DLed the updated version and checked out the cloaked walls.
Still has an issue. :\ Rather than be black, they're now fully transparent. Cloaked walls can be 0 (pitch black) - 100% (fully transparent) or any value in between (50% would be 50% see-through / darkly tinted, for ex.).
D2X for MS-Windows
D2X crashes when exiting game
Diedel:
I think you have done a fantastic job in what you have done with D2X. Great frame rate and Joy Z-axis work like a charm.
I am on a win 98 SE system and run D2X in fullscreen mode so I can use 3D video stereo with my Nvidia GEforce 4 video card. After activating the stereo drivers within the game and then deactivating them so there is no stereo display I run into a problem. I can no longer use ALT TAB to get back to the desk top nor can I exit the game normally. It freezes on a black screen.
I do not have this problem with other games so thought there might be something within D2X that prevents it from exiting like it should.
Have you any suggestions?
And keep up the great work. I know many who use D2X and like it very much.
I think you have done a fantastic job in what you have done with D2X. Great frame rate and Joy Z-axis work like a charm.
I am on a win 98 SE system and run D2X in fullscreen mode so I can use 3D video stereo with my Nvidia GEforce 4 video card. After activating the stereo drivers within the game and then deactivating them so there is no stereo display I run into a problem. I can no longer use ALT TAB to get back to the desk top nor can I exit the game normally. It freezes on a black screen.
I do not have this problem with other games so thought there might be something within D2X that prevents it from exiting like it should.
Have you any suggestions?
And keep up the great work. I know many who use D2X and like it very much.
-
SSX-Thunderbird
- DBB Admiral
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Hmm. I'll see if I can write a cpp file that contains DETLEF functionsDiedel wrote:I don't have access to Detlef support source code, and I don't have much time to do big changes to D2X. All I am doing is tinkering around a bit with it.
. Biggest headache would be accessing the server, as I'm a complete dumbass when it comes to TCP/IP and C++. And I want to make sure that the code works on Win32 and Linux machines, so API functions might be out (unless the D2X source has platform specific sections).Tiger,
thanks. I am amazed you can alt-tab out of D2X anyway. Usually, D2X intercepts the tab key, ignores the alt and opens the automap. Unfortunately it will be pretty hard for me to track this problem down if I don't have a machine where I can reproduce it.
Thunder,
TCP/IP will not be the problem.
thanks. I am amazed you can alt-tab out of D2X anyway. Usually, D2X intercepts the tab key, ignores the alt and opens the automap. Unfortunately it will be pretty hard for me to track this problem down if I don't have a machine where I can reproduce it.
Thunder,
TCP/IP will not be the problem.
D2X exit crash
Diedel:
Maybe this might help a little.
the D2X version 1.2.5 would not exit game normally as
it would crash with a black screen. ALT TAB goes to the desk top.
D2X version 1.2.6 would exit normally. ALT TAB goes to the desk top.
Your version acts the same as D2X 1.2.5...crashes with a black screen on exiting the game with the escape key. ALT TAB also crashes with a black screen.
Maybe this might help a little.
the D2X version 1.2.5 would not exit game normally as
it would crash with a black screen. ALT TAB goes to the desk top.
D2X version 1.2.6 would exit normally. ALT TAB goes to the desk top.
Your version acts the same as D2X 1.2.5...crashes with a black screen on exiting the game with the escape key. ALT TAB also crashes with a black screen.
D2X-w32
Diedel:
Yes I have the latest drivers from Nvidia. I am using version 45.23 Base display driver as that is the latest version offered for win 98 SE which I use, with a matching 3D graphics driver. They came out a couple of weeks ago with a later 3D graphics driver for win 98 but they do not offer a matching base display driver to go along with it. The 3D video stereo works great in game.
I can use ALT CTRL DEL or the Windows key to exit the game and stop the process. But something is not finishing as I continue to show 100% CPU usage. I can start another process with no problem but when I try to restart D2-w32 it hangs up.
Something else I noticed....I get a flat 60 fps in game but when I install the Nivida 3D graphics driver I get an increase up to 76 fps in game. Not that I am complaining but just does not make sense to me.
I had resigned myself to playing and then rebooting as I cannot exit the game correctly. But when I went to play a multiplayer game I found that I could not see the game listed in the socket listing. I tried starting a game and the other person could not see my game either.
Today I experimented with my other computer networked with this one and the same thing happened. Cannot see a game started or offered in the socket listing. Did you happen to dissable the IPX section?
I tried your latest offering and noticed that I can see through some walls at any angle of view. Maybe it is just something in my system causing the problems. I did have video problems today but am going to wipe the partition that this system is on and reinstall everything again. I was using a naked system with only win 98 and D2 installed along with the Nividia drivers. But you never know when something is going to go south on ya for no reason.
I still think you are doing a great job and hope that you will not quit improving things. D2 may be a little old but it is still a game that is unmatched. I can only relay to you what I see on my system as I am not pointing a finger at D2X-w32.
Again...my system is:
850 MHz AMD CPU with 256 meg of ram.
win 98 SE.
