LiveView, version 2 (2022-05)
Started by Tig
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Tig Rep. 1622
#1   17 May 2022
I'm currently trying to get the LiveView system back up and running.

Over the last week there has been heaps of progress. I have a test version with a small number of custom maps under Linux. This week I will be testing the full map listing from ..::LvL and see if it is even possible with this structure. And, I need to shift everything to FreeBSD.

Anyway, the reason for this post - What should the default settings be for the LiveView - if and when I can get it back up and running?

For example; Hud or no hud? Weapon or no weapon? Default player model? Should the menu system be available? What about the console? What about bots? And if bots, only loaded from the console or accessible from the menu? Should the system be as close as possible to the default game or as cut back as possible?

My priority to is get something up and working and stable, then move towards wish list items if possible.

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KommissarReb (SW12) Rep. 2332
#2   18 May 2022
Sorry for sounding ignorant, but what is LiveView?
If you are talking about sample videos and screenshots for custom maps, I personally would prefer with the HUD and weapon shown with your preferred player model. I already know you tend to use Biker's "Stroggo" skin.
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Tig Rep. 1622
#3   18 May 2022
LiveView was where you could load the map in a browser version of Q3A and play the map.

..::LvL had support for a few years, but there was an issue with keeping everything in sync. Then the system was dropped.

The LiveView code and system was not maintained or run by me and was recently removed due to issues.

The new version is a feature for ..::LvL I am hoping to maintain. It will be a modified version of QuakeJS - github.com/inolen/quakejs

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Mapsking Rep. 382
#4   23 May 2022
Some clear instructions would be nice once implemented. The biggest problem I had was the cursor kept getting locked out of the window, or something, and it just wasn't user friendly, or I didn't understand how to do it. It should be convenient, but more often than not, I just downloaded it, and then loaded the .pk3 file to test it in OA, rather than trying to get it working properly in Firefox every time.
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Mapsking Rep. 382
#5   24 May 2022
I missed the initial post, but in my opinion, the point of the preview, is exactly that, a preview. I think the focus should not be on playing the game, but rather quickly exploring it to see if it looks like something you'd like. It should be like flying around in spectate mode. Therefore, of the options you suggested:
-There should be no HUD.
-There should be no weapon.
-Player model is irrelevant, since you are invisible in spectate mode, but yes, leave it at default.
-Menu system should be available, for anyone who wants to change anything, like keybinds, even though that can be done without it. However, I think it should start without it visible.
-Mixed opinion on console I think it should be available, for things like changing the keybinds for movement and such, as above, but most anything you need should be available from the menu itself, so it may just create additional problems. Not sure if there are any problems related to it, but it also might make it easier for someone not familiar with it to mess up something, and not know how to fix it, or cause weird rendering issues, or whatnot.
-Bots should definitely not be available. Again, the purpose of the map is to quickly preview it. If you want to play with bots, and you like the map, download it, and play it. However, here, the purpose is to quickly preview the level without you having to make videos of everything. If you are going to leave the bots in, I'd recommend only from the console, but I think they should be disabled altogether.
-I think the system should be cut back as much as possible. Two reasons: One, not everyone has a great internet connection, and two, the more simple it is, the better, and fewer things are likely to go wrong. I think it should open in a new window, fullscreen, capture mouse, and when you are done, close the window, and be done. I don't know if that is feasible or not, but previously, I got a lot of conflicts between the browser and the game, making it somewhat hard to use.
-Player should be able to natively just fly around the level to look at it as if in spectate mode.
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raspatan Rep. 4510
#6   28 May 2022
Hi there. To me it is about getting the feel of the map to evaluate further download. So no bots. Spectator mode by default. Join game if want to.
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Tig Rep. 1622
#7   30 May 2022
A new version of LiveView is up. Feedback is more than welcome.
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Mapsking Rep. 382
#8   03 Jun 2022
@Tig
I tried it out, and it worked well, I really like the addition of the instructions at the beginning. However, I would recommend making spectate mode the default, so you can just fly around the arena. Also, since I do not have Q3, I notice in spectate mode on the liveview, I can not go through things like teleporters and such. Is this a function of Q3? In OA, it works, so I am not sure if it is a problem with the LiveView, or with Q3, but wanted to mention it.
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CZghost Rep. 1651
#9   11 Jun 2022
First time I wanted to launch LiveView after the update, I was redirected to a pregnancy website. Like what? :D
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CZghost Rep. 1651
#10   11 Jun 2022
@Mapsking: I do have original Quake III Arena, and spectators can go through teleporters, so it seems to be a bug with the Javascript port.
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Tig Rep. 1622
#11   11 Jun 2022
@CZghost : Very interesting. What browser are you using and does it still happen?

Also, what is the exact URL if you are redirected please.

It is possible this is related SSL / non-SSL connections.

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Whiskey 7 Rep. 21
#12   28 Jun 2022
Just saying thank you for getting LiveView working. It is appreciated :)
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Tig Rep. 1622
#13   29 Jun 2022
@Whiskey 7 - You are more than welcome. The hard work was done by the author of QuakeJS - www.quakejs.com/ - I just made it work with ..::LvL.
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CZghost Rep. 1651
#14   11 May 2023
@Tig: I am using Chrome, and it only did it once, then I could load it all good. I tried it again now, and it doesn't redirect me, it works. I guess the browser got DNS somehow confused and redirected me to somewhere else. I do not sadly remember the exact URL, nor the domain of the website. I just posted it like a curiosity, and since it happened only once, I do not think there was an issue on this site, but rather my browser doing funky stuff.
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Geniraul Rep. 1411
#15   12 May 2023
I'm glad the LiveView system got an update back then. Back in the days of the earlier version of LiveView, my graphics card supported it well, until one day it partly crashed (as another example, stopped being able to play VR videos). My OS always got a hardware-related error and asked for a reboot.

Since the LiveView feature has been optimized, I don't have to worry about that anymore, as it works just fine even with the same video card. So thank you for that, it is always cool to see something functioning the same way and bearing the load, while requiring less advanced minimal setup ;)
Edited 1.27 minutes after the original posting.

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Tig Rep. 1622
#16   12 May 2023
@CZghost : I just want to confirm something with you. Is the LiveView system working correctly for you now?

@Geniraul : Awesome feedback really, thank you!

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