Whirlwind

[Kinarr]

We already do use NWNX Events (or will soon). But it wouldn't help Whirlwind in any case, since it doesn't need to be hooked. Whirlwind calls a script which then uses the Whirlwind command. It's that command that has the problem in the game code. Last I heard no NWNX developers have produced a fix for that yet.

In the meantime, since Whirlwind calls a script, we can adjust that script. I forgot I had been working on that a couple of months ago....
But anyway, one problem with this approach is that there isn't a way to find the current attack bonus (unless I'm completely missing it). You can get the base attack bonus, then add the STR or DEX to it. But then there are a whole lot of spells, abilities, and feats that add to your attack bonus. I'm not even going to try to check for all of that. I was thinking I'll just give some average number as a bonus to try to compensate.

The other problem is that you can't call the Whirlwind animation via script (unless there is a NWNX command for that...I'll have to check). I'll have to stick some other temporary animation in there.

So it's not going to be perfect, but it will at least make Whirlwind useable until a real fix to the code is made.

[PsiOmega]

I am looking into hooking the practical engine, non-script available, functions GetAttackModifierVersus and GetArmorClassVersus but that does require that I experiment and learn a whole bunch of stuff, so don't expect it to be done any time soon

[Calzier]

Or just use Windows rather than Linux as a server..? I assume cost implications, so perhaps asking everyone who wants whirlwind attack to work properly how much they'd be prepared to donate???

Just as an aside, I have PC on another PW who has ImpWW, and it is just awesome at clearing hordes... so long as there are more bad guys than you have attacks per round... but the main reason I like it is that it's the only way to 'twirl a sword' without actually attacking anything

[PsiOmega]

Returning to Windows is, more or less, no longer an option. A number of recent changes and systems relies on NWNx plugins which do not have fully compatible Windows counter-parts, meaning a switch would force us to remove them.

[Calzier]

Returning to Windows is, more or less, no longer an option. A number of recent changes and systems relies on NWNx plugins which do not have fully compatible Windows counter-parts, meaning a switch would force us to remove them.

OK, I'll just shut up

[PlasmaJohn]

Or just use Windows rather than Linux as a server..? I assume cost implications, so perhaps asking everyone who wants whirlwind attack to work properly how much they'd be prepared to donate???

Not to jump down your throat, but to heap scorn on Winders...

The machine is an VMware ESXi server with 8 physical cores running 10 Ubuntu instances and one Win2k-pro instance -- my own legitimate copy that I am not currently using. All of the Ubuntu instances happily idle around 5% of their CPU allocation and ~25-50% of their RAM allocation. Those numbers do go up when the game server is stressed (30+ players). As the population bounces between servers the lightly populated ones give up resources to the more heavily loaded ones via the magic that is ESXi. The Winders instance is different. It has pegged both its CPU and RAM allocations even before launching the Crosstreams server (NWN2). In other words, it's a poor VM citizen.

The cost implications would more or less demand additional hardware ($1200 for MB, CPU, PSU and case -- Reusing the old RAM) AND valid Winders licenses for each instance. Optimistically you can get them for US$50? (prolly closer to $100), so another $450-900 on top of the hardware.

[Missian]

nothing that fancy in terms of system talk and engine chat.. but..

I checked the normal WW with an alt of mine.. and it works fine when you use it once.. ((even with fury of blows)) however it seemed that the bug started to kick in when the normal attack Icon shows up after the whirlwind Icon on the upper left corner.. perhaps there's a problem with the two following each other..? when I clicked the normal attack Icon to turn it off so I could preform the second WW stacked after it.. it was bugged..
to add though.. the alt with WW is a changeling.. so in human child form and Dynamic Goblin form there aren't any problems with that....

euhm then I have another question.. I wanted to use the Imp WW with Rye out of hiding.. preform the WW then HipS again.. and then following this sequell.. would this work.. or will the normal attack Icon show up after each WW standard..? perhaps there's a bug there..?

[Manuel the White]

We already do use NWNX Events (or will soon).

Awesome.

