Script Scheduler needs work badly

I rarely post new threads to this forum. But for the first time in a while, I feel the need.


Simply, the script scheduler is a menace. The damned thing threatens all but the most basic of scripted actions.


The problem is this: the scheduler has the ability to drop commands and throw timing grossly out of whack. Suddenly it's a whole new ball game; workflows that require precision can pretty much blow up in your face with little or no warning.


A perfect example. I loaded into Second Life today to find my Primmies level generator had gobbled up my entire 7.5k prim alottment. Since I had put somewhere in the neighborhood of ten failsafes in there to make sure this did not happen, I was quite annoyed and freaked out, to the point I finally took the thing down.

Now, this is coming from (what I consider to be) a pro scripter. The thing has never acted this way until the implementation of the scheduler, causing entire commands to be lost in the ether.

In this case, I have a delete command that goes out and removes all of the objects for the game. It did not process. Likely on three to five separate occasions from the looks of it. Therefore, the prims kept adding up until it strangled my plot.



Let me repeat: scripts are dependant on a fixed workflow. Having this broken seemingly at random pretty much screws advanced scripts. When one owns half the land in a sim ANYWAY... well.

It's to the point I just don't want to write code anymore for Second Life. I'm pushing myself to keep going. But how, for the sake of all things holy, can I if I have no control on how my scripts function anymore?


I pity the next generation.

Wait wait ... lost commands? I've never seen this happen so far, but I sure hope LL considers this a bug. The new scheduler is annoying with its low event resolution - it breaks the anim overriders for example. And there seems to be a bug where passive scripts increase the script time frame. I suggest you also post your post to the secondlifescripters mailing list, it might increase the change of some scripting linden to actually see it

It was undocumented changes in LSL v1.3 that prompted me to stop scripting when 80% of my scripts broke without warning. I expect that this is much worse, and am most empathetic to your plight.

From what you report, it sounds like scripts might not be executing often enough to clear the comm queues and therefore messages are getting dropped. If this is the case, changing some contants to increase the comm queue size would probably help much, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for this to get investigated let alone fixed.

I hear LSL is to be replaced by a real language, maybe even prior to LL closing. At least the Croquet Project doesn't pretend it is something other than a research project, maybe you can satisfy your will to create there.

What mailing list is that and why am I not on it??

LL runs some mailing lists for scripters, educators, events and I forgot what else, you can try to send email to [email]secondlifescripters-request@lindenlab.com[/email] with 'help' in subject for instructions, if that doesn't work ask Pathfinder or Robin to add you. The list is very quiet, but I think there's a chance that (some) developers at LL read it.

I have seen link messages appear to get dropped in the past, especially during a border crossing. The biggest problem I have with scripting right now is that it's so slow as to be useless in some sims.

Yep, I have noticed script to script communication not working properly. I'd really like to see this fixed since(mainly when using my fireworks launchers) SL can just ignore stop commands.

We've had problems with commands being bypassed ever since the update at the end of August. It's still broken as far as I can tell.

Ok guys can you clarify what you mean with lost/bypassed commands?

Is it

a) lost link message or listen event
b) calling a ll* function without getting the expected result

?

The first one I can see happen. The second one would be very scary.

From what I'm inferring in the discussion here, it may be

c) skipping an ll* function call entirely in the execution chain

Someone who's actually experienced please clarify if not. However, my (extremely simple) flight enhance has gotten wonky at times, and there's not much there to screw up...

Well. I need to run a more direct test, but I've received reports of it doing exactly this - dropping entire commands from the chain if they're too long (or bulky in the command tree) to execute.


The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Several objects that had worked for months started doing things that were... let's just say out of bounds. What I found logged on my plot was about three to five levels mashed into one another, suggesting several delete (llSensor with llRemoteLoadScriptPin) commands were dropped in their entirety -


Alternately, the script scheduler/asset server could just utterly hate my old game. But given it's an amalgamation of at least half of LSL, that doesn't say good things. :|

Here's an example of the degree to which scripting is broken.

Our leftover ATMs are set to refund any deposit attempts made. Basically, if somebody pays the object, it attempts to contact our server. If there is no response (and our server is set to drop all communication requests so there will *never* be a response), the object should refund the deposit back to the payer with llGiveMoney(). On multiple occasions in the past few weeks, the llGiveMoney() has not been firing, and the deposit has not been refunded.

So, I'm saying "c) skipping an ll* function call entirely in the execution chain"

This is one concrete example I can give right away. Similar behaviour (i.e. after the update at the end of August, the script engine was suddenly bypassing execution logic that had worked perfectly for 12+ months) was in no small part responsible for our decision to pull GOM out of SL.

llSetText() does seem to get "skipped" quite a lot in busy sims. My aircraft HUDs can appear to go catatonic for seconds at a time. I put in some llOwnerSay()s to debug and it seems that the HUD code itself is still executing properly - it's just that the text itself doesn't change.

What is a script scheduler? I know that on the that rare occasions I want to write a script I just do it and damn the schedule!

The script scheduler is like socialism, good idea but can't be made to work as long as there are people involved.

A new "feature" that went in with version 1.7. It basically limits the processing time of all scripts against a preconceived "norm" that hasn't been explained, nor documented, very well to us at all. Not that I've seen, anyway.


And with severe breaks in workflow I've seen since it was brought in, including the death of the game I worked four months to create -- the fact what's left has suffered huge lapses in timing and dropped calls says the problem is more than just me.

I seem to notice that flying aids seem to vary in their speed depending on the conditions of the sim I am in. Is that because the scripts are working at different rates due to the script sheduler?

Actually - that's due to something called Time Dilation. Basically, when a sim is extremely burdened, the overall speed of everything will slow down, regardless of the script scheduler. Time dilation's worked this way for about as long as I've been a member of SL, and likely since the beginning.

There are problems. Are any lindens reading this thread and finding these problems?

I am talking about an effect I perceive that started with the introduction of the script scheduler.

Might it be that the flight aid script needs to apply a bit of push or impulse at regular intervals and no longer gets to because the scheduler is keeping it from using enough time to work properly, or skipping code altogether?

This particular flight aid speed problem must not be bugging people too much or there would be more noise about it.

I'm observing odd behaviour in llMoveToTarget consistant with the command being dropped as discussed in this thread (see thread /54/98/78220/1.html for full details). I have been able to restore the scripts normal functionality by taking it into my inventory and re rezing it however.

Hmmmm...I signed up for that list when it was first offered, but haven't received a thing.

I'll try what you suggested. ty

does the scheduler seem to work abit better?
Only it wasn't dropping any commands last time I used it, and I had about 40 launchers rezzed...