Saying you can't filter servers with reserved slots is such a bs and so "we can't make it" that makes me rofl - and I'm software engineer. If you see on your screen that there are 18 player on 18 players server you have enought information to say "this server is full".
You don't want the filter for "full servers" to filter servers full except for reserved slots, what if you have reserved slots? Adding another flag or the other fix Samus has done is way better.
That's because of reserved slots. It's working as intended.
you know what would be p cool? if they could implement a reserved slot system. You know, one that wouldn't prevent people from queuing to the server. put a fancypants reserved_slots.txt in the root folder of the server with steamid's. I'd argue that this problem is one of the larger deterrents for new players. "Oh, this server is 22/24 i'll join it! *kicked without reason*" right from the beginning they have a bad taste in their mouth, and that's even before they see their FPS!
While there are quite a few servers now, in a month it's going to be back down to just above the typical amount where almost each one is going to be full with poorly implemented reserved slots.
pls note that I wrote this after reading only the second post in the thread
I don't think that's ideal at all. It shouldn't create a slot, no other game does this.
I may very well be wrong here as I haven't played every single video game, but I don't think I can recall a game that has had proper reserved slots in it. By proper I mean it still gives non-VIP the ability to queue to the server even if it has VIP slots open. edit2: as far as i'm concerned, what you quoted would be one method of 'doing it right'.
You can't "add slots" to the server while it's running. They have to be preallocated. So no, that isn't a proper way of doing it. Here is an edited version of a few steam messages I sent to someone of my suggestion to getting it to work properly. (Will edit in a sec).
when attempting to connect client pops up message "Attempting to join server" while shit is sorted out
client sends server a connection request and its steam id
server then adds steam id to a list of people 'in queue' a simple array
it reports back the position the user is in queue as well as the total amount of people in the queue
client changes from "attempting it join" to "Joining Server, position of numPeopleInQueue"
every 10s or so the server checks with itself if there's a slot available to the public (non reserved)
and updates everyone that's got that connection waiting on a slot on their position in queue and the total number of people
if there is a slot it tells the person 1st in queue that there's room and sends the word to the client for it to join the game
then shuffles everyone up in queue and redistributes the values
if the person attempting to connect's id matches that of one in the reserved list then they are added to a seperate queue
if on the 10s (or however often) update there is a reserved slot available it allows the first person in that queue to join up
this does mean that if the server is a 22 slot server + 2 reserved slots that until the total (real total) number of playters is less than 22
no one from the public queue can join, so reserved (high priority access) people still get fast access to the server
when someone gets the ok to go ahead and join the game they are removed from the list btw
thats it, a lot of what i've said is an explanation of how it works rather than what needs to be done by a coder (though that is included)
idealy also allow this to happen while playing the game (ie. the menu is closed, but upon reopening it the queue window is still there)
honestly if u quickly check whats involved in your head its not much
1. server keeps 2 lists of people and their order
2. server sends that information every X seconds to those connections
3. client displays that information correctly
I doubt this would take an experienced coder longer than an hour (probably less) to do.
SamusDroidColoradoJoin Date: 2013-05-13Member: 185219Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Gold, Subnautica Playtester, NS2 Community Developer, Pistachionauts
edited December 2013
Adding options will rarely happen. We've hit the around the max amount of options we'd like to have, especially in the server browser where there is no room. Not going to add reserved slots to the "full" filter as it's not "full".
You can't "add slots" to the server while it's running. They have to be preallocated. So no, that isn't a proper way of doing it. Here is an edited version of a few steam messages I sent to someone of my suggestion to getting it to work properly. (Will edit in a sec).
The way I interpreted his post was that it would take a 24 slot server and adjust it to 22 until more join (similar to how some servers do reserved slots now, except less bad)
I doubt this would take an experienced coder longer than an hour (probably less) to do.
always annoys me when you get obviously(?) inexperienced "coders" claiming this, especially giving timeframes aha.
heh, I always feel weird using the word 'coders' to describe professional software engineer/programmers, as it seems so basic/childish/perhaps even insulting? clearly I know that's not the case as it's just a word (and an accurate one at that), but it's just some weird irk I have with it, aha. just one of those things, I guess.
