Scuzzbopper

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My old calendar shots

King of Garbage

Babbage vs. The Paragon Times

Fa-reaky!


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Nice ones!

Excellent, DR!

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BTW... What does the DYNGROUPS command do?

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They control the changeable (non-model) map/zone elements.

Most of the time, that's the war walls. DYNGROUPS DYNARRAY determines whether the war walls are up or down.

The longer string, when there's more than just one variable set, also appears to manage the state of the Recluse's Victory status boards -- those in-game displays that show who controls what pillboxes by the color of the region (they probably also manage the appearance of the RV zone itself, but I haven't explicitly checked that).

I'm at work right now (lunch break, so it's ok), so I can't actually load it to see what's happening, but here's what jumps out at me skimming through the demo code.

Your first camera call appears very late in the demo:

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23830689 CAM POS -115.155602 -138.500061 -1636.954712
0 CAM PYR 0.188796 0.289398 0


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This is almost right at the very end of the demo, and doesn't occur until after a lot of other demo commands have taken place, so some of the "action" may be taking place before the demo knows where to render the camera. (Although I think the CAM might be one of those things the demo knows to "skip ahead" and look for the first call made to it; there are a few things in that category, just can't remember without trying it.)

That time increment on the CAM POS is also 23830689 milliseconds. So I think you'd need to wait about 6 hours into the demo before the camera is even "placed".

I'd start by taking those first two camera lines, setting the time increments to zero, and then moving them up to the start of the demo. Make sure you yank that 6 hour delay completely.

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1 0 Version 2
0 0 Map maps/City_Zones/City_01_01/City_01_01.txt
0 0 Time 8.475764
0 DYNGROUPS DYNARRAY |100,0|100,0|100,0|50,0|50,0|50,0|50,0|100,0|100,0
0 CAM POS -115.155602 -138.500061 -1636.954712
0 CAM PYR 0.188796 0.289398 0


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I'd try that to start.

Even if the demo does know enough to "skip ahead" and find the first CAM call, there might be something odd in the combination of calling it so late combined with the big time increment.

The demo might also just not like time increments that big and choking because of that. Off the top of my head, I don't recall any time increments more than a matter of seconds, and live demos will issue duplicate (and seemingly unnecessary) commands, apparently just to keep the time increments down to fairly small blocks. This might be because there's an upper limit to how big a time increment demos can handle (though that's mostly speculation).

If that doesn't help, report back and I can try loading it up after I get home tonight (or post a description of what you see happening and might be able to puzzle it out from that and the demo code).

More good stuff.

So I hear these are by StoneFalcon, who also brought us The Revenge of Dr. Mechanico and The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Mechanico.

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Ahahaha! Did anyone else catch the little disclaimer at the bottom in the end?

"Eyes and mouth were animated because it made it look cooler."


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Nice touch.

And nice vid!

I'm seeing it too.

It's not any of the models or dynamic elements from what I can tell.

If you just change the map to a different one, and leave everything else the same, it works fine. So looks like there's some inherent map element at those locations that demos don't like.

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Noted, Scuzz. By the way, did you already add these?


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Added to the "soon" list.

So, the Time Warner changes to their personal home page service have forced a URL change for the CoH Codex. The new home is:

http://home.roadrunner.com/~scuzzbopper/

(I need to fix a couple links in there to fit the new site, but it's 90% back.)

Apologies for the down time. Time Warner didn't notify me of the migration (knew about it third hand, but they never sent me any info with time or details or anything), so it ended up being a long, arduous customer support experience just getting the new space established.

I'll add a save note for the Guide to Demo Guides & Tools since it reside in the Multimedia forum rather than the guides forum (just in case that puts it at risk).

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It would involve a TON of wading through my demofiles, but I will see what I can manage. You might also want to check out Scuzzbopper's City of Heroes Codex, which is the be-all-end-all coding Bible of this game.

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Costumes (including costume-based FXs like auras, weapons, etc.) are something I haven't included in the Codex. At least not yet. It's on the "someday" list.

