Content Suggestion Limit PAC3 To Help Stop Lag

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What does this suggestion change/add/remove:
[This would reenforce the limits initially set for PAC to prevent someone from making a PAC that lags the server to oblivion so they can look pretty, specifically blocking using Imagur and the like to import materials over the 15mb limit, as right now they ARE a large part in the lag.

"Just turn off PAC!"
Doesn't work, you still load it in, also then you run into the invisible men because people replace the Entity not use a Model.

"It doesn't cause that much lag!"
Yes. It does. Go to your console and run FProfiler for 4-5 minutes then look at Total time in ms (inclusive) and Average time in ms (inclusive). PAC3 isn't just the top issue, it's listed MULTIPLE times as the primary issue and what's eating most of your frames, only challenged by Vwar Attachments.

"But my model's materials are only slightly over the limit!"
Compress it. It takes like 5 minutes and saves alot of lag.

Has something similar been suggested before? If so, why is your suggestion different?:
[Probably, but the lag has just gotten worse consistently. It's to the point I can tell the very moment certain people load in.]

Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):
[Less Lag, people don't need to invest in quantum computing just so people can load in a hyper realistic tank top.]

Possible Negatives of the suggestion:
[People will have to compress their giga pacs, some of them may just not buy pac.]

Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:
[It's already a intended limitation and all people did was find a workaround at the cost of the rest of the playerbase. If by some unholy means this DOESN'T fix a substantial amount of lag it literally just takes a minute to unblacklist imagur.]
 
mmmm doesnt work for server sided lag if you put on a pac both the client and server side requests it, if you disable pac3 in console server side still requests the pac man
Not my fault the server ain't set on NASA style computers 🤷‍♂️
Save yourself some frames and disable it, the server runs bad enough as is, people should at least be used to it by now
 

Jeffrey Nut

Civil Gamers Expert
Oct 6, 2023
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Not my fault the server ain't set on NASA style computers 🤷‍♂️
Save yourself some frames and disable it, the server runs bad enough as is, people should at least be used to it by now
i think the suggestion aims more for server sided lag and not actully client side if it gets accepted its both but pretty sure he tryna to fix server lag
 

Jeffrey Nut

Civil Gamers Expert
Oct 6, 2023
213
28
61
Server lag is a multitude of different things, sure pac is a contributor but the lag will still exist if pac is still around in any capacity
i get it, pac3 is just one of the highest lag causers on the server, limiting it would help out the server alot, at least a test phase if it even works ig
 
i get it, pac3 is just one of the highest lag causers on the server, limiting it would help out the server alot, at least a test phase if it even works ig
🤷‍♂️ I doubt it will do a whole lot
Plus, as Niox pointed out, staff are well aware of the issue and have it on their road map (Critical as well) so whatever happens happens, not dependent on the response of this suggestion

Best you can do is what I initially commented, and just wait till there is change
 
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John Kild

Active member
Feb 14, 2025
21
1
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+ Support

I like this idea, but I wouldn't blacklist Imgur, I would just suggest enforce a rule for pac meaning you have to spend a little more time to optimize your model. But also I would add a slight limit to pac as well for how much you can use from Imgur and other stuff that could potentially cause lag. Also I would add a system where staff and some other high ranked people like game masters can approve the enabling of the larger pacs so there is not 2-5 detailed pacs that are being loaded at the same time or one right after the other
 
The only notable issues I've faced with PAC have been:
  • People using Dropbox, which takes ages to load and often fails due to them disabling the link
  • People using links that have been disabled and the like
  • People making PACs that are just outright broken
For a lot of this, I think some better logging for staff would be the main solution - if someone's PAC fails to load due to a 4XX error, or if it is consistently taking too long to load, it should flag to e.g. HMod+ for someone to pull them and tell them to fix their shit or turn it off. And also, just fucking ban the use of Dropbox programmatically.

Right now, I think only like SL or SSL or something get warnings due to PAC, sometimes, and I'm not sure how helpful it even is.
 
The only notable issues I've faced with PAC have been:
  • People using Dropbox, which takes ages to load and often fails due to them disabling the link
  • People using links that have been disabled and the like
  • People making PACs that are just outright broken
For a lot of this, I think some better logging for staff would be the main solution - if someone's PAC fails to load due to a 4XX error, or if it is consistently taking too long to load, it should flag to e.g. HMod+ for someone to pull them and tell them to fix their shit or turn it off. And also, just fucking ban the use of Dropbox programmatically.

Right now, I think only like SL or SSL or something get warnings due to PAC, sometimes, and I'm not sure how helpful it even is.
im pretty sure that admins can tell when certain people's pacs are causing lag through console or smth so u are right? (source: i was pulled aside by an admin for causing server-wide lagspikes trying to load an event pac once lmao)
 
im pretty sure that admins can tell when certain people's pacs are causing lag through console or smth so u are right? (source: i was pulled aside by an admin for causing server-wide lagspikes trying to load an event pac once lmao)
I believe they have some warnings, but afaik it's only at the SL level they even get it, and given how often I keep seeing my entire game freeze repeatedly because somebody's Dropbox links got disabled and PAC froze my entire game trying to load them, it seems that they either aren't getting dealt with or they aren't being seen at all. Dropbox in particular should just be outright banned at this point.
 
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Dec 25, 2023
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Just disallow Dropbox, I may be an evil PAC3 user but the main thing about PAC3 that lags my game isn't oversized PACs (although I'm sure that's still not good) but rather models being imported through Dropbox.

I have loaded PAC3s in the past that have honestly an insane amount of imported materials - and it didn't lag my game at all compared to when some random goon loaded a Dropbox import of a flag.

im pretty sure that admins can tell when certain people's pacs are causing lag through console

I think any player may be able to do this?, well depending on the case, well in some cases. If a PAC ever mass lags your game you can check console and sometimes it will give you the exact models / dropbox links that caused you to lag - and you can reverse engineer it to find the PAC owner.
 
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Just disallow Dropbox, I may be an evil PAC3 user but the main thing about PAC3 that lags my game isn't oversized PACs (although I'm sure that's still not good) but rather models being imported through Dropbox.

I have loaded PAC3s in the past that have honestly an insane amount of imported materials - and it didn't lag my game at all compared to when some random goon loaded a Dropbox import of a flag.



I think any player may be able to do this?, well depending on the case, well in some cases. If a PAC ever mass lags your game you can check console and sometimes it will give you the exact models / dropbox links that caused you to lag - and you can reverse engineer it to find the PAC owner.
All players get the console stuff, but I think that usually just gives the links and model names and whatever, which doesn't necessarily tell you who it is for. Afaik, at the very least, SSL get some warnings regarding when certain PACs take too long to load or something like that.