Suggestions & help

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MA_Clingy
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Suggestions & help

Post by MA_Clingy »

The current map on the server was thrown together by me fairly quickly. It has quite a few shortcomings which I am attempting to address. However if any of our visitors have suggestions or comments please dont hesistate to post here or drop me a PM. If you have some really nice PF DF maps "ready made" then I can have a look at including them in a map rotation on the server.

My first problem with the current map is the lag, which I guess is caused by the ship AAA. I am almost certain this is a client problem (clients connection not coping with the huge amonuts of info). The reason I say this is that it lags for different people at different times. This is most noticeable when people are attacking the carrier groups. A situation that in my naivety I thought wouldnt happen. I reasoned that carrier groups would be very well protected and few were sunk (also Battleships). I had placed destroyers in various ports around the map. These are much easier to sink as they are not so well armed and are on their own. Certainly the easiest way to achive the map objective is to destroy the unprotected tansk and trucks close to the front line.

I shall be spending a lot of time researching dedicated servers from now on and hope to tap into some good information to improve things. It is so much more worthwhile when people are using the server.

8)
MA_Zak33
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Post by MA_Zak33 »

is there any likelyhood that the image quality of the user is causing a lasg in their connection, and causing a delay for other players? The reason I ask is that Water Effects are still a huge hit even on a monster rig, and if THAT creates a pause for the player, maybe the info sent back to the server is then lagged too.

Just a thought.
MA_Moby
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Re: Suggestions & help

Post by MA_Moby »

MA_Clingy wrote:This is most noticeable when people are attacking the carrier groups. A situation that in my naivety I thought wouldnt happen. I reasoned that carrier groups would be very well protected and few were sunk (also Battleships). I had placed destroyers in various ports around the map. These are much easier to sink as they are not so well armed and are on their own. Certainly the easiest way to achive the map objective is to destroy the unprotected tansk and trucks close to the front line.
I guess it's human nature to try to have a crack at the toughest objective. I went looking for the armour, but was lagging out because of the attacks on the ships :) It ended up being unplayable for me :( the game froze with red bars on two occasions.

Isn't there a way to tone down the ship flak?
MA_Dak
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Post by MA_Dak »

The carrier attack is mental !! And I love it, I think its my lack of memory causing me lag issues.

On similar topic is it possible to have a multiple map cycle? Or is that a hassle? Im thinking existing map, then a Burma road attack type of thing, then a good old fashion early eastern front would be fun 1941 or there abouts.

Ive a lot of time on my hands from 17th December so I will quite happily do them.
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MA_Clingy
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Post by MA_Clingy »

Very easy to have a map rotation. You can also have dynamic map rotaton. In other words, the next map will depend upon the outcome of the current map. So if it is a draw (time limit) repeat current map but if one side wins the next map moves the front line in their favour. Or perhaps, we have 4 or 5 totally different maps or time period?

The only way to tone down the flak is to make the ships "rookie" rather than veteran or ace. But if its too easy to attack the carriers and ships they wil be sunk quickly and the missions would not last long. It becomes quite arcady?

Dak, m8, I'd love you to do some Maps. I can PM you a few pointers that help with the mission objective scripting (FBDaemon). I can sort this for each map you do, but it helps if the maps are constructed in a way that it makes it easy.
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Post by MA_Dak »

Nice one, Im quite happy to learn to make them scripted if that makes life easier, we could do with a LAN and I could get some lessons :lol:
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MA_Moby
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Post by MA_Moby »

MA_Clingy wrote: The only way to tone down the flak is to make the ships "rookie" rather than veteran or ace. But if its too easy to attack the carriers and ships they wil be sunk quickly and the missions would not last long. It becomes quite arcady?
Hmm - tricky dilemma. Maybe you could set the threashold for vistory higher and have more soft shipping targets - merchant shipping and gunboats defended by coastal AAA? But then I guess that's a bit arcady too.
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MA_Clingy
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Post by MA_Clingy »

No, thats a good idea!
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Post by MA_DanglyBob »

wouldn't be so bad if the AAA didn't strike up at you from a million miles away....

I was getting hit by ships AAA as soon as I crossed the front line..

