Gear selection broken on dedi?

[Guest]

Since we first started to run our dedicated server (Armaholic.com #1) we have had lots of troubles with the gear selection in the briefing.

If anyone would try to select a new kit in the briefing it would not add the weapon to his loadout, it would take a lot of time as well and most times the mission wont load and the client would have to reconnect.

Now that was/is very annoying but since nobody else reported this issue I figured it was thanks to the location I hosted the dedicated from which was my home connection with a 12/1 Mb ADSL line.

Now since a week our server has moved to my new home with a fiber connection of 24Mb so I really expected the issue to be fixed...but guess what its actually getting worse.

Still we are most of the times unable to select our gear in the brieing but also now often we find ourselves unable to select gear in mission.

Going close to an ammo box and selecting "gear" wont give us our loadout screen and neither we can select any new gear.

Going to a fallen commrade or a shot down enemy we are also not able to enter the gear selection screen.

And, if we are able to get gear from crates and/or units it often goes very slow and takes many seconds before it starts to add/replace the choosen gear.

BUT

Also there are many missions where we dont have any troubles and we can select gear without any issue.

Now..........I am at a total loss, I tried many different server settings but it just seems to stay there, no matter what I do.

Is anyone aware of this as well or do you know how I could fix it?

Below you find all server related info you might need.

arma.cfg

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">language="English";

adapter=-1;

3D_Performance=6849.000000;

Resolution_W=800;

Resolution_H=600;

Resolution_Bpp=32;

refresh=60;

FSAA=-1;

HDRPrecision=8;

lastDeviceId="4098,12624,813830204";

localVRAM=250343936;

nonlocalVRAM=250343936;

MinBandwidth=6144000;

MaxBandwidth=12288000;

MinErrorToSend=0.05;

Profile:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">difficulty="regular";

class Difficulties

{

class regular

{

class Flags

{

Armor=0;

FriendlyTag=0;

EnemyTag=0;

HUD=1;

HUDPerm=0;

HUDWp=1;

HUDWpPerm=1;

WeaponCursor=0;

AutoAim=0;

AutoGuideAT=0;

3rdPersonView=0;

ClockIndicator=1;

Map=0;

Tracers=0;

AutoSpot=0;

UltraAI=0;

UnlimitedSaves=0;

};

skillFriendly=0.850000;

skillEnemy=0.450000;

precisionFriendly=0.850000;

precisionEnemy=0.300000;

};

class veteran

{

class Flags

{

HUD=1;

HUDWp=1;

HUDWpPerm=1;

WeaponCursor=0;

ClockIndicator=0;

3rdPersonView=0;

Tracers=0;

UltraAI=0;

};

skillFriendly=0.850000;

skillEnemy=0.570000;

precisionFriendly=0.850000;

precisionEnemy=0.550000;

};

};

sceneComplexity=300000.000000;

shadingQuality=0;

shadowQuality=0;

viewDistance=2000.000000;

terrainGrid=10.000000;

volumeCD=5.000000;

volumeFX=5.000000;

volumeSpeech=5.000000;

singleVoice=0;

playerVoice=0;

soundEnableEAX=1;

soundEnableHW=1;

Server config:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">passwordAdmin = "xxxxxxxx"; // password to protect admin access

hostname="-----------Armaholic.com#1-----------";

motd[]=

{

"Welcome to the Armaholic.com server.",

"Please visit www.armaholic.com for any info or questions about our server.",

"We use ventrilo to communicate, ask for details if you want to join us",  

"Listen to orders given",

"Ask the admin if any respawn is allowed",

"Do not respawn if not allowed",

"We hope you have a good time on our server",

"Feel free to visit www.armaholic.com",

"This server uses Doolittle's SyncTime - Providing cheaters with the chance to play somewhere else.",

}; // Welcome message

motdInterval=12;

voteThreshold=0.33; // when one third agrees, this is enough to confirm a vote

reportingIP="";

LogFile="Logfile_Public.log";

//Cheat detection

checkfile=0; //1=slow 0=defult dont use 0

onHackedData = "ban (_this select 0)";  //auto ban hacked addons

onDifferentData = "kick (_this select 0)"; //auto kick modified files

kickDuplicate=1; // do not allow duplicate id

checkfiles[]=

{

"dta\bin.pbo",

"Addons\wheeled3.pbo",

"Addons\weapons3.pbo",

"Addons\A10.pbo",

"Addons\weapons\config.cpp",

"Addons\weapons\config.bin",

"Addons\wheeled\config.cpp",

"Addons\wheeled\config.bin",

"Addons\tracked\config.cpp",

"Addons\tracked\config.bin",

"Addons\sara\config.cpp",

"Addons\sara\config.bin",

"Addons\air\config.cpp",

"Addons\air\config.bin",

"Addons\miscUS\config.cpp",

"Addons\miscUS\config.bin"

};

maxPlayers=16;

disableVoN=1;

persistent=1;

[edit]

fixed some typos

[Maddmatt 1]

Had this problem too. I think it's worse when there's lots of players with a large weapon selection.

