What is wrong?

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Hermskii
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What is wrong?

Post by Hermskii » Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:15 am

Hello Dr.

My UT2K4 Chaos server has way too many downloads. Even with high speed redirects, it takes forever to get all the files needed to play. Please use a clean install and try to connect to this server and time how long it takes. I'm open to suggestions to fix it but this server is so specialized with configurations and such I'm worried I'll break it more than fix it. Thus I may not do anything to change it as I am lazy and also really don't have time to turn this into the big event it likely needs to be.

I know there have been a ton of changes to Chaos for UT2K4. Maybe it is time I rebuild. Your thoughts please.
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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Hermskii » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:47 pm

48 views and no comments. Wow.
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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Terraniux » Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:23 am

Maybe a pm? He is still on UT99.org from time to time, here too. Maybe he overlooked? I'll buzz him :mrgreen:

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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Hermskii » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:52 pm

I try not to bug him. He did answer another post here recently. I think I actually figured it out myself. I have it set so that all you have to have installed on your PC is UT2004 and when you connect to my UT2004 Chaos server also known as House of Hermskii ChaosUT 2K4 (HOHCUT2K4), it is set up to send you every single file you may need in order to play this version of CHAOS. It makes it so you don't have to locate the mod, install it, tweak the files and all of that. This just sends you everything and then you're in the game! It makes sense then knowing it is taking all of this time to download to the player the entire mod and the map too for that matter if it isn't a default map.
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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Dr.Flay » Sat Jul 18, 2020 2:09 pm

Sorry I didn't see this post in my news feed.
These days mostly I can be found in my discord of nerds for my radio show.
https://sites.google.com/view/15-percent-extra/

Chaos is a bit big to send it all as ad-hoc files, even when properly compressed as server files.
Installing any mod this way means clients lack any ability to configure or change anything, even the basics such as choosing a preferred model and skin.
This is because the int and ini files do not get downloaded (clients will create some ini files if the game does anything that saves a setting).
I simply advise people to install the mod properly so it also lives in the correct folder (ie. NOT mixed in the main UT folders).

If the map end/changes while a player is DL'ing the files, it fails and they have to reconnect again and start DL'ing the failed files all over again.
On some servers and mods this means it can can take several hours to get complete files. This has led to me just giving up and going somewhere else because the large files always fail, making it impossible to DL.
This is the only option for playing on Newbiesplayground, so when I have played there I make a point of joining the server when nobody else is playing, and prepare the game for play in the following days and not play that day.

Unfortunately the solution is for players not to be lazy and expect the servers and admin to do all the work.
Bare in mind that even if your server or redirect can send files out fast that players may be on a much slower connection.
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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Nelsona » Thu Aug 13, 2020 12:24 am

Last time I witnessed such an impossible server due to some "coder" making changes at MapVote. SwitchServerEmptyTime value was small, too small. This way player is downloading, map is switching, player needs reconnected, download restarts for new map, map has other files, during this time server is switching map again and download takes ages. Me personally I don't download such a charge - ever. If admin has 20 skins 30 packages, maps using extra 20 files I'm not going to die waiting all downloads, I have a life in which I want the game not the downloads.

Hit: Player installing last XC_Engine can see how much has to download making an easy prediction about how long has to wait. For me showing 200+ MB to download, this means "QUIT". Why ? UT is an application on 32 bits accessing a limited memory range, doesn't matter your amount of memory from system this is a default hard-coded math. During game when memory access capability attempts to go over for UT capability, player or server is crashing and all party is over - thanks for (not) playing. Do a memory charge with a bunch of packages and see what's happening, lol.

I wish luck to all admins having 500+ MB of files to download - to not forget high resolution textures helping in filling memory for clients if they are used. Long downloads are a NO WAY in any way. UT is simple and not what people are thinking about it.

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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Hook » Thu Aug 13, 2020 2:26 pm

Well said Nelsona! :wink:
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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Hermskii » Thu Aug 13, 2020 10:41 pm

Well.....

I have to look at it this way. Nobody has CHAOS installed except a select few. If I didn't do what I do, the way I do it with this server, I don't think anyone would play CHAOS for UT2K4 much. Also, since hardly anyone plays, they are safe to connect to my server and get what they need without being disconnected and have to start all over. I just don't see people going out and getting the CHAOS mod for 2K4. At my server they can see what they are connecting to and hopefully will have the patience for my high speed redirect to do the best that it can.

Any other way and it would not be a CHAOS server.
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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Nelsona » Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:44 am

I do some probing with a Chaos adjusted and conformed in a private multi-server having MonsterHunt, Deathmatch, CTF, etc.
So far I did not have any issues as long as an XC server with desired stuff will charge client only with needed packages and not everything. A common multi-server should have ALL packages available as long as player can switch game and will need packages.

I'm curious what will be here in UT469, unless I'll keep my XC install UnTouched. Mapping Serverpackages dynamically it's a bless for UT but UT's stock is not having a lot of options here...

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Re: What is wrong?

Post by Dr.Flay » Fri Sep 11, 2020 1:53 pm

A reminder:
We are NOT discussing the small UT99 mod, but the much larger UT2004 "totalmod/standalone" version which comes as a 312 MB compressed archive.
https://chaoticdreams.org/chaosut2-evolution-download/
Comparisons to what to expect in UT99 are not useful as many UT2004 mods can be many hundreds of MB some over a GB.
This isn't like installing a mutator.

Chaos is supposed to be installed in its own folder (except for the files to add it to the UT mods menu), not blended into the main install like UT99 mods were.
It should be run from a shortcut or the included batch file which should look something like this;

Code: Select all

..\System\ut2004-win64.exe -mod=ChaosUT2 -MainMenuClass=ChaosGames.ChaosGUI_MainMenu
If installed properly you can access the Chaos mutator to use in regular UT2004, but to use it fully and access the game-modes and installed maps you should launch UT directly into the Chaos mod, or choose it from the UT community mods menu, where it should then reload UT into the correct folder.
Any new server-sent files should then be cached in the Chaos folder, not the main UT cache.
If players try to scrape their cache and blend the files they will make a pigs-ear of their Chaos installation, and not even be able to launch Chaos anyway due to lacking the config files.

It was never expected for players to download the entire mod direct from the game server, only extra custom files.
Yes it can be done, but it really should not be done. This isn't UT99.

All that can be done is make sure the files are on as fast a redirect as possible.
Config changes for the client and server side may help but I don't know any for UT2004.
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