[Testing] When In Doubt, Use Brute Force

[simplex]

chromiumboy's feedback reminds me that I need to start work on the wiki. I know simplex was working on that, do I need to know anything first, like I'm sure you mentioned you'd done some coding to do with infoboxes for example?

I wrote some code to process and modify templates (such as infoboxes) in wiki pages, but the bulk of the code, interacting with the mod, is yet to be done. And handling things with more than one state (more notably things changing with static, especially when there's a delay attached to the transition) will be somewhat tricky.

[Malan-Tai]

A qustion about coding. Is it possible to detect where is the player's base, using the number of structures in a certain area ?

[simplex]

A qustion about coding. Is it possible to detect where is the player's base, using the number of structures in a certain area ?

How would the number of structures tell you that?

What the game does in the Deerclops and other giants' code is to take the closest structure to the player (when the giants spawn) and assume that's the player's base, even if it's a chest in the middle of nowhere.

[MilleniumCount]

So you should build decoy structures to protect your base.

[Malan-Tai]

How would the number of structures tell you that?

What the game does in the Deerclops and other giants' code is to take the closest structure to the player (when the giants spawn) and assume that's the player's base, even if it's a chest in the middle of nowhere.

Well, if there's like 10 structures in the same area, wouldn't it be a base, or a least something important ?

[simplex]

Well, if there's like 10 structures in the same area, wouldn't it be a base, or a least something important ?

Define area.

There are many techniques for findings clusters of things, most of them based on seeing the points (in this case structures) as heat sources and then cutting off regions based on a temperature threshold. But they're not so simple, and Don't Starve doesn't employ any of them. But anyway, why do you ask?

[Malan-Tai]

Define area.

There are many techniques for findings clusters of things, most of them based on seeing the points (in this case structures) as heat sources and then cutting off regions based on a temperature threshold. But they're not so simple, and Don't Starve doesn't employ any of them. But anyway, why do you ask?

I'm thinking about a mod that would make insanity far more scary, ummoning something that comes and destroy base, teleports, teleports you, kill everything, etc.

[simplex]

I'm thinking about a mod that would make insanity far more scary, ummoning something that comes and destroy base, teleports, teleports you, kill everything, etc.

Then just do what Don't Starve does and pick the closest structure to the player. The Deerclops has worked like that for a long time, so it seems it's not that inaccurate in practice.

[Malan-Tai]

Then just do what Don't Starve does and pick the closest structure to the player. The Deerclops has worked like that for a long time, so it seems it's not that inaccurate in practice.

That'd be easier I guess.

[Malan-Tai]

I've seen a possible issue : when you have something equiped and you want to talk to the Shopkeeper, you will attack him, and that's pretty annoying.

 

And a not so off-topic question : where can I find the files of my saves ? Cause I'd like to go up and away with my current world, but only with a backup.

[simplex]

I've seen a possible issue : when you have something equiped and you want to talk to the Shopkeeper, you will attack him, and that's pretty annoying.

Good call. I juse pushed a fix to this, which should be released with 0.0.5.

And a not so off-topic question : where can I find the files of my saves ? Cause I'd like to go up and away with my current world, but only with a backup.

Check this topic.

[debugman18]

Good call. I juse pushed a fix to this, which should be released with 0.0.5.

 

So are there other bugs (besides the rare whirlwind one) that need to be fixed? I can't think of nor have I seen any others. Or is it just down to tweaks at this point? I mean, as far as 0.0.5 is concerned.

 

Also, what do you think of requiring light crystals instead of relic crystals for the cumulocator station?

[Battal]

Also, what do you think of requiring light crystals instead of relic crystals for the cumulocator station?

 

I think that's a good idea.  I mean, it's the basic cloud level machine, it should be somewhat easy to make.

[simplex]

So are there other bugs (besides the rare whirlwind one) that need to be fixed? I can't think of nor have I seen any others. Or is it just down to tweaks at this point?

Well, there's the memory spike crash. I implemented what seems to be a fix (as an external mod):

If you want to try it, run

$ top

in a terminal (type 'q' to exit it) and open DS in windowed mode, so you can look at the terminal as well. Then look at the memory usage of the command "dontstarve_steam" under "VIRT" (it's in KB, so 1000 means 1MB).

Enabling this mod (which implements my proposed fix to the memory spike issue) drops memory usage considerably, and makes the game start up much faster when large mods are enabled. However, it does cause some issues with U&A: namely, the shopkeeper looks invisible when it spawns in the U&A preset, and in some other cases entities may be going invisible as well. So working out the compatibility issues with the memory spike fix might be called a "bug" fix.

 

 

Also, what do you think of requiring light crystals instead of relic crystals for the cumulocator station?

I like that. This would make the lectern be easier to craft, while not requiring relic crystals to become so abundant.

[Minik435]

*cough* Your "fix" is not so good... I got almost killed by invisible goblins in HitD (all things in it are invisible) and my TAP alchemy table is invisible too (as all the things in it...)!!!

I hope you can fix it too, right?

[simplex]

*cough* Your "fix" is not so good... I got almost killed by invisible goblins in HitD (all things in it are invisible) and my TAP alchemy table is invisible too (as all the things in it...)!!!

I hope you can fix it too, right?

Did you read what I posted at all? And why the hell would you use a proof of concept mod in an actual game?

[simplex]

I revised MemSpikeFix once more, and it seems all issues are gone:

MemSpikeFix.zip

(if you're not an Up and Away or HitD developer, make sure to NOT download this, please.)

The issues happened because it seems Don't Starve's "dynamic asset loading" doesn't live up to its name. Contrary to what one would expect, a prefab's assets are not loaded automatically when it is spawned. Proper asset loading relies on the prefab being either explicitly loaded, or it being listed as a dependency in prefabs explicitly loaded (the world entity is always explicitly loaded, for example, and it lists as dependencies pretty much everything that can spawn in the world).

What I did was keep the changes from before, but make mod prefab assets be loaded right before the first time it is spawned. This keeps memory usage low, while preserving compatibility with how mod prefabs are spawned.

[Minik435]

Yes, I just mentioned it. I know about disappearing Shopkeeper and other stuff... And these ones, that I need to run...

[simplex]

I revised MemSpikeFix again to make incompatibility with other mods patching prefab constructors pretty much impossible. I uploaded the link posted here with the revised version.

[Malan-Tai]

Good call. I juse pushed a fix to this, which should be released with 0.0.5.

Check this topic.

Thank you !

[Malan-Tai]

Can the Skopkeeper appear in Adventure Mode ? Cause it'd ruin AM if it's the case.

[Mobbstar]

Can the Skopkeeper appear in Adventure Mode ? Cause it'd ruin AM if it's the case.

 

Are there any graves in am? 'cause if not, then it doesn't really matter. And even if, you'd first have to get rain and a beefalo which follows you.

[debugman18]

Can the Skopkeeper appear in Adventure Mode ? Cause it'd ruin AM if it's the case.

Are there any graves in am? 'cause if not, then it doesn't really matter. And even if, you'd first have to get rain and a beefalo which follows you.

 

If I recall correctly, the shopkeeper does not spawn in adventure mode.

[Malan-Tai]

Are there any graves in am? 'cause if not, then it doesn't really matter. And even if, you'd first have to get rain and a beefalo which follows you.

Good question. But I think there are. But rain are easy to obtain in AM, but sure the beefalo thing'd be tricky.

[ObsidianKing]

Tested the new build. While it's nice that the Beanlets have walking anims now, they still travel backwards, which is weird. Furthermore, the "cloud waves" on the edge of the map appear to have vanished into an unsightly black void. And finally: Strix are still too fast.