Overly Chatty Penguins

The Ready Room => General => Topic started by: Grillkohle on April 28, 2004, 09:48:54 AM

Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Grillkohle on April 28, 2004, 09:48:54 AM
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Hey guys,

Thanks for everyone that turned out to test the gameplay changes in beta4 on Friday afternoon. It was helpful and fun, and it definitely improved the quality of the release.

However, we're probably going to release a small server-only patch soon (beta 4a), to address a couple problems in beta 4. Overall I'm very happy with beta 4, but we made some last minute changes that we didn't have time to test properly.

We'll be meeting in #nspt to playtest 4a on Thursday (tomorrow), at 3pm EST. It should be a small patch (a meg or two), and the changelog will be posted soon.

Hope to see you there!

There will be another playtest tomorrow, which shows that the devs are not going back to inactivity like they did between beta 3 and 4. Also, there are many updates going on in the bugtracker, which also shows some good coding activity on the devs' side.

I will post the changelog as soon as I get it. :)

Note: This is a Constellation & PT only playtest as far as I know.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Doobie Dan on April 28, 2004, 10:34:07 AM
Hurray for working nodes on Ayumi...?
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Clashen on April 28, 2004, 10:37:12 AM
Hooray for non missing textures...?
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Uranium - 235 on April 28, 2004, 10:50:10 AM
Very happy with B4?


R.I.P. NS.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: SaltzBad on April 28, 2004, 12:17:36 PM
"Hi I'm Flayra and I'd like to post the gloomy message of Beta 4 sucking ass."

Get real Uranub :p
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Grillkohle on April 28, 2004, 01:52:17 PM
XP-Cagey already answered my question regarding the map problems, at least part of it. He said that all resource nozzles on ayumi and bast (?) will be working properly, I am now trying to get some info on the textures and the veil problems.

I also hope that the crouching fade hidden hitbox bug will be fixed, we shall see.
I will post the changelog tomorrow as soon as I get home from school.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Fewlio on April 28, 2004, 02:37:43 PM
But... maps are client side....
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Grillkohle on April 28, 2004, 02:39:57 PM
Since when ? Maps are both client and server :).
If this update is server only however, hrm...
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Fewlio on April 28, 2004, 02:42:09 PM
Since my ns client reads the files for textures and AQ2 didnt require textures to play, it was just either a pink checkerboard or blackness :D
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Grillkohle on April 28, 2004, 02:51:21 PM
Yeah, the textures are client side only. The maps, however, need to be the same on both client and server. If they make changes to them, they will have to release an update that has the new maps. And they did make changes to the map.


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Very nice, I can already imagine some of those changes, and I hope the maps that were borked in beta 4 will be fixed in this one.
I hope that I can make it.
I've fixed res node/chamber drops so that an empty nozzle is always valid even if the drop validity tests failed (usually due to an uneven floor or walls too close to the nozzle)--ayumi and bast will now allow res drops on all nozzles again.
 

*edit* As I read that again, it doesnt seem to be map changes rather than code changes.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: BigD on April 28, 2004, 05:05:34 PM
At least they are getting active again..lay off..
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Doobie Dan on April 28, 2004, 08:59:18 PM
I agree.  It's so easy to flame developers... we're in the middle of an active beta process with a small team of unpaid developers.  I couldn't be happier.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: BigD on April 28, 2004, 09:22:12 PM
I wouldnt do their job for free lol.  I would want to get paid.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Uranium - 235 on April 28, 2004, 10:43:41 PM
I read somewhere (prolly on these forums, bish) that the texture problems was because KFS edited the .wad and didn't realize how damn many other maps use the eclipse.wad as well...
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Jefe on April 29, 2004, 09:06:09 AM
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R.I.P. NS.
*salute*
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: rad4Christ on April 29, 2004, 10:00:35 AM
Well, the PT'ers and consties are testing a new server patch today for the broken nodes, balance in co, etc... and there's already a client side patch in the works for map textures, etc.. and XP Cagey has been very active on the forums as well as joev, so I think things are really getting back on track. I'm very worried about the future of NS, but I'm getting more confidence in the team. I think I can safely say "give it time" and it will get better.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Black Mage on April 29, 2004, 01:08:01 PM
well its thursday now ... i'll be waiting in the pt chan
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Grillkohle on April 29, 2004, 01:37:24 PM
I am sorry, the changelog has been released, but I cannot post it publically, Flayra requested it. You will learn about it soon or later anyway.
It will be out tomorrow.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Isamil on April 29, 2004, 02:00:29 PM
Stop temping us!
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Sancho on April 29, 2004, 02:12:37 PM
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Yeah, the textures are client side only. The maps, however, need to be the same on both client and server. If they make changes to them, they will have to release an update that has the new maps. And they did make changes to the map.


