Is it possible to do a Load-Bar demo on BYOND?

ID:182479
 
Jun 8 2008, 5:40 am
I know you can check the file size of something but would i have to organize the lag-ticks of the users computer? or is it not possible at all.
Jun 8 2008, 7:18 am
first off, why is this in community?
second off, byond has a built-in file send status bar. They just moved it to an awkward place in 4.0 that nobody ever sees (on the options and messages window) It also doesnt seem to be present at all server-side when a client is uploading a file as it used to be in 3.old. I've already requested they move it but as usual I was ignored.
Jun 8 2008, 7:24 am
In response to Falacy
And for good reason. They didn't remove it from the main window just because. Besides, this is a non-issue; if you're so concerned about your download progress, pressing F1 to see it won't kill you.
Jun 8 2008, 7:43 am
In response to Kaioken
Kaioken wrote:
And for good reason. They didn't remove it from the main window just because. Besides, this is a non-issue; if you're so concerned about your download progress, pressing F1 to see it won't kill you.

Somehow I doubt there was a good reason. Theres still a status bar at the bottom of the main window, optional in the interface of course, but its still there, and pretty much completely useless now since it doesnt actualy ever display any status. And you want me to tell every person that logs in that they have to press F1 just to see the game download progress? Things should be as user friendly as possible, I shouldnt have to bring up some optional window to see when mandatory things are being downloaded.
As usual, your post is completely inept, please stop respoding to things I post
Jun 8 2008, 7:45 am
I'm not quite sure what the point would be. The skin isn't supposed to load until everything has been downloaded so you should see progress in Options & Messages.

Lummox JR
Jun 8 2008, 7:47 am
In response to Lummox JR
having preload_rsc set to a website can cause players to login to a black screen while they unknowingly download resources
Jun 8 2008, 8:00 am
In response to Falacy
I'm just asking if it was possible its something i've been thinking about for a long time.
Jun 8 2008, 8:02 am
In response to Choka
best I know byond cant actualy detect the file size until after its been completely uploaded to the server, at which point a file send bar would be pretty pointless
Jun 9 2008, 5:32 am
In response to Falacy
The load bar is in the Options and Messages window because user skins are subject to change, and it must be a lot of work to add a control for a loading bar into the skin option. At least when it's in the Options and Messages window, it's available to everyone at all times.
Jun 9 2008, 10:23 am (Edited on Jun 9 2008, 11:12 am)
In response to CaptFalcon33035
CaptFalcon33035 wrote:
The load bar is in the Options and Messages window because user skins are subject to change, and it must be a lot of work to add a control for a loading bar into the skin option. At least when it's in the Options and Messages window, it's available to everyone at all times.

a. if you turn control_freak on it isnt "available to everyone at all times"
b. I seriously doubt many of the players actualy know its on there.
c. Since it doesnt pop up automaticaly when sending resources, even if they did know, most likely they miss it 90% of the time, unless its transfering some massive file
Jun 9 2008, 1:57 pm
In response to Falacy
All three of those, to me, are good features. Games should load resources as transparently as possible.
Jun 9 2008, 1:59 pm
In response to Jtgibson
Jtgibson wrote:
All three of those, to me, are good features. Games should load resources as transparently as possible.

I'd prefer to know why I'm lagging or stuck at a black screen
Jun 10 2008, 12:46 am
In response to Jtgibson
Jtgibson wrote:
All three of those, to me, are good features. Games should load resources as transparently as possible.

I disagree; there should be hooks for the developer so that s/he can find out if a player has already downloaded a particular file from the .rsc and some kind of proc that can be called to send one or more resource files.

I know you can already send individual files to players via client.Export(), but it's just not the same:

client/proc/loadResource(file) //sends a single resource file to the player in a similar way client.Export() can do, but waits until the file is fully downloaded (checked by the server by checking if the file has been fully uploaded)

world.rsc_file //this variable = mygame.rsc or the equivalent of it

client/proc/loadResources(file = world.rsc_file) //this can be used to send an entire .rsc file to another player and cache all results in it. Waits until the file has been fully uploaded before returning.

client.preferences //bit flag of the currently set preferences in BYOND. pretty much only the "download and play sound effects and music" setting applies here.


Additionally it should be possible to create new resource files and fcopy() files to them, but this is not possible. I also don't see the reason why BYOND shouldn't have a built-in means of accessing existing resources; there is already an extractor on the loose, so why bother hiding it? Perhaps some security can be implemented; maybe hub_password can be used as a key in encrypting the .rsc file, although I'm not sure how much of an affect that will have or if it can be bypassed somehow.

But if the above procedures at least were available, one could make a game and make a "music.rsc" file which can be sent to the player, but only if they enabled music. That way, it's less overhead for the server as not everybody will want to listen or is able to listen to music.

-- Data
Jun 10 2008, 2:54 am
In response to Android Data
Interesting suggestions. For what it's worth, #include should also work for including extra RSC files.