Quote from redekizde :

Any idea of what it could be or is there any way to fix this?

I've sent you a PM about a quick test to get some more information.

EDIT: problem solved.

Last edited by Scawen, Mon 24 Jun 2024, 07:15.

Quote from Flame CZE :

I see, it's because the patch is from 0.7A to 0.7E13 and the new background was added in 0.7C. Ideally the patch should only include changed files from 0.7E to 0.7E13, but maybe there are some technical reasons why it's done this way

I think this should be possible and I've made a note to look at it for the next test patch.

With some changes in Test Patch E13, you should now be able to join hosts even if UDP packets cannot get from your computer to the host.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/post/2077190#post2077190

With test patch E13, you should now be able to join hosts online even if UDP packets cannot get from you to the host.
https://www.lfs.net/forum/post/2077190#post2077190

I had to restart the server again this afternoon for some tests.

To those who were online at the time, sorry for the disruption.

I hope the provider will make some sense out of the test results.

I've restarted the hosts that were stopped. In my test server I didn't notice any difference when the other hosts were stopped.

My ping number (in 'N' list of connections) sits stable for a while then goes red and up to 2, 3, 4, 5, seconds before recovering. This seems to happen every minute, it's not a rare event.

After looking for quite some time, I can't see any explanation for this so we will ask the providers if they have any ideas.

Hello Turkish Hosters.

I am running tests to try to work out reasons for connectivity issues with the Turkish server.

I am talking about a problem that has nothing to do with DDoS attacks. It is about jerky, intermittent connections when there is no apparent DDoS attack going on.

As a test, I have temporarily closed the hosts that had no players on them. I closed 11 hosts. You are free to restart them if you want, but if you don't need your host for now, you may wish to leave it OFF and I will restart it later.

The idea is to see if the number of hosts is causing any problems, although it should not, as the CPU, memory and bandwidth of an empty host is very small. But I am trying to eliminate issues before we ask the server providers.

So, if your host disappears and reappears, it's not a bug, it's me testing. Sorry for the disruption but I am trying to help.

EDIT: This is not helped by the fact that DDoS attacks on the Turkish server are ongoing today at various times. If the attacker would kindly stop that would be much appreciated. I am trying to help Turkish people and it would be fantastic if you would stop attacking, so we can try to make a good fun game for everyone to play. It's best to try and have a good time in life, and help others to do that whem possible.

Last edited by Scawen, Wed 5 Jun 2024, 13:48.

Dear LFS racers,

As we are nearing the end of the current series of test patches, and because some hosters have moved to the E12 version which you cannot join with 0.7E, I have put the E12 version on the auto updater.

This is a different way of doing things. Normally we wait until the final, official, version and I am sure we will do that in future, when things need testing before going public.

It's different this time as it would be good to get hosts onto E12. The patch is very well tested.

How to update:

Method 1: AUTO install: Start LFS and click List of Hosts and select a download mirror
Method 2: MANUAL install: Visit the test patch thread to read the changelog and manually install

How to update your game host:

Stop host
Select E12
Start host (you are forced to wait for 1 minute after stopping)

I've rebuilt the E12 patch as an installer instead of a self-extracting archive.

Also, as a well tested patch, and now that some hosts are using the improved E12 hosting version, I have put this update on the auto updater system for everyone.

This is experimental, it's a different way of doing things. I'm sure it cannot be done for all test patches but it seems OK right now as this one is well tested.

The test patch forum was opened and the thread moved there at the same time that the E12 server became available.

The test patch thread was originally in the mods section because the earlier test patches were primarily about changes related to mods. This is fairly obvious if you look at the change log. https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106967

So then we didn't really need a whole forum section dedicated to a test patch that was all about mods.

Just recently some updates on the host side have required an updated client version. That point I delayed as much as possible, but now we are near the end of the life cycle of this test patch, so things need to be tested.

It does raise the question about making E12 'official' in the sense that it could be automatically downloaded by E clients using the auto updater. Some people might say that is a no-brainer, in the sense that it would be a good idea to provide more frequent updates like that. Maybe they are right, I'm not sure. We haven't done that before. Official updates have always come with an announcement and a new full version. This method has worked for us for many years. Roughly 20 years, I guess.

