0.2.8_beta3: release process and bugs

[joda.bot]

Compiled current CVS (version tag: 0.2.8_20051116) with Visual Studio .NET 2003.

Link:
ArmagetronAd current CVS 20051116 (Full install zipped)

Compiled Version with DLLs etc. is attached. Woot I compiled ArmagetronAd for Windows.

I had to fix an internal compiler error though.
The compiler fails to inline the "rotate(eCoord,REAL)" method in gCycle.cpp (see fix below). I hope this does not happen with .NET 2005, but it is said to happen only in release mode.

Code: Select all

	const REAL r1 = 2*verletSpeed_*animts/.43;
	const REAL r2 = 2*verletSpeed_*animts/.73;

    const REAL x=rotationFrontWheel.x;
    rotationFrontWheel.x+=rotationFrontWheel.y*r1;
    rotationFrontWheel.y-=x*r1;
    rotationFrontWheel=rotationFrontWheel*(1/sqrt(rotationFrontWheel.NormSquared()));

    const REAL y=rotationRearWheel.x;
    rotationRearWheel.x+=rotationRearWheel.y*r2;
    rotationRearWheel.y-=y*r2;
    rotationRearWheel=rotationRearWheel*(1/sqrt(rotationRearWheel.NormSquared()));
//  rotate(rotationFrontWheel,2*verletSpeed_*animts/.43);
//  rotate(rotationRearWheel,2*verletSpeed_*animts/.73); 

EDIT: fixed missing blocks / commeted lines show old code now

[Z-Man]

Joda: Woot indeed I think the compiler error was reported before... Is there no other, more elegant, way to work around this? Make rotate non-inline? 2005 works fine.

Lucifer: I'm on the end-of-line-does-strange-things bug. It hit me, too, yesterday when I was editing my instant chat strings. I'll also honor the length limit for instant chat insertions.
I'll see if there is an easy way to make the number of instant chat strings user configurable. It should be possible at least to make it so that the number of items appearing in the menus is modifiable in reasonable limits.
For now, if you want to experiment, there is the macro MAX_INSTANT_CHAT in ePlayer.h. You only have to adapt the array of default instant chats, it'll need more elements.
Oh, and on that subject: The default instant chat texts are annoying me Should we remove them completely?

About lag: the times where all the players on the Fortress server get a huge ping are indeed real world network problems. One of these events coincided with web surfing being extremely erratic, sort of like the computer was connected with a 28kb modem. Judging by that, I think the game handles the situation pretty well.

I'd say it's time for another beta, too. I'll tag tomorrow evening, and build on Friday so we can test it over the weekend. Philippe's future proofing code is still missing, but a public beta won't be of any use for testing it anyway.

[Phytotron]

Oh, and on that subject: The default instant chat texts are annoying me Should we remove them completely?

Yes! Oh please, god, yes.

Oh, and on that subject (this belongs somewhere else, but...), is there any way 3 special "instachats" could be set up for /me, /msg, and /team such that when they're pressed it just puts those into the chat line, rather than sending it immediately? Even better, could I edit them so's I could have one that says, for instance, /msg Fonkay? Even better, could the /msg command not be case-sensitive? Even better, could it just go by the first few letters of the player's name?

[Lucifer]

I like the default instant chat texts (finally!), but I'd suggest a new set instead of removing them. Something that shows how to use server-side stuff, like /msg and /team, a default minimum set of team calls (to push the idea that people should be making calls), and a couple of fun chats.

Edit: One minor issue, I'm getting a strange crash from time to time. Happens when I hit "t" (for "talk", because I needed s for an instant chat), then start typing "/team". I get a crash. No idea if it's related, and no recording yet. It's very intermittent. I guess you have to consider it "weird intermittent crash that only affects Lucifer" until someone else experiences it and/or I get a recording of it.

[Lucifer]

Heh, silly, I think everything you've asked for is already there, except for the "special" status. you can hit instant chat messages now while typing, just make sure they're bound to non-alphanumeric keys. /msg already matches substrings. What else? It's all there...

[Phytotron]

Um, nuh uh.

- F# keys don't count as alphanumeric, right? All my instachats are bound to those, and nothing happens if I hit one while in chat mode.

- If I set only "/me" to an instachat, and then hit that instachat, it immediately sends—asterisk on screen. If I set only "/msg" to an instachat and hit it, it just tells me "too broad a search" (or whatever).

I'm asking that when I hit an (special) instachat that's just "/msg Fonkay" that what comes up on my screen is "Say: /msg Fonkay ," followed by a blinking cursor so I can enter the rest of the message.

- If I manually enter "/msg fon" into my chat line, followed by a message, then hit enter, it tells me it can't find a match. If I enter "/msg sepiku" into my chat line, followed by a message, then hit enter, it tells me it can't find a match. If I enter "/msg SePiKu" into my chat line, followed by a message, then hit enter, the private message will be sent.

