D2TM - ARRAKIS (Alpha) version released.

[stefanhendriks]

Finally, after some weeks of rewriting and some great support of the current team. A TEST version is out there. Its in early stages, but it is trivial for its development to squish any bugs now that arise.

Comment here about the version, positive, negative, etc.

A few things i already know:

- there is no music nor sound

- the building speeds are very fast

- the gfx are l33t :P

Huge tanks to:

Timenn

Nema Fakei

Vidiware

Mr Flibble

for their superb support on this version!!!

[Timenn]

The first bug! ;)

If you build a unit, it will sometimen-often (depending on the number of units around your unit building facility) place the new unit on top of a unit which is already there.

[Dunenewt]

Sometimes the unit could be built, but if there was no space in the surrounding area, it would never appear.  So you can't attack anyone so far then?

[stefanhendriks]

The first bug! ;)

If you build a unit, it will sometimen-often (depending on the number of units around your unit building facility) place the new unit on top of a unit which is already there.

This should never happen, but i will re-look into that code. I had tested on this and could not reproduce it. Could you perhaps try to sketch a scenario how i may reproduce this?

[stefanhendriks]

Sometimes the unit could be built, but if there was no space in the surrounding area, it would never appear.

[Dunenewt]

Looks good, and it's good to see the deviator is now distinguishable from a normal missile tank.

[Andrew]

When I only have one item(infantry or vehicle) selected, it sometimes does not let me scroll using the arrow keys.

Odd, the first time I played I didn't get a construction yard.

Infantry need to look better (doesn't look like they were updated like the buildings or other untis)

EDIT - Single infantry look nice, just the multiple one.

[nemafakei]

Infantry I've not touched, lone soldiers and troopers is what they will look like. There are indeed some maps where the conyard is absent for some reason.

Update: I've completed the infantry, so that should appear in the next version. Troopers I'm still debating on whether to reduce their width below the waist for the vertical shots. I've also got fremen-specific trooper gfx and a saboteur.

[stefanhendriks]

Yes, since not all seed maps are 100% correct or missing, som emaps simply miss rock, therefor no structures are placed. This is simply because the SEED files are taken from the Dunedit program i've made, but i have never revealed all of the maps. Its also tough to reveal the maps 100% properly.

[Timenn]

This should never happen, but i will re-look into that code. I had tested on this and could not reproduce it. Could you perhaps try to sketch a scenario how i may reproduce this?

Well, I promised to make a screenshot of every bug I encountered, but I actually overwrote that one with another..

I tried to reproduce the bug, but it wouldn't work (now units don't get placed at all when they are built, but the surrounding tiles are all occupied?)

Although it did happen the first time, but I'm afraid it is one of those bugs which is caused by a large build-up of certain events.

I think this is what happened:

I was building Siege Tanks at my Heavy Factory (with Ordos, to be complete) I believe it was a mission 6. After I built several Siege Tanks, and a next one was about to be deployed, a Harvester was deployed (from the Refinery beneath the Factory) on that spot the Siege Tank was to be deployed. So they both were deployed on that same spot. And since then, every unit I built, was deployed on that certain spot, even when a unit was already standing there.

I noticed some other odd things while trying to reproduce this bug, it seems like sometimes places are reserved for deployment, and not even units in the field can move to that spot.

[DuneFan]

I have notice you can't click on the radar (little screen bottom right)to send somebody someplace on the old original dune2 you can.....

[Timenn]

Whenever you click on it, it will bring you to that location on the map. The unit is still selected, so you can then click on the field itself.

To be complete

In Dune II the radar map worked as following:

When you didn't have the move/attack/harvest option of a unit selected, and you clicked on the map, it would bring you to that place.

When you did have one of these options selected, it would immeditialy send that unit to that area.

In all cases, when you clicked right on the radar map it would bring you to that area, with the order still selected.

In D2TM is the move order default selected. But right now those advanced radar orders haven't been implemented. It still is only the Arrakis version :)

[DuneFan]

thank you for the info Timenn

Still playing the old dune 2 the building of a dynasty using Dosbox 0.63

In the alpha version still can't construct slab to far away from the base ??? (atreides mission 6)

[stefanhendriks]

yes, and that will remain so. The building area is defined by the nearest const yard or windtrap. Building windtraps, expands the build area. So you cannot build bases bigger by just building more slabs as in Dune 2. I found that pretty stupid ;)

[erjin999]

When I have built me a nice shiny new MCV, I select it and try to scroll the map using the edges of the screeen and almost always it doent scroll nowhere. Deselect and it works fine. Select another unit and its fine.  ???

Can you reproduce that ?

[stefanhendriks]

i think that is in relationship with the bug reported on "selected unit and cnanot scroll". Did you retry this a couple of times with an mcv? or another mcv?

[erjin999]

I didnt notice the other bug report, even though I read this thread  :-[

I tried the same MCV serveral times. Clicking onto other units and testing those, and back to the MCV more then once.

[Universal]

Nice game. It totally redefines the dune ii playing experience.

I am making a mod of it (and the demo vers) to create a super dune ii clone using stephans game

and hey if you need help id be glad.

[stefanhendriks]

super dune 2 should be posssible. I simply need the scenario files, thats it ;)

[Universal]

Ok but Ive run into a bug for the demo. It seems that playing as the Fremen is not possible(in the demo) especially whats weird is that it shows the fremen color themes but doesnt show any units. Ill upload the modified ordos ini file sometime tomorrow as code format. ( I think it may be a seed problem ?).

When the mod is done it will be released with my own launching software unless Stefan would put on my modified version my name *Universal* in the intro (for the mod).

[stefanhendriks]

well, you can do your own launching code, i own super dune 2 as well so it aint a trouble converting it myself. I don't know why it does not work yet, as i don't know what you've changed. The current alpha simply does not load other houses but the standard ones deliverd with dune 2 (meaning atreides, harkonnen, ordos).

[Universal]

I was talking about the demo version of d2tm (only mercenary and Saradukar work). As for arrakis alpha i havent modded it yet. Also i was wondering if i could help out with the team ?.

[stefanhendriks]

ah, well that makes sense then , since the d2tm demo does not support Fremen. The Alpha version is capable of much more in that sense.

Helping out in the team, sure, what do you want to do?

[Universal]

I guess i can help out with graphics or ini editing or maps. I am not sure what positions are open though.

[stefanhendriks]

For the moment we are full of artists ;) Unless you can really convince me :)