AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

Hey guys,

As some of you may have noticed, the server has gotten rather crashy lately at recent peak times.

We've always had an issue with DMs occasionally crashing the server when logging in, but this is a different, and fairly recent problem.

So, in order to rectify this, we're going to be doing two things:

1) Reducing the player limit on both servers to 55.

2) Removing underused, pointless areas on A.

While reducing the player limit is a bit of a pain, most times the player count has reached 65, the server has only ended up crashing soon afterwards anyway. Taking a hit of ten max players for fewer crashes seems a good sacrifice, and it's not like those extra players can't log into B instead anyway. Also, with all of the area overhauls we've done lately, it's gotten to the point Amia A is nearly as big as before we split the server up in the first place. We're going to have to do some cutting down, as this is entirely too big a module size for NWN to handle properly.

We'll be keeping an eye on the server stability after this to see what kind of effect it has. Thanks!

Doesn't using the Direct Connect also help with server stability? Several servers (rather populated ones, too!) usually recommend doing such.

666WaysToHell wrote:

Doesn't using the Direct Connect also help with server stability? Several servers (rather populated ones, too!) usually recommend doing such.

There's no other way to connect anymore. >_>

How is Amia doing on the money department? Does Disco have any plans of upgrading or replacing parts?

Something to keep in mind as well is that excessive item counts on characters can contribute as well. So if you want to do your part to help with this, checking just how many bags of holding and such you have chalk full of items would be a good place to start. We arent going to start imposing limitations or set numbers, its just something to bear in mind to help yourselves as much as everyone else.

Will there be news on which areas in particular are being removed before-hand?

Quite frankly, you won't even notice most of the areas are gone. For the couple that might be missed, it'll be included in the relevant module update log.

A dark interlude: the genocide of the gulgars.

Bye bye Mr. Lodge.

Yay for less space! :mrgreen:

(Not sarcasm)

I bet the purge will include all of my favorite hang outs. When the Skull Crags were changed years ago, that's exactly what happened; the spot where Al'Tustra and Zenith would camp got removed. :[

Log connection attempts if possible. Also keep an eye on any nwnx function manipulating memory as some of them arent compatible with x64 bit systems which will cause the server to crash upon allocating or freeing memory usually associated with a player leaving or joining.

If nothing has changed hardware or software-wise defiantly log connection attempts.

Goodbye destroyed island of talking animals.

Confirmed for next patch: Kohlingen is being removed stay posted for ic reasons

Glim wrote:

Something to keep in mind as well is that excessive item counts on characters can contribute as well. So if you want to do your part to help with this, checking just how many bags of holding and such you have chalk full of items would be a good place to start. We arent going to start imposing limitations or set numbers, its just something to bear in mind to help yourselves as much as everyone else.

Yeah thats my fault.... 688 items and growing(it used to be near 800+ befor mythal tubes), I really need to get more Mythal tubes, and something to store bonewands and blank scrolls... got about 30 scrolls, 30 bonewands, about 40 misc mythals not in tubes..

I have no idea why I have 30 stacks of crafted healing potions, I dont even use heal potions...

Terra_777 wrote:

Log connection attempts if possible. Also keep an eye on any nwnx function manipulating memory as some of them arent compatible with x64 bit systems which will cause the server to crash upon allocating or freeing memory usually associated with a player leaving or joining.

If nothing has changed hardware or software-wise defiantly log connection attempts.

I don't really believe it's a hardware issue, because the crashes literally never happened (save for the infamous DM log-in crash) up until our player count rose. There's a clear correlation between crashes and busy hours, and not in the sense of "crashes happen more", but "crashes only happen here".

And hey, you leave my crappily designed gulgars alone.

Cutting the max player size seems like a reasonable thing. Maybe move a few hubs to B if possible. That's one thing I've noticed about B; most of it is frontier and wilderness, so there's a natural urge to log onto A unless you're planning on exploring.

I've noticed some concentration of things happening, Like Tarkuul becoming more of a hub. Some of the wilderness areas on B have been shrunk (I think) after being remade. A still has a few spots that comes to mind, although I don't know the names of most of those spots considering I almost never go to them. As long as the areas that get cut out are truely unused by most, I'm totally for this happening. Some areas may still need to exist, even if they take up a lot of space....like the island where the Salandran temple is for example- nobody goes there enough for it to be that big, yet it should still be there. Perhaps some areas will be redone in the future to save space.

Glim wrote:

Something to keep in mind as well is that excessive item counts on characters can contribute as well. So if you want to do your part to help with this, checking just how many bags of holding and such you have chalk full of items would be a good place to start. We arent going to start imposing limitations or set numbers, its just something to bear in mind to help yourselves as much as everyone else.

But... But.... I NEED all my things... how am I supposed to survive without like 40 god rings... and 7 of each color light stones... and my 7 sets of skill armors..

PS. Being a packrat ftl

I blame windows.

If we start moving some areas from A to B is that they should probably be areas not physically on Amia or close to the isle. You should be able to explore the entire isle proper without switching servers, as you always have been.

