(Review Completed) [SP/COOP1-10] 'Cipher' - final

[hoz]

I forgot to mention there isn't an intro... you should create a small intro something like a camera pass of the insertion point would be enough.

[Wiper]

hoz,

we chose the attack vehicles and we couldn't get all the units into the allocated vehicles. Do they all fit?

Yes should !
Two options for small convoys, light armed (2 offroads, 5 seats each) or medium armed (2 Hummers 5 seats each). So 10 slots should be available for riding in MP in any case.
Just tested all possible permutations in v1.38 and it always worked for me  

Will try to make a small intro.
edit: BTW, should there be one in MP too ?

[hoz]

Lots of people add them in mp and add an option to disable within the lobby. Fleepee uses a pretty generic one, and check out sharkattack or laggys missions they all contain a quick intro.

[Wiper]

Problem is that for the current Options/MP/SP structure I need to add seperated intros for SP & MP.
So if a MP intro is just there to be disabled I'd like to spare that out and add just one for SP.

However, a intro wasn't really planned for that mission so I may end up to recode the complete init & option sequences to do that properly but as this means to open up an already closed can worms again (read: change a running system) I need a really groovie day for that to start with.. sigh 

[hoz]

So are you done with the mission?

[Wiper]

Well if the intro of the fresh uploded v1.40 doesn't screw something I might have overseen then yes, thats it

If you find time please make a final test run with it and if something fishy crops up (particulaterly around/after the intro in MP ) I'd opt to deactivate the intro option in MP at all.

[hoz]

absolutely looking forward to it. Perhaps tomorrow evening we will give it a go.

Edit:

Intro is pretty good. I like how you don't reveal the location of the actual suit case.

Problem with the leader exiting the cut scene. The screen just stayed black until I clicked respawn. Even switching to other units wouldn't fix it. Its like it was stuck in the camera mode and black in isn't run for the leader. Good news everything worked ok with no intro.

[Wiper]

Damn, will have a look into that, thanks.
What mission mode did you notice that, 'SpecOp' (light or normal) or 'TaskForce' (any team size) ?

Edit: sigh, can't reproduce. I suspect the reason is because I emulate 2 clients in windowed mode besides the ded server task all on one machine.
Do you happen to remember what options you had active when the black screen wasn't vanishing ?
Did you even get the title text ("Well I'm afraid those Russian wont welcome us ....") when that issue happend ?

 

[hoz]

Task force.

[Wiper]

Thanks hoz.
There's still a problem with the intro in MP that I tried to fix for more than 6 evenings now to no avail and persists when a player JIPs while the intro is playing, screwing the time sync.
I'm really close to strip the MP intro totally now as the mission including the SP intro seems to be done. And I'd really opt do so if a "SP only intro" would not influence the review rating in a negative way, does it ?
What'd you say ?

[hoz]

I won't reflect the review much no.. its not an expected element of a mp review. However it does help to push the overall review up a bit.    But! before you give you should maybe check out one of sharkattacks or fleepees missions for reference. and also post to the script to the ED.  My initial thoughts are that for the GL stuck in black.. it seems like a Black IN issue. but maybe it has something to do with the teamswitch mechanism.

[Wiper]

Well as it looks now I hopefully have already fixed the "black in" issue. I was able to reproduce it for a second client when I delayed its join to a point when the intro was started within the network body.

The complex thing currently with the intro in Cipher is that the game/mission time is randomized but the intro should render independently from that (light effects ...). So, as the mission.sqm intro sequence can only be used for SP mode, the MP intro must be rendered after the briefing but the briefing should reflect the correct daytime for the mission (which is random). Therefore the time skip, once done for the briefing, is then undone for the intro and redone after the intro - sigh, you see ?
Crazy enough that all this works pretty well under "normal" conditions but as soon as a player connects *while* the intro is running, things start to mess up and thats what still gives me headaches.

I think I just need need a really good mood and plenty of spare time for a relaxing coding session maybe within the next days after that mess i faced the last evenings.
A new option for configuring/disabling the suitcase auto/reveal function is ready for 1.41 anyways, so the chances for an eventually solid MP intro are still there

[Zipper5]

Just wanted to say Wiper how impressed I am with this mission. I had a game of this with 3 other guys today, and we did not get very far due to the random ambushes. All of them highly enjoyed it, and we did not encounter any bugs. Also, I like the new intro. So did the other 3.

Will give you a report if we manage to continue from where we left off!

[hoz]

I'm really glad you'll be able to work through the issue. Other then that the mission has worked perfectly for us on the last few tries.

[Wiper]

Zipper5,

I hope the save game does well and I'm looking forward to your report, thanks for it.
Really great to hear that the mission does challenge you guys in a appealing way.

hoz,
1.41 is uploaded.
It got a new option for (disabling) the auto revealing function plus the intro should work well in MP now.
I had to strip the time skip compensation for the MP intro eventually so that it always plays with the randomly determined daytime now (f.e. even at night). Have set it to default 'No' therfore as its just a less-than-ideal solution but better than to drop the MP intro at all I think.

Hope all works well now and if you dont find any further issues feel free to move on rating Cipher v1.41

Have fun testing and maybe rating it and, again, many thanks for your most appreciated inputs