Doubled things - second worst

[Nelsona]

A fast weapon switch mutator is implemented in UTTolbox which looks right.

Someone ported out the code ? Yeah, making it more messed called WSRH:

Code: Select all

Super.ModifyPlayer(Other);

if ( NextMutator != None )
	{ NextMutator.ModifyPlayer(Other); }

This is a double call for this function (I don't want to know about 10 mutators called twice). I granted to myself permission to alter this BS because has 0 logic.

Also we have:

Code: Select all

class handler extends Info;
.....
simulated function Tick(float delta)

and later mentioned nothing. Let me see, Info has ROLE_DumbProxy which is not friendly with timers and tick. So ? The question is: Is this working really good or just other mess causing unexpected troubles through mutators-chain ?

I think is a code rip with modifications in variables and 0 code improvement from Author: *Kr!D_o). Interesting ID.

[Nelsona]

And now continuing with The Circus.
From readme

...
Ohh, and btw, did I mention that this works with ALL weapons mutators !?!?!?!
...

No you did not mentioned and NOT WORKS with all weapons mutators.

Why ? Explanations for self presumed coders:
- I'm using Old weapons having animations missing (a la Epic);
- NOT all weapons have "Select" and "Down" in meshes. Some have Select1... Select5
else they have Down1... Down5, else NONE of above.

Also that Handler is self destroying in one of 2 cases: Pawn Owner missing or Weapon missing. Let me see, If a pawn is killed Inventory is discarded so will have 0 weapon. In next move will be added another one. Why to mock spawning over and over again this thing ? Is pretty simple: Pawn leaving - End of story, Pawn exist, check if (P.weapon != None), else that foreach from ModifyPlayer just affect speed useless because we want a new one anyway.

At final note if...

This is a server-side mod, meaning you DO NOT have to add to the ServerPackages!

Then why is not marked as ServerSideOnly=True and AllowDownload=False as aditional safety?

As you can see usually cool people with crappy ID-s are just doing dumb things that cannot be trusted especially if codes are ripped without any modification. And of course more such works are hosted proudly to "help" UT.

[Hermskii]

You tell him Nelsona! YOU TELL HIM! I haven't seen you get this worked up in a long time. Don't take any crap from that guy's readme file. You tell him and everyone how it is! YEAH!

I hate bad readme files! He must payyyyyy!

[Nelsona]

Take a deep breath for next show.
Toying a bit with mapping I set an old tutorial ripped from Epic by other people interested in quality into my host to have handy informations, I couldn't clone everything due to files mentioned and impossible to be found anywhere anymore. But let me note:

By dividing your map up into zones, you gain several benefits:

Speed. A well-zoned level typically speeds up the engine's "visible surface determination" process by over 100% in a complex map, compared to an unzoned level.
Ambient lighting. Each zone can have its own ambient lighting value, which is added to the regular lighting on each surface. Ambient lights are very useful for outdoors areas, where pure black shadows are unnatural, as well as in diffuse environments where one would not expect dark shadows.
Reverberation. Each zone can have its own aural reverberation properties; see the audio document for more information.
Zone-based physics properties, such as friction and gravity.
Water.

else

Unreal Tournament bots use a system of waypoints to navigate the level. Using waypoints allows UT to minimize the CPU cycles used by the AI, and gives level designers maximum control over how the AI navigates their levels.

As I noticed but mappers did not noticed, Zoning a map is a very needed thing to gain visibility performance (See PlayerCanSeeMe crashes).
Another kinda good thing is pathing - done correctly will gain performance again.
When we speak about 64 zones limitation, is possible to bypass this so called issue using multiple levels. That's why a SP episode was done using levels not all in one big manure.
In MonsterHunt we don't have option to pass levels but we can attach a trigger for a server-travel supposed to complete this issue (as I did with SkaarjOfficer - a fix right in map). Someone collected all those separate levels and grouped them in a single one making a big mess (A.I. is heavy affected, performance is a mess, all in one sh..t). Of course, is not first time when such work is good for trash-box, that's why you won't see me from now on hunting "maps", because I hunt only Good Levels not presumptions.
As excuse "they tried" to keep UT alive - doing craps and making skilled people to leave disgusted, because they had the dignity to no mock with stupid works. Now you understood why cute people left ? Only a turd can enjoy a mess breaking all UT99 engine's rules clapping hands with bells and whistles having 0 knowledge about how runs a server hosting a mess and how is pushed when 10 guys are joined.

