Suggestions for Avoiding Problems for STK Folders and Dirs.

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Open source game community & development
http://forum.freegamedev.net/
tuxkartdriver {l Wrote}:Since, that the new beta was released, I have been observing, that one of the reasons that makes the Cocoa Temple's track to crash, everytime I tried to play it, is that some files are not listed by some scripts or even that some files are spreaded in different dirs and folders.
I am sure, that if all the textures run/load directly from just a specific folder, it will solve some crash problems!
Another problem, is that I found some textures which are inside of two levels of folders. I mean, one folder inside of two other folders, as this example I found: "C:\Program Files\SuperTuxKart\data\library\stklib_conifer_a\textures".
Another one, is that I found out some textures inside "Cocoa Temple" track folder, which are not listed by neither of the scripts of this track: "C:\Program Files\SuperTuxKart\data\tracks\30_chocolate\scene.xml"
If you look at inside the "scene.xml" file, you will see that these following textures: SKY0001.png, SKY0002.png, SKY0003.png and SKY0004.png found inside the "30_chocolate" folder are not listed by "scene.xml" file, while the textures SKY0005.png and SKY0006.png are listed by the "scene.xml".
Curiously, since that I edited and added these 4 textures mentioned above, to the "scene.xml" file, the Cocoa Temple stopped to crash all the time during the race on the 3°graphical level of configuration. Before this, I only could run on the 1°st and 2°nd graphical level without with just some bug effects! And before that, it was impossible to open the stk engine to play "Cocoa Temple" with the 4°th graphical level, but after that I am able to drive during 20 seconds at least on this track!
In my opinion, I think that all the specific textures for each track, as well as all the 3ds objects and all the libraries, should be place inside the track folder! Instead of inside different dirs! I suggest that the programmers let the folder "\SuperTuxKart\data\textures", only should be used to place the textures which are used in common by the tracks as "standard textures" for the stk 0.8.2.
Many different dirs for textures, 3ds and track's scripts for the same track, may be causing crashes and bugs, and until delays of framerates too! Some OS as Windows or Linux sometimes find problems in reading long names, long dir paths, but also find problems in reading files which are placed inside a folder that is inside other folders!
Why "ALL THE KNOWN TRACKS" don't crash for me when I play them on the 5°th graphical level? The answer is easy: "Because, all the main "textures", that each one of the tracks use as well as 3d objects and scripts are "placed" inside their own track's folder!"
The stk engine would run/load and read better the tracks if these files are placed inside only one track folder!
3° - For each "USED" graphical level, they enabled or disabled each graphical option one by one at a time to see where the problem is?
"Bugs" are issues that the programmers know they can happen, eventhough they make a huge effort to avoid them! But, "bugs" always happen, want the programmers or not! And many of these bugs may occur with no explanation and reason for that!
Well, I have to say that "FOR ME" at least, this updated release of stk got much better than the 1st release, but even so, just as me as the other players still get some bugs on it too! I can't understand why almost all the trackswork perfectly when I play with the 5th graphical level, instead of "Cocoa Temple" that crashes on this level!!
There is no reason for crashing stk engine with my notebook graphical board! I use Maya 3d with viewport 2.0 with realtime rendering and also Mudbox. And I easily use a lot of effects and animations with 8k and 16k HD textures and maps with Maya.
About, long names, different dirs and paths, I can say that blender and the stk engine 0.8.1 sometimes don´t work very well with this! Sometimes, I exported some of my tracks to test them, and some exported object which were part of my track, weren´t listed by the stk exported script making the stk engine crash! Just because of a simple letter or number in the object's name, or because of a texture that was placed at other dir and since the stk engine was not able not found the texture or object, it crashed!
Another problem, was when I had to move the folder of one of my tracks containing all the textures, objects and the blender file to another path. Blender simply didn't recognized anymore the objects and I had to import everything again! Just because of a simple dir change! These problems don't happen to me all the time! These things seem to be ridiculous, but happens! I don´t know why!![]()
I would like to know also, why OS as Windows has so many problems with "Virus" as malwares, troyans and many other unreadable or undetectable ones, which sometimes are inside 3 or 4 folder levels? Neither the windows search find them and nor their entries?
I know, that this new release is not the final release, but all the programmers should take the suggestions and issues into consideration, even that, they seem to be ridiculous to believe them! Softwares are impredictable and many strange things may occur to them! There aren't rules for bugs! They many times can happen with no reason! Assuming, that all the programmers didn't forget any detail or observed anything wrong!
