Battlespire:Glitches

No matter how hard the game creators try, there will always be some unintended glitches or bugs in the final version of nearly any game. This page lists any discovered bug, anything from a mere inconsistency to a full blown game crasher, along with any solutions if applicable. Feel free to contribute with anything you feel deserves a "bug" label in the game. Below is a list of common bugs that plague the game to this day, using the latest Battlespire patch (version 1.5).

Critical Bug
There is a very severe bug in version 1.5. Worst case scenario, it can cause unusable save games. Luckily, this bug only occurs in Level 5. For some reason, the game creates useless object entries for containers every time a saved game is loaded after the game has been quit to DOS. As long as you don't quit the current game to DOS, these useless object entries won't increase. If you were to never quit the game, you could theoretically play on like any other level. Unfortunately, the game quits and restarts automatically every time your character's health drops to zero, or in other words, when you are defeated. This behavior of the game cannot be changed.

After the game has quit to DOS, loaded again, and the latest save is loaded, there will be about 20 new entries (approximately a 58 kb increase) when you save again. The next time the game quits to DOS and your latest save is loaded, you will have again 20 new entries (or 58 kB more) when saving, and so on. This goes on until there are too many objects in your save game. Once this point is reached, the game will drop to DOS every time you try to load the polluted save file while saying it couldn't allocate object memory. This occurs usually when there is a total of 600+ containers. This will be the case after you have start a saved game for the 30  to the 50  time, depending on how many entries are generated per save. In other words, since the file size at the start of the level will be about 823 kB, this will occur when your "SAVETREE.DAT" file has reached around 2563 - 3723 kB. You can observe this phenomenon easily if you take a look into your save games. If you count the containers that are present in your save games (the "SAVETREE.DAT" file) you will notice that their number increases with each new save, which was previously loaded from a polluted save.

Although the README.TXT of v1.5 says that this bug has been corrected when compared with previous versions, this doesn't seem to be the case. It is very unlikely that this error has been even worse in prior versions.

It is surmised that the mixture of exterior and interior cells encountered in the level is the cause for this phenomenon, since prior to Level 5 there is only one cell (the game level itself), and Levels 6 and 7 have only one interior cell, a single building. No other level besides Level 5 has so many interior cells (houses, a cave, horned temples, a crypt) and even an interior cell within an interior cell (the tower in the cave behind the waterfall).

There is no solution for this potentially game-breaking bug except to advise saving as little as possible. There is nothing more frustrating than encountering this error near the end of the level with the only solution to re-start the level from the scratch (provided you have a saved game from that point).

Workaround
While there is no solution to creeping file sizes, the effects can be mitigated by following these steps:
# Keep at least one slot saved at a point on a previous level. This is a throwaway save, so make sure you have backed up the files if you wish to keep it safe.
# After starting Battlespire or dying, load this previous save before any other.
# Once loaded, save the game to the same save slot.
# Load your Level 5 save and play.

The next time the bug occurs, the file size increase will usually be anywhere from 0-3kb (with 1-2kb being the most common). This is a time-consuming process, but will greatly extend the life of your playthrough.

More Serious Bugs
# In many cases dropped damaged magical items can't be picked up again, although they are clearly visible on the ground. Clicking such items brings up only an empty menu-screen. Always use containers to store/drop such items, if you plan to pick them up again. (v1.5)
# The "resist fire" effect seems to be broken, it never works.  (v1.5)
# Occasionally, unequipping items can cause the game to freeze. Equip new items over old to replace, instead. (v1.5)
# Getting stuck in void. Sometimes you fall or just walk through a wall or crack forcing a reload. (v1.5)
# On some places you take damage for no reason. Near the seducer bodyguard on Level 7 for instance, standing on where the top part meets the bottom (i.e., at the crack) you take considerable damage. (v1.5)
# If you 'pause' while on a moving lift (such as going into your inventory) your position is paused but the lift movement isn't. When you 'unpause' you're sitting at the bottom. Can be deadly if it's a high lift. (v1.5)
# Pausing thing also affects spells you cast. For instance if you quaff a potion of Etherealness, return to your inventory, wait and exit, the spell has already worn off. Doesn't appear to work for spells cast on you by enemies (v1.5)
# Cursor position on automap in Levels 4 and 5 (and others) is wrong (v1.5).
# Problem clipping monsters in Level 4 near Quam warding sigils. Parts of monster and replaced by wall/ceiling/floor graphic. Occasionally monster disappears completely for long periods of time (still attacks, is not invisible) v1.5
# Jumping icon in Level 5 dungeon is not drawn (v1.5).
# Touching the ceiling while jumping can cause the game to freeze (v1.5).
# Random crashes and GPFs in Win95. Problem may be not enough swap space. Don't ignore any warning message on startup. See the Technical Manual for information on how to solve this.
# Character gets stuck in many places, can't move or jump and have to reload (v1.5)
# Monsters die without leaving sack of stuff, even though you were firing arrows at (v1.5).
# Can't pick up scroll on floor in Level 2a entrance (v1.5) and other places as well.
# Mobs get stuck easily on, well, anything (v1.5). Mostly corners and tight places.
# A magical cape found on Level 2b is worn as pants? (v1.5)
# Scamp disappeared on Level 2a. Was seen in a blocked off section but when I went in it was gone (v1.5).
# Spider daedra near end of Level 3 (the one with the entry rune) walked up into the air and out into the void, never to return (v1.5).
# Elevator in northeastern room on Level 6 cannot be called from below (v1.5).
# The cuirass on the ground in the small southern room behind bars in Level 6 is not retrievable (v1.5).
# Sometimes when loading a save from inside the tower in the cave in Level 5, the player will spawn underwater, dying instantly. It is not a game-breaking bug however, since it doesn't happen every time (v1.5).
# Some windows on buildings (near Point O, Level 5) can crash the game if activated (v1.5).
# Occasionally, in Level 5, opening menus (map, save) can cause the game to freeze (v1.5).
# The Boots of the Savior's Hide do not always spawn in the container in the tower in the cave in Level 5 - keep in mind that you may have to open it several times from different directions (it's recommended to try from the southern side) for them to appear. In case you can open the chest, you haven't retrieved them yet (even though it's empty), so keep trying. Should the chest not open at all, you have most likely retrieved them already since it locks after you have done so. Does not break the game, they do appear sooner or later (v1.5).

Smaller Bugs
# Empty sacks should disappear when left on the floor
# You can hear footsteps when standing on a lift (Level 1, v1.5)
# Bookcase graphic on Level 1 and Level 6 upside down (v1.5), of course it is a mage's chamber so...???
# Some monsters disappear and come back to life after you kill them sometimes (scamp and vermai) (v1.5)
# Two of the coffins on Level 3 don't have riddles on them (v1.5)?
# Walking and Sneaking speed seems to vary slightly, annoying (v1.5).
# Boats and ballon disappear when you exit them (v1.5). Ballon does return to mooring place eventually but where do boats go?
# Some of those purple healing crystals are really big (man size) v1.5. Is this on purpose?
# Bad graphics in places, Level 5 near waterfall, Level 3 under those rising platforms in big room, Level 6 in Sirran Angada's research room (v1.5).
# In Level 6 you enter the castle of Lord Imago Storm through the south gate, therefore you should also emerge at the south end inside the castle. But you will always emerge opposite the entry-gate at the north side of the castle.
#Sky turns black on level 5 after loading a save. This can be fixed by going inside an interior area.