DescentBB

Diedel, i have this suggestion:

Sometimes i use custom weapons in some levels, but now that there is colored weapon light, if i replace the plasma blob with say,a yellow blob, the light must be yellow, but a logical issue, in D2X is green .

So, there could be a way to have customized light values for every mission, editable from DLE-XP or maybe a Text editor like a MN2 or SNG file?

Don't know if this is posible, but it would be very cool!

Ah, almost forgot, a bug i often see on every version of D2X. Maybe is my computer (i'm almost sure it is) but sometimes, when i enter a level, the first robot explosions renders somewhat slow.
However, after sometime playing, it doesn't slow the computer anymore. But when i use the Radar or the Automap, After disabling the radar or exiting the Automap, i see the problem again.

Can this be fixed, or is a problem of mine?

Diedel wrote:Fusion,

check www.descent2.de for the latest versions of D2X-W32, a list of D2X-W32 cmd line switches and the D2X-W32 manual.

Come back if you've read that stuff and still have questions.

/me returns w/ a question

Ok, I found the manual section of your website, but it doesn't say where to park all these lovely switches. There is no "Lancher/Misc tab" like in D3, so where do you park these? I did d/l the update from the site, and it did fix the vulcan-spreadfire cannon issue, thx.

Fus

fusion: ever wondered what that d2x.ini file in the d2x-w32 folder is for? open it in a text editor and you'll see

Pumo,

actually, D2X-W32 uses a texture's average color for determining weapon light color. That value is precomputed, but I could make D2X-W32 compute it when first loading a texture (i.e. an overloaded plasma blob). Have to look into that though.

Pumo wrote:Ah, almost forgot, a bug i often see on every version of D2X. Maybe is my computer (i'm almost sure it is) but sometimes, when i enter a level, the first robot explosions renders somewhat slow.
However, after sometime playing, it doesn't slow the computer anymore. But when i use the Radar or the Automap, After disabling the radar or exiting the Automap, i see the problem again.

Can this be fixed, or is a problem of mine?

Or blowing monitors? That gives my machine the crawl treatment. But no, you're not completely alone.

'arieligena wrote:
- Why 2 movie quality settings in 2 different menu places? I want them together.

Diedel:Where?'

In Detail Levels (show hi res movie) and render options (high movie quality).

'arieligena wrote:
- In savegame interface please add a timestamp/level for each savegame.

Diedel: Too much effort.'

really? Is hard to display time/date (file info) and level number in loadgame screen?

movie quality: These are two different settings. The one is a legacy setting. The other is a new one dealing with texture filtering when displaying movies.

To add a timestamp to save games, I need to change the save game format.

I was wondering if it would be possible to remap keys like the gauss/vulcan zoom in a newer version cause shift happens to be something else i use to control the ship and i had to disable the zoom function to avoid a problem

Done. Weapon shortcuts now also configurable.

A suggestion on your revision numbering method...

When usinging a single digit number in a spot where you might use double digit numbers... add a leading zero.

I have a couple of your previous versions saved (should I need to go to an earlier version) and the computer doesn't sort the folders (named according to the version numbers) properly.
Such as 1.5.02 instead of 1.5.2 so that 1.5.13 would sort after 1.5.02.

For example:

I save the downloads by creating folders named by the version number. 1.5.13 shows higher in the list than 1.5.2 even though 1.5.13 is much more recent and should be at the bottom of the list (where logically the newest version would be). This is because the computer sorts a 13 before 2... because 1 comes before 2 (if ignoring the second digit).

I know it's really trivial, but if anyone else is saving according to version number, they may be encountering this too.

Feel free to rename the zip files.

I had been playing D2:CS. I saved one game at the beginning of level 5 (it was the first game in the list), and another game right before entering the secret level (which was the second game in the list).

When I try to load a game (from anywhere), the first game will not load (neither will the autosave backup) and it will just take me back to wherever I launched the dialouge from, and then the second game gives me an error, saying: "Unable to load level
'<insert random letters here>'"

I can start a game on level 5, but when I enter the secret level and try to return, it gives me the same error as the second game.

It MIGHT be a bad thing that the new CRYPTONITE and PUMPMEUP cheats work in Multiplayer... you *MIGHT* wanna fix that... (At least when I'm server and just playing by myself.... haven't tried it with other ppl playing)

Once some of the more pressing issues are fixed, I had an idea for EVENT-DRIVEN, MP3 music for custom D2X-W32 levels. Imagine... You enter a room, and the music kicks up a bit -- you know you are getting close to red key -- a little farther on, a force field kicks on behind you with the classic hum... and then you see a purple flash from the ceiling while the music cranks up ANOTHER notch... You see the first diamond claw materialze. *shivers*

Event-driven music like that could be done with a new trigger type and a simple ASCII file -- probably a .MUS extension or something like that -- that would be included in the level HOG.

