iMasterStudios.com's Persistant Server

[Master]

With the help of Mehrunes I have just put up a persistant server that should stay up 24/7 for the next week or so. It might crash every now and then and I KNOW I will have to reset it a few time.

I put up a beta mission for the server which I will be editing over the next few days (when i get a chance after work). Basicly it is two fleets fighting over the solus system. I threw in a few locals just in case noone is online for you to fight but be easy on them once the local livestock is gone there is no bringing them back

Each playable ship has 21 lives.

Known issues: because I have enabled respawning there is going to be problem with the gameplay. When I was first makeing the mission today I figured they would respawn at their origin coordinates but that is not the case. Each ship will respawn at the 0,0,0 coords of the sector that it was destroyed in. Which fubar's my whole plan but I will have to live with it for now.

milo: is there any way to get the ships to respawn at the coordinates that they have listed in the file for their start?

have fun.

[Master]

ok the server is fubar'ed.

In order to get my custom file to work I had to run it through the ingame mission editor program and resave it. But when I did this is messed up the coordinates for the initial fleet placement as well as each ship's default IFF (which team they are on).

Also there is another problem with the coordinate system now that the server is running in persistant mode. In persistant mode the game stores the ships that are not being used in a distant grid mark in the same sector. but because the initial grid placement for the ships was already way out there I think the game just randomly placed them. I am not sure exactly how this works but its definantly a problem.

I will go back and change all the IFF's to their correct mark but then I am going to bed because I am tired and work tomorrow early.

[Master]

Ok I fixed the IFF but the coord system is FUBAR'ed. Here is what it is doing.

When you first load up the mission all non player ships are shunted out to unknow space so noone can attack them. If you dump back to the ship select screen the ship you were just in is then placed with the rest. If you ever try to use that ship a second time it will not place it at its starting grid. Instead you will start at the place where the none player ships start.

Dont know what to tell you except that you will have to quantum into the sectors. All that hard work wasted

[Mehrunes]

I don't understand what you're talking about. All of the ships seem to be placed where you set them in the mission file.

edit: Oh I see, I think you've got ships set too far away from the sector origin.

[Master]

Jump in the same ship a few time and see where you end up. i did it with 5 different ships. the first time you load up next to the starbase and gate but the next few time you load up in a totaly different spot.

[Mehrunes]

Yes, try moving everything closer to the center.

[Master]

I dont think everything being out there is the problem... unless milo didnt allow for that large of a number? my guess would be its a problem with the persistan server mode. Its just not remembering to move the ships back a second time.

Its worth trying though so first thing tomorrow after I get home from work I will rebuild the file but I am off to bed .

[slickvic]

Glad I am not the only person having probs. I was hosting persistant using just the default "War games" scenario. Everytime someone would join they would automatically become an "observer" Wehn I checked the status on the server, the session window showed game as paused with 2 users and zero players. I have given up on posting for now until there is more info available to adress the issues. Wasnt this mode even beta tested?

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Yes it was and I never had the problem you two describe.

However I have yet to set up starshatter dedicated for retail...so, bargh.

[Master]

Ok I got back from work and noticed that my server was not being displayed on the game list. I had to open up a new local server and close it for the system to poll and list my server.

Is there a fix for this somewhere or do I need to just keep opening new local games every so ofter to keep the server on the list?

Also does anyone know if there is a debug mode for testing the missions? would be nice to be able to fly around and check everything out without having to waste 3 hours moveing ships around in realtime.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

If you play the mission by selecting it from Multiplayer Missions in the Missions tab, itll play just like any other custom mission.

[Master]

I was hopeing for something more along the lines of being able to see everything and jump around between objects instead of being linked directly to your ship.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

You could leave and rejoin and select a diff. ship. Other than that no I don't think so.

You could custom mod a ship that's extremely fast with a quantum drive.

[Master]

I have fixed a good bit of the mission but I still get those coord problems when I run it in persistant mode. Moveing the ships closer didnt seem to help. I wont be putting the server up tomorrow until I finish fixing the mission. Its almost pointless anyways as it only stays up about an hour before its no longer listed on the game's list.

Anyone know how to fix that?

[John DiCamillo]

Ok I got back from work and noticed that my server was not being displayed on the game list. I had to open up a new local server and close it for the system to poll and list my server.

Is there a fix for this somewhere or do I need to just keep opening new local games every so ofter to keep the server on the list?

The 4.0.1 patch should correct this issue. Please let me know if it persists.

I haven't had a chance to look into respawn locations just yet. I will keep you informed.

[Master]

You dont have to look into the coord system anymore the latest patch fixed it with a work around. Now when a server is in persistant mode it doesnt move any of the ships that are not in play. They just sit there like on the singleplayer mission or on a local internet game.

I kind of liked it better the other way where the player ships couldnt not be hurt unless someone was playing them because they were not there to be hurt. This works though and I am happey that I can now leave the server up.

Thank you milo.

[Master]

ORIGINAL: John DiCamillo
The 4.0.1 patch should correct this issue. Please let me know if it persists.

I haven't had a chance to look into respawn locations just yet. I will keep you informed.

Its not fixed yet. After 2 hours the server became unlisted again and I had to open a local game to get it to list.

I also had a strange error where I was controlling a fighter linked to a station (not through the carrier command though) and I got dumped from my server but the server was still up so I attempted to log back in and instead of controlling my fighter I now controlled the station. The fighter drifted in its sector until it magicly apeared back at its starting grid.

Has any one else ben playing with the persistant server? If so have you seen any of these problems?

[stv]

I have been looking for servers for the last two days but haven't seen anything show up in the list. I might host a server and see what happens.

Maybe your firewall is blocking something ?

[Master]

Well its been up for the past 24 hours with a few down times every now and then when the server crashes or becomes unlisted. Several people have joined and played on it so I have the right ports open. You might have just tried during one of the above listed down times.

Right now I have 2 fleets in the game with a pirate group as well. Each fleet has a starting farcaster that will place them in their home sector. (each fleet is currently located off the beacon by over 500000 meters). This is so it is harder to assault the fleet's starting point. When I figure out a way to get the ships to respawn at their home grid it will also function as a safe haven for players when they die.

The only problem I have found with this is ai ships dont like following you into the farcaster so you have to manualy tell your wingmates to enter the farcaster or they will attempt to fly the 500000 meters which takes a LONG time.

I believe that I can get the ships to respawn at their home grid with an "event" but I have to construct an even for every ship that I want to respawn back at their base. After work today I will test it and see if I can get ships to vector home on an event. I hesitate to use the vector command though because ships comeing out of a vector have forward velocity to clear the object they vectored to. This could cause a problem a the home grid when ships start in a close formation.

[Swifter]

I just teseted out ur server i like he custom mission but the glitchs r bad everyfew mins it would crash and one time i was flying around and i quatomed to some weired place and froze the peacemaker 1d is imposible to kill i wasted every athen missle and about 15 grasar blast and it went to red and wouldnt die.