House of Fools

Had time to play BirdBrainedResearch mh map tonight. It was fun. Had one bot able to stay with me to the end. My game crashed at the research building lab. I didn't catch what the error was. tick loop actor etc. Should have got a screen shot. But I wanted to get back on the server before the map decided to change. An hour in and I was determined to finish that map.

Yep, could be warp-zone because those things are calling client stuff, and then combined with a higher ping from a random moment evil stuff occurs, but server stays alive so game is recoverable. I tested map through a tethering connected device not connected to internet VIA cable, I was dropped randomly 3 times, I gotta admit I had around 270+ ms ping so I cannot complain. In such a situation losing connection is not unusual.

Bot Hints here:
Leave them un-ordered, don't call them at all. They will roam as much as they can because in some zones DevPath doesn't work - so following human is not possible. If are getting stuck in rainbows zone on that sh!t ledge (no purpose to have that) just shoot them down to the death until CheckPoint won't bring them into spot, and then they can resume hunting. Majority of times I had them with me until the BirdBrained field.
In Warlords room if they fail touching waypoint10 (it's nearby Teleporter to base) you can do that letting them to keep moving for the next one - Position 11 keeping them "motivated" to advance, half with MH control, and a half with pushers. Here is not like in default MH when Bot can touch too early waypoint losing interest for that zone and leaving majority of Warlords alive, but after killing them, pushers might randomly move them through teleporter and they will lose the goal, recoverable by human player so it's nothing to entirely break them. If this is going too disturbing I can deploy Waypoint in a different spot, more touchable... or I can add something visual for player as a hint for run-time recovery.
Bot mission was hard here but it do works if you can figure their bad spots and how to mitigate this if you need them around you. In several moments I did not need them to come from my back and shooting me right in monster's mouth especially in the cave with Tentacles to the BirdBrained field.

As average, the map it's a good-to-play thing, it takes a while and makes a good game idea, this is one of Levels which I have in my server too, it worth to be loaded, if it's patched - in my opinion.

I didn't order any bot to follow me until the slith part opened up. Then the one bot I had with me, I ordered to follow me. And it did all the way to the end. I'm glad that last bird at the end doesn't have a huge amount of health. I have been on servers where that thing had a ton of health. That made it hard to finish if you played it alone. I really like the map and how you have it set up. I like long maps that take time and work to finish. The stand and shoot for easy points is really boring to me. Thank you for adding it to the HoF server.

Move time
While I was inspecting quickly which map worth patching I see some... less entertaining works signed whatever Orion105 - these can be removed from server too at once with other couple of "awesome" UM types which are for another engine not for this engine. I won't say "welcome aboard new player" into such "map" - this is the route down-hill, I removed such things years ago...

Definitely I have to look in HTD chapter. As I recall (and maps are the same) they have setup flaws, some spelling crap, but are a good environment for deploy a clean Navigation Network - so to speak these can be time consuming and maybe I don't have any plan to spend 1-2 months patching HTD - I'll look for the faster solution as possible.

Most of the UM maps are really fun. I like them as much as the HTD maps.

Well said "Most of" because there are a few which I won't recommend not even to my enemies. Why ? Because enemy must be distracted to waste time with a good Level and during this period you can breath. Understand what you want in here...

Dodging a bit
I was looking at AncientCastle in a so called version 2. Eh... I went into Editor to not forget mapping...
I could see at random some crashes which I encountered in a spot using d3d default render. I think a "cloudzone" which I used as replacement for crapped TriggeredDeath is a another bad deal. Actor went destroyed while render was trying to draw it - I suppose - else I not only changed zone but definitely I have reworked those stupidly scaled brushes because I don't think such values are healthy. Vertex Editing has a purpose which not everyone knows. I have added Bot Support - including over that BT zone (XC_PathBuilder is the master of A.I. Kung Fu gaming).
I going to check how do it works, and maybe I will do separate stuff for week-end leaving map idea in original - even is not the super duper ever Level.
Here I worked at some "dynamic coronas" things but this time only client On-Line will notice them as long as in StandAlone aka SinglePlayer aka Local Play once again UT's renders are proving their sh!t codes doesn't matter which one I used...
On-Line they do work flawless and I won't do any research why they do like this way, because it's a waste of time.
New map so far is smaller than "original" even with new MyLevel content and paths, it takes probably 2-3 seconds to download it from a normal redirect. After doing all my tests for figuring many instances of game it will be added to public mapping section if other players are interested... or I'm not sure if any new content will be or not welcomed or different ideas for a more dynamic game play.

Bot Support details - testing original MH
After racing and dying until the room with Tentacles and CrucifedNali actors (decrapified Nalis), Bot will learn that this attitude is not good and will mind enemy on sight rather that turning their butt to monster and trying to fight as much as they can in the route to the Queen - I think I will use QueenDest actors
Tech Explanations: Map uses HuntNode discarding Pawn Seeker engaged in combat with a visible enemy. This Node is a cousin of what I was using even in Patch files for NavAdder. With other words Bot cannot see the road to end if has a visible enemy - just get into battle or retreat.

