Fey

Oh hey, you design tools for D2k? Cool! What new tools did you have in mind, or what existing ones did you intend to update? I dunno how to answer your question (in the thread title), I only use the tools at our disposal, but I wish you luck. Indeed, our existing tools are quite versatile.

w0t

Like I said, I normally play in 800x600 for fun or 640x400 for testing. I have really cruddy eyesight too. I set it to max because when the game's resolution matches the desktop's resolution, it'll appear to be fullscreen even if it's windowed, and that can help fix some problems with, say, Display Capture in OBS for instance. The reason we use 640x400 for testing purposes is because certain things, like in-game text transmissions, might clip off the side of the screen or onto the sidebar if they're too long. So if we play at the default resolution and there's no problem with the text, that's one more glitch we don't gotta fix! Among some other things, like difficulty scaling for instance. That's tested with a lower resolution because our macro and micro are limited. Anyway, link us a clip when you test the stream out with that idea. I'm really curious to see how that works out!! P.S. - FYI, Fraps works for recording D2k. At least, it does for me. I don't think you could stream with Fraps, but if you were to do YouTube videos or something, it might be handy to know. I use Fraps for some other stuff too, it seems to work nicely for old stuff, but really you've gotta have a lot of hard drive space and compress your footage whenever you record. Fraps' file sizes are ridiculous! But if you run the files through Virtualdub with the Xvid codec, that shaves off like 95% of the file size without any losses in quality, and there ya go. Sorry, I don't mean ramble. If you wanna know more about my process for video editing, compression and stuff, feel free to ask. Otherwise, I'm gonna try to stay on topic.

Nice timing, I just got on. XD I see, that's awfully strange. Hmm, have you tried running the game in windowed mode and using display capture to set it? I believe the way the fullscreen works is it'll put the game window in the top left and set the display to match that resolution. OBS will pick up the rest of the screen while all you're seeing is the resolution you set. Maybe if you tweak your monitor's resolution in the control panel AND the in-game resolution, and run in windowed / borderless / modal style, that should simulate fullscreen without actually being fullscreen. I'll give you an example: In the above screenshot, I had the game set to windowed mode, but it appeared to be fullscreen because it took up the entire resolution of my display - I have an ultrawide for video editing. Say you were to go to the display settings in control panel (https://i.imgur.com/8dVkHaK.png) and bump your monitor's resolution down to where you want the game to run. Would that appear to be fullscreen in the stream output, you suppose? Might be worth testing.

Posts can be too big? o_O I thought with all our back-and-forth, we'd have found the limit by now lol I'm trying to avoid reading your reviews, Cm, but I do catch you saying that the Ordos campaign is a great improvement. I look forward to trying it.

feelsbadman also sup fam

There are plenty of options you might wanna tinker with that could help. Disable High DPI Scaling, Force DirectDraw Emulation, Single Processor Affinity, Video Backbuffer... and of course, GDI mode if you enable DxWnd. I dunno if anything will fix the problem, but it's probably the matter with settings. I forgot to mention, you CAN box-select with shift if you do it this way... for example: - Bind a group to 1. - Box select another group of units. - Hit shift + 1. - Then hit ctrl + 1. Ayy, thanks for the link. Imma check 'er out.

Aye, always good to keep backups. The backup data folder I included contains the vanilla stuff like it's meant to be since Cm and I take great caution in our uploads, but as he pointed out and as I'll emphasize now, the smugglers campaign is designed to be played with the included mod. And other campaigns might not provide a backup folder, so you'd need to backup manually. We weren't always so thorough! Also, Cm's Emperor maps are awesome. He did NIAB tanks (minus the teleporting), they have a lightningy attack and the Tleilaxu get special turrets. My adaptation differs.

FYI, the smugglers campaign is modded! However, uninstallation is a very simple copy + paste too by using the backup data folder, so hopefully it's not too much of a bother. The Heighliner mini-campaign isn't modded because I designed it explicitly to demonstrate the tileset. Its aesthetics, strengths, weaknesses, and of course to show that no additional modding is actually required at all to get it to work. I'm not really an artist, but I do a little bit of spritework here or there. D2k works in a lot of weird ways, like if you wanted the ground structures could be placed on to not be orange, say you wanted it to be blue, you would need to overwrite a core game file. This would affect all other maps in a campaign, causing blue craters to appear under buildings on Arrakis maps placed on orange rock. XD So, it's that sort of thing the tileset is built to be compatible with. Anyway, I hope you enjoy those campaigns. I'd love to hear back from you if you have comments to make about 'em. Any criticism or compliments help, any mapper would say! It helps us know what we should do more of and what we should avoid doing again, or should do differently. If not, it's cool. Enjoy and stuff. Dude, the Emperor soundtrack is my freakin' jam, man. And some of the ideas in my mod were inspired by Emperor. The Heighliner tileset isn't part of my mod, but I certainly use it! And there's even a Guild mega-turret I did the spritework for. I call it the Storm Lasher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me-gH4G_1xA (SPOILER ALERT) Here's a demonstration video for the Storm Lasher, or 'SLasher' for short. D2k has many limitations, so it's not like I could make a teleporting NIAB tank or a genuine Guild megaturret, but Storm Lashers and Shock Raiders are definitely inspired by those Guild units. Oh, damn, I know that feeling. I get insomnia too; if I'm not totally exhausted, I wind up laying down and not getting a wink for hours. Dunno how that works, but yeah. lol