Nvidia GEforce 4 and 45.23 drivers.
sidewinder 3D pro stick.
Yes I have the latest drivers from Nvidia. I am using version 45.23 Base display driver as that is the latest version offered for win 98 SE which I use, with a matching 3D graphics driver. They came out a couple of weeks ago with a later 3D graphics driver for win 98 but they do not offer a matching base display driver to go along with it. The 3D video stereo works great in game.
I can use ALT CTRL DEL or the Windows key to exit the game and stop the process. But something is not finishing as I continue to show 100% CPU usage. I can start another process with no problem but when I try to restart D2-w32 it hangs up.
Something else I noticed....I get a flat 60 fps in game but when I install the Nivida 3D graphics driver I get an increase up to 76 fps in game. Not that I am complaining but just does not make sense to me.
I had resigned myself to playing and then rebooting as I cannot exit the game correctly. But when I went to play a multiplayer game I found that I could not see the game listed in the socket listing. I tried starting a game and the other person could not see my game either.
Today I experimented with my other computer networked with this one and the same thing happened. Cannot see a game started or offered in the socket listing. Did you happen to dissable the IPX section?
I tried your latest offering and noticed that I can see through some walls at any angle of view. Maybe it is just something in my system causing the problems. I did have video problems today but am going to wipe the partition that this system is on and reinstall everything again. I was using a naked system with only win 98 and D2 installed along with the Nividia drivers. But you never know when something is going to go south on ya for no reason.
I still think you are doing a great job and hope that you will not quit improving things. D2 may be a little old but it is still a game that is unmatched. I can only relay to you what I see on my system as I am not pointing a finger at D2X-w32.
Again...my system is:
850 MHz AMD CPU with 256 meg of ram.
win 98 SE.
Nvidia GEforce 4 and 45.23 drivers.
sidewinder 3D pro stick.
Tigeron,
Frame rate
is capped at 80 fps in game. I don't really know why it sometimes stays at 60 and then rises to 80, but does it really matter?
Multiplayer
Afaik D2X now has TCP/IP support.
I don't really know about the multiplayer part of D2X. Lotsa people have tinkered around with it, and I haven't looked into all its parts. I am also not really sure whether I am using the source code from the main development branch. I had tried to get it and contacted Bradley Bell who is currently maintaining the D2X source, but he hardly ever replied, so I finally got a source archive from another guy working on D2X. Bradley only woke up after I had made a bunch of interesting changes to D2X, and now it's too late.
Disappearing walls
That problem was inherent to all D2 and D2X versions and was caused by the hidden surface removal not working properly with very complicated level structures. Actually this should have been fixed with the D2X version I had put online the day before yesterday (13 may 04). If not I need the level you observed the problem with, and a description where that was (maybe a screenshot).
Exiting D2X
This is a minor problem imo (unless you actually have to reboot to exit the game - strange). I can always exit a match by pressing the ESC key and chosing "Quit" from the menu. I wouldn't know how to fix this, I would probably have to look into SDL, and that's something I am not gonna do. I don't really have much time anymore for D2X and DLE-XP (not as much as I had up to now).
The full screen and Alt-Tab problems are related to the build of the SDL dll used with D2X so I've been told. Funny enough I am having the effect of the ship starting to move slowly when the game is left alone with the newest SDL (v1.2.7), but not with v1.2.6. If you are using my SDL version, go to the SDL site and d/l the newest SDL binaries there and install them in your D2X folder. Maybe that will help.
On my computer, I cannot run D2X windowed, and that's something I might look into and fix.
Finally, I am absolutely not offended by what you are reporting. You are pretty diligent in what you notice, and generally people like you are a blessing for coders who create a program. I like people who not only find the bugs/flaws in my software but are willing and able to describe them as exactly as they can.
Diedel
Frame rate
is capped at 80 fps in game. I don't really know why it sometimes stays at 60 and then rises to 80, but does it really matter?
Multiplayer
Afaik D2X now has TCP/IP support.
I don't really know about the multiplayer part of D2X. Lotsa people have tinkered around with it, and I haven't looked into all its parts. I am also not really sure whether I am using the source code from the main development branch. I had tried to get it and contacted Bradley Bell who is currently maintaining the D2X source, but he hardly ever replied, so I finally got a source archive from another guy working on D2X. Bradley only woke up after I had made a bunch of interesting changes to D2X, and now it's too late.
Disappearing walls
That problem was inherent to all D2 and D2X versions and was caused by the hidden surface removal not working properly with very complicated level structures. Actually this should have been fixed with the D2X version I had put online the day before yesterday (13 may 04). If not I need the level you observed the problem with, and a description where that was (maybe a screenshot).
Exiting D2X
This is a minor problem imo (unless you actually have to reboot to exit the game - strange). I can always exit a match by pressing the ESC key and chosing "Quit" from the menu. I wouldn't know how to fix this, I would probably have to look into SDL, and that's something I am not gonna do. I don't really have much time anymore for D2X and DLE-XP (not as much as I had up to now).
