About huge flying rocks and 'vimana' effect..

[ScreamingFox]

An interesting, perhaps silly one...


If i would make an map with functional animations, would all players be affected (see, walk over it, etc..) at the same timing?

Things like a huge rock that would raise from the ground and fly through the map, etc.. Or an flying arena, or even flying elephants that would bend for a character to climb, and then take the character to other places.. etc, etc..

("Vimana"= mystical temple-like flying device, mostly huge sized)

Is the animation on the server synchronized to the one on the clients?

 

[bobsobol]

As an example, when my wife and I played, if you are in Ric and go to the WH keeper, there is a spinning roof towards the blacksmith. That isn't usually in the same rotation on both our screens.

Rain effects don't necessarily hit us both at the same time either. So one person can be playing in the rain while the other is in sunshine, the rain starts for the sunny player just as it's clearing up for the rainy one.

The weather is supposed to be synchronised by the server, AFAIK, which suggests that's just down to delays to a low priority packet. But the animated objects on the field map are timed to start as that object comes into view / loaded. So if you enter the map together and run up to the WH together, it's pretty close, if one of you is already at the WH, and the other uses a Ric scroll to get there, they will probably be very different.

 

[ScreamingFox]

Would it be a dramatic change on the game executables to implement something like that? (like a "frame check")

Is there a known game that does that sort of thing?

 

[bobsobol]

Most on-line games implement something like that. PT implements it in terms of combat actions. When I attack, I attack on my screen and my wifes within a second or two, depending on latency at the time.

However, the network and treading architecture of the PT server is so bad that that latency can climb to 4 or 5 seconds and me getting in 2½ attacks before she sees anything at all on her screen.

I'm sure you've noticed it before, where it looks like your party member has stopped fighting monsters and decided to take a polite afternoon tea with them for a moment instead. XD

You can add packet sends to sync timed events, but this will only increase latency and make those lock-up moments more frequent.

 

[Vormav]

Just a crazy idea.

What will happen if you make "cube" monster/npc that can only move. Falling on mobs ignores collider (I think?) so maybe if you walk on it?
That would take care of creating packets and syncing animations.
You could guide your mob same way you guide trains... make invisible rails in air and mob part that can't pass them.

If this fail you can always make bulldozer mobs that will push and corner players XD

 

[SunnyZ]

As an example, when my wife and I played, if you are in Ric and go to the WH keeper, there is a spinning roof towards the blacksmith. That isn't usually in the same rotation on both our screens.

Yeah, I remember this crane, back in, what was it now? 2003? 2004? I started to learn how to climb objects in pt.
I vowed I would learn how to climb on top of the ricarten warehouse roof and ride that crane.
The day I finally got up there, I was so ecstatic, my dream was coming true, then I walked into the crane and realised it was just an animated object you couldn't walk on... So sad.

@ vormav, I have tried that, you never land on top of a monster or someone else. You just land on their foot print on the ground.
However if you warp to someone with a clan core who is falling from a height, you get warped to a spot in mid air, and you stay there, other people see you hovering you only fall back to earth once you click to run.
Did this trick many times in Ricarten and opened 'the hovering shop' I was banned for it, but unbanned after weeks of trying to prove to them I wasn't hacking.

Not sure if that could be applied to this idea though. Would probably be needed to rewrite the physics engine :S

 

[Vormav]

You are probably right, most likely moving on top of mob would just drop you down. I thought that this happens because those are cylinder colliders (or very very thin box colliders). I forgot you can't use any other colliders e.g. box. But who knows If you look you might find switch that turns off player<->mob collision when you are falling. Moving along on top of mob can be different story :/

 

[bobsobol]

Awww. Now I want to ride a Bargon in Dragon Armour into battle.

Epic Mount FTW!