Redirecting servers - question to the devs and ppl who know this stuff

[[40-1]MORD]

"Redirects" as most of us know work as follow - you join a server running a map you dont have. Download starts and if you have decent broadband and are not far from server location you have game on your machine in 15-60 seconds. Instead of taking file from game server directly you fetch it from a super fast redirecting server.
Now map file goes to C:\Users\UserName\Documents\My Games\RedOrchestra2\ROGame\Cache and may look like this (example) FB7769184C5E77D6C363C58EC9AECDC3.uxx
Next time you play this map you dont need to download again and your game knows where is a map file located. I assume that this file must have some informations that that tells the game where is should be used.

To the point - there is no problem with the maps but there is a massive problem with the mods that contain more different files.
Basicly even if you put all required files on redirect and your client downloads it still you are not able to play your mod on game server.
You will crash or some content wont be displayed properly (weapons , skins for example.)

So we have all the files in mentioned before cache folder but when you connect to the server your game doesn`t know where to look for them.

I see this problem as the biggest blockage to all comunity created mods.
Only few percent know what to do - where to subscribe, what file edit etc.

My question is - how does it all work? Why player game knows where to find map files but doesn`t know where to find mod files?
Can it be fixed or corrected or maybe it`s not so simple as it seems?

Mods please dont move this thread as it will get more attention in here

 

[G_Sajer]

I think I can help a little using the HoW mod as an example. For WF maps
all individual files needed to support WF maps are contained on the redirect.
But all associated .u and .upk files are placed there right along with the .roe files. No subdirectories. These same files must also be on the game server, but the placement there is a little more structured. Some are placed in the PACKAGES subdirectory under BrewedPCServer, They are contained there in another subdirectory called WFGame. Any sound files are placed in the SOUNDS subdirectory under BrewedPCServer.

So all these mod support files must live on BOTH the server and the redirect for everything to work properly. When a given map calls for these support files, the map on the client calls them in from the redirect. And the same map on the server calls them in from the proper subdirectories on the server.

Hope that helps.

 

[[40-1]MORD]

Thanks but it`s exactly how I`ve got it right now.
Mod and maps files are placed together on redirect (no subdirectories)
They are placed in proper order on game server.
Example (snlf skins):
ROGame/BrewedPCServer/BetaSNLF.u
ROGame/BrewedPCServer/RSGame/Packages/Characters/CHR_RS_BETASNLF.upk
ROGame/Config/SNLF.ini

After downloading files from redirect user gets purple-white skins.

 

[G_Sajer]

I've seen that phenomenon too, but if I remember correctly, it had to do with something lacking in the brewing process rather that a resource being absent.
The server log should give a clue. Look up the error line in the log when the belch occurred. If the result identifies a missing file, make sure it's available on redirect and server. If it is, then check the call statement within the .roe file for a path or syntax issue.

 

[[40-1]MORD]

Server is not missing anything as when you are subscribed in sws you get all skins nicely. Im unable to check .roe file (any mod files) as I dont know how to open it and not familiar with this stuff tbh. Could anyone?

 

[Beskar Mando]

Server is not missing anything as when you are subscribed in sws you get all skins nicely. Im unable to check .roe file (any mod files) as I dont know how to open it and not familiar with this stuff tbh. Could anyone?

Fairly sure it has to do with the materials. Considering the SNLF "patch" shows up my guess is that it has something to do with the material references.

 

[Lemonater47]

HOTW is also a mod whereas SNLF is a mutator. The game treats all the HOTW resources as resources the map needs to run.

Also 23,000 people have the mod. So chances are people will have the mod files anyway.

 

[Beskar Mando]

HOTW is also a mod whereas SNLF is a mutator. The game treats all the HOTW resources as resources the map needs to run.

Also 23,000 people have the mod. So chances are people will have the mod files anyway.

Somehow I doubt this, especially after looking at your events and server pops....

 

[Lemonater47]

Somehow I doubt this, especially after looking at your events and server pops....

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=319269696

Subscribers say so.

They all have the mod files.

