questions of MP construction

[TechnoMage of Shadows]

version 8 multiplayer desync'd and has been put to one side,

medieval has many limits that are not readily apparent even WHEN you bump into them,
(like the maximum number of castles and upgrades that can exist in a buildprod file)


if you are certain you have made no end of file mistakes or corruptions
then
i am certain a hidden limit has been breached

i am wondering have you tried version 8_MP

without new models
(maybe there is a max limit to number of models in total)

with a limited number of clans (say 8 only - same as a viking campaign)
(maybe 8 in an expansion is the limit)

with a strictly restricted set of character names
(maybe too many Lord "spare hero slot" 's)
(maybe too many names in total)

with only original king/ character names, start leader stats, text files
(maybe a value has been broken and that throws out the games database)

[Puzz3D]

Models might be causing the multiplayer desync with version 8. The MTW models are not deleted by the install, and they should have been. So we have a ton of extra models defined that are not being used.

However, we also increased the resolution of the cavalry sprites and changed their animations. This might be introducing additional delay resulting in desync. We only see the desync on 2v2 and up, and not that much on 2v2. However, 3v3 and 4v4 battles will just about always desync.

We don't have more castles than MTW. In fact, we have less which is causing some battles in SP campaign that should be a castle battle to be played on the internal generic map which has no castle and is a serious problem that I want to correct.

The problem is not the number of clans. We use 16 clans in version 5, and never have desyncs. Version 5 is also using the old cavalry sprites and animations, and the MTW maps with MTW models. So, I suspect it's either the models or the cavalry sprites, but there are other changes between version 5 and version 8 so it could be something else. Unfortunately, right now we can't investigate this because it requires at least 6 players to test, and R'as is not available to help with making new installs at this time.

We did try MTW maps with version 8 and it still desynced, but I don't know if the extra Japanese models were still present in the model file. Many other things are different between version 5 and 8, so it's not going to be easy to identify the problem unless we get lucky.

Thanks for the comments and interest.

[TechnoMage of Shadows]

dont have a copy of sam8_MP on hand, dont have a copy of MTW on hand at moment either.


From my earlier experience with modding mtw i can comfortably state that the castle battles getting resolved on a generic map is caused by the lack of matching maps for the castle_level/upgrade/terrain combination that the game is looking for

the game cannot look for an upgrade combo that is not listed in the buildprod file,

therefore there must be a class of terrain where a castle exists in the game,
but for which there is no defined map,

IIRC the map naming convention is terrain[mapnumber]_[castle-level]_[upgrade-level]


the hard solution is to trawl through the text file where the map terrain is defined and check that every Province terrain is defined correctly (no merged types eg NO hilly2flat etc) and that each named province type has a full set of castle maps (levels and upgrades).
(minimises the number of maps)


the easier solution is to simply list all possible terain combo's and
list the castle level/upgrade combo's (easy as look in prod file in samwars),
and then
copy/rename castle maps so you have at least one for each level/upgrade/terrain combination,
(a lot of maps, but a lot less time)

[TechnoMage of Shadows]

...The problem is not the number of clans. We use 16 clans in version 5, and never have desyncs.

suspect eliminated

Version 5 is also using the old cavalry sprites and animations, and the MTW maps with MTW models. So, I suspect it's either the models or the cavalry sprites, but there are other changes between version 5 and version 8 so it could be something else. Unfortunately, right now we can't investigate this because it requires at least 6 players to test, and R'as is not available to help with making new installs at this time....

very informative, the path is clear,
i will shortly begin my investigations.

[R'as al Ghul]

Hi TechnoMage,

would be nice if you would spot something that we haven't considered yet.
Here's a link to a thread where we've listed all symptoms and thoughts so far:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=69991

I think we've tested MP on very generic maps. Iirc CBR and I did some test on
an ironboard map without any models. (is that right CB?)
It seems to be related to animations. Number of clans doesn't seem to be an issue.
I think Pink & Musket has about 200 units, so the number of units isn't a problem either.
Two cavalry units use the same mount which isn't exactly a mount but just different phases of the animation. But again, cegorach is using something similar in P&M and it works in MP.
We had to stop testing at some point because of lack of time.
Personally I'd love being able to play beta_8 MP because of the number of clans available, change in colours, change of map textures, models etc. We've put a lot of work into it and it's frustrating not being able to use it properly.

R'as

[TechnoMage of Shadows]

from your deductions it really is looking like unit animations

do you have a test configuration setup already?

i can operate 3 PC's simultaneous to test (i have 3 MTW-VI license's here) IF someone can tell me wether or not 3 systems can connect to a host and run the game through a netgear DG834 (wireless + 4x10/100)

[R'as al Ghul]

3 systems, 3 licenses = 3 nicknames and IP adresses = yes that should work.....
Maybe a bit of a hassle to set up the portforwarding, though.
Just try it, you seem to be tech savvy enough.