Bug cross table date time bug

[TomL]

Hi Sean, thank you for organizing the bug lists.

I'm writing about a date time bug that I've seen on many tables, in the latest version and many previous. I've testing this on the Android version only so far. I can only test for the bug on tables that support setting/showing the current date, so that means Pro tables only like Cactus Canyon and Attack from Mars. Some tables do not seem to store/show the current date time, like older EM tables and Dr Dude.

1. To see this bug, take note of today's date (ex: "July 19 2013").
2. Launch a pro table, such as Attack from Mars.
3. Click on Table Menu > Pro Menu. Enable Operator Mode: On.
4. Click on Open Coin Door.
5. Click on the "Enter" button to show the Main Menu.
6. Click on the "Enter" button to show the Bookkeeping menu.
7. In the Bookkeeping menu, click Down to get to B6. Time-Stamps. Click Enter.
8. The DMD will show the current system time, which in this example is "June 19, 2013", which is a month early.

You can exit TPA, and manually change your tablet/phone's system time to any date (except dates in January!), and repeat the test, and see that the TPA date is one month early.
If you set the tablet/phone to a date in January, then in TPA, the Pro menu in the DMD will claim that the date time is not set, and it'll revert to the lowest date possible, something like "Jan 1 1969".

This bug impacts scorekeeping in games where the date of the high score is retained and displayed, like the date on which an AFM Rule The Universe was achieved. More worrying, this date error may have deeper implications in other routines that use the system date time for pseudorandom number generation seeding.

Thanks.

[argh, I realized I should have posted this in Android 1.15.0 thread. Mods, feel free to delete this thread, I'll repost this there.

Never mind, Mods, let this thread be.
]

Tom

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Actually, I'm going to leave this here. I've seen this bug on iOS as well, on Twilight Zone Pro and Scared Stiff Pro, but with the added twist that the time of day is always 8:00 AM. So it's not just Android. I'll add it to the multiple-table issue list this weekend.

 

[TomL]

Thanks Sean. It's a seemingly small bug, but sometimes fixing the small bugs will wind up sorting out the big bugs.

 

[TomL]

I've seen this bug on iOS as well, on Twilight Zone Pro and Scared Stiff Pro, but with the added twist that the time of day is always 8:00 AM. So it's not just Android. I'll add it to the multiple-table issue list this weekend.

Very interesting. I just jumped into AFM and TZ on Android, and the time of day within the DMD is accurate ("10:28 AM") while date is not ("Jun 19 2013"). Which makes sense that these are two related but separate bugs, as the low level system call(s) that TPA has to make to get current date time is platform specific.

Thanks for compiling the lists.

Tom

 

[netizen]

I get it on every DMD table, especially those with a wizard goal that time stamps achievement. It doesn't matter if they have a Pro Mode or not; it's just the ones with a Pro Mode it is so much easier to spot.

On CV you will see it when you Join The Circus, on AFM when you Rule The Universe, on MM when the Battle The kingdom, etc.

 

[TomL]

I get it on every DMD table, especially those with a wizard goal that time stamps achievement. It doesn't matter if they have a Pro Mode or not; it's just the ones with a Pro Mode it is so much easier to spot.

On CV you will see it when you Join The Circus, on AFM when you Rule The Universe, on MM when the Battle The kingdom, etc.

Yup, reproducing the bug via looking in Pro mode is a lot easier than trying to Rule The Universe.

 

[Kolchak357]

Would come into play if we get a game with midnight madness mode like Junkyard or Dirty Harry.

 

[TomL]

Would come into play if we get a game with midnight madness mode like Junkyard or Dirty Harry.

The date bug will prevent any Easter Eggs that trigger anytime in December. No Xmas Easter Eggs!

 

[netizen]

Would come into play if we get a game with midnight madness mode like Junkyard or Dirty Harry.

It has an effect on all the easter eggs hidden in games where if you start a game on a certain date you get birthday, christmas etc messages. Scared Stiff and BOP, out of the games in TPA, have these. There may be more but IDK for sure.

 

[mpclemens]

Somebody forgot that months are zero-indexed.