tutorials

Problems and Bugs [UED 3]

Random problems I ran into while using UnrealEd 3.0:

LimitationVolumes Online

This is something that bugged me for ages. The default LimitationVolume works perfectly offline - it blocks both projectiles and the translocator disc when set to. When you try to play the same map online, the LimitationVolumes only blocks the translocator disc and not projectiles, which is very annoying in outdoor maps because projectiles can hit the skybox instead of disappearing.

The problem is to do with replication in net games - which the current code doesn't do.

I found this wiki article helpful: http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/ProjectileDestroyerVolume

Below is my version of the code. It's a subclass of LimitationVolume which allows you to do everything you can do with LimitationVolume except it blocks projectiles online. It seems to work well online and doesn't cause any lag!

//============================================================================= // hNetLimitationVolume. // destroys projectiles in online games //============================================================================= class hNetLimitationVolume extends LimitationVolume; simulated event touch(Actor Other) { if ( ((bLimitTransDisc) && (TransBeacon(Other)!=None)) || ((bLimitProjectiles) && (Projectile(Other)!=None)) ) { if (Projectile(Other) != None && !Other.bDeleteMe) { if (LimitEffectClass!=None && Level.Netmode != NM_DEDICATEDSERVER) Spawn(LimitEffectClass,,,Other.Location, Other.Rotation); Projectile(Other).bNoFX = true; Other.Destroy(); } } }

Fluid Surface Bug

Not sure what causes this one, but I've had problems with it while working on JB-Gravity. Had to abandon the fluid surfaces idea but it wasn't too much of a problem anyway. Nobody seems to know how to fix this.

Bug Characteristics

You create a fluid surface, and after rebuilding geometry it no longer ripples.
The fluid surface doesn't ripple or respond to anything in-game or in the editor.
Fluid surface oscillators don't have any effect.
The fluid surface's properties are the same as when it worked.
Fluid surfaces in other maps work fine.
All fluid surfaces throughout the problem map are the same - flat.
Game detail settings are ok.
When you copy and paste everything into a new map file and rebuild it's the same.
Removing and replacing the fluid surface from scratch doesn't help.

Workarounds
First check the game detail level settings and the list above to see if this is the same problem you have. Make a small test map with a cube and a FluidSurfaceInfo to check it works. I found that after deleting all the static meshes in the map, the fluid surfaces returned to normal. If you are at an early stage of development it might be easier to replace them all from scratch. If you try and copy and paste all the meshes into the map again it doesn't work. You could use a xProcMesh or simple sheet as an alternative.

Resources
UnrealWiki: FluidSurfaceInfo
UnrealWiki: xProcMesh

Bright static meshes

Sometimes static meshes in a certain area appear unusually bright - not unlit, but just brighter and look odd with the surroundings. This seems to be caused when you use Zone Ambient Light, even on a very low setting. The only solution is to avoid using zone ambient light. As an alternative you could use a dull bulb with a large radius. Check that AmbientGlow=0 and bUnlit=false under the static mesh Display properties tab first, and rebuild lighting.

Setting bStaticLighting and bUseDynamicLights to true doesn't seem to solve this problem, the mesh still takes on the brightness and colour of whatever is set in Zone Light.

Resources
Example Map [bright_meshes.zip] [9 kb]
Hourences' Vertex Lighting Tutorial
UnrealWiki: ZoneLight