Is this where I feel stupid because someone comes back and points out something totally obvious that I've missed?

[Lucifer]

Yeah. Try /msg Fon and see what you get.

Also, the other stuff is in cvs, and there's a new beta coming that'll have it.

[Phytotron]

Yeah. Try /msg Fon and see what you get.

Yeah, well, it's still case-sensitive.


Er, there was a topic about this somewhere but I can't find it. I just went to a local game, got this message, then after every countdown the round would restart. It's never happened before.

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Warning in void eGameObject: :FindCurrentFace() in
/Users/dharple/armagetronad-0.2.8_beta3.2
copy/src/engine/eGameObject.cpp:452 :
   Possible phase bug!

Want a recording or is it already being dealt with?

[hang3r]

Silly I know exactly what you mean, and also to add to that, wouldn’t it be better if you where to type: /msg F[HIT TAB] hello fonkay

So what I would like to see is tab completion of nicknames, and also with this, if I keep hitting tab (without a first character) then it will cycle through the nicknames inserting them, once I hit tab again, it will remove that nickname and add the next one.

That’s always been something that I thought armagetron was missing, it would make it a lot easier for players (especially when playing teams) if we had this ability.

[Lucifer]

For that matter it'd make it easier to /admin kick people if you could tab-select the person's name (you know when they have weird characters in their name).

[Z-Man]

We could make it so that any instant chat ending in a backslash would automatically combine the two keys: instant_chat_1="/team \" and pressing F1 directly gives you your chat line with "/team " on it and a blinking cursor.

I have not yet looked at the case sensitivity thing.

Oh yeah, the possible phase bug is just a warning; it's bogus in this situation. Just ignore it.

About configurable number of instant chats: sorry, the code there is too convoluted. The number of keybindings in the player input configuration menu is determined before the configuration files are loaded (and for a good reason), so there is no chance to have it configurable. We can bump it up to, say, 25 items, and make it at least compile time configurable (CXXFLAGS="-DMAX_INSTANT_CHAT 100").
For a future version, I'd like the instant chat stuff replaced with a more generic "bind keys to console messages" mechanism.

Tab completion: Useful no doubt, but sorry, no way right now. Too complicated/hacked. I have to play the feature freeze card on this one.

[dlh]

Silly I know exactly what you mean, and also to add to that, wouldn’t it be better if you where to type: /msg F[HIT TAB] hello fonkay

So what I would like to see is tab completion of nicknames, and also with this, if I keep hitting tab (without a first character) then it will cycle through the nicknames inserting them, once I hit tab again, it will remove that nickname and add the next one.

That’s always been something that I thought armagetron was missing, it would make it a lot easier for players (especially when playing teams) if we had this ability.

I have thought about this also. Tab completion is greatly needed. But instead of silently cycling through it should show a buffer... er window, with the matches (and in the future, you should be able to use your mouse and select one of those matches from the buffer).

[dlh]

Is sortresources supposed to update every map's DOCTYPE with the most recent DTD? Or are we just keeping that at map.dtd, and then for the release sources you go through and change them?

Edit: also, Mac keyboards have no "Print Screen" key. So another key in addition to print screen must be added to default.cfg. I suggest the "help" key.

Edit: Or something else. I have no "help" key on my laptop, too (or it is some odd combination).

[Z-Man]

Is sortresources supposed to update every map's DOCTYPE with the most recent DTD? Or are we just keeping that at map.dtd, and then for the release sources you go through and change them?

"make dist" handles this automatically, so the tarballs will contain the right, current DTD version. It's not a disaster if it does not happen for CVS snapshots, as long as the maps refering to the unversioned DTD don't get into the download chain.

About the screenshot key: You've got the mac keyboard, you tell us what to do Doesn't the mac have some extra function keys, F13 to F15?
My source, I don't know how old it is:
http://graphics.stanford.edu/~jedavis/p ... yboard.gif
Looks like F13 would be a natural choice. Considering that laptops probably don't have that one either, the only thing left would be backspace.


I observed a strange, strange bug: On Fortress, the kick votes don't show up most of the time! That's why almost nobody is voting. I have server and clientside recording already, but will only have time for an analysis on the weekend.

[Daverocks]

Hey,

It's Daverocks here, I play Armagetron and I love it. Version 0.2.7.1 works for me fine, but I have a significant problem with 0.2.8_beta3. Everything is better (frame rate, features etc) except lag. I live in Australia and get a steady 300 ping to most American servers in version 0.2.7.1. However, when I connect to the very same servers in 0.2.8_beta3, I get massive ping jumps. My regular ping hangs around 300, but as soon as a new round starts, my ping jumps all over the place, usually to around 2000... making it virtually impossible to play. This doesn't happen at all in version 0.2.7.1.

Could anyone suggest why this is happening? If there is a reason, could it be fixed?

Thanks for your time in advance,
Daverocks