ServerPackages and LAN

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Aldarith
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ServerPackages and LAN

Post by Aldarith »

Hello all! New to the forums but not new to the UT!

I've been trying to LAN with my brother for several days now without success. I have Optimize for LAN checked, we have the same ut files for maps/mods/mutators/skins (I copied my directories to his, preserving his user.cfg and unrealtournament.ini files). I have ensured out IPs are different, we are unable to join the same homegroup on our laptops, though.

We end up with two results:

1: Listen Server - I start the listen server and I am able to play and view my own custom content (Skins,Mutators,Mods, ETC) and my brother is stuck in limbo at the connection screen. His name is in the player list, a character appears in game using MY playermodel but HIS model texture (think female commando texture wrapped around the U1 SKtrooper). Nothing seems to allow him to join/play.

2: Dedicated server - we are both able to join the server. The bots/weapons and custom content are invisible but still useable (the bots can be killed, the weapons and ammo can be picked up and fired but remain invisible). The UT weapons are invisible until after you pick them up and die, then you can see the first person model.

Both methods result in an unplayable game, but I noted that when I added some things to the serverpackages of the host computor that some of the content was now enabled in-game (specifically the mutators and weapon mods). I was unable to get any custom skins to be visible in the dedicated server.

Some of my voicepacks/skins/etc did not come with a readme specifying what to add to the serverpackages.
Do these always correspond with the name of .u file?

When I added all my custom content to my serverpackages based on their .u files the server merely crashed, is there a max?


How many red flags am I sending up, what am I doing blatantly wrong?

I have reinstalled UT and I'm in the process of properly installing all my old content with serverpackages where the readme or .umod provides them. Is this an appropriate action to take in this instance?


Thanks for reading my bucketlist of troubles, all input is appreciated.
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EvilGrins
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by EvilGrins »

Most things in UT have a limit of 32. Only can have 32 models, 32 different skins, mutators, etc. This limit may be able to be reset, but i don't know for sure.

Best advice, don't list everything in ServerPackages you have; only list the defaults the game had originally and anything you're going to use for 1 particular game.

Just for the next time, pick something relatively simple and only put in ServerPackages what you're using for that.
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Aldarith
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by Aldarith »

hmm, the problem therein is that the entire xmaps configuration I use revolves around the custom botlists I made, imagine DM with 12 invisible participants :P

I believe the greatest amount of mutators active at any time was 17, most of the lists had 13-15 for the 4 gametypes used (DM, TDM, CTF and DOM).

Also odd was that I couldn't access my xmaps menu even when I was properly logged in as administrator. It would alternately not pop up on the first hotkey press and on the second one would tell me that "Player Aldarith is currently using the xmaps menu".

Is there any thread or tutorial explicity dedicated to setting up UT for LAN? I'm wondering if there are some basics I should understand about it first, I've only ever LAN'd in Rune before (another Unreal-engine game) and in minecraft, the rest of the games I own have defeated my attempts at LAN partying.
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by UT99.org »

billybill wrote:are you saying the bots have an invisible skin? Why don't you try adding the invisibility mutator instead? Just a suggestion

And pretty sure xmaps is screwed up with later UT versions, it is very old. Hmm sounds like you are saying it works offline but not online, I guess this is the situation with XMaps in later UTs
Both methods result in an unplayable game, but I noted that when I added some things to the serverpackages of the host computor that some of the content was now enabled in-game (specifically the mutators and weapon mods). I was unable to get any custom skins to be visible in the dedicated server.

Some of my voicepacks/skins/etc did not come with a readme specifying what to add to the serverpackages.
Do these always correspond with the name of .u file?
You should add all the .utx files for the skins in serverpackages.

The .int's should probably exist on the server, dont think this is needed though unless you want them to show up localized in the server list (.int being international langauge of english :P).

I have no idea about the voicepacks, if they aux files with .u file, or only .u files you need to add all that to the serverpackages
Aldarith
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by Aldarith »

No, the bots don't have an invisible skin. The intended custom skins they have do not show up and as such they are rendered invisible - not at all what I want.

Yes, Xmaps works for my private botmatches but I am unable to use it within my LAN server. All the hotkey commands such as nextmap, lastmap, restart map , etc. etc. function correctly - merely the ingame menu you can access by pressing "ins" doesn't function.

