[cycl0pse]

Blaze,
Something for your notes (since you're a mod)
/dynmap pause all will pause all rendering, either dynamic or static.
/dynmap pause none will resume all rendering.

(this may work for others... feel free to try it.)

Why am I telling you this? Because I've re-enabled a much more restrictive dynamic rendering. Here's an example of how restrictive. Before, doing a fullrender would peg the CPU up around 90%. Now, the CPU hums along below 20% during a full render. Turns out the magic variable was [i[maxchunkspertick[/i]
Here's the description:
# Maximum chunk loads per server tick (1/20th of a second) - reducing this below 90 will impact render performance, but also will reduce server thread load
I had it at 90.... it's now at 30. The rendering takes longer, but it should eliminate the block lag while allowing dynamic updating. Please let me know if unacceptable lag resumes.

And now to research limiting the top speed of powersuits and quantum armor...

[BLAZE_MkIV]

I was shocked to think there wasn't a option like that. That setting will correlate directly to disk io which I think is the bottleneck on the server. I don't know what tuning options there are for the windows server disk caching.

It's not like I had to re-log in order to get the chunks below me to load because I sprinted across the twilight faster than they would load In my defense it was across already generated chunks.

I mostly use the flap map for tracking people or villages down. I'm interested in seeing what your changes to the nether map does. If it finally allows people to see the secret base I'm working on.

[andi*pandi]

It's nice being able to zip when we're in the village or well explored areas. When exploring, the speed of the render usually makes me slow down as I don't want to fly into nothing. So I hop, wait for it to render, hop, wait, etc.

I've started to block out space for a potion shop across from jawbone and my village hut.

some good pix from last night's exploring, will post tonight.

[cycl0pse]

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV 

I was shocked to think there wasn't a option like that. That setting will correlate directly to disk io which I think is the bottleneck on the server. I don't know what tuning options there are for the windows server disk caching.

I took me awhile to decipher their (practically non-existent) documentation to realize that was the setting I needed to change.
As for Disk Caching, I don't think that's as big an issue as you suspect. I'd compare CPU, RAM, Disk, and Network between non-lagged time (and when dynmap was disabled) and when we were experiencing lag. RAM would skyrocket, but page file access would stay low. Network was even, as was disk writes. the CPU,however, pegged.

Guess I need something more gutsy than dual AMD Opteron 246s if we want to go nuts. I'll look into that in a few months.

(I will say this, going from 4G to 8G memory was a big boost.)

cycl0pse

[cycl0pse]

I think I just had an 'ID-10-T' moment.

Reading through the config file using something beyond a basic text editor, I realized that this line:
deftemplatesuffix: hires
was not commented out.

Let's see what a quick adjustment to,... oh, I don't know... lowres does to the render speed...

(for those curious, the difference between hires and lowres only effects surface maps. lowres is at a 60deg angle and is reasonably detailed. hires is at a 30deg angle, about 4x better quality than lowres, AND takes about 16x the time to render. let's see what lowres looks like, shall we?)

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Originally Posted by cycl0pse 

I RAM would skyrocket, but page file access would stay low. Network was even, as was disk writes. the CPU,however, pegged.

Guess I need something more gutsy than dual AMD Opteron 246s if we want to go nuts. I'll look into that in a few months.

It that cache misses you're looking at? I think the RAM would skyrocket because it's reading the map into memory for the render.

I actually like that perspective better. Also the nether map still doesn't show my hidden base

[cycl0pse]

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV 

It that cache misses you're looking at? I think the RAM would skyrocket because it's reading the map into memory for the render.

I actually like that perspective better. Also the nether map still doesn't show my hidden base

Which perspective are you referring to? I don't think the new one has hit the server yet.... it's still rendering the flat view.

Regarding the nether, is the cave view any better? Is it worth keeping the flat view?

As for the server, pending e-mail on that topic. Got some screen captures for you that should explain it.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Originally Posted by cycl0pse 

Which perspective are you referring to? I don't think the new one has hit the server yet.... it's still rendering the flat view.

Regarding the nether, is the cave view any better? Is it worth keeping the flat view?

As for the server, pending e-mail on that topic. Got some screen captures for you that should explain it.

The 3d-ish view changed.

The cave view is the only one that's even remotely useful for the nether.

[andi*pandi]

surface views are really cool, and a little easier to see terrain. I like the twilight one also, the lich towers and glaciers stand out!

the nether cave map... looks like spaghetti, but I agree a surface map is useless.

also, link for this page:

http://cycl0pse.dyndns.org/dynmap/#

I can see blaze foraging in new territory in the twilight...

[cycl0pse]

coming... eventually... to a DireWolf20 modpack near you....

Ars Magica

(no, seriously, he plans on adding it in a few updates. )

[cycl0pse]

Server: The server is currently re-rendering the map. Because of the size of the map and the new render settings, this may take several days to complete. In the meantime, feel free to connect and play. Just don't expect to see updates appearing on the map for a bit.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Both boilers I know about survived the reboot without reheat.
I closed down the wheat farm so it doesn't overflow or disappear. The cart is in the box.
I made sure none of the turtles had run amok.

