[WIP] A New MegaMod

[Bathrone]

I have many suggestions but I'll stick to the primary one. In my humble opinion it is imperative that all of the game files are put under proper configuration management and source code control practices. Each file needs to be version controlled. Each commit needs to be logged. While what the community has done has been awesome, the the biggest problem is the lack of a common code base and all the problems this mod soup has given with compatability problems and different mods conflicting with each other.

The lack of a common codebase dilutes and confuses testing efforts too, ontop of the development problems it has

Theres lots of alternative free to use tools out there for a megamod project to use in managing the versions and configurations of each and every file in the game

Anyway this is a great thing thats being undertaken

[plj]

There's no need for online version control as long as there is an up-to-date download available, with patches in between major releases.

There is also no need for a common codebase unless everybody deems this collection as vital to stock sh5, in which case there will be a common codebase after it's release .. mod that get added will keep the codebase up-to-date .. mods that are WIP might conflict .. bet the creators being mature ánd active .. they will probably realize this early on and get together .. if not, they have extra work later on.

No need to fix it atm tbh.

The only immense thing that has to be done is to check what get's lost during overwriting of overlapping mods, and merge that back in. You still cant use it as a codebase tho .. if I want to play NewUI's over stock SH5, and nothing more, that codebase is useless to me. The stuff in there that I dont use, will probably even CTD my game ..

Mods should never aim to eliminate other's freedom to use mods as they please .. I think.

[Trevally.]

Originally Posted by Rongel

@ Trevally,

Did some more testing, used silentotto to get in "Happy Times" campaign. I noticed that the Bremen harbour caused quite a lot of lagging, maybe some mods have increased tech requirements, but now it was not so fun cruising from the harbour.

So I would suggest radical solution: remove all the imported ships from harbours. I did this (left only 1-2 SH 4 tugboats there) and suddenly the game was running smooth again. Maybe imported ships can be replaced with some SH 5 ships, so that harbours won't be too empty.

This way the game is running smooth all the time, and we still get the added ships in the sea.

Added to list for checking (Wilhelmshaven)

[Rongel]

Added to list for checking (Wilhelmshaven)

Great! And don't forget to check other big ports as well, like Bremen!

I noticed again that when passing by the minefield near Bremen, the game starts to stutter when using high TC. So I made some test changes to the mines, normally they use their own mesh as a DMG_col nodes 3d model. So there is basicly two mines, the collision mine is just invisible. So I made a box in Blender (wow, a new experience!) and imported it as the new DMG_col node 3d model. Maybe somebody knows more about this, but common sense says to me that this should make the mine more "light" and remove some lagging from the minefields, because it has much less those vertex/triangles/normal-thingies!

Tested them, still work, I can hit them and explode or destroy them with the deckgun. Hard to say how much it helped the lagging, needs more tests, it's a huge minefield after all!

[Trevally.]

Originally Posted by Rongel

Great! And don't forget to check other big ports as well, like Bremen!

Not Wilhelmshaven? - we are not in Bremen

............

Is this the minefield?


I have not had lag passing this as ports are not rendered when you do.
I can thin them out a bit if they are an issue - do others lag here?

[Rongel]

Not Wilhelmshaven? - we are not in Bremen

Exactly! Sorry, ofcourse I meant Wilhelmshaven! No idea how things are in Bremen!

I have not had lag passing this as ports are not rendered when you do.
I can thin them out a bit if they are an issue - do others lag here?

Yes, that's the minefeld I meant. I have always had lag when passing by it, it's not critical, but maybe some thinning could do good to the gameplay.

Oh, one more little thing, when I play the Coastal Waters campaign, there reads "Balic Mission" in the NavMap or something like that. Is OHII causing that nasty typo and could it be corrected?

EDIT: Concerning the minefield, it might be that the buoys are also contributing to the lag. But I don't know how to make them anymore "lighter"...

[Trevally.]

Originally Posted by Rongel

Exactly! Sorry, ofcourse I meant Wilhelmshaven! No idea how things are in Bremen!

