John McDowel
Comments
@Paul Hunnisett, I agree, I think it's a different issue (though probably related) but they closed down my logged issue: MCPE-10792.
Just double checked this issue to confirm it's either version/copy related. I loaded the original one I had working on my S3 (started in 0.9.4 and updated now to version 0.11.1) and it's definitely spawning and has a mob avatar in the one's I've discovered. I copy it onto both my Surface Pro 3 and the S5 (using version 0.12.1) and they're broken - as per uploaded screenshots (flame but no mob avatar). Note too that any new mob spawners I find using that world are empty with no flame at all and invisible box. Levels created in 0.12.1 version seem to behave correctly (at least on my Surface I haven't found a spawner yet on a new world I created on the S5 - I'll keep you posted).
Examples where the mob avatar is now missing inside spawn box which was working prior to 0.12.1 update.
Just to reiterate for clarification and testing purposes: my spawners are working fine in the level I created in Windows 10 Beta v0.12.1 and on my android phone v0.12.1 but any level that was created in older versions seems to have spawners that no longer function (flames but missing mob avatar) and newly found spawners are empty and there is often an invisible chest in the adjacent area.
I tested my suggestion in MCPE-10792 and I could transfer my saves from the S3/S5, MPCE, onto the Surface Pro 3, Windows 10 Beta. The level loaded fine and all things worked as expected except the spawners. So I used the same seed for the level to test if the spawners would work if they were created in the 0.12.1 version. I dug to the exact location of one of my spawners and it isn't even there - the dungeon layout is different. Did you guys change the way the seed creates the dungeons? Is this what is impacting the spawners? The above-ground details are an exact match but the layout under the surface seems to be different. I noticed too that when levels are created now you're obfuscating the folder name of the level - the .DAT and .LDB files seem to be the same so this shouldn't have an impact either should it?
Would it work as a test to move the 'minecraftWorlds' data for the level into my Window 10 version as a test or are MCPE and it still a little different in how they load the .DAT and .LDB files?
I don't believe MCPE-10792 is the same issue; perhaps related but I think it's different. I've added some additional comments to that bug number. Is there a way to re-mark it as unresolved. I don't consider it a duplicate.
Just to clarify I don't think it's the same issue as the one listed in MCPE-8998. I have that issue now but it also seems the existing spawners have been broken.
This is not just for new spawners found. I had working spawners in v0.11 and moved them from the 'minecraftWorlds' folder on my S3 onto my S5 and now they don't have an enemy inside the cage nor do they spawn anymore. I had zombie, skeleton, spider spawners all along this path I'd carved out since v0.9.4 (I know because that's what I labelled the level name. Now my existing spawners are broken and I can't use the mob farms I'd created. No more spawners for me. What's interesting is the spawners are working fine in the Windows 10 version I'm testing on my Surface Pro 3. Aren't they essentially the same version now (i.e. same C++ base code)?
I can confirm my spawners from 0.9.4 are working again. The 0.12.1 update was the only buggy version for me. The 0.12.2 update seems to have rectified the issue.