MonsterSpawn 304 issue

[OjitroC]

MonsterSpawn 304, like the previous versions, spawns ScriptedPawns (SPs) in maps at random from lists which can contain up to 60 SPs - 304, unlike the previous versions, has 100 lists (the previous versions had 20 lists).

I have recently started to fill out the lists and currently have around 70 lists full or partly full. I've been using MonsterSpawn for several years but have not used more than 5 or 6 lists, mostly concentrating on one list adding or removing SPs as I tried them out.

My issue is that 304 will only use the first 20 lists (numbered 0 to 19) - trying to spawn SPs from any list beyond number 19 generates a non-specific error message* for each SP which should be spawned. Has anyone else come across this issue? Does anyone else use MonsterSpawn and successfully spawn SPs from a list with a number greater than 19?.

Spoiler

* Normally if a SP can not be spawned, the message will indicate the package/class name, the number of the list from which the SP should be spawned and the number of that SP in the list. This does not happen with lists with a number greater than 19 - the error message merely states that MonsterSpawn failed to spawn anything.

The issue happens in 469d and in 436; is not map-specific; is not related to any other mutator I am running as far as I can tell, having run MonsterSpawn without any other mutator; and is not caused by any gaps in list 19, typos etc. MonsterSpawn will attempt to 'use' lists beyond 19 but, as I say, will not spawn anything from those lists.

The code for MonsterSpawn is obfuscated - UTPT will decompile it to some degree and there does seem to be references to 100 lists - certainly every list and every SP in each shows up when looking at the mutator in the Advanced Preferences.

[sektor2111]

As far as I know to me MonsterSpawn whatever was a no go. I used its internal classes.
Issue #1:
Some maps with kill zones - after a few moments game was suddenly quitting, monsters having some "fix" concerning "TakeDamage" task when Enemy/Instigator was missing. Something was badly messed up at this point. This is why I went to a SwarmSpawn (which also I adjusted) and which doesn't include obfuscated code for making any fix harder;

Issue #2:
I used some Skaarj in a CTF map whatever. Due to spawning spot used by Skaarj, this fellow removed some PulseGun around it, the gun was no longer available. Still Skaarj problems were haunting games everywhere... and MonsterSpawn did not fix anything.

As result, any of these poorly coded "mods" with resources stripped out or obfuscated are the very last things which I want to use.
And then, your problem demonstrated me once again that this mod is borked and... bugged code happily hidden for preventing too many fixes.

To me SwarmSpawn with a bit of polishing looks the best so far. What changes I did are off-topic here but... I'll discuss the subject with anybody interested.

[OjitroC]

Thanks for the reply.

I've looked at SwarmSpawn several times over the years but it doesn't really give me what I want (a specified number of random 'monsters' spawned every x number of minutes) and I've gone too far down the path of setting up MonsterSpawn the way I want it to change tack now.

What I find curious is that (a) the author (Asgard) must have spent time testing the 304 version and so, presumably, must have got it to work OK and (b) I can find no indication that other people have encountered the issue I have - so possibly I am 'doing something wrong' but I can't see what that might be.

I would say in passing that I have not had any other issues with MonsterSpawn but I acknowledge, and understand, that the environments in which we use it or have used it are entirely different and that our respective objectives underlying its usage are also different.

[Barbie]

I can find no indication that other people have encountered the issue I have - so possibly I am 'doing something wrong' but I can't see what that might be.

Have you tried using the INI files delivered with the package and testing that issue then?

[OjitroC]

Have you tried using the INI files delivered with the package and testing that issue then?

No, I hadn't thought of doing that - so I downloaded a fresh version of MonsterSpawn304 from UnrealArchive, installed the fresh .u file and ini, and altered the MinutesTillRespawn to =2 in the ini (leaving the rest of the ini unaltered) and gave it a go.

The result was the same - List12 was used first and 20 Gasbags were spawned so OK then nothing for a number of minutes. Checked the log and got

Code: Select all

ScriptLog: Using MonsterList30
ScriptLog: Maximum monsters 20
ScriptLog: SpawnAtStart........
ScriptLog: =====================================================
ScriptLog:      Possible MonsterSpawn Configuration error
ScriptLog:         check for a typo in your config..... 
ScriptLog:  .......spawning CaveManta replacement
ScriptLog: =====================================================
-------------------- The above repeats 19 times for the other 19 monsters not spawned ----------------
ScriptLog: Number of Monsters trying to spawn is 20
ScriptLog: Number of Monsters spawned is 0

The error message is the non-specific message - the specific message will refer to the MonsterList number and to the number(s) and packagename/classname of the monster(s) thtat could not be spawned.

I find it hard to believe that the new version of MonsterSpawn was not checked before release - however the slightly disconcerting thing is that the code prints this in the log

Code: Select all

DevLoad: Loading: Package monsterspawn304
ScriptLog: safe spawn spots are 691
ScriptLog: =============================================================
ScriptLog: =============================================================
ScriptLog:     MonsterSpawn 3.03 - Monster Mutator - Asgard (c).
ScriptLog:  http://www.angelfire.com/empire/napali/
ScriptLog: =============================================================
ScriptLog: =============================================================

It will be noted that the version number is wrong - it should be 3.04 - this means that this was not picked up when (if?) the code was checked AND when (if?) the mutator was run in game and the log checked afterwards. This raises the possibility that there were no checks AND, given the error in the text in the code of the mutator, that there may be errors in the code itself.

Given all that, I wonder if anyone has actually used the 3.04 version with success?