Dune Legacy News

[stefanhendriks]

i tried the latest version; i saved my game but i don't know how to load properly?

When i try to start a campaign and go to the in-game options menu, and then press load, it crashes (drops to desktop). This happens in every game mode, campaign, skirmish(custom) and random.

Any idea how to fix this Tony? I played 1 VS 6 and i actually survived (although 3 where NORMAL, 1 HARD , 2 EASY)

[TonyD]

oopsy, save games/loading was supposed to be disabled because i havent finished it yet. I'll definitely will have it working again for next release (whenever that might be).

[stefanhendriks]

darn :)

anyhow, i figured my MSVC does not have a profiler (i have the standard edition). I found a sufficient freeware profiler though. Its quite cool, and its small. Only 2 source files (1 cpp, 1 .h) and it gives everything you need.

[TonyD]

I've got a version with working yet incomplete saving done. If you want that letme know.

[stefanhendriks]

only when i can properly save and load stuff it will be helpfull, so if you have a version that could do that, i'd really like to test it.

[TonyD]

well it almost, almost does now. Theres still a few things to be done like units remembering their targets, their groups and if they're selected. I'm sure theres a millions small things too.

I'll let you know when I have it all done then.

[stefanhendriks]

what i always do at start, is save entire memory dumps onto file and then load them. I use fwrite and fread. Later on, i try to optimize stuff for filesize. At start, a game could almost be saved like this:

FILE *m;   
m = fopen("savegame.sav", "wb");

// save game var with everything inside!
fwrite(&game, sizeof(game), 1, m); // save

I do not have such a var , but i have something similiar (at start).

Btw, i had some chance on working on my project again. I am able to read in bullet types (PLUS gfx!) from a game.ini file, including their firepower and such. I also got it working to 'define' this bullet type in a 'var list' so i can assign them to units later. I am now working on 'reading' the unit data (PLUS gfx aswell!) from a game.ini file. I do not have much time, but i like how the progress is going. I am also seperating timers. Like, a FPS timer (1 second timer), 10th of a second timer, and even 100th of a second timer. Like, AI thinks every 10th of a second (and units do). But bullets 'think' 100th of a second (to make them fly real fast).

I also figured, if we agree on saving the map data using the standard dune 2 format we could even make our levels 'portable' to the old dune 2 version. Although that would NOT be our goal!

Anyhow, we should agree on a specific map format so we could save anything in one file.

Also, ever thought of making 'base layout' stuff in skirmish games? So you layout a whole base, and the AI just starts with a CONST YARD, but it could use the base layout to build. It should determine itself which structure has most priority though, so you can still make it configurable for HARD/EASY computer brains.

Also, i find your path finder pretty good! Its quite smart and fast, i wonder how you did that.

[TonyD]

An agreed format is definately a good idea. But I can see one problem with using the original dune2 format. Paremeters such as map size are missing. Using a text file is actually a very good idea though, it will make things more complex and slower but easier to do. The dune2 format could be improved anyways as many ways in that file are inefficient, such as the numbering of structure locations and such which is not dirrectly compatable with my engine. But all that said, i already have original dune2 map loading done as im sure you know, so adding a few more parameters to it would be no problem.

My timers are actually a bit of a mess, I would like to fix it up, but can't be stuffed at the moment, besides it works perfectly. Although one problem I can forsee with unit ini files, is that our timings will mostly be very different. So while a unit speed of 0.2 would be perfect on mine, it could be far to fast on yours.

I like this base layout idea, I can see how you could relate the ai's base building perfectly for the map. But I'm pretty much done with ai for now because I have lost a lot of my interest in the project so I just feel like getting it completed. So I doubt I will get something like that done for it.

In regards to the path finder, if you ask specifically, I will tell.

[nemafakei]

Hm. I can't seem to find a file of a working version... it's difficult with the sze of the thread; would it not be a good idea to put it in your sig?

And unless it's been improved since v0.77, I have tried improving the sidebar - there was lots of free space, which annoyed me.

It would, of couse need recoding a little... but it looks a little bit more authentic, I think.[attachment archived by Gobalopper]

[TonyD]

Excellent, thanks for sidebar improvements/suggestions :D. I can't promise the coding side of cosmetic changes yet, because I want to get the main features finished first. But there isn't too many major features left, so it shouldn't be long. Believe me, there are so many minor details left to complete.

