bugfix: Prevent fallen Angry Mob members respawning at the Barracks after loading a save

[Stubbjax]

This change fixes an issue where fallen Angry Mob members respawn at the Barracks after loading a save.

Angry Mob members spawn from the Barracks if m_initialBurstCountdown is greater than 0. As m_initialBurstCountdown is not saved in the retail game, it is always reset to its default/retail value of 5 when loading a saved game. This results in up to 5 Angry Mob members respawning from the Barracks and attempting to run across the map to join the nexus, where they often die again in the process due to being too far away.

Before

Fallen Angry Mob members respawn at the Barracks

BAD_SPAWN.mp4

After

Fallen Angry Mob members respawn at the nexus

GOOD_SPAWN.mp4

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

This PR fixes a bug where fallen Angry Mob members incorrectly respawned at the Barracks after loading a saved game, rather than at the nexus where they should spawn. The fix adds serialization for the m_initialBurstCountdown field in the SpawnBehavior::xfer() method, which tracks how many initial burst spawns should exit from the barracks.

Key changes:

• Added m_initialBurstCountdown to the save/load logic with version 3
• Used RETAIL_COMPATIBLE_XFER_SAVE preprocessor guard to maintain backward compatibility with retail saves
• Applied the fix to both Generals and GeneralsMD codebases

Technical details:
The m_initialBurstCountdown variable is initialized from md->m_initialBurst (typically 5) and decremented each time a spawn exits via the barracks. Without serialization, loading a save would reset this value to 5, causing up to 5 dead Angry Mob members to respawn at the barracks and run across the map to the nexus. By persisting this value, the game correctly tracks which spawns have already exited the barracks.

Confidence Score: 5/5

• This PR is safe to merge with minimal risk
• The fix correctly adds serialization for a single field that was missing from save/load logic, following the established pattern used throughout the codebase. The use of RETAIL_COMPATIBLE_XFER_SAVE guards ensures backward compatibility. The change is minimal, well-documented, and directly addresses the root cause of the bug.
• No files require special attention

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/Object/Behavior/SpawnBehavior.cpp	Added serialization for m_initialBurstCountdown with version 3, using RETAIL_COMPATIBLE_XFER_SAVE guard to maintain save compatibility
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/Object/Behavior/SpawnBehavior.cpp	Added serialization for m_initialBurstCountdown with version 3, using RETAIL_COMPATIBLE_XFER_SAVE guard to maintain save compatibility

_{Last reviewed commit: 23304a3}

[greptile-apps]

_{2 files reviewed, 2 comments}

_{Edit Code Review Agent Settings | Greptile}

[greptile-apps]

Inconsistent brace style with surrounding code (line 1007-1009 uses braces)

Suggested change

	if (version >= 3)
	xfer->xferUnsignedInt(&m_initialBurstCountdown);
	if (version >= 3) {
	xfer->xferUnsignedInt(&m_initialBurstCountdown);
	}

Context Used: Rule from dashboard - Always place if/else/for/while statement bodies on separate lines from the condition to allow precis... (source)

_{Note: If this suggestion doesn't match your team's coding style, reply to this and let me know. I'll remember it for next time!}

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: Generals/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/Object/Behavior/SpawnBehavior.cpp
Line: 1011:1012

Comment:
Inconsistent brace style with surrounding code (line 1007-1009 uses braces)

```suggestion
	if (version >= 3) {
		xfer->xferUnsignedInt(&m_initialBurstCountdown);
	}
```

**Context Used:** Rule from `dashboard` - Always place if/else/for/while statement bodies on separate lines from the condition to allow precis... ([source](https://app.greptile.com/review/custom-context?memory=16b9b669-b823-49be-ba5b-2bd30ff3ba6d))

<sub>Note: If this suggestion doesn't match your team's coding style, reply to this and let me know. I'll remember it for next time!</sub>

How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

[greptile-apps]

Inconsistent brace style with surrounding code (line 1092-1094 uses braces)

Suggested change

	if (version >= 3)
	xfer->xferUnsignedInt(&m_initialBurstCountdown);
	if (version >= 3) {
	xfer->xferUnsignedInt(&m_initialBurstCountdown);
	}

Context Used: Rule from dashboard - Always place if/else/for/while statement bodies on separate lines from the condition to allow precis... (source)

_{Note: If this suggestion doesn't match your team's coding style, reply to this and let me know. I'll remember it for next time!}

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/Object/Behavior/SpawnBehavior.cpp
Line: 1096:1097

Comment:
Inconsistent brace style with surrounding code (line 1092-1094 uses braces)

```suggestion
	if (version >= 3) {
		xfer->xferUnsignedInt(&m_initialBurstCountdown);
	}
```

**Context Used:** Rule from `dashboard` - Always place if/else/for/while statement bodies on separate lines from the condition to allow precis... ([source](https://app.greptile.com/review/custom-context?memory=16b9b669-b823-49be-ba5b-2bd30ff3ba6d))

<sub>Note: If this suggestion doesn't match your team's coding style, reply to this and let me know. I'll remember it for next time!</sub>

How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

[Skyaero42]

Question: Are they supposed to respawn at all?

[Stubbjax]

Question: Are they supposed to respawn at all?

Yes; see SpawnReplaceDelay and ExitDelay fields in the data. See m_spawnReplaceDelayData and m_replacementTimes in the logic.