Join the Empires VMPI Steam Group if you are willing to lend cores to long map compiles. The goal of this group is to provide an organized system of distributed compiling for maps that need that extra power. All mappers will be granted officer status in the group so that they may set events for VMPI compiling their maps. Due to how the system works VMPI is drop-in drop-out. Even if you can only join us for 15 minutes, it makes a difference! VMPI works by dividing the workload into work units on the master server, the main computer compiling the map. Each person connecting to the master server is a worker. Work units are distributed to workers and sent back to the master server upon completion. VMPI HOW-TO An easier method of connecting as a worker is to:
the birth. of skynet... i would like to join, also me and some friends could join too all quadcore systems
Yay it uses all my 4 cores ... hehe 100% usage? thats hardcore ... i don`t think my machine had that once before ... But for whatever reason i get no progressbar (see link VMPI How to) ;/ Aww forgot the switch command kk ... X/
Small question from a mapping noob: How long does it need to complile a map? (Last maps I have done were for QuakeII. There it only took some minutes).
From my post in the tutorial thread: I made a simple batch file, all you need to do is enter the IPORT and whether you want it to shut down your pc when the compile is done. Just copy the following block of text and save it as a .bat file: Code: @:start @TITLE VMPI [Not Connected] @if '%1'=='' goto needsinput1 @if '%2'=='' goto needsinput2 @if '%2'=='y' goto SDY @if '%2'=='yes' goto SDY @goto :SDN @:needsinput1 @SET /P IP=Enter [IP:PORT] %1 @:needsinput2 @SET /P SD= Do you want to shutdown the computer when the compile is done? [y/n] %2 @if '%SD%'=='y' goto SDY @if '%SD%'=='yes' goto SDY @:SDN @TITLE VMPI %IP% CLS @ECHO Alright, %IP% It is. "%sourcesdk%\bin\orangebox\bin\vvis.exe" -mpi_worker %IP% @goto start @:SDY @TITLE VMPI %IP% CLS @ECHO Alright, %IP% It is. "%sourcesdk%\bin\orangebox\bin\vvis.exe" -mpi_worker %IP% @SHUTDOWN -S -T 60 @ECHO Shutting down in 60 seconds. @SET /P NOLOL= Cancel Shutdown? [y/n] @IF /I '%NOLOL%' == 'y' goto CSD @IF /I '%NOLOL%' == 'yes' goto CSD @IF /I '%NOLOL%' == 'n' goto start @IF /I '%NOLOL%' == 'no' goto start :CSD CLS @SHUTDOWN -a @ECHO Shutdown Cancelled! @goto start Alternatively, if you want it to keep retrying, incase you time out or whatever, you can run it from the command line with the options (example: empvmpi.bat 1.1.1.1:231 no)
VMPI is intended for map compiles that would otherwise take hours. The great thing about the work unit system is that it makes it drop-in drop-out. People can join and leave at will and it won't do anything to the compile but deduct from the overall processing power.
i once had a map that took 42 hours to compile without bugs (a big open valley with a highway trough it, old map of mine) its the lightning that mostly takes up the most time
its the VVIS that takes most of time :{ I can do the lightning on Omneh's map on HDR final in about 30min.
Half an hour if the mapper is any good, several days if he does't know what he's doing. Also omneh you're wasting your time compiling silo if it takes that long, because if it takes that long it's not going to run any better than last time.
I joined the compile frenzy. I only hope the map isn't developing a self consciousness and taking over the world while we compile it...
If you use func_viscluster, hint and areaportals, you should be able to cut down the VVIS compile time to a few seconds. If you can't, you don't know what you're doing, or your map is far too complex. As for VRAD, you'll have to make a choice between sharp and detailed lighting and shadows, but a large map file and a long compile time, or lower quality lighting and blurry, somewhat inaccurate shadows, but a small map file and a shorter compile time.
I've managed to get the compile time on silo down to around a minute on my pentium 4 by using visclusters, (I removed them in the first place since apparently they were halving K2's FPS) but quite honestly, I need to completely remake the visblockers in the middle if I can expect to get any more than ~30 fps when looking in that direction. For comparison, I get up to 100 fps when looking in any other direction, which is rather rare for me. As it stands, the amount of visblocking going on is minimal. Its doing a decent VRAD compile I'm now worried about, since my computer starts BSOD'ing when I try and do a HDR compile.
You don't need to remake anything, the visblockers are fine, the problem is that you probably aren't using a hint plane over the top of the visblockers, which is why visclusters caused problems in the first place, or to be precise they didn't cause problems, they just made them occur with a shorter compile time.
Just give the damn map to Chris or someone who can optimize worth a damn. Vvis shouldn't ever last longer than 30 minutes, and even at that rate it is long enough.
