Lake Rathe Gnoll Camp Won't Spawn

[Riklin]

I've been playing some new characters and doing some of the lower level quests, particularly the monk quests. Part of the quests deal with the gnoll embalmer at the lake rathe gnoll camp. The problem is the camp is completely empty. Empty during the day. Empty during the night.

I have read this thread:
http://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36639

My eqtime.cfg seems to be set up correctly.

/time shows the following:
Game Time: Tuesday, May 03, 3598 - 10 AM
Earth Time: Sunday, May 03, 2015 01:45:25

Despite that, the gnolls won't spawn. Not during the day or night. The camp is completely empty. The npcs are in the database, as is the spawn data and the spawn_condition data.

World.exe says database is version 9077.


Any ideas how to fix this?

[dagulus2]

personally the only way I could get this to work is to place an invisible untargetable mob in the zone called DayNight, which runs a script that should already be in your global scripts folder.

As far as I understand, this is not supposed to be needed anymore, but it solved the issue for me.

[N0ctrnl]

Have you checked your time configuration for your world? That's what usually causes this.

http://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38425

[Riklin]

The general opinion is that once eqtime gets out of sync, it's very difficult if not impossible to resync it without resourcing... OK... So be it...

I went and downloaded the source dated 2015-02-13... made a backup of the old peq database... As a test, I did the following steps:
1. deleted the peq database.
2. created the peq database.
3. Use peq
4. Sourced in peqbeta_2015-02-13-02_01.sql
5. Sourced in player_tables_2015-02-13-02_01.sql
6. ran the c:\eq\source\utils\sql\svn\mercs.sql script. (to load mercs).
7. COPIED the eqtime.cfg file from the new source to the main server directory.
8. started the server and did all the patching with the auto-patcher. (3, 3, 4, 5 and 0)
9. created a new character. camped character, then set him up as a GM.
10 logged back in, configured gm character then #zone lakerathe and checked the gnolls right next to the zone point.

when doing a /time, I get the following results:
Game Time: Thursday, May 12, 3638 - 9 PM
Earth Time: Sunday, May 03, 2015 13:42:54

Note the game year is 3638 not 0000, so I believe that means eqtime is working correctly.


The gnolls flat out aren't there! Not during the day and not during the night.

If it doesn't work with a brand new version of the database, fully patched, then I don't know what else to do.

Any other ideas?

[provocating]

I know what it is. I had the same problem on Chronicles of Norrath. In particular read what Cavedude says here.

You most likely did not copy eqtime.cfg to your server directory when you sourced your database. You have to copy this file every time you source in a new version of PEQ. This makes sure your server clock is in-sync with your spawn_events table, which is what triggers spawns that depend on time of day.

http://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38425&highlight=eqtime.cfg

That was causing that camp to act up for me. As soon as I did that, and then let them go through one spawn cycle, the camp works beautifully now. Now I just copy that file over every time I bring my server up, it is scripted into my start file.

I know you said you were doing that already, but did you let them go through one full spawn cycle?

[Riklin]

Um... If you would have read my detailed list of steps that were taken, you would have seen this:


7. COPIED the eqtime.cfg file from the new source to the main server directory.


Yes, I did copy the eqtime.cfg file...

[chrsschb]

Um... If you would have read my detailed list of steps that were taken, you would have seen this:


7. COPIED the eqtime.cfg file from the new source to the main server directory.


Yes, I did copy the eqtime.cfg file...

I know you said you were doing that already, but did you let them go through one full spawn cycle?


Oh the irony.

[Riklin]

The server has been running constantly since I reloaded it yesterday afternoon. It has gone through many spawn cycles. Nothing shows up in either the day or the night in the gnoll camp near the lake rathe / south karana zoneline...

[chrsschb]

You tried a #repop force?

Also make sure the spawn conditions are accurate.

[Riklin]

I've done #repop several times. I've never heard of #repop force. I'll try that tonight when I get home from work...

