Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
GorgeCraft Planned Improvements:
Create a no build entity for mappers to place in the gorge spawn area, so the gorges can't build over the spawns!!
Make all buildings digestable. The digest mixin has been added to all the models, I just need to add the code to use the mixin.
Implement Longer Draw Distances. Currently models disappear in pits at the furthest edges, so I need this.
Reduce server load. There will be many aspects to this. I have already removed huge amounts of server load from the models themselves, however I still load too much unnecessary NS2 code, like all the marines, which needs to be removed. Once this is removed, I shall see how the game plays with the longer draw distances and see if I need to make further optimisations.
Add further Alien Models. At least 2 to complete the 3rd menu. Also look at coming up with a better menu order for the models, something a bit more logical. Any suggestions on that would be good.
General improvements to the handling and placement of models, adding the options to rotate etc, without needing to move around into obscure positions to get the models placed exactly where you want them.
If you have any other suggestions or ideas, please post them here.
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
I have decided to draw a line in my plans for GorgeCraft as a mod. I have many ideas for customisation etc, but I feel that some of these could be better kept and used in game projects later on. I will keep the concept of GorgeCraft within the realms of 'mod', by just using assets and code from within NS2, and not adding too much else.
To this end I will be implementing a single update to GorgeCraft which will be, in effect, the final version of the mod. It will include all fixes mentioned above, and much more. I expect it to take a fair while, and of course, I will work on any bug fixes and version support should any NS2 updates cause problems.
I will post regular updates when things are added and working correctly, but this will be a very big update, bringing more than twice as much fun to the GorgeCraft mod
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
edited February 2014
I wasn't planning on releasing an update to the mod just yet, however, there are people running this on a server, so I decided to release a quick bug-fix build for them.
Changelog:
Fixed a couple of Spectate mode bugs.
Fixed a Respawn bug.
Increased Player Jump Height
Increased Belly-Slide Speed
Added gc_crevice to the mod.
Added Cloak to View Model when placing buildings to enable better view.
A few small server optimisations.
Looks like my plan for just one big update has gone out of the window, and incremental updates will probably be the order of the day. Nothing like players forcing your update hand
In further news, there may be some additions to the development team coming on board, so hopefully future development will be occurring at a greater pace. I'll keep you all updated in due course.
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
The problem with that though Jim, very rarely do people want to go in a straight line, except when going up, and getting the clogs to go in exactly the direction you want would be a pain. Also most people don't know exactly how many clogs they will need to place. Ultimately, I would rather they built them 1x1 for now in this mod.
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
edited February 2014
I am working on a big performance update for GorgeCraft, essentially removing unnecessary code. While GorgeCraft will get bigger when more stuff is added, here are the current NS2 server, GorgeCraft Server, and Next Update GorgeCraft Servers vital statistics:
Initial testing shows it to be at least partially shine compatible, but further testing required...
The problem with that though Jim, very rarely do people want to go in a straight line, except when going up, and getting the clogs to go in exactly the direction you want would be a pain. Also most people don't know exactly how many clogs they will need to place. Ultimately, I would rather they built them 1x1 for now in this mod.
I constantly am trying to go in a trait line while building gorgedom. It doesn't have to be 1x100. 1x10 would suffice.
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
Massive update for GorgeCraft released.
Removed Hive Vision Outline
Made all buildings digestable (Hive requires you to be inside the model!!)
Mainly this is about removing masses of non-relevant code, and patching the game up to run lighter and faster than before, also enabling more buildings to be built than previously on the same hardware.
Note, I do seem to have 1 small issue that currently I can't figure out, 6 of the buildings require you to click twice before they will place. It is not a massive issue, but I thought I would highlight it here, so you are all aware.
So much work done, that I can't remember any of it, it was all a blur.....
Enjoy the new update, I've worked nearly 2 days straight on this and am now going to bed
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
edited February 2014
I remembered a couple of other updates I made to the game.....
Removed alien HUD
Removed Energy for Placing Buildings
Tidied up the scoreboard.. It shows your name, status and ping only.
Removed points/scores for building etc.
Lots of other things, too many to remember and list.
