On a side note i sorted out the issue with the blurry text as it turns out the problem was the screen that i was using, because it wasn't actually a proper computer monitor it was a tv that just happened to have the necessary connections, but as it turns out it wasn't very good, fine for watching tv and streaming video but not good for gaming.

So i now have a proper gaming monitor so issue solved, its still only a small 23" screen so while its highest resolution is 1080p (1920x1080) I can't really turn the resolution all the way up to 1080p otherwise everything on the screen is to small but 720p (1280x720) is fine everything on screen is a comfortable size and the image is still sharp.

If your APC is visible to an enemy team it cannot submerge. That is expected, original behavior. You can test in max port in campaign mission 1 that APCs submerge as expected. You can test in original dos max in campaign mission 9 after a few turns of game play that APCs do not submerge when seen by enemy.

This is an original dos max defect. Thanks for reporting, will look into it.

There is no support in original dos max to select between targets within a single grid cell. E.g. if there are 10 planes hovering in a cell, we humans can only attack the one which is found first by the hash map algorithm in an unordered list while computer will cherry pick the weakest that it can destroy. I am already looking into ways to be able to select the attack target by players. But this feature will only be added after the new GUI library is integrated... not any time soon unfortunately.

Thanks for the info. You are right about the corner case with 7 turns, that is wrong in max port. But the rest of the cases are actually correct in port and wrong in dos max. See also defect 197.

Constructors at 4x speed use 2 raw for 1 turns progress, 8 raw for 2 turns progress, and 24 raw for 4 turns progress per game turn.

If your constructor has sufficient raw materials, max 60, then to build any unit at x4 rate means:

12 turns:
Calculation loops:
12 * 2 + 0 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 24 + 00 + 00 = 24 (12 turns)
00 * 2 + 6 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 00 + 48 + 00 = 48 (6 turns)
00 * 2 + 4 * 8 + 1 * 24 = 00 + 32 + 24 = 56 (5 turns) BEST

1 times x4 for 1 * 24 raw = 24 raw
4 times x2 for 4 * 8 raw = 32 raw
Sum: 5 times (5 turns to build) for 56 raw.

11 turns:
Calculation loops:
11 * 2 + 0 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 22 + 00 + 00 = 22 (11 turns)
01 * 2 + 5 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 02 + 40 + 00 = 42 (6 turns)
01 * 2 + 3 * 8 + 1 * 24 = 02 + 24 + 24 = 50 (5 turns)
01 * 2 + 1 * 8 + 2 * 24 = 02 + 08 + 48 = 58 (4 turns) BEST

2 times x4 for 2 * 24 raw = 48 raw
1 times x2 for 1 * 8 raw = 8 raw
1 times x1 for 1 * 2 raw = 2 raw
Sum: 4 times (4 turns to build) for 58 raw.

This is obviously not the best turns to build the unit at x4 rate. Goal of the x2 and x4 construction speeds are to build faster not cheaper. The v1.04 algorithm here fails to speed up the production to the maximum level.

8 turns:
Calculation loops:
08 * 2 + 0 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 16 + 00 + 00 = 16 (8 turns)
00 * 2 + 4 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 00 + 32 + 00 = 32 (4 turns)
00 * 2 + 0 * 8 + 2 * 24 = 00 + 00 + 48 = 48 (2 turns) BEST

2 times x4 for 2 * 24 raw = 48 raw
Sum: 2 times (2 turns to build) for 48 raw.

7 turns:
Calculation loops:
07 * 2 + 0 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 14 + 00 + 00 = 14 (7 turns)
01 * 2 + 3 * 8 + 0 * 24 = 02 + 24 + 00 = 26 (4 turns)
01 * 2 + 1 * 8 + 1 * 24 = 02 + 08 + 24 = 34 (3 turns) WRONG, here the new algorithm in max port fails.
00 * 2 + 0 * 8 + 2 * 24 = 00 + 00 + 48 = 48 (2 turns) BEST, cost of 8 turns progress for the required 7 turns to completion.

2 times x4 for 2 * 48 raw = 48 raw
Sum: 2 times (2 turns to build) for 48 raw.