It doesn't seem so bad on ammocrates though.

[tomcat_ 0]

i don't think i have an answer to your question...

On our dedicated as well (which is home like yours), we have a problem with the ammo crates (haven't tried the group briefing weapons tbh).

Sometimes it takes several attempts to get to the ammo crates...but we have no probs getting gear from fallen soldiers...sometimes even when in ammo crates have to be repeatedly double clicking to get a particular thing

I do not think is bandwith because it happens even when 2 or 3 players are in the server....and i don't think it has to do with server fps either...

One thing i did notice on ur settings, but i don't think it will fix your problem, is that your min and max bandwith settings is reflexting your download speed and not your upload? Unless you have an upload of 12mb. Also, you don't have the other netcode settings like maxmsg etc...

[Guest]

One thing i did notice on ur settings, but i don't think it will fix your problem, is that your min and max bandwith settings is reflexting your download speed and not your upload? Unless you have an upload of 12mb. Also, you don't have the other netcode settings like maxmsg etc...

Indeed, I have a 24 Mb connection, both up and down.

The settings you see here is what I use now. I am just trying to fix the above issue but it doesnt seem to matter what I do.

If I include no settings at all there is no difference in the gear selection behaviour, if I add all settings like also maxmsg etc there too is no difference.

This is particulary what I am interested in..........maybe others can tell me some settings I should use.

[X-Rolando 0]

I'm currently seeing a problem with gear selection at the briefing screen. When someone tries to add a weapon to their load out, it sucks up all the bandwidth (3 Mb), causing lag when trying to pick your weapons. It does however work just fine when moving stuff to and from an ammo crate.

[DaSquade 0]

I also don't think it is a server setting or bandwidth problem to be honest. Like we noticed Fox yesterday with you...we had it in some mission with 3 guys and with more then 6 guys in a pretty large mission.

The only thing i can think of is:

A: has to do with big list of ammo/weapons in the crate.

B: has to do with the personal kit list of soldier trying to rearm.

Although A doesn't make sense if we are talking about an unit. From what i know yesterday it didn't worked on a stock unit with stock gear.

But A and B again doesn't make sense to me as afaik 85% where stock crates (would need to check the missions we encoutered problems with if not done yet).

Maybe it has to do with replacement packs like Aimpoints weapons (although client side only, it has to replace them witch might cause problems?).

Maybe those who encountered the same problems, can you report if you guys/girls are using any replacement packs (afaik only weapons etc might cause problems, so value and other cfg replacement packs excluded).

[Guest]

Yes, I also dont think its much I can do as in server related

I just want to know if our server is the only "victim" and as the others posted it seems it happens elsewhere too.

Lets try it soon Dasquade, lets do a mission we know was bugged before and retry it without any addons/replacement packs/or any other change.

We can just password the server and give it a go.

If all fails the result will be that I have to edit all missions and remove the briefing gear selection out of all of them.

Thanks so far for the replies, if anyone has some more feedback...........post it

[Synide 0]

in your 1st. post you forgot to detail (if any) any mods/addons you are running on your dedi.

if you are running mods/addons on your dedi... i suggest you disable them all.

then tweak your cfg's for maximum throughput.

then start reenabling your mod(s) & addons...

do you get the problem while running in plain vanilla arma?

[DaSquade 0]

Quote[/b] ]Synide: in your 1st. post you forgot to detail (if any) any mods/addons you are running on your dedi.

I know it isn't correct to speak in someone else name , but afaik ArmA has been recently reinstalled on the server when it went 24Mbit. Not sure if it was a full reinstall (windows etc), but afaik the ArmA on the server is as vanilla as vanilla can get.

Fox used to run Doodlittle (?) anti cheat addons, but since we encountered lots of servercrashes and lost connections before he went to the new 24Mit line, he decided to hold of that anti cheat pack, untill we were sure the server ran stable.

[Guest]

Dasquade is correct, the server runs vanilla arma. No addons installed at the moment.

Also addons were never installed on the server so no left overs.........

Except offcourse the doolittle anticheat but all files have been removed manually by me.

[M.Andersson(SWE) 4]

Could this have anything to do with my gamefreeze in

gearselection? All input freeze, cant do squat not even

esc and Alt-F4 works. Only ctrl+alt+del.

