[IGOR] Got the 100k blues? This may solve them!
By
Aliana Blue,
Posted on: 2009-04-24 20:09 in Mission Architect
Figures! For some reason its leaving you with red files when it creates its IGOR files. If you open the file in notepad or wordpad and just hit SAVE, it fixes it. I'll see if I can find this new glitch and update the ZIP file once I do.
Fixed
Looks good, man.
I'll definitely try this out.
I just downloaded and tried IGOR on a mission arc that is 127k. It reduced the file size to 70k, but neither the publish nor the test button light up.
You don't hit smiling monsters - Sister Flame
same here, 152k to 89k, but no publish, ive seen it work on arcs over 100k before, reduced one to 71k and it worked fine, it successfully reduced this one but the publish button simply wont highlight.
Did you, by any chance, use the "Reduce a Story Arc" method from the file menu for the ones that aren't working? It looks like I forgot to have that one do the numbered filenames like the Reduce All option does. If the filename is too long (which is what numbering was made to fix) then the publish button is greyed out.
Why it cares about the length of the filename when that isn't part of what is submitted to the server... I don't know... but it would explain the publish issue.
I've fixed the program to use the proper numbering stuff for both All and individual reduction, also sped up the reduction a tiny bit, and made it skip everything but the costume aspects for the time being. There's additional shaving added so the resulting IGOR file should be smaller than before. Let me know if that fixes the problem! Thanks!
This is an interesting program. I'll download it to see how the server is handling these trimmed files. It might be that the trimmed portions are being added back in after the file has been uploaded.
I'm starting to think there may be a maximum custom critter or maximum group limit on files, regardless of how small they are. The 100k thing is actually misleading in that even without reduction, some files over 100k still show as less than 100% while some that are under (as we've seen) show as over.
There is also a difference between what the COx client will accept and what the servers will accept - portions of the file you can remove and still have it work fine, but those same portions removed will crash the client or cause an error if you were to try loading, say, a .costume file with those same parts removed.
Looks like there's some unpleasant trial-and-error to be had as far as this goes. At the moment even with super-stripping turned on (gets almost every arc file down to just slightly over half its original size) the publish button is staying greyed at around 130% sized arcs.
Since two people mentioned arcs that worked reduced to 71k and arcs that did not work reduced to 70k, there's obviously a variable in here that is being overlooked. The above are my guesses for the moment, but if anyone else has ideas I'm all ears.
For the time being I'll go back and put in all the stripping (the slower version) including the stuff that will work on the server side but give ou a slew of orange errors if you go back and edit the IGOR arcfile. That'll give a better starting point for looking into things.
Okay.. I just downloaded the latest version. It took my 127k file down to 49k. The publish and test buttons light up.
However, in text and names, all of the capitalization and spaces after commas are gone.
You don't hit smiling monsters - Sister Flame
Haha, something I didn't think about when I told it to remove spaces after commas in the color fields. Capitalization will be something similar - I shall fix.
It is, however, interesting that the arc that didn't work with previous versions works with the current version. I assume nothing but the IGOR version changed since then?
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It is, however, interesting that the arc that didn't work with previous versions works with the current version. I assume nothing but the IGOR version changed since then?
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Correct. I took the same arc and re-ran it through IGOR. Other than the text issues, the whole arc tested just fine.
You don't hit smiling monsters - Sister Flame
Ok, those two issues should be fixed - sorry for the delay. Family gets my evenings 
I really hope I can get this arc published eventually > <
Its not looking hopeful on that, I'm afraid - it seems to have some sort of maximum custom critter limit. I tried making a single custom group with every custom critter I'd ever made and then stuffing that into a one mission story with none of the optionals filled in.
The result is a 151k storyarc file that shrinks down to a 38k IGOR file. The publish button remains dark for that puppy.
Can you give me a count on the number of custom critters you have in your arc? I'm going to see what I can find as far as that goes.
YAY!!! I am able to test my arc now!
Thanks!
You don't hit smiling monsters - Sister Flame
I have about 17 custom characters, including the contact, there are 3 particular characters that practically share costumes with 3 other characters, (so only 3 ish costumes out of that), and about 5-6 different enemy groups used in the arc, but the groups re-use some enemies for story purposes.
The reason I have so many was cause I was hoping to take advantage of the file size reduction, but if its being a pain in the butt that kinda sucks. I don't know why the devs would literally code a custom critter quantity max in when they already have the 100k limit which pretty much makes the critter max irrelevant anyway. =/
I'd bet the custom critters are stored server-side in a different format of what we see in the files, and have a fixed size regardless (except possibly going up with custom descriptions and such).
Players' Choice Awards: Best Dual-Origin Level Range Arc!
It's a new era, the era of the Mission Architect. Can you save the Universe from...
The Invasion of the Bikini-clad Samurai Vampiresses from Outer Space? - Arc ID 61013
My arc has 3 missions.. each mission has a custom group of 2 minions, 1 lt, and one boss. The final mission has a custom ally and custom AV, plus my custom contact.
For a total of 15 customer critters.
1st mission is defeat a boss.
2nd mission is defeat boss, 4 objects, 1 collection
3rd mission is free ally, and 2 boss defeats.
After it was "Igor-ed" it tests fine.
It runs fine.
You don't hit smiling monsters - Sister Flame
I believe this is against the TOS / ELUA. You're modifying game files from my understanding.
Oh man, and this was such a good idea....can we get an offical ruling on this?
-C.A.
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I believe this is against the TOS / ELUA. You're modifying game files from my understanding.
[/ QUOTE ]
I doubt .storyarc files are considered game files. Modifying the game files would be something like inserting a custom graphic into a .pigg. This is just a plain text file that I can open in Notepad and immediately understand.
Still, I'm surprised that this sort of compression actually works, since I would have assumed that our local format had little to do with the format it's stored in on their servers, and therefore the size as well.
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenth ur-
nuk!
[ QUOTE ]
I believe this is against the TOS / ELUA. You're modifying game files from my understanding.
[/ QUOTE ]
Story arc files are user created. They aren't "game" files in that sense.
The latest patch even included something to improve validation of hand-modified MA files.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
There's a tip on the game screen that points out that all the .storyarc files are, are text files. Why would it point that out if we weren't allowed to modify them?
I'm now running a public beta test of IGOR (Internal Game-Object Reducer) which is a small program I whipped up that strips out unneccessary portions of .storyarc files (primarily useless portions of the costume file additions) and leaves you with a storyarc file that is usually drastically smaller than you began with without a loss of content.
The program creates IGOR copies of your storyarcs which can be published (even if your storyarc is too big normally) without any changes. Its important to note that if you do open the IGOR copy of your story arc, it'll still claim its too large to publish, and if you subsequently SAVE it, it will once again be too large.
I'm hoping some folks who have oversized mission arcs can give this a whirl and see if it does the trick for them, and then post to this thread with the results.
So here's the ZIP of the beta of IGOR:
IGOR v1.0 (beta) Storyarc Reducer
Thanks for the help!