Monday, March 17, 2008

Getting the game to work

Just dropping a note here for new visitors regarding getting the RC3 version working. Please note, this was the last release of the original game project, and has nothing to do with the current project.

First of all, if you have trouble with game speed, rename the "music" and "midi" folders in your Dune 2: TSHA directory. This will disable music, but free up your resources. Midi music uses a lot of CPU power, and the MP3 music takes a lot of memory.

Next, if you actually can't get the game running, I may not be able to help you much. I tested it on an awful lot of systems and didn't have problems, except for a minor graphic glitch with placing unit build queues on some older graphic chipsets.

Regarding networking, the following will remain forever true for that version, since I had little community support and no longer wish to think about it much:
  • There are still a couple minor bugs left in there which might cause crashes after playing for some time (usually at least half an hour). I've had longer games than that though, and it's stable for the most part.
  • Finding an online server is hit-or-miss in terms of functionality. Your best bet is to get your friend's external IP address so you can connect directly that way across the internet.
  • If you have firewall issues, I can't help you. The port you need opened is 10191, that's the best I can tell you. I've never even been able to get confirmation from anyone that they got this working through a firewall.
  • More than two players in a single game will probably never work, so don't try it.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

vU.0.3

Hey all,
Lots of big decisions lately.

  • I've firmly decided this next version of the game will be a bit less faithful to the original game. I think I can make something better.
  • Units are now no longer bound by the 16x16 "cell". Movement is free in 360 degrees (although the standard 8-direction graphics are still used).
  • There will NOT be a dedicated server version anytime soon. This proved to be too great a challenge on top of porting all of the code. I was much too ambitious and I want to finish something this decade.
  • There will be some graphical changes. Spice will be more smoothly implemented visually in order to cut down on the calculations needed to determine the correct cell graphic. I may also do this with rocks and such; we'll see how it shapes up.
  • There will be options to choose between micro- and macro-managing your faction. These may involve special grouping, reinforcement, combat-level AI, and automated buildings.
  • I am continuing to build the foundation for all of these things, and progress is good. I expect something playable in a few months.