[CMaster]

The map is perfectly fine on the create server button, but the second you put it on a server it's unplayable. I may have a quick peek at it to try and find what is making all the lag. I think I know what it is though.

After we killed most of the NPCs at the top (Including the ones hovering around the fence) the lag was at least bearable. So I think the map is just spawning too many NPCs at once (Are all the NPCs used in the map spawned at once or something!?)


Aside from that, there where only a few areas that were broken where I had to noclip everyone to get through. (Doors only opening from one side, probably us not being able to work out the puzzle to get through)

SO probably network lag of some kind. I don't believe it spawns all the NPCs at once.
What I do know is that early betas of this map were a real lag fest.
Later versions fixed this by easing off on the NPC spam. However following one of the Synergy updates (don't know which one) it became really laggy as before.

As for the doors - the lift does occasionally bug out but mostly it probably is that you weren't solving the puzzles - some are damn hard, and some just involve fighting for a quite long time. It's a good couple of hours worth of map. You can see some of the history and a few puzzle hints/solutions in this old thread

[ultradude25]

I think I've found what the problem is...

[Archanor]

I think I've found what the problem is...

... apart from seeing the entire map from the top floor?

Looks like a leak to me, and the massive amounts of NPC's doesen't really help either.

Edit: Oh, and entities.

[ultradude25]

All those NPCs shouldn't even be spawned yet, let alone being rendered from there.

[Archanor]

All those NPCs shouldn't even be spawned yet, let alone being rendered from there.

Yeah, I can't really remember being able to see the entire map by using mat_wireframe.
Is the map placed in a big squared skybox or something?

One possible scenario is that it's all in a big skybox, and the underground parts are textured with nodraw textures from the outside- leaving every part of the map open to be seen from the top level (if the ground is a displacement).

If not, it's likely that it's a leak.

[ultradude25]

The entire map does appear to be textured in nodraw from outside.



The ground isn't a displacement though and only the top part is in a skybox.

[Archanor]

Pretty sure it's enough to create a leak by leaving 10-12 entities sticking outside the map.
(Unless all their origins are inside?)

Also, maybe you might want to check if he left any of his inside-walls no-drawed so that we can possibly view the entire map from inside.

[ultradude25]

All those sticking out bits are parts of the elevators (I don't really get what they're doing, or why they need to be so long though...).

I'll have a look for nodraw'd walls, but I didn't notice any when we were playing this.


What happened to BotoxBrain anyway?

Edit: Couldn't find anything.

This post has been edited by ultradude25: 03 April 2010 - 10:26 AM

[Archanor]

What happened when you compiled it? No leaks or errors?

[ultradude25]

Eh.. I got up to PortalFlow 7, and it had already spent 3 or 4 hours so I cancelled it.
Dual core laptops are no good for compiling.

I'll upload the decompiled map if you want to try it yourself.

[Archanor]

Eh.. I got up to PortalFlow 7, and it had already spent 3 or 4 hours so I cancelled it.
Dual core laptops are no good for compiling.

I'll upload the decompiled map if you want to try it yourself.

Well, you could upload it, but I don't really know if I have the time to start fixing other peoples maps.

[CMaster]

I could get the vmf off Botox almost certainly. I doubt very much that it has a leak though. Probably just bad logic for the spawns

[ultradude25]

http://files.matt-russell.com/synob_hive_resevil_3_d.7z

[Archanor]

I'll have a quick look at it. What mounts does it require?

[ultradude25]

12:18 PM - Archanor: tbh the map looks like a lost cause
12:18 PM - Archanor:
12:18 PM - Combine Overwatch: Yeah. I can't really be bothered going through and editing every NPC to spawn only when you get to that section.
12:19 PM - Archanor: his "optimizing" is really horrible
12:19 PM - Archanor: he made some of the main walls func_detail and put it in a nodraw box
12:19 PM - Combine Overwatch: Heh
12:20 PM - Archanor: not to mention that some of his 1 unit thin brushes were cylindric
12:20 PM - Archanor: with like 30 faces
12:20 PM - Combine Overwatch: I noticed he had heaps of text entites put into a completely nodraw'd box. Floating around outside the level.
12:20 PM - Archanor: didnt notice that one
12:21 PM - Combine Overwatch: I would have just put them where they were going to be triggered...
12:21 PM - Archanor: yea
12:21 PM - Combine Overwatch: Or stick them above the main building at the top if they're going to be reused.
12:21 PM - Archanor: he's got a ton of meaningless npc's on the top aswell
12:21 PM - Archanor: not to mention that there's 2800 point entities
12:22 PM - Archanor: 1000 of them are probably unneeded npc nodes
12:23 PM - Combine Overwatch: So is it just that stuff that is lagging the map and making the whole thing show up from the top or does it actually have a leak?
12:23 PM - Archanor: dont think there's a leak
12:24 PM - Archanor: just horrible optimizing
12:24 PM - Archanor: and the amount of cylinders he used in his map is probaly screwing something up
12:24 PM - Archanor: i started optimizing some
12:24 PM - Archanor: also, after decompiling it, all his func_details are screwed up
12:24 PM - Archanor: so there's like 1000 detail entities
12:24 PM - Archanor: instead of what could have been 100
12:25 PM - Combine Overwatch: That's why I was hoping someone had the original bsp. I hate decompiled maps.
12:26 PM - Archanor: in my eyes it would be simpler to remake the map
12:26 PM - Archanor: sure it could be done better

[CMaster]

A lot of the oddness you are seeing - especially the 1 unit thick brushes - are probably down to decompiling rather than as designed. That said, it probably is one hell of a task to try and fix. It's a huge map, pushing the limits of entities allowed etc.

[Archanor]

A lot of the oddness you are seeing - especially the 1 unit thick brushes - are probably down to decompiling rather than as designed. That said, it probably is one hell of a task to try and fix. It's a huge map, pushing the limits of entities allowed etc.

There really were 1 unit thick cylindric brushes was made with purpose, as there were several of them.
Just by replacing some of those cylinders, I removed like 300 faces from one room.

I can't actually see any decompile weirdness other than the missing custom textures.

Another thing I noticed on the top area of his map, was that he had 4-5 func_dustcloud entities with 60 sprites in each.

[ultradude25]

Another thing I noticed on the top area of his map, was that he had 4-5 func_dustcloud entities with 60 sprites in each.

I noticed that when I turned mat_wireframe on.

[CMaster]

I noticed that when I turned mat_wireframe on.

That would explain the terrible FPS on the outside section.
I believe env_fog would have been a much cheaper manner to create the sandstorm effect.

If you do want to work on this map, I can ask BotoxBrain for the VMFs and pass them on, or you could try and email/PM yourself.

[RiskyKen]

Did anyone ever get a hold of Botox? I would love to run this map on my server again but in its current state it brings my server to its knees. Would some area portals over the elevator door not solve most of the client side fps issues?

I can't actually see any decompile weirdness other than the missing custom textures.

VIDE should beable to extract them for you.