The full screen and Alt-Tab problems are related to the build of the SDL dll used with D2X so I've been told. Funny enough I am having the effect of the ship starting to move slowly when the game is left alone with the newest SDL (v1.2.7), but not with v1.2.6. If you are using my SDL version, go to the SDL site and d/l the newest SDL binaries there and install them in your D2X folder. Maybe that will help.
On my computer, I cannot run D2X windowed, and that's something I might look into and fix.
Finally, I am absolutely not offended by what you are reporting. You are pretty diligent in what you notice, and generally people like you are a blessing for coders who create a program. I like people who not only find the bugs/flaws in my software but are willing and able to describe them as exactly as they can.
Diedel
yoursDiedel wrote:Which D2X - mine (D2X-W32), or the official one?
most recent versionIf mine, do you have the most recent version?
did that twice.Try to reload it from my web site.
running the cat 4.4'sAlso make sure you have the most recent gfx drivers installed (if not, uninstall the old ones and reboot before installing the new ones).
EDIT: i did some tweaking and i was able to see the menus this time.
also when i charge the fusion, only the rearview turns purple (i run with a rearview window turned on)
you might want to take a look at the IPX part in d2x. i went to play some people via kali (IPX emulator) and i could not see any games.
If you report D2X bugs here, please don't forget to mention the following:
- did the problem occur with D2X (official) or D2X-W32?
- if with D2X-W32, does it occurr with D2X (official) too?
- What OS did you use when the problem occurred?
Also make sure to have the newest gfx drivers installed. If you haven't, uninstall the old ones and reboot before installing the new ones.
- did the problem occur with D2X (official) or D2X-W32?
- if with D2X-W32, does it occurr with D2X (official) too?
- What OS did you use when the problem occurred?
Also make sure to have the newest gfx drivers installed. If you haven't, uninstall the old ones and reboot before installing the new ones.
On my system, windowed mode did not work, and I have fixed that now and uploaded a new version of D2X-W32. Eventually it will help those for whom full screen mode did not work. I had however my computer get rebooted when exiting from windowed D2X-W32 (and that on Windows XP! Was in debug mode though; pretty hard to pin down a bug that reboots your computer ).
You can try it anyway.
Btw, I've also fixed the purple haze when charging the fusion cannon only being visible in the rear view with rear view turned on.
). You can try it anyway.
Btw, I've also fixed the purple haze when charging the fusion cannon only being visible in the rear view with rear view turned on.
apparently what i like to call the 'flash bug' isn't fixed. when I run D2x normally (with no rear screen windows: they are small screens that are accessed via shift f2 and shift f3 respectively) i can see the white pickup flash when i pick up a power up. blue for shield pickup, yellow for energy pickup, purple for fusion charge, and red for damage. but when i switch on the rear view screens, these flashes only are visible in the rear screens.
Another issue would be defining the joystick axes. they are recognized properly but they show up as 'hat <-', 'hat ->' in the controls menu
A third bug would be a roll bug. when I roll the ship it spins twice as fast as it's supposed to at least. maybe even three times the normal rate
Another issue would be defining the joystick axes. they are recognized properly but they show up as 'hat <-', 'hat ->' in the controls menu
A third bug would be a roll bug. when I roll the ship it spins twice as fast as it's supposed to at least. maybe even three times the normal rate
flash bug: Must be same category as the fusion charge bug. I will look into this.
It is rather hard to change joystick axis labels, and rather a nuisance than a bug imo.
roll bug: I've fiddled around with the roll keys as they worked too bad after my changes to mouse sensitivity, and have uploaded a (hopefully) improved version just yesterday night. Roll *will* probably still be faster than originally, but why not?
It is rather hard to change joystick axis labels, and rather a nuisance than a bug imo.
roll bug: I've fiddled around with the roll keys as they worked too bad after my changes to mouse sensitivity, and have uploaded a (hopefully) improved version just yesterday night. Roll *will* probably still be faster than originally, but why not?
You have not understood me. Increased mouse sensitivity means high turn rate with a mouse. In other words: Non-standard turn rate (only that standard turn rate with a mouse at high fps was totally crap).
Now directional change speed does not play the role movement speed does - esp. not roll speed. Therefore I believe increased roll speed is not critical and not a cheat - not more than high turn speed due to high mouse sensitivity.
Btw, at least every MS Windows using Descent player can use my D2X version, so it's up to them to give you an edge here or not.
Unfortunately, input processing in SDL (the basic input library D2X is using) is coupled. I cannot get joystick or keyboard input and leave out mouse input. Therefore I can either change the behaviour of everything (basically emulating a frame rate of about 30 fps), or nothing.
I am very reluctant in delivering a changed SDL together with D2X to fix that.
With the most recent D2X version from my website (which is now called d2x-gl.exe again) you can add a switch "-legacyinput" to a file named d2x.ini located in the descent directory. That will completely turn off my changes to input handling by D2X (not affecting bug fixes concerning joystick calibration).
That's all I can offer you for now.
Now directional change speed does not play the role movement speed does - esp. not roll speed. Therefore I believe increased roll speed is not critical and not a cheat - not more than high turn speed due to high mouse sensitivity.
