Ranger Archive
Thread: A concering post by TH in Weekly round table
Seiryuu
Wed May 26, 2004 9:28 am
#14
In addition to resources, I think the error is with the spawn system itself.
Once a lair is spawned, it remains there until someone destroys it or the next server reset. The more busy a place is, the more spawns around it will be. Since people are split between player cities and the cities with starports, there is a more even distribution which means a lower density near all cities. Missions that cause spawns but are not completed add more lairs.
However the game also has to split resources between player cities, harvesters, etc. which means it cannot handle as many spawns. Between them all, it means the spawns are mostly placed early in the day and any incidental spawns are what the system can replace as others are destroyed.
The system needs to clean up after itself. If a spawn hasn't been active for some period of time, it needs to be reclaimed so that it can be spawned elsewhere. This has two effects: "More" spawns and it lowers the system resources to reduce lag.
*********
For a bit of history, this is very similar situation to a MUD I used to play and code for. Our other coder got the game to a very stable point, but we would find that after a week or so the server would bog down.
What was happening is that items from corpses were never vanishing until the reboot, so we would go from 5k items at boot to 30k items after a week. (Mobs and rooms would be relatively constant at 12k and 26k respectively.) By implementing a decay timer on 'organic' items, I managed to keep the item population to around 15k and the server could maintain an up-time of months with no appreciable lag.
Once a lair is spawned, it remains there until someone destroys it or the next server reset. The more busy a place is, the more spawns around it will be. Since people are split between player cities and the cities with starports, there is a more even distribution which means a lower density near all cities. Missions that cause spawns but are not completed add more lairs.
However the game also has to split resources between player cities, harvesters, etc. which means it cannot handle as many spawns. Between them all, it means the spawns are mostly placed early in the day and any incidental spawns are what the system can replace as others are destroyed.
The system needs to clean up after itself. If a spawn hasn't been active for some period of time, it needs to be reclaimed so that it can be spawned elsewhere. This has two effects: "More" spawns and it lowers the system resources to reduce lag.
*********
For a bit of history, this is very similar situation to a MUD I used to play and code for. Our other coder got the game to a very stable point, but we would find that after a week or so the server would bog down.
What was happening is that items from corpses were never vanishing until the reboot, so we would go from 5k items at boot to 30k items after a week. (Mobs and rooms would be relatively constant at 12k and 26k respectively.) By implementing a decay timer on 'organic' items, I managed to keep the item population to around 15k and the server could maintain an up-time of months with no appreciable lag.
Squidwalker
Wed May 26, 2004 5:27 pm
#15
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
NP Squid...that is what I am here for. I brought this up in the Corr forum where I can have an actual discussion with TH (saying too much in the public forums makes everyone cranky). I will let y'all know how things go.
Message Edited by Calculus_Entropy on 05-26-2004 09:06 AM
Fuzzy Bothan hug for you.
Squidwalker
Thu May 27, 2004 4:41 pm
#17
LOL
have you been talking to my Trandoshan friends? They do the same thing. 
.
Calculus_Entropy
Fri May 28, 2004 5:51 am
#19
FYI...I spent 2 hours on Endor last night. I flew about 2.5keast (in typical Ranger fashion, I said west instead of east)of the Research Outpost, hopped off my bike and areatracked. Nothing. I walked 3k to the north (throught the Dulok Village) tracking all the way. Nothing. No NPCs and no critters on the planet. I was so angry that I logged on the spot. I hope when i log back in that I am killed by a creature, as that means that creatures still exist on Endor. I am expecting to be safe. Based on THs post, the Deatwatch Bunker has wiped out all of the lifeforms on Endor. So, should I get a mission? Nope..I was hunting Black Sun... All herb meat I found on the way would have been collected, but that was a moot point.
Message Edited by Calculus_Entropy on 05-28-2004 08:35 AM
Nemo0
Fri May 28, 2004 6:03 am
#20
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
FYI...I spent 2 hours on Endor last night. I flew about 2.5k west of the Research Outpost, hopped off my bike and areatracked. Nothing. I walked 3k to the north (throught the Dulok Village) tracking all the way. Nothing. No NPCs and no critters on the planet. I was so angry that I logged on the spot. I hope when i log back in that I am killed by a creature, as that means that creatures still exist on Endor. I am expecting to be safe. Based on THs post, the Deatwatch Bunker has wiped out all of the lifeforms on Endor. So, should I get a mission? Nope..I was hunting Black Sun... All herb meat I found on the way would have been collected, but that was a moot point.
