NodeBuilder giving up midway in DB2? WTF?

[Lat']

It's the title, I was making IVZ1 which is now a kinda big map, and when I launched the test option, a pop up window appeared saying that the nodebuilder failed to build nodes and the game wasn't able to launch the level, saying it has no sector. So I changed the node builder from ZenNode to ZDBSP and it suddently worked better.

So here's my question, what is the best nodebuilder? And if it's ZenNode, why in the fuck does it give up whenever the level is "2big4him"? (I already searched for thread like this, but everyone is saying that ZenNode is the best.)

 

[MascaraSnake]

ZenNode isn't so much the "best" as it is the only nodebuilder that is properly compatible with SRB2. ZDBSP doesn't build a REJECT lump.

 

[Lat']

ZenNode isn't so much the "best" as it is the only nodebuilder that is properly compatible with SRB2. ZDBSP doesn't build a REJECT lump.

Isn't reject the thing that allows to automatically set sectors where the enemies will be able to see the player for A_Look or something?
EDIT: Like fast nodebuilders

 

[MascaraSnake]

Yes. Levels with many enemies (or large levels) may run significantly slower when you leave out the REJECT lump.

 

[Lat']

That explain the unability to make nodes... Well, I think IVZ1 will have to do without that Reject because if the nodes fails everytime I try to save, it won't ever be finished...

 

[glaber]

This may very well be the problem that kept breaking Emerald Lake Act 2 in the OLDC.

So how do we get this node builder to make the required reject lump?

 

[Yacker]

IIRC choosing a "fast" nodesbuild builds the reject lump. I have no idea why it would, though.

 

[Mystic]

The fast nodesbuilder builds a blank reject instead of actually building it. Since it's not doing any of the calculations involved in making a proper reject, it won't crash, but you won't get any of the benefits of having a reject, such as enemies not all remaining on chase no matter how far you are.

 

[Yacker]

Just went and tested it, for some reason, choosing the fast node build in ZDBSP does indeed build a proper reject lump. Again, I have no idea WHY it would do this, but it does. So...use that information how you like.

 

[K.S.]

A blank REJECT lump doesn't count. Its sole purpose is to stop games that require REJECT lumps from crashing, while taking up tons of space and not actually giving the game any data to work with.

ZDBSP never, ever builds a proper REJECT lump. It does this because it was designed for ZDoom, which doesn't require one because its line-of-sight code is completely different from Doom. If you open up the REJECT lump that it 'builds', you'll see it's all zeroes.



On a side note, if ZenNode can't build nodes, then check your maps for errors. Extremely large maps don't (usually) cause nodesbuilders to throw their hands up in the air and give up, but if your map has a significant amount of things wrong with it (say, crossing linedefs and unclosed sectors), it may give up or crash.

 

[pastel]

Try using ZenNode with a different map editor. DB2 has a bug which causes it to fail to save the map if the nodesbuilder takes too long.