In my opinion, I think that all the specific textures for each track, as well as all the 3ds objects and all the libraries, should be place inside the track folder! Instead of inside different dirs! I suggest that the programmers let the folder "\SuperTuxKart\data\textures", only should be used to place the textures which are used in common by the tracks as "standard textures" for the stk 0.8.2.
tuxkartdriver {l Wrote}:No (at least not if everything else is setup correctly, and there are no bugs, ...). Since the tracks work for most people, I think it is very likely that everything is set up correctly.
Well, it is not beacuse the tracks works for most people, that everything is correct! Otherwise, stk wouldn´t have had some crash complaints! It depends on several things,
As we could see on the 1st release of the stk 0.8.2 beta! When many people with very good computers and graphical features had many bug problems, as crashes, disappeared objects and invisible objects, not found textures, not loaded textures and objects and many more others things! While, for others, the problems were just a few bugs on a track.
Well, I have to say that "FOR ME" at least, this updated release of stk got much better than the 1st release, but even so, just as me as the other players still get some bugs on it too!
I can't understand why almost all the trackswork perfectly when I play with the 5th graphical level, instead of "Cocoa Temple" that crashes on this level!!
There is no reason for crashing stk engine with my notebook graphical board!
I use Maya 3d with viewport 2.0 with realtime rendering and also Mudbox. And I easily use a lot of effects and animations with 8k and 16k HD textures and maps with Maya.
About, long names, different dirs and paths, I can say that blender and the stk engine 0.8.1 sometimes don´t work very well with this! Sometimes, I exported some of my tracks to test them, and some exported object which were part of my track, weren´t listed by the stk exported script making the stk engine crash! Just because of a simple letter or number in the object's name, or because of a texture that was placed at other dir and since the stk engine was not able not found the texture or object, it crashed!
Another problem, was when I had to move the folder of one of my tracks containing all the textures, objects and the blender file to another path. Blender simply didn't recognized anymore the objects and I had to import everything again! Just because of a simple dir change! These problems don't happen to me all the time! These things seem to be ridiculous, but happens! I don´t know why!![]()
Aeh - where did you get this from? There is certainly no connection between framerate and number of directories read, or length of paths, or directory nesting levels (well, there are upper limits for paths etc, but we are not hitting those). But I am happy to learn, if you could quote some references
Hiker, I didn´t make any affirmation about "connection between framerate and number of directories read, or length of paths, or directory nesting levels". It was just a smart suggestion from me to you all!
Explain me please what is more intelligent and easy to do?
Example: "You want to go to the shopping center, that stays at the corner of you street, so explain me why, you should use a GPS with many routes for that?
Agree with me, that you don't need to go first to the city downtown, to after go back to the corner of your stree! It only will delay you! And waste time!
I would like to know also, why OS as Windows has so many problems with "Virus" as malwares, troyans and many other unreadable or undetectable ones, which sometimes are inside 3 or 4 folder levels? Neither the windows search find them and nor their entries?
I don't know what 'all the known tracks' are - but most likely the older ones, which don't use the advanced features.
I meant that all the known tracks are "Mansion Hill", "Enterprise", "Mine" and the older ones! By the way, weren't also applied advanced features to "Mansion Hill", "Enterprise" and "Mine"?
I know, that this new release is not the final release, but all the programmers should take the suggestions and issues into consideration, even that, they seem to be ridiculous to believe them! Softwares are impredictable and many strange things may occur to them! There aren't rules for bugs! They many times can happen with no reason! Assuming, that all the programmers didn't forget any detail or observed anything wrong!
tuxkartdriver {l Wrote}:There is no reason for crashing stk engine with my notebook graphical board! I use Maya 3d with viewport 2.0 with realtime rendering and also Mudbox. And I easily use a lot of effects and animations with 8k and 16k HD textures and maps with Maya.
tuxkartdriver {l Wrote}:I just used the name: Testtrack1
I don´t guide myself on wrong knowledges! I wrote about dir problems, because my stdout file showed that some textures and some 3d wheels hadn´t been found in one of the tracks I played!
[error ] GLWrapp: Error when linking these shaders :
[error ] GLWrapp: data/shaders/shadow.vert
[error ] GLWrapp: data/shaders/shadow.geom
[error ] GLWrapp: data/shaders/shadowref.frag
[error ] GLWrapp:
[warn ] IrrDriver: GLWrap : OpenGL error 1285
Sam wrote: Sam: And be aware Video Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 are "low end" GPU. They can't be compared to the most powerful ones like Nvidia or ATI dedicated one.
Sam, I disagee with you! I have a Sony Vaio notebook that is more than US$ 2000,00, neither all people can afford one of these! And you come to tell me, that its is "Low End", just to justify the problems that you and the others don´t know how to solve! You must be kidding!
