Version 1.5.2.21 (2014-07-10): Loggalicious! (Updated!)

[Ultraken]

So much for the monthly release cadence I was going for...

This build has about two builds' worth of changes, but the thing I'm happiest about is the new debugging and logging features.

The game's file system logs the asset index to zixindex.log, listing each asset file and location; this can help track down asset conflicts, so be on the lookout for assets with unexpected paths. The shell logs Check CRC computation to crc32game.log and Mission Version computation to crc32mission.log, listing each file, the CRC value it produced, and its; this can help track down Check CRC and Mission Version mismatches, usually caused by a modified file somewhere in addon. I can post the "expected" crc32 logs so people can compare them against their local versions if conflicts arise. A "diff" program like WinDiff, WinMerge, or Beyond Compare, and so forth will highlight any discrepancies, revealing the file causing the mismatch.

Adding /console to the command line will open a Windows console window that prints debug trace messages and output messages from Lua mission scripts. The console shows most of the things that show up in the debug output window of the Visual C++ debugger without having to run Visual C++. Clicking the icon in the upper left corner opens a context menu with an Edit sub-menu that allows selecting and copying text from the console.

Update: I uploaded a new 1.5.2.21b Asset Pack which removes the not-ready-for-primetime models I included in the 1.5.2.20 Asset Pack.

Unofficial 1.5 Patch Hub with common files shared between versions, documentation, utilities, and more
Version 1.5.2.21 Page with download link and build notes

[Red Devil]

dang , Ken.



*looks around* seeing that Commando is not here right now, would it be possible to slide over to BZ2 while GSH is busy (okay, swamped) with lifekidswifeyworkfamilyhomebusinesswhatevers and add this to bz2?

just remembered: does it track assets pointed to within files? like effects/renders/sounds/animations?

[Nielk1]

Ken is pretty BZ2ed out.
Hell so am I.

I'm off in BZ1 land ATM. This logging will really help.

The asset thing, from my understanding, is based on the actual loading of files. Remember that BZ1 loads assets differently than BZ2, using ZIX file indexes instead. Ken can say better than I.

[RubiconAlpha]

Thanks Ken. Will fire up some BZ this weekend after this update.

[Zero Angel]

*looks around* seeing that Commando is not here right now, would it be possible to slide over to BZ2 while GSH is busy (okay, swamped) with lifekidswifeyworkfamilyhomebusinesswhatevers and add this to bz2?

I'm just glad that bz2 multiplayer is in a reasonably sane state (most of the sub build kinks worked out, and release cycle is slowed down to a rate that the player base can bear). Nathan's hiatus is much deserved.

[Ultraken]

The ZIX file is just list of ZFS pack files followed by a list of all assets from each pack file. The file system reads in the ZIX as a baseline, adds everything it finds in addon, and builds an internal asset database for use by the file system. The zixindex.log is a human-readable listing of all assets and their locations, including both active assets (indicated with "@") and inactive assets (indicated with "!").

[Commando]

Does the current version have basic MPI support? I can't remember if I read it did or not.

Also, for Internet play, do I choose TCP/IP?

[blue banana]

MPI maps require a script in order to... Well, be an MPI.

[Commando]

Nevermind. Found the drop down to select MPI maps. There aren't any included.

[Ded10c]

Yeah, 1.5 doesn't include any maps of its own as yet.

[Ultraken]

BZ1 has a slightly different definition of MPI than BZ2:
"Mission MPI" is Strategy MP with Lua scripting
"Action MPI" is Deathmatch MP with Lua scripting

The IA, ST, and MP mission classes are all based on LuaMission so they can (but don't have to) run Lua scripts to augment the normal mission. LuaMission can run by itself but is very bare-bones, with no support for multiplayer or any of the fixed-function IA mission logic (including automatic path spawn).