Oh btw, thanks for the signature tip, its just what it needed.

[vidiware]

I agree.

EA won't make trouble over such small things. I am sure they are just happy that someone uses that old game nowadays.

They wouldn't win much in taking action against you because you make a dune clone. They could loose popularity.

You're a ncie guy Cyb, but here is my thoughts about EA!!!

They are holding a copyright on something that only could do 2 things that will make it Useful, for them or the Public:

A RE-RELEASE

Or a Freeware Announcement

And Generals are made by EA Pacific not WW and the CnC name are licenced by WW :'( and they are making a 3d game with mild propaganda for war against terrorism.

Where did Kane go?

Where did Tanya go?

The presidents?

The corrupt soviets?`

But over to topic:

If you anonymously releases a Dune2 Hacker Utility and uses 100s of networks to spead it... the whole world could use it before EA or any other could stop it...

But an Extractor isnt ILLEGAL, thats wrong... it have never been illegal to use WinZip (Regsitered). The problem is maybe it comes under the Disclaimer: DO NOT REVERSE ENGENEER, DECOMPILE...++

Maybe its some sort of decompiling.

But then USING the program would be illegal not making it...

And if making it is Illegal i can compile it in norway, outside the EU and US, and with a really nice LAW when you are a criminal, max jail is 21 and that means 15 or something if you are nice. No KILLIN' here.

As long as the clones has progress good.

Nice menu picture Nema Fakei

How is "The Maker" Stefan?

[nemafakei]

Here is a font you might want to try using as well... it' based on the DII intro.fnt, but I had to completely redo it.[attachment archived by Gobalopper]

[stefanhendriks]

Nema, could you convert that to ttf please? I could not resist to try it on my engine, but i need a ttf file format. I am not that experienced with font formats and such, so it would save a lot of hassle if you could convert it.

Thanks in advance, whatever the outcome is. :)

[TonyD]

excellent, Thanks! it looks much better. I had to update my font library but I have now got it working. I would like to get my data extractor to pull out the font file itself, so I'll look into that.[attachment archived by Gobalopper]

[stefanhendriks]

Hmm, Tony, maybe you can convert it? I can't seem to find any util for that?!

btw, you got mail :)

[TheGouldFish]

All I can say is OMG!!

Dune legacy is one of the best things I have seen and played in a long time...

Thank you for making this re-make.

One request thou: Could you map the arrow keys to map movement..

Thanks.

[TonyD]

All I can say is OMG!!

Dune legacy is one of the best things I have seen and played in a long time...

Thank you for making this re-make.

One request thou: Could you map the arrow keys to map movement..

Thanks.

Thanks :), I'll do the arrow key thing now.

Stefen: I'm not sure it would actually be possible to convert a non-ttf to a ttf because I think ttf files are made of curve functions and such, rather then pixel data. Luckily there was a new version of the font library I'm using which was able to support it.

[TonyD]

ok another release is out with one-file saving and loading done, with a few other minor changes and bug fixes.

[TheGouldFish]

Great up date!!

Is it posable to fire death hands?? when I click on the palace, I get a blank bar.

Here is a list of things that I have spotted that are diferant from the orignal duneII:

When you click on a Wind trap, it does not show the power useage

When you click on the radar, it does not tell you the number of good and

bad unit's it can see.

Also the missile tank seems very accurate, in dune II it had a lower and an upper fire range and only a 25 - 35 % chance of hitting anything.

Thanks for the key binding!!

[MuLLeT MaN]

8) 8)HEY TONYD!!!!!!

Your Dune Legacy game is truely raw! I like those ACbots you've made for Doom as well!(Finally...The 1st Doom Bot that's actually SMART and DANGEROUS!)

Keep up the good work, man, it's truely a great improvement on Dune II. 8)

Features I'd like to see added(they would be an excellent addition to your game):

- Adaptive/Stragetic AI

- Hard/Medium/Easy AI players will help their team-mate(s) in a Team Game if their team-mate(s) are under attack.

- At certain times the Hard/Medium AI players will think of a strategy to use their Devastators to self-destruct near enemy buildings.

- Hard AI players constantly build lots of Defenses(walls included), while Medium AI players build some defenses.