However, things that are picking up speed that are off the island could probably go to B and solve the problem. I'm thinking Tarkuul and the Triumvir specifically.

Would raising the bankable items limit help with players carrying less items around? I've noticed that when I started getting involved with crafting I've increased the misc stuff I carry around simply because I've got no place else to go with Glowberries, and mushroom spores and the like.

Tarkuul and all the Underdark, move it to B?

I'd rather interest in Tarkuul didn't evaporate overnight, thanks

NinjaClarinet wrote:

I'd rather interest in Tarkuul didn't evaporate overnight, thanks

Why would it do that? Tarkuul's RP lately is rather self-contained. The reason people don't go on B as much is because among other things, the hubs are few and far between. People won't stop going to Tarkuul because it's on B, that's just silly.

That's a very naive belief. Party chat, ooc banter and friendships make up a large portion of NWN's enjoyability. It's a social game. Even I'd spend less time in the city if it was moved to B, since the majority of the people I enjoy communicating with are around hubs on A, even if the characters are physically elsewhere. I very rarely personally go to any location on B since it cuts me off from the main mass of people, and I can't imagine I'm alone. Amia is still a game, not some alternate-reality simulation where you ignore everyone that isn't immediately interacting ICly. I still think moving the RP centers of B (Wiltun, Zanshibon, Shadowscape, ect.) to A, and then offloading A's dungeons and wilderness to B is a superior option. Think MMO instancing, since it also has the effect of offloading the majority of AI and combat calculating to a separate server.

Extra perk: It would also make robberies or Banite encounters on the roads much less likely to be interrupted by a flood of improbable reinforcements from either side.

EDIT for more rambling: It'd certainly give wilderness and dungeons a much more scary, isolated feel, too. The backwaters of Caraigh and Amia Forest feel very different, and not just from area design. Traveling and hunting in groups seems even more likely if you don't have a horde of buddies idling in Cordor, one Tell away from being able to come get your dead self.

I had a little think about that, and while I can see the attraction to it, I believe it would end up being too cumbersome. It would require server hopping portals in a load of places, and make it a bit of a nightmare for DMs to keep track of parties. Also, not all dungeons are cut-off places you can shift to their own server. For instance, the kobold caves link to the Cordor sewers, not to mention the Cordor Underground and the orc caverns. The troll caves link to several other underground caves, not all of which are 'dungeons'. What about Guldorand (or what remains of it)? It's a village bang-smack in the middle of a big hunting grounds. There's more examples I can give, but I think you get the idea.

I do think it's an interesting idea, mind you. But it feels like it would be too complex for its own good. Making two or more server swaps to get to point B from A seems like it would be tedious.

Aye, I've no illusions about the scale of the overhaul that'd take. You'd basically have to redesign the whole area planning style of the module in order to prevent excess swapping, and that'd be a bit jarring ICly. I think it'd personally be worth it if only for the face-lift that would come with it. Area design has come a long ways, even in the time I've been an active players. But then, I'm not a build-monkey here, so I can't fault you for not wanting to take on that project

If it's an idea worth considering, then how about Udos / mind flayers / beholders? That's fairly self-contained. I don't know how populated a dungeon area would have to be before shifting it to B would make a noticeable difference, but mind flayers is about as popular a high-level hunt spot as exists, isn't it?

Tarkuul and the Triumvir moving to B sounds fine. Neither of these locations are technically on the island.

I'm personally against underground areas Like Udos/Underdark/Underport moving to B because these are locations that are directly beneath the island. It should, therefore, be on the server where the island is.

I find the claim that moving Tarkuul to B will kill the Living City (hurr a pun!) to be very naive. The argument about party chat is very bland... because if there is RP in Tark then that is the reason to be there, not because you can't BS with people in other places on the server. I highly doubt the lack of party chat with A will destroy the RP there.

I'm not for or against moving it, just iterating that the argument is not quite valid.

Glim wrote:

We arent going to start imposing limitations or set numbers, its just something to bear in mind to help yourselves as much as everyone else.

The server already warns toons which have more than 500 items in their inventory, to try and get rid of some of them.

Dead wrote:

Glim wrote:

We arent going to start imposing limitations or set numbers, its just something to bear in mind to help yourselves as much as everyone else.

The server already warns toons which have more than 500 items in their inventory, to try and get rid of some of them.

500?! Who carries so much stuff?!

Naivatkal wrote:

I find the claim that moving Tarkuul to B will kill the Living City (hurr a pun!) to be very naive. The argument about party chat is very bland... because if there is RP in Tark then that is the reason to be there, not because you can't BS with people in other places on the server. I highly doubt the lack of party chat with A will destroy the RP there.

I'm not for or against moving it, just iterating that the argument is not quite valid.

Indeed +1000000000 to this.

CelestialDante wrote:

Dead wrote:

Glim wrote:

We arent going to start imposing limitations or set numbers, its just something to bear in mind to help yourselves as much as everyone else.