Try the SE. I'm not sure if it will help but that is the farthest point from the DWB. If not, just hunt up on the path between the DWB and the Smuggler's Outpost. Plenty of mobs in that region (and almost no lag on Eclipse as long as you stay out of the 1-1.5k circle around the DWB). Not an ideal solution but it is plenty crowded in that region.
Calculus_Entropy
Fri May 28, 2004 7:36 am
#21
Nemo0 wrote:
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
FYI...I spent 2 hours on Endor last night. I flew about 2.5k west of the Research Outpost, hopped off my bike and areatracked. Nothing. I walked 3k to the north (throught the Dulok Village) tracking all the way. Nothing. No NPCs and no critters on the planet. I was so angry that I logged on the spot. I hope when i log back in that I am killed by a creature, as that means that creatures still exist on Endor. I am expecting to be safe. Based on THs post, the Deatwatch Bunker has wiped out all of the lifeforms on Endor. So, should I get a mission? Nope..I was hunting Black Sun... All herb meat I found on the way would have been collected, but that was a moot point.
Try the SE. I'm not sure if it will help but that is the farthest point from the DWB. If not, just hunt up on the path between the DWB and the Smuggler's Outpost. Plenty of mobs in that region (and almost no lag on Eclipse as long as you stay out of the 1-1.5k circle around the DWB). Not an ideal solution but it is plenty crowded in that region.
I edited my original post...the point being that where I am at on the planet should not determine if there are ANY spawns....
Nemo0
Fri May 28, 2004 7:44 am
#22
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
Nemo0 wrote:
Calculus_Entropy wrote:
FYI...I spent 2 hours on Endor last night. I flew about 2.5k west of the Research Outpost, hopped off my bike and areatracked. Nothing. I walked 3k to the north (throught the Dulok Village) tracking all the way. Nothing. No NPCs and no critters on the planet. I was so angry that I logged on the spot. I hope when i log back in that I am killed by a creature, as that means that creatures still exist on Endor. I am expecting to be safe. Based on THs post, the Deatwatch Bunker has wiped out all of the lifeforms on Endor. So, should I get a mission? Nope..I was hunting Black Sun... All herb meat I found on the way would have been collected, but that was a moot point.
Try the SE. I'm not sure if it will help but that is the farthest point from the DWB. If not, just hunt up on the path between the DWB and the Smuggler's Outpost. Plenty of mobs in that region (and almost no lag on Eclipse as long as you stay out of the 1-1.5k circle around the DWB). Not an ideal solution but it is plenty crowded in that region.
I edited my original post...the point being that where I am at on the planet should not determine if there are ANY spawns....
I agree. Maybe we should invite TH on a Ranger hunt into that area and show him our problem...
DND_Cas
Fri May 28, 2004 8:53 am
#23
Good idea Nemo 
I'm also in complete agreement with Calc on that too. This no wildlife thing is becoming a bit of an issue imo.
I just posted this in the weekly thread in In Live
"Therefore could you please explain how to get around the serverload problem when using the /areatrack skill as the advice of getting missions completely renders its usefulness at those times at zero."
I don't expect an answer which is why I think our next question to TH should be about this very subject although I'm not sure in what form. Clearly
Seiryuu
Fri May 28, 2004 9:56 am
#24
I already posted this on the Scout version of the thread, but since we get more traffic...
In the past two days (roughly seven hours of play), I saw one wild spawn near our player city, which is located in the heart of the Riverland region on Corellia.
I'm guessing that was there since the early morning period. The lack of spawns is rediculous.
In the past two days (roughly seven hours of play), I saw one wild spawn near our player city, which is located in the heart of the Riverland region on Corellia.
I'm guessing that was there since the early morning period. The lack of spawns is rediculous.
Iseult
Fri May 28, 2004 11:58 am
#25
Nemo0 wrote:
I agree. Maybe we should invite TH on a Ranger hunt into that area and show him our problem...
Hehe - for the next big all ranger hunt (sorry I missed the last one, btw), we can all go to the middle of one of the now empty "adventure" planets and e-mote "wonders where all the critters have gone"
Iseult
Master Ranger / Mediocre Rifle-person
Bloodfin
Nemo0
Sat May 29, 2004 12:11 am
#26
Iseult wrote:
Nemo0 wrote:
I agree. Maybe we should invite TH on a Ranger hunt into that area and show him our problem...
Hehe - for the next big all ranger hunt (sorry I missed the last one, btw), we can all go to the middle of one of the now empty "adventure" planets and e-mote "wonders where all the critters have gone"
Iseult
Master Ranger / Mediocre Rifle-person
Bloodfin
And then TH will spawn a nice old ancient krayt on our heads (I wonder what it would be like to fight a krayt on Endor...).