Demo record questions...

TheBaDaBing! · April 2015

I'm no expert but do we have server side demo record? Will this method take extra resources away from either the server or client that we need?

Is this better than a client side demo record? In demo record all I wanted was to record my own gameplay....

Is this recording everyone on the server?

Can we demo record on officials?

.sauce · April 2015

Bada. All demos record everyone on the server. A clientside demo would produce the same demo as a server side demo, the primary difference being that a client side demo would START at your perspective (or at least it used to). That is actually the point of a demo, that it collects all data of the game and can then be replayed from any perspective. It is what makes highlight videos created from demos so great, being able to track bullets, switch cameras, etc etc. Basically, a demo contains no video or audio, just data. When you want to play it back, you have to do so in game, and then the game engine actually plays it as if it is playing a game. It does take some resources but nothing like video recording since it's just information, movements, inputs, etc.

That being said server side demos do make it significantly harder to get a demo if your intention is a highlight video or video editing. Right now it seems that the primary focus is match recording.

.sauce · April 2015

Right now no, only server side, so you would have to get the demo from the server owner. From what I understand clientside demos were a much heavier undertaking so they only did serverside to start since it was primarily implemented for match recording and AC.

`xinoN · April 2015

This way you can't claim you forgot to start your demo. Things will go smoother on disputes.

Saccho · April 2015

.sauce wrote:

Bada. All demos record everyone on the server. A clientside demo would produce the same demo as a server side demo, the primary difference being that a client side demo would START at your perspective (or at least it used to).

The major difference is that client-side would (hopefully!) be incomplete. Your client doesn't need to know the positions of enemies across the map or where they're looking or a ton of other data about them, so the networking algorithm can choose not to send you all of their info. An aggressive algorithm might choose not to send your client any data on opponent positions until you could hear or see them.

That's good for combating "nefarious" programs and game integrity. It's bad for complete client-side demos. If your client is never sent that data, it can't record it for later review. That's probably the biggest reason to go server-side on demo recording.

.sauce · April 2015

That wasn't the case with AA2. All player data was available at all times and it used clientside demos.

4DChessGenius · April 2015

I think the main concern was the serverside demo since there is plenty of good software out there these days (that doesn't kill resources) for recording at the clientside. I would be in favor of them including a clientside version that only records what the player sees (especially since it would use a whole lot less HDD space), but I don't think it was anywhere near as high priority as the serverside.

Saccho · April 2015

Yeah, it's a case where it really strongly depends on how the networking is set up. I don't know enough about what your client really "knows" to have a definitive answer for AAPG. In something like World of Tanks, for example, a client-side demo would be extremely limited.

.sauce · April 2015

why was clientside needed? highlight videos are hardly "needed." serverside provides everything needed for match recording and AC review.

.sauce · April 2015

Yeah I agree it is limited. I can't remember how or why but I seem to remember there being significantly greater challenges in getting clientside demos working so they decided to compromise and give us something instead of nothing.

frankof · April 2015

Demorec also gets outdated with the next game update, so the clients that want to record and save their movies cant use demorec anyways(not directly)

Tear · April 2015

Since there are quite a few client side recording options already available, we felt like spending the development time on server side recordings would be the most useful feature for everyone.

ddra- · April 2015

[Dev]Tear wrote: »

Since there are quite a few client side recording options already available, we felt like spending the development time on server side recordings would be the most useful feature for everyone.

Shadowplay i a great tool for Nvidia card holders, Raptr I hear is the equivalent AMD counterpart, or so i've heard.

Tear · April 2015

Just for fun, I've setup FNG01 to push demos to google drive for your viewing pleasure.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9K-Z27gqB8CNG1fZ1pjRmhOaEE&usp=sharing#list

Download a demo file and place it in your Demos directory (create it if it doesn't exist).

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\America's Army\AAPG\AAGame\Demos

Launch the game, drop console with ~ (tilde) key, and type demoplay [demoname].

Most spectator commands should be available. You can watch through anyone's view in 1P, 3P, or freecamera. I don't have the command list handy, but I know that we can fast forward, rewind, slomo, etc. I'll see if we can come up with a guide while you experiment.

Tear · April 2015

ProTip: The game (demo playback device) and demo versions must match. Trying to play old demos will crash your client.

Once you get a demo to play, you can use standard spectator key binds to move around.

Some handy key binds or just use the console to type the command:

Slow Motion: setbind "k" "SloMo .5"
Almost Pause: setbind "l" "SloMo .1"
Play at standard speed: setbind "p" "SloMo 1"
Fast Forward: setbind "f" "SloMo 2"
Rewind 10 seconds: setbind "r" "demorewind 10"

ProTip: The binds are shared with the game. Use keys that you normally don't use
when you play.

*edit - a few debug commands are not available in opt-in.

Demo record questions...

Comments

Greetings!

Categories

Latest Discussions