I must say, I am very happy with the way things are going currently, the mod is currently getting more than 10+ new subscribers a day, and things seem to be going well. The mod receiving positive feedback from players, but I have yet to receive any bug reports.
This means, either there are no bugs/people are not finding bugs (pretty unlikely, this is my code we are talking about), or people are not reporting/ignoring bugs they find (more likely).
I would ask if you do find a bug or issue, please report it so I can look at resolving it I do want to make this as tight and finalised as possible before I move onto part 2 of the trilogy, although I have to advise that GorgeCraft is less than 50% complete in it's current incarnation.
I am finding it really hard to not talk about Part 2, and to keep from developing part 2, as personally, I will probably play part 2 more than part 1, hey ho...
I must however finish part 1, I must be disciplined, I must....
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
I am nearly finished with a huge update for GorgeCraft. Soon the mod will be content complete, although there are still a few features that will be added later, and new maps etc are required, but in general, the gameplay will be as near to finished as it gets. Future updates will mainly focus on optimizations and code independence from NS2 as much as is possible within the confines of the mod.
The big problem is mod 'Polish'. I need some help to get the mod finished, but there are things I am unable to create/don't have the time to sort out myself, so I am asking here for additional help. If you can help with any of the following, I would be extremely grateful
Main Menu Cinematic:
I am looking for a GorgeCraft inspired menu cinematic, something that reflects GorgeCraft, and the uniqueness of the mod.
Adding Menu Music and Custom sounds:
I have the track BadummGorge by DerAkademiker to add as the main menu music, and I have some custom sound effects I am waiting on which need to be added to the game.
As a quick note, I'd also like to thank @rantology for working on some additional menu icons for me. I really appreciate the assistance.
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
GorgeCraft is broken by 263, how badly I shall see shortly. The menu is broken, hopefully, that will be one of the few things that is, but we'll see...
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
263 has well and truly screwed the mod, so much so, that I am going to start it again. As much as I love UWE making improvements to NS2, making such wholesale changes as they have in this update means a mod that is as changed as mine really suffers.
I have spent the last few days working on this and there are problems I just can't resolve, or will take too long for me to resolve. I will start this again, although I am dreading the next update, as that will be fixing a lot of the bugs from the current build.
If I was a better coder, it probably wouldn't be so much hassle, but I'm not, so it is.
I hope to have a release out by the end of the week, but if not, then as soon as I can. Sorry for anyone who uses the mod..
Featuring 2 new alien buildings - Contamination & GorgeTunnel as well as 10 Marine buildings that can be placed by the ExoGorge.
Buildings include an object rotation while trying to place, and some buildings also include rotation on placement, so that once you have clicked to place, you can rotate them, by moving your view, to get them aligned as you want them.
Buildings can now be stacked, you don't need clogs to attach them together.
ExoGorge also features a 'hover' mode. By pressing the 'Crouch' key, the ExoGorge hovers at that spot, to allow placement of items.
Press 'G' to enter ExoGorge mode, and press it again to return to normal Gorge mode.
Here is a quick demo of the buildings you can build:
And here is a longer build video showing some of the toys in a bit more detail:
This is a first pass on the features, so further work is to be carried out.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Dragon and Scatter for their contributions, and Dragon is continuing to work on the rotational code. I hope to add the final placement feature, as well as updated menu icons and some optimisations in the next build, but for now, get GorgeCrafting!
There are a few known issues, but if you find any bugs or problems, please let me know in the thread and I'll get onto investigating them.
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
edited February 2014
So today's update has just been published.
Fixed a few server hang bugs.
Performed some optimisations.
Gave Gorges the Exo movement abilities, yes, Gorges can now fly and hover.
Tweaks to some mechanics and rules including when players can become Exo, and exit.
If you are able to assist with any of those job's, in particular, any of the main menu items, or maps, but all code help is also greatly appreciated, you can find the code at GitHub, and you can submit any updates through there, or to me directly:
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
edited February 2014
As the 25sec video says, I need to reduce the load on the CPU caused by building models. My initial thoughts are to remove the OwnerMixin. The Idea is that anyone can build or remove objects, with it's design as a singleplayer/with friends game. That could reduce a decent amount of server lua. Removing the clogfall mixin should help too. This would mean objects would remain in place when a clog was removed, and is probably better for the style of building too in this game mode.
