DescentBB

I haven't encountered sound cycling in D2X-W32 so far.

D3Hack wrote:Just got back to playing D2, and noticed a few things:
[*]Certain explosions are rendered as transparent even though the toggle is off.

Which ones.

D3Hack wrote:[*]Explosions almost always being at least partially overlapped by walls (Maybe you could fix this by making the shots explode at a slightly farther distance from the wall?)

Explosions need to be clipped, because otherwise they're visible through walls at instances.

D3Hack wrote:Also, I have NOT given up on the cockpit issue (I rarely give up on anything ), and by comparing D2X-W32's source code to the original D2 source code I came up with the following:
Try replacing lines 581 & 582 in "ibitblt.c" with:

Code: Select all

	return (ubyte *)ret;
}
#else
ubyte   *gr_ibitblt_create_mask_svga( grs_bitmap * mask_bmp, int sx, int sy, int sw, int sh, int srowsize )
{
	return gr_ibitblt_create_mask_sub( mask_bmp, sx, sy, sw, sh, srowsize, BM_SVGA );
}

Dunno if it'll do anything, but you may as well try (I tried to compile the code, but I got a whole bunch of "unresolved external symbol" errors. )

This is already the exact code I have found in my version of ibitblt.c.

Sirius wrote:Rear viewport is definitely not the same, though - some missions with custom cockpit graphics allow you to see out through the bottom half of the screen in Descent 2 v1.2 DOS. D2X-W32 clips that out, for some reason.

I think this rather has to do with the completely different way of rendering (hardware OpenGL vs. software).

btw, joystick deadzone granularity changed to values 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,15,20,30,40,50.

Btw, I mighthave finally been able to fix the screenshot issue. At least it works on my X800 XT now for the very first time. Updated software will be available on monday.

even just downloaded the new version today.

The app just pops up for a sec, then disapears.

When the new D1 level for d2x-w32 came out, I downloaded it. The ones prior to that, sometimes I had to run them in compatibility mode for Win2000 (the other modes did not work). Nothing works now.

I have a Radeon 9600Pro with latest Drivers
1.3GHz Athlon
MSI kt7 motherboard

Try to install D2 in another folder (you can keep your current installation), install D2X-W32 there, see if it works now. If it doesn't, edit d2x.ini and put a semicolon in front of the line saying "-fullscreen".

Make sure you have the most recent Catalyst (5.9) and sound drivers for your machine. Updating the BIOS and chipset drivers in case yours are outdated wouldn't be a bad idea either.

oh gosh...


shoot me
I didn't even have D2 installed lol.

I'd like to have side views as well as the rear view. If your super texture artist is up to it, maybe he can make Full cockpit graphics for the side views? Mainly just need the window and a bit of the seat.

Also, multi-monitor support where you can send a specified view to different screens would be incredibly awesome. Front, left, right, rear, camera, missile view, guidebot view, and map.

Being able to build in some kind of chat into the UDP tracker system would be most excellent as well, like while viewing the game list on a given tracker, you can talk to other people viewing the games list as well.

Also, MP3/OGG support would be much appreciated. Perhaps a directory to dump the files into and create one or more playlists that we can choose from in-game? I'm thinking like "D2/music/playlist1/bunchofsongs.mp3" and "D2/music/playlist1.m3u" so we can use subdirectories to keep the music orderly.

Thenior wrote:shoot me

Only in the mines.

Valin,

I will definitely never ever build such things in D2X-W32.

Next things I will do is to support custom palettes, and I might implement a new multiplayer game mode "jail break", if I feel like it.

Diedel wrote:Valin,

I will definitely never ever build such things in D2X-W32.

Next things I will do is to support custom palettes, and I might implement a new multiplayer game mode "jail break", if I feel like it.

Would you...if I had good ol' Jackson and Grant ask for me? (That's the guys on the $20 and $50 bills respectively for those who don't know...) I could offer some help from Queen Elizabeth too if you prefer quid.

I'd be willing to help if you like. I have MSVS6 as well, and had worked on the Pure Win32 version of D1 that I called Descent.NET. I started from Parallax Source code, not D1X. If you could setup a Sourcesafe server, we could work that way. Up to you.

It's not about money ... I am a software engineer, and I am paid acceptably well. But I have a life besides Descent, and if I do something about D2X-W32, it will be things I consider significant.

