

5 hours ago, Jecks said:

I saw the latest patch fixes the naming issue with the tapes , but has the XP problem been corrected with the latest patch ?  Being unable to re-watch these on new characters has stopped people playing on our server, so the sooner its fixed the better before people move onto other games

 

Yes, the issue should be fixed on the latest.

[forestdeadmark]

You can try install this mod: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2775670353

[thinnerbrother]

I'm experiencing the same bug on my server.

[8bit_nacho]

On 3/8/2022 at 5:37 AM, Pandorea said:

 

Yes, the issue should be fixed on the latest.

 

Can we verify this? I didn't see it included in the patch notes for 41.68.

[Seanathous]

On 3/8/2022 at 3:37 AM, Pandorea said:

 

Yes, the issue should be fixed on the latest.

 

7 hours ago, 8bit_nacho said:

 

Can we verify this? I didn't see it included in the patch notes for 41.68.

The VHS list doesn't get reset on character death on my MP server running 41.68 with no mods.  As the host I can workaround this by using the "Delete Character" button.  It resets the VHS list and the map.  I'm not sure how other people's characters can be deleted though.

[proxyeleven]

Does not seem to be fixed in latest patch.

[Pandorea]

It seems that we've had a case of miscommunication within the team. The issue is indeed not fixed and I apologise for making the claim that it was... A member of the team is working on this as we speak. Here's to hoping that it will get fixed in time for the next patch! 

[Frosty83]

As a temporary fix, in multiplayer when you die you can quit the server and change your account name on the right, when you reconnect create a new char and they will be able to get the Exp from the tapes.

 

Just make sure if you're swapping that you manage any safe house or faction re-joins when you get back in, as they are tied to account names.

[Banshee_87]

13 hours ago, Seanathous said:

 

The VHS list doesn't get reset on character death on my MP server running 41.68 with no mods.  As the host I can workaround this by using the "Delete Character" button.  It resets the VHS list and the map.  I'm not sure how other people's characters can be deleted though.

Is this from the admin panel?  I’d like to use this feature for my dedicated server so that players can retain using their GamerTags

[Seanathous]

5 hours ago, Banshee_87 said:

Is this from the admin panel?  I’d like to use this feature for my dedicated server so that players can retain using their GamerTags

From the main Zomboid screen you can click "Host" and it will be on the next screen.  Again,  I've only tested it on the host character and it also deletes your map.  I'm not sure how to make it work for every player in the server or how it affects their Gamer Tags.  It says it just deletes an entire character folder and I don't see folders for other players.  Are these files saved client-side?
 

[Mascot]

No guarantees here, make a backup before trying anything, but I just deleted the recorded_media.bin file to fix the issue with tapes not giving XP for my new character.

 

I've also successfully moved my map between characters and machines by copying over two files (one for the map, one for annotations). I don't remember the exact names right now, but they're two of the map_ files that does not have numbers in them.

[8bit_nacho]

1 hour ago, Mascot said:

No guarantees here, make a backup before trying anything, but I just deleted the recorded_media.bin file to fix the issue with tapes not giving XP for my new character.

 

I've also successfully moved my map between characters and machines by copying over two files (one for the map, one for annotations). I don't remember the exact names right now, but they're two of the map_ files that does not have numbers in them.

I would be careful sharing the recorded_media.bin info. Characters don't necessarily need to die in order to reset VHS exp gains this way, so it can be easily exploited.

[Mascot]

1 hour ago, 8bit_nacho said:

I would be careful sharing the recorded_media.bin info. Characters don't necessarily need to die in order to reset VHS exp gains this way, so it can be easily exploited.

My impression is that this is a pretty moot point currently. The game is early access, and this works around a bug that can be pretty game breaking depending on circumstances and play style. The game makes it pretty clear that for the time being you should be sticking to co-op with friends if you want to play multiplayer, such is the state of it. In time, I expect they will move character progression server-side, it's the only thing that makes sense if the plan is for joining public servers to be viable.

[Seanathous]

12 hours ago, Mascot said:

No guarantees here, make a backup before trying anything, but I just deleted the recorded_media.bin file to fix the issue with tapes not giving XP for my new character.

 

I've also successfully moved my map between characters and machines by copying over two files (one for the map, one for annotations). I don't remember the exact names right now, but they're two of the map_ files that does not have numbers in them.

At one point I tried deleting this file as well.  Somehow it rerolled all the VHS tapes I had in my base, changing them to random VHS titles.  Proceed with caution.