Fixing the Nodes

Discussion in 'General Modification' started by Shiningted, Jan 22, 2006.

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  1. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    Well yeah, Krunch has determined not only the technical problem but that some modern setups won't have it. Of course, not everyone has the same gear...

    Anyways, good news from Agetian:
    I didn't even know we HAD an A* algorithm ;) ANyways, well done Agetian, well done Gaear who'se analysis of the problem has been bourne out, well done Krunch, heck well done everyone, take half a day off and grab a cookie.

    Thanks to the new version of ToEEWB Agetian just released we should be able to fix it. Anyone want to put their hand up? It needs someone who enjoys making .mobs and can handle the enormous glory involved... you KNOW who you are!!!
     
  2. Agetian

    Agetian Attorney General Administrator

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    A* is one of the standard and widely-known algorithms of pathfinding used very often in tile-based games. ToEE is not an exception here. :)

    - Agetian
     
  3. Gaear

    Gaear Bastard Maestro Administrator

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    Exactly. Agetian said it first but I was thinking the same thing. ;)

    Great news! :dance:
     
  4. krunch

    krunch moving on in life

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    I've got my eyes on some double chocolate chip, extra chocolatey Super Cookies. Plus, I've got lots of milk, too. So, have a Super Cookie and milk with a smile.
    :)
     
  5. Agetian

    Agetian Attorney General Administrator

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    I'd suggest everyone to wait until ToEEWB v1.7.5e is out - it'll feature a much improved MOB codec that will allow to load most creatures without corrupting them. It should be out later today or tomorrow.

    - Agetian
     
  6. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    Forget the gangster flick quote this time, I know your talking about me. And just think - yesterday I was talking to krunch about what new hardware I could buy to avoid the node lag issue...

    So much to do, and other stuff I need to do too...

    Ah well, what the hell. Count me in.
     
  7. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    I've been playing around with the new ToEEWB version and the Air node mobs (I realise the lag is considerably less there than in the other nodes but everyone has to start somewhere right?) and I have good news and bad news to report.

    Good news: I can load all the .mob files from the air node without a single problem. So I had a look around, every creature in the air node has day waypoints, but the waypoints are exactly the same as thier location. Mob files I have made stand quite happilly in the same spot without setting any waypoints. So I tried removing the waypoints for all creatures and saved them. Some files were considerably smaller than the originals, but I didn't pay that any notice and put the files into my game to test it.

    Bad news: The game didn't load. Crashed when loading sectors (apparently) with the error message: The instruction at "0x2112ddba" referenced memory at "0x01535458". The memory could not be "read". If that means anything to anyone <looks for Agetian> I'd like to know what that means.

    At this point I'm open to suggestions as to how I should continue. As I see it I have 2 choices...
    1) make less drastic changes to the original .mobs (may not fix the lag).
    2) remake all .mobs and hope I can override the originals with a simple name change (not sure how inventory item's .mobs are associated with thier owners .mobs).

    [EDIT] I tried again, this time I only altered 2 Large Elementals who were set to wander during the day on map 0 at co-ordinates x=3, y=0. This struck me as quite odd as the other elementals in that map file's are exactly the same as every other creature - same waypont as the starting location. This alteration also crashed the game. It also made the .mob file about 30 bytes smaller than the original. dunno what that is all about though.

    [EDIT] I tried again with the modified .mobs (without the 2 large elementals mentioned above) and got the same crash.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2006
  8. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    I've noticed that adding flags - well, banks of flags, like switching on the OF flags and adding a few - changes the files size generally by 0.1kb. (So does sectoring in a door btw - easy way to see if u remembered to save your door changes ;)) Anyway, if you are finding the file has changed size significantly, I doubt it is the changes to the waypoints: I would suggest ToEEWB is opening the buggers but not saving them properly. Try opening one, click save without making any changes, and see if that changes the size of the file.

    O and thanks for doing this, but actually I was talking about HeavyDan, who has stated a few times he enjoys tinkering with ToEEWB (don't we all) and is long overdue to do something that will win him eternal glory.

    EDIT: Not sure how inventory .mobs are associated - will leave that to Agetian to answer - but I suspect they do include the owner GUID in their mob makeup, which if course becomes a pain if making a new .mob then changing the file-name. But very few of the critters in the nodes have inventories - just the recruitables and Granks bandits (and the Guardians, but since they only have an inventory of one thing I would be quite willing to hack that change in with a hex editor). So it is still a viable option, I tihnk. For the others - we remake the .mobs, give them all new inventories, then do one innocuous file for everything else - a copper piece lying on the ground, say - make many copies of that and rename them to replace all the existing inventory .mobs.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2006
  9. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    Done, and the file drops 29kb's in a split second. I guess new .mobs will be needed then.
    I have no problem stepping aside to let some young bloods take the glory, I have enough on my plate with the Verbobonc stuff anyway. Not to mention that the Mrs gets upset if I spend too much time on the PC!
     
  10. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    Well you might fall off and hurt something, perched up there... and chain doesn't prevent bludgeoning damage as we all know.

    See my previous answer which got editted.
     
  11. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    I've been playing around with copies of the earth node mob files ted sent me to test, I copied all game original files (except pathnode.pnd and the original mob files) into the test map, and added ted's new mobs.

    Even with new mobs, and no pathnode file I got 3 hard lockups while scrolling around the map lasting more than 2 minutes (exact time unknown), but I was running 4 other aplications at the same time.
     
  12. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    Today I tested in a duplicate of the fire node, here is what I did...

    I used exact copies of the games original .mob files and .sec files with the map.prp, startloc.txt, and mapinfo.txt. I still got some lag, but not that much. It locked up for about 20 - 30 seconds (instead of the usual 5 - 10 minutes normal minimum). The map looked a little odd (without the magma all around you) and pathfinding was done with very short moves and very frequently. This was the best result I got all day.

    If we could get some magma backdrop pasted onto the map itself (making the background static) we could delete the extra data from these files with ToEEWB really easilly (it allready has that function in the map properties tab).

    I also experimented wih the .sec files, I removed all the puffs of smoke (which didn't do much to improve the lag, but it may have improved slightly - but not a noticably huge difference) but that made the map look even more odd (no magma and no smoke).

    I also suggest the pathnode.pnp file gets re-written, because the main area's of lag are where the pathway goes into a bottle neck (towards the salamander's area - with the chest, towards the efreeti and just passed the door to the water node with the bodak's).
     
  13. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    Yeah I agree it looks like we will have to redo the .pnd files.

    I forget what file adds the magma (and the swirlies in the air node). Wait til u add that without the clipping file - you will be literally walking on air!

    But there is no such 'background' effect in the earth node, nor for memory in the water node. So while, like the smoke (or the fire temple) there may be a performance problem, its not the cause of our 'lag'.

    Allyx... u've demonstrated the .mobs lag with only the .sec files for company... do you mind seeing if my new mobs lag under such circumstances too? If I got u right, u tested them with all but the pathnode file the other day.
     
  14. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    BLOODY .SVB's!!!

    I tested again today, this time I got a good measure of success! I got through the entire Eath node with no lockups at all!

    I used the games original .mob files, and .sec files, pathnode.pnp (I thought it was bugged too), map.prp, startloc.txt and mapinfo.txt.

    I'll test with the other files I removed as well, I'll add them one at a time though, just to make sure.
     
  15. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    .svbs... AGAIN with the svbs... bastards!

    Great work dude! :D

    Ted
    "I broke the dam"
     
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