[WreckingBall]

Not a 100% sure if this is an amxmod issue or a steam/server issue.

Our server is CZero with steam and linux amxmodx 1.8 running. Custom maps and associated files are downloaded to players who enter the games when they don't have those files on their own pc. We have RES files with each map on our server. The system works fine with all our maps and supplementary models, gfx, sprites and sound files.

I have encountered a similar problem with several different plugins that include additional models and/or sound files that (I assume) get added to the czero/models and czero/sound folders. The plugins usually load and run ok, but UNLESS the player already has the model and sound files on his/her own pc they do not receive the download from our server and as a result they cannot enter the server.

By way of example, I will explain what happens with a recent plugin;

I installed a plugin called sentryguns.amxx properly, placed the .amxx in the plugins subdir, and activated it in the plugins.ini file. The plugin included two additional files called models/sentries/<contains 4 .mdl files> and sound/sentries/<contains 8 .wav files>. The folders called "sentries" were copied directly into the czero\models\ and czero\sound\ directories respectively.

When I was testing the game, I had already had the two sentries folders installed in my own czero directory and was able to enter the server game and use the plugin. However, I quickly noticed that new users coming in were being disconnected because the download of the model files was not happening.

I subsequently, deleted the two subdir sentries folders from my czero\models and \sound directories and tried to join the server without success. The server indentified the correct directories and file paths but for some reason did not download the "sentries" subdirectory from either the czero\models or czero\sound directories.

Long winded explanation for these two simple, I hope, questions....

1. Does amxmodx, or plugins designed for amxmodx, look for their model and/or sound files in someplace different than in the root directory of the currently active counterstrike game (czero in my case)?
2. Is there a .RES file needed so that amxmodx and the server know where to find and download the files to incoming players. If so, what form would this .res file take and where would it be located?

As noted at the start of this query, I have experienced a similar issue with several plugins and, discussed with several other admins who did not have any answers. What I hope to accomplish here is to determine whether the amxmodx functions have anything to do with this and if so, what is the solution?

Hope you can help.
Thanx
WreckingBall

[YamiKaitou]

Post in the plugins topic as it seems that the plugin is either out of date or has another issue. Typically, the plugin is supposed to precache the file, which tells the server that the client needs to download the file if they do not have it.

[chris]

The plugin does precache the files.

public plugin_precache() {
 // Sentries below
 precache_model("models/sentries/base.mdl")
 precache_model("models/sentries/sentry1.mdl")
 precache_model("models/sentries/sentry2.mdl")
 precache_model("models/sentries/sentry3.mdl")
 g_sModelIndexFireball = precache_model("sprites/zerogxplode.spr") // explosion
 precache_sound("debris/bustmetal1.wav") // metal, computer breaking
 precache_sound("debris/bustmetal2.wav") // metal, computer breaking
 precache_sound("debris/metal1.wav") // metal breaking (needed for comp also?!)
// precache_sound("debris/metal2.wav") // metal breaking
 precache_sound("debris/metal3.wav") // metal breaking (needed for comp also?!)
// precache_model("models/metalplategibs.mdl") // metal breaking
 precache_model("models/computergibs.mdl") // computer breaking
 precache_sound("sentries/asscan1.wav")
 precache_sound("sentries/asscan2.wav")
 precache_sound("sentries/asscan3.wav")
 precache_sound("sentries/asscan4.wav")
 precache_sound("sentries/turridle.wav")
 precache_sound("sentries/turrset.wav")
 precache_sound("sentries/turrspot.wav")
 precache_sound("sentries/building.wav")
 precache_sound("weapons/m249-1.wav")
}

I think there is something wrong with your server, have you tried sending in a support ticket to your gameserver host?

[WreckingBall]

Yami - I noted in my original post that I wasn't sure if this was a plugin issue or something related to amxmodx. Like I said, I have tried 3 or 4 other plugins on the server and the download experiences the same issue when there is a model file involved AND it is stored in a named subdirectory in the czero/models subdir.
Conversely, I have one plugin called Brassknuckles that uses 2 model files. However, the key difference is that these files are in the root czero/models subdir whereas the other attempts to create the subdir sentries first which then contains the actual model files.

Chris - I checked the .sma file for precache info and noted, as you have, that the precache seems to be coded correctly.

It seems that the issue is narrowing down to this:
Is there something in amxmodx OR the server that will not support the creation of a subdirectory on a users system during download? This must be related to plugins only because there are many examples of cases where subdirectories are created when a user downloads a map with say, model files, contained in a subdirectory that is created under the czero/models subdir. The difference, of course, is that the server admin ensures that there is a .res file with the map so that the file names and file locations are noted. I am not familiar enough with the inner workings of amxmodx to know for sure, but I wonder if it supports the creation of subdirectories that don't exist on a players computer?

Here is the server's message that I receive on my PC when I try to connect without having the two model and sound subdirectories on my own system:

Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/asscan1.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/asscan2.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/asscan3.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/asscan4.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/turridle.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/turrset.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/turrspot.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'sound/sentries/building.wav'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'models/sentries/base.mdl'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'models/sentries/sentry1.mdl'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'models/sentries/sentry2.mdl'
Error: server failed to transmit file 'models/sentries/sentry3.mdl'
Error: could not load file models/sentries/base.mdl
Model models/sentries/base.mdl not found and not available from server
Cannot continue without model models/sentries/base.mdl

I hadn't reported anything to the gameserver host yet because I wanted to eliminate amxmodx and/or plugin issues first.

Thanx for your feedback.
WB

[YamiKaitou]

I can tell you that it is not an AMXx issue. Either the server doesn't have permission to transfer those files or something else on the server side or client side. AMXx doesn't control what the client downloads, the server does

[chris]

Originally Posted by WreckingBall It seems that the issue is narrowing down to this: Is there something in amxmodx OR the server that will not support the creation of a subdirectory on a users system during download?

What other plugins are you running?

[WreckingBall]

Originally Posted by chris What other plugins are you running?

I am running several other plugins, brassknuckles, csnadeprime, mp5 grenade launcher, admin hats, czbotmenu, lootbag and mapchooser4. A few of these use model files but they are not in a separate subdir in the czero/models directory.
However, I have tried 3 or 4 other plugins that place the models in a named subdir in the models subdir and each one fails to complete the download when a user comes on who doesn't already have the model files.
That is why I thought that it might have something to do with amxx....the thinking being "perhaps plugins, following amxx protocols, cannot cause a subdirectory to be created on a users system".

Yami - Having followed the discussion so far, I'm inclined to agree with you that, quite possibly, it is a server issue rather than amxx. But, the one question that is unanswered is; "Why does the server have permission to download maps and all the associated files and even to create additional subdirs on a players cz system, but not have permission to transfer those of the plugin?"

WB

[chris]

Well, I am asking this because one time I had a map switch problem and it wasn't the plugin I thought it was; maybe another plugin is interfering with the sentries plugin.

[WreckingBall]

Originally Posted by chris Well, I am asking this because one time I had a map switch problem and it wasn't the plugin I thought it was; maybe another plugin is interfering with the sentries plugin.

I suppose that is a possibility, but there is no indication in the logs of any conflicts with plugins. I had something similar to what you describe myself with both lootbag and the mp5 nade launcher running together...both seemed to be using the same get_string requests and it sometimes caused server hiccups on map changes. As a result, I disable one or the other each week so as not to interfere with the gameplay.

WB

[Roach]

Moved to OT.