Mercenary BBS - Re: Tapsid v9

Lease this WebApp and get rid of the ads.

Crashes with DirectX video modes:
have you installed DirectX 9.0c? It is possible that your installation of Windows 7 includes DirectX 10 or 11, but not DirectX 9.0c. In that case, you need to go to http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35 and install them. Do not be afraid of ruining your DirectX 10 or 11 compatibility. DirectX 10 and above, and 9.0c and below, are two separate sets of libraries that can coexist.

Graphical glitches in OpenGL:
I am aware of the "box" overhead in OpenGL mode. I don't know if it can be fixed in Irrlicht 1.5, but you could try recompiling the source with the latest version of Irrlicht and see if the problem was with the engine itself.

Graphical glitches in software mode:
yes, software mode is buggy, and I don't think Irrlicht developers are going to fix it. I just added it for compatibility, but I never actually used it. Even in my TADPSID release video where I pretended to be in possession of Damocles for PC and the graphics look "rough" like in a mid-1990s game, I was not using software mode: I was actually using DirectX 9.0c mode at the resolution of 320x200 and no bilinear filtering.

Bobbing up and down when you land in the sea:
at the moment, I have no way to distinguish between land and sea, because the islands are actually textured squares with the actual island in the middle and the water all around. Maybe (note that I said *maybe*) I could remake the islands as polygonal structures with a precise shape and use per-polygon collision to distinguish between land and sea, but right now I... don't know how to do that. Right now, the collision checks I'm using (for planetary entry, object pickup and transporters) are extremely simplified.

Time distorsion when travelling at high speed in space:
that's coming and will be present in TADPSID v9. I already wrote the clock routines (if you noticed, the screenshot I showed you for the transporter has a clock in the bottom right corner). Besides telling the time, the clock is also the base of the new speed calibration routine and the time distorsion routine.

Blowing up planets and using transporters afterwards:
Actually, what happens in Damocles and Mercenary 3 when you destroy a transporter (this might or might not involve destroying the planet it's on), and then you try to reach it, is that Benson puts out an appropriate message ("Transporter not available"). The same thing will happen in TADPSID.
Right now, the routine for that is already in (the planet being destroyed and Benson recognizing that the transporter is not available), but the objects it requires for its execution are only reachable in my (development) versions, not in public release versions. I made this decision because those objects will play a fundamental part in a solution of Mercenary 4, and I don't want a spoiler to surface *this* early.

Lease this WebApp and get rid of the ads.

tadpsid v9 — Chris, Wed Apr 18 08:52

Hi glad you're still working on Tadpsid project. Will you be releasing version 9 for download soon, looking forward to trying it, Kind regards. Chris
- Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Thu Apr 26 07:13
  
  Hi, I'm also looking forward to Tapsid v9. When is it likely to be released? I love how you have recreated the damocles universe. Will missions be ever made? It would be great to eventually play it... more
- - Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Thu Apr 26 13:02
    
    1) I can't say an exact release date yet, but I hope I will be able to release it before the end of June. 2) Missions will eventually be made, but first I need to create all buildings in all cities... more
  - - Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Fri Apr 27 04:45
      
      Hi, This is fantastic news. I didn't read fully what you'd already written previously so got a bit carried away when I posted my comment. It is absolutely brilliant you will be doing all this to the... more
    - - Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Fri Apr 27 06:42
        
        Now don't get me wrong, I didn't say that I'd make ALL the game before the end of June. TADPSID v9 will NOT include the entire plot I planned for Mercenary 4, only bugfixes and a couple of new things ... more
      - Re: Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Fri Apr 27 10:23
        
        I realised you'd not complete the whole game. It is huge undertaking and realise you'd have so much to include. If there is anything you want help with on it though i'd be only too happy to help as I ... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Fri Apr 27 11:00
        
        Thanks for the offer. Don't feel bad for this, but I think I know the Mercenary games quite well. After all, I translated all three of them into Italian for the MDDClone (yes, even Mercenary 3,... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Fri Apr 27 11:27
        
        That's ok. Not sure about the inventory thing you mention as not done that in the game before. I do recall the briefcase allowing you to carry more items. Bit like the antigrav unit allowing you to... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Fri Apr 27 12:13
        
        Yes, the transporters in TADPSID are functional. The closest transporter is on Birmingham Island, you can see the exact location in this screenshot: To use a transporter in TADPSID: 1) walk into the... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Fri Apr 27 12:47
        
        This is great! I always used the transporters by walking into the numbers but didn't know about the numbers working whilst inside it. It's so long since I actually played it I possibly did use the... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Fri Apr 27 14:28
        Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Sat Apr 28 01:54
        