My specs:

P4 3.2Ghz

2Gb Ram

512Mb Silent HP Nvidia.

Win XP Home Sp2

Latest drives in DX (No not 10)

Happens on Berzerk and Evo maps

[DaSquade 0]

@Fk Andersson: Are you talking about the gearseelction screen in the briefing or the normal ingame ammo crate selection menu?

Anyway, so i decided to run some test on the server and started arma in vanilla mode. Picked one of the missions we encountered problems before last weekend.

->Instantly bingo. No gear menu popping up at crate.

So definatly no client problem as i run vanilla.

Anyway, to keep it sort. I opened the mission in question and found out it runned two scripts...

the init with:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">player exec "ac.sqs";

and the named ac.sqs with...(drumroffle):

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">#start

closeDialog 0;

goto "start"

Although i'm no missionmaker or script genie, something rang a bell. Dialog = gearmenu...disable=no menu?

Deleted the scripts and yes, crates work again.

SO, in the end it is the mission(s? will check the others we had crate problems with and unit weapon pickup problems). Not sure what the missionmakers plan was, but i guess he wasn't that noob as me and he wanted to keep the crates 'locked'.

PS: Fox forgot to say. AssassinsIIbeta had a random SF crate, so that wasn't a bug aswell .

Anyway, but that leaves open the buggy weapon selectionmenu in the weaponpool at briefing.

What hasn't been told yet is that i personnally used it a few times on our server (after Fox switched to the 24Mbit line) and although it wasn't super fast (one item per second load) it did worked and didn't crashed me or server, where before the 24Mbit line it would simply refuse to load your kit or you weren't able to select a full kit.

But as Fox mentioned, with a bunch of players the weaponpool becomes as good as useless due to very slow behaviour.

If not mistaken the buggy weaponpool was already a 'feature' since ArmA was relased and it looks BIS needs to relook that part and try to make it less of a preformence/load/transfer hit on the server. Would be nice to have a comment of this and beta team, but also you guys and girls if the weaponpool is still that buggy (single player vs multiple players).

Will by the way check in the weaponpool loading time this week (Fox, i hope you can spead the word a big to get a few extra tester before the weekend ).

EDIT: Outloud thinking:

Just played with the weaponpool on internet server, MP launched from ingame so no dedi, and as expected no lag or holdups what so ever no mather how intense you play around with the gear and try to cause lag or errors.

I guess if really wanted to be tested, this should be done on the server in question. Keeping a track of clients CPU/RAM and net data load transfer and at the same time those of the server. But also this in combination of multiple players with their pings. I have a feeling the pings and the fact multiple users are requesting the gear menu at the same time is a demanding task for the server. Not sur ehow it works, but afaik in the end the server has controle over the weaponpool inventory and needs to share this realtime with all linked players...Desync also comes to my mind (is it possible to have the desync values shown in briefing like we have during missionplay?). Not that familiar with the server commands....Any help or findings are welcome .

Little example of simular 'lag-desync':

Try to take a weapon from a crate ingame when you and others are browsing it at the same time. It often happens you are picking the same gun as the other player and end up picking nothing and need to repick it. Sounds like the same with weaponpool use to me.

[Guest]

Great post DS, thanks very much for already looking into all this.

I will have a look at the server load from now on when we are in the brieifng and will also do some tests with multiple people to see how the load behaves if all are in the briefing choosing a new loadout.

I am not a hot shot with this kind of server stuff so I can only test and see what happens........so thats where we start

[M.Andersson(SWE) 4]

My problem is in the stratmenue, ie Berzerk

at the gearselectionmenue, and Evo Blue the

arrivalscreen (when i arrive at the sceen)..

[DaSquade 0]

Hm, lets see...Berzerk and EVO mission...

+30 rambos ( joke mode) pumped up, still in runrun mode, try to load up their kit asap to get ready to be the first in line and .

Nah joking, but guess i made a point. Like above, i think the gear menu is by default already a demanding item (be it lag or performence depeding on how you define what). Again like mentioned, try to pick a kit at an ammo crate simultanius with 2-3-x players. I can almost garante you that it is hell and you need to repick you kit....

Not sure if it it is the new interface (gear popup dialog), as i don't really had that much problems in OFP/VBS where you simply could pick up your kit in the action menu.

Like i discussed with someone on msn, it would be nice to have the weapon kit in the action menu again and have the gear popup menu as alternative...not sure if this can be done clientside only, but would be nice to compair their preformence (hint BIS). Not that i don't like the gear dialog, just feel it isn't fast enough with muliplte players....