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tModLoader >  Workshop > CrazyContraption's Workshop > Ore Excavator (1.4.3/1.4.4 Veinminer) > Discussions
Ore Excavator (1.4.3/1.4.4 Veinminer)
Description Discussions38 Comments1413 Change Notes
 This topic has been pinned, so it's probably important
CrazyContraption  [developer] Aug 9, 2021 @ 9:17am
(UPDATE) What's the deal with Multiplayer?
Preface
It's my number one priority to keep Ore Excavator running for multiplayer, both on dedicated and steam play. This and modded tile/wall support are my top primary concerns. I also want to be clear that I don't mind folks reaching out to get into contact with me with questions and/or suggestions on their mind. You can reach me on Discord as CrazyContraption#0666 almost anytime!

The Issue
With how new tModloader is to Terraria 1.4, the documentation, hooks used for coding, and the overall stability of the engine changes daily. Multiplayer is one of the biggest inconsistencies right now. I have a team of 3 testers working to get this mod as stable as possible for the longest time possible.

Ore Excavator is Such a Simple Mod, How Hard Can it Be?
In concept, it seems very simple. But in execution, syncing sometimes hundreds of unique block updates, each with an item independent of the tile that owns it can be tricky, especially without overloading the server in a single tick. Since Ore Excavator does some really potentially dangerous things to your world if it messes up, and potentially a lot of users will be using it, we want to make sure things are done absolutely right the first time! Otherwise, it could cost people their worlds, quite literally.

Post-Calamity Release
Ore Excavator currently has a few small desync issues with multiplayer. Specificially "Release cancels excavations", and using fast break delays causes issues on server syncing. The mod works by sending the starting excavation info to the server and clients, and then hoping that they all come to the same conclusion as to what was mined. This means we don't have to sync each individual update to the map. Usually - the mod gets it right! However, when an excavation is terminated early, or the latency is noticeable enough, the server will over-excavate what the client told it to because of timing issues. We're working on a fix, but we're not sure how to overcome this logical issue at this current moment.

Thanks for your continued patience and support folks~
- Crazy

EDIT:
If you notice any issues with multiplayer, please post them below!
Last edited by CrazyContraption; Jun 30, 2022 @ 2:38pm
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Showing 1-12 of 12 comments
CrazyContraption  [developer] Aug 10, 2021 @ 12:35pm 
Multiplayer should be stable as of v0.3.1, please comment here if you notice any issues with server stability. Steam Clients as of yet have not been tested. Use with caution!
#1
mlody Aug 11, 2021 @ 3:44pm 
bardzo fajnie
#2
CrazyContraption  [developer] Aug 27, 2021 @ 8:08am 
We're aware of some major issues affecting multiplayer veinswaps, and with the packet loads of large operations. We're introducing a networking overhaul as soon as we squash all of the 0.4.0 bugs. Hang in there folks!
#3
DBot Oct 1, 2021 @ 3:26am 
Veinmining in multiplayer is causing a desync for other players (on older version).
Veinmining on newer version cause FPS tank to zero for all players, often with being kicked for buffer overflow error.

Playing with 3 players on dedicated server.
Last edited by DBot; Oct 1, 2021 @ 3:32am
#4
CrazyContraption  [developer] Oct 1, 2021 @ 5:07pm 
Originally posted by DBot:
Veinmining in multiplayer is causing a desync for other players (on older version).
Veinmining on newer version cause FPS tank to zero for all players, often with being kicked for buffer overflow error.

Playing with 3 players on dedicated server.

@DBot

Thanks for your report. We've denoted some of these major issues with the current live version of the mod, and addressed them with solutions in the recent local non-public beta we have. There's still some major issues with the mod, but we've fixed the desyncs that are causing crashes and kicks.

We're not totally happy with the results of the beta, however if you'd like a copy of the most recent beta we can arrange something for you so you can start playing again.
#5
DBot Oct 1, 2021 @ 8:44pm 
Also, to me, one pocket per tile when veinmining sounds reasonable (because a) it happen very unfrequently anyway, compared to other events and b) packets are very small in size), why would you complicate your system this way? Despite using slightly more traffic than it could, you cut down logic greatly (assuming you have to simulate veinmining on other clients when one player does so)
Last edited by DBot; Oct 1, 2021 @ 8:44pm
#6
CrazyContraption  [developer] Oct 3, 2021 @ 7:48am 
Originally posted by DBot:
Also, to me, one pocket per tile when veinmining sounds reasonable (because a) it happen very unfrequently anyway, compared to other events and b) packets are very small in size), why would you complicate your system this way? Despite using slightly more traffic than it could, you cut down logic greatly (assuming you have to simulate veinmining on other clients when one player does so)

Yeah, we thought it was reasonable too, but it turns out it's not. Our first iterations of multiplayer were rough and would crash frequently. The issue causing crashes right now is to do with infinite looping of packets, and not the packets themselves, which is fixable (and has been fixed).

We're releasing the buggy beta today so people can at least start playing again!

Also, thanks for the insight! We love folks who provide potential solutions to their issues!
#7
CrazyContraption  [developer] Oct 17, 2021 @ 2:03pm 
Hey folks, as of update 0.6.0, multiplayer has been revamped, and I'm looking for feedback on issues or suggestions moving forwards!
#8
Fen Jun 23, 2022 @ 10:27pm 
[Bug] Desync in Blocks in Multiplayer
It appears that digging a larger amount of tiles can sometimes cause blocks to desync client-side and even server side when mining excessive amounts or mining really fast (like larger ore piles or mining big deposits of blocks, like clouds).
This causes the tiles to produce entities as if they were broken, but remain visible to the player and can still be interacted with (i.e. doors). It doesn't go away when going off-screen and returning. I rejoined the server and it updated the broken/desynced areas.
Mobs can glitch through them sometimes as if they were hitting the block, but it isn't there (like walking into unloaded terrain in 7 Days or Minecraft), since it appears to be a desync entirely client-side that can affect other players (though it doesn't seem to affect the host).

I do not have screenshots since I haven't been able to test this after it happened the first time (since I am playing with low-performance friends).

EDIT: I have noticed this might be fixed if you turn your block break delay up when breaking bigger deposits (of like 75+ blocks).
Last edited by Fen; Jun 23, 2022 @ 10:38pm
#9
CrazyContraption  [developer] Jun 23, 2022 @ 10:39pm 
Unfortunately, in order to keep things smooth on the server, we initiate an excavation on the server and each client individually rather than syncing each tile. This helps keep the network open for other mods at the expense of some inaccuracies due to network latency. There's not much that I can do at a large scale to ensure things remain in sync unfortunately.

The server is always the master in these situations. Tile drops are decided by if the server thinks a tile is broken, and AI uses the server tiles for navigation. This is what makes clients think enemies are phasing through blocks.

We're investigating some potential solutions, and investigating if items are being deleted or duplicated - but we doubt this as these mechanisms are taken straight from vanilla - we just put the breaking of tiles in a queue.
#10
Fen Jun 23, 2022 @ 10:41pm 
Originally posted by CrazyContraption:
We're investigating some potential solutions, and investigating if items are being deleted or duplicated - but we doubt this as these mechanisms are taken straight from vanilla - we just put the breaking of tiles in a queue.

Ah, sorry about the last section (before edit). I deleted it since my friend informed me that he had already started clearing up the tree (he doesn't have wood whitelisted) before I started mass-harvesting it, which made sense towards the lack of wood that I was picking up.
#11
CrazyContraption  [developer] Jun 23, 2022 @ 10:51pm 
No worries! Happy to communicate these concerns.
#12
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