Any way of reducing its range?
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Post by 1.JaVA_nijssie »

one can use the time out (sleep) for the carrier ( lets say for an hour) and have some other ships protect it. or u can tone down rof ( rate of fire)

In this case the aaa will not have such an inpact on the game
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1.JaVA_nijssie
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Re: Suggestions & help

Post by 1.JaVA_nijssie »

MA_Clingy wrote:
My first problem with the current map is the lag, which I guess is caused by the ship AAA. I am almost certain this is a client problem (clients connection not coping with the huge amonuts of info).
other server resolve that by instruction to the players or let the server pick the kind of connection.

one of the bigger server has a 56/k6 type(player side) and with 40 + player no lag
not having download skins on will help.

find in ubi post by Tully or sparx


( mind you a few carries will mess every hing up just like aaa always has done.)
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Post by Trig »

Attacking the carrier lastnite was immense, just how it should be IMHO

Its a shame u cant set a human factor on the ships so if u come in thru the clouds at low level there less likely to see you n stuff like that, I'd also have a shifty on that map we were on lastnite moving the BS out of the range of the land targets n the like so theres not so much stuff going on..

I'll turn all my settings down 2nite n see if that effects lag for me in anyway..

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MA_Zak33
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Post by MA_Zak33 »

I was suffering lag again....thats with the vid details knocked down in game, with no Anti Alisasing on myX800, with 1 gig of ram, a 2800XP and you'd think that would be ok.

but it was dire :(

then Rias's PC rebooted 5 times (XP2600 with Rad9000 and 512 mb)...total reboot back to bios and I dont know why, beacuse it flew Daks maps (VEF style) good as gold.

Very confused by it all.
MA_Clingy
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Post by MA_Clingy »

Well I wasnt expecting the Marlins to be looking for an arcade type approach tbh. If carriers had been easy to sink, they wouldnt have existed. Much the same as attacking a heavily defended airfield. You just knew that you would be inflicting minor damage with a very high chance of not getting back.

I'll be hopefully putting a different map up soon.
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Post by MA_Thorn »

Just tested out in a quick FMB I made vs a rookie carrier, it takes 6 torps to sink one, which isn't a lot tbh.. so perhaps turning down the AAA will make it boring.

I would suggest moving the carriers (or more importantly, the Battleships) further away from the land, think it will only need another 2-3km as they seem *just* in range of ground targets atm :)
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MA_Moby
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Post by MA_Moby »

jeNK^ wrote:.. so perhaps turning down the AAA will make it boring.
yes, but it's a question of getting it to run smoothly for everyone without the lag issues. And then figuring out how to maximise the game play. It's a really tough balance.
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MA_Clingy
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Post by MA_Clingy »

As you can see in the other thread, you can turn down the AAA on each ship. I have halved it and replaced the Battleship with a Destroyer. I can understand moving the Carrier away from the land if it is primarily a target, but as a "Home Base" I felt it needed to be nearer the action than the land Home base.

My view is that the ship's standard (Rookie Veteran etc) is about how accurate it's gunners are and not how many torps it takes to sink it. I have made the carrier rookie and the others average.

I have started work on some more maps, but I need to get straight in my mind what we want carriers to be. Many of the maps are vast tracts of sea and it is difficult to understand how you can build a DF for them.
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Post by MA_Hat »

ok.. for me.. the server is unplayable when full.. warping and freezing everywhere.. even on Moby's maps

Some instant suggestions...

1. Force skin downloads off at server end
2. Give MA some admin powers
3. Add "default" to banned user list
4. Limit the number of players to something that the majority can cope with
5. Add limited icons to games... e.g.

mp_dotrange FRIENDLY COLOR 0.01 DOT 14 RANGE 0.01 TYPE 0.01 ID 1.0 NAME 0.01

mp_dotrange FOE COLOR 0.01 DOT 14 RANGE 0.01 TYPE 0.01 ID 0.01 NAME 0.01
MA_Clingy
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Post by MA_Clingy »

Now we have some enthusiasm, I can get back into all this.

All your suggestions make absolute sense Hat, except the limited icons. That did surprise me. Some visitors where complaining about the "n00b" settings, just because we had externals (**cough***Rhyno***cough***).

Looks like 128 man servers are as good as useless unless all clients can cope.

Edit - Admin available - Turing server down to 50 users and skin d/l off. Starting to read more about the settings and will tweak those soon. Cant find my full FBD details so am lost with some of the other stuff ATM.
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Post by MA_Hat »

I would say that limited icons.. and i mean limited.. as in the settings posted make sense.... when combined with losing external views....

A whiole load of the game play is removed if external views are on.. the chances of snaking up on anyone's blind spot are nil with external views on...

Put em in the cockpit.. and theyll soon start ruddering the plane and looking over their shoulder like everyone else...
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Post by MA_Clingy »

Yep...I'll give it a go and get externals off. I tend to agree it worries me with externals on, as I only use them on the ground no matter what the server settings.
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