Random Crashes! Java Fingered!

News

Well, there’s a relatively unusual event: the recent spate of random crashes with the game (all of them, I think) is actually down to the Java virtual machine crashing. After a bit of snooping, it transpires that the crash is caused by the experimental garbage collector I used in Java 6. So I’ve gone and reverted back to the very naughty Java 7 VM. Mac and Linux users are completely unaffected by this issue, so no worries on that front.

So, Windows users, you can download a fixed version of your games here:

Titan Attacks
Ultratron
Droid Assault
Revenge of the Titans

Your saved games might break, I’m not sure. Try it and see.

28 thoughts on 'Random Crashes! Java Fingered!'

  1. Why use such experimental features/JVMs to begin with?

    Is the performance difference really so drastic that the games run too slowly with the stable plain-vanilla JVM but fast enough with JVM7 and/or JVM6 with the experimental garbage collector?

    1. The quest for ultrasmooth framerates is why! The G1 garbage collector actually works perfectly reliably on Java 7 – I never expected the Java 6 version to be buggy, but there you go, it is. And Java 7 is supposed to be the beta!

      The Java 7 VM is also a lot faster than the Java 6 VM. This makes no difference on decent machines but on more lowly machines it’s the difference between 60fps and 30fps for Revenge of the Titans.

  2. I just completed a level in Revenge of the Titans and the game gave me a “careless” medal because I lost 10 buildings…

    erm… I did not get a single of my buildings destroyed… I did, however, place more than 10 mines…

    1. Weird! Didn’t happen the next level… odd, I should have noticed 10 buildings blowing up… not even sure I had more than 10 buildings…

  3. Good fix.

    Is it me or is the game a lot harder than it was?
    I’ve played through earth having only unlocked barricades and the cooling unit

    1. No, it should be a bit easier if anything. My top tip is to save up for scanners first, they’re the most important turret add on.

  4. I’ll buy RotT if you promise to buy your 2 year old girl a few sheets of peppa pig stickers. Some kind soul did that to me and my two girls last year, the whole fecking house was covered in them and the sadist in me wants others to feel the pain. (it might seem like abit of a random comment but ive just been reading up on the previous ones – especially DRM and I wouldnt want your little girl to have no pressies now 🙂 )

    2. I should actually have said I did buy it. I know this is a small cog in a very large machine but still. buy some peppa pig stickers.

      1. We are completely inundated with Peppa Pig now 🙂 And she gets a sticker every time she does a poo on the toilet and not in her pants.

  5. Hmm I wonder how I’ve managed to make it harder… it should be a bit easier than before. What specifically seems to have got harder? Or do you just find that you’re floundering a bit in the research area?

    1. I wouldn’t call it “floundering” everything costs more so it’s just taking longer to get certain upgrades. I may have say $10,000, but I might spend $7,500 on an upgrade. Then I don’t have enough to make it through that level so I have to start over and save for one or two more levels, but by that time I have to get another upgrade so I can kill a more powerful enemy. At least this has been the case so far, but I haven’t gotten too far.

      Like I said before, this isn’t really a problem it just makes the game more of a challenge.

  6. Some remaining beta bugs:

    Shield generators – cost doesn’t reset when you restart the level/go to the next level. So If you build 2 in one level, the 1st one in the next will coist $3000.

      1. Hehe, “Dark and foreboding, etc.”

        You know, the boss on Saturn is actually significantly more difficult than the rest. I think it’s the way he works, and others of his kind – and would suggest that a hint be inserted about developing forcefields to help players survive. You know, along with all of the other technologies that we’re supposed to get in this limited amount of time. 😉

        I’ve been wondering, does the decoy tower actually work for every monster? Or does it only act as a “fake base” for certain monsters? Looking at certain monster behaviours, they seems to have a decision tree based on relative distances between facilities and base / taking into account defenses. In that sense, placement of the decoy becomes very important.

        Y’know, the standard “reverse engineer the AI and exploit its weaknesses” strategy… at least they’re not smart enough to bunch-up and invade only when time runs out. 😛

        Personally, I liked the boss on Mars – could she, ah, spawn more stuff?

  7. Okay, this is totally irrelevant to the topic but that Bundle Price is AWESOME!!! I already own all of those games in the bundle but I’m going to pick up this bundle just to give it to a relative!

    Cas, You have got to advertise this deal!! STAT!!! This is an awesome deal and yes I am going to tell all of my friends and family about it, I’ll even try to post it where I can, but you have got to issue a press release or something – advertise, advertise, advertise!!! That price is totally awesome, more than worth it, and will hopefully stay for at least a month!

    I’m being entirely serious when I say this – ADVERTISE! Let everyone know about this bundle and price!

  8. Awesome deal! Picked up right away!

    But i’m having troubles with the games, they keep registering themselves after a short while, is there something wrong with the servers or something? : C

        1. I’ve added onto the end of the Ultra Bundle blog post – click on them there thumbs for big ‘uns… They’re only really meant for box mockups tho, so look a bit pants full size 🙂

  10. I’m still getting random crashes. The screen goes black and the only thing I can do is restart my computer.

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