Spells with long casting times silently fail after animation completes

[Osopher]

Summary:

Spells and spell-like effects silently fail after completing casting animation; caster has not been interrupted etc.

 

Description:

 

These appear to be the same issue:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/projecteternity/comments/3393jf/bug_adventurer_silently_fails_casting_spells/
• https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/85297-gamebreaking-bug-please-help-character-casts-spell-but-nothing-happens/
• https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/81899-hiravias-refuses-to-cast-returning-storm/
• https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/81878-bug-druid-spell-returning-storm/

However:

• It is not specific to a particular character, class or caster.  I have had this issue with all casting classes, higher powered scrolls and, occasionally, even a potion.
• There's no sense of it being "permanent", returning to earlier save games doesn't make a difference, etc. (although the first of the posts above has the most articulate description of the issue, I don't think the talk of permanence there is correct).
• Verifying, reinstalling, etc. etc. the game doesn't make any difference
• I have had the issue with both the NPCs (Durance, Aloth, etc.) and custom-built characters
• I did not see the issue before installing the White March expansions (I completed the game most of the way through before installing them for the first time).

In my case, the spell casting animation runs to the full time and completes, but then the character immediately switches over to idle (with "..."), nothing appears in the combat log and the remaining spell count is not reduced, scroll not consumed etc. despite the caster remaining unmolested by opponents for the entire battle.

 

Steps to Reproduce the Issue:

 

While it does not occur consistently, it appears to be most likely to manifest when the casting time is long and/or the battle large and involved.  As best I can tell, the problem seems to be certain effects "timing out".  Therefore recreating it is probably most likely achieved by:

1. Finding a large/complicated/involved battle with a high rate of action generation.
2. Choosing spells with long cast times.  Returning Storm, Storm of Holy Fire, the most powerful scrolls and (less frequently) Arkemyr's Capricious Hex and Gaze of the Adragan are good candidates.
3. Possibly also run the game on a slower PC?

It's not guaranteed, however.  E.g. in the fight immediately prior to the attached save game the (custom) druid attempted to cast Returning Storm three times, two of which failed as per above, but the third "took" and cast with effect successfully.

 

In the log file I found, multiple times:

"Error with Companion_Generic(Clone)_3's attack Returning_Storm(Clone) (attack52) didn't receive anim event after 5.05 seconds."

Including two occurrences, one after the other, in a fight involving ogres (which the last fight did).  Related?

 

Some of the earlier posts mentioned a related known bug was being looked at.  Was this eventually released?

 

Important Files:

 

 

I had this issue occur in the third fight (vs. the warleader) after arriving at Stalwart in this run through so I chose this for an example.  Boss fights and some of the tougher bounties offered by (I forget who) in Stalwart are good candidates as well.

 

All included in linked zip:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ny0zbfpa4pjyl6m/PoE%20Spellcasting%20Issue.zip?dl=0

 

Savegames

• Before any fighting.
• Immediately after the fight with the issue.

Output Log

 

System Specs

Let me know if you need any further information or files.  I appreciate the focus is, no doubt, on PoE II at the moment, but I'm sure I'm not the only one taking a renewed interest in PoE I in preparation for it.  This is the most game-breaking issue I'm encountering so far and concern that it may also feature in PoE II is making me hold off for now...

[Osopher]

Not sure if anybody is reading these (bump? mod approval?), but further info - 

 

The problem above seems to be particularly an issue for scrolls.  In my current run through haven't been able to use a single scroll in combat ever.  All fail as per above (full action duration + scroll-casting animation then... nothing), even those with short cast times, low level effects, etc.

 

This wasn't a problem before I installed the White March expansions.

 

Is this the right place to report such bugs?

[Osopher]

Apologies for spamming this one somewhat...

 

Here's an easily reproducible example:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t7k85b5n0nsxuxb/2nd%20Example%20Spell%20Failure.zip?dl=0

 

Have the druid cast Plague of Insects into the room (to - attempt to - initiate combat, in this case).  Fails every time.

 

Corresponding entries in the log file:

Error with Companion_Generic(Clone)_3's attack Plague_of_Insects(Clone) (attack50) didn't receive anim event after 3.12 seconds.