On Wed, 7 Jul 1999, Maya Samsara wrote:
> From: "Maya Samsara" <maya_samsara@...>
>
> > So given a really fast computer, connection, and perfect
> > timing, you should be able to twist 4 songs and still have
> > 2 seconds to spare. :-) Hmm, maybe I should put a metronome
> > next to my computer...
>
> Takes 3 seconds to start a song,
Ok, I sat there and spent a half hour timing all this again.
From when I hit the song key to when I saw the song effect was
3.4 to 3.5 seconds every time. This was even with giving you
the benefit of the doubt and starting my stopwatch late to
reflect client lag between when hit the key and when the
client sends the message. Internet lag is a non-issue since
the time it takes for the client to send the song-start
message should exactly cancel out the time it sends the server
to send the song start message (which I *know* comes from the
server because I don't get it if I yank my Internet connection
and start a song).
There was *one* time when it might've taken only a second to
start, but I wasn't timing it because I was testing the next
thing:
> each song effect lasts for 10 seconds.
Start up Accelerando. When you see the "faster" message,
start your stopwatch and turn the song off. When you see the
"slow down" message, stop it. I got times between 12 and 18
seconds in about a half dozen timings, and when I'm running, I
*always* slow down when I see the "slow down" message. This
would indiciate that:
> Incorrect actually. Restoration is not a healing song, but
> rather a song that increases HP regen. It, like all other bard
> songs, lasts for 10 seconds from it's start. It does not heal
> on the pulse, the pulse just happens to be when HPs are
> updated. So starting and stopping Restoration does nothing to
> increase it's effect.
You are partly correct, partly incorrect. You're wrong in
that the song *does* heal on the pulse. The song effects seem
to be tied to a 6 second heartbeat. If you catch it right
before a heartbeat (I'm guessing when your hp naturally
regenerates), the song will last just over 12 seconds. If you
catch it right after, it will last just under 18 seconds. In
all cases, it lasts 3 pulses, and the healing happens *on* the
pulse. If you were correct and it didn't heal on the pulse
but rather increased your regen rate, you'd get a fractional
amount between 2 to 3 pulses worth of healing from starting
and immediately stopping Restoration. That doesn't happen -
you always get 3 pulses worth.
You are correct in that you cannot exceed the maximum healing
rate of one pulse every 6 seconds. If you try, you can see
your hp go up a second time, then immediately go back down to
match the original healing heartbeat. It's like the second
instance of Restoration causes a incorrect early refresh, but
the server sends the correct info on the first instance's
heartbeat.
> You can't twist more than 3. And then with only a third of a second to
> transition songs.
I *have* twisted 4. You need a fast connection and have to be
pretty accurate at guessing when the song effect will kick in.
With around 100 ms of lag, the 4th song ends just as or just
before the 1st song effect kicks in again.
I think I now know more about how this song pulse thing works
than I ever wanted to know. :-)
--
John H. Kim
kim@...