Code center > Bugs and fixes
Changes 2.43 - 2.43.1d
EricL:
Bump 2.43c released.
This version includes my first pass attempt at a new Internet bot sharing paradym based on teleporters. In particular, this release includes a first pass at F1 Internet mode.
Bascially, putting a sim - any sim - into Internet mode creates a teleporter which will teleport bots out into the cloud and teleport in bots from others also currently running in the same internet mode. The idea is that down the road, there will be additional internet modes, some with enforced restrictions on sim config or the type of bot that will be teleported, much as it is with leagues. I plan a multibot internet mode, a zerobot internet mode, etc. F1 is the first. I call it F1 since it is a total free for all. All bots, be they plants, corpses or 50 cell multibots will be teleported but unlike F1 league mode, there are no restrictions on sim config. A tiny pond mode sim or a giant planet eater sim can be placed into F1 internet mode. Obviously some bots will do better in some environments than in others. That's part of the fun.
Some things to note:
You need not configure server, password, etc. That is all taken care of internally. Just hit the toolbar button.
You must give yourself an internet nickname.
The teleporter will switch to intrasim mode if the server isn't available.
Yes, bots you send out can get teleported back in to the same sim without ever landing in someone else's sim. This will happen all the time when you are the only one running in internet mode.
It is possible for bots to get duplicated in failure situations.
Bots might sit on the server for awhile if connectivty goes away, but they should not get lost forever.
The Intenet log window is quite useful to watch.
I'm still working on the perf aspects, polling intervals, etc. Suggestions welcome.
This version does not collect global population statistcis though that is something I plan to do. If I do this right, then over time, designing a bot that obtains the highest population in the F1 megasim will become the premier goal for bot builders. I plan to create a web page on the site (as well as maybe build something directly into the simulator) which will provide real-time info on bot populations in the connected F1 megasim as well as info on number of individual connected sims and so on. For now, the population graph will tell you what's in your own slice of the F1 megaverse...
Connectivity may still be flacky here and there. As above, the teleporter will switch to intrasim mode if the server is unavailable (and back again once connectivity is restored). I've put in some connection resilency, but it may still be a little funky. In particular, if you run multiple sims in F1 Internet mode on the same machine or on different machines behind a NAT device, you may see the connection come and go.
So, have fun. Fire up a sim full of your best bots and give it a try! Please report any and all bugs in the bug reports forum. Questions and design comments are welcome on this thread.
EricL:
I forgot one really important thing. This version does not auto-create the subdirectories needed by F1 Internet mode.
In the Transfers subdirectory of your DB install point, create a subdirectory named "F1".
In the F1 directory you just created, create two more, one named "in" and one named "out".
That's it. You should be good to go!
Numsgil:
I'll download it and try it out. I'm curious what/where the server is/what network topology you're using. Is it a home computer with a static IP? A rented server space? Or some sort of peer-to-peer matcher?
EricL:
--- Quote from: Numsgil ---I'll download it and try it out. I'm curious what/where the server is/what network topology you're using. Is it a home computer with a static IP? A rented server space? Or some sort of peer-to-peer matcher?
--- End quote ---
It's FTP based to a folder in the FTP share on darwinbots.com. Not the most reliable thing in the world, but it works. Sort of. The account name and password are buried in the exe and not exposed in UI. Soemone coudl sniff it, but it woudl be work. We should probably create a specific share with separate credentials for this at some point.
Bascially, the teleporter spools to the local out directory. Then every X cycles (X=100 unless cycles/sec > 5, then X=500) up to 10 .dbos are FTPed down from the server share to the local in directory where the are teleported in and then up to 10 .dbos in the local out directory are FTPed up. There's some logic for reties and backoffs and deleting stuff non-transactionally. Poor-mans client-server architecture.... but it should get through most firewalls and proxy servers....
Fixed a crashing bug just now. 2.43d coming within the hour...
EricL:
2.43d Buddy Drop Download
Now silently creates local file system directories necessary for F1 internet mode.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version