Btw, at least every MS Windows using Descent player can use my D2X version, so it's up to them to give you an edge here or not.
Unfortunately, input processing in SDL (the basic input library D2X is using) is coupled. I cannot get joystick or keyboard input and leave out mouse input. Therefore I can either change the behaviour of everything (basically emulating a frame rate of about 30 fps), or nothing.
I am very reluctant in delivering a changed SDL together with D2X to fix that.
With the most recent D2X version from my website (which is now called d2x-gl.exe again) you can add a switch "-legacyinput" to a file named d2x.ini located in the descent directory. That will completely turn off my changes to input handling by D2X (not affecting bug fixes concerning joystick calibration).
That's all I can offer you for now.
Notes on your 5/22/04
Diedel:
I just downloaded your most recent update:
D2x-gl.exe file date is 5/22/04 9:28 PM.
these are the things which I noticed:
1. Since there is the ability to shut off the
Z-buffer I can now not see through walls with it turned off (Smile).
2. I use a Sidewinder 3d Pro joystick and while setting up the configuration within the game menu, I noticed that the selection window is very sensitive when setting up the Z-axis for banking. The window had come up with a Y1 and of course at the same time removed the Y1 from the Y-axis window. I went around in circles trying to get the X, Y and Z-axis all set like they were supposed to be. What I did was make a selection then exit the menu then come back into the menu and make another axis selection. I also did this for the third axis and it seemed to work very well.
3. It seems that there is a screen jerking motion in the X and Y axis but only in one direction. The other direction seems to be very smooth. In my case for the X-axis I get the jerky motion when turning
Clock wise (CW), screen is moving Counter Clockwise (CCW). In the Y-axis I get the jerky motion when pulling back on the stick to look upward.
The first file that I tested from you,
D2x-w32.exe dated 5/6/04 5:51 PM
there seemed to be only one little jerk when you first started to turn in the CW direction. After that you turned on the Z-buffer so I could not do any real testing because I could see through many of the walls.
4. The banking or rotation (Z-axis) seems to work smooth in both directions. The rotation speed when rotating in the CW direction (Screen rotating CCW) is much faster than banking (rotating) in the opposite direction.
5. When sitting still I also noticed that there is a slight rotation in the CW direction (Screen rotating CCW). This also happens in the retail version of D2. While in multiplayer mode I can hit the Message key (F8) to stop it from rotating. Maybe putting a very tiny window (Dead spot) at zero for the Z-axis might help.
All in all I think you are doing a great job so donâ??t let the fire go out....keep them afterburners glowing!!
Some suggestions:
First I would like to say that I am member of a Descent league and we all love to play D2. When we play competitive games we find it most enjoyable when there is as much of a level playing field as possible. We even allow the Space Orb in our games but with specific settings. So with the multiplayer ability so close to being released in your updates I ask you to consider implementing the following:
1. Since axis speed is much faster than in the retail version install sliders in the menu for each axis. Each slider could have a numeric number for each increase in speed for the individual axis being adjusted. This way maximum settings could be established when in a competitive game. This would also hold true for any forward or reverse speed increase that is in excess of what is in the retail version that you might wish to incorporate at a later date.
2. When incorporating items such as your Repair center which is not in the retail version, make the defaults to not allow them in the game. If they are desired in the game then they can be selected in the D2x Options menu. Keeping them separate from the items such as the weapon selection will prevent them from accidentally from being introduced into game play. This way a person would have to go out of his way to allow them into the game.
3. When in a multiplayer game you can press the Pause key to get some game statistics. Any addition such as your Repair centers or super-charging a weapon should be listed in the statistic box. this would allow a player to check to see if items that were not designed into the original retail version have been selected for game play.
Items such as these I know are extra work on your part but if we donâ??t try to keep a check on things that might give an unfair advantage to some while playing a competitive game things can get messy. It is good every now and then to be able to really let loose with whatever is available when you are playing on the Descent server in Kali. There anything goes and it usually does like street drag racing. But when you play with certain rules and something comes along that can be used that are outside of the rules you need a way to check to be sure they are not being used. Like the drug testing they do in the Olympics or most any other sport. Maybe you could even let a few of us beta test your release when you incorporate multiplayer before releasing it to the public. This I believe would help protect the idea of fair game play and allow Descent to flourish for many more years to come.
You can Email me if you like at:
ronholmes@sbcglobal.net
Keep up the good work.
Ron (Tigeron)
I just downloaded your most recent update:
D2x-gl.exe file date is 5/22/04 9:28 PM.
these are the things which I noticed:
1. Since there is the ability to shut off the
Z-buffer I can now not see through walls with it turned off (Smile).
2. I use a Sidewinder 3d Pro joystick and while setting up the configuration within the game menu, I noticed that the selection window is very sensitive when setting up the Z-axis for banking. The window had come up with a Y1 and of course at the same time removed the Y1 from the Y-axis window. I went around in circles trying to get the X, Y and Z-axis all set like they were supposed to be. What I did was make a selection then exit the menu then come back into the menu and make another axis selection. I also did this for the third axis and it seemed to work very well.
