[Reported] Exploded Potion gems left onscreen and disabling casting

Bug Reports
1

Platform, device version and operating system:
Xbox Series X

Screenshot or image:
Sorry, hard to post screenshots on the forum from Xbox

What you were expecting to happen, and what actually happened:
I expect exploded potion gems to disappear while creating a bunch of gems of their colour. Frequently today while playing Maraji Expanse (which has Potion Gems dropping today) on PvP on Xbox, some exploded (or matched / destroyed) potion gems remain on screen, still in their enlarged state. There are 2 serious repurcussions of this. One is that the enlarged potion gem covers the gem that replaced it after it exploded so it’s hard to tell what it is. The other is that casting gets disabled across the player team - the Cast button is greyed out and cannot be selected on any player troop until you make a move on the board that dismisses any lingering enlarged potion gems.

How often does this happen? When did it begin happening?
It seems to happen due to the large number of potion gems dropping in PvP. EDIT - it happens due to potion gems being triggered at the start of a turn by board altering troop traits.

Steps to make it happen again
Play PvP in a region with Potion Gems dropping so there are many on the board. Explode or match gems triggering multiple potions (EDIT: the potion must be triggered by a troop trait that alters the board at the start of the player’s turn before they make a move e.g. King Stormgard’s double yellow lightning gem creation). Sometimes an exploded potion will remain visible in enlarged state. Try to cast with any troop, Cast button is disabled.

The team I was using was Savage Hunter, Shaman Hero with Wild Cleaver, King Stormgard and Mechataur. Team code [6243,1402,7467,6982,3026,1,2,1,1,3,3,2,14020]

Restriction is Wild Plains with Mana Potions dropping.

7 Likes
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Hello, :slight_smile:

To investigate this issue further, please provide recorded video footage of the potion gems exploding, staying on screen, and disabling casting with any other troops.

Please also provide your Invite Code

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I don’t know how to post xbox recorded gameplay on here. It should be easy to reproduce, it happened quite often.

My invite code is in my forum profile. Do I need to post it here?

4

Update: Today I played a while in Bay of Stars which also has mana potion gems dropping, and the issue never happened.

Returning to Maraji Expanse, it happened again quickly. I think I can narrow the cause down to some interaction between potion gems and the yellow lightning gems created by King Stormgard’s final trait.

That explains why lots of players haven’t reported this, it’s a more obscure cause than simply lots of potion gems. Lightning gems are involved too.

5

OK, I’ve pinpointed the cause: When King Stormgard’s 3rd trait creates a yellow lightning gem at the start of the player’s turn, creating a match immediately, destroying a column with a potion gem in it, then the potion gem remains on screen in its enlarged state, and casting is disabled. It can also happen if the lightning gem causes a cascade, resulting in a normal 3 match happening with a Potion gem.

Making any move on the board then restores normality.

Note the problem doesn’t occur if either player matches a lightning gem, destroying a potion. The match has to occur from the random placement of King Stormgard’s final trait, before the player makes a move.

I haven’t tested it, but I suspect the problem may potentially occur from any “start of turn” trait with a chance to trigger potion gems already on the board. I suspect it’s triggering a mana potion at start of turn that causes it not to process properly.

The potion gem triggers, but doesn’t spawn any gems until the player makes a move. Then the gems spawn and the enlarged potion gem goes away. It looks like casting is disabled because the game thinks stuff is still happening on the board since the potion gem has paused mid-explosion.

TLDR: If a trait that can alter the board in some way causes a Mana Potion gem to be activated at the start of a player’s turn, it will enlarge, then pause without creating its gems. The Potion activation will resume after the player makes a move. In the intervening time, the enlarged potion gem covers the gem underneath it, and all player casting is disabled.

4 Likes
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I experienced the same bug a couple weeks ago. It also involved a potion gem and had the same 2 repercussions. It also involved another gem type but I forget which one.

I took pictures of the enlarged potion gem and disabled casting but never got around to making a bug report. Let me dig them up tonight.