Sam, don't take this personally too, but, it is not a cool and smart thing to jutify something that still not is perfect! You, as a STK team developer shouldn´t and don´t have the right to depreciate someone's computer, cards or any configuration that the players use!
Hiker wrote: Yes, there is: your graphics driver contains bugs.I am trying to tell you that the graphics driver is the reason for your problem.
Where did you read that? Who told you this? Do you have any Intel report comfirming that? It is a strange comment based in suppositions!![]()
I would like that show any proof that my graphical card contains bugs!![]()
I just updated my drive this week! And the track still has the same problem! I can run the Paradiso track in level 5 with no problem.
But in level 1 and 2 it shows bugs!
Maybe I should contact some Intel's engineers to discover why, their HD 4000 graphical card runs eveything, less STK?
tuxkartdriver {l Wrote}:Sam, I disagee with you! I have a Sony Vaio notebook that is more than US$ 2000,00, neither all people can afford one of these! And you come to tell me, that its is "Low End", just to justify the problems that you and the others don´t know how to solve! You must be kidding!
The question is that this "Low End", runs easily all the games the highest graphical effect demands and capabilities of the planet as I can mention: "Crysis 3", "Battlefield 4", "Assasins Creed", "Metro 2033", "Batman Arkham Asylum", "Batman Arkham City" and etc...
Battlefield 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ5JEsLLs6o
Crysis 2 e 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMZ4uaeBRjw
Assassin's Creed: Unity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLIjpEUZLW0
Titanfall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKgYkCyJ76o
Skyrim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=154aP1CdvNM
deve {l Wrote}:@tuxkartdriver
You bought laptop for 2000$ and you think that it is high-end. I personally bought two years ago Lenovo laptop for ~630$ and it has better configuration than yours (intel core i5 with HD4000 graphics card + nvidia geforce 635m and 6GB RAM). And no, intel HD graphics cards are not high-end.
deve {l Wrote}:Other thing is that STK is not designed for advanced players, but for ordinary people, which are playing it sometimes just for fun. And they don't have geforce 970...
deve {l Wrote}:@tuxkartdriver
You bought laptop for 2000$ and you think that it is high-end. I personally bought two years ago Lenovo laptop for ~630$ and it has better configuration than yours (intel core i5 with HD4000 graphics card + nvidia geforce 635m and 6GB RAM). And no, intel HD graphics cards are not high-end.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:He just said the truth: his laptop/GPU can run easily heavier games and professional graphic softwares, so, there's no logical reason for not running STK due to "high graphic requiriments" or lack of a enough strong GPU.
hiker {l Wrote}:*grin* You telling me all the time that stk contains bugs, but not wanting to accept that a (much more complex) graphics driver might contain one?
http://www.g-truc.net/doc/OpenGL%20status%202014-05.pdf
http://www.g-truc.net/post-0672.html
Mozilla also has a list of which drivers are necessary for which card, ... and feel free to search the intel bug DB as well. Main issue is, no driver is 100% correct, and we try to avoid using features that are known not to work. So for hd3000 which I have we can detect those and disable these features. With hd4000 we need your help. If you tell us that shadows trigger the crash, we will disable them for hd4000 on windows etc. STK might run fine with a card that only supports say 10% of opengl correctly - if it's the 10% we need. A card with 99.9% correct opengl might not work, since we need the missing 0.1%.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:deve {l Wrote}:Other thing is that STK is not designed for advanced players, but for ordinary people, which are playing it sometimes just for fun. And they don't have geforce 970...
That's is exactly the point and he is trying to show clearly.
XGhost {l Wrote}: @GeekPenguinBR
Please, you haven't read / understood hikers post, have you?
vlj {l Wrote}:I don't see the point in arbitrary holding effects back
vlj {l Wrote}: High end of today are tomorrow's mainstream gpu.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:XGhost {l Wrote}: @GeekPenguinBR
Please, you haven't read / understood hikers post, have you?
XGhost:
Please, you haven't read / understood my response intended to Deve instead Hiker? Not, for sure!
No matter what Hiker or Samuncle have posted. My response was intended to Deve, who posted a comment as if my brother was thinking that he has the stronger gamer laptop and doesn't admits a single word in contrary. It's clear now? Good.
GeekPenguinBR {l Wrote}:He just said the truth: his laptop/GPU can run easily heavier games and professional graphic softwares, so, there's no logical reason for not running STK due to "high graphic requiriments" or lack of a enough strong GPU.
vlj {l Wrote}:In Brazil there is a very high tax on imported electronic goods, I've heard of 120%. That's why PS4 costs around 1000$