3. It seems that there is a screen jerking motion in the X and Y axis but only in one direction. The other direction seems to be very smooth. In my case for the X-axis I get the jerky motion when turning
Clock wise (CW), screen is moving Counter Clockwise (CCW). In the Y-axis I get the jerky motion when pulling back on the stick to look upward.
The first file that I tested from you,
D2x-w32.exe dated 5/6/04 5:51 PM
there seemed to be only one little jerk when you first started to turn in the CW direction. After that you turned on the Z-buffer so I could not do any real testing because I could see through many of the walls.
4. The banking or rotation (Z-axis) seems to work smooth in both directions. The rotation speed when rotating in the CW direction (Screen rotating CCW) is much faster than banking (rotating) in the opposite direction.
5. When sitting still I also noticed that there is a slight rotation in the CW direction (Screen rotating CCW). This also happens in the retail version of D2. While in multiplayer mode I can hit the Message key (F8) to stop it from rotating. Maybe putting a very tiny window (Dead spot) at zero for the Z-axis might help.
All in all I think you are doing a great job so donâ??t let the fire go out....keep them afterburners glowing!!
Some suggestions:
First I would like to say that I am member of a Descent league and we all love to play D2. When we play competitive games we find it most enjoyable when there is as much of a level playing field as possible. We even allow the Space Orb in our games but with specific settings. So with the multiplayer ability so close to being released in your updates I ask you to consider implementing the following:
1. Since axis speed is much faster than in the retail version install sliders in the menu for each axis. Each slider could have a numeric number for each increase in speed for the individual axis being adjusted. This way maximum settings could be established when in a competitive game. This would also hold true for any forward or reverse speed increase that is in excess of what is in the retail version that you might wish to incorporate at a later date.
2. When incorporating items such as your Repair center which is not in the retail version, make the defaults to not allow them in the game. If they are desired in the game then they can be selected in the D2x Options menu. Keeping them separate from the items such as the weapon selection will prevent them from accidentally from being introduced into game play. This way a person would have to go out of his way to allow them into the game.
3. When in a multiplayer game you can press the Pause key to get some game statistics. Any addition such as your Repair centers or super-charging a weapon should be listed in the statistic box. this would allow a player to check to see if items that were not designed into the original retail version have been selected for game play.
Items such as these I know are extra work on your part but if we donâ??t try to keep a check on things that might give an unfair advantage to some while playing a competitive game things can get messy. It is good every now and then to be able to really let loose with whatever is available when you are playing on the Descent server in Kali. There anything goes and it usually does like street drag racing. But when you play with certain rules and something comes along that can be used that are outside of the rules you need a way to check to be sure they are not being used. Like the drug testing they do in the Olympics or most any other sport. Maybe you could even let a few of us beta test your release when you incorporate multiplayer before releasing it to the public. This I believe would help protect the idea of fair game play and allow Descent to flourish for many more years to come.
You can Email me if you like at:
ronholmes@sbcglobal.net
Keep up the good work.
Ron (Tigeron)
There is no explanation for "jerkiness" only in certain directions, as all direction changes are done the same way: By polling some input device and evaluating the input. I.e. it does not make a difference whether you press e.g. the "left arrow" or "right arrow" keys to turn left or right.
You said you could see through walls after I had turned on the Z buffer with the program version from 22 may 04? I have tested that and generally can't confirm that with one exception: Walls that are applied to solid cube sides (e.g. switch decals). I have just fixed that.
With my current version of D2X you can enforce "legacy input polling" by specifying "-legacyinput" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
You can enforce "legacy mouse sensitivity" by specifying "-legacymouse" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
Specifying "-legacyinput" and "-legacymouse" will have my D2X version behave like standard D2.
You can enforce "legacy" hidden surface removal by specifying "-legacyzbuf" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
Repair centers are primarily a level property. It is very easy to avoid them by not playing a level containing some if you don't want that.
Axis/banking sensitivity is currently very hard to scale due to the reasons outlined to Ferno. I am working on this though. You should however consider that these things had been frame rate dependant in all D2 versions prior to me changing this. In my D2X version, everybody achieving at least 30 fps will play on equal conditions, which is not true for the other D2 versions unless all players enforce the same frame rate.
In other words: My D2 version is the most frame rate independant one regarding controls processing.
You can enforce "legacy input polling" by specifying "-legacyinput" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
You can enforce "legacy mouse sensitivity" by specifying "-legacymouse" in d2x.ini.
Specifying "-legacyinput" and "-legacymouse" will have my D2X version behave like standard D2.
You can enforce "legacy" hidden surface removal by specifying "-legacyzbuf" in d2x.ini.
Finally you can turn off all changes I've made to D2X by specifying "-legacy" in d2x.ini.
You said you could see through walls after I had turned on the Z buffer with the program version from 22 may 04? I have tested that and generally can't confirm that with one exception: Walls that are applied to solid cube sides (e.g. switch decals). I have just fixed that.
