Spring RTS Engine

Hey there folks. NanoBlobs 0.6b is feature-complete. Everything I'm doing right now is either going to go into the next version, or is icing on an already appealing cake

So... Xect vs. Mynn...

I brought it up about two weeks ago, and there appears to be no real objection to me beginning to re-work it. I've had some good offers to help with things, too.

So... since I am, as usual, super-super busy... I don't suppose anybody who knows how badly the mod is broken, and in what ways, could give me an initial fix-list? I'd like to basically start with the assumption that I should fix everything that's badly broken, and then start thinking about how to improve the mod. IOW, if you thought I'd forgotten about it, because you haven't heard anything new, that's not the case... it's just that I've had too much else on my plate to get to this.

So:

1. Anybody have a fix list? From bad gameplay to broken scripting, I'd like to hear about it.

2. Is the version on FileUniverse the latest version available? Or is there another one? If so, where do I get it?

3. Have the textures been converted to the new Spring format for 3DO, or am I going to have to do that?


Basically, it's about time to make a list of things to fix, and then start fixing them. Everybody who said they'd like to help, please take some time to play the mod, either in OTA (if it's too broken to play with Spring right now) or in Spring (much better) and let's get a list made.

I cannot possibly be everywhere at once with a project like this, so I need some help or this is going to take forever. If you have skills as script-writer, especially, please volunteer an hour or two of your time to this project, because from what I have read previously, there are some seriously screwed-up scripts in this game, and I strongly suspect that most of them are written very poorly (now that I have a slightly better idea of what "good" is). And I would also really like it if somebody with TDF/FBI writing aspirations would sit down with this and some documentation that I can provide (I've written up some standard "dummy forms" for standardized unit builds) and start the painful-but necessary task of converting the files over to a more standardized format, so that as we add/subtract/modify things, it's very easy to compare them.

...and that's about it. From my understanding, Xect vs. Mynn is already on SVN, and is scheduled to be released with Spring. We don't want that to be an embarassment, right? No. We want it to be, at the very least, a credit to the Open Source process that makes Spring great. So... let's GO! Start sending me patches, let's get this all fixed, fast.

I've tried to get a game or two going online to see how it plays, but there's never any takers - nobody wants to be a guinea pig. Unfortunately, now I've started a new job and am still in that "getting back into the 9-5 swing", plus I'm still working on my Mutator Construction Kit (which I'm tentatively calling MuteCity). You've got my pledge for help once that blows over though.

I would help, but I am too nubby to do anything... And do not have the time to play it either..

I think I'll go try and play it through Spring SP and tell you how it is.

I'll play it too from svn.
Currently it's broken for bots in svn. iirc.

it depends on
./gamedata/resources.tdf

which has moved in the tree
./gamedate is nonexistant in 73

Argh wrote: 1. Anybody have a fix list? From bad gameplay to broken scripting, I'd like to hear about it.

2. Is the version on FileUniverse the latest version available? Or is there another one? If so, where do I get it?

3. Have the textures been converted to the new Spring format for 3DO, or am I going to have to do that?

My old fix list is here:
http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewt ... light=xect

The lastest version I worked on is here: http://www.ta-spring.com/mods/xectvsmynn/

I converted the textures from GAF to BMP, and did nothing else.

The FBI files are very clean I can stay on top of them, I have the original excel files I created them with. The TDF files are not clean. The biggest problems are scripts, weapons, and some units or structures that just aren't there but should be.

I'd recommend focusing on the Mynn. We might be better off picking another instead of fixing the Xect. This can be decided later. The Mynn are much more complete.

What it needs is a do over, from the start.

Das Bruce wrote:What it needs is a do over, from the start.

I think everyone already knows you hate Xect vs. Mynn with a passion. But thanks for the input!

I made some changes and put up a new version (0.6.1) here:
http://www.ta-spring.com/mods/xectvsmynn/

More to come, I'll be editing this post as events warrant. The Mynn are pretty functional, the Xect have more problems. Post on this thread if you want to work on anything, then email me the improved/fixed file and I'll update the version on the server. Current version at: http://www.ta-spring.com/mods/xectvsmynn/

1. Fix the xclbot.3do model
- this is messed beyond my current ability, any volunteers?

2. Fix the XCLpred.bos script or the XCLpred.fbi file so the Predator bomber works properly.
- no one is working on this.