Regarding the spawn conditions, from what I can tell they're correct, but I'm no expert. What is even more weird is that in a different database on a test server, when I attempted to adjust the spawn condition date values, I'd close the table, then open it again, and the data would all be different. Different years, different months, etc. (using Navicat premium, btw).

Ultimately the point I'm trying to make is shouldn't this work correctly with a brand new install of a newly loaded and patched database instance?

If the game time is not in sync and the conditions need corrected, is there a guide that tells how to do that and how to set up the eqtime.cfg file correctly? Cavedude seemed to allude to it being pretty difficult, and that the best way was to reload the source then copy over the eqtime.cfg (which I did by loading a brand new fresh database instance), or to manually edit all spawn events...

[provocating]

Do this, the eqtime.cfg you are copying over before you start your server, post it here. It is a tiny file with only a few lines. Post that in a code block.

[provocating]

Also, for reference.

http://www.peqtgc.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=14893&hilit=gnoll+camp

[Riklin]

I'll post the eqtime.cfg that came with the 2015-02-13 source, once I get home tonight...

Thanks for the link. I suspect this issue happens all the time and people don't realize it.

[provocating]

You will get it sorted out. There is some small thing you are missing.

[Shendare]

Yeah, you'll get it figured out. There are so many moving parts in EQEmu that you're guaranteed to run into a hitch here and there, even with the fantastic guides and wikis available.

Are there other day/night cycles that you can test to see if they're working? Alternatively, you could look into removing the day/night limitation on that camp's spawns.

[provocating]

Oh yeah plenty. The necro in Qeynos Hills is one of them, I think the name is Pyzjin. Also there is of course Kithicor. If you need more just ask.

[Riklin]

I've checked Kithicor and the higher undead are there all the time, I seem to recall the higher undead were only there at night and leave during the day.

Not completely sure what others to check or more to the point, what specific events to check for in other day/night configured zones...

[provocating]

Well that in itself tells you something is not working. They should disperse in the morning.

[Riklin]

Here is the eqtime.cfg that came with the 2015-02-13 source.



1000
20
1
0
8
3633
1423821662

[provocating]

Hmm, mine looks different.

This is my reference one that I copy over to my directory at start.

1000
20
1
0
7
3541
1397811661

[Riklin]

Doesn't the spawn_events table change based on ongoing time? I'm not completely certain about any of this, but if I shut down the server, revise the the eqtime.cfg file to your values, won't it no longer match the spawn_events table?

Again if I completely misunderstand how this works, please forgive me...

[provocating]

I copy my file over every time I start my server and seem to have zero issues with day/night cycles. I am not sure how it actually works with the file, but since I started copying it over every time no one has complained about that type of spawn.

[gibroni]

I made a new server two months or so ago. also using the feb 13 db and did copy over the eqtime file included in that to my server folder. made a group of toons and leveled em up to level 20 and then took a break. saw this post so I decided to go look at this on my server. I have the same thing going on. no gnoll spawn in lakerathe and only high level undead in kithicor. waited two cycles in that zone seeing if would happen to work. but no go. So wondering what else could be happening? I did read about the eqtime file having to be copied over to server and maybe having to wait a cycle. so I made sure I did that when I built the server, just never tested out the cycles until I saw this post.

[Riklin]

I tried provocating's eqtime.cfg file and the results are no different. IT's been 2 cycles now and no gnolls in lake rathe, and no pyzgin in qeynos hills.

Yet the date is populated (not 0000), so I think that means the time file is working, but the day/night transition does not appear to be occurring.

[provocating]

I will verify my day/night is working.

[provocating]

Yes, mine is working on Legacy of Froststone and CoN.

Around 7pm or so I saw some despawns and got plenty of Fallen Advisors in Kithicor.

[Riklin]

Based on the results, there is something about the 2015-02-13 source, eqtime.cfg file and possible the data within the source that is causing the day/night spawns to not work. Someone else used that source and eqtime file and have the same results...

[provocating]

My source is months older.