- The AI doesn't know where the enemy is, the map is blank as if it were for a human player, the AI must scout the map to find the enemy and any territory to expand in. (Add for Realism/Fairness, so they won't be cheating! ;D)

- Hard/Medium AI Players expand their empire.(Building MCVs to make more contruction sites in their own home base, while making new bases and expansions)

- Some houses have a certain amount of units while other houses have a different amount of units with different unit statistics.(Like in Dune II)

- TCP/IP Support in Multiplayer.

That's about it.......Thanks again for the great game. :) Much appreciated! Hope you like these smack-dab ideas to make your AI smarter in the later versions!(Hopefully they'll all(Or at least some)be put in the final version if they come through.)

[TheGouldFish]

Just spotted one other thing, normaly you did not get the orinthopters from the star port, and the harkonains did not get orinthopters as well.

Thanks

[stefanhendriks]

ok another release is out with one-file saving and loading done, with a few other minor changes and bug fixes.

YEAH!!!!! :D

[me=Stefan]downloaded file immidiatly and tested it... it workssss.[/me]

saving/loading/saving/loading, w00t. ::)

Okay, erm, now back to normal mode shall we? :) I did not test it enough to give you more constructive suggestions. Anyhow, i think a positive only reply is also nice to read ;)

[TonyD]

runs at like a 100 times speed for me, Athlon XP 1700+ :'(

hmm, try using the '-' key, you can adjust game speed but I may have forgotten to mention this is the readme. Super super fast computers which could render the scene in under a millsecond will not be speed locked, but I'm quite sure your computer isn't that fast. And I doubt computers will be that fast for a while yet. Although if its still too fast, press f11, and tell me what is said there. Thanks :).

[TonyD]

Great up date!!

Is it posable to fire death hands?? when I click on the palace, I get a blank bar.

Here is a list of things that I have spotted that are diferant from the orignal duneII:

When you click on a Wind trap, it does not show the power useage

When you click on the radar, it does not tell you the number of good and

bad unit's it can see.

Also the missile tank seems very accurate, in dune II it had a lower and an upper fire range and only a 25 - 35 % chance of hitting anything.

Thanks for the key binding!!

The palaces currently have to wait to recharge when placed much like the newer games. I think that it is better this way, but what does everyone else think?

The spice/power indicaters are now done for next release.

Yep I'd like to get this done too, but not high priority yet.

No problem :).

[TonyD]

8) 8)HEY TONYD!!!!!!

Your Dune Legacy game is truely raw! I like those ACbots you've made for Doom as well!(Finally...The 1st Doom Bot that's actually SMART and DANGEROUS!)

Keep up the good work, man, it's truely a great improvement on Dune II. 8)

Features I'd like to see added(they would be an excellent addition to your game):

- Adaptive/Stragetic AI

- Hard/Medium/Easy AI players will help their team-mate(s) in a Team Game if their team-mate(s) are under attack.

- At certain times the Hard/Medium AI players will think of a strategy to use their Devastators to self-destruct near enemy buildings.

- Hard AI players constantly build lots of Defenses(walls included), while Medium AI players build some defenses.

- The AI doesn't know where the enemy is, the map is blank as if it were for a human player, the AI must scout the map to find the enemy and any territory to expand in. (Add for Realism/Fairness, so they won't be cheating! ;D)

- Hard/Medium AI Players expand their empire.(Building MCVs to make more contruction sites in their own home base, while making new bases and expansions)

- Some houses have a certain amount of units while other houses have a different amount of units with different unit statistics.(Like in Dune II)

- TCP/IP Support in Multiplayer.

That's about it.......Thanks again for the great game. :) Much appreciated! Hope you like these smack-dab ideas to make your AI smarter in the later versions!(Hopefully they'll all(Or at least some)be put in the final version if they come through.)

I would love to get all this done for the ai, but it would be a lot of work! I'm sure I will get the ai expansion going, hopefully better defensive ai but TCP/IP support is already there. Its probably a port issue if you cant get networking going. No promises on the other ai features though but the source will be released on sourceforge, so anything is possible.

Whats the general concensensus on harkonnen/ordos/atreides allowed units and such. Do you guys think I should add the restrictions, such as no orni for harkonnen, no troopers for atreides.