Another one trying to make an LBA sequel...

[Firephoenix]

The joys of pre-beta demos

Well it seems you should add some codes to prevents troubles with the regional settings and such, dunno at all how it works, but if you ask to the players to changes all their settings to install the game, they wont love that

Hum you should simply ZIP all your folder tree, the one that works well, and post it online...

[mad_aeon]

Ok, look at the list of the files needed that I posted: it's changed, and it's working.

If the game isn't working, try also a visit to www.glsetup.com, since the game engine is based on openGL.

The log file is a text file called "LBAIII loading map log file", it's created during every map loading, in the c:\lbax folder.

Ok, now files are downloadable, so you can try, maybe now it "has to" work...

[HomerSimpson]

OMG! It works!!!!

Really cool, man!

===
BTW: Am I supposed to start outside of the scene (in the black).

I had a problem, but I lowered my resolution to what you said and it worked!

It runs kinda slow though. Any suggestions?

[Darkflame]

mad_aeon~ Still cant get it to work, and I cant find a log file anywhere. ..something is stopping even the log file creation from working

[TheMagicalElephant]

Originally posted by Gemini
nice seeing a project soon to be able to download, I hope. I also have my doubts on this, Mad aeon might be fake... Well, we may wait and see. If this is true then I will apologize for my doubts.

How can you say a thing like that to a guy before even trying the demo???????? I'm sure he spent lots of time on this, and besides, what won't let him make the game? He has a ready engine.

[HomerSimpson]

DF:

If you have a higher resolution than 1024*768, set it to 1024*768, otherwise it won't work. Perhaps that was the problem (could be something other, though).

[Atresica]

I have a log file, but nothing notes and error or anything (it only shows things loaded correctly, though this:

Loading object 173
...3DS file not found: NONE
...added texture c:\lba3\TEXTURES\GreyBlue.bmp
...only tex name: GreyBlue.bmp

shouldn't be a problem or does it?

[mad_aeon]

So does it work?
I mean, it runs? It loads correctly the maps?
And... do you like it, too?
Comments, suggestions, too...
ps have you ever tried to sit down?

To Atresica: no, your log files shows that the map loading was ok.
It is always created during every map loading to help if there are problems.
The "none" object not loaded is not a problem, it's only a ref. object. Nothing is wrong.

To Homersimpson: you should see the book, then start inside the cell in the first level.

Anyway:
If you start in a wrong position( hell does it happen? )
Press "e" key, that's debug mode, then check "clipping" to through walls, so you can start in the right position). Then press "e" some times until bebug box disappears.

But it should work, you "should" start in the right position, or?

So how many people tried it?

[mad_aeon]

Ask Darkflame to do that, I have to send all the demo with a 56k modem, so I need to make different zip files.
Maybe he can re-arrange the folder...

But does the demo work? See my last post...

[Darkflame]

FB2K - I will, but only after I get it worker, and mad_aeon is happy that its his "final" demo version.

[Atresica]

well, what ever I do, it still freezes without an explanation...

[Firephoenix]

Kewl, I've always dreamed of being a lba beta-tester

Report :
-the intro books seems not to be centered, it's moved to tyhe top-left corner of the scree, even if I'm in a 1024*768 mode.
-I can enter the game, but Twinsen is out of the room, fortunately I can enter it with the clipping option off (btw - that debug panel looks sooo professionnal, cheers)
-I can change of mode, doo action, get the kashes in the cupboard and move all around inthe room. Only some parts of it are slightly bugged and block Twinsen on his way.
-I can access the F5 and escape menus, but cant change the display options (normal I guess )
-problems with the mouse : the camera mouse works only when I let a mouse button pushed down, and the cursor in the book episode behaves weirdly, and moves only when a button is mouse pushed.

Comments - that demo definitely ROCKS, it's too good to have Twinsen walking in a new game ! That game shows a great potential imo, just take care with the story - it looks like it's kinda too weird for a lba story (twinsen dropped by all his friends andd put in a jail...yurgh...)

*Applauses* I wish I could know the graphic programing like that, if you need precise models or rooms ask me, I become quite skilled with houses/objects and all that kind of stuff.

PS - how can you sit down in that game ?

[mad_aeon]

Good, here we are:

-The book is expected to be on the upper left corner, I like it

-I'm disappointed you don't strat in the right position. Anyway, do you know there are other levels?
Once you are inside the cell, near the "bed", you can open the door by pressing "action". It should load next room, then you can use the elevator in the next room, then you will be in the room, outside the cell, (try to read the paper on the small table) so you can exit by the"glass" door, and you'll be in another level.

-No, changing video options is disabled, I know you can't do that

-you are not supposed to use the mouse to change the visual, but only pressing pagUP and pageDW. you can still do mouselook by pressing control, but it's an older thing and will disabled.

-To sit down, stand in front of a chair or bed, and keep pressed "action"

[HomerSimpson]

OMG SO COOL!

---

Anyway, I'm also starting in the black, and when I escape the first scene, I also come in the black (and not in the level).