Thanks for reporting!

Think I’m going to have to disagree here while it is true that the aim of building at x2 or x4 speed is to build faster at the cost of using more materials, the aim of cost reduction research is to reduce the amount of materials needed to build at any give speed.

Thus if I reduce cost by 10% then even when building at x4 speed the amount of materials needed should be reduced accordingly which will in turn reduce the number of turns proportionally when the appropriate threshold is achieved due in part to the fact that the number of turns required to build a given unit or structure is determined by the amount of materials needed to construct that unit or structure therefore cost reduction research should always reduce cost and not build time the fact that build time is reduced is simply a by product of the way the build time is calculated in the first place.

Therefore if a mine for example requires 56 materials to build at x4 speed by default after applying 10% cost reduction which reduces the cost by 5.6 rounded up to 6 now the mine should cost 50 materials not 58 at x4 speed however 10% cost reduction isn’t enough to reduce the number of turns as 50 materials is still over the threshold for reducing the number of turns, not sure exactly what the threshold for reducing the number of turns would be in this case but if I had to hazard a guess I’d say it would probably be something like 48 materials which is why for an expensive structure like a mine you need at least 20% cost reduction before you will see the number of turns needed to build come down, therefore in this case build time should not be decreased.

which when you think about it makes a lot of sense if I do 100% cost reduction then the number of turns required would be reduced by 50% if you need 20% cost reduction each time you want to reduce the build time.

though you might like to know I'm having issues with the GOG forum for some reason when i type posts out in word where i have the spell checker facility, and then copy and paste them to the forum and attempt to post it wont let me, I've contacted support to let them know I'm having issues so apologies if my replies are a bit slow.

[edit]
Think i know what the issue is seems like GOGs scripting doesn't like words smart quotes and when present in the post the scripting fails to catch the error cancel the posting process and popup a notification informing the user that there post contains characters that are not allowed as a result when you try to post you just end up stuck with it saying please wait processing ... with no indication why it wont post so seems like its bad design on GOGs part.

I'm curious because I was reading over defect 197 and I'm not sure I'm following your explanation so i wanted to check.

Now from what I gather to build at x1 speed the build cost is just the base cost of the unit or structure so in the case of a mine that would be 24 materials over 12 turns

To build at x2 speed then the cost is 2x the base cost so 2 x 24 = 48 so in the case of a mine that's 48 materials over 6 turns

To build at x4 speed then the cost is x3 the base cost so 3 x 24 = 72 so in the case of a mine that's 72 materials over 3 turns.

However this is no possible due to the fact that constructors can only hold 60 materials now this is where I get lost

[edit]
after playing round with this some i discovered the easiest way to figure this out is to convert to percentages so in the case of a mine

x1 100% / 12 turns = 8.3333333333333333333333333333333% progress per turn
x2 100% / 6 turns = 16.666666666666666666666666666667% progress per turn
x4 100% / 3 turns =33.333333333333333333333333333333% progress per turn

1 turn at usage per turn 24 = 24 materials
4 turns at usage per turn 8 = 32 materials

4 x 16.666666666666666666666666666667% = 66.66666666666666666666666666664% progress
1x 33.333333333333333333333333333333% = 33.333333333333333333333333333333% progress

66.66666666666666666666666666664 +
33.333333333333333333333333333333 =
99.99999999999999999999999999997% progress

rounded up that's 100% for a total of 56 materials and a build time of 5 turns

I'm still not sure what the actual calculation the game uses is though haven't been able to figure that out.

With regards to your previous comment about max 1.04 getting the calculation for the mine wrong I was just looking this over again and actually

2 turns at x4 speed for a cost of 48 materials
1 turns at x2 speed for a cost of 8 materials
1 turn at x1 speed for a cost of 2 materials

For a total of 58 materials and a build time of 4 turns

Is wrong let me explain why

Mine
x1 100% / 12 turns = 8.3333333333333333333333333333333% progress per turn
x2 100% / 6 turns = 16.666666666666666666666666666667% progress per turn
x4 100% / 3 turns = 33.333333333333333333333333333333% progress per turn

2 x 33.333333333333333333333333333333% = 66.66666666666666666666666666666 progress
1 x 16.66666666666666666666666666666% progress
1 x 8.3333333333333333333333333333333% progress

66.66666666666666666666666666666 +
16.666666666666666666666666666667 +
8.3333333333333333333333333333333 =
91.666666666666666666666666666653% progress

So you see with that calculation the build progress is only just over 91% when you run out of materials and is not possible.