3. Fix the XCLCYCcom.bos so that its wheel spins.
-I am working on this.

4. Make cursors legal.
-Done!

5. Find out if the sounds sampled form tv shows are legal, or maybe just replace them regardless.
-Done if I recall correctly.


6. Remove groundplates from models.
-no one is working on this.

7. Fix the Roman Infantry Mutant model.
-no one is working on this

8. Fix KAJ_EMG weapon
-no one is working on this

9. Fix Mynn Ogre so it shoots
-no one is working on this

10. Fix Mynn Ivoroni Ballistic Missle so it shoots.
-no one is working on this

11. Fix Xect Bezerker so it shoots.
-no one is working on this

12. Create lobby icons.
-Done!

13. Make a Xect navy.
-no one is working on this

14. Create or delete missing textures
-no one is working on this

15. Make a list of missing textures.
-no one is working on this

16. Fix Commander disintigrator weapon.
-Done if I recall correctly.

17. Have someone familiar with OTA content verify that it is no longer in the mod.
-Done if I recall correctly.

Hmm, I dl'ed the 0.6.1 FoeOfTheBee posted and extracted it into a SVN checkout of https://taspring.clan-sy.com/svn/spring ... s-Mynn.sdd.

Noticed this in the differences: So, according to someone, the SVN version of the mod is at 0.6.3, but the FoeOfTheBee version is at 0.6.1

Tim, maybe you know more? You imported xectvsmynn into SVN after all.

For reference, a diff between the version in SVN and the version uploaded by FoeOfTheBee is here.

Also, I think it's a good idea if you start developing it on SVN - since xectvsmynn is not feature complete it would be more interesting to see how things work out then with e.g. nanoblobs. Plus it's just convenient if you will work on it with multiple people and developing it in public may attract more contributors.

We'll just have to see how it works out. I've never done things this way with a game design before, and I've run fairly big teams, so I'm probably a little less than neutral about this.

so does it actually run for someone using current SVN?

Ehh, yhea I did change some things when I uploaded X vs. M to svn.
*reading the diff*
I think my changes where mainly cleaning up any "garbage" files like Thumbs.db, .bat files and other things that don't belong in svn.
Anyway nothing shocking changed, both 0.6.1 and 0.6.3 would be an ok start to base further development on.
I would make sure you have the converted textures from GAF to BMP Foe OfTheBee talks about.

EDIT: @pheldens, no I had problems running it with svn head.

SVN Xect gives me: As stated above, gamedata is no longer part of the data tree, the contents of it have been redistributed. People using SVN where XvM does work are using a deprecated datadir. And should clean it up, to avoid confusion in the future.

recursively remove these:

DATADIR/aidll
DATADIR/gamedata

After that the mod needs to be adjusted to the new situation.

hmm looks like it contains that file in the moddir, I just had the moddir not set up correctly.
The error resembled a 'stale old dirs' one I had before so I thought this was the same problem.

Argh, it still holds up, you need to copy the file into your Xect-vs-Mynn.sdd/gamedata/

I ran into some GetGlobalAIVersion error or something once I fixed all the ".tdf" errors.
Also I did not use any dependencies so I had to extract the non-ota data from them, but I did not fix it in svn (yet).
Anyway X vs. M still needs some good love.

For me it hasnt worked yet with the current svn situation
It now loads succesfully after I copied:

trunk/branches/taspring_0.73/installer/builddata/springcontent/gamedata/resources.tdf
trunk/branches/taspring_0.73/installer/builddata/springcontent/gamedata/explosion_alias.tdf

to: Xect-vs-Mynn.sdd/gamedata/

But then when the countdown finishes I crash back to the desktop, on all maps.

The correct way to fix it is to replace: with: in Xect-vs-Mynn.sdd/modinfo.tdf.