The server already warns toons which have more than 500 items in their inventory, to try and get rid of some of them.

500?! Who carries so much stuff?!

I have been over this limit for the longest time. I need to set up a for sale list again since I've got the time.

@Naivatkal That was basically my point. The people that hang around on A for party chat will continue to hang around A and party chat. The people who spend most of their time Rping in Tarkuul will continue to do so, regardless of what server it is on. Besides, if you're in a party, aren't you usually in the same general area as the people you're talking to? It's not like there aren't going to be other Tarkuul people to party chat if we move it. And if you're in a party in Tarkuul and chatting it up with people in Cordor and Kohlingen.... the fuck?

Anyone that knows me knows that I offer more than my fair share of OoC boops and hellos. But it's not like I'm not going to completely cut myself off from a place because I can't mishandle Grymia OoCly from it.

Naivatkal wrote:

I find the claim that moving Tarkuul to B will kill the Living City (hurr a pun!) to be very naive. The argument about party chat is very bland... because if there is RP in Tark then that is the reason to be there, not because you can't BS with people in other places on the server. I highly doubt the lack of party chat with A will destroy the RP there.

I'm not for or against moving it, just iterating that the argument is not quite valid.

This idea should probably be brought to the Tarkuul forums so the people who play there can voice their opinions. No need to use the private ones or anything. But I think getting an opinion from more than just Luca and I would be nice.

I see very little benefit to actually moving it to B, honestly. If it's for space on A... well Sune already said they're cleaning the server up to some extent. So far the only people I've seen that are for this are people who don't play there frequently.

I don't think it would destroy Tarkuul, no. But I think it will turn people off from going there as often as they do

I realize this is a stretch, but have you tried experimenting the server running on Linux? For one there's alot more compatible NWNX extensions you could make use of, most notably selected hak implementation based on entry/events. It might be worth investing time into figuring out, because other servers run on Linux and never crash and seemingly have endless amounts of more overrides and customization and NWNX features. I think perhaps we're treating the symptoms and not the problem, but I understand it's a lot of work, as I am a programmer myself.

Needled247 wrote:

I think perhaps we're treating the symptoms and not the problem

Good ol' Windows

bobofwestoregonusa wrote:

Needled247 wrote:

I think perhaps we're treating the symptoms and not the problem

Good ol' Windows

'Windows: Life without Walls'

But... if we have no walls... why would we need Windows? Logical thinking, hoooooooo!

Ahem... that's all I have to contribute.

Gigglesnort

Palin489 wrote:

Confirmed for next patch: Kohlingen is being removed stay posted for ic reasons

Confirmed for next patch: I'm destroying all of your areas and only Kohlingen remains. Your doom is certain and your despair shall keep me sustained through the year.

Needled247 wrote:

I realize this is a stretch, but have you tried experimenting the server running on Linux? For one there's alot more compatible NWNX extensions you could make use of, most notably selected hak implementation based on entry/events. It might be worth investing time into figuring out, because other servers run on Linux and never crash and seemingly have endless amounts of more overrides and customization and NWNX features. I think perhaps we're treating the symptoms and not the problem, but I understand it's a lot of work, as I am a programmer myself.

That's really down to Disco, as he hosts it and would have to handle all of the work. I also believe he uses the server sometimes for non-NWN related stuff, so... it depends how thrilled he would be about Linux in general.

Should take a look at the script gbbrng_aura_rnd because it keeps stackoverflowing which isnt healthy for the server either.

CelestialDante wrote:

Dead wrote:

Glim wrote:

We arent going to start imposing limitations or set numbers, its just something to bear in mind to help yourselves as much as everyone else.

The server already warns toons which have more than 500 items in their inventory, to try and get rid of some of them.

500?! Who carries so much stuff?!

Dakotaen did when he was playing His Shadowflame.

And often had DM's remind him to try get rid of some stuff, he was constantly in the Cordor Market Hall at one point trying to sell loads of things, iirc.

Only 500?

Let me tell you about the time a certain character of mine would crash DMs just by opening her inventory, due to the sheer size of it all, and jealousy of her hoarding expertise. The worst part was that she actually had a use for most of it, which made it even harder to prune down.

And she wasn't even the worst of the huge file size culprits.

I know you probably don't need my help, but I'd be willing to lend a hand with anything linux/unix related if you try that route.

Quote:

And she wasn't even the worst of the huge file size culprits.

I remember there being a list of the top 10 I think, but couldn't find it in the thread I thought it was mentioned in.

Terra_777 wrote:

Should take a look at the script gbbrng_aura_rnd because it keeps stackoverflowing which isnt healthy for the server either.

I've been working on it, among all the other things.

LetumLux wrote:

Only 500?

Let me tell you about the time a certain character of mine would crash DMs just by opening her inventory, due to the sheer size of it all, and jealousy of her hoarding expertise. The worst part was that she actually had a use for most of it, which made it even harder to prune down.

And she wasn't even the worst of the huge file size culprits.

h8 u 4 crashing me

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