VIS Blockers in Multiplayer Created 17 years ago2007-09-01 22:42:53 UTC by StoneFrog

Okay, there is something I've never found a clear answer about. Can I utilize hint brushes in multiplayer maps in any way?

I have done various things such as func_walling entities and lifting things one unit off the ground, though some segments of my map still lag, and I figured out why!

By using gl_wireframe 2 (or whatever the command was), I noticed that VIS renders some things from miles away. A good example is how my multiplayer map (it's an escape map BTW) begins above ground and you slowly proceed underground. I noticed that, when above ground, VIS renders everything under the ground - that's no good! Vice versa when I'm underground as well.

Now, I heard everything is rendered at once for multiplayer, but can I use a hint brush to, say, make it so that VIS does not render the underground portions from above ground?

If hint brushes can't be used in multiplayer, anybody got any other good r_speed optimization tips?

"Everything rendered at once for multiplayer" is a myth that refuses to fade away. Multiplayer is rendered just like single-player - whatever the engine deems "visible" is rendered.

Use those hint brushes.

However, the way I know it (personally I still find hint brushes a bit baffling) the area beyond the brush does not render until you near it.

If the engine is "shared" in a multiplayer server, wouldn't that mean like as one person passes the brush, that area would render for everyone, even people who needn't have said area rendered at the time?

Or does each player essentially have their own copy of the engine running, so a hint brush would basically trigger for them and not the entire server?

The game is only rendered by clients. Otherwise, servers would need good GPUs.

Thanks a lot.

I have a ton of optimization to do...