This demo r0x0rz, man! Also the nurse:"I'm sorry, but my A.I. is not yet implemented". Funny

Anyway, I escaped the Citadel, let's play on


===

OMG! Implemented sitting. (BTW: In the house, when you face the table, you are going to sit IN the table. You need to face the chair and not have your back on it, to sit).
---
Anywayz, how do I escape the house? Or is the demo supposed to end in the house?

[Sh@dZ]

oh, your all having fun yet i still can't get it to work. Im gettng an error message, "could not locate c:\lbax\IMAGES\warning.jpg" and then a black screen, which im guessing is the game starting up. Any ideas???

oh all the files are installed right and the res. is 1024 x 768

[TheMagicalElephant]

Read that ONLY if you are ready and positive on accepting negative comments, because there are only negative ones here:

Nice one. But you need some MAJOR improvements on the user-friendliness. How about making the book "skippable"? I don't enjoy seeing it 'til the end every time. Some probs with the camera too, when you look from down the level there are culling bugs, you could limit the degree of the camera looking. Also I suggest you to use bones instead of simple keyframe animation. Twinsen changes positions too "suddenly". Ah, I didn't see the outside, do you use any optimizing tree? Like octree or bsp tree? You could use octree for everything will come pretty handy. Also I reccomend you to use a dynamic vertex array for making realistic water with low cost performance. Some improvements with the twinsen are possobile. Also, do you have an implemented particle engine already? You could make a simple algorithm to make the magic ball with particles. Did you make any AI algorithms? Ah and by the way: do NOT use text/images if you want 3d+2d combined graphics, I already tried that and it slows down when you have complex graphics, use sprites for that, you will have more control too. And you could use lightmaps/dynamic lightmaps(which are achieved by multitexturing texture+lightmap if you did not know) for lights. That's it.

And remember, by tons of negative comments, which are actually things to improve, I am trying to help you.

[Darkflame]

ok, Ive finaly got it working...but its REALLY really slow.
The frame rate is one frame per 5 seconds, maybe worse.

I have 256MB ram, 900mhz, ATI TNT2 Graphics card.

Not the best set up in the world, but it should be faster then this?

Has anyone with lower specs got it running better?

If not this game needs some serious optimisation:

Simple things to speed it up:

* Support Lower resolutions, even new games support 800*600 still, maybe even 640*480.

* Lower Res meshs? I dont know what your mesh's are like, are they nicely optimised?

* Texture Resolutions? Any way to change it for different people?
Some are 512*512...that might be too high.

========
Its irrataing because its unplayble at this framerate

[TheMagicalElephant]

You could make different sizes for each model(128x128,256x256,512x512 e.t.c) and even different versions of models(high low and med)

[mad_aeon]

Here we are... again:

About the house level: that's the last one, you can't get out of it.

About the user interface: you DON'T HAVE TO USE THE MOUSE, ONLY THE pageUP and pageDW to rotate the camera.
I forgot to remove the muselook (even if it works only wuth mouse pressed, so normally you can't use it). Of course, if you use it, you'll have mouse clipping problems: you DON'T have to use the mouse.

About performance:
To darkflame: maybe there's something wrong.
My PC: PIII 733, 192 mb ram, ge Force 2MX.
And it runs fast enough, about 30 fps.
Suggestion to improve perfomances:
-try GLsetup (one of my latest post)
-Download latest Detonator dirvers
-Under win XP runs faster than 98, ME etc

About the demo (general)
The book is not skippable, this is only a demo, I want it to not be skippable.

To xakep: You don't see the outside of WHAT?
Remember the LBA style, when you are in indoor places, you don't see outdoor.
And I'm already only using sprites for 2d pictures, don't know what you mean with 2d text and images.
I know there are a lot of things not already implemented, or that could have be done with complicated methods (like lightmaps for the lights and so on).
But remember: I'm the only one working on this project. Sometimes I will choose the simpler solution. The project will never see the end If I start thinking weeks on the texturing mehod, or about bone modeling and so on. These are things for teamwork and months or years of development, not one-person project with limited time.
Don't you think?

[Darkflame]

To darkflame: maybe there's something wrong.
My PC: PIII 733, 192 mb ram, ge Force 2MX.
And it runs fast enough, about 30 fps.
Suggestion to improve perfomances:
-try GLsetup (one of my latest post)
-Download latest Detonator dirvers
-Under win XP runs faster than 98, ME etc .

I'll try getting those drivers...but surely it wouldnt work at all if there was something wrong with it?
--
I use Windows2000, it use's up 99% of the cpu in it.
--
Could you put support for 800*600 in it for the next version? Or is that too much effort.

[DeVKiNG]

it doesn't work here :/

i can see the book, till the last page, than the program doesn't react, i have WinXP, Hercules Prophet 3D 4500 64MB Ram, AMD 800Mhz, 384MB SDRAM, resolution of 1024*768 and i don't see anything suspect in the log file :/

[Darkflame]

It works fine for Neverwinter, and thats far more graphicaly intense.
---

err...that OpenGl setup tells me its only for Window98..then shuts off

where to I get those other drivers? (detinator?)

[Atresica]

The nVidia website

[ChaosFish]

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

[DeVKiNG]

twinsen has finally arrived, and i can't play it...
i gotta kill myself