Log files / robots being cantankerous

For some reason "findClosest(bot:findGlobalItems(SoccerBallItemType))" never detects any soccer balls. Can someone please explain to me how I can change that?

[watusimoto]

Most curious. The world's first soccerbot.

I'm doing the 013 release tonight. If you don't have an answer by mid-week, give it a bump to remind me.

[watusimoto]

Flynn, what platform are you using?

Mac, intel.

Also, using version 013, I cannot use bots at all!

Robot 0 orbitbot.bot simply causes a crash.

[watusimoto]

Flynn -- that's exactly the answer I didn't want. I think I found the problem with why soccer balls are not seen by the bots, and fixed it, but only in the Windows and Linux versions (the Mac version had already been built by the time I figured it out what it was). So the soccer bot should work on the Windows release or on a Linux server, or even on a Mac if you compiled the game yourself... Not the answer you wanted, nor the one I wanted to give.

As for bots not running at all... interesting. I'm permanently hosting a server with bots, so I know that they at least *can* work on 013.

Is there anything in your bitfighter.log file?

Ah, darn. Well, that's fine, I can go for a little while without my infamous soccerbots.


As for the log, let me check...

EDIT:
No there is not. Completely blank. I'll go ahead and load a bot, and see if anything pops up.

EDIT:
Still nothing. Nothing in bitfighter_server.log. I've made sure to check before starting bitfighter back up after the crash.

[watusimoto]

Perhaps the logfiles are going somewhere else? There should be *something* in each file.

As for the soccer issue, well I think I'm going to need to do a maintenance release today or tomorrow, so the (untested) fix will be included then.

If you are launching Bitfighter with no parameters, the log files should go in your program folder, but they can be redirected elsewhere with cmd line parameters.

I simply double click the bitfighter icon to start it up.

If you want, I can try using a command, and send the log to a specific location, but you'll have to teach me how to do that.

Also, I'm having issues finding the energy refill item.

[watusimoto]

The energy refill is on vacation until 014.

If you delete your logfiles, do they get recreated?

Yep, they do.

By the way, I'm LOVING the new turret/forcefield placement system. I used to have SOO much trouble with those things. Now, they work like a charm!

Here is the file I'm trying to use:

  Code:

SoccerGameType 8 10
LevelName A = ID GOALIE TEST
LevelDescription
LevelCredits
Robot 0 orbitbot.bot
Script
GridSize 255
MinPlayers 0
MaxPlayers 0
Team Blue 0 0 1
GoalZone 0 2 0.8  5 0.8  5 1  2 1
BarrierMaker 1 2 2.7  2 3  3 4  4 4  5 3  5 2.7
BarrierMaker 1 2 1  2 0.8  5 0.8  5 1
Spawn 0 3.5 3.6
Spawn 0 4.5 3.6
Spawn 0 5.5 3.6
Spawn 0 6.5 3.6
Spawn 0 7.5 3.6
Spawn 0 8.5 3.6
Spawn 0 9.5 3.6
Spawn 0 10.5 3.6
SoccerBallItem 3.5 2

[watusimoto]

try running from the command line like so:

bitfighter -logdir somefolder/you/are/sure/you/can/write/to

Hrrm.

Trying to run the following command in terminal:

open ~/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app --logdir ~/somelogfolder

I get the error:

open: unrecognized option `--logdir'

[watusimoto]

Try just one '-' instead of two.

I instead get this:
open: invalid option -- l

All returned text:

  Code:

open: invalid option -- l
Usage: open [-e] [-t] [-f] [-W] [-n] [-g] [-h] [-b <bundle identifier>] [-a <application>] [filenames]
Help: Open opens files from a shell.
      By default, opens each file using the default application for that file.  
      If the file is in the form of a URL, the file will be opened as a URL.
Options:
      -a                Opens with the specified application.
      -b                Opens with the specified application bundle identifier.
      -e                Opens with TextEdit.
      -t                Opens with default text editor.
      -f                Reads input from standard input and opens with TextEdit.
      -W, --wait-apps   Blocks until the used applications are closed (even if they were already running).
      -n, --new         Open a new instance of the application even if one is already running.
      -g, --background  Does not bring the application to the foreground.
      -h, --header      Searches header file locations for headers matching the given filenames, and opens them.

Also, using "open ~/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app logdir ~/somelogfolder"

returns:

The file /Users/myusername/logdir does not exist.

[karamazovapy]

I think he meant you should try "-logdir"

And, I get "open: invalid option -- l" whenever I do.

[watusimoto]

bitfighter -logdir your/folder/here ...

wait a minute...

what the heck is "open"?

Well, just to make sure we are on the same page, I AM a mac, and I'm using terminal.

"Open" is supposedly what you use to open an application via terminal. (At least, according to the internet).

Perhaps using the open command is what is tripping me. I've tried running the windows version of this, (Which is what you told me to do), but it returned the error text:

-bash: /Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app: is a directory

Just now, I also tried doing the exact command:

bitfighter -logdir ~/somelogfolder
Which returns:

-bash: bitfighter: command not found

I'll go look for other opening commands.

[watusimoto]

You're on the right track. You just need to tell bash where bitfighter is. The easiest way is to simply drag the bitfighter icon onto the bash window, and the full path will be added (I think). Then add your cmd line parameters to the end, and you should be good to go.

Hrrm.. That resulted in:

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

Which returned the error:

-bash: /Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app: is a directory

I'm probably not following the directions properly.

