Linuxdirk wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 13:43
But since you still need a server mod: using a CSM makes no sense because it doesn't give you any benefit. It simply doesn't worth the hassle. Setting up client-side mods is fortunately not super trivial.
Also: servers can disable the usage of CSM:
https://github.com/minetest/minetest/bl ... 1589-L1605
I disagree that it gives you zero benefit, but yes it's a lot of hassle. Firstly, you can keep per-server configuration which is one thing I don't think is possible locally with CSMs (how can you tell what server or singleplayer world you are on?).
More importantly, mods that want to update HUDs frequently can definitely benefit. As long as the information is already available to the client, the client can have a high refresh rate. For instance, mtimer, postool and poshud all display at least some information available to the client, namely the player's position and the in-game time. At the same time, the refresh interval for these huds ranges around 0.1-2 seconds, which is nowhere near real-time. Add network latency on top of that. If the client did the rendering of those elements it already knows about (position, time etc) and could have accurate prediction on other information the server has sent (advtrains railway time), then it could both save server CPU cycles and make the player experience better.
Yes, there is a lot of complexity to this approach. No, I don't believe in the defeatist attitude that client side modding is bad, despite the potential pitfalls. Without CSM you can't improve the client prediction features past that of what the base engine provides, and a client with good prediction is a way better user experience. It's already established that, for instance, functionality for mobs won't make it into the base game. Nobody is thinking advtrains is going to get such treatment either. But these mods and others would look way better with good prediction: mobs wouldn't rubber band around in the presence of network latency, nor would trains visibly come off the rails.
Sorry this turned into rant, but I just had to correct you when you said "no benefit" which is too absolute.
Lastly: Not sure who decided there's no flag to restrict map downloading but a variety of anti-CSM flags. Honestly restrictions like the CSM flags and hud flags are nothing more than bothersome and probably encourage using cheat clients, but I guess in principle that you should create a client that will act in good faith as a baseline.