With my current version of D2X you can enforce "legacy input polling" by specifying "-legacyinput" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
You can enforce "legacy mouse sensitivity" by specifying "-legacymouse" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
Specifying "-legacyinput" and "-legacymouse" will have my D2X version behave like standard D2.
You can enforce "legacy" hidden surface removal by specifying "-legacyzbuf" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
Repair centers are primarily a level property. It is very easy to avoid them by not playing a level containing some if you don't want that.
Axis/banking sensitivity is currently very hard to scale due to the reasons outlined to Ferno. I am working on this though. You should however consider that these things had been frame rate dependant in all D2 versions prior to me changing this. In my D2X version, everybody achieving at least 30 fps will play on equal conditions, which is not true for the other D2 versions unless all players enforce the same frame rate.
In other words: My D2 version is the most frame rate independant one regarding controls processing.
You can enforce "legacy input polling" by specifying "-legacyinput" in the file d2x.ini (must reside in the Descent folder).
You can enforce "legacy mouse sensitivity" by specifying "-legacymouse" in d2x.ini.
Specifying "-legacyinput" and "-legacymouse" will have my D2X version behave like standard D2.
You can enforce "legacy" hidden surface removal by specifying "-legacyzbuf" in d2x.ini.
Finally you can turn off all changes I've made to D2X by specifying "-legacy" in d2x.ini.
Frames per second
Forgot to mention something that you may encounter.
In the official latest release of D2x (0.2.7) from Bradley Bell and all the way back to version 1.2-pre3_ming32 I have a frame rate problem.
With just keyboard I get a flat 60 fps in game. After selecting a joystick within Windows (98 SE) the frame rate drops to 40 fps. Then if I select joystick in game it drops another 10 fps or so. I average around 27 fps in game.
Your versions do not seem to have the problem and the problem may reside in the IPX section which you have not incorporated yet. Maybe it is in the way they do things within their module.
Since you have now used their SDL I have been able to establish that the problem is in the D2X-gl.exe. When you are incorporating the IPX into your version keep an eye out for what may be causing this problem.
Ron
In the official latest release of D2x (0.2.7) from Bradley Bell and all the way back to version 1.2-pre3_ming32 I have a frame rate problem.
With just keyboard I get a flat 60 fps in game. After selecting a joystick within Windows (98 SE) the frame rate drops to 40 fps. Then if I select joystick in game it drops another 10 fps or so. I average around 27 fps in game.
Your versions do not seem to have the problem and the problem may reside in the IPX section which you have not incorporated yet. Maybe it is in the way they do things within their module.
Since you have now used their SDL I have been able to establish that the problem is in the D2X-gl.exe. When you are incorporating the IPX into your version keep an eye out for what may be causing this problem.
Ron
Guess what? I have no clue yet how to (re-) incorporate IPX in D2X, and I wonder why the heck it got removed in the first place, and who did it. And then I don't know how to test it (well, maybe in my office over the company network ... )
Btw, maybe there's no framerate problem because I have a MS Windows version of D2X natively compiled on MS Windows.
)Btw, maybe there's no framerate problem because I have a MS Windows version of D2X natively compiled on MS Windows.
Jerk while turning
Well hello...I see I have you online....
I just tried using the arrow keys and they work smooth as silk. No jerk at all and the speed seems to be the same in either direction, X, Y and Z.
If you have just a 2 axis joystick I am sure you will be able to see what I am talking about for the jerk.
One thing just came to mind and that is in your first version I tested there was only one small jerk in one direction in each axis. Since then you have limited the polling to 30 fps. I wonder if this is what is causing the increased jerk now? I know of no one that use 30 fps to play....why not give it a test and change it to say 50 fps and see if that reduces the jerk. If it does then we will know why it was frame speed dependent. One little jerk in only one direction was not to bad but a constant jerk when panning is unbearable.
I have to reboot to another partition to do any testing but will stand by for awhile in case you want me to take a look at anything.
Ron
I just tried using the arrow keys and they work smooth as silk. No jerk at all and the speed seems to be the same in either direction, X, Y and Z.
If you have just a 2 axis joystick I am sure you will be able to see what I am talking about for the jerk.
One thing just came to mind and that is in your first version I tested there was only one small jerk in one direction in each axis. Since then you have limited the polling to 30 fps. I wonder if this is what is causing the increased jerk now? I know of no one that use 30 fps to play....why not give it a test and change it to say 50 fps and see if that reduces the jerk. If it does then we will know why it was frame speed dependent. One little jerk in only one direction was not to bad but a constant jerk when panning is unbearable.
I have to reboot to another partition to do any testing but will stand by for awhile in case you want me to take a look at anything.
Ron
The 30 fps limit is in D2X for quite a while (some weeks). If I increase it, mouse sensitivity decreases so badly you cannot reasonably play D2X with the mouse any more. Btw, 30 fps limit does not mean screen refresh is limited to 30 fps; only input sampling is.
From the code there's also no explanation for jerky joystick input processing. The joystick's deviation from any axis' is measured and translated into a numerical directional change. I cannot think of a reason why that should work flawlessly in one direction and not so well in the other. I have a 4 axis joystick and will try this out though.