Therefore as per my previous comment on this the calculation for the mine in 1.04 is in fact correct and its max port that has it wrong.

Now this obviously only covers the default calculation to calculate the correct solution when taking cost reduction into account we do

Mine
x1 base cost 24 - cost reduction 10% = new cost 22

24/100x10% = 2.4
24-2.4 = 21.6 rounded to 22

new cost 22 / usage per turn 2 = 11 turns

x2 base cost 48 - cost reduction 10% = new cost 43

48/100x10% = 4.8
48 - 4.8 = 43.2 rounded to 43

new cost 43 / usage per turn 8 = 5.375 turns

now obviously its not possible to have partial turns so lets convert to percentages again to discover what the new calculation should be

x1 100% / 11 turns = 9.0909090909090909090909090909091% progress per turn
x2 100% / 5.375 turns = 18.604651162790697674418604651163% progress per turn

5 x 18.604651162790697674418604651163% = 93.0232558139534883720930232558% progress
1 x 9.0909090909090909090909090909091% progress

93.0232558139534883720930232558% +
9.0909090909090909090909090909091% = 102.11416490486257928118393234671% progress

Therefore the new calculation for x2 speed after reducing by 10% is

5 turns at x2 speed for a cost of 40 materials
1 turns at x1 speed for a cost of 2 materials

For a grand total of 42 materials and a build time of 6 turns

x4 base cost 72 - cost reduction 10% = new cost 65

72/100x10% = 7.2
72-7.2 = 64.8 rounded to 65

new cost 65 / usage per turn 24 = 2.7083333333333333333333333333333 turns

Now obviously this is not possible since the constructor can't hold 65 materials nor can you have partial turns so again let's convert to percentages to figure out what the new calculation should be

x1 100% / 11turns = 9.0909090909090909090909090909091% progress per turn
x2 100% / 5.375 turns = 18.604651162790697674418604651163% progress per turn
x4 100% / 2.7083333333333333333333333333333 turns = 36.923076923076923076923076923081 progress per turn

1 x 9.0909090909090909090909090909091% progress
3 x 18.604651162790697674418604651163% progress = 55.81395348837209302325581395348% progress
1 x 36.923076923076923076923076923081% progress

36.923076923076923076923076923081% +
55.81395348837209302325581395348% +
9.0909090909090909090909090909091% = 101.82793950235810700926979996747% progress

Therefore the new calculation for x4 speed after reducing by 10% is

1 turns at x4 speed for a cost of 24 materials
3 turns at x2 speed for a cost of 24 materials
1 turns at x1 speed for a cost of 2 materials

Giving a grant total of 50 materials and build time of 5 turns which is exactly what you see in max 1.04 so again the port has it wrong.

question do you have any idea how to delete posts?

<deleted>

I remember years ago there was a map bug that if the AI or player built in a specific tile along the right edge of the map it would crash the game, has this been fixed? Can't remember which tile though.

I never experienced this my self. In M.A.X. 2 patch v1.40 lists such an issue as fixed: "Units near left edge would sometimes crash game." The GOG.com version of M.A.X. 2 is stock v1.00. You can read about how to update it here.

May I ask your expert advice? What is the difference between 1.3 and 1.3r? What are all these SAVE.* files in 1.3r folder, and does it mean that 1.3r is better than 1.3?

And if patches are not cumulative, and ReadMe files for 1.3/1.3r and 1.4 show different fixes and improvements implemented, then how could I get all of these fixes at once? Because if I install 1.4 over 1.3/1.3r it shall replace EXE file...

Thanks in advance.

