OBSERVE: Cassettes / Replays MAY break on ANY update

[nornware]

As ANY future simulation / game rule changes will invalidate existing replays it is important that everyone accept the fact that Cassettes / Replays MAY break on ANY update. If you have a Cassette that you absolutely want to save I would recommend recording a video of it (for example using nVidia ShadowPlay or Fraps).

Also I am suspecting (but cannot prove) inconsistencies in replays that are very very hard to effectively test. I don't currently have the toolset in place to test this algorithmically, but I have a good handle on how to build such tools with certain hashing techniques.

With automated testing in place I will be able to determine exactly whether or not replays are solid. As replays are very much the same thing as the network protocol this will also aid in making sure that everything is solid for networked multiplayer games.

Please post in this thread if you see any weird behavior in replays. This will typically look like players reacting to threats that aren't there, walking into obstacles, firing into walls and other similar illogical behavior.

Of course ultimately this stuff will settle down and become stables as the game gets more finished! :)

[Jinn]

Would it be possible to make an upload or share function for the replays? Something that could create a .mp4 in a SBTF folder in documents or something? Sharing the replays outside of manual recording is pretty impossible, as easy as it seems from the in-game library.

[nornware]

The Steam APIs definitely have support for storing files in the cloud / Steam Workshop, and that could potentially be used to store replay files. The biggest point is of course that these files are very small when compared to captured video, but the drawback is the title of this thread; until the game is completely finished replays will continue to break every time the simulation code / data changes. This is simply due to determinism and the fact that the replay is just an input stream; change the machine, change the output.

[Mfunn]

Will there be replays for multiplayer ?

[nornware]

Originally posted by Mfunn:

Will there be replays for multiplayer ?

There has been in the past and hopefully I'll be able to bring them back. The reason for this is that the network code has gone through a few different architectures, but I'm planning on a new iteration that should technically allow for multiplayer replays again.