Suggestion: "central server connection lost"-notif

[ReBoot]

Currently, those messages (disconnecting and reconnectig) are annoying. Moreover, looking at the screen for a moment, I still don't know whether the server is connected (I have to check the console).

Suggestion: make a sprite, let's say at the upper right corner of the screen, indicating a lost central server connection.

I could make a sprite for that.

 

[evilsquirrel]

ummm...yeah, that sounds like a decent idea.

 

[Thothie]

We still haven't figured out where this damned message is coming from, or we'd just move it to console.

Also have no idea why it's so much more prevalent than it was. We've not done anything to that area of the code.

 

[The Man In Black]

Thothie - Go to the disconnect spot where it's calling the weird function and such (The one where we can't find the string to) and just comment it out and test. What harm is it going to cause if it's only in the disconnected section?

Also, I see a possible problem with moving it entirely to console. If you're on a server and you get a Freezing Sphere scroll, but you don't know that FN is disconnected, any map change or server change will cause that scroll to disappear. I suggest that to prevent that we try an anti-flood measure on it. The on-screen warning can only appear once every 30 seconds or so and goes away quicker.

 

[evilsquirrel]

i'd still like this sprite thing, its a good idea...not obtrusive, and lets you know when you aren't connected...

 

[The Man In Black]

Just a little red/green square (disc/con) in the corner would be fine for me.

 

[evilsquirrel]

i wouldn't want it there all the time, just something that appears when its not connected, probably upper left corner..just a little box that says

"Central Server Disconnected" or somesuch

 

[Extreme43]

I agree with the little icon in the corner, or at least limit it to only one box saying either connected or disconnected. Similar to what it is now, except only one box pops up.

 

[ReBoot]

I have already a plan for the artwork (if not a plain textbox).
I was going to make a screenshot of the Edana temple, with the key and black/white surrounding and make a little text. Of course, that won't be that small, but I think, that a lost central server connection is very important to know about.

Maybe, a map change could also be blocked as long as the central server connection is lost.

 

[Thothie]

Thothie - Go to the disconnect spot where it's calling the weird function and such (The one where we can't find the string to) and just comment it out and test. What harm is it going to cause if it's only in the disconnected section?

ALL the FN communication goes through that function.

 

[The Man In Black]

*Eye twitch*

It's impossible for ALL FN messages to be going through functions that are just checking if FN is online or not.

Let me put this into terms that aren't MSC:

public void add(int a, int b)
{
this.print(a + b);
}

public void sub(int a, int b)
{
this.print(a - b);
}

public void mul(int a, int b)
{
this.print(a * b);
}

public void div(int a, int b)
{
this.print(a/b);
}

private void print(int n)
{
System.out.println(n);
}

Ok, now that those are set up. I think what you think I'm saying (that was a mouthful) is that you should comment out "System.out.println(n)". That would mess things up for all messages, yes, but that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm saying that if there's a problem with the printing of the "add" function, comment out "this.print(a + b);". It will only change messages being passed in from that one function.

So, if you only comment out the part that's calling the display function from the FN connected/disconnected section, it shouldn't mess anything else up, unless something is REAAAAAALLY messed up with the code.

 

[Thothie]

Nein nein nein, I'm saying all the FN messages go through this g_netmsg[NETMSG_CLDLLFUNC] function which is what I'd have to filter out as it seems to be setting bits telling it which channel to broadcast over... But then again hmmm... Try one of these MS.DLL's and see what happens (running it on the beta now):
http://www.thothie.com/msc_dev1/anti_FN ... tempts.rar

 

[The Man In Black]

else
		{
			//Notify the server admin
			Print( "Central Server connection broken." );
			MSCentral::m_TimeRetryConnect = 0;

			//Notify players
			MESSAGE_BEGIN( MSG_ALL, g_netmsg[NETMSG_CLDLLFUNC] );
				WRITE_BYTE( 6 );
				WRITE_BYTE( 2 );
				WRITE_BYTE( MSCentral::m_Online );
			MESSAGE_END();
		}

But if it isn't even CALLING the function, why would you need to change anything? I'm saying comment out everything past "//Notify player". When it does that, it won't even be worrying about what's going in g_netmsg[...] because it's not calling it. Maybe this would be better suited for MSN, because one of us, maybe it IS me, is having problems understanding :|

 

[Thothie]

No, I'm being stupid and lookin at something else entirely is what it is... Did something along those lines in the MS.DLL's linked above.

 

[The Man In Black]

Gotcha. Alright then, I'm busy proving ReBoot wrong ingame, so I can't check it out, but does anyone know if it's working?

 

[Thothie]

but does anyone know if it's working?

Hardly anyone's willing to play on my server since I switched to restricted voting, but the three kids currently on seem to think it's working. I'm not sure if it's reporting to console as intended though.

It's also covering up a symptom to mask a problem. This didn't start happening till recently, and I'm still not sure if it's our servers or our FN. Still, I don't see anymore character issues than usual...

edit: I'm also still getting No Free Edict errors. I only seem to get these on Calruin2, Thornlands, and Nightmare_Thornlands, maybe I just need to find a way to cut down on the entities on those maps.