Sample format:
------------------------------------
[levelfilename]
ID#=FileName,<TrackBehavior>

00=FileName,L,L,1 <-- means loop twice, then play track 01
01=FileName,02 <-- this track plays once, then automatically advances to track 2 when it is done
02=FileName,02 <-- this track will loop indefinitely until a trigger changes the track

[levelfilename2]
and so on...
------------------------------------



Example file
------------------------------------
;MyHogName.MUS
[FirstLevel.rl2]
00=StartClip.MP3,01 <-- Play automatically starts at track 00. this can be taken advantage of for a very SIMPLE, per-level music looping effect. (see below)
01=MainCalm.MP3,01
02=MatcenTheme.MP3,01
03=MainBattle.MP3,01
04=BossFightPartA.MP3,05
05=BossFightPartB.MP3,L,04
06=EscapeTheme.MP3,06

[SecondLevel.rl2]
more...
------------------------------------


Simple per-level loop file (place this in the main D2X directory as a .MUS and replace the in-game music with some D1 tracks recorded off an AWE32...)
------------------------------------
[d2leva-1.rl2]
00=D1_AWE32_Level01.MP3,00
[d2leva-2.rl2]
00=D1_AWE32_Level02.MP3,00
[d2leva-3.rl2]
00=D1_AWE32_Level03.MP3,00
[d2leva-4.rl2]
00=D1_AWE32_Level08.MP3,00
and so on...
------------------------------------

More on functionality:

In the level, there are music triggers. The triggers have two parameters: What track ID# to set the music to, and a boolean flag of whether to cut off the currently playing track and immediately switch, or to let the current clip finish before changing to the next ID.

Heck, with these files you could even mix-and-match MP3, MID, HMP, and HMQ Audio. DLE-XP could even have a dialog that would allow you to add the appropriate MP3's to your HOG and create the music file all at once. Of course, to maintain compatibility, D2X would revert to your standard MIDI or redbook preference if it found no MUS file with the same name as the HOG. (Do I see a change in the sound settings dialog? Maybe we could set it up like weapon select preferences -- move Redbook, MIDI, and MUS-file scripted up and down on a list. if MUS is at the top, it checks for a MUS file to use, if none is found it moves on to the next type (say, redbook) and if it finds no CD, then it plays MIDI)

So, in effect, you're proposing doing it like Descent 3 does (save for better audio compression and the option of synthesised music)?

I'd be fine with that. Mood or event-driven music is so much easier to do than the real thing...

D3Hack,

bugs fixed. Good description this time.

Phoenix,

if you tell me how to make D2X-W32 load and play such music files ... I haven't dug into this, as I absolutely don't care about music in games. It takes away the immersion effect for me, so I turn it off in every game I play.

First and last saved game will not load. Screen jumps back to main menu when trying to load from these positions. Also, date stamp line flickers.


Your version changes page is also broken

Fixed.

Hmmm... I'll look into it. I don't know C, but if i can find the right APIs or a DLL to use (free of course) we should be set. My only concern with either of these approaches is that it limits the portability of D2X-W32, and would hinder getting this thing to run on macs or linux in the future. On the other hand, I think that one of these ways would be better than actually coding an MP3 decoder from scratch...

I will definitely look into it. It shouldn't be that complicated to use the windows API to access the appropriate codec in windows.

And Sirius, yes. If nothing else, people could use this feature to change the music for the main game. For example, I have a full set of MP3s of the ORIGINAL D1 soundtrack, rendered on my old AWE32 and converted to MP3. If i could just place DESCENT.MUS in the main dir with the right parameters, Instead of the crappy reproduction that I get with the MPU-401, I'll get the full-blown authentic, AWE32 sound -- and level 18's sound wont be so messed up either. (GREAT track on the AWE, YUCK on standard midi...)

On another note (thats why this is a separate post)...

I noticed that in D1 the Level 7 and Level 27 bosses' evil "chugging" sound has been replaced with a Class 1 Drone's "I see you" squeal. Also, the Vulcan guys in D1 levels make this pathetic high pitched "whee!", and the boss noises seem to be sped up as well -- I think in the second case there is no 22k sound so d2x is using the old 11k sped up to 22k. Is there any way to make d2x recognize that there is a 22k sound missing, so play the 11k one instead (at the right speed)? Also, could d2x load the 2 d1 bosses sound effects from the 11k D1 sound bank by default? that would ensure that the right, classic, "chugging" sound would be used and that when it blows up, you get the gear-grinding groan as you used to, and not some 2X speed whimper...

Question regarding MP3 usage -- does D2X-W32 use OGL or DirectX? DX can play MP3's natively, but OGL cannot.

