Subtitles outpace radio messages

Want to edit the game, build your own craft and missions? Here you'll find help, tools, guides and people to discuss with.
Post Reply

Subtitles outpace radio messages

User avatar
Phoenix Leader
Rebel Alliance
Posts: 437
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 2:20 pm

Post by Phoenix Leader » Sat Feb 09, 2019 11:40 am

Hello,
one thing we have noticed while trying to solve mission problems is that the text in subtitles outpace the radio messages.
Though the first mission (B0M1) is easily solved by enlarging message delay times, many other missions have the same problem, but they cannot be fixed the same way because there are message related conditions which would be triggered too late.

Essentially, audio messages have trigger conditions referring to a mission event or another message (+ delay time).
It seems the audio messages are shown in an order following these 4 rules:
1) If another message (even not audio) is already being shown when the condition (+ delay time) is triggered, the message (audio + subtitles) is delayed
2) Delayed audio messages are stored in some kind of buffer which size is something about 5 - 6 seconds
3) If both a message-triggered audio message and a mission event triggered audio message are stored in the buffer, the event triggered is shown first
4) The minimum appreciable time difference between 2 events (which are not considered simultaneous) stored in the buffer is 1 second

These conclusions come from many play tests and edits with AlliED, but for a stable solution without risking altering missions too much, a way different from using a mission editor should be found.

User avatar
Mark_Farlander
Rebel Alliance
Posts: 580
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:47 pm

Post by Mark_Farlander » Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:34 pm

You are right. The first 3 missions of the prologue have no message related trigger conditions except for the jump to order 3 in R3 condition for FRS Andrasta in mission 2 and the arrival condition for the hyper buoy to Azzameen Station in missions 2 and 3, but the messages triggering order 3 in R3 for FRS Andrasta and the buoys are mission event related, therefore enlarging delay times for some other messages won't damage those missions.

In mission 4 the jump to order 3 in R2 condition for PES Enkidu is "Message #41 must be shown", but message 41 is a message triggered message "Message #40 must be shown", the same thing happens with message 40 "Message #39 must be shown" and so on...
Enlarging delay times in this mission would mess up all mission timings.
I don't judge tactics. The Battle is the best and only Judge.

User avatar
Phoenix Leader
Rebel Alliance
Posts: 437
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 2:20 pm

Post by Phoenix Leader » Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:52 pm

The simplest solution would actually be increasing the buffer time from 6 to 20 seconds.
The downside is that mission events triggered by message related conditions could take place up to 20 seconds before the message is displayed (and voiced).

Bman
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 1167
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2004 11:01 pm

Post by Bman » Sun Feb 10, 2019 5:14 pm

No offsets/patches are needed for this. These are all fixable using AlliED. Yes, it might be little time consuming but the delay times and trigger events can easily be edited within the mission files. Getting the logic right is the key.
W-I-P: TFTC, MC Viscount Cr., ISD-II Avenger, NL-1 Platform, Ton-Falk Esc. Cr., & Misc.

User avatar
Mark_Farlander
Rebel Alliance
Posts: 580
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:47 pm

Post by Mark_Farlander » Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:32 pm

The subtitles referring to an audio track can be aligned or not with the audio track depending on many reasons.
For example not audio messages ("ISDII Corrupter destroyed") between 2 audio messages exhaust the buffer time quickly.
The situation can be different every time a player goes through the mission.

This can be solved using AlliED, but making mathematically impossible to have fast subtitles requires to increase the delay times at such a point that even changing all the conditions triggering events would essentially break the mission for those players still going for the best mission time.
Additionally, the few times when all goes smoothly the time between 2 messages belonging to the same dialogue would be huge.

That's why I agree with Phoenix Leader that finding where the message buffer is stored and increasing it to 20-30 seconds might do the job better.
I don't judge tactics. The Battle is the best and only Judge.

Post Reply