WARNING : THIS IS A TEST

Hello Racers.

Here is a new compatible test patch X4.
Very few changes since X3 - removed an annoying message.
There are some important fixes and updates since version X.
The plan is to soon use the auto updater, so it must be bug-free.
Please read the full list of changes below.

The patch is fully compatible with version X.

Changes in TEST PATCH X4 :

Updates :

Available start grid size now shown in game setup screen
FIX : Removed debug message ReleasePlateHandle failed

Changes in TEST PATCH X3 :

Updates :

Graphics option : 32 bit sky (set to 32 bit by default)
Improved texture purging code (avoiding possible crash)
Analogue steer smooth max raised to 0.95 (for gamepads)
Improved translation system for user kick / ban messages
FIX : Shift light was invisible in single player replays
FIX : GetPlateHandle failed - sometimes - on a busy host

Multiplayer :

Removed full hosts filter from List of Games screen
FIX : Command /end did not work if no players in race
FIX : A player is connecting stayed on after MPR finished

InSim :

FIX : Guests could not see ALWAYS_ON buttons in all screens
FIX : Guests sent corrupted data in a long IS_BTT packet

Changes in TEST PATCH X2 :

Updates :

Various translation files have been updated

InSim :

Driver model byte added to IS_NPL packet
Minimum MCI / NLP time interval reduced to 50 ms
New packet IS_AXO sent when an autocross object is hit
New packets IS_AXI and IS_AXC report layout information
FIX : Dedicated host could not fill in split nodes info
FIX : Dedicated host did not report race positions

Multiplayer :

Added handicaps / start position / user name to MPR header
FIX : It was possible for any guest to cause a host to crash

DOWNLOAD :

PATCH (Version X must already be installed) :
www.liveforspeed.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_TEST_X4.exe

ZIP VERSION (If you prefer a zip file) :
www.liveforspeed.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_TEST_X4.zip

DEDICATED HOST (for hosting only) :
www.liveforspeed.net/file_lfs.php?name=LFS_S2_DEDI_X4.zip

thx for the info about starting grid

Scawen, would it be possible to get the additional info added to MPR headers in X2 into SPR headers too? (or at least the LFS username.) This'd be really useful right now



Regards,

Ian

Nice work Scawen, just installed it. You guys are really moving along with these updates now!

Quote from Ian.H :

Scawen, would it be possible to get the additional info added to MPR headers in X2 into SPR headers too? (or at least the LFS username.) This'd be really useful right now

There doesn't seem to be any space for a user name without making it incompatible.

But if you are talking about hotlaps, in that case I think the player name field is already filled with user name anyway. Does that do what you need?

hi Scawen..

Quote from Scawen :

There doesn't seem to be any space for a user name without making it incompatible.

But if you are talking about hotlaps, in that case I think the player name field is already filled with user name anyway. Does that do what you need?

I found two references to names in the SPR headers, 'local player name' and 'username'... however, the 'username' value doesn't appear to correspond with the LFSW username, infact, I don't know where this value comes from.

In the replay mgr I'm working on, I had an option to display the 'username' column in the grid as either LFS username or in-game player name, both of these values seem variable for at least my own account. For example, I set up a profile for my littlen before I got him his own account.. swapping the list between username and player name would display 'Ash' for both (yet the username should have been 'Ian.H'), yet others would change.. my own one has varied between 'Ian.H' and '[dSRC] Ian.H' where the former is my username and latter in-game player name.. no idea why the [dSRC] variant would ever appear as a username (hmm, you mentioning hotlaps.. I'll do a test later to see which ones seem to work and which don't.. maybe the username in the non-hotlap replays isn't actually the username? would explain the variations I get if this is the case).

I've checked the code and the correct bytes are being read as for some replays the values are correct.

I've disabled this feature temporarily in the replay mgr, but if the above would be clearer with a couple of screen snippets posted, let me know and I'll sort them out.

Anyways.. I'm interested in reading the username from SPR replays in general, not just hotlaps currently for filtering purposes.. things like start position for the player would be nice, but can wait on those for an incompatible patch in the future if you'd consider adding them at a later date



Regards,

Ian

Scawen, Can you add feature to change driver position in setup screen?

Quote from El_TaxMaN :

Scawen, Can you add feature to change driver position in setup screen?

Eek! I think that would heavily deduct from the realism factor Personally I think cars should be hardcoded to either RHD or LHD, not switchable.



Regards,

Ian

When im start the client, and connect the server, anything is ok.
When I'm disconnect, and connect to other, i have skipping of screen, some freeze for 0,5 of second and its still, but when I restart lfs, and connect, anything is ok. When disconnect and connect to other... it backs...

its in x, and in x3

edit: in x4 too. after some time when I change serv I have this skipping until I restart lfs. I can play on one serv 1 hour, but if I change serv i got this sht

I have one suggestion.
Would it be possible to place the PIT info into the setup rather then keeping it global like it currently is? (Fuel, Tyre change, etc)
As many of us have specific sets for specific combos thus including this would allow us to use different PIT strategies with different sets as part of a specific set.

In terms of bugs, I'm one of those "lucky" people that never has issues with any of the test patches so

Thanks

No requests please.

These test patches were released only to solve some serious multiplayer and InSim issues which were unfortunately not found before X was released.

I am currently working on development version things and other things. I am not looking for things to add to test patches.

If there aren't any serious problems, X4 will be released on the autoupdater and that will end this small series of test patches.

did u take a look at the shift+f4 in the meeting room saying => unknown command?