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
For those interested, I did some server optimisations and tried again without recording, and I discovered it was a client rate issue. The server stayed strong at 30 ticks, until the client dropped below 30. The game is very smooth, but the more models you add, the more the client performance tanks.
A bit of investigation with the profiler, and game is very smooth, the graph is just continuously level, rising as you place more and more models. As it turns out, the cause of the client-side dips are physics calculations. Work is on-going to see what can be done to reduce the physics load.
Already, this update is very smooth, I am really happy with the way this update is shaping up, and looking forward to this release moving into the Beta phase
Soul_RiderMod BeanJoin Date: 2004-06-19Member: 29388Members, Constellation, Squad Five Blue
edited March 2014
With the latest release, GorgeCraft has now moved into Beta phase. Hopefully this will be fairly short and the final release will be coming up in the near future. I am really excited about getting to the completion of the project. Enjoy the latest update
Comments
Create a no build entity for mappers to place in the gorge spawn area, so the gorges can't build over the spawns!!
Make all buildings digestable. The digest mixin has been added to all the models, I just need to add the code to use the mixin.
Implement Longer Draw Distances. Currently models disappear in pits at the furthest edges, so I need this.
Reduce server load. There will be many aspects to this. I have already removed huge amounts of server load from the models themselves, however I still load too much unnecessary NS2 code, like all the marines, which needs to be removed. Once this is removed, I shall see how the game plays with the longer draw distances and see if I need to make further optimisations.
Add further Alien Models. At least 2 to complete the 3rd menu. Also look at coming up with a better menu order for the models, something a bit more logical. Any suggestions on that would be good.
General improvements to the handling and placement of models, adding the options to rotate etc, without needing to move around into obscure positions to get the models placed exactly where you want them.
If you have any other suggestions or ideas, please post them here.
To this end I will be implementing a single update to GorgeCraft which will be, in effect, the final version of the mod. It will include all fixes mentioned above, and much more. I expect it to take a fair while, and of course, I will work on any bug fixes and version support should any NS2 updates cause problems.
I will post regular updates when things are added and working correctly, but this will be a very big update, bringing more than twice as much fun to the GorgeCraft mod
While not a bug, as there is only one map, I thought I'd make a quick little map for playing with. Without further ado, I present:
gc_crevice..
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=222141874
Yeah, it's bad, but I'm trying to make mods, I'm not a mapper...
If you can do better, then please do, I need all the help I can get
Changelog:
Fixed a couple of Spectate mode bugs.
Fixed a Respawn bug.
Increased Player Jump Height
Increased Belly-Slide Speed
Added gc_crevice to the mod.
Added Cloak to View Model when placing buildings to enable better view.
A few small server optimisations.
Looks like my plan for just one big update has gone out of the window, and incremental updates will probably be the order of the day. Nothing like players forcing your update hand
In further news, there may be some additions to the development team coming on board, so hopefully future development will be occurring at a greater pace. I'll keep you all updated in due course.
This is a high-speed video of me playing GorgeCraft in the Crevice Map.
Music - BadummGorge by DerAkademiker
copy last structure 100 times, x offset per copied structure, random range etc
Initial testing shows it to be at least partially shine compatible, but further testing required...
Once everything I want in the mod is in, then we can look at these kind of options, but just not yet..
Removed Hive Vision Outline
Made all buildings digestable (Hive requires you to be inside the model!!)
Mainly this is about removing masses of non-relevant code, and patching the game up to run lighter and faster than before, also enabling more buildings to be built than previously on the same hardware.
Note, I do seem to have 1 small issue that currently I can't figure out, 6 of the buildings require you to click twice before they will place. It is not a massive issue, but I thought I would highlight it here, so you are all aware.
So much work done, that I can't remember any of it, it was all a blur.....
Enjoy the new update, I've worked nearly 2 days straight on this and am now going to bed
Removed alien HUD
Removed Energy for Placing Buildings
Tidied up the scoreboard.. It shows your name, status and ping only.
Removed points/scores for building etc.
Lots of other things, too many to remember and list.