[cycl0pse]

Server: OK, Render was taking WAAAAY to long. I've increased the render priority to default levels. Render should be complete by late afternoon, but expect lag if you log in. I'll post here again when the big re-render is complete and the settings are back to using less resources.

[cycl0pse]

Render Status:
Twilight Forest - up to date
Nether - up to date
Main World - flat map up to date, 3d map ... not so much.

I'm not going to worry about the 3d map not being completely current right now and just let dynmap update it as we go.

[andi*pandi]

sounds fab.

the dragon did not turn out as hoped. rethinking.

[cycl0pse]

would more space so it can be larger make it easier? If so, how about we have a cave come out of the tower and half a dragon there?

..and don't sell yourself short... maybe some micro blocks to bring out the detail?

[andi*pandi]

I think switching to a more common block that can be sliced. the maze block is very cool but especially when he's sitting on treasure it just looks like a pile of blocks.

coming out of the tower is not bad... but I like his tail. I think we can make it work.

[cycl0pse]

thinking it over, the tail is cooler than a cave.

What about a standard block to compliment the maze block? or possibly use the maze block as the 'floor'? Or go with the existing marble theme?

[cycl0pse]

ways to crash a server.
3 steps.


step 1: turn on dynamic mapping
step 2: wander WAAAAY out to a new area and see if it loads.
step 3: when it doesn't make a twilight portal


BOOOM

[andi*pandi]

oh. dear.

[cycl0pse]

yea. no fun. so I did some more testing and have the rendering throttled waaay down. basically, it probably will require periodic re-updates to keep current, but the lag should be low for playing.

dear lord is this mod pack processor intensive.

[sek929]

Hehe, it's a damn good thing the boiler doesn't cool down much during a restart.

I did log in a few days back and realized the honey storage had overflowed into the squeezer, which caused the oily propolis to also overflow. I'm going to have to send the honey into a void pipe since the warehouse barrel is nearly full anyways. Also, it appears just two alvearies can handle all the fuel production I need, which is nice.

I'll log in tonight and take a short break from Sim City to check out what this dragon talk is all about.

[andi*pandi]

It would be ok with me if the map updated weekly, or twice a week, so you don't have to worry about it.

We could use some more honey as drops to use in recipes. I don't think the barrel is full in the warehouse. However, propolis and beeswax are getting out of hand. I'm making candles. lotsa candles.

[cycl0pse]

can someone who isn't blaze try the following command from the chat window when they're on next?
/dynmap updaterender

It should execute a map update starting from where you are standing and skip all un-changed blocks. I just did some testing this AM and it seems to work well, but I'm wondering if I have the settings correct so non-mod users can execute it.

cycl0pse

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Hello genius with the lava. I now have to rebuild my stairs. You see, wood burns.

[cycl0pse]

heh, thought it was far enough away. my bad

was was the panel pattern and I can start repairing.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

It's the same pattern repeated up and down from the horizontal and vertical center ports. There should be enough pieces to replicate it.

[cycl0pse]

may I assume "clear modifiers" is a good find?

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Would be a great find. I found a copy last night

[sek929]

I logged in last night just to check around.

I moved the out-of-place barrel by shuffling around some other stuff and eliminating one of the extra dirt barrels. I also noticed the DNA tank was completely full, and bees were bouncing out of the pipes. I started to make a much larger tank system for the DNA and Honey, but it grew late and I never finished.

I'll be back to finish up at some point today.

[andi*pandi]

busy weekend with yard work so not much minecrafting. Here's a few pix from the last few weeks:

really awesome sunset over the seasonal trees:


bug that likes to carry you off and eat you later:


Cave of Wonder


So much shiny...

[cycl0pse]

Blaze,
are you going to want an updated flat map of the crystal Mystcraft world? If so, one of us needs to drop a chunk loader in it so the render can happen.

I deleted the old worlds from Mystcraft, but Dynmap still thinks they are there (but is not attempting to render them). Need to research how to delete those...

I think tonight I'm going to go wander around and take some pictures for a virtual tour.

cycl0pse

[sek929]

Bee House renovation notes:

•Larger tanks of Honey and DNA added (overflow protection coming soon)
•Machines re-placed, 2 more Inoculators added.
•Bee Analyzer now stand-alone unit, does not work in conjunction with Genepool anymore.
•Bee-related items moved to new barrel system in basement, warehouse no longer has these items (wax, honey drops, etc..)
•Everything produced from combs now dumps into sorting system*

*This is mostly directed at Andi. I'm not entirely sure what you have planned in the future, or really what you are working on now. I see steel, a variety of dusts, and clay being produced. Unfortunately I was unable to find an elegant solution to sorting the output of the Apiaries. So if you add a new type of bee to the system and it produces something new right from the hive** it will have to be added to the diamond sorting pipe.

**I realize this may be confusing, but basically anything that gets made directly in the hive, like royal jelly and pollen, needs to be shuffled away from the centrifuge as to not clog it. Anything that comes out of the centrifuge is auto-sorted, except for honey drops and honeydew. Feel free to adapt this system to your needs, and add barrels as needed.

