Grotto out

[Nachimir]

(Ugh, late Friday exhibition hanging)

Ok, I managed to stop tweaking and upload it...

It's out. (http://www.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?/planetunreal/fragadelic/nachimir/dm-grotto.zip)

Also, I have to change the structure on my site to make updates easier, but here's the grotto page for now (http://www.planetunreal.com/fragadelic/nachimir/grotto/index.html) (With a popup showing the bots doing huge jumps).

Hmm... PHP sounds nice.

BaSe, I hope you don't mind, but I emailed redef with that link already. You said you were on shifts, so I don't know when you're about to do news pimpage etc. Sorry if I'm pre-empting you, I won't do it again, and I asked redef to link to the Fragadelic site.

[Balton]

dled it and gonna play...

[ULTBase]

U bugger, ive never rushed so much in my life to get a page up... please please dont do that again. I dont mind if you want to send news but please give me chance to get the pages up. Its sorted now, and ill actually download the map and play it... :)

[Nachimir]

Sorry BaSe, I did mean to take care of stuff that way yesterday evening, but I got waylaid until midnight.

[Mxtrmntr]

D/led and already played it a bit, but there was one bad problem that kept me from REALLY playing it:

I had the nice critical error shown below 3 times (= every time I played it), it seemed to appear at random times/places, and I can't remember having it with any other map.

Anyway, from what I saw, I think it's quite a nice, original map, I like it better than Potamic (tho I only played it for a few minutes back then). More feedback to come soon, if the crashes don't annoy me too much :)

[Nachimir]

Oh dear, that's bad...

No critical errors here though. Not even at the bottom of your post :-/ :)

[Mxtrmntr]

lol @ me

here it is:

[Nachimir]

Sound error. I got some sound errors when I put too many ambient sounds in, but dropped the count right down and it was fine from then on. Even before, it never crashed it; it just sounded strange.

I've had similar with reverb as well (The reverb on DM-skull**** generates very unpleasant effects on my PC). I'm only running an AWE64, how about you?

Does the crash happen in any particular parts of the map?

The only things that are random are some birdcalls in the main outdoor area, some of which are custom sounds embedded in the level. They all work fine here...

[Mxtrmntr]

Originally posted by Nachimir
Sound error. I got some sound errors when I put too many ambient sounds in, but dropped the count right down and it was fine from then on. Even before, it never crashed it; it just sounded strange.

I've had similar with reverb as well (The reverb on DM-skull**** generates very unpleasant effects on my PC). I'm only running an AWE64, how about you?

Does the crash happen in any particular parts of the map?

The only things that are random are some birdcalls in the main outdoor area, some of which are custom sounds embedded in the level. They all work fine here...

The first two crashes were at different parts of the outside area, dunno about the third one any more but it could be that it was in the outside too. My sound card is a SB Live Value (btw, I've got the reverb bug in DM-Skull**** too, it's obviously a bug in UT's sound system that only appears on some systems)

[Balton]

Originally posted by Mxtrmntr
lol @ me

here it is:

hi max! I usualy get that error when I am having winamp running in the background or icq or any other program that makes noises while i play... and I told ya that potamic and grotto are awesome!

[Mxtrmntr]

Originally posted by Balton.de


hi max! I usualy get that error when I am having winamp running in the background or icq or any other program that makes noises while i play... and I told ya that potamic and grotto are awesome!

Wait...could be IRC (tho it doesn't make any sounds)...lemme look 0_o

[Mxtrmntr]

Hmm, couldn't find any program responsible for those errors :hmm:

Btw, I think both of today's crashes took place in the outside area if I'm right...
Might also have to do with the fact that I'm running around out there most of the time :)

[Nachimir]

Hmm, what's your sound quality set to?

[Mxtrmntr]

High.

3D sound activated.

[Balton]

played the final grott. NICE! GOOD JOB! and I would give you a hug but you see thats impossible!

[navboy]

yep, played the finished product, it's really slick. What a compact little map, looks great, sounds great. Fun watching the bots leap off the top and sniper hole into the water, just what i like to do myself. They defend the R/L well and get the Redeemer well ...

Haven't played a LAN game with it yet but look forward to it.

[Nachimir]

Thanks guys.

Mxtrmntr: I keep meaning to do a soak test on Grotto to see if I get any sound bugs, but I've been very busy. Soz. Have you tried it without 3D sound?

[ULTBase]

Don't know if you noticed Nach, but a guy named Peter has sent in a pic to PU which has made Pic of the Day. The shot is of Grotto, with a message 'Anyone like Easter eggs? Check out this shot of one found by Peter in Nachimir‘s DM-Grotto.'

Heres the image CLICK HERE (http://www.planetunreal.com/images/photo/index.asp?id=347157)

Sweet :)

[Nachimir]

Hehe! A sneaky expletive in the top right Gamespy wouldn't like that. :)

[ULT_MacGuges]

I've played DM-Grotto, and enjoyed it immensely except for the aforementioned Critical Error. I recorded the same error message as appeared above. My sound is set to high with EAX for 3d audio acceleration (SB Live). I played several times but could not see a pattern to the faults, though it's possible it was outdoors.

I did not see the secret, but I did appreciate the sleeping monster behind the grate. Very clever! Other clever ideas: laser warning system before sniping post, the glowing door portal, hopping across on the house's roof, the underground stream. Nifty! It only the map didn't crash so consistently.

I will experiment further to see if changing audio settings or staying inside/outside changes the likelihood of crashing.

[navboy]

My UT sound settings are High quality, but both the Hardware and SurroundSound checkboxes are unchecked. I've played Grotto and it's betas a number of times and haven't experienced a crash or any sound wierdness. I've got an SBLive card. HTH.

[ULT_MacGuges]

Odd.

I went back to UT & changed by audio settings to no 3d audio acceleration. DM-Grotto still failed.

I changed audio to Low quality. A DM set to 25 frags completed without crashing. "So it's the High quality?" I wondered.

I set audio to High & 3d again and played DM-Grotto again, but this time I didn't crash, though I spent copious time outside. Maybe there's a caching situation at work? I had played at high quality without restarting UT, so maybe if I replay it now it would break.

Incidentally, I observed a HOM using the sniper scope from the lookout alcove, while aiming at the house's entrance. The ramp below that point was HOM'd.

I do wonder how I can get through the sewer grate without ghosting.

p.s. I don't know what to think now. I changed the audio quality to low & turned off hardware 3d today, but the level still crashed within minutes of starting the level. Sorry.

[Nachimir]

This thread has mention of both those things:

bip! (http://forums.beyondunreal.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=100643)

I really couldn't get rid of that HOM. The brushwrk on grotto is really rather messy, and there were much worse problems I did sort out.

Hmm, I'm thinking maybe a few of the birdcalls I imported weren't reduced in quality enough...

[navboy]

Hmm, I'm thinking maybe a few of the birdcalls I imported weren't reduced in quality enough...

hmm, your samples aren't in stereo are they? DM-Gravadyne7 has lots of ambient sound actors and some triggered broadcast sounds and at one point i tried to use a stereo sample for the voice over the intercom and it crapped my system out big time. I kept reducing quality and nothing helped until i made it mono, then i could take the quality back up with no problems. Probably something to do with channels in the Galaxy system or something.

[navboy]

jeez i can't believe i didn't find the easter eggs in the beta version; guess i should have looked at it in the editor to make sure i was finding everything. wow, that's great, i mean you're basically adding an aspect of modern art to a FPS map, rofl ... it's really cool.