How does one specify a .utx in the serverpackaged? Can you add say "serverpackages=customskin.utx" or is it just "serverpackages=customskin"?

Thanks for the reply :D
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by UT99.org »

billybill wrote:customskin without the .utx. Yeah that sounds about right with xmaps, it does work on later UTs but no menus, you can remove anything from xmaps from serverpackages and it will still do the map switching it is supposed to
Aldarith
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by Aldarith »

Thanks!

I wish there was some sort of update for XMaps, it's an awesome utility once the lists are all rigged to go, you can just start a match on whatever you please and play seamlessly.
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by UT99.org »

billybill wrote:You can still use the lists! You can set it up as normal offline and then copy the files to the server, or work straight from the ini files like I used to do. The problem with Xmaps is you can't have one list and then have different mutators for each map. I believe there's a mod called medtoggle that might help you if you want to do that. You use XBots for the bots I guess?
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EvilGrins
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by EvilGrins »

Aldarith wrote:hmm, the problem therein is that the entire xmaps configuration I use revolves around the custom botlists I made, imagine DM with 12 invisible participants :P

I believe the greatest amount of mutators active at any time was 17, most of the lists had 13-15 for the 4 gametypes used (DM, TDM, CTF and DOM).
What I said was to use the minimum. For like a test, not for normal play. Pair down the least, see if it works that way, and you can determine if when you were listing too many things if that was indeed the issue.

I use a tonnage of custom skins when i play, and models too; so I'm familiar with some of the issues this can entail.

If you're using the default models that UT came with (Nali, WarCow, Male & Female Soldiers, etc) then if theyir special skins are not listed in ServerPackages they won't appear invisible. That only happens with models not listed, those were listed in your original install. The models the game came with always default to first skin of the UT original skins in those circumstances.
Aldarith wrote:How does one specify a .utx in the serverpackaged? Can you add say "serverpackages=customskin.utx" or is it just "serverpackages=customskin"?
One doesn't. Generally for any skin the .int & .utx have the exact same filename, minus the file extension. You'd just list it as "customskin" and that's that.

Slight exception if you're dealing with a model. Let's say your model is "Fred".

ServerPackages=Fred
ServerPackages=FredSkins

Savvy?
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Aldarith
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by Aldarith »

I do, thanks for specifying!

I never noticed that the models always have two lines, now I feel rather silly!

Are theres any modifications that extend the amount of serverpackages allowed? I can see why one would one to trim them for online pay but in a LAN game where bandwidth and downloading isn't an object it would be benificial to me to employ more than the maximum. I had well over 32 short time ago, I think the max is actually somewhat higher as my list of Serverpackages is really long and it's only after these latest 2 or 3 that the game said "enough!" and crashed on server start. I know it's finally at the max because I pruned it back and it worked, reintroduced them and then it didn't again - crashed without error.

Is there a way to set up Valhalla Avatar for LAN or does it work online only?
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by UT99.org »

billybill wrote:the limit is not as high as many would like, but it's still a good 30 or 32 isn't it? It's hard coded in the engine and nobody has tried to exceed whatever number it is. If you really want to have this many packages (not recommended if you want performance) then you'd need to compile them all together into combined .u files (easiest). You could probably get away with it in some texture files as well. I remember splitting all mine up purposely and using a dynamic loader which would only load a few at a time depending on what's needed per map, not going to help with all those models and voicepacks heh
Aldarith
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by Aldarith »

Those sound like prime ideas - is there a utility specifically for condensing/compiling the .u files and textures or does it need to be done in UnrealED?

I don't think the performance will be an issue since I don't intend to use any of it for strictly online play, merely for LAN between two people using the same configuration.

Can you tell me more about the dynamic loader you mentioned?
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Re: ServerPackages and LAN

Post by UT99.org »

billybill wrote:Sorry I probably opened a can of worms with my last response. It's difficult, because each file is dependent on others. You'd start by decompiling everything with ucc commands. Then use a program like UMake to recompile. The .utx file would be done in UnrealEd, but same problem with dependencies. If you want to try it the commandline is UCC Batchexport, I would look that up on an Unreal Wikipedia. Well, I hope that answers you
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