I'm very sorry about how long this is taking, and very thankful that you are being patient enogh to deal with me.

[watusimoto]

OK, try this:

  Code:

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app/bitfighter -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

That results in:

  Code:

-bash: /Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app/bitfighter: No such file or directory

Is there anything in the INI that can do the same thing as this?

EDIT:

Argh, I feel like an idiot.. I just checked the INI file, and all of the log prefs were set to "No".

I'll go crash bitfighter again, with the log prefs to "Yes".

EDIT:
Still nothing in the log.

[watusimoto]

The problem is that bash (the command interpreter) can't find the bitfighter command. I don't know macos enough to go much beyond this, but you could try these:

  Code:

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/bitfighter -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app/Bitfighter -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

In any case, the logfile should always end with "Bye!", regardless of what logging options you have on or off.

[watusimoto]

You could also opt for brute force:

  Code:

find / |grep -i bitfighter

That one will take a while, but it will tell you where bitfighter is!

Thanks for the ideas, but they all return the same errors as posted above.

As for the brute force method, I get "Access Denied" thrice.


I do have one idea, though -

Would you mind sending me the level that uses those bots, and the bot code?


That way I can be absolutely sure I'm not doing something wrong - And if I find that I am, I can learn from the examples.

[ZoombeR]

The problem is that bash (the command interpreter) can't find the bitfighter command. I don't know macos enough to go much beyond this, but you could try these:

  Code:

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/bitfighter -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

/Users/myusername/Bitfighter/Bitfighter.app/Bitfighter -logdir /Users/myusername/somelogfolder

In any case, the logfile should always end with "Bye!", regardless of what logging options you have on or off.

hmm im glad I came back from vacation yesterday. If I think I know what your trying to do, there are luckily ways of opening bit-fighter.

When you use the open command, you are running a whole different application in terminal than bitfighter, meaning there will be no -logdir option. What you need to do, is start terminal out on the "bitfighter command"

To do this, open the bitfighter folder, right click on bitfighter.app, select the option, show package contents, navigate through Contents > Resources > MacOS.
Inside MacOS you should see the bitfighter executable. Drag that file into the terminal window, alone, and press enter, It *should* log itself inside the window, as when i do it, I get the bye message :p

Thanks! That worked like a charm! I'll have to remember that. The log files got created in "somelogdirectory", like they were supposed to!

.. However - Bitfigher still failed to put anything into them... Tried running from the command multiple times, and they remained blank.

[watusimoto]

OK, well I guess the next question would does anyone else who has a Mac see any entries in their logfiles when they run?

True that. Also, does anyone have any working robot levels that I could use? (Along with their robots)

[watusimoto]

There is a full example in the Robot Gallery (level plus early robot). There are also a couple of bots included with the game, such as the elizabot that you can talk to if you are lonely.

Hmm. All I got was an orbit bot, but thanks! I'll go check that forum out!

[watusimoto]

The robot gallery is in the wiki, and it probably only features the orbitbot at the moment...

Oh.


I did, however, go to the robot forum, and I tried out "Quickbot V2".

Bitfighter crashed, so, I'm assuming something is wrong with the mac build. Oddly, I can join the server that has the quickbots running on it, and everything works fine...

I've deleted all of my copies of bitfighter, and redownloaded the "013 - OS X" version. Still no elizabot.

I'm currently trying some robots on bitfighter.

EDIT:
Still crashing, and no log.

[karamazovapy]

Based on all the problems people have reported on the forums, robot use, such as it is, is still far from user-friendly. Don't feel bad that you're having issues. Most people do.

I'm not really one to feel bad about bugs in games -- I feel splendid!

However, it would be really nice to have bots, as they really add some fun to a level.

[watusimoto]

Oddly, I can join the server that has the quickbots running on it, and everything works fine...

It's not that odd -- bots only exist on the server in any meaningful sense -- to your client, they look a lot like a remote player. No bot code is executed locally.

That actually makes sense.

So - What are we looking at here with the problem of bots? Do I have to wait a long time, or, assuming you can find the problem, will it be a not-so-long wait?

[karamazovapy]

it COULD be a problem with the code...but it's still entirely possible you're doing something wrong.

[ZoombeR]

1. The bots seem to work for me. I can look into that too if you'd like

2. On the log note, Nothing here as well.
(found two other bugs while trying to find an answer to this one)

[watusimoto]

So Flynn, how is it you were able to figure out there was a problem with finding the soccer ball if you can't even run any bot code?

@Watusimoto
When I first posted this, I was using the 012 version, which works fine with bots. I only stopped being able to use bots when 013 came out.


@_k
That is very true. Though, what strikes me is that when using a clearly working example, (not made by me) bitfighter still crashes; Even though this very example is running on a server, and works fine when I join it.

I actually HOPE it's a user error - that way I don't have to wait for bugfixes.

[karamazovapy]

I meant that you could be making some simple but fundamental mistake in your execution, not that the bots are coded incorrectly.

Do elaborate! Anything I can do to get my precious bots, I surelywill.

My MAC is OS X Tiger which means I'll be using Zoomber's Fix on the 013 BitFighter client. Would that result in my computer not getting the same results as Flynn's? If not I'll try and see if I my client isn't recording anything in the log file.

[ZoombeR]

~~The log file has been fixed~~

unfortunately I still have yet to see how to enable it within xcode to work with macs.

if i figure it out, logging will be restored. For all releases.

[watusimoto]

That's great! How?