[SP] Pilgrimage

[major-stiffy 280]

Ok so I’m not alone here. I don’t recall this being an issue way back when. Thanks for confirming.

[grrl267 21]

I remember this being a thing like, years back, not recently. I didn't have any special mods loaded.

[trevorjohns@yahoo.com 0]

it's always happened for me - just don't commandeer Bluefor vehicles if you can avoid to...Ifrit, Zamak, etc are fine

[major-stiffy 280]

Thanks folks. I'll do some more testing.

 

[grrl267 21]

6 hours ago, trevorjohns@yahoo.com said:

it's always happened for me - just don't commandeer Bluefor vehicles if you can avoid to...Ifrit, Zamak, etc are fine

hmmm. I never considered that might have been the reason.

[major-stiffy 280]

When you don't use any intel. 😁

 

 

[grrl267 21]

Been there, done that! I'm so glad to see this scenario is still being played. I put so many hours into it on so many maps/ports (thanks everyone!). I still daydream about playing it.

[alky_lee 279]

20 hours ago, grrl267 said:

Been there, done that! I'm so glad to see this scenario is still being played. I put so many hours into it on so many maps/ports (thanks everyone!). I still daydream about playing it.

Even when I play other scenarios I still note the churches even though I don’t need to.

[major-stiffy 280]

@Rydygier,

 

Apparently from BI updates, smoke and other particle affects are broken in Pilgrimage after resume from a save.

Reference this also. https://forums.bohemia.net/forums/topic/235841-smoke-particles-fail/   See the last post from me.

 

What's weird, in MP (2 people), the host can't see smoke and other particles like fire from burning vehicles but the client can after a resume. (NO MODS used)

 

Might you have thoughts on this? If no time or interest on your part I understand since it's been awhile since you worked on this.

[major-stiffy 280]

@BulletsNotMyFavourite and @grrl267,

Are you folks seeing this issues also?

[pvt. partz 248]

I've been playing Ryd's Sp Altis, (slightly modded but only through Editor) and I have not seen the smoke not showing issue after numerous save and resumes. Everyting runs fine at least in my case. If you are having issues in MP I suggest playing the Altis coop version see what happens there.

[grrl267 21]

On 12/10/2021 at 10:56 AM, major-stiffy said:

@BulletsNotMyFavourite and @grrl267,

Are you folks seeing this issues also?

 

I haven't been playing, so I haven't experienced this. I have only played sp not MP so not sure I could help even if I were playing Pilgrimage.

[Rydygier 1317]

On 12/2/2021 at 5:16 PM, major-stiffy said:

smoke and other particle affects

 

If whatever it is, affects any other effects, than additional smoke for camp fires (the only scripted by me to make camp fires easier to spot, but there's still vanilla smoke on the top of that), then not sure, what could I do from my end. Even if we talk just about a workaround (fix is out of the question since it wasn't broken from my end) first exact cause must be determined. 

 

Other important questions: does it happen to other players? Does it happen in pure vanilla A3? Does it happen only in MP? And indeed only after game resume? Does it happen in basic Pilgrimage version and doesn't in any other scenario out there? Is there any suspicious trace left in RPT logs?

For now, from what you're, guys saying, it looks like some MP-specific issues with saved games and it affects all particle effects out there. Also one "not a bug" potential explanation would be, that somehow particles on screen amount limit was exhausted by something. Erratic occurences of such issue would support that thesis, but if indeed it happens always and only after resuming the game, then some issues with saved game are at least involved. I guess, resuming game (multi-session gameplay) in MP is rare thing in general? Hard to say more at this point. 

[major-stiffy 280]

8 hours ago, Rydygier said:

does it happen to other players?

Yes <<link

 

 

8 hours ago, Rydygier said:

Does it happen in pure vanilla A3?

I only play Pilgrimage.

 

8 hours ago, Rydygier said:

Does it happen only in MP?

Yes. MP Pilgrimage is only MP I play. This happens in SP too but not nearly as frequent.

 

8 hours ago, Rydygier said:

And indeed only after game resume?

Yes

 

8 hours ago, Rydygier said:

Is there any suspicious trace left in RPT logs?

Not that I can see.

 

8 hours ago, Rydygier said:

it looks like some MP-specific issues with saved games and it affects all particle effects out there.

 

Yes. This has never been a problem for years and probably started on a BI update. Weird thing is, host loses being able to see particles but the client does not. We were playing a 2 person MP game yesterday all was fine until we resumed at a later time then particles for host only was lost. My team mates vehicle was blown up and he lost all clothes so we restarted the game after I deleted the "continue.sav" so an earlier save could be loaded and he could get his stuff back. Voila! Me, the host could then see particles. This doesn't always happen when doing this type of save deletions. This is so weird. Client typically can not see hideout smoke which doesn't surprise me cause probably due to no remoteexec in your scripts. But twice now in the many hours we have played he could see the smoke. 

 

If this discussion does not resolve anything at least maybe others might report it. I don't think it will do any good putting a ticket into BI since it's not their vanilla stuff. Here's what happens.

 

Started Startis MP no mods and took this video. I had to add smokes to the boat to speed up the test. You'll notice in this video a resume was fine.

 

Exited to desktop, shut down Steam.
Restarted Steam and launched Arma no mods.
Resumed the MP game and took this video.

 

[major-stiffy 280]

Was thinking Steam might be causing this issue 🤷‍♂️.  I start Steam using this shortcut

E:\Steam\steam.exe -no-browser +open steam://open/minigameslist

Will test with normal Steam launch between sessions/resume and see if any change. Crazy thought but WTH.