In the meantime, since Whirlwind calls a script, we can adjust that script. I forgot I had been working on that a couple of months ago. I was thinking I'll just give some average number as a bonus to try to compensate.

Sounds great to me. You are the hero! 8 )

The machine is an VMware ESXi server with 8 physical cores running 10 Ubuntu instances..

Hot damn! Who won the lottery?

[AandA]

Thanks for any and all effort to get this working (unbroken) again! I loved to use it. If nothing else, it's great to use for those things that just don't render on the screen from time to time. Hit WW and even it if doesn't hit it'll engage it in combat when done.

[NayalaGelbert]

I don't suppose circle kick is fixable along these lines as well? It's pretty much too late for my character, who didn't take it, but I think there's a few characters around that mistakenly took that feat.

[Ben DeVeny]

So it's not going to be perfect, but it will at least make Whirlwind useable until a real fix to the code is made.

Is Whirlwind still broken? From the above quote, I am led to believe its been patched up.

I just took it recently as a feat, and it worked a charm, for about three minutes. Then I got stuck and couldnt do anything anymore. No healing, no attacking and so on. Considering that I was obviously surrounded (to get the most out of my attack), not being able to act, pretty much sucked. I dont know what to attribute the situation to... me bing a changeling, or the attack being broken.

[Zandel]

Nope that's the bug, its not your character

[Cromagnon]

Agreed. It's the feat. Unpredictable.

[Ben DeVeny]

whats the latest word then? It looks from Kinar wrote, that there is relief in sight. Has the project been abandoned?

[Cromagnon]

http://www.javaforge.com/issue/9703

I assume "Biobug" means it's out of the hands of our coders.

[Camazotz]

Yep... What the bug seems to be is that an enemy gets shuffled out of your attack range some how, and instead of it resolving by canceling that stage of attack, your character goes "!!! NOT THERE ANYMORE!" and freezes because it's unable to continue the process... Apparently canceling the action in your queue or switching weapons can fix the deal. YMMV, this isn't something I have experience with, just from when I was googling it to see what the problem everyone was talking about was awhile back.

[Manuel the White]

I think Kinarr has a handle on how this can be fixed but just doesn't have the time right now.

[Missian]

just our of curiousity.. since I've picked the feat never the less..

how's Kinarr's time doing..?

thanks anyhow..!!

[Abdenago]

I took Whirlwind because I didn't know it was broken. I had a character that had it a couple years ago and it worked flawlessly and I loved it so I went ahead and picked it up.

I can say for a fact that the bug has nothing to do with the target being in range. It is something to do with the shuffling of attack order. I think that the auto-attack features need removed entirely because when I remember it working there was no auto-attack associated with it. It's a melee aoe and it should fire independently, if there is a creature there to attack or not. The only thing that should regulate damage being taken is if hostiles are within range when whirlwind is performed. I would think removing any auto-attack feature from the queue will cause the problems to cease, if that can be done. I'm not a coder though, so I don't even know if that can be done.

[Anomandari]

I can say for a fact that the bug has nothing to do with the target being in range.

I second that. I often get whirlwind-locked even if I take out the entire spawn in one whirl, when there is nothing (left) out of range.

[Calzier]

Activating/deactivating one of the modes (detect, stealth, expertise, defensive casting, etc) seems to fix it, without the need for a relog.

Anyone with the feat want to check that?

[Urizen]

Its not true. I've toggled my toggle off. Maybe it used to be true.

The only thing I found to fix it was relogging.

[Anomandari]

Its not true. I've toggled my toggle off. Maybe it used to be true.

The only thing I found to fix it was relogging.

Same here. Neither parry nor expertise nor power attack nor stealth fix the WW bug. I always have to relog.

[Calzier]

Its not true. I've toggled my toggle off. Maybe it used to be true.

The only thing I found to fix it was relogging.

Same here. Neither parry nor expertise nor power attack nor stealth fix the WW bug. I always have to relog.

So much for whoever posted that on the NWNX forums...

[eggbert]

It's still cool to see the feat IG, I just won't use it again in Nightfang and watch my charachter get pummeled while he sits around afterward. My bad for not reading the boards on this. Doh.