I must say, I am very happy with the way things are going currently, the mod is currently getting more than 10+ new subscribers a day, and things seem to be going well. The mod receiving positive feedback from players, but I have yet to receive any bug reports.
This means, either there are no bugs/people are not finding bugs (pretty unlikely, this is my code we are talking about), or people are not reporting/ignoring bugs they find (more likely).
I would ask if you do find a bug or issue, please report it so I can look at resolving it
I am finding it really hard to not talk about Part 2, and to keep from developing part 2, as personally, I will probably play part 2 more than part 1, hey ho...
I must however finish part 1, I must be disciplined, I must....
The big problem is mod 'Polish'. I need some help to get the mod finished, but there are things I am unable to create/don't have the time to sort out myself, so I am asking here for additional help. If you can help with any of the following, I would be extremely grateful
Main Menu Cinematic:
I am looking for a GorgeCraft inspired menu cinematic, something that reflects GorgeCraft, and the uniqueness of the mod.
Adding Menu Music and Custom sounds:
I have the track BadummGorge by DerAkademiker to add as the main menu music, and I have some custom sound effects I am waiting on which need to be added to the game.
As a quick note, I'd also like to thank @rantology for working on some additional menu icons for me. I really appreciate the assistance.
I have spent the last few days working on this and there are problems I just can't resolve, or will take too long for me to resolve. I will start this again, although I am dreading the next update, as that will be fixing a lot of the bugs from the current build.
If I was a better coder, it probably wouldn't be so much hassle, but I'm not, so it is.
I hope to have a release out by the end of the week, but if not, then as soon as I can. Sorry for anyone who uses the mod..
GorgeCraft:Exo Edition
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=219694646
Featuring 2 new alien buildings - Contamination & GorgeTunnel as well as 10 Marine buildings that can be placed by the ExoGorge.
Buildings include an object rotation while trying to place, and some buildings also include rotation on placement, so that once you have clicked to place, you can rotate them, by moving your view, to get them aligned as you want them.
Buildings can now be stacked, you don't need clogs to attach them together.
ExoGorge also features a 'hover' mode. By pressing the 'Crouch' key, the ExoGorge hovers at that spot, to allow placement of items.
Press 'G' to enter ExoGorge mode, and press it again to return to normal Gorge mode.
Here is a quick demo of the buildings you can build:
And here is a longer build video showing some of the toys in a bit more detail:
This is a first pass on the features, so further work is to be carried out.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Dragon and Scatter for their contributions, and Dragon is continuing to work on the rotational code. I hope to add the final placement feature, as well as updated menu icons and some optimisations in the next build, but for now, get GorgeCrafting!
There are a few known issues, but if you find any bugs or problems, please let me know in the thread and I'll get onto investigating them.
Fixed a few server hang bugs.
Performed some optimisations.
Gave Gorges the Exo movement abilities, yes, Gorges can now fly and hover.
Tweaks to some mechanics and rules including when players can become Exo, and exit.
Post your screenshots/bug reports here...
https://www.pivotaltracker.com/s/projects/615235
If you are able to assist with any of those job's, in particular, any of the main menu items, or maps, but all code help is also greatly appreciated, you can find the code at GitHub, and you can submit any updates through there, or to me directly:
https://github.com/SoulRider/GorgeCraft
Really looking forward to getting the mod wrapped up and moving onto part 2 of the GorgeWorld Trilogy
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=232719177
As the 25sec video says, I need to reduce the load on the CPU caused by building models. My initial thoughts are to remove the OwnerMixin. The Idea is that anyone can build or remove objects, with it's design as a singleplayer/with friends game. That could reduce a decent amount of server lua. Removing the clogfall mixin should help too. This would mean objects would remain in place when a clog was removed, and is probably better for the style of building too in this game mode.
Other than that, any more suggestions?
A bit of investigation with the profiler, and game is very smooth, the graph is just continuously level, rising as you place more and more models. As it turns out, the cause of the client-side dips are physics calculations. Work is on-going to see what can be done to reduce the physics load.
Already, this update is very smooth, I am really happy with the way this update is shaping up, and looking forward to this release moving into the Beta phase
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=219694646