With systems being combined and ID's being deleted and so on, I couldn't help but think that the server has a limited amount of memory and this is the reasons systems get recycled and such. If this is true, is there a way to increase the memory?
Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so it is the basic law of life to struggle against entropy. - V. Havel
In all seriousness, there are a few things limited to pools, but that's essentially IFF's, weapon classes, and a few others. Some reasons are there, but without the source code, we work within our limits.
The recycling of systems and bases is a matter of developer convenience, not any technical limitation on our behalf. Pop open mbases.ini some time, an incredibly huge file. Each new base we would add requires an additional entry there, and many other places. Freelancer is made of interlinking inis that reference each other in multiple different files, and even the smallest screwup can cause major problems. Even at it's most benign, adding new entries to inis increases the chance of screwups and increases the work that must be done every time something needs to be changed en masse.
IDs - There is no limit on these whatsoever.
IFFs - These are inconsistently buggy. Sometimes adding new ones creates no issue, other times it causes things to go horribly wrong for seemingly no reason. We do however have plenty to recycle at the moment. That is to say guard IFFs, not NPC faction culls.
Someone please edit Durandal's post so it looks like I actually wrote this and was more correct than him. Inferno, you're idling the moment you read this, why don't you do it?
System are combined or removed to condense activity, not because there would be not enough memory. If I remember correctly, only stuff that is limited in number by hardcoding is maximal number of stations and IFFs. However devs rather want to avoid messing with it because it´s like dancing blind on the egg shells.
The supposition that ID numbers are very limited was a lie told some years back for...well, I don't know why.
We are not struggling for ID or IFF entries and anybody who tells you we are is either genuinely lying or a victim of previous lies. There is absolutely no issue with the number of IDs or IFFs available.
The reason the content of the mod is (rightly) being consolidated is because we are the last vestiges of an old and dated game that has somehow miraculously managed to vastly exceed its lifespan. We have to do the best with what we have and generally shrinking the mod and concentrating players is our last change at extending the longevity of this game.
The recycling of systems and bases is a matter of developer convenience, not any technical limitation on our behalf. Pop open mbases.ini some time, an incredibly huge file. Each new base we would add requires an additional entry there, and many other places. Freelancer is made of interlinking inis that reference each other in multiple different files, and even the smallest screwup can cause major problems. Even at it's most benign, adding new entries to inis increases the chance of screwups and increases the work that must be done every time something needs to be changed en masse.
IDs - There is no limit on these whatsoever.
IFFs - These are inconsistently buggy. Sometimes adding new ones creates no issue, other times it causes things to go horribly wrong for seemingly no reason. We do however have plenty to recycle at the moment. That is to say guard IFFs, not NPC faction culls.
(06-29-2018, 11:28 PM)Durandal Wrote: The recycling of systems and bases is a matter of developer convenience, not any technical limitation on our behalf. Pop open mbases.ini some time, an incredibly huge file. Each new base we would add requires an additional entry there, and many other places. Freelancer is made of interlinking inis that reference each other in multiple different files, and even the smallest screwup can cause major problems. Even at it's most benign, adding new entries to inis increases the chance of screwups and increases the work that must be done every time something needs to be changed en masse.
IDs - There is no limit on these whatsoever.
IFFs - These are inconsistently buggy. Sometimes adding new ones creates no issue, other times it causes things to go horribly wrong for seemingly no reason. We do however have plenty to recycle at the moment. That is to say guard IFFs, not NPC faction culls.
Im interested in learning more Justin, I might have to get with you sometime!
Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so it is the basic law of life to struggle against entropy. - V. Havel