[Rydygier 1317]

So, if you save a game while smoke is visible and generated, then load that save and if the bug would happen that time, both new and existing at the save moment particle sources doesn't generate any particles any longer but also particles visible at the moment of save are gone? If so, I mean, if all particles are visible and generated OK at the very moment of save, and no longer there at the very moment of load, then we could exclude a possibility, that something exhausted particles limit (unless in some magical way the act of game loading itself resets particle limit for a host to 0). 

 

So, unless it isn't some MP server quirk, then indeed that looks like a game bug. And if so, it could be reported. Hard part here is, in order to recognize a game bug to fix, they would require as simple, as possible, vanilla and reliable repro mission/steps. Pilgrimage is far from simple. That means, one, who would report such a bug, should rather find a way to generate same issue without Pilgrimage. Now, if nothing in Pilgrimage itself has anything to do with this bug, it should be possible to replicate easily with simplistic scenario, like one guy on VR map throwing a grenade, then save&load and here is the bug. If however it is something in Pilgrimage, that triggers/creates context for that bug to happen, then it gets really tricky to find, what it is exactly. Probably doable only via selective disabling features (to the extend can be done via init settings, like disabling all AI presence etc.) and testing each time anew. Even more difficult, if it happens at random, not always.

 

But first would be good to know, if others have same issue in same circumstancies to be sure, it is not something specific to your PC/network. And if so - when it happened first time, to point the suspected A3 update.

[Rydygier 1317]

"one guy on VR map throwing a grenade, then save&load and here is the bug."

 

Tried few times, but no bug occured. Then tried same thing with basic Pilgrimage coop (but added some smokes to the boat). So hosted a LAN  server for myself, played with default parameters, took smokes, thrown one on the beach, then saved, exited back to server browser screen, deleted continue.sav files then hosted server once again and resumed. Smoke was still there. Thrown another grenade - smoke appeared OK. Repeated this few times, sometimes without deleting continue.sav but I didn't see the bug. So I would like to confirm something, not sure if will work, but if you could try... Paste my MP Pilgrimage saves folder where such saves go:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e8r6krcohf8l0wc/IntoSaved_mpmissions.zip?dl=0

 

then try to do same, I did (and/or what you did) with this version (just paste mission folder into mpmissions in A3 main directory:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hrugqcpzjwfe8qe/Pilgrimage_COOP_1_95wip10.Altis.zip?dl=0

 

Which is basic Altis Pilgrimage coop 1.95wip10 + 6 smokes on the boat. In the above save, I already took the smoke. 

 

Now, if you would successfully host a server with that scenario and resume from my save, I wonder, if you would see, what I see each time, so one smoke grenade generating the white smoke in front of you, if you throw another - should generate smoke as well. Try as many times, as you think, is needed to make the bug appear.

[major-stiffy 280]

Thanks, will test today. Keep in mind all the maps I port to other terrains are using your latest COOP files. As you know then, the description.ext needs updated, holyplaces, mcamps, airfields, checkpoints, etc. need changed in JRInit.sqf. So most of the  files/scripts remain unedited.

[major-stiffy 280]

OK test complete.

 

Dropped your downloaded folder into A3/mpmissions folder (not PBO'd).

Dropped your save folder into C:\Users\Marc\Documents\Arma 3 - Other Profiles\Major_Stiffy\Saved\mpmissions.

3 hours ago, Rydygier said:

Now, if you would successfully host a server with that scenario and resume from my save, I wonder, if you would see, what I see each time, so one smoke grenade generating the white smoke in front of you, if you throw another - should generate smoke as well.

 

Launched game no mods. Started MP server (internet) Resume from your save. I started recording on spawn. This is what I see, no smoke.

 

Tested your save again without filepatching enabled in launcher. Same result.

 

Here is the save folder which shows your save and my continue save if you want to give it a go.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X7ynxl-fVStEYewDiU_WBxouOsQ_wa4G/view?usp=sharing

 

 

 

 

 

[major-stiffy 280]

Here is RPT.

 

https://pastebin.com/0ZrgS7Uf

[major-stiffy 280]

FYI I have a Nvidia RTX 3090FE graphics card and using driver 496.76.

[major-stiffy 280]

5 hours ago, Rydygier said:

"one guy on VR map throwing a grenade, then save&load and here is the bug."

 

Bug either on my computer or in Arma3.

In VR, placed one soldier gave him smokes.

Saved mission to MPmissions. (Mine was called MP_smoke_test.VR.pbo) Launched MP internet no mods. Load mission.

Threw 2 smokes and were visible.

save&exit then resume save without exiting Arma. Smoke still visible.

Exit Arma game, shut down and restart Steam.

Launched Arma no mods. Start MP server again. Resume from save.

NO SMOKE visible.

 

@pvt. partz or others. Would you please try to duplicate above and see what happens.

 

Edit: Verified game files in Steam to see if corrupt, nothing found.

 

 

[major-stiffy 280]

 

[Rydygier 1317]

"Launched Arma no mods. Start MP server again. Resume from save.

NO SMOKE visible."

OK, that at least simplifies things (Pilgrimage influence excluded). And this: 

"Launched game no mods. Started MP server (internet) Resume from your save. I started recording on spawn. This is what I see, no smoke."
 

Indicates, it may be indeed either a game bug, that happens only for certain PC/video/drivers/other soft setup (as it doesn't happen for me, at least so far) or some issue with the PC/video software itself. Or I didn't some specific detail, that triggers that bug. Gathering feedback from others is certainly good idea at this point. 

[major-stiffy 280]

I just tried the latest video card drivers - no smoke.

Tried older drivers 471.11- no smoke.

 

I'm going to reinstall Arma. 🤞

 

Thanks for all your help Ryd and my apologies for dragging you into this. Your the best!