Here is some of the info I found.

Native MP3 support in DX8 or later: http://andypike.com/tutorials/DirectX8/013.asp

Open source/GPL OpenGL audio supplement (OpenAL): http://www.openal.org/

Read my D2X-W32 page.

running latest ver.
xp desktop res = 1024x768
still cannot use -fullscreen option in d2x.ini
is there something i can do to get startup in
fullscreen?
it's a small thing i know. i can still get fullscreen by starting window then change res in game. that works ok.
if poss would like to start in fullscreen.
d2x-w32 still freezes if i use .ini switch.
have searched in bb.
have looked in descent.de manual.

Sorry, can't help with that.

jakee308 wrote:running latest ver.
xp desktop res = 1024x768
still cannot use -fullscreen option in d2x.ini
is there something i can do to get startup in
fullscreen?
it's a small thing i know. i can still get fullscreen by starting window then change res in game. that works ok.
if poss would like to start in fullscreen.
d2x-w32 still freezes if i use .ini switch.
have searched in bb.
have looked in descent.de manual.

You don't happen to have an ATi card, do you? I've had the same problems with newer ATi drivers. Seems as if older ones, like Catalyst 5.6, work correctly.

I have an ATI card, too, and I don't have this problem, but I have the problem that I can only take 640x480 screenshots - all other screen res shots are bogus. I will therefore look through the code for some graphics stuff hard tied to that resolution. If I find something like that and can fix it, that might prolly solve a lot of other problems (like disappearing menus).

bingo! yep i've got a ati radeon x300 onboard.
thanks Mikael

so it's a driver problem. opengl or legacy d2 code? if you know.

sigh. i'm delighted it runs but win98 worked with old dos progs. did ms mess dos emu on purpose in xp cause they wanted all dos to die?

(May Bill Gates rot in a programmer's version of hell = Steve Jobs doing an Apple commercial over and over would do it !!! )

OpenGL.

The reasons for Windows XP's lack of support for DOS software is more complicated than that, and mostly stems from stability issues.

D2X-W32 uses SDL (at least I'm 99.9% sure it does from the DLLs), which has a mixer library that supports MP3s.

SDL is correct.

TechPro wrote:A suggestion on your revision numbering method...
*snip*

Download TweakUI and fix it yourself.

Start -> Programs -> Powertoys for WindowsXP

Select Explorer and scroll down in the window to the next to last option. Enable "Use intuitive filename sorting".



You can get TweakUI off of the Microsoft website.

When a boss robot blows up(after its death roll), the game crashes

MD-2389 wrote:Download TweakUI and fix it yourself.

Been there, done that. (Yes, TweakUI is a terrific add-on that shouldn't have had to be an add-on... Personally, for most things I do prefer the way Windows normally sorts the directories. (yeah, that's weird)

But... the intuitive sorting has almost zero drawbacks.... so... oh well.

But then... I also have a Win2000 and 2 Win98 systems... and the TweakUI for them don't provide the intuitive sorting...

Diedel,
ver 1.5.17 won't load previously saved D1 game positions.

Please e-mail me such a D1 save game.

Emailed, along with matching player file.

Hey Diedel, I have a small list of ideas for D2X-W32 and DLE-XP, I'm sorry if someone has alteady posted some of these but it would take me a long time to read all 34 pages of this thread.


D2X-W32:

Cloak Cheat - Put a cloak cheat in like D1 and D3

Expand Menus on Hi-Res - In hi-res, expand the menus so you can see more and not have to scroll down in this tiny little box in the center of the screen

Multiple Controller Profiles - Put in controller profiles so that I don't have to change my controls when I swich from the keyboard to mouse to my sidewinder joystick then to my game pad

Honestbob Supports Ammorack - If you have an ammo rack then it fills your missles completely

Convert Pilot Option - Convert pilot from D1 or D2 to d2x-w32 without looseing any of my settings

Option to Allow All Cheats in a Multiplayer Game - Put in an option to allow cheats when hosting a multiplayer game, mabye even an option to pick which ones:P

Make F12 Marker - Make F12 and F4 marker buttons because in D3 F12 is marker and is the first thing I reach for

Motion Detector Markers - Make an option in multiplayer games to allow you to set your hud to switch to a marker if it senses motion

Disable Single-Player Mission Option in Main Menu if Folder Doesn't Exist - I like having all my missions in one list so the single-player mission option just takes up space

Choose Ship Color - Add an option to chose your ship color in single-player and multiplayer because my brother really wants to use the red ship in single-player and whan my family plays descent it geta annoying having to log everyone in in order of their color

DLE-XP:

Team Doors - Put in doors where you must be from a certain team to open

Annoying "Other Cube" - Put in an option to disable the feature where it changes your other cube depending on the wall you are facing

