DescentBB

Compared to d2x-rebirth setup, d2x-xl is cryptic and tricky. And there is no hires textures and models in single archive, you should add them by one, nor there are data files pre-structured as needed. Or is it? Can anyone please provide me with and archive containing all data properly placed in subdirectories for Linux i can just \"tar zxf\"? No rar, please, rar is PITA, i tried getting the source and found that it has DOS style line termination and rar has no flags to convert it automatically..

For bugs, seems that there are some. When i switch to 1440x900 some menus get messed up (still usable, but ugly) and there is some occasional flicker and redraw bugs (i run RHEL4 with latest NVidia beta driver if it does matter)

D2X-XL may have some bugs on ceratin NVidia Chipsets, it will work better on ATI chipsets. Blame the new Nvidia driver architecture for this

Also, making a single file with all textures and models is not a bad idea, but it will be a really HUGE archive very hard to upload, and it's not so practical, since some textures and models changes from time to time, and everytime there is even more models and textures. It would be also a PITA to upload a single archive file with every texture or model change everytime...

By now i just recommend to use batch decompression to unpack all texture files to the textures folder. Also, i'm not sure since i don't use Linux, but i think that there is a version of 7Zip for Linux, and 7Zip can unpack RAR files easily and without too much problem
You can get it here:
http://www.7-zip.org/

Sometimes it fails to start a new game (just nothing happens when i make a choice from that menu), sometimes it just hangs when i try to load savegame from d2x-rebirth.. is it related somehow to the data structure? I just copied my whole d2x-rebirth directory to /usr/local/games/d2x-xl/, prior to doing that nothing worked at all.

Big files are ok (i guess everyone got decent internet connection these days), it is better than downloading dozens of textures by one..

D2X-Rebirth savegames and pilots aren't compatible with D2X-XL. D2X-XL has backwards compatiblity only for the original D2 (DOS or WIN95 versions)...
Also when you install D2X-XL, make sure that default.plr and default.plx are located in the profiles folder and don't delet them!
Then proceed to make a completely new pilot on D2X-XL, and this may fix some bugs... I'm using 1.11.92 on my PC and it runs flawlessy when i install D2X-XL from scratch (new pilot, not rebirth data, correct folder structure, etc)

Could you please send me a snapshot of your data directory with folders to arkenoi@gmail.com? I am afraid there is still something wrong with mine

\"D2X-Rebirth savegames and pilots aren't compatible with D2X-XL. D2X-XL has backwards compatiblity only for the original D2 (DOS or WIN95 versions)... \"

Which is what Rebirth supports as well from what I can read from the DOS Source. The PLR file has the same data structure as the DOS version has. Everything else will be saved in a seperated file (PLX). I will re-check this again, but I am very sure about it.
Same goes for the savegames.

At least - compability is important.

Arkanoid,

c'mon, head over to the D2X-XL forum, where people will be glad to help you.

The D2X-XL installation guide on www.descent2.de has an exact list of what files need to be placed where to run D2X-XL (files not listed there are not required). Installation is not tricky at all. Actually D2X-XL supports a much better folder structure than any other Descent 2 version.

Hires textures are split into several downloads because a single one would be way to big and too hard to update.

Tricky setup? Welcome to Linux. >.>

Well, not really. Most linux programs are much more straightforward than windows versions. It does not apply to games, for unknown reason

Once they brought out RPMs and whatever the Debian equivalent was, yeah... I just find it a little annoying when I'm told \"no you must compile this to run it\", when actually getting it to compile is a pain in the arse.

Some things do compile easily enough, though...

Usually does not apply to games as well, being the worst case of GUI programs, typical game compile-and-install looks like: \"get this and that audio/3d/math/whatever frameworks, exactly *this* versions, no, they are not bundled for some cryptic reason; then you may compile, and that's not all - you have to rip some files off windows version\". If you are lucky, that's all, if you are not you get some obscure coredump from deep inside of some of those third-party libraries (

There's enough people who manage to compile d2x-xl on linux, and you don't need a lot of 3rd party libraries for it.

But generally I think Linux *is* a PITA, from own sad experience.

Sirus,

with \"tricky\" Arkanoid seems to refer to having to put files in several folders. I admit that this is a tad more complex than throwing everything in a single one. But wait until he first sees all the menus and options d2x-xl has ...

I just wonder though how one could compare d2x-r setup to d2x-xl. d2x-xl has *a ton* more features, so what do you expect?

Wasnt someone over at D2X-Xl forums working on an installer for D2X-XL to eliminate incorrect folder/file arrangement.
Metalbeast (former Zombie999) rings a bell...

XL tries to rearrange stuff, whereas Rebirth generally doesn't ... that said, I have had to do some configuration to run Rebirth from a separate directory. Which isn't really less involved than XL.

Then I found out that Rebirth isn't really any better than 0.2.6 from my point of view... certainly didn't fix the mouse. :/

So, 0.2.6 and XL it is.

D2X-XL has so much additional data that it makes sense to give it some structure. You cannot just throw all that stuff into one folder - you'd be lost if you wanted to fix or change something there. And just consider the missions: Descent 2 supports one missions folder with up to 300 missions (it won't list more even if you store them there). D2X-R just increases that limit to 1000 (if I remember right). That sounds better than it is: Just imagine having to sift through 1000 missions in Descent's mission selector - no thanks. D2X-XL allows arbitrary subfolders, allowing you to order your missions any way you like. Once you've gotten used to it you will find it very tidy and easy to understand. If you type a letter in D2X-XLs mission selector it will not just jump to the first mission starting with that letter, but if you keep typing it will select the first mission starting with the entire string you typed.

Sirius is right: There isn't really much to tell D2X-R apart from D2X 0.2.6. Not so for D2X-XL. And I bet that everybody, and most of all those who bashed D2X-XL all the way are using D2X-XL. Bwahaha.