Either way, it probably would make more sense to use a better installer instead of the self-extracting archive that has served us quite well up to now. But I understand we are moving into an era where many people own a PC and play games but are confused about simply moving a file into a known location on their computer. This can seem hilarious to those of us who have used PCs since the days of MS-DOS. But I do understand the convenience of the proper installer and I am looking into that a bit.

I understand that it is not obvious, but it is in the "Test Patch Forum" that is visible from the main page of the forum.

https://www.lfs.net/forum/66-Patch-TEST-Forum

Sometimes when we get near to an official release, hosts move onto an incompatible version for various reasons and people must use the test patch in order to visit those hosts.

E12 is quite a bit better than E and I would like to release an official version soon, there are just a few more things on the list to sort out.

Hello hosters.

Host version E12 is now available. You can stop your host and select E12.

NOTE: Guests will need Test Patch E12 or later to join an E12 host!

Changes in E12:

FIX: The 49.7 day bug is fixed (previously, the host got stuck after 49.7 days)
FIX: JOOS on connect when a car, now disallowed, is on track
FIX: Old version could sometimes fail to spectate a blocking car

New command /specdnf specifies number of stopped seconds before DNF
- this is activated when a stopped car blocks a result confirmation
- default value is 12 (was 8 in the past) and range is 0 to 240

New command /setstops USERNAME Y :set user's number of stops to Y

Thanks, I don't think we need another test at this point. I guess it's just about the size and how the connection happens to be at the time.

Please can you describe exactly at which point in the process that goes wrong for you? And what you did before that, on the submission page.

I see various mods have been updated before and after your post. I've just tested a submission on a private test mod and it worked. So I'll need a very specific and exact description from you, to present to Victor.

I notice I introduced a small bug in the submission page - the old 'private' and 'team' access were available to select. I've fixed that now but mentioning in case you tries to select an invalid access mode. Only "custom" and "public" should be available.

EDIT: Also, if it's easy to do, please try submitting the update again. As I know Victor has been adjusting some settings, it's possible that you encountered a problem that has already been fixed.

Last edited by Scawen, Wed 1 May 2024, 07:43.

These are available in test patch E11:

/vlock=car/filter/horizon
/lookf=joystick/axis/steer/mouse_x/mouse_xy
/control=mouse_kb/wheel_js

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106967

Test Patch E11:

Cameras:

Layout Square cameras now have 40m height instead of 4m
Reduced jiggling of names above cars at extreme zoom
Improved accuracy of camera rotation at extreme zoom

Commands:

/vlock=car/filter/horizon
/lookf=joystick/axis/steer/mouse_x/mouse_xy
/control=mouse_kb/wheel_js

Download: https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106967

Yes, I still have the M3 which is now 21 years old!

We got an Aygo for Leo's lessons. I don't think the insurers would be very happy if we asked them to insure a learner on the M3. And I don't think I'd be happy with all that maneuvering practice.

Honestly it was terrifying in the earliest days, we have narrow country roads around here and apparently it's not quite as simple as it seems, to time that slowing down and tucking in to allow the oncoming cars to get past, and to steer good lines for visibility and avoid the pot holes, adjust speeds frequently for all the different situations. It's amazing how much there is to learn, to really become competent and safe.

It seemed expensive to buy the car (we were surprised by the price of used cars) but we found a good Aygo and it was nice to combine the purposes of driver training and visiting places for family walks and other activities. The price is comparable to hiring an instructor, but this way he could get more experience before taking the test, and also we still have the car when I'll start to do the same for Nicole in another year from now! We also visited Salisbury and Yeovil several times for specific training in larger towns. As he is now 18 and could leave home any time, this was one thing I wanted to do for him, as it is likely to be useful at times in his life. After 120 hours of driving, including 3 hours with professional instructors, he passed the test first time.

To answer your question, I am very happy with people having a car as an enthusiast. I'm not sure about investment as a rusting investment is a troublesome investment but if people want to do that then that is fine. I am always impressed to see old cars driving around.

The thing I have a problem with, and I've said this so many years ago, when traffic was a bit less than it is now, is the excessive use of cars. If an alien came to earth and saw a traffic jam, it would have to conclude we were not an intelligent species.