Next chapter after finishing to fix the map which I was aiming and before to upload it and another one, I will work to deploy patch files for this said second (amazingly it's not in server even if it's not that bad).
This second map which I have dated 2011 (is probably earlier done) has a couple of PathNode actors, a few monsters with dumb skins changed and it's an open area like - named "TempleOfTheGods" aka "Jiganara kingdom" written exactly as you see.
I suppose it's a sort of conversion to MonsterHunt without declaring MonsterHunt as game-type but hey... it has an END as poorly configured as it is.
Done so far:
- many tweaks to gain Navigation Network using every single node which map has and completing new ones, connecting some inventories into Network, using a HuntNode, etc.;
- resizing end because it doesn't hurt;
- ugly skinned monsters have been un-skinned back to normal.
I'll write client stuff as well for those cadaver type Lamps and maybe some "coronas", this will need a badge else unreal collectors won't get why in this server do works like a charm and in a local random default UT game is acting like a garbage. It's one of those maps where patch files are setting up a "new life" without using Editor.

EDIT: Client Stuff samples Actually I have done some tweaks to these lamps giving them some sort of coronas but having a reversal view. If you are closer the bigger they are, if your are far from them they are smaller letting player to see battle-field around and not how default coronas are working, far away are bigger masking everything with stupid light. To not forget, even if you turn off coronas from render setting, these will stay nice without bugging visibility as long as they have a different setup. Maybe if I'm planing a future map I will not map such lights by default but I can deploy others later in run-time making map to edit itself post load and without being Network intensive because these actors will take place... in client only improving visibility for human factor not for a server without eyes.

If patch files and fore mentioned map added in XC MH server are working fine, then patching package can go in public for others which want to do fixes in their games too...

FIRST post has been updated.
Another content added is NavAdder's patching files required for map MH-TempleOfTheGods.
Map's checksums:

• CRC-32: 858257d9
  MD5: 6f68ce4829bb85590c5c630750a75367
  SHA-1: 3961066dafee75c88a4aa06a5bbda0b27f0dbc8d
  SHA-256: c38ee7718484662b98f6d2c4421da6a31af6adcc04b1f9927ed2e02a183dcfe8

Patch Notes:
- Capturing unfinished paths which map initially had - nasty hacks have been done here...;
- Deploy new Paths for A.I. Navigation (Bot Support in stage) + some Inventory related stuff toward Bot habits;
- Changing a few creatures - I do not like garbage which some mappers think are "cool";
- Some loading spots might be useful (maybe);
- Adding some lights and... little tweaks;
- Dynamic info badge fading and showing up from time to time to not constantly mess the "picture".
- This map is loaded enough - Week-End type of game play doesn't seems necessary.

This Update is being added in XC_MonsterHunt server hosted at HOF.

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Current testing map MH-Tarnished - first stage seems to work well in my "lab" so far.
After an examination there are a few points in account:
- map has good mechanics but not that compatible with A.I. which MH is using and will not help attached MH versions that much;
- map has also guess type paths with spots which are not helpful at all;
- building paths with so many inventories in spot is developing only pain overloading paths processing even without using Bots because Monsters are seekers too (for those clueless about this);
- map is poorly decorated.
Pre-working plans mainly accomplished:
- Destroy entire Navigation Network excepting PlayerStart Teleporter and SpawnPoint types of actors which can be used in original format;
- Linking current paths accepted after Rebuilding a new Navigation Network with less load;
- Deploy new Points and linking them with delay - as usual;
- Tweaking spots for MH objectives added and trying to be compatible with other MH2 types - Using Triggers rather than Bumping Movers;
- Bringing unreachable stuff back into Level and dropping away those unused ones;
- Reach Testing through paths - first deployment was working ONLY for Bot and the mostly in XC MH and advanced MH controllers;
- due to a spot which neither Editor did not link, I've brutalized a path heading to the last room (End-Portal) - Bot seems to manage that pass in big parts - it looks like a BSP problem but which is not critical.
To do: client stuff for making some... visuals... probably a door will be moved because is not that nice as it was placed...

EDIT: Speaking about visuals
I was doing a check into console to See what kind of troubles I might have with new coded things. While I hunted potential errors (None so far) I could see that mappers are always fascinated to mock with some bullshitting around Level, or else they cannot sleep well during night time. I could figure some log and funky things while a big-ass Squid has performed some None "RangedAttack". Actually I'm not sure if default Squid can ever fire a projectile or such, regarding to skin, size or whatever stories told at TV. I've operated a check around classes to see if exist any other dumb setup. None so far. Firsts tests ON-Line in my server confirmed paths and mainly capabilities to deal with the most of buttons. Almost at end I see that a door around was mooing combined with some BSP problem but everything was definitely improved when I changed door's operation mode... I don't get why was necessary to not open it properly... shortly, 2 movers have been relocated using common stuff for a better replication at client. Lightning stuff is Client Authoritative, None Net resources are exhausted here.

FIRST post has been updated.
Another content added is NavAdder's patching files required for map MH-Tarnished.
Map's checksums:

• CRC-32: 4adf600d
  MD5: 768aa97ed3bc032da7082be8dea4c754
  SHA-1: af39644e3df60c3e949c2bb03b60721c17c26ccd
  SHA-256: 62ed07b7ae476ea5bb8f0d0a26d19ddaa8b19ceb936bcb0c009a84ad2aae2ee6

Patch Notes:
- changing Level's NavigationPointList - other Path-Net will take place;
- adding Bot's objectives for MH;
- resetting some actors;
- changing 2 doors;
- tweaking a bit lightning;
- adding extra stuff for week-end gaming.

These modules have been added to XC MonsterHunt server.