Meh, I don't have insane skill for design but probably I have more technical knowledge about optimizing things. Other info: I saw a new forum (mappers forum) or such. May I tell you something ? They are doing feign mapping - I won't join there because ME the player I can map a level much optimized and having full Bot Support rather than asking why Queens break counters. BECAUSE QUEEN won't trigger events if gets gibbed by other queen spawned - you clever smart intelligent genius... And of course Queen is not intended to be used in factory - these are SP pawns having other meaning than mocking - I CAN bypass this issue doing settings properly, just because I'm a poor stupid player not mapper, and I hate empty useless cubes unzoned and unpathed with inventory none or really bad placed, with "secrets" frustrating any new player, and list can continue. I'm not even interested about any New "map-name" for MH produced there.

Now breath relaxed.

[Dr.Flay]

Something else useful to add while pathing and CPU are a topic.

Because of the way we have usually added a few nodes at a tame in different places, the numbers on them don't relate to positioning.
When you render the AI path, it creates a table of all the numbers and the possible links to a nearby number/node.

once you have completed your pathing, or a big section, it helps to get UEd to renumber them.
I usually switch on the pathing view and look for the most isolated pathnode as my node "0".
Right-click on the node and "Select all pathnodes"
Right-click on the node and select "Order", then either of the 2 options (one counts up, the other counts down).
Now re-render the AI path, and save.
You should notice your map filesize drop, because the pathing table is smaller and more optimised.
Bots can now make quicker route decisions, and navigate faster.

[Nelsona]

Because you remembered me something, let me keep thinking at... BotPathNodeUsage or such tool. For Nelsona = Useless. Let me clarify why:

Bot is using pathnodes to gain stuff from maps: Ammo, weapons, armors, etc. Of course they will follow a certain route - always the same depending only by start location.
Equation will be modified as follows: A Player (me by example) I'm gonna play with skilled Bot. Now... if Bot is fully loaded will start hunting me. I won't follow Bot's road for a simple reason: I'm man and I don't know their deal with each NavigationPoint. So, because I'm walking in different spots, Bot NEEDS aditional paths to find me, and if it starts to be chicken will want to retreat in a safe spot, so, from ME ALL nodes are OK as long as they cover map correctly returning more paths as possible but not a thousand of paths in a simple room. That's why when player enter the game, Bot will use probably 99% paths.

Last 2014 technology: I developed some monsters - hunter prototype - native coded not pushed with mutators. These guys for sure need all kind of comfortable roads to hunt me down, they aren't interested in any weapon (have weaponry and will fire 6 months if is necessary). Issues ? Yes, why not ? JumpSpot is a NavigationPoint coded in Botpack and existent in many maps - is a common Bot stuff. A Monster won't be glad about it because Engine will discard the path through that point - Nasty indeed, but in exchange, game-types used by me are simply unlocking lifts and doors for all pawns able to manage a good hunt. Now I'm happy with new challenges.

I guess you can imagine why I'm hating empty stupid cubes or having dumb pathing (by Editor).

[Nelsona]

And now back to the first section related to fast wepsy switching

Mod works good without announcing any replication and it looks accurate enough if is declared in ServerPackages. In this way actors from server and client have a better timing together, master of action being server, it leads client to follow simulated tick properly without any other bytes spamming useless the client.

If admins wants to know more messed mods probably used full of trust, I'm gonna ruin the trust at request doing small checks around presumed mutators. This happens because I was a victim in the past having full trust in those people "helping" admins. We have files hosted for UT ? Good... I found food for this topic then.

To the next debate...

[Nelsona]

NoD3Dcrash or such = LOLZING your mutate commands (admin and/or player)

Here we speak about some:

Code: Select all

Super.Mutate(MutateString,Sender);

Which is missing blocking as follows (examples)
- toss relic;
- mapvoting;
- custom mutate commands;
- other admin related controls.
If solution is to attach this thing in last place from mutators chain, is probably not the best ever thing, simply add in Tail of Mutate Command from code up-mentioned line, recompile the trash into a kind of treasure and be happy.

