OpenD2k - cross platform reimplementation of Dune 2000

[php_bg]

Hello,

I'm relatively new here and I'm interested to hear where this community stands on OpenRA's D2k mod.

 

Is it "Oh no, this thing is trying to pull us away from the great original game!", which is... fair enough? I know that when you're that much used to something it's hard to change it. OpenRA isn't Dune 2000, and while in some aspects the D2k mod is better than the original game, in others it isn't (yet).
Or is it "Let's wait and see if it becomes good enough to be worth considering over the original game" ? In which case, what are your expectations?

 

What do you think and why?

 

Thanks.

[athanasios]

Expectations? What Matthias M. posted prior to you.

It is a long way to match the original game, but IMO the project is in good hands.

 

Changing the game would be very bad. It wouldn't be a clone of Dune 2000 anymore. But making additions to it in accord with its 'spirit' is ONE WAY if you want the project to have any future.

 

BTW: the GUI needs some work to match the original game. Matthias: that blue [print] color is light years away from Arrakis!

[Matthias M.]

It is a screenshot from our Steam workshop like http://resource.openra.net website where you can share maps and missions for any mod including Dune 2000.

[athanasios]

Thanks for clarification. So I stand corrected.

[php_bg]

OK, so far I heard an expectation for a 100% complete clone and nothing else.

Does anyone else want to join the discussion? So we can get an actual discussion with more people?

[athanasios]

Maybe you misunderstood me. You need to have a ~100% clone to start with and base your further development. Then, come the additions in the spirit of the game. Now it isn't a 100% complete clone anymore. It is much more. Please compare with OTTD  http://www.openttd.org/en/ project, which I suppose is the model open source game project so far.

 

• bigger maps (up to 64 times in size)
• stable multiplayer mode for up to 255 players in 15 companies, or as spectators
• ...
• support for TTDPatch NewGRF features offering many options for graphics and behaviour configuration/modification*
• ...
• freely distributable graphics, sounds and music
• framework for custom (user) written AIs
• ...
• support for 32 bit graphics

* Custom (user) AIs and custom (user) scripts can modify a lot OTTD. IMO we should follow a similar approach. We add and modify without removing original behavior (with the exception of bugs and hardware/software limitations) and make these configurable.

[php_bg]

OK, I respect that point.

For several months now we have been pushing toward making OpenRA's D2k mod as close to the original game as possible. And I would say we have come pretty close. As you may have noticed, we overhauled it completely since the last release to make sure it matches the original game's balance in all possible aspects.

As it currently stands, the only major thing that is missing is the Starport logic, and we have a prototype for that. Everything else that is left is non-dealbreaking polish like vehicles smoking when damaged and concrete being actually destructible.

 

A lot of work went into the overhaul, and I'm hoping that this upcoming release will please the Dune 2000 community. It would be great to get some feedback from you guys on what you feel needs changing so we can do as good a job with this as possible :)

[Gruntlord6]

OK, I respect that point.

For several months now we have been pushing toward making OpenRA's D2k mod as close to the original game as possible. And I would say we have come pretty close. As you may have noticed, we overhauled it completely since the last release to make sure it matches the original game's balance in all possible aspects.

As it currently stands, the only major thing that is missing is the Starport logic, and we have a prototype for that. Everything else that is left is non-dealbreaking polish like vehicles smoking when damaged and concrete being actually destructible.

 

A lot of work went into the overhaul, and I'm hoping that this upcoming release will please the Dune 2000 community. It would be great to get some feedback from you guys on what you feel needs changing so we can do as good a job with this as possible :)

Very glad to see you guys making significant strides.

[Matthias M.]

It is often difficult to guess if things go into the right direction, because the d2k mod player numbers keep stagnating and our releases also aren't newsworthy on this website or http://d2kplus.com/ even our article at http://d2kplus.com/wiki/index.php?title=OpenRA was deleted, twice. Not very motivating as development is a hobby that takes a lot of free time. If not financially, people try to get at least some appreciation for their work.

[Feda]

I tried the playtest and i gotta say, the game speed option is just awesome. That one is a huge improvement.

While playing the playtest I was thinking that I should make another review/opinion/news video about OpenRA d2k (as the other 2 got a few thousand views), as the mod has changed a lot since my last review, and it changed in a good and improved way. It's more enjoyable now than it was back then. But I think i should wait for the release to record instead of doing it now with the playtest, right?

I personally appreciate all the work you put in OpenRA. I know how hard it is, especially since you aren't getting paid for it. Even if i didnt like certain aspects of the game (basically the slow speed and the annoying arty/v2 spam in the RA mod, or the aircraft no-reload spam in the TD mod) I appreciatex the effort you put in it. Wuth this new update I feel that the mod has improved a lot and at least for me it's much more enjoyable now.