Btw, I will upload a new version of D2X in a few minutes where I have improved the bank speed (slower). There simply was a bug in my code that allowed to bank way too fast.
What was this stuff about the Z buffer, btw?
Update: New version online available now.
From the code there's also no explanation for jerky joystick input processing. The joystick's deviation from any axis' is measured and translated into a numerical directional change. I cannot think of a reason why that should work flawlessly in one direction and not so well in the other. I have a 4 axis joystick and will try this out though.
Btw, I will upload a new version of D2X in a few minutes where I have improved the bank speed (slower). There simply was a bug in my code that allowed to bank way too fast.
What was this stuff about the Z buffer, btw?
Update: New version online available now.
very cool Diedel. everything's working on my end so far.
you did awesome.
EDIT: looks like i ran into a particularly nasty bug. I was playing level 5 in Descent 2: counterstrike. I access the secret level, and clear it out. I blew the reactor and exited out via the secret exit that was to the right side of the reactor. I warp back into the regular level and my machine ends up locking with a horrible screeching sound being emitted.
this is with your latest d2x build on windows 2000 using an SB Audigy2.
you did awesome.
EDIT: looks like i ran into a particularly nasty bug. I was playing level 5 in Descent 2: counterstrike. I access the secret level, and clear it out. I blew the reactor and exited out via the secret exit that was to the right side of the reactor. I warp back into the regular level and my machine ends up locking with a horrible screeching sound being emitted.
this is with your latest d2x build on windows 2000 using an SB Audigy2.
Z buffering
Just got up so have some more testing to do...am taking the day off work.
I use a Geforce 4 and had to shut the zbuffering off or I would be looking through walls. In counter strike level 1 at game start you could see the lava flow below and through each wall on the left and right.
I use a level called Neptune as a quick testbed because it is small, not to many weapons and no robots. Has a three small rooms and a long hall. When you first start that level the wall on the right is transparent. And if I remember correctly in your first download I tried (The one before you turned the zbuffering ON) there was one short wall that was white instead of brown.
Jerky turns:
That was also the version whereby I only got one small jerk at the beginning of a pan to the right. I again assumed that it was because you truned the zbuffering ON. Or maybe it was some other tinkering that you also did. Just an observation on my end. I borrowed a 2 axis stick from my neighbor and really did not see the jerkyness that I was seeing with my 3D Pro. Might fault there as I assumed that it was happening just because of using the joy input. Bad to do that..asuume.
Will do some more testing today and try the Anolog settng with the stick. It is on automatic now and is supposed to detect if it is operating in game with windows or DOS. I believe for D2x it should be DOS and Analog. Will give it a try and let you know.
I could not tell anything about the jerkyness in Bradley's D2x because I was stuck at 27 fps. At that speed everything would be a jerk when you moved. So it might be something built into D2x. In retail version of D2 I get between 60 and 76 fps. I did notice that if I executed the SDL.exe that there was no fps reduction at all. But then I would not be able to get my 3D video stereo then so stuck with the gl executable.
I use a Geforce 4 and had to shut the zbuffering off or I would be looking through walls. In counter strike level 1 at game start you could see the lava flow below and through each wall on the left and right.
I use a level called Neptune as a quick testbed because it is small, not to many weapons and no robots. Has a three small rooms and a long hall. When you first start that level the wall on the right is transparent. And if I remember correctly in your first download I tried (The one before you turned the zbuffering ON) there was one short wall that was white instead of brown.
Jerky turns:
That was also the version whereby I only got one small jerk at the beginning of a pan to the right. I again assumed that it was because you truned the zbuffering ON. Or maybe it was some other tinkering that you also did. Just an observation on my end. I borrowed a 2 axis stick from my neighbor and really did not see the jerkyness that I was seeing with my 3D Pro. Might fault there as I assumed that it was happening just because of using the joy input. Bad to do that..asuume.
Will do some more testing today and try the Anolog settng with the stick. It is on automatic now and is supposed to detect if it is operating in game with windows or DOS. I believe for D2x it should be DOS and Analog. Will give it a try and let you know.
I could not tell anything about the jerkyness in Bradley's D2x because I was stuck at 27 fps. At that speed everything would be a jerk when you moved. So it might be something built into D2x. In retail version of D2 I get between 60 and 76 fps. I did notice that if I executed the SDL.exe that there was no fps reduction at all. But then I would not be able to get my 3D video stereo then so stuck with the gl executable.
Ferno,
i couldn't reproduce the crash. The sound resulted from the sound subsystem not closed down properly due to the program crash.
Tigeron,
I have the same effect on a GF MX 400: Z buffer not working. On my Radeon 9800 pro I've got no problems. When checking depth buffer availability in-program, everything is ok though. Very weird. I need to find out what to tell the OpenGL driver to fix this.
To keep the ship from wandering around when idling and some more things, store the following in a file named d2x.ini in your descent 2 directory:
-fullscreen
-nomovies
-grabmouse
-noredbook
-gl_trilinear
-gl_reticle 1
i couldn't reproduce the crash. The sound resulted from the sound subsystem not closed down properly due to the program crash.
