Responsive UI while loading content

Racer1

Will NS2 allow you to talk/text with players while loading maps (and any other content)?

In a world where multi-threading is supported by all gaming computers, most games don't take advantage of this.

IeptBarakat

Personally I'd prefer server to be able to have custom music playing while loading. Just like hl1 mods.

Draco_2k

That would be pretty damn nice, considering most modern games seem to avoid this like plague.

Although it may also be unneeded: if Spark is of any indication, loading is crazy-fast.

cmc5788

Yeah, I definitely hope they make it work that way. Nothing is quite as frustrating to me as misclicking or changing my mind about wanting to join a server and then just being forced to sit and wait on an unresponsive screen until everything finishes loading.

pSyk0mAn

<!--quoteo(post=1752074:date=Feb 9 2010, 08:07 PM:name=Draco_2k)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Draco_2k @ Feb 9 2010, 08:07 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1752074"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->if Spark is of any indication, loading is crazy-fast.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

..although you can see in spark how it adds faces and models one by one after loading the map superfast, which you don't wanna show the casual gamer.

I'm no expert on new, fast, fancy computers, but if they are good enough to load maps quickly, there is no need for a responsive UI while loading, and if they aren't, I guess you'll need all the performance you can get to load the map as fast as possible instead of supporting some fancy UI.

Comprox

Moved to ideas.

a_civilian

<!--quoteo(post=1752073:date=Feb 9 2010, 03:03 PM:name=IeptBarakat)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (IeptBarakat @ Feb 9 2010, 03:03 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1752073"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Personally I'd prefer server to be able to have custom music playing while loading. Just like hl1 mods.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Eww. Most times a server does that I have to take off my headphones until loading is done. Luckily you can blank the sound files and they won't be re-downloaded.

Hybridclaw

<!--quoteo(post=1752092:date=Feb 9 2010, 02:16 PM:name=a_civilian)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (a_civilian @ Feb 9 2010, 02:16 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1752092"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Eww. Most times a server does that I have to take off my headphones until loading is done. Luckily you can blank the sound files and they won't be re-downloaded.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Agreed. Some of the sound files that servers make you download can be irritating to listen to.

Draco_2k

<!--quoteo(post=1752077:date=Feb 9 2010, 09:14 PM:name=pSyk0mAn)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pSyk0mAn @ Feb 9 2010, 09:14 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1752077"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->..although you can see in spark how it adds faces and models one by one after loading the map superfast, which you don't wanna show the casual gamer.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It all takes like three seconds is what I mean.

I gather NS2 will be specifically optimized for fast-loading stuff, and not just on high-end rigs. Don't quote me on that though.

RobB

I'd be ok with it if the backend is responsive during loading, it just has a bad taste to it to claim "last round", make your goodbyes but loading the next map because you missed that second to disconnect and the server send you the mapchange notification already.

Renegade.

I have a feeling the traditional loading screen exists for a reason, with just about every major game to date making it mostly unresponsive. Probably because resource loading does not do well in a parallel thread and setting it as high priority just results back in the unresponsiveness.

Battle-Bug

I believe that we shouldn't consider this unless the average load time is over 30 seconds. Otherwise, I think the devs have more important things to do.

I do, however, believe in custom load screen pictures for each map. Lots of games have these. My modding clan in Battlefield 1942 would make custom maps with custom pictures to hype you up and set the mood for awesome gameplay. The concept art would be perfect for this.

Custom music in the loading screen would be cool, but load times should be short.

Hybridclaw

<!--quoteo(post=1752102:date=Feb 9 2010, 06:10 PM:name=Draco_2k)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Draco_2k @ Feb 9 2010, 06:10 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1752102"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I gather NS2 will be specifically optimized for fast-loading stuff, and not just on high-end rigs. Don't quote me on that though.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It better have fast loading. Long loading times make some games almost unbearable to play.

In Burnout Revenge it would take almost 30 seconds to load a map and 45 seconds to race around it. Then another 30 seconds for the next map to load...

FocusedWolf

The devs better implement some zip compression... don't want to have to download 3000 lua files in 15 minutes to play on a server when i could just download a 400 kb zip file :P

RobB

Don't judge an unreleased game by your experience with GMod. Didn't your Mom teach you that? ;)

spellman23

<!--quoteo(post=1752267:date=Feb 10 2010, 09:36 AM:name=R_e_n_e_g_a_d_e)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (R_e_n_e_g_a_d_e @ Feb 10 2010, 09:36 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1752267"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I have a feeling the traditional loading screen exists for a reason, with just about every major game to date making it mostly unresponsive. Probably because resource loading does not do well in a parallel thread and setting it as high priority just results back in the unresponsiveness.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Here are the major things going on:
1) decompress all that data for level geometry, textures, models
2) move a crap ton of stuff into the video card memory (PCI-E turns out to be crappy slow)
3) cache up into RAM stuff, mostly from part (1)
4) For Multiplayer: establish connections and sync up to the server.

So, if Spark is more hot-loaded, step 1 is gone. However, the others are here to stay.