"debug Consoles" To Debug/workaround Sync/state-Related Bugs

[smithf]

This is what I think is going on between the so-called "host" (server) and the clients of players as a team in a mission.
Basically, to give the illusion of fast response etc, the movement control and hit registering (you fire a gun at a target and whether it actually hits) is handled on the individual client's machine, which then sends the data to be synced by the server.

The server on the other hand handles all the master states of objects and mobs, including doors and elevators etc.

States of doors etc are kept separately on each client/server but are synced by the server when a change occur.
However, sometimes, the sync failed. i.e. A door may be open/unlocked on the server, but closed/locked on the client.

This is probably what could cause the following problems:

- players falling through elevator floor: probably because the elevator position is updated by the server and there is too much time in between 2 frames which causes the elevator position to be changed in a large gap, and since player position us updated locally instead of on the server, the player will fall down when the elevator flood suddenly disappear from below and appear above.

- doors/lockdowns which cannot be undone.

- etc


To workaround theses, was wondering if there could be some sort of in-game "debug console" (different from the usual console) which instead of doing the usual hacking etc, when activated by any client forces a state sync and possibly event checks for the room it is in or nearby rooms. This can also be used as a workaround for some event problems (e.g. prisoners released but the mission state refused to be updated, which prevents the door to the exit from being unlocked thus preventing mission completion) It could also possibly generate some debug report (e.g. mission states) to be sent back to the DEV in bugged missions to help find out what was possibly causing the bugs.