Edit Gunpoints - Put in a feature to edit the gunpoints in the advanced object data

Objects Don't Stack - Make it so that the objects don't stack up when you put multiple in the same cube

Glitches:

Black Walls - This has bothered me sence the first time that I ever used DMB2, Build three cubes lined up then delete the middle one, the lighting on the walls that were connected to it become 0%

No "Demo Recording" - The red "demo recording" doesn't appear when I start recording one (I use 1024x760 if that has anything to do with it)

Thief Senses Demo - I am trying to start a recording while the thief bot sneaking up on me but every time I hit the start demo button, he runs away

Messed up D1 Robot Briefing - The D1 robot briefing describes both D1 and D2 robots and always shows a blue medium hulk

Crash on D1 Exit - Every time I try to fly through the exit in Descent: First Strike, the program crashes

Freeze When Loading - Most of the time when I start D2x-W32 on my Win98SE computer, it flashes the Loading Data screen then turns black, then I have to perform a hard reset

Other:

Feature Level - Have a level on your web site that you can download where you can see all the features in D2X-W32

New Version Alert - Put a feature in both programs or create a new program that alerts you when there is a new version of D2X-W32 or DLE-XP

WOW - what a list!

I am sorry to say that I won't implement most of this stuff, at least not in the near future, as I am currently porting D2X-W32 to Linux.

I will look into the obvious bugs/flaws though.

D1 briefings: Couldn't observe problems, at least not before the 1st level of D1:FS.

Black cube faces is not a bug. Open faces (where two segments were connected) have no light, so if you delete a cube, the connected side will have 0 as light values.

Team doors are a very cool idea indeed. Could've been mine.

Objects don't stack is a great idea, too.

Edit gunpoints - dunno how to implement that.

Other cube flaw - dunno what you mean.

There is a D2X-W32 feature level. Get 'Glass House' from my D2 site's multiplayer section.

Please send me a save game from short before flying through that D1 exit to karx11erx at hotmail dot com to help me debugging this.

Dark Falcon, TechPro:

Fixed and fixed.

I installed 1.5.19 and... still can't load my saved D1 game.

Tried to start a new D1 game and it ran the D2 begin level movie followed by a weird D2 style robot briefing and was stuck in that until I press Esc... then the normal D1 new game continued.

Do I "down graded" to ver 1.5.18 and tried it (same effects), then 1.5.17, then 1.5.15 and was still having the problem. Then I tried 1.5.13 and it worked!.

After doing all that... I upgraded version by version back up to 1.5.19 and am still able to start new D1 games normally, but with the first version that included the saved game time stamp... I cannot load the saved D1 game.

I'm going to try a new D1 game for a couple levels and will save my spot and see if that works.

Would like to be able to use my previously saved game (about 9 levels into the game).

EDIT: Starting a new D1 game and then saving my position... I can reload the newly created saved game... but can't load the "old" saved game.

Regarding editing gunpoints, this is what you should be using rbotedit for. DMB2/DLE-XP only gives parameters that can be altered inside the level; gunpoint changes are done in the robot data block in an HXM or HAM.

Plus rbotedit will give you visual feedback on what you're doing. It's really a very nice tool.

Oh, and.

Option to Allow All Cheats in a Multiplayer Game - Put in an option to allow cheats when hosting a multiplayer game, mabye even an option to pick which ones:P

It works better if you hack it.

Techpro,

that is strange, because I could load your save game.

Sirius: It allows you to edit the mass and stuff which are in the same file. Hack it???

Diedel: Now that I look at it, those problems that you couldn't find are all on my WIN98SE machine, they work fine on XP

Honestbob Messes Up D1 Game - When I type in honestbob, only the old weapons work. Laser 6 just blows up in my face and Guass, Helix, Phoenix, and Omega don't even fire at all. The cheat doesn't give me Vulcan or Spreadfire which means all I can use after typing it in is plasma and fusion.

And the cryptonite cheat doesn't unlock key doors.

Permanant Trigger - I want to make 3 permanant control panels affect the same door. The first one opens it, the second, closes it, and the third alternates, but every time I tell the third to alternate, it marks that in the other two also.

DLE-XP crashes - When I accedentally drag the little circle in the corner of the cube a have selected, it turns blue then DLE-XP crashes

Black Wall - Well can you make it not do that?

Annoying "Other Cube" - I have two triggers that each effect each others walls. I am in the trigger tab and I move over one of them, my Other Cube instantly becomes the wall that it effecs. I then move off it and on to another wall and hit space. I then automatically switch to the wall that the first one effected and my other cube becomes that one.

Glass house doesn't show all the features, I'll e-mail you something along the lines of what I mean