Your ideas sound nice, but I doubt they'd add all that much to the gameplay experience. And then, who besides you has a dual or triple monitor setup to play D2 like that?

Finally, I could easily render the different views, but I have no idea about how to send stuff to another monitor, and finding out about that stuff would cost me time. That means you'd need to shell out a few more bucks than you might expect you'd have to for this to be done (like â?¬500 upward or so ... ).

Proposition: You find out about the multi monitor stuff with OpenGL, and I'll do the views.

That sounds reasonable. I'll see what I can find. I think it mainly has to do with treating the monitor like an object that's related to the video driver object. At least, that's something like how it works under DirectX.

Sorry for thinking you needed cash..I was under the impression you were in college... SORRY!

I'm a software developer as well, but I specialize in web applications and webgame development. Its not that C/C++ is beyond me, I know them both, Its more that I make good money in the area I specc'ed in.

Valin Halcyon wrote:Sorry for thinking you needed cash..I was under the impression you were in college... SORRY!

Ofc I need cash ... ... it's just a little more than you might think ...

(Who doesn't, huh, there's always a wish you might want to fulfill for yourself ... Heh!)

Never mind.

I am over 40 and work as a software developer in the telematics field.

A note to D2 level designers: D2X-W32 now supports more than one boss robot per level, where you will have to kill all of them to end the level. Previously, the level was ended if you killed just one of them. I think that's a nice enhancement especially for coop geared missions. Toggle it in the gameplay options menu.

Btw, if you play Project Mandrill by Jeff250 (highly recommended), there are two (extremely nasty) bosses in level 4 or so. Having to kill them both adds a new dimension of difficulty to that level ... go go go, coop players!

Just some ideas: full cockpit (like original D2) and Mac port.

Wow, that new Boss feature is very neat!
I will add more bosses to my levels now.

Ah, and BTW diedel, Project Mandrill is from Kyoryuu (Solrazor), not Jeff250

I'm not sure I'd take advantage of it myself, because I would fully expect players to flick off multiple bosses at their convenience, and just cut the level short.

Kd527 wrote:Just some ideas: full cockpit (like original D2) and Mac port.

It does have full cockpit. just pick one of the first 2 resolution options and hit F3 a couple times. He added a widescreen view too in the F3 cycling.

It'd be neat to get D2X-W32 to support a 3D model for the cockpit like D3 did so it'd be possible to make a multi-resolution cockpit. I imagine eye-candy like that will have to wait until more pressing bugs and actual game enhancing features are done.

Again Diedel, Any chance of getting a visual sourcesafe server up and collaborating on this? I'm already extremely familiar with the Descent sources, I just didn't know how to go about porting them to Win32..which you seem to have already taken care of. I'd be glad to help out on the game code (to differentiate from the engine code).

BTW, I still have original D1/2 Assembly source code that compiles under Win32. Need some more speed considering the slowdown the enhanced renderer causes? Not sure if it'd all be needed, as a bunch was in the texturing engine and the 3D renderer itself, but some was elsewhere.

Valin,

D2X-W32 supports all cockpit modes in all available screen resolutions.

I wouldn't know how to set up an inet based VSS data base.

Whoa..I just tested that. Nice! At higher resolutions the numbers and text get kinda small though..and offcenter. Kind of redundant having 320x240 and 640x480 in the res list twice in that case.

As for VSS, I would need to find my disc (I think it's on MSVS6 disc 2) as I've only really ever used the first disc, as it has all the IDEs on it.

If I can figure it out and get VSS setup, you'd be willing to give it a go? I'd personally recommend using a CVS system that's out there already and free, but if we're all working in MSVC 6 already, using VSS just makes it easier.

woah o_O Valin lives!

DirectX and OpenGL handle multiple monitors in entirely different ways. Or rather, the OpenGL API has absolutely no means of controlling specifically which monitor it's on. When an OGL app goes fullscreen, the window goes onto the primary monitor, no questions asked. To get the output onto another monitor, you'd need to set the screen res as desired, and then create a window that's as on top as possible that covers the entire desktop. You can even have a GL window spanning two monitors (at least, I can on my 9800 Pro. I don't know about other cards, let alone nVidia ones. I also don't know what capability and performance implications exist).