I'm not an "inexperienced" coder (also I use the word coder because the other words, programmer, code-cutter, software engineer, are much longer). However I'm not a qualified one, and with my basic knowledge I can understand how that would need to be done and could almost do it myself, if I understood the existing game code. Really, it's two arrays, a timer that triggers a function, and the way server's handle incoming connections is different. That is, it doesn't send you straight into the game but holds you into "limbo" until it checks some stuff out (is there a spot, what's the queue like etc). The function that the timer triggers sends network messages to the people stuck in limbo with the relevant array information, and if appropriate, the message to join the game. Unless I'm missing something (probably did miss 1-2 things) that's about it, that is NOT a lot.
EDIT: Obviously I don't know the existing game code very well, this COULD be a lot more complicated than what I'm making it out to be. But that's how I would handle it in code anyway. Kind of insulted you'd tell me I'm claiming something is easy when it "isn't". You yourself clearly have no idea and just assume that I'm making the assumption with just as little knowledge. What I've listed IS a lunch break's worth of work to a 'software engineer' that knows the existing code back to front.
I would like to see a proper queuing system like in BF3/4, there is nothing more frustrating that the game trying to join but someone else beats you to it for whatever reason. Often they have been waiting less time too, other than that its fine. :P
I'm sorry something completely off topic but I just had to say it. I seen you in a lot of discussions and I been reading some of your comments. I just wanted to say I think you're awesome.
I have personally looked into proper queuing since making the above posts. Sadly it's not possible for anyone outside of UWE to do. (Well it kind of is but only through countless work arounds that are just not worth it, involving a 3rd party server to handle requests etc). It's all locked down in the engine code =/
EDIT: Well not all, but some key parts that need changing. MOST of it could actually be handled by lua if you really wanted it to, but not without first changing the way connection requests are handled by the server, which is part of the network dll.
Comments
you know what would be p cool? if they could implement a reserved slot system. You know, one that wouldn't prevent people from queuing to the server. put a fancypants reserved_slots.txt in the root folder of the server with steamid's. I'd argue that this problem is one of the larger deterrents for new players. "Oh, this server is 22/24 i'll join it! *kicked without reason*" right from the beginning they have a bad taste in their mouth, and that's even before they see their FPS!
While there are quite a few servers now, in a month it's going to be back down to just above the typical amount where almost each one is going to be full with poorly implemented reserved slots.
pls note that I wrote this after reading only the second post in the thread
I may very well be wrong here as I haven't played every single video game, but I don't think I can recall a game that has had proper reserved slots in it. By proper I mean it still gives non-VIP the ability to queue to the server even if it has VIP slots open. edit2: as far as i'm concerned, what you quoted would be one method of 'doing it right'.
I doubt this would take an experienced coder longer than an hour (probably less) to do.
because it truly is basic logic, there is no need to explain it.
always annoys me when you get obviously(?) inexperienced "coders" claiming this, especially giving timeframes aha.
heh, I always feel weird using the word 'coders' to describe professional software engineer/programmers, as it seems so basic/childish/perhaps even insulting? clearly I know that's not the case as it's just a word (and an accurate one at that), but it's just some weird irk I have with it, aha. just one of those things, I guess.
EDIT: Obviously I don't know the existing game code very well, this COULD be a lot more complicated than what I'm making it out to be. But that's how I would handle it in code anyway. Kind of insulted you'd tell me I'm claiming something is easy when it "isn't". You yourself clearly have no idea and just assume that I'm making the assumption with just as little knowledge. What I've listed IS a lunch break's worth of work to a 'software engineer' that knows the existing code back to front.
EDIT: Well not all, but some key parts that need changing. MOST of it could actually be handled by lua if you really wanted it to, but not without first changing the way connection requests are handled by the server, which is part of the network dll.