Stop Cactbot Log Spam: Fix OverlayPlugin Messages In ACT

Battling the Barrage of Cactbot Log Messages

Are you tired of seeing redundant log messages relentlessly cluttering your Advanced Combat Tracker (ACT) logs, even when key modules like Cactbot's Raidboss are supposedly disabled? You're definitely not alone in this digital dilemma. Many users, especially those deeply immersed in the world of Final Fantasy XIV raiding and performance tracking, encounter this frustrating issue where their ACT console becomes an endless scroll of seemingly innocuous yet utterly annoying Info: OverlayControl messages. These aren't just minor visual nuisances; they can seriously impact your ability to troubleshoot real problems, make your logs harder to read, and in some cases, even contribute to minor performance hitches. We're talking about specific entries like Occult Crescent Marble Dragon Imitation Rain 2 Dodge 1: Unexpected puddle location (100, 100) repeatedly appearing, filling up your log file every time ACT starts or the Cactbot Config menu is opened. This kind of persistent log spam from Cactbot within OverlayPlugin is a common source of frustration, and it's high time we tackle it head-on. Our goal here is to provide you with practical, human-readable solutions to finally silence these incessant alerts and regain control over your ACT environment. A clean, quiet log isn't just a nicety; it's a critical component of a smooth and efficient gaming and analysis setup, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: your adventures in Eorzea and accurate performance data. Let's dive in and discover how to put an end to this log message onslaught and restore peace to your system. Understanding the root cause of these Cactbot log messages is the first step towards a lasting solution, and we'll walk you through everything you need to know, from configuration tweaks to potential updates, ensuring your OverlayPlugin and Cactbot work seamlessly without unnecessary chatter.

Demystifying the Trio: OverlayPlugin, Cactbot, and Advanced Combat Tracker

To effectively combat cactbot log spam, it's essential to understand the roles of the three main players involved: Advanced Combat Tracker (ACT), OverlayPlugin, and Cactbot. Think of them as a team, but sometimes, like any team, they might have communication quirks that lead to unexpected results, such as those pesky log messages. First, there's ACT, the Advanced Combat Tracker itself. This is the foundational program, a powerful logging and parsing tool primarily used by Final Fantasy XIV players to track combat data, measure damage per second (DPS), healing, and much more. It's the sturdy base that hosts various plugins to extend its functionality, making it an indispensable tool for many. Next up is the OverlayPlugin, which is a plugin for ACT. Its primary purpose is to render web-based overlays directly onto your game screen, providing real-time information without obstructing your view. These overlays can display anything from encounter timers to player statistics, and they achieve this by essentially running a miniature web browser instance that loads HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. It's the bridge that connects the data parsed by ACT to the visual elements you see on your screen. Finally, we have Cactbot, which is itself a suite of overlays designed to work with OverlayPlugin. Cactbot isn't a single entity but a collection of specialized modules, including Raidboss (for encounter mechanics), Oopsy (for mistake tracking), Jobs (for job-specific rotations), and more. These modules contain complex logic, often written in JavaScript, that interprets the raw combat log data from ACT and translates it into actionable alerts, visual cues, or, in our case, log messages. The specific log message you're seeing, Info: OverlayControl: Occult Crescent Marble Dragon Imitation Rain 2 Dodge 1: Unexpected puddle location (100, 100), originates from Cactbot's internal processing related to the Raidboss module. Even if you've explicitly disabled the visual alerts or UI elements of Raidboss, the underlying JavaScript code that monitors for encounter mechanics might still be initializing or running in the background. This background processing, which attempts to parse game events and identify specific patterns (like puddle locations in an encounter), can generate these