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Very nice, I can already imagine some of those changes, and I hope the maps that were borked in beta 4 will be fixed in this one.
I hope that I can make it.
I've fixed res node/chamber drops so that an empty nozzle is always valid even if the drop validity tests failed (usually due to an uneven floor or walls too close to the nozzle)--ayumi and bast will now allow res drops on all nozzles again.
 

*edit* As I read that again, it doesnt seem to be map changes rather than code changes.
Ummm, if only entities are changed, then a map can be updated server-side only.  All the mapper has to do is compile with -onlyents and the server is the only thing that needs the file.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: BigD on April 29, 2004, 02:15:21 PM
Maybe the PT has something to do with BUS.. Seeing how its server-side only.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: rad4Christ on April 30, 2004, 07:54:26 AM
Negatory, mostly normal stuff. It's looking better, although I had to leave right after the 2nd patch came out. and <gasp> we played ns, though ppl kept jumping into the chair before I could get there. :(

Maybe Jhunz can give more info (what we're allowed) when he posts on the second half (or third if there was another change), but I will say combat was fun even for me...
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: JHunz on April 30, 2004, 01:47:54 PM
The changes were mostly to combat, but I will say that I find them welcome.  It'll take a little while for people's tactics to adapt, but it definitely eliminates the problem of stalemates for good.  

</tease>
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Fewlio on April 30, 2004, 02:46:00 PM
Mmmm manpei.... erm wait.... that doesnt solve the problem!! Hunzy dont lie to us!
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: BigD on April 30, 2004, 05:15:48 PM
sounds...Interesting.. How is all this being done server-side only?
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: JHunz on April 30, 2004, 10:22:38 PM
Well, actually, it's not completely serverside.  There will be a small client download.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Grillkohle on May 01, 2004, 12:57:42 PM
It looks like the PT is taking a little longer than we thought, but that may be a good thing. Right now, Flayra is trying to approach the spawn camping issue with a couple of changes.
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Grillkohle on May 01, 2004, 08:42:51 PM
Here (http://www.natural-selection.org/v30b4a-changelog.html) comes the changelog, though most of you probably read it already. I have recorded some demo's from the playtest, unfortunately, I lost the romano one, and they are pretty big in size (23 and 29 MB).
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Uranium - 235 on May 01, 2004, 11:23:15 PM
OMFG YES!!!!

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O Grenades no longer teleport into the void before exploding when they are shot into vents (bug #530)

My bug was fixed, and I was right!

For the less informed...

This bug caused the 'invisible nukes of doom' in vents that'd annihilate everything near it, through walls, whatever. It had been a major bug, people knew about it, but no one really knew why.



When a grenade explodes in half-life, the engine will detect if there are any walls (brushes) nearby. If there's nothing, it removes the grenade projectile, and spawns an explosion.

If it does detect a brush, it will teleport a virtual point slightly above the grenade, based on a calculation that factors in the power of a grenade (more power = higher in the air). Then it spawns an explosion at this point.

Another guy calculated it out, figured out that if it was using default half-life mechanics, it was teleporting the grenade a hundred or so units above it. I pointed out that this was larger then the size of vents in NS. Then I mentioned that half-life will completely remove the outside of a map (the 'void' area) that you can't see. So for all intents and purposes, a grenade detonating in the void, to the engine, would not see any walls (since the backfaces are completely invisible and non-existant to the engine) nor entities, so it was the equivilent of the grenade exploding next to you in a large open room.

;)
Title: Beta 4a Playtest
Post by: Sancho on May 02, 2004, 04:46:46 AM
Yes, U235, you are one smart cookie, GJ :D

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- Focus cost increased from 1 to 2 levels

HURRAY!