----------------

As for my next task, I will be adding extra-dimensional storage (1024 stacks per barrel) to resources that are currently taking up to much space. There is no reason for 3 barrels to be devoted to dirt. This will open up a fairly large amount of spare barrels to auto-sort different types of building blocks that are becoming more common. Blaze has also started work on a separate workshop, which was originally planned, to allow for a massive amount of storage to be added in the warehouse. I am going to leave the setup of this building in Blaze's hands, as long as he makes it look nice and pretty! I would also like to make a dedicated Obsidian Chest for each type of sliced blocks....one for slabs/strips/corners, one for panels/strips/corners, etc... As our current "system" can only be described as a cluster-<blank> Luckily space in the machinery chest has remained fairly constant, and I don't see any need to fix that at the moment.

----------------

Finally, it appears I have found the closest combination of 2 Alvearies and one Apiary to run fuel production. Very little extra is made, and eventually that too will have an overflow system added.

[andi*pandi]

nice, I like the 3 innoculators. It takes forever so this is very useful. also nice huge honey dna tanks.

I see the barrels in the basement, for bee things like honey, but are the emeralds and steel going upstairs to the warehouse? If a bee creates something new that has no barrel, will it go to the upstairs overflow, or get dumped? If honey drops are put into the sorter, will they go downstairs?

there is also an iron bee box upstairs for misc things... mainly I am filling with candles.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I see the barrels in the basement, for bee things like honey, but are the emeralds and steel going upstairs to the warehouse?

Everything that comes out of the combs will enter the sorting system. If something isn't accounted for in a barrel, it will end up in the overflow system.

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

If a bee creates something new that has no barrel, will it go to the upstairs overflow, or get dumped? If honey drops are put into the sorter, will they go downstairs?

If a bee creates something straight out the apiary (like pollen, royal jelly) that can cause problems because that's dealt with by a diamond pipe before the Centrifuge. I have Pollen, Royal Jelly, and Strange Pollen accounted for, if your bees start creating another new item then it'll have to be added to the pipe sorter.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

I was a little puzzled yesterday so I did some testing. putting the pretty little cage around the wrath light cuts its output by 75% making it the same as a torch. I know for certain the top can't be covered with a panel or cover. I stopped testing at that point.

[Jawbone54]

Had an unbelievably productive night mining. Several stacks of redstone, about 20 diamond, endless other ores...

Most of it had been sent back to the sorter, but then...disaster struck. Lost everything. Everything.

I signed off in exasperation. Tomorrow I'll be spending quite a bit of time at the crafting table to get myself back in working order.

[andi*pandi]

that is a sadness.

I noticed a lot of ingots in the unsorted bin, that had room in the barrels. At first I thought they needed converting, but I was a) unable to convert most of them, and b) if I did it didn't stack, and c) most of them stacked in the barrels on their own. So why aren't they going in barrels?

Hmm.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

That's because of the overflow detection system being error prone. It's a fundamental flaw with the system that gets worse with more barrels. I think there's a way I can make it better since its a percentage error.

My grinder in the twilight maze is working but slow. There's a bug in the filler making it a pain to neutralize caves. But it does produce charms of keeping. They save more of you're stuff at higher levels.

[andi*pandi]

I think jawbone needs a a charm of keeping!

[cycl0pse]

I think Blaze making a grinder for charms of keeping was one of the more brilliant things ever done

[Jawbone54]

I'll be picking one up as soon as I get everything up and running again.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

Originally Posted by cycl0pse 

I think Blaze making a grinder for charms of keeping was one of the more brilliant things ever done

See: Docm77 mindcrack ftp
Not exactly an original idea on my part even if it is an obvious one.

[cycl0pse]

there is a large gap between 'thinking about it' and 'making it happen'.
kudos for making it happen, regardless of where the inspiration came from.

[BLAZE_MkIV]

I had a thought. Yesterday jawbone mentioned he was partaking of the Zen of Caving. If anyone happened to want to do this. doing it in the caves around the grinder it would be a great help assuming of course they were willing to break the torch berries and roots that block the filler.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV 

I had a thought. Yesterday jawbone mentioned he was partaking of the Zen of Caving. If anyone happened to want to do this. doing it in the caves around the grinder it would be a great help assuming of course they were willing to break the torch berries and roots that block the filler.

You betcha.

[andi*pandi]

zen of caving? does this mean just exploring and lighting it up?

[BLAZE_MkIV]

No you mine too. Its just with that fancy armor the only thing you should worry about is lava. So it can be relaxing to just wander thru caves collecting stuff.

[cycl0pse]

Originally Posted by BLAZE_MkIV 

No you mine too. Its just with that fancy armor the only thing you should worry about is lava. So it can be relaxing to just wander thru caves collecting stuff.

I can crank up the difficulty (or drop the power armor modifier) if people want more of a challenge....

[andi*pandi]

I think the point is that now caving is relaxing! I like exploring too.