        I'll check my direct x installation but I'm sure I've got all three versions istalled already. I wouldn't actually use software mode as it doesn't look as good anyway, it was just something I tried... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Sat Apr 28 09:25
        
        Another thing: you say that you haven't seen the museum on Cronus yet. It's easy to reach it: just fly to Cronus (near Gaea) and land near the white cone of light. That is a black beacon which... more
        Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Mon Apr 30 08:53
        
        I have sucessfully found the museum and the guide. I have also been experimenting with the transporters which is quite good. However I would like to point out that when travelling at speed in your... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Mon Apr 30 09:34
        
        Odd. I cannot reproduce any of the problems. I will try running it on a different computer, and compiling it with a different compiler and a newer version of Irrlicht.
        Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Mon Apr 30 10:52
        
        I could leave the ship every time when I selected quit then F12. When you then are in the Dart in space select 9 or 0 and hit the mouse button to exit the ship and you would be able to exit and walk... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Mon Apr 30 11:26
        
        Don't worry, it's okay if you're reporting unintended in-game behaviors, it happens sometimes that I don't notice them because I'm used to interact with the program in a certain way, while other... more
        Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Tue May 1 03:00
        
        I'm glad you don't mind me reporting errors. I just want to help you make the best game possible. I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate 32 Bit edition with an AMD Phenom 9950 Quad Core CPU, 4 GIG ram and i'm... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Tue May 1 04:29
        
        1) I posted your configuration in the Irrlicht forum, let's wait and see what the suggested solution will be. 2) I cannot say for certain about the new check for leaving vehicles as I cannot... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Tue May 1 05:28
        
        That's good about posting my configuration. Hopefully they'll come back with something. I'm sure the vehicle check will work. When you release V9 I will be able to figure it out. I know the planets... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Tue May 1 06:01
        
        1) Now I understand what you meant about planets moving around. I already have an idea on how to do that for the sun, but not yet for the other planets. 2) You're right about Damocles. I'll see... more
        Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Tue May 1 09:25
        
        That will be good if you can get the planets to move around like a real solar system. It would also be good if you can get Damocles to move away like a real comet would do. The new planet would be... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Wed May 2 04:06
        
        Sorry for confusing you: yes, I'm the same person in both branches of the thread. But now I am confused: here you wrote "I've managed to get the game to work in all modes now using compatibility... more
        Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Wed May 2 05:52
        
        That's good to know you are the same person. It's confusing with the subject line and also when i'm looking on my mobile phone screen at times. As for the compatibility issue i'm sorry for confusing... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Wed May 2 07:22
        
        Yeah, it can get confusing at times since on this forum we have: - Simon (the webmaster) - Simone (me) - Szymon (the developer of the SDL version of MDDClone) - and some years ago we also got a... more
        Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Wed May 2 07:38
        
        Sounds good about the update. It looks like OpenGL is probably the best option then with the new version as you get no glitches in space at all at the moment using it. Will you be able to make it so... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Simone, Wed May 2 08:52
        
        If you want to play with no glitches at all, then yes, OpenGL will be the best option. However, if you want to play in stereoscopic 3D, you'll have to use Direct3D since none of the current... more
        Re: Tapsid v9 — Anthony Kane, Wed May 2 09:20
        
        Ok well I look forward to v9. I'm sure as time goes on you will be able to build and add more and more to it so eventually everything will run as it should. I just like that fact you are working in... more
        Another thing... — Simone, Tue May 1 05:17
        
        What happens if you set the compatibility of Tadpsid.exe to "Windows XP (Service Pack 2)?" I mean right-click, Properties, Compatibility, then select the correct option from this window (it's an... more
        Anthony, are you using 64 bit computers? — Simone, Mon Apr 30 10:39
        
        I asked a question in the Irrlicht forum in order to solve your compatibility problems. I was asked: "Is the Win 7 failed box a 64 bit box ?" So, I need to know if the computers where it fails to run ... more
        Re: Anthony, are you using 64 bit computers? — Anthony Kane, Tue May 1 13:53
        
        I'm using windows 7 ultimate 32 bit edition. I've tried compatibility mode and it makes no difference. I've answered this question already in a different thread but not sure if you are the same... more
    - P.S. — Simone, Thu Apr 26 14:33
      
      When I get to implement collisions, there is one thing I will do, and that is to get rid of the new design of Birmingham Island. Please don't be mad at this, but I will do it for one simple reason:... more
- Re: tadpsid v9 — Simone, Wed Apr 18 12:51
  
  Yes, TADPSID v9 is not ready yet - in fact, I did not intend to update the page yet, because there are still two things I want to add before the release, one of which is an event that will happen in... more

Click here to receive daily updates