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(Also, I don't always use a consistent naming convention for my demofiles, so I have to open all the ones I think it might be and search the text files for the GM.)


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You might want to try using qgrep (Windows version of the unix command). I use it a lot to bulk extract all Models (or MOVs or FXs, etc.) from an entire directory of demos, but you can also use it to search a folder full of demos for a given model name and have it spit back a list of all the demos file name in which that model appears.

It needs whatever the latest flavor of the Windows Resource Kit is, I believe, but it's a handy tool when you're trying pull stuff out of several hundred demo files at once.

I'm still on XP, so not sure how it would translate to Vista.

I'm not somewhere that I can actual test it, but I think you might want to try using one of the bow sniper wind-up MOVs rather than the shoot MOV.

The shoot MOV is probably an animation sequence with a start/end, not one that will just "hold pose". The wind-ups might be another story, though, and perhaps worth a shot (like maybe MOV 1ST_BOW_SNIPERWINDUP, MOV 1ST_BOW_SNIPERWINDUP_PRE, MOV BOW_SNIPERWINDUP_PRE, or MOV BOW_SNIPERWINDUP, I'd start with the non-PREs). I'm not sure that it will hold the wind-up indefinitely, but those'd be the ones I'd pin my hope on.

Also, if you want to hold a specific MOV/pose, be sure to remove any MOVs for that model that come after the one you're trying to hold (or at least delay them in the time sequence for how long you need). Otherwise the subsequent MOV commands will take over when they come up in the time sequence.

You need to assign a unique FX ID for the bow. If you change the bow FX line from this:
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166 84 FX Maintained V_COV/ENEMYPOWERS/SIGNATUREHEROES/MANTICORE/MANTICORE_BOW.FX


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to this:
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166 84 FX Maintained 31566 V_COV/ENEMYPOWERS/SIGNATUREHEROES/MANTICORE/MANTICORE_BOW.FX 0


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That should fix it. 31566 is just what I randomly picked for an FX ID. Can be pretty much any number (+ integer) as long as it's unique to that FX.

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So I am going though this thing trying to put it all right.
Do you think I should have a "new playername" every time a costume shows up? Or will there be some times a costume will pop up but reference back to the same number?


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I think anytime you see a new COSTUME come up without a NEW reference in that same "block" of entity IDs, then you should add a new one.

For instance, this sample should be okay as-is:

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0 34 POS -1665.59375 -9.875 663.546875
0 34 PYR -0.065011 2.742365 -0.011897
0 36 POS -1621.78125 -36.640625 576.28125
0 36 PYR 0 1.030835 0
0 56 NEW Malachiteo
0 56 POS -2182.265625 29.296875 1138.6875
0 56 PYR 0 0.93266 0
0 56 FX Maintained 349712 POWERS/LEAPING/LEAPING.FX 0
0 56 FXSCALE 10.000000 10
0 56 ORIGIN ENT 0 0
0 56 TARGET ENT 56 0
0 56 FX Maintained 355462 POWERS/WILLPOWER/WILLPOWER_ACTIVATION.FX 0
0 56 FXSCALE 10.000000 10
0 56 ORIGIN ENT 0 0
0 56 TARGET ENT 56 0
0 56 FX Maintained 355533 POWERS/WILLPOWER/RISETOTHECHALLENGE_ACTIVATION.FX 0
0 56 FXSCALE 10.000000 10
0 56 ORIGIN ENT 0 0
0 56 TARGET ENT 56 0
0 56 FX Maintained 355621 POWERS/WILLPOWER/HEIGHTENEDSENSES_ACTIVATION.FX 0
0 56 FXSCALE 10.000000 10
0 56 ORIGIN ENT 0 0
0 56 TARGET ENT 56 0
0 56 FX Maintained 356506 POWERS/POISONCONTROL/POISONHTHDAMAGEWITHQUILLTOSS.FX 0
0 56 FXSCALE 10.000000 10
0 56 ORIGIN ENT 0 0
0 56 TARGET ENT 56 0
0 56 COSTUME 0 c9e6ff 0.000000 0.841270 -0.015873 0.841270 0.841270 0.841270 0.873016 0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873
0 56 PARTSNAME Tight !X_V_Hips_Leather_Straps_01 !Hips_Tribal 000000 029900
0 56 PARTSNAME Tight !X_V_Chest_Leather_Straps_01 !Chest_Tribal 000000 029900
0 56 PARTSNAME V_MALE_HEAD.GEO/GEO_Head_V_Asym_Standard Skin_V_Head_06 !face_V_asym_swirl_02 000000 029900
0 56 PARTSNAME Smooth tights !glove_Tribal 000000 029900
0 56 PARTSNAME Smooth combat_01 !Boot_Tribal 000000 029900


