T3D 1.1 Preview - Projectiles disappearing instead of exploding - RESOLVED

#1 I have noticed this also, T3D 1.1P, Win7 32bit, ATI Radeon HD 5500, in any mission file with a terrain. I have not had an issue with object collisions whether using bounds, collision meshes or visible meshes for collision detection.

#2 I don't use the stock projectile code anymore, but I had a quick browse through the code and it seems to me that someone has removed the delete wait time stuff -- which was not a smart move.

Based on the videos, I'd say that's the issue you're running into. Essentially what is happening (even in local games) is that the server-side projectiles are being deleted before the client receives an update to tell them that they've exploded. Though this isn't always an issue (since the client projectiles will generate their own explosions if they get a chance and the server objects are hidden until the end of their lifetime), it means that in the right set of (fairly common) circumstances, the explosions don't appear at all.

I'm not quite sure why someone removed the delayed deletion event that used to be in the projectile class (it added another 500ms or so of lifespan to the hidden server-side projectile after an explosion). My guess would be that they didn't understand what it did and didn't bother testing across a network for any length of time. But, of course, I might be being overly cynical...

All that being said, I had a flip back through T3D versions and it seems it's been missing for a while...

#3 Thanks for contributing. I'm not sure if it helps but after checking, the ProjectileData::onCollision and onExplode are called even when the problem occurs. Those are script functions, I'm not advanced enough to efficiently dig through the source code.

#4 Yeah, both of those are called on the server object. The problem is that the client object isn't getting the message that its blown up before it gets the message to delete itself.

#5 I think there's an existing ticket for this. I'll have to check.

#6 Hi, any update on the issue?

#7 @Scott; I never created a bug post for this issue..I figured it was so obvious that the team would see it.

#8 @eb : I'm a bit curious, do you remember if the issue existed on previous versions of the engine? Because I don't remember experiencing it on 1.1B3, although I have not done any extensive testing.

#9 I don't remember seeing this in earlier versions but that doesn't mean it never happened. Although I have seen it in preview several times.
I know in B3 you could rotate to a certain angle and would not be able to see the projectiles until they exploded but could see the explosion.
I have not tested for this in preview.

#10 well, Torque has always had projectile issues IMO.

..but for them to disappear when shooting "items"..etc..I don't recall it happening before.

#11 it is only from certain angles, if you rotate again it comes back into view. this happens while the projectile is in route.

#12 @Lunacy: It looks like we dropped the ball on this one. I just wanted to let you know that I was able to reproduce the issue you are having with the projectiles disappearing and have logged this issue under ticket THREED-1832.

#13 Oh that's great, thanks for your work!

#14 Looking into this one. We had some thoughts that it might be collision related because we've seen a similar issue with grenades. If anyone gets the chance to validate some of the theories, I might be able to bump this one.

#15 I've seen grenades vanish in beta 3 ...

Also I wasn't certain if the projectile vanished or not (in Preview) or whether stuff just didn't render because I've still had my player take radiusDamage when no decal/particles/blast audio occurred ...

... have no idea if any of that was helpful ...

#16 In all honesty, I have seen Lunacy's issue, and others, for years.
Doesn't anyone recall me complaining about them before?? No one is that good at ignoring me! :P

Projectiles:
1. projectiles disappear
2. sometimes they fail to explode after they disappear
3. sometimes they never render yet they'll explode
4. Sometimes they'll start a couple units in front of the player..never in the same place twice but mostly, what seems; within 2 units of the muzzle node in use.
5. Sometimes you can shoot through a wall; if you stand about 1 unit away from a wall and repeatedly shoot until you get that 1 projectile that starts at the distance you need to surpass the wall. Don't believe me?; search the web, it's plastered around. People think Torque is a joke because of this.
6. Sometimes they won't show,explode, or decal.. but the player will get hurt.
7. (Add any plausible possibility here.. it's happened.)

- If you say you haven't seen these issues, you are either lying or you haven't been looking.

Will scripted weaponry ever be perfect? ..probably not.
//this post was made genuinely..no need to fanboi me.

Edit: If I recall correctly, one of my buddies dropped Torque cold because of this fundamental set of flaws. He was going to make an interior based FPS but he couldn't get the projectile system to cooperate worth a darn, this was in TGEA in 2008 iirc.

#17 I've noticed that projectiles don't actually seem honor collisions meshes on projectile models, or if they do, they only use the 0,0,0 point (maybe bounds?). My first go at glow sticks were basically just grenades that did 0 damage and had a long fuse, they would just spin and spin half-way in the ground.

Short-short video example.

#18 - in the physics example, if you stand at 0,0,0 and shoot a mountain top, it will hurt you even though you're nowhere near the damage point.
- in the physics example, if you shoot the ammo sitting on the box, it will eat your rocket..maybe all projectiles.

I am not aware if these carry over to new projects created with the added physics, and yes I know that the preview had a major WIP physics example...hence why I haven't posted a bug report because I assume sickhead knows of the issues.

#19 Reviving the issue a bit, as I've been fiddling with it.
Dunno if anyone else noticed it, or the ramifications yet, but the projectile will more or less always register a 'hit'. Only on the server level. When the projectile properly explodes, it registers the hit on the client side as well.

So the projectile is being created both server and client side. However, by the time a hit happens, sometimes the projectile will not register the hit with the client. The server still reports a hit, and the projectile is deleted, but the explosion doesn't occur because the client never registered the impact.

By the sounds of things, all those issues E.B. mentioned stem from the client side not properly simulating or something to the effect. As the rendering/effects are client side, if the client isn't updating, or something like that, then you'd see those problems.

I'll keep looking at this and see if I can narrow down where the diffusion between the server and client is coming from.

#20 I'm seeing grenades slip through the terrain occasionally. Also, RigidShape objects can occasionally sink through certain terrain "shapes," for lack of a better term - if the terrain is very rough and shaped sort of like a bowl and the RigidShape is the right size, it can (but usually won't) bobble its way through the terrain and fall.

I think the other part could be corrected by altering object properties....