Yes, that's the minefeld I meant. I have always had lag when passing by it, it's not critical, but maybe some thinning could do good to the gameplay.

Oh, one more little thing, when I play the Coastal Waters campaign, there reads "Balic Mission" in the NavMap or something like that. Is OHII causing that nasty typo and could it be corrected?

EDIT: Concerning the minefield, it might be that the buoys are also contributing to the lag. But I don't know how to make them anymore "lighter"...

I will thin the minefield out - all those groups are in 50s.
Only ever 6 or 7 groups within render range at one time = 350 units.
Not to bad

I will change them to groups of 20 - less than half.
If I adjust their spacing - the need to avoid is still there - without the fps drop.

I can't find the Balic - can you post a pick or explain where it is

[Rongel]

Originally Posted by Trevally.

I can't find the Balic - can you post a pick or explain where it is

I'm too lazy to post a screencap, so I'll try to explain! I open the Total Germany campaign in Mission Editor, and zoom nearby Danzig. It is the same place where the first mission happens. There is a node called "BalticSea" and just a little bit lower another node: "Balic Operations Area".
I can also try to post a screencap if you don't find it.

EDIT: and the thinner minefield sound good!

[Trevally.]

Originally Posted by Rongel

There is a node called "BalticSea" and just a little bit lower another node: "Balic Operations Area".

found it

[gap]

Originally Posted by Rongel

So I made a box in Blender (wow, a new experience!) and imported it as the new DMG_col node 3d model. Maybe somebody knows more about this, but common sense says to me that this should make the mine more "light" and remove some lagging from the minefields, because it has much less those vertex/triangles/normal-thingies!

Hard to say. I have discussed with Privateer on the topic, and according to him the additional collision and reflection models are only a waste of resources: though low poly, the game must load them in memory, whereas a second iteration of their own visible mesh would be immediately available. Makes sense. I have used this concept for the explosive barrels you have been testing (80 iterations of the same barrel mesh for each cargo unit, IIRC), and you didn't report any lag until you damaged them. At that point the stutter was caused by their particle effects. Yet, if things were that simple, I wonder why devs didn't use the same method

[Rongel]

Originally Posted by gap

Hard to say. I have discussed with Privateer on the topic, and according to him the additional collision and reflection models are only a waste of resources: though low poly, the game must load them in memory, whereas a second iteration of their own visible mesh would be immediately available. Makes sense. I have used this concept for the explosive barrels you have been testing (80 iterations of the same barrel mesh for each cargo unit, IIRC), and you didn't report any lag until you damaged them. At that point the stutter was caused by their particle effects. Yet, if things were that simple, I wonder why devs didn't use the same method

Made some more tests with the modified mines but couldn't see that much difference, difficult to say if it helps or not... I think in this case it's just the sheer volume of the map objects, there are hundreds of those things in the minefield.

Oh, there is nasty visual bug in Wilhelmshaven harbour, many of the houses are levitating!



Either the terrain should be higher up, or the houses lower. Is there somebody who knows how to fix this issue around, maybe Sober???

[gap]

Originally Posted by Rongel

Oh, there is nasty visual bug in Wilhelmshaven harbour, many of the houses are levitating!

...

Either the terrain should be higher up, or the houses lower. Is there somebody who knows how to fix this issue around, maybe Sober???

If you find a way to mark the levitating houses, I can try lowering them as I did with the crates

[plj]

Originally Posted by Rongel

Made some more tests with the modified mines but couldn't see that much difference, difficult to say if it helps or not... I think in this case it's just the sheer volume of the map objects, there are hundreds of those things in the minefield.

Oh, there is nasty visual bug in Wilhelmshaven harbour, many of the houses are levitating!

It's the Force ... and it's with us ...

Either the terrain should be higher up, or the houses lower. Is there somebody who knows how to fix this issue around, maybe Sober???

you can lower them now gap ...

[gap]

Originally Posted by plj

It's the Force ... and it's with us ...

just make sure not to vex It, if you don't want to try the consequences of Its fury on your own person

[plj]

His Holiness TFSM (meatballs be upon Him) will protect me