 

[[40-1]MORD]

Let`s say 25% players have hotw and snlf mods (very optimistic). The rest dont and they leave the server as they dont want to see incomplete avatars. Sever dies. It`s not a solution.
Good to read that there might be a chance of fixing this as Beskar Mando suggests. Maybe with your help Joe would be able to repair it so the whole community could enjoy awesome 2013 snfl skins on Betio and Otorishima?
I guess it is the same case with Pacific Armor mod, isnt it?

 

[RandomPerson78642]

For the SNLF all my content is in a package called CHR_RS_BETASNLF.

From the screenshot it's obvious that the game is not finding or not loading that package somehow. But I got no clue how to fix it.

 

[Ducky]

You can merge the skin upk file with the mutator .u file. The result will be 1 file only (a new .u file) that contains both files. Next remove the "old" .u and upk files from both server and redirect and only use the merged .u file. This way all required content is guarenteed to be loaded by the clients. You can do such a merge by using the merge applet embedded in ro2. This did work when we still had to cook the files. Never tried it when it was replaced by the brewing process.

Edit:
I was curious if merging still works with brewed files and gave it a try on RandomPerson78642's SNLF mutator. It seems to be working. Installed them on my test server and on a redirect. When connecting, the client does download the complete mutator. Meaning no need to download the skins with the workshop before playing on a server that runs RandomPerson78642's SNLF mutator.

I posted the how-to's here: http://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/showthread.php?p=1432119#post1432119

 

[Panzer Jager '43]

You can merge the skin upk file with the mutator .u file. The result will be 1 file only (a new .u file) that contains both files. Next remove the "old" .u and upk files from both server and redirect and only use the merged .u file. This way all required content is guarenteed to be loaded by the clients. You can do such a merge by using the merge applet embedded in ro2. This did work when we still had to cook the files. Never tried it when it was replaced by the brewing process.

Edit:
I was curious if merging still works with brewed files and gave it a try on RandomPerson78642's SNLF mutator. It seems to be working. Installed them on my test server and on a redirect. When connecting, the client does download the complete mutator. Meaning no need to download the skins with the workshop before playing on a server that runs RandomPerson78642's SNLF mutator.

I posted the how-to's here: http://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/showthread.php?p=1432119#post1432119

I hope your solution works as that may change IOM. The reason we have a 'config edit' thing is exactly because, without it, you will get these 'purple' skins in Online matches. Basically we are forcing our MaterialInstanceConstants (textures) to be loaded by the client, but obviously this extra step can be annoying when you just want to join a match and play.

Thanks for the how-to. Crossing my fingers here.

 

[Cwalk]

Any success?

 

[RandomPerson78642]

I tried it for my stuff, works perfectly. Don't know how it'll behave on an actual server though.

 

[Ducky]

I hope your solution works as that may change IOM. The reason we have a 'config edit' thing is exactly because, without it, you will get these 'purple' skins in Online matches. Basically we are forcing our MaterialInstanceConstants (textures) to be loaded by the client, but obviously this extra step can be annoying when you just want to join a match and play.

Thanks for the how-to. Crossing my fingers here.

I did gave Dibbler the merge details in the early IOM days (when it was a sound-mutator only), though he couldn't get it to work properly with merged files. Maybe it doesn't work that well if you attempt to merge more than 2 files. Or maybe we did do it wrong

If you can omit the mandatory ini modification by merging the files, then it will for sure make IOM easy accessible for everyone.

I tried it for my stuff, works perfectly. Don't know how it'll behave on an actual server though.

I tried it on my test server, and it worked with your SNLF mutator. I believe MORD also tried it on one of their [40-1] servers, and from what I read here it worked too.

 

[Cat_in_da_Hat]

Sounds like some real progress here guys. Let me know when there is success and the Aussie / NZ servers will run these mods and mutators.

[40-1]MORD is totally correct unless everything is delivered to people from the server redirect, then even speciality server operators wont run this stuff.

Not to point the elephant in the room but these problems could easily be fixed if TWI put out a patch with the required files. Or course they would need to be finalised, stable etc. IOM I think it jsut needs an extra bit of text in one of the config files. I might be wrong on that but I did the manual change and it has had no impact on playing the stock game.