This MSDN link tells how to happily enumerate all the available displays.

Getting the current codebase to decently support multiple rendering contexts should be fun. Probably just write a function that switches contexts around. Hopefully it's obvious that you should do so as little as humanly possible. State management with will be a ★■◆●, though... The OGL code is so messed up, and there's a lot of initial state that needs to be set for it to work properly.

Valin,

I know how to handle VSS, but not how to set it up on some inet server so that it's accessible over the inet.

What I would love much more to see than multi monitor/side view support is a Mac port. I haven't just yet found anyone who'd be willing and capable to do it.

patches,

I hadn't thought of having to render to several rendering contexts ... d'oh!

Well, you'd need multiple windows, and an RC gets associated with a DC which comes with a window, so yeah. I suppose you could make one window span multiple monitors and then use viewports to divide them up or something (actually, this could be made to be quite flexible), but I don't know how well that would work. And it'd help with OGL state management. But it'd be pretty hard to work it in, and might make game state management *more* difficult.

...anyone wanna rewrite the OGL interface? Or the renderer? Both?

I don't know who'd want to do a Mac Port honestly. I mean, OSX ~= Linux..so what's the point? Make a Linux port, and a few tweaks later you have your Mac version. Adjusting of course for the different CPU.

As for VSS, it's apparently not designed to work over the net..though it can. Those who do use it in that way are more likely remote logging in to a LAN and using it as a LAN resource than an actual Internet resource.

Having talked to WoA about it, he recommended using Subversion and a nice context based client. You lose IDE integration, but at least it works over the net and you don't need to run it commandline or learn a host of console commands. I'll look into setting up on a server I've got in California. Shouldn't be very demanding on the server at all.

Who needs IDE integration ... C++ sissies ...

Diedel:

I just installed the latest version of D2x-W32 and tested playing the main Descent I campaign on Trainee, Hotshot, and Insane. On the first level, the class 1 driller [edit: drone, thanks Sirius] can kill me in 2-3 shots on all skill levels. The Pyro-GX weapons appear to be normal.

In case this is an issue, I already had the Descent 1 files in a directory with an older version of D2x-W32 and just moved the new version into the existing directory.

-E.Hawk

Class 1 Drone you mean? The C1 Driller is the vulcan robot and only appears from level 6 onward.

But 2-3 shots is ... yes, way too lethal. That's more or less concussion missile power. (Player concussion missiles.)

Diedel wrote:Who needs IDE integration ... C++ sissies ...

HAHAHA!! I didn't know how you felt about it. I've been using CVS on the occasional collaborative project...never tried VSS.

I'll get subversion setup and get us hooked up..

I was j/k.

Actually I am using VSS and do program in C++.

But I hate VSS. It's a bad program, imo. We had it destroy our source data bases on several occasions when it ran out of disk space. It's easy to totally mess it up when copying MSVC projects to new folders and renaming them. The MSVC IDE is pretty crappy too, imho.

That's interesting - many people have told me "it's the best ever" or something like that.

Personally, I've never used it so I don't have an opinion.

I am working with it every day.

Well, it'll be easy to add a backup task to the server to cover the repository. Data loss won't happen

Diedel:

I'm playing the single player D2 campaign with the CD in and the Redbook audio playing. However, it does not recognize the fact that there are more than 4 tracks to the CD (I think it is using the MIDI file references to load the CD Track, and since there are 4 different MIDIs for the in-game levels...)

I know it is really minor, but I thought I would let you know. The D1 robot weapons issue is probably a bigger concern.

-E.Hawk

PS-I've run in to some old friends recently and told them I was playing D1/D2 again. They wanted to know how that was possible and I let them know about D2x-W32. Needless to say they were blown away. Keep up the good work.

I will look into the weapon stuff, but not the music stuff - because I don't have much clue about D2X handles the latter.

Edit: I have checked D1 weapon strength, and the Level 1 Drone does a measly 3 shield points of damage per hit on Trainee, and 6 on Hotshot.

Edit 2: Check the difficulty slider in the gameplay options menu - it overrides the initially chosen setting when starting a campain.

Diedel:

I found the problem. If someone (ie: me) copies the Descent I files into the D2x-W32 directory without first patching from 1.0, the robots attack damage is wacky. As soon as I patched to 1.5 and recopied the files, everything worked perfectly.