Tigeron,
I have the same effect on a GF MX 400: Z buffer not working. On my Radeon 9800 pro I've got no problems. When checking depth buffer availability in-program, everything is ok though. Very weird. I need to find out what to tell the OpenGL driver to fix this.
To keep the ship from wandering around when idling and some more things, store the following in a file named d2x.ini in your descent 2 directory:
-fullscreen
-nomovies
-grabmouse
-noredbook
-gl_trilinear
-gl_reticle 1
Jerky narrowed down
Well I was playing with all the switches (Arguments) today and finially trashed the system. No fault from your switches just that I was trying many things to pin down the jerkyness I am experiancing in your latest D2x version. It got so bad that even in the retail version of D2 the whole thing was a constant jerk.
I reinstalled Windows 98 SE and my video drivers and things are now working smooth as silk. I even found a so called update to my 3d Pro stick. I say so called because it did not seem to work. But the good thing was that I ended up getting an updated .VXD and system joystick driver which I have been trying to find for some time now. I uninstalled the new stick update and installed the original that came with the stick but still have the two updated files in the system which seem to help.
I started back tracking again from your version where I had only one little jerk panning clockwise. The version just before you enabled Zbuffering was where I got one little jerk. Now there is no jerk at all. I tried the version where you enabled Zbuffering and it panned smooth as silk. I could see through the walls but panning was perfect.
That file is:
D2x-W32.exe dated 5/14/04 3:42 AM
SDL.dll dated 5/14/04 3:04 AM
I don't know what you worked on after you posted that file but your next offering was where the jerkyness started. I read the message thread but did not see where you stated what you worked on. Only that there was an updated file for download. This was not a little jerk but a constant jerk like you get at very slow frame rates but more pronounced. I am still at a flat 60 fps in game.
File name where first jerkyness appears is:
D2x-gl.exe dated 5/20/04 12:39 AM
SDL.dll dated 5/19/04 2:20 AM
Also I noticed that if you put the slider for stick sensitivity all the way up that you can pan slightly faster before the jerkyness sets in. If you have it towards the low end the jerkyness is very bad even when you pan very slowly clockwise.
I hope that this might help in pinning down exactly what is causing it as it makes it very difficult to track an object with your eyes with all the jerks.
Ron
I reinstalled Windows 98 SE and my video drivers and things are now working smooth as silk. I even found a so called update to my 3d Pro stick. I say so called because it did not seem to work. But the good thing was that I ended up getting an updated .VXD and system joystick driver which I have been trying to find for some time now. I uninstalled the new stick update and installed the original that came with the stick but still have the two updated files in the system which seem to help.
I started back tracking again from your version where I had only one little jerk panning clockwise. The version just before you enabled Zbuffering was where I got one little jerk. Now there is no jerk at all. I tried the version where you enabled Zbuffering and it panned smooth as silk. I could see through the walls but panning was perfect.
That file is:
D2x-W32.exe dated 5/14/04 3:42 AM
SDL.dll dated 5/14/04 3:04 AM
I don't know what you worked on after you posted that file but your next offering was where the jerkyness started. I read the message thread but did not see where you stated what you worked on. Only that there was an updated file for download. This was not a little jerk but a constant jerk like you get at very slow frame rates but more pronounced. I am still at a flat 60 fps in game.
File name where first jerkyness appears is:
D2x-gl.exe dated 5/20/04 12:39 AM
SDL.dll dated 5/19/04 2:20 AM
Also I noticed that if you put the slider for stick sensitivity all the way up that you can pan slightly faster before the jerkyness sets in. If you have it towards the low end the jerkyness is very bad even when you pan very slowly clockwise.
I hope that this might help in pinning down exactly what is causing it as it makes it very difficult to track an object with your eyes with all the jerks.
Ron
Ferno,
I have found a bug in D2X (not on my behalf =) causing D2X to crash. Maybe that fixes your problem.
Tigeron,
unfortunately I have not kept track of dates in my D2X change log, so I cannot tell what I changed when your version went "jerky". Me not having said anything about the changes I did very likely means I had simply fixed some nasty bug I had introduced myself with one of my previous changes.
Please try the switch "-legacyzbuf" in d2x.ini - it will turn of the Z buffer and let D2X rely on its own hidden surface removal and culling algorithms.
I have gathered some hints re Z buffer on NVidia cards and will hopefully be able to fix the problems here by tomorrow.
I have found a bug in D2X (not on my behalf =) causing D2X to crash. Maybe that fixes your problem.
Tigeron,
unfortunately I have not kept track of dates in my D2X change log, so I cannot tell what I changed when your version went "jerky". Me not having said anything about the changes I did very likely means I had simply fixed some nasty bug I had introduced myself with one of my previous changes.
Please try the switch "-legacyzbuf" in d2x.ini - it will turn of the Z buffer and let D2X rely on its own hidden surface removal and culling algorithms.
I have gathered some hints re Z buffer on NVidia cards and will hopefully be able to fix the problems here by tomorrow.