If you look objectively, a huge traffic jam in London or the M25 (circular motorway around London) that recurs every day is proof that humans aren't able to cooperate in a sensible way. The way we coordinate, almost entirely through market forces and transactions between individuals, leads to such absurd inefficiency and pollution, we really have lost our way. So many people having to live so far from where they work, in often 'pointless' jobs that don't really make anything (big subject, won't go there) and having to sit in congested traffic to get there and home again, every day. Less congested, cleaner, quieter and safer cities could only be a good thing, I believe.

OK, in Test Patch E9 the in-game axes display now matches the the one in the controller screen.

The dead zones I described are included by default but are now user controllable.

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106967

Test Patch E9 includes input range improvements:

The full resolution reported by the controller is now supported
- previously drivers were instructed to report -1000 to 1000
- controllers we tested report values 0 to 65535
- so steering wheel moves in smaller steps

The range adjusters in controller options now use percentage values
- the range defaults replicate previously default in-game behaviour
- previously brake/throttle/handbrake/clutch axes had a dead zone
- the dead zones were not adjustable by the user but now are
- the axes visible in game now match the options screen

Download: https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106967

Test Patch E9 includes updated controller support.

Changes in E9:

Input range improvements:

The full resolution reported by the controller is now supported
- previously drivers were instructed to report -1000 to 1000
- controllers we tested report values 0 to 65535
- so steering wheel moves in smaller steps
The range adjusters in controller options now use percentage values
- the range defaults replicate previously default in-game behaviour
- previously brake/throttle/handbrake/clutch axes had a dead zone
- the dead zones were not adjustable by the user but now are
- the axes visible in game now match the options screen

Support for mod approval:

WIP filter is available on the mod selection screen

Translations:

More translations updated! Thanks to the translators

Download: https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106967

Quote from johneysvk :

is there any fix on the way for that?

One of the other problems with LFS forum is that people always ask me the same question. They seem to want their own personalised essay. It seems to me I spend so much time repeating myself that it impacts development.

For a test, I searched 49.7 to see what comes up. It's there in the search.

Quote from Pukyy :

I've contacted the server owner, no response yet, but other more regular players...

I can shut it down but I'm just trying to see if I can first get any more information about it from server side.

No, I'm not a perfectionist.

I just want to release something that will be fun and not containing extreme flaws that would destroy racing altogether. No, I will not expand on this comment. I need to spend some peaceful time focused on the tyre physics, to understand exactly what is good and bad about it.

I'd like to get back to the tyre physics so we can get something released, although LFS will never be finished or perfect.

Unfortunately I have not yet worked even one hour this year on the tyre physics as I've been dealing with mod stuff most of the time. There were too many holes in the system and people were exploiting every crack. I hope that is coming to an end now with various improvements.

The mods system is simultaneously the best and worst thing ever to have happened to LFS.

The idea is to release a new version hopefully in a week or two (just like the current test patch with a couple more updates) then I can get back to work on the new version. So basically at start of April I'll be in the position I wanted to be at start of January.

No, it's not possible.

This is not related to the test patch so that's as far as my answer will go.

Please do not use the test patch thread to talk about things unrelated to the test patch.

OK, I've done a fix for the replay slider + MCI disconnect issue in Test Patch E8.

Now, when clicking on replay slider or using IS_RIP to do the same thing, NLP/MCI packets will not be sent. I hope this works because I haven't actually tested it, but it was just a line of code.

In the case when using IS_RIP with option RIPOPT_FULL_PHYS the NLP/MCI packets are still sent. My hope is that because it is taking the time to do the physics, the rate of MCI output may be manageable. But I haven't tested this at all so I can't really confirm.


About the similar issue when joining a server, I couldn't think of a quick way to safely avoid sending the packets until LFS catches up with the server. I want to consider this a bit longer.

Updates to support approved mods in Test Patch E8. Please give thoughtful ratings to unapproved mods, or make comments on their threads to help them reach approved status.

Support for approved mods:

Tick (aka check mark) is shown in mods screen for approved mods
- also TW is shown for tweak mods and padlock for private mods
An 'external link icon' is visible when two columns are displayed
Rating stars pulsate in garage if you have not yet rated the mod

InSim:

NLP/MCI packets are no longer sent after clicking replay slider
- also not sent after IS_RIP unless RIPOPT_FULL_PHYS is set

https://www.lfs.net/forum/thread/106967