Also, intrestingly enough, the textures that D2x-W32 generates for D1 levels is different between v1.0 and v1.5 (again, 1.5 results in the most similar texture conversion)

Anyway, thanks for checking it out.

-E.Hawk

Diedel wrote:btw, joystick deadzone granularity changed to values 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,15,20,30,40,50.

Slight issue: When I choose an option lower than 5%, it defaults to 0% and it disables linear ramping. This happens for all options under 5% and any adjustments get reset to 0%. Resetting to 5% solves this issue however. I haven't tried the incruments above 5%, but this is definitely an issue that needs to be sorted.

Again, thank you for including the options.

Fixed.

Found a bug that apparently has something to do with RegisterPlayer().

When you start up D2XW32, the movie plays fine and the pilot list pops up. Upon picking a pilot, the screen blanks out and show some cutouts from your desktop, but I can hear music etc just fine. If I create a NEW pilot instead, the main menu displays fine...until I try to switch pilots, which brings up the same menu as before, and upon SELECTING a pilot, I get the wierd partial desktop again with Descent Music. You can hit CTRL-ESC (windows key for 104 key keyboard users) and D2X minimizes just fine, enabling you to kill the process from task manager.

I'm running a GF2 Ultra on the box I'm playing from.

Having looked at the original D2 source code, it seems the problem is with the RegisterPlayer() function. Will go look at D2Xwin32's source in a sec.

BTW, adding a -pilot [pilotname] command option would be nice. Having a -mission [missionname] option would be great too, as you could launch right into the game if you disable movies.

Also, all of your download links on descent2.de are broken. editing the URL solves the problem, but you really need to go fix your links.

Ok, The source for RegisterPlayer() is in main/gameseq.c. Going to look it over now...

Apparently there is a -player option, I found it in RegisterPlayer(). To use it, add -player pilotname.plr to your d2x.ini. This is a functional workaround for this glitch.

This feels like a pallete glitch to me. When you select the pilot form the list, you're changing from one screen setup to another. Perhaps loading the main menu and popping up the select pilot menu would resolve this problem? Or maybe the last selected pilot name should be displayed somewhere on the main menu and use it as default, allowing player to change it if they see the selected name is not their pilot.

D2X-W32 starts with a standard resolution and switches to the one found in the plr file after loading it. Maybe your plr file is corrupted.

There is a page with all D2X-W32 cmd line switches on my Descent site.

*All* links are broken? I only found three, all on the D2X-W32 page.

Please verify your bug reports thouroughly before posting them.

So how do I get online with D2X-W32? the website gave some code to put into the d2x.ini file. Was that the actuall IP of the trackers?

which of these do I use to join/start games?: http://kd527.frihost.net/images/D2X-W32 ... 11-001.jpg

Also, I get these errors:
http://kd527.frihost.net/images/D2X-W32 ... 11-002.jpg
http://kd527.frihost.net/images/D2X-W32 ... 11-003.jpg

My player file works just fine...provided I use the -player playername.plr switch in the d2x.ini. This tells me something is wrong with the menu drawing and not the data loading. FTR, I use 1280x1024 as my standard openGL resolution in D2X. Perhaps there is a glitch in the modified plr file format or how/when that resolution data is parsed?

Sorry about the links, I meant the download links. Someone else mentioned those earlier.

kd: I'm not certain about the UDP error, but the IPX one is obvious, you don't have IPX/SPX installed as a network protocol.

To play online via a tracker (like Descent 3, but without chatrooms), select the netgame via tracker option and you'll get a list of games in progress...if no games are running, there won't be any there.

EDIT:
Yeah, something is up with resolutions. If I use 640x480, everything is perfectly fine. If I use 800x600 or higher...bam, no go. I can't even change my resolution in the game options from 640x480 and not have it blank out. Elsa Gladiac Ultra, GeForce 2 Ultra chipset 64MB vid RAM. Latest possible drivers too for DirectX and OpenGL.
Default_display_mode seems to be 0 for IBMs and 1 for Macs. This is at the end of the RegisterPlayer() function. Code then seems to check if hires menus are availible, but hires seems to mean 640x480? 0_o Am I missing something here? (Yes, I know mode 0 is 320x240 and mode 1 is 640x480...)