The current corrections change three native code sites. They do not add save sections, change file headers, relocate map arrays, widen stored IDs, or raise the 1,000-entry region table limit. Region IDs were already stored as 16-bit values; the faulty read was only eight bits wide.
There is therefore no new map/save format or migration introduced by this module. Existing map files are expected to remain readable. That expectation is based on the patch scope and load-path analysis, not completed live testing of every save type. A file loading successfully does not mean the match will evolve identically.
In Crusader 1.41, the map loader and save/load menu call TileMapState::prepareMap
(0x512450). That routine updates tile links, forces the region rebuild, updates
building links and climb data, and forces further rebuilds during preparation.
The module changes the visited check in that existing rebuild, rather than
installing its own extra load or per-tick hook.
The forced rebuild clears the old region labels and region-size table before recomputing them. Native executable tests for Crusader and Extreme confirm that stale labels and an exhausted saved counter do not survive a forced rebuild, and that the corrected result matches rebuilding the same topology from clean state. The complete caller-chain trace above has currently been established for Crusader; full live save/load acceptance in both variants remains required.
Tests also compare original and patched routines on ordinary maps and at the capacity boundary. Regions 256, 512 and 768 retain their correct identity after the fix. The original 1,000-entry cutoff remains; truly excessive region counts are not solved by increasing storage in this release.
| Use case | Expected behavior / remaining check |
|---|---|
| Load an old map with the fix | Same format. Native preparation rebuilds connectivity; live acceptance pending. |
| Load an old save with the fix | Same format; corrected path decisions can change the continuation. Verify workers, cargo/delivery, walls, moats and save/reload. |
| Save with the fix, then load without it | No format extension prevents reading, but the original buggy behavior returns. Reverse live loading still needs verification. |
| Replay an old recording with the fix newly enabled | Not equivalent. Use its recorded configuration without the new simulation change. |
| Replay a new recording made with the fix | Keep the same module version/configuration and verify full playback. |
| Multiplayer with mixed module setups | Unsupported: different path decisions can desynchronize the game. |
The moat correction also changes simulation state: valid candidate zero now gets its reservation update, while failure no longer writes before the moat array. It does not change the moat record layout or choose a new approach direction.
Retain original files and test copies. Complete old-map/old-save loading in both variants, new save/reload, reverse loading without the module, and the preserved stalled-worker case. Then run matching multiplayer setups and replay both captures offline. Include module-off baseline timing and gameplay observations.
Do not advertise general backward compatibility until these live gates pass. Do not bundle a 20x region-capacity expansion into this correction: that requires a separate storage, reference and save/load design.