To be continued...

[Nelsona]

Bump related to some things hard-coded in engine and... pretty wrong by default.

Finally, it loos looks we have pretty simple solutions for UScript from Engine avoiding tens of replacements. Due to some texture topic which I read at UT99.org finally I could figure what's the deal with those messages "//fix me" left in some actors classes from UT.
Sample - by shooting a WoodenBox for content, some times Engine returns a few Accessed None errors. Firsts measures taken were replacing those things and making engine to run another stuff fixed - more to process. Oh well, looks like solution is a simple one. Get engine, fix code, save file and... "conform" it with original. This is "high tech" operated by UTPG making player with version 436 to play properly in a v451 server with No Mismatch issues - yes, this is doable with other stock packages as well. We can bring to the game a few old messed up projectiles, more sanitized tentacles, states done properly, monster ghosting bug solvable, Skaarj different coded to no longer making a mess, a lot of server stuff can be properly recovered, including those duplicated pickup expiring messages and "Accessed None". I could do this with MH a few years ago, but nobody did not post any document of information about these real good options.

Have a nice day everyone !

[Dr.Flay]

I wonder if Smirftsch fixed any of this for Unreal.
He was in the UTPG team.

[Nelsona]

There was a lot of work around Engine if I could see well. For me are important game things too. A sample:
Stinger. Using that in Off-Line and ON-Line with push codes reacts different, all I have to say that ON-Line is ugly and crappy while it fires - doesn't look as a weapon but it looks as a torch. Alternate fire in a BSP with no projectiles = Accessed Nones.
Question: Why I have to accept these 20 Years ? For sure not. It's not my intention to spread files, it's an... advice which is good to be in account.
By example conforming UnrealShare into another giant package I cannot say that things will go perfect (player has original files bad files) but server might develop a small push replicating some animation more natural and "server action" can be pretty clean.

Evilized side: If I'm not mistaking 2 years ago people were asking about a remake - needs for a remake.
In my opinion Epic should stay away giving resources and docs to a few community members and letting them to deal with things. If UnrealI and UnrealShare are a bit "primitive", things went crazy trying to do some changes at BotPack - ORIGINAL SCRIPTS from this trash cannot be compiled because are Wrong written. For me is hilarious as a horror story how the heck did they compile Botpack - there are a bunch of problems trying to do some stunts. Bad LodMesh, some UWindow things missing, some Effect whatever texture not found (compiling with full internal UScript resources). I'm wondering if they did not screwed scripts for protection purpose or bugged file from outside.
I just dropped it v436 on a "UE Explorer" tool - I see red classes claiming serialization errors related to some buffers. I really don't get WTF they did with BotPack, simply it is far from perfect and it looks protected in coward manner. Meh, UnrealI and UnrealShare were not that hard to fool, I got operational files with good monsters with less issues - just doing bunches of tests.
I did some cubes with tentacles firing different projectiles . I passed over a shock when I saw that not only "quadshot" is a nothing, we have stupid "peaceRocket" - killing closer pawn - OWNER who fired it, "energybolt" pretty much doesn't do much battle - Net code=0, "plasma" - nothing like a damage but addicted to dispersion ammo for some reason, ON-Line has no purpose, etc. If these have been solved somehow (except quadshot which has a mesh rammed and it's impossible for original player to have it as it is without an XCGE replacement) these originals were a bit turned into operational stuff, the normal client player (no XC_GE or such) is able to play properly in such a tweaked machine "server". I'm still thinking and seeking solutions for BotPack... The most disturbing problem happened when I was touching codes from challengevoicepack - speech errors - I got a muted game, but client playing on such BotPack do works normally... I don't trust that BotPack right now, by reverting changes things were still muted - something was lost in Editor. Trying to compile/work with UCC resulted in a obsolete BotPack (compiling decompiled codes). I'm stuck and shocked because I don't get what mess they did - I'm not surprised to see Engine stuck in other games (MH, Survival, etc.) As an old coder said in a comment "no BotPack's deal here" by overriding stuff as much as possible. I think the old man was right... and that's why my monster games custom DM CTF runs much improved - now I know why in big parts.