Quote from Ian.H :

Personally I think cars should be hardcoded to either RHD or LHD, not switchable.

(Off topic)
I think teh cars would have to be real license cars first , 'cause who's to say that any of the cars are LHD or RHD.

Scawen:
guess you fell fo the preasure to fix that singleplayer thingy. :ices_rofl

Quote from Scawen :

Improved texture purging code (avoiding possible crash)

Not sure if this was for the persistent problem I posted about in the Technical Assistance forum, but if so it doesn't fix it.

(The problem is that when I or someone else change the weather at an already-loaded track during a multiplayer game, ~75% of the time I time out. Not every time, but most. I also got a similar timeout when switching between full and half sized textures today. At least two or three others I know have had the same issue.)

Hi Scawen..

Quote from Scawen :

But if you are talking about hotlaps, in that case I think the player name field is already filled with user name anyway. Does that do what you need?

I've just performed a test as mentioned in my last post and confirm that HLVC valid laps would appear to have the correct LFS username stored in the SPR header as the 'username' data... for non-HLVC replays however, this seems to assume the in-game player name, which is already stored as 'playername' elsewhere in the header.

Could this possibly be "fixed" to report the username for both HLVC and non-HLVC replays?



Regards,

Ian

Quote from Belain :

did u take a look at the shift+f4 in the meeting room saying => unknown command?

I'll have a look, this sounds ok.

Quote from Ian.H :

I've just performed a test as mentioned in my last post and confirm that HLVC valid laps would appear to have the correct LFS username stored in the SPR header as the 'username' data... for non-HLVC replays however, this seems to assume the in-game player name, which is already stored as 'playername' elsewhere in the header.

Could this possibly be "fixed" to report the username for both HLVC and non-HLVC replays?

I guess this should be reasonably easy. But to be clear, are we talking about the field "real player name" as seen here?

http://www.lfs.net/?page=SPR

I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing because you are saying "username" but I don't see a field with that description.

Hi Scawen,

I believe I may have found a bug but it doesn't seem to be directly related to this test patch as I had it happen once before in test patch W times but thought it was a one off.

Anyway while watching a SPR replay if you have the option menu opened when the replay finishes, LFS stops & locks up. It won't close using the windows close "X" button and requires a stop system process in the task manager to clear it. No error code or log is created in LFS either.

Sorry if it has been mentioned before, but I haven't seen it said since patch V days.

Hi Scawen..

Quote from Scawen :

I guess this should be reasonably easy. But to be clear, are we talking about the field "real player name" as seen here?

http://www.lfs.net/?page=SPR

I just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing because you are saying "username" but I don't see a field with that description.

Yup, sorry for the confusion.. I simplified things in my head but obviously forgot to share that info

To clarify..

If the Real Player Name could be written as the LFS username in all SPR headers the same as it is for hotlaps, it'd be great!



Regards,

Ian

Has anyone gotten video corruption with the new patch? I saw it happen once in these two scenarios:

Scenario 1:
Some textures in the track environment get corrupted, but not cars
No corruption when in the car setup screen or whatever you want to call it

Scenario 2:
No corruption in the track environment, everything renders perfectly
Corruption in the car setup screen (see attached)

Edit: I should add that in both scenarios I had been running LFS for at least 30 minutes. It is not easily reproducible.

My setup:
AMD Athlon 64 2800+ socket 754
Abit KV8 with VIA K8T800 chipset
1GB DDR SDRAM
GeForce 6800 (not overclocked) with 158.24 WHQL drivers
Windows Vista 32bit

To me, it does look like standard video artifacts due to hardware or heating issue, but just want to check if anyone else is experiencing this before I throw $$$ at a solution.

I have had this problem 5 times.

http://img117.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tra2ko2.jpg

Quote from cebesius :

...

Your graphics card is broken. Probably fried memory banks due to overheating. Most likely the fault of notoriously undersized stock coolers and maybe insufficient airflow in the case.

Quote from AndroidXP :

Your graphics card is broken. Probably fried memory banks due to overheating. Most likely the fault of notoriously undersized stock coolers and maybe insufficient airflow in the case.

Yeah.

Dust can also be a problem.

Overheating due to dust obviously takes a while to develop (i.e. over time the dust builds up around the fan and the cooling fins under the cover plate).

I started getting problems with my GeForce 6800 overheating a few weeks ago (black screens after 5-10mins running), however once I removed the cover plate and vacuumed the dust away, things went back to normal.

I'd recommend to everyone to check their cards for dust periodically.

If all seems well for the first 30mins or so Cebesius, and then the problems start, it might be worth checking.

You might be just in time before a major fry-up!

Quote from dungbeetle :

Yeah.

Dust can also be a problem.

Overheating due to dust obviously takes a while to develop (i.e. over time the dust builds up around the fan and the cooling fins under the cover plate).

I started getting problems with my GeForce 6800 overheating a few weeks ago (black screens after 5-10mins running), however once I removed the cover plate and vacuumed the dust away, things went back to normal.

I'd recommend to everyone to check their cards for dust periodically.

If all seems well for the first 30mins or so Cebesius, and then the problems start, it might be worth checking.

You might be just in time before a major fry-up!

No wonder why my scans didint pick anything up better un dust it tomorrow.

Quote from faster111 :

No wonder why my scans didint pick anything up better un dust it tomorrow.

What kind of scans?

Quote from garph :

What kind of scans?

Spyware and virus and they come back all clean.