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...because the NEW command is there and more-or-less paired with the COSTUME code even if it doesn't come right before it. There's at least a continuous block of entity ID 56.

If you see something like this, however:

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0 2688 POS -3544.362549 12.096875 -2503.15625
0 3608 POS -3996.958496 -73.178909 1088.427368
64 SKYFILE SKY 0 2 1.000000
0 81 PYR 0 -0.576777 -0
0 84 PYR 0 0.674952 0
0 98 POS -4226.15625 3.5625 950.078125
0 103 PYR 0 -3.018873 -0
0 103 COSTUME 0 7289d4 7.251909 0.301587 -0.015873 0.142857 0.174603 0.301587 -0.365079 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.301587 0.206349 -0.015873 -0.428571 0.460317 -0.428571 -0.396825 0.555556 -0.428571 -0.650794 -0.619048 -0.523810 -0.365079 0.269841 0.269841 -0.333333 -0.587302 -0.587302 -0.015873 -0.174603 -0.015873
0 103 PARTSNAME Tight tights !Hips_Stripe_1 000000 737373
0 103 PARTSNAME Jackets tights !Chest_Stripe_2 000000 737373
0 103 PARTSNAME V_MALE_HEAD.GEO/GEO_Head_V_Asym_Standard skin_v_head_24 !V_Face_Mask_1 000000 990002
0 103 PARTSNAME Smooth tights Sleeve 737373 000000
0 103 PARTSNAME Smooth smooth_01 none 000000 737373


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...then this looks to be the problem. Even if there is an earlier NEW command for entity ID 103 somewhere before this, I would insert a NEW command to go with this COSTUME since this appears to be where the crashing occurs.

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0 2688 POS -3544.362549 12.096875 -2503.15625
0 3608 POS -3996.958496 -73.178909 1088.427368
64 SKYFILE SKY 0 2 1.000000
0 81 PYR 0 -0.576777 -0
0 84 PYR 0 0.674952 0
0 98 POS -4226.15625 3.5625 950.078125
0 103 PYR 0 -3.018873 -0
0 103 NEW " "
0 103 COSTUME 0 7289d4 7.251909 0.301587 -0.015873 0.142857 0.174603 0.301587 -0.365079 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.301587 0.206349 -0.015873 -0.428571 0.460317 -0.428571 -0.396825 0.555556 -0.428571 -0.650794 -0.619048 -0.523810 -0.365079 0.269841 0.269841 -0.333333 -0.587302 -0.587302 -0.015873 -0.174603 -0.015873
0 103 PARTSNAME Tight tights !Hips_Stripe_1 000000 737373
0 103 PARTSNAME Jackets tights !Chest_Stripe_2 000000 737373
0 103 PARTSNAME V_MALE_HEAD.GEO/GEO_Head_V_Asym_Standard skin_v_head_24 !V_Face_Mask_1 000000 990002
0 103 PARTSNAME Smooth tights Sleeve 737373 000000
0 103 PARTSNAME Smooth smooth_01 none 000000 737373


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Make sure that the identity ID for the NEW command which you insert matches the entity ID of the "un-newed" COSTUME command.

Here's my repair attempt on the two you posted: download

There seems to be a lot of idle time at the end, and I'm not sure what's up with that, but I think it at least fixes the crashes.

Yep. Demos and Halloween costumes aren't playing nice together.

Just did a quick test with my own character.