[Riklin]

Since most of not all of the day/night spawns do not work correctly with the source from 2015-02-13, can someone go through the steps (in detail please), to correct this issue? I've tried tinkering with some of the values in the spawn_events table, but they change to something different after the change is made and the table is refreshed.

What steps need to be done to make the day/night stuff work correctly if it does not work correctly with a newly loaded database from the source?

[provocating]

I am just curious. Your NPC's are responding to hails correct?

[Riklin]

If you mean normal NPCs, such as those in towns or pok, yes. Normal npc's work normally.

If you are referring to those in the lake rathe gnoll camp, I cannot hail them because they don't spawn, day or night...

Neither does pyzgin in qeynos hills...

Kithicor only has the high level undead in it, all the time, day and night.


yes I have waited through several spawn cycles on each...

[provocating]

What I am asking is if NPC's respond to hails, trying to figure out of your Perl and LUA are working.

[Riklin]

perl and lua are both working. I have run several quests, some which use perl and others which use lua. Monk sash quests for instance use lua, while my custom buffbots in the guild lobby use perl.

[provocating]

I am curious, do you have your /quests/global folder there?

I would toy around with the day / night script and maybe have it do a shout in the zone whenever it switches cycles, you have to narrow this down further.

# This workarounds the problem when booted zone is already in-sync with spawn_events, and since no time updates occur the spawn_condition is defaulted to 0.

sub EVENT_SPAWN
{
EVENT_CYCLE();
quest::settimer(1,20);
}

sub EVENT_TIMER
{

EVENT_CYCLE();
quest::stoptimer(1);
}

sub EVENT_CYCLE
{
# We assume 1 is night/Zephyl, and 2 is day/Hasten
if($zonesn eq 'commons' || $zonesn eq 'everfrost' || $zonesn eq 'kithicor' || $zonesn eq 'lakerathe' || $zonesn eq 'lfaydark' || $zonesn eq 'northkarana' || $zonesn eq 'qey2hh1' || $zonesn eq 'rathemtn' || $zonesn eq 'riwwi' || $zonesn eq 'southkarana' || $zonesn eq 'eastwastes')
{
if ($zonetime < 600 || $zonetime > 1999)
{
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 2,0);
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 1,1);
}
else
{
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 2,1);
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 1,0);
}
}

# Naxot
if($zonesn eq 'burningwood')
{
if ($zonetime < 100 || $zonetime > 1299)
{
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 2,0);
}
else
{
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 2,1);
}
}

# Gronk 1 Ryn 2
if($zonesn eq 'oggok')
{
if ($zonetime < 800 || $zonetime > 1199)
{
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 2,0);
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 1,1);
}
else
{
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 2,1);
quest::spawn_condition($zonesn, 1,0);
}
}
}

[gibroni]

so I noticed my ingame server time and the time entered into spawn-events was off by like 3 or 4 years. I ended up changing my spawn_events year and month to match ingame server time. Now I seem to have the spawns and cycles working correctly.

[provocating]

Success then, grats. And since you published the result, it will help someone else down the line.

[gibroni]

so do these zones with these spawn cycles have to be static zones? I had them working, but after leaving the zone for some time and then later going back.. the spawn cycle is not working and off time again from game time and server time. so thinking they must have to stay a static zone for the cycles to work correctly?

and what happens if I shutdown server and down turn it back on for a week or a month? cycles with be all borked again?

[Riklin]

Followed gilbroni's lead... Set the spawn_events next_year, next_month and next_day to match the current game day and it worked! gnolls spawning..

Thanks for the help guys!

[Shendare]

Awesome. So if the in-game next month/next year in spawn_events is too far into the future compared to your eqtime.cfg setting for in-game year, spawn events will sit idle until your server catches up.

Every 20 in-game years it's ahead would take 1 real life year to catch up. Haha.

Sounds like, if you wanted to reset your server's in-game year to a lower number for whatever flavor reason, you could do so in eqtime.cfg as long as you updated spawn_events to reflect it.

[chrsschb]

Success then, grats. And since you published the result, it will help someone else down the line.

Can confirm, fixed my day/night cycles. :D