1 Like
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A very easy way to reproduce the problem is use a Titan hero with Celestial Flask, and three Eyes of Arges.

Cast Flask to create some potion gems. Soon, the 6 Doomskulls created at the start of each turn will trigger a potion gem. Voila! The potion explodes without disappearing or spawning any gems. Casting is disabled.

Then, match anything on the board, the potion gem then disappears and spawns its gems. Casting is once again enabled.

2 Likes
8

Here’s when I encountered it. It was Underspire the week when Bright Forest was the kingdom.

I was also using Celestial Flask, and it left potions on the board.
I had Unagh on my team which creates 3 Faerie Fire Gems when her turn begins.

I thought it was Siren at first, because she cast right before this. Later I thought it was Unagh, but wasn’t sure. Based on Theoden’s report, it’s most likely due to Unagh’s Faerie Fire Gems.

Exploded potion stuck on board:

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It’s my turn but I can’t cast anything:

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After moving a gem, exploded potion resolves itself and game returns to normal, although it’s still my turn.

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3 Likes
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Thanks for posting the screenshots, Voq.

The fact it’s a green potion that went wrong makes sense. One of Unagh’s trait-created Faerie Fire gems made a match with it at the start of your turn.

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**Platform, device version and operating system:**mobile

Screenshot or image:

Screenshot_20240603-113040
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**What you were expecting to happen, and what actually happened:**potion explodes but freezes screen
REPLACE THIS TEXT WITH YOUR ISSUE. e.g. This is simply what you were trying to do and what happened instead. ‘I was trying to start an Arena battle, but Gems of War loaded Broken Spire quest instead!’

How often does this happen? When did it begin happening?
REPLACE THIS TEXT WITH YOUR ISSUE. e.g. Was this a once-off bug or has it been a consistent issue? Does it only happen after doing a particular game mode?

Steps to make it happen again
REPLACE THIS TEXT WITH YOUR ISSUE. e.g. Sometimes there are certain steps that can lead to a problem that may not be obvious! Example: I lose once in the Arena, I then exit to the world map, select broken Spire on the Map and enter Arena. broken spire’s quest lost instead.

3 Likes
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You know where it says to replace text with your issue? You’re supposed to replace that, not leave it cluttering up your post.

I made a report about this, sorry don’t know offhand how to link it. The issue is caused when a trait that can change the board at the start of a turn triggers a potion gem.

You’re using a troop that creates Uber Doomskull at start of turn. That will have matched and triggered a potion.

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Thank you, DL :slight_smile:

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Hello :slight_smile:

Just a quick heads up that I’ve merged the two threads together as they’re talking about the same issue.

I’ve also let the development team know about the potions freezing the game.

2 Likes
15

Hello. This problem reminds me of the original trait for Groevanga. Although the original trait escapes me, there was something about “at the start of the turn” that caused issues for players. Is it possible a similar situation is occurring here but in a different way?

Apologies in advance if I’m way off. It seems like certain interactions are beginning to conflict with the base game as more heroic gems are introduced. I’m not sure what exactly is happening to cause this, but anything super new and “a first” tends to be a pattern.

I wouldn’t say this case is an exact continuation, just another way of interacting with the game that hasn’t been patched up yet.

16

Adding to this potential cause - I had my game freeze twice today in Bay of Stars on gem potions when Morthani’s Darkness created an uber doomskull at the start of my turn. The skull matched and then exploded a potion at which point my game froze. This was the only instance for me so far today where my game froze, so there may be something related to the start of turn and gem explosions?

2 Likes
17

I never had the game freeze when this happens. For me, the potion sequence pauses, but I could still make a move, but not cast, and then the sequence would complete. Maybe it can happen with no moves left, and the board doesn’t rearrange itself mid potion sequence?

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I have screenshots only. I play from an Android phone.
When this happens I can’t cast any troops which are filled with mana, but I CAN match gems on the board, which each time explode the mana potion(s) and then the fight continues.

19

Happened to me today (as it has several times). I captured it here:

Happens at ~1:46 in the video

1 Like
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This happens to me too.