Handled the change INTO a Halloween costume okay, but when I reached the point where I toggled it OFF -- bam! Demo crash.

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Sadley the one that you all fixed for me crashes too, but half way through the movie. zombies.cohdemo


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I took a look at this one too and I think it's the same problem.

I wonder if demos don't like the Halloween costumes in general.

Anyway, I narrowed it down to the general region where it crashed for me and found a couple of occurrences of costume code without any corresponding NEW command (even looking back several lines since some of the costume entries don't follow the NEW immediately in this one).

So I added in NEW command lines for where they seemed to be missing and that got me past the original crash point (although I didn't follow it all the way through to the end).

I'll see if I can post a fixed copy (checked all the way thru) tomorrow morning if nothing's posted in the meantime.

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OK, serious now...

The problem has something to do with reference ID 3179, which belongs to a PC named "US Customs Inspector". If you delete all of those references, it runs. At least it gets past that 7-second hang. I didn't run much past that.

Not sure what line referencing 3179 is the actual problem. I'll leave that as an "exercise for the reader".

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It's a bad or mis-recorded Halloween costume change. He changes into a PPD Hardsuit costume and then changes back, but the change back is borked.

If you find this bit (shortly after he switches in to a PPD Hardsuit costume):

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84 SKYFILE SKY 0 2 1.000000
0 1167 NEW Dr
0 1167 POS -2843.5 -83.953125 -2254.5
0 1167 PYR 0 1.570796 0
0 1167 NPC Door_Truck
0 1167 MOV READY 0
0 3179 FXDESTROY 3224488
0 3179 FXDESTROY 3224489
0 3179 COSTUME 0 9bc3ff 7.692308 1.000000 -0.015873 1.000000 1.000000 0.428571 -0.015873 0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873
0 3179 PARTSNAME Tight Tech_Modern_01 Stars 3d1400 00cacc
0 3179 PARTSNAME Tight Tech_Modern_01 Stars 3d1400 00cacc


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You can see it's missing the "NEW" command for the costume switch back. If you insert that:

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84 SKYFILE SKY 0 2 1.000000
0 1167 NEW Dr
0 1167 POS -2843.5 -83.953125 -2254.5
0 1167 PYR 0 1.570796 0
0 1167 NPC Door_Truck
0 1167 MOV READY 0
0 3179 FXDESTROY 3224488
0 3179 FXDESTROY 3224489
0 3179 NEW "US Customs Inspector"
0 3179 COSTUME 0 9bc3ff 7.692308 1.000000 -0.015873 1.000000 1.000000 0.428571 -0.015873 0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873 -0.015873
0 3179 PARTSNAME Tight Tech_Modern_01 Stars 3d1400 00cacc
0 3179 PARTSNAME Tight Tech_Modern_01 Stars 3d1400 00cacc


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That'll also get you past the 7 second crash without deleting him out if you don't want to.

<QR>

So is it e-mail that we're supposed to be entering on that sign-up page or game account? It's not clear.

EDIT: Fixing small posting mix-up.

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the page keeps spitting my application back as "Bad Input"

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I'm having this problem too. Not using any of the special characters they're calling out either.


EDIT: Got past it. I think it chokes if you use to many lines (carriage returns?) in the "Mac Info" field.

And thanks back to all you folks that actually make the movies so we get to watch them.

Group hug!

Well if it's just half as cool as the "Coming Soon" page, it aught to be pretty slick.

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but it's probably 1-45


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That is correct.

Most excellent!

I like Val especially.

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<ul type="square">[*] Low Spirit Spawn: In reading through feedback and playing the event we've seen comments about the relatively low spawn rate of Spirit NPCs during Trick or Treating. In investigating this, it looks to be a bug with how those NPCs are being spawned. Unfortunately, we won't be able to correct the issue before the event is over, so at this time we can only make you aware of the issue and apologize for any inconvenience caused.[/list]
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&lt;QR&gt;

If the bug itself can't be resolved in time, could the number required for the badge to be awarded be changed for this year, or does that have bigger ramifications that just changing a number in some DB?