Chicago Metro multiplayer test in progress

[sniper297]

Finally finally by going into the \TS12\UserData\cache\internet folder and deleting all the files in there to force a refresh (found out you gotta wait for TADdaemon to quit before restarting content mangler) I got the multiplayer test session running. Confirmed that the AI trains do indeed run in a multiplayer session, and they can be seen on the host computer, now all I need is for someone to join and find out if a joiner can see the AI trains.

[sniper297]

1:45 into the session, no joiners yet. I think multiplayer needs a theme song, so here it is;


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV1nNRBb7GE

:D

[sniper297]

Okay, that went over like a lead balloon. Not surprising considering new session and no advance notice, just took a look and there's only 11 downloads for the session so far. For the route itself, for whatever reason it's not listed as a dependency but grayballast KUID: 522774:100376is required for the route or you get blank baseboard in several areas. Other problem, I noticed after a couple hours that new commuters had spawned, but no new freight trains, possibly that's missing rolling stock or something.

Some other observations;

1. I set max number of players to 16, since there was only one there was no actual test on how that would go. Players can claim 2 trains each, dunno if I have 32 player consists with drivers but it's about that many.
2. MU diesels are the usual consist, with the lead designated with something like "Play PON Alco RS3 40th" giving the road, type, and location on the route, need to tweak that because some of them are too long and the description gets truncated in the selection list. Selecting the trailing loco and hitting 1 to jump into the cab, then moving the reverser back and forth to wake it up to which way you're facing now works - but uncouple the new lead loco and it's not drivable independently. If we decide that's desirable possibly the max number of drivers to claim should be increased to 4, and add a driver to both units in the MU.
3. On that same topic, I parked my two RS3s at Angel Falls, hit the 4 key and wandered over to Port Ogden then clicked on the teakettle on the north dock - not drivable. Hit the F6 key to bring up the driver menu, found PON C-41 1326 Port Ogden in the list, right clicked on the driver and selected assign to sniper297, then I was able to drive the steamer. Ran it over to another track, right clicked on the driver again and assign = zero so I was no longer "claiming" that loco.

Questions, is that available only to the host, or can joiners change which driver they're controlling the same way? If I claim an engine like that then unclaim it, can someone else claim that loco later on?

I'm sure answers to all this will come in time, along with more questions, meantime I'll try this again tomorrow and the next day before I start working on glitches in the session - no point fixing the AI until we find out if joiners can even see the AI.

[sniper297]

Still a lot of loose screws in this, after insisting I had a bunch of locally modified files it needed to revert I said be my guest, then it claimed a bunch of stuff needed to be updated to newer versions, knock yourself out. That took several minutes, got a successful launch, figured everything was cool now. This morning launched again, and whatever it modified or unmodified and downloaded yesterday it apparently didn't keep, because it had to do it all again. Ran it five times, rebooted between some, does it every single time. Okay, so after making a backup of the TS12 folder, try running an EDR - the extended database repair needs to be repaired, because after that it wouldn't launch at all. Went into content mangler and deleted route and session, downloaded route again but content mangler never heard of the session after the EDR, so I gave up trying to troubleshoot that and restored the backup folder. Got it running again after the same reverting and updating nonsense.

Further investigation, the freight trains weren't spawning due to missing cars -

40ft Stockcar Union Pacific 48155D Ant,<kuid2:56063:104500:1>
50ft up flatcar,<kuid:58422:100244>

Not in the dependencies since they're built into TS2010 but not TS12, and trains spawning from portals don't get their rolling stock added to the KUID table. Download those two and the freights should spawn from the Proviso portal every 20 minutes, assuming the AI trains are visible to joiners, still need to confirm that.

[Buster76]

I can verify I've seen AI train spawn when I did not host. The AI trains got the host's name as if he'd chosen to be them. This was on the Mojave multiplayer thing.

[sniper297]

Well, still troubleshooting the problem with the constant need to revert and update every time I start the session, but I did get one joiner today. He confirmed that he can indeed see AI trains, and after half an hour of fooling around we decided to see if one guy could couple onto another guy's train as a helper. Started getting lag in the chat window, got around that by hitting the period and enter after each message to bump it up. Assembled a train and ran down to him, started FRAPS to record it. Didn't notice any lag but he said there was an AI train coming, then said the AI train had just run into me. Didn't see an AI, looked on the map and none there either. The joiner dropped out to relog saying we were out of synch or something, and I did see an AI come along a minute or two later, so it was probably me that was lagging behind.

The host computer horsepower could be a factor, mine is 6 years old and barely meets TS12 minimum specs. Connection speed could also be a factor, I have a DSL which downloads 4 megs per minute max speed.

If the host computer is newer and faster and he has a broadband connection, will joiners with slower computers and slower connections have less trouble? Dunno, one of many things we still need to find out. AI trains running in multiplayer apparently work, but do they contribute to lag and out of synch problems?