Oi mate! I dunno about changing the mouse buttons, but there's a "Hotkeys" section in the Dune2000Config executable you used to get OBS working with D2k. From what I can see, there's no way to change the mouse buttons, but you might find some other useful hotkeys there. There are also some not listed. I'll put some unlisted commands and good combos here: Ctrl + # = Bind the selected units to a key. Select them by hitting the assigned number again. Alt + # = Center view on a unit in the group assigned to the number. Shift + Click = Select or deselect a unit without affecting other units you've selected. Box select doesn't work with this; it's only for single units. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it isn't that bad; I mostly use it to get the odd Combat Tank in a group or deselect a Harvester in the middle of my guys. X + G = Scatter and Guard. If you're worried about infantry being picked off by Siege Tanks or Grenadiers, or run over by Combat Tanks, but you can't babysit them, this useful combination of commands will spread them out and make them aggressive towards whatever comes their way. Not superior to micro, but hey, it's something. Also note that the original resolution the game was meant to be played in is actually 640x400. While it may sound silly to downgrade to that resolution, there are a couple of reasons for doing so. For one, the amount of items on your sidebar at any time will be 4, which makes the game harder since you need to navigate the sidebar more attentively for your macro. Additionally, the hotkey E is the default for selecting all units on screen. At a high resolution, you're more likely to select stuff you don't necessarily want, like a Harvester or three! However, at lower resolutions, you can more precisely pinpoint the units on the map you want to quickly select en masse. If 640x400 is too low, I've taken a liking to playing the game at 800x600. That resolution will get you eight items at a time on the sidebar, which is plenty to work with. Hope that helps.

Glad to hear you got it working, mate! If you plan to stream, you'll be happy to know that Dune 2000 comes with TONS of additional content. Not only are the original campaigns a whole 27 levels totaling 45 maps, but there is a whole crapton of original content for the game. Here's a link to an index full of original content for D2k: https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/27756-all-completed-mods-and-tools-index-dune-2000/ The original content varies in style and quality, but you can bet your butt there's some fine stuff there. While older campaigns may have been designed with limited tools, newer ones have superior AI enhancements, mods, and more. I, myself, have created a tileset allowing D2k to be taken off Arrakis and up to space in the Heighliner tileset! (https://i.imgur.com/6USFCxP.png) Which is linked in the above index, under the "Heighliner Mini-Campaign." If you enjoy that one, I have another completed campaign totaling fifteen missions using the latest advancements in modding and gameplay knowledge. Suped-up AIs, fun, fast-paced gameplay, and unique missions often with multiple objectives, non-linear progression, and optional hard modes. That one's also on the index, under "Smugglers Campaign" by yours truly. To install any campaigns, it's very easy. Downloading takes seconds thanks to the minuscule file size. Usually, you'll only find mission files (.mis, .map, and .ini), and those go in your main D2k directory > data > Missions. Once you've got the missions in the folder, you should be able to start them by using the Mission Launcher application in your main D2k directory. Boot that up, select All Missions, and navigate to the faction you'd like to play. Hope that helps you get started, mate! And hey, give us a stream schedule when ya get the chance.

Hey mate! Welcome to the club. You starting D2k map runs on your YouTube channel or something? The cause of this issue might be because of the video options. Find the "Dune2000Config" executable in your Gruntmods D2k installation folder, head to Video Options, and try ticking off "Enable DxWnd" and maybe "GDI Mode" too. GDI Mode usually resolves visual problems like that, and should allow the game to be picked up by OBS. I use Display Capture with OBS, that picks up D2k for me. I just cut out the parts of the clip with my desktop or whatever in it. Hope that helps!