The following write up is copied from another discussion and updated for clarity.

M.A.X. 2 v1.0 was the European retail version of the game and it has save game format version 135. In the USA the game was released as v1.1.

All patches after v1.0 have save game version 137. Format conversion and backwards compatibility is not supported by the game. Campaign and other missions are basically game save files. This is the reason why for the retail v1.0 we need patch v1.3r, the r suffix stands for retail cumulative patch for v1.0 base game, which contains all missions and stuff saved using format v137.

The v1.0 release of the game uses the crappy (my subjective opinion) audio dub for the intro video which was replaced in v1.1 and later releases.

v1.0 video (Europe release): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paMDwx3c1ek

v1.1+ video (USA release): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lxf2_eyKMs

According to cut story elements from M.A.X. 2 after the great exodus of various human factions in M.A.X. 1, humanity that actually remained on Earth grew strong over the passing centuries. With over population resolved and famine behind their backs they entered an age of technological and cultural wonders. In an attempt to create a second sun out of Jupiter, just because they can do it not that it was a necessity, the star "accidentally" blew up and the debris wave that hit Earth devastated the entire western hemisphere of the planet. The USA version of the intro shows that Paris is completely destroyed, well this is the reason for it. As the story line was completely cut from the retail game the intro's segment on this does not make any sense at all though...

The repair unit of the human / concord side was a very late addition to the game, it is hacked back in due to player feedback months before release from the open beta. That is the reason why the unit art is taken as-is from the first game while most other units got new portrait images.

Computer AI is 90% the same as in M.A.X. 1. It cannot handle a lot of use case scenarios and due to this it feels weak.

The patches are already unpacked. No need to run any installer, just copy over content in the correct order and done.

1) The v1.3r folder contains the European v1.1-1.3 cumulative patch and it needs to be used if you have v1.0 of the game. I included the US intro as well. If you prefer the other one, just skip it. This updates the game to the v1.1 US release state w.r.t. game assets and game data so that the rest of the US patches could work at all.

2) The v1.3 folder contains the US v1.3 executable for the v1.1 US release. If you have issues with the v1.3r game executable, you could try the US v1.3 alternative. Different compiler options, but same feature set.

3) The v1.40 folder contains the US v1.40 executable.

For single player I would copy over 1), then 2) then 3) and would attempt to play with that setup.

The change log is found in the patch readme files. We should note that v1.40 broke multiplayer and eventually led to a massive refund campaign and basically to the demise of the strategy division of Interplay and later on to the bankruptcy of Interplay Entertainment so v1.40 may be more unstable at the end than v1.3 or v1.3r even though it fixes several single player issues.

I should also note that M.A.X. 2 in Europe was released in English, French and German languages. Later reprints of the retail EU CD-ROMs packed v1.2 of the game in English, French and German. The v1.3r patch was also released in German, but not in French language.

So in general we have these latest versions of the game:
- French v1.2
- German v1.3r
- English v1.40

Thanks a lot for such a thorough explanation!

The first thing we need to do is to reproduce the issue. Whatever I tried so far I could not reproduce the issue. As soon as I can analyze a reproducible failure case we will know more. If you happen to observe this, please backup the auto save from the previous turn and attack it here. There is a chance that the next turn the issue would play out the same way again.

The frame rate of the game is locked to max 24 FPS. This means that issued unit orders, including attack orders, are not possible to be processed faster then 24 times per second. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but not when you are just observing unit reactions like reaction fire or when you just issued an attack order yourself.

Unit orders follow deterministic state machines. A new fire order simply cannot start while a previous fire order is in progress for the same unit. Even more, if a fire order of any single unit in the game is in progress, all other units that want to shoot have to wait out their "turn". There is no concurrent shooting by multiple units at the same time in the game. The fire order state machine registers the hit and updates the attacked unit's remaining hit points before reaching the final state of the state machine. This means there is absolutely no way to initiate a new fire order for a target that has 0 hit points remaining.

Now the above statements are the theory, and if there are defects in the code, anything can happen... so again as soon as we can reproduce the issue, we will know more.