Add projectile tracking #534

bux · 2016-10-25T08:17:58Z

When merged this pull request will:

add a function to track projectiles as colored lines
- uses ~~hashes and~~ PFHs and should be performing better than BIS_fnc_traceBullets
- works with vehicles
- color gradients for projectile speed (normalized for one projectile; green: fast, red: slow)

Why CBA?:

Useful for testing/diagnostics for a wider audience (mod makers, mission makers, communities)

TODO:

make line counts variable

commy2 · 2016-10-25T11:51:49Z

addons/diagnostic/fnc_projectileTracking_drawProjectilePaths.sqf

+            drawLine3D [_prevProjectileData select 0, _currentProjectileData select 0, [_red, _green, 0, 1]];
+
+            _i = _i + 1;
+        };


while is pretty slow in SQF due to having to execute two code blocks each cycle. Maybe use forEach _projectileData with _currentProjectileData == _x.

commy2 · 2016-10-25T11:52:47Z

addons/diagnostic/fnc_projectileTracking_handleFired.sqf

+};
+
+// using 0.1 to improve performance, we don't need that many bullet position to draw a line
+[FUNC(projectileTracking_trackProjectile), 0.1, [_projectile, _index]] call EFUNC(common,addPerFrameHandler);


CBA_fnc_addPerFrameHandler
CBA_fnc_hashGet
CBA_fnc_hashRem

commy2 · 2016-10-25T11:54:32Z

I think the slowest part about the BI functions is that it uses a too small resolution / too many lines per traced bullet.

bux · 2016-10-28T18:13:32Z

I'm done. Testing local MP with two instances was working very well.

bux · 2016-10-28T18:14:49Z

commy2 · 2016-10-29T11:30:13Z

FPS VA, no tracked bullets: 99
FPS VA, 30 tracked bullets via CBA: 24
FPS VA, 30 tracked bullets via BIS fnc: 11

used:
player call cba_fnc_projectileTracking_addUnit
and
[player, 30] call BIS_fnc_traceBullets
and emptied one MX mag

So this is a >100% improvement. Very good.
But 99>24 is still bad. I'm wondering if we can't push this further?

commy2 · 2016-10-29T11:40:23Z

BIS_fnc_traceBullets has an optional parameter to limit the number of drawn projectiles. It defaults to 10.
Even when only 10 bullets are drawn, the FPS dips to 27 (so your function can basically draw thrice as many lines with the same cost)

CBA_fnc_projectileTracking_addUnit should be able to use this optional parameter too imo
We should somehow integrate this into this standard VA mission you can access from the main menu (we should also add a debug console to it)
I think the name is clumsy compared to the BI name "traceBullets". There is a rather nice naming convention with some new BI SQF commands that use setUnitX. CBA_fnc_setUnitTraceBullets with boolean parameter to turn it on and off? Or maybe CBA_fnc_addUnitTraceBullets, CBA_fnc_removeUnitTraceBullets?

thojkooi · 2016-10-29T11:44:44Z

addons/diagnostic/fnc_projectileTracking_drawProjectilePaths.sqf

+
+for "_index" from 0 to _maxLines do {
+
+    if ( ([GVAR(projectileData), _index] call CBA_fnc_hashHasKey) ) then {


if we are going for performance, we are doing an in and a find with hashHasKey and hashGet. We can probably skip one of them and just do a hashGet followed by a !isNil check.

Not convinced that we need CBA hashes for this in the first place. I mean, this should be possible simply by iterating through an array, shouldn't it be?

bux · 2016-10-31T14:27:02Z

CBA_fnc_projectileTracking_addUnit should be able to use this optional parameter too imo

I've decided against using an optional parameter:

Too much hassle
It doesn't make sense for the "addUnit" function because the amount of paths drawn is not per unit but globally. Imo it's easier to just set a global variable to a different number.
I've set the function to max draw 20 paths even if a user enters e.g. 150

We should somehow integrate this into this standard VA mission you can access from the main menu (we should also add a debug console to it)

?

I think the name is clumsy compared to the BI name "traceBullets". There is a rather nice naming convention with some new BI SQF commands that use setUnitX. CBA_fnc_setUnitTraceBullets with boolean parameter to turn it on and off? Or maybe CBA_fnc_addUnitTraceBullets, CBA_fnc_removeUnitTraceBullets?

The thing is, you don't only track bullets. Everything that triggers the "Fired" EH. That's why I went with "projectile".
I could change the public function names to cba_fnc_addUnitTraceProjectiles

Not convinced that we need CBA hashes for this in the first place. I mean, this should be possible simply by iterating through an array, shouldn't it be?

I've started this thing as an exercise for me to get to know PFHs and hashes more. That's why I used hashes in the first place. I'll look into changing it into a standard array.

bux · 2016-11-06T10:50:08Z

@commy2 I've committed some of your requested changes.

No Tracking
         CBA   BI   
    FPS: 180 / 180

3 Projectiles
    FPS: 155 / 138

4 Projectiles
    FPS: 132 / 125

10 Projectiles
    FPS: 85 / 82

15 Projectiles
    FPS: 67 / 60

20 Projectiles
    FPS: 50 / 40

bux added 2 commits October 25, 2016 08:45

Merge remote-tracking branch 'CBATeam/master'

5ecce34

init projectileTracking

e50ae5a

commy2 reviewed Oct 25, 2016

View reviewed changes

bux added 4 commits October 25, 2016 18:33

don't use macros for hash and perFrameHandler functions

08d36b4

make it work with cba

50007bc

while -> forEach, add initialProjectileData

ad8d77c

add safeguard for max amounts of drawn paths

e27dc10

bux changed the title ~~WIP: Add projectile tracking~~ Add projectile tracking Oct 28, 2016

make tracking more userfriendly

9c4fd5f

commy2 added the Feature label Oct 29, 2016

commy2 added this to the 3.2 milestone Oct 29, 2016

commy2 self-assigned this Oct 29, 2016

thojkooi reviewed Oct 29, 2016

View reviewed changes

bux added 2 commits November 6, 2016 11:45

use array instead of hash

88c3d32

rename functions to less clumsy names

d6c6af9

improve description text

de82cac

Killswitch00 approved these changes Dec 28, 2016

View reviewed changes

Killswitch00 merged commit f9b572d into CBATeam:master Jan 4, 2017

bux deleted the projectileTracking branch January 14, 2017 10:53

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Add projectile tracking #534

Add projectile tracking #534

bux commented Oct 25, 2016 •

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bux commented Nov 6, 2016 •

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		for "_index" from 0 to _maxLines do {

		if ( ([GVAR(projectileData), _index] call CBA_fnc_hashHasKey) ) then {

Add projectile tracking #534

Add projectile tracking #534

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