Herro. While the old data was lost recently, I was able to rebuild it fairly quickly. Just so I don't lose it again, Imma post it here. S10-S12.zip Installation is an easy copy-paste. Same with uninstallation. A README is included with more info. As with the latest post in the other thread, these are final draft versions of the maps. Specifically S10V1, S11V1, and S12V1. As with other final drafts, I will NOT touch them again unless a game-breaking bug is found, Swearzies! And, please note that these maps are tuned to curve up in difficulty from S09V1 / V2, so if you're unfamiliar with the original campaign, please visit this post: https://forum.dune2k.com/topic/27508-release-smugglers-campaign/?do=findComment&comment=396536 Attempting these maps without already being familiar with the mod (that is, playing through the original campaign linked above) would make them extra difficult. Also included in the above zip is Against the Storm, which will be included in the final release as a scrapped map. That would be the tower defense map I designed as an experiment for D2k. All I changed was one of the waves now sends RPG Quads instead of regular Quads, and the player does not receive Troopers or Grenadiers via reinforcements. Rather, the player begins with a single RPG Quad at midfield from the very start. The intent with these changes was to reduce the difficulty of the wave where Quads first appear, since RPG Quads move a bit slower and are no tougher, and the player is unlikely to have many Troopers at the ready by then. And, the single RPG Quad at midfield is in a much better position to tackle leaks than the original reinforcements. Plus, it helps with the eventual enemy Grenadier drop. Here's the changelog for the main three maps: S10V1: Screaming in Silence - In a treacherous twist, invade Chin Rock and quietly terminate all Ordos and smuggler forces in the region. S11V1: Phantom Penance - Stranded in Qanat Pass, you are accosted by vengeful apparitions. S12V1: False Pretenses - False Wall is under attack! Rescue the OSO hostages and slaughter the mysterious new enemies. Here are the old / new map screenshots: S10V1: Screaming in Silence Old - https://i.imgur.com/TIT51tO.jpg New - https://i.imgur.com/srM6TjV.jpg S11V1: Phantom Penance Old - https://i.imgur.com/S8fyRB4.jpg New - https://i.imgur.com/01BZMfM.jpg S12V1: False Pretenses Old - https://i.imgur.com/ere5dfx.jpg New - https://i.imgur.com/Kpgz7l4.jpg Much better designs. Aesthetically, and gameplay-wise. I'm very confident in my improvement; the old stuff is leagues behind the new, even though the old isn't that old at all. Despite having done this for quite a while, I'm still learning new things! I hope my designs also teach others a thing or two. I elaborate on some of the design decisions under the changelog spoilers. Both here and for the first 9 levels / 15 maps, in the link to the other thread. I'll be continuing to develop template AIs so my tweaked editor can eventually be released. I'm already done with the default, Basic, Light, Light II, Armor, Utility, and Advanced AIs, and I've got six of the easier Advanced II AIs worked up. I just need to finish those, and the Ultimate and Boss AIs. I'll also get SBON2, S13V1, S13V2, S14V1, S14V2, S15V1, SBON3, and S18V1 updated when I can. And then I just need to whip up S16V1 / V2 and S17V1 / V2, and that'll be a wrap for this campaign. My template AIs will be optimized, with preset BuildRatios or AttackBuildingPriorities depending on the type of AI. For instance, the "Snowball" preset is designed to build up its economy first. It's weak in the early game, but very powerful in the late game. Thus, a second type of AI, "Reactive," is another preset that can be given to a Snowball's ally so said Snowball can receive its early-game protection and get to its late-game stage more reliably. Snowball AIs are pretty sweet. S09V1's Ordos AI is a good example of an optimized Snowball AI, and... well, this is what it looks like eventually: https://prnt.sc/nn7uxq Rough draft versions of the maps mentioned above that still need work, except S16V1 / V2 and S17V1 / V2, can be found earlier in this thread. However, I must emphasize that since this is a WIP thread, they are rough drafts. S01V1 through S12V1 are in their final draft states, and are thus the most polished and balanced. Still, if you decide to check out the rough drafts of those maps, please don't hesitate to drop by and leave a comment if you haven't already. Any more feedback would help me polish them up for their final draft states! I know I've got a bunch of campaigns to play myself, I've just felt in a really hardcore creative mood lately. And, I'm able to map while doing certain other things I need to do a lot of these days, whereas playing through, not so much. So, uhh, please do pardon the delays. I'm trying to squeeze out as much as I can before I inevitably get mapper's block again. Anyway, good luck and have fun!

ayy lmao, sup fam

I've also got a question, Klofkac. I can't seem to find where to change the default allocation indexes. You know, these: My mercs are index 3, Imperials are index 4, and Fremen are index 6. I didn't see the default indexes in the config. Any way to change these?