First Time Connection Issue

[tpkurilla]

Greetings!

I thought that my download size problem was associated with whether my modules are compressed. But I've done some experimenting, and here's what I've come up with.

The first time a player was connecting, over 13MB of data was being downloaded before he/she could begin. After removing nearly every module from the module directory the size remained almost identical.

So I changed the "theme" from Dungeon to none (no selections on theme).

Now, the first time connections are downloading only about 6.5MB. Granted, it's half the size of when I chose "Dungeon", but it's still six times the size of my entire campaign directory. BTW, the players' clients had the Dungeon themes already in their FGII extensions folder, so why would it be downloading the theme? But I digress.

Anyways, when I check the cache on my server for the campaign I have opened for play, its size is only 83KB. While the same cache on the client side is 6.5MB.

I've made sure that the server and all clients are running 2.6.5. My server was at one point running 2.7.1, but I've downgraded in an attempt to solve this.

Is there anything I can do to reduce the first time connection penalty of a 6.5MB download for my players?

Thanks in advance,

-Thomas

[Oberoten]

Connect a local client to your game. This will generate a player cache file in a cache directory with the same name as the campaign.

This is the file that players download. Mail this one out to the players and have them put it in the proper cache directory with same name as campaign and you should only have to download any changes done after you mailed it out.

- Obe

[Zeus]

What about tokens? Are they included in the cache file or are these transferred post connection?

Also, as the host try to reduce the number of modules you have opened at campaign load time.

[tpkurilla]

What about tokens? Are they included in the cache file or are these transferred post connection?

Also, as the host try to reduce the number of modules you have opened at campaign load time.

I reduced the number of modules to zero (I completely emptied the modules directory), and got the same result.

I will try to email the cache file to the other team members to see if that works, though.

I'm still wondering why 6.5MB of stuff is being transferred when my campaign folder in its entirety is substantially less than 1MB.

Then there is the part where just not clicking a theme...a theme that everyone has in their FG extensions folder...causes 7MB to *not* be downloaded. Coincidentally, 7MB was the size of the theme.

I'm just trying to lower the pain for initial connection. I have two players in other countries, one of which gets out of bed at 2:45am to play with us , so I want to make the most of their time.

I'll give the email thing a try, and let everyone know how it turns out.

Thanks for the input guys,

-Thomas