Help with everything! A Newbie's adventure into Modifying and coding!

[trollface]

Following the directions under Compiling https://docs.freemmorpgmaker.com/en-US/developer/start/compiling.html I have a few questions...

Under the debug folder, there are no files under the client or editor folders. The only .exe I see is the server.

Modifying "the game" can only be done through the server source code? 

Also, how do I test the game? I run the modified Server .exe (from the github directory), then run the client and editor from my normal download for the game ( on my c drive elsewhere)?

New to coding, and learning the hard way

- edit -

Found the issue. I had to Build the client, server and editor separately. I just kept rebuilding the server over and over. That wasn't included in the instructions.

Also, I then had to restart Visual Studio.

Edited April 13, 2021 by trollface
Changed the title to reflect what the thread is about.

[trollface]

I have the server running, but 1) the client.exe won't start and 2) the editor gives me an error "the resources directory could not be found! Intersect will now close."

[Blinkuz]

32 minutes ago, trollface said:

Modifying "the game" can only be done through the server source code? 

No, there are many things you can do from the editor without having to modify the source, if you want very specific changes then you would have to program it from 0 in the source code.

 

33 minutes ago, trollface said:

Also, how do I test the game? I run the modified Server .exe (from the github directory), then run the client and editor from my normal download for the game ( on my c drive elsewhere)?

When you compile the whole solution you must use the same client / editor from the Build folder of the source code, depending if you have compiled in realease or debug, if you try to connect the client that is not the compiled one to a modified server and compiled by you then you can have version mismatch error.

 

16 minutes ago, trollface said:

I have the server running, but 1) the client.exe won't start and 2) the editor gives me an error "the resources directory could not be found! Intersect will now close."

You need to have the resources folder in both the editor and client build folders.

[trollface]

There are no resource folders in the client and editor after building. I must be doing something wrong during the build? I would assume the resource folder 'appearing' in the client and editor folders are automatic, or do I simply copy the resource folder from the built server folder and paste it into the client and editor folders? 

[Blinkuz]

12 minutes ago, trollface said:

There are no resource folders in the client and editor after building. I must be doing something wrong during the build? I would assume the resource folder 'appearing' in the client and editor folders are automatic, or do I simply copy the resource folder from the built server folder and paste it into the client and editor folders? 

When you compile it is most likely that you are selecting only the server, in the upper menu of visual studio you have the option of Build-> Build solution, there you will generate the client and editor compilations, another thing is that the folder of Server resources is something completely different from that of the editor and client, in the editor and client you can copy the one you downloaded outside of the github repository, which already has test assets.

[trollface]

I built the client and the editor before.

I just did it again to make sure.

Neither folder has resources in them.

[trollface]

Okay, I see. The client and editor files are in the test folder, not in the client or editor folders.

I run the client, and I get a black screen. 

[trollface]

This is what I have...

In the Debug folder, I have Client, Editor, Server and Test folders ( amongst others).

In the Client and Editor folders, there are no Resource folders. The server folder does have a resource folder.

In the Test folder, there are client, editor and server.exe's AND a resource folder. I can run the server from this folder, but when I try to run the Client.exe from this folder, I get a black screen.

I copied the Resource folder from the Test folder, and pasted it into the Client folder. I run the client.exe from the client folder, and I get the same black screen.

[trollface]

Okay. I got the client to run.

I had to copy the resource folder from my other install location into the github debug location.

This is my next question...

From the Debug folder, I am able to run the exe from the three separate folders (client, editor and server). But there is also a test folder.

Blink said this "When you compile the whole solution you must use the same client / editor from the Build folder of the source code,"

When I alter the code in visual studio, where is the code changing? In the test folder or in the three separate client, editor and server folders? 

Basically, should I be modifying, testing and running the game I want to make from the Test folder or from the three separate folders?

I want to make sure I'm doing this correctly. I don't want to spend days messing with the wrong folders.

[jcsnider]

When you make code changes and compile those changes will be built into the build/debug/client, build/debug/editor, and build/debug/server folders. The exes in those folders are the ones you should use/focus on. 

[Justn]

Here is how I work on things in the source. May not be the best way but I am not really a programmer.

 

First I have 3 different locations I work from:

1- The github desktop folder that has the actual source files in it:

 

2- A test folder that has a copy of the full engine in with the resource folders graphics and everything.

3-My Actual game I am building maps and such for. Not a testing area

After I make edits to the source and compile them I make my way to the build>debug folders

Next go into the client folder and copy only the two files highlighted:

 

I then paste a copy of both of those in my 2-Testing Engine folder and overwrite the previous files.

 

Do the same thing in both the build>debug> editor and server folders and copy the same two files of each to your test engine and overwrite the old versions.

 

After I confirm my changes are working correctly I then copy the same 6 files over to my 3-Actual Game folder. I also try to make backups of the server database files after any changes incase something goes wrong that i dont catch while testing.

 

Edit: Or just copy your "resources" folder from your actual project and paste them in the build>debug>client/editor/server folders works for testing which is probably what real coders do.

[Blinkuz]

8 hours ago, Justn said:

Edit: Or just copy your "resources" folder from your actual project and paste them in the build>debug>client/editor/server folders works for testing which is probably what real coders do.

This is the most practical to a certain extent, but in the end it is a matter of comfort, personally I do it because the test environment is the same as I develop, and after I confirm the correct operation then I compile in RELEASE and copy the .exe file and the .pdb for my actual project.

[trollface]

Thank you both  What a wonderful start!

 

[trollface]

I set up my files just like justin suggested.

After copying the server/client and editor files, I cannot log into my account within the test folder. Says incorrect name / password. 

 

- edit -

 

Also, the (server) version I downloaded from the intersect website (which I use as my test and final folders) is 6.2.457 while the (server) version from github (the one I build and use to replace files with) is 6.2, is this an issue?

- edit -

Should I be forking a different version other than Main, on Github, for development? 

- edit -

I don't know what I did differently... Seems to be working now. Whatever, lol.

My questions about the versions still stands. If I want to code with version 7 ( or 6.2.457) , where on Github do I get those versions? 

[Blinkuz]

2 hours ago, trollface said:

My questions about the versions still stands. If I want to code with version 7 ( or 6.2.457) , where on Github do I get those versions? 

The Main branch of github is equivalent to the stable version of 6.2, the prerelease branch is equivalent to the last "stable" build of 7 and finally the development branch is the last changes that have not yet been 100% tested and that probably change continuously in 7.

[trollface]

Question!

The engine loads the nearest 9 maps to the player. Do the amount of maps that make up your game matter for performance if all the engine loads are the nearest 9?

Also, is there a performance difference between maps that are linked and maps that aren't? Should I create a large 200 linked map, or is it better to have 30 linked maps with warp points, or does it even matter?

[jcsnider]

28 minutes ago, trollface said:

Question!

The engine loads the nearest 9 maps to the player. Do the amount of maps that make up your game matter for performance if all the engine loads are the nearest 9?

Also, is there a performance difference between maps that are linked and maps that aren't? Should I create a large 200 linked map, or is it better to have 30 linked maps with warp points, or does it even matter?

 

Those are 2 different questions. Because the engine only loads/processes the 9 surrounding maps it doesn't matter how many maps you link together.

 

Sure, having 200 single maps will be better, because you are only processing 1 map per player instead of 9 at any given time, but if you only have 1 player online and you are processing 9 maps then that's not a big cpu hit. If you have 1000 players online and you are processing every map anyways then you might as well have them linked up.. the game looks/feels better that way  

[trollface]

Time for that huge 9000 map world