So keep up the good work! I'll try to get back my d2kplus.com access (as i lost the user/pass) and if i get them I'll add news entries for OpenRA releases that contain d2k mod changes/updates.

[php_bg]

Oh, that sounds great! Yes, there have been a bunch of polish improvements since the playtest, so it would be better to wait until the release is out :)

[Matthias M.]

 Playtest 20151114 brings general stability and polish improvements, but also several d2k exclusive changes:

• Fixed repair depots not repairing units, and buffed repair rate
• Fixed missing unit crates
• Fixed incorrect unit armor / damage statistics
• Improved behaviour of Spice Blooms
• Improved behaviour of Thumpers and Worms
• Tweaked support power timers and Ornithoper Strike damage

 

 

Surprise bonus feature! Copy/paste is now available in the map editor.

 

[Gruntlord6]

It is often difficult to guess if things go into the right direction, because the d2k mod player numbers keep stagnating and our releases also aren't newsworthy on this website or http://d2kplus.com/ even our article at http://d2kplus.com/wiki/index.php?title=OpenRA was deleted, twice. Not very motivating as development is a hobby that takes a lot of free time. If not financially, people try to get at least some appreciation for their work.

It was removed from the Wiki because D2K+ is for modifications to the original game and documenting it's file formats, it didn't fit with the goal of the wiki.

That said, I can't see people sticking with the original if you get the OpenRA mod on par, there is simply no need to do so. If you guys need additional hosting, my door is open.

[Matthias M.]

Yeah well, but deleting content without prior asking and against the will of the creator as well as the wiki host isn't really the friendly way of doing so. Can you please send me the wiki text of the deleted revisions so I can post it to another Dune or gaming related wiki instead? I invested some time into those paragraphs. They also contain a lot of vital technical detail we found out while recreating the game.

[Gruntlord6]

Yeah well, but deleting content without prior asking and against the will of the creator as well as the wiki host isn't really the friendly way of doing so. Can you please send me the wiki text of the deleted revisions so I can post it to another Dune or gaming related wiki instead? I invested some time into those paragraphs. They also contain a lot of vital technical detail we found out while recreating the game.

I wasn't the one who deleted them, but I can see if the logs contain that text.

Edit: Looks like the wiki is totally non functional, lots of PHP errors.

[Matthias M.]

I see. Found an older revision via the Web Archive Wayback Machine and posted something at http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/OpenRA instead.

[Feda]

I have a question. I tried converting legacymaps using the utility.exe, but the program crashes every time i attemp to convert a map.

example: typing this in the command prompt: "openra.utility.exe cnc --map-import scm229ea.ini" causes the program to crash. Red alert mod does same thing with .mpr files.

Am I doing something wrong or is the exe broken? Tried with both the release and the playtest, and the old map editor which could import maps is gone too, so there's literally no way to convert legacy maps anymore.

[Matthias M.]

Post the error message. Otherwise we can't really help you.

 

http://resource.openra.net/upload/map/ also let's you import/upload legacy maps, but it uses the exact same utility in the background.

[Feda]

 

I don't have any utility.log file. 

 

I guess you have to login for the online conversion.

[Matthias M.]

Can you upload the scm229ea.ini as well?

[pchote]

This is caused by an incorrect `Theater=desert` definition in that custom map.  The original game didn't care about case, but OpenRA does.  If you change it to `Theater=DESERT` to match the official maps it will import cleanly.

[Feda]

This is caused by an incorrect `Theater=desert` definition in that custom map.  The original game didn't care about case, but OpenRA does.  If you change it to `Theater=DESERT` to match the official maps it will import cleanly.

That one fixed it. Thanks for your help guys!

[Adriano]

We rely on your testing and feedback to make sure that our release builds are as balanced and bug-free as possible, so please let us know if you find any issues or just generally don’t like something by filing a bug or joining our IRC channel! We will try our best to fix any issues before the final release.

Grab the installer now for your operating system from our download page!

There are 2 files on the site.

"Download release 2015 09 19" and "Download playtest 2015 11 14".

Which file to choose? Where is speed of game regulation?

[php_bg]

Release 2015 09 19  is the current, at this point quite outdated release.

You want the latest playtest - playtest 2015 11 14.

(Hint: There will probably be a new playtest before the weekend is over.)

 

P.S.: You can set the game speed from the lobby or mission browser respectively.

[Adriano]

I cannot find something like "Save game". Single player, skirmish.

Would you like to help me? If "save" exists here, of course.

 

And I cannot off music.