LTK TBM interim news

[RiviEr]

i get 150 fps on 1024 res. , my stupid eyes saw at pos. :blink:


-RiviEr

[mSparks]

lol, had me worried for a while there, forgot to remove pos (its for physics timing to make the models move independant of the framerate/system speed)

anyhow, linux game dll just built and run although releasing is still someway off, at least thats some more hardcore stuff out the way. Although I've still got to make the linux route compiler:- although I might just do away with it completely now time isn't an issue with compiling.

[mSparks]

well I finally got so irratated with trying to maintain a routecompiler distribution, its now gone!! it will be maintained as part of the developer SDK, but all the code is now seemlessly integrated with the game dll, for windows and linux. It simply wasn't worth having an 'all in one go' compiler anymore, the 0.1-5 second lag the first time a map is run (depending on system speed) is barely noticable, and it makes terrain installation that bit more simple (save and go!).

[RiviEr]

That is rather cool mSparks. So how is the overal progress going om 1.7.F? will it be a release soon?.

-RiviEr

[mSparks]

plodding along, the actual bot code for 1.7f is pretty much ready, but there still some content and stuff I want to get out the way.
in the meantime, some news tidbits for you all.
no I'm not sure how much you know about the Secure Client Identification code I've been working on, but basically it allows you to ensure that people are using the original aq2 engine build and have cl_pure set to 1.
now, I'm just in the process of pulling all the code engine side (rather than the check auth code being in the game dll) what does this mean?
well 2 things
1. the game engine can now provide SCI authentication to any standard Q2 game dll
2. you can authenticate players even if the server isn't SCI enabled.

[mSparks]

right interim news time:
first up minbrowser:no longer closes on exit, update to grab an additional server list from here & check for new releases (including routes)
lfhosts mirror has disappeared, so no map screenshots, but all the routes need updating with the new versions. Ill work on getting together what content still needs doing probably this weekend
linux:well, Ive got a new AGP radeon 9200, not the best, but it should do the job (fingers x'd) so it should be possible to release an 'alpha' version of the game engine for linux with the next update (the game dll is now sync'd for both linux and windows and works with any 3.20/3.21 game engine) - im downloading mandrake 10.0B now so Ill let you know how I get on.
windows game engine code:still have some plans I'd like to see in 1.7final but its generally all round stable already.
game dll:everything minus the content mentioned above seems to be working now. I've just worked out that I can use my crash trace routine to generate full function reports with timings (to identify problem functions+allow easier optimisation) so I've still got some work todo here. AMP-G2 tables seems to be working nicely so Ill be tieing those into goal selection for better team based movements.
We need to get some form of FAQ together, covering the openAL and any current issues still in hand (nocheat/q2ace spring to mind) - any volentiers??
I keep meaning to tie the web based irc client into the forums (see below)
As for a release date, well Im aiming for a birthday update of february 26th (yep 1 whole year since the first major release ) whilst its looking less and less likely that this will be the whole hog Ive a good idea what can and cant be done and Ill be able to clarify this further after next weekend.
last but not least, I found this a day or so ago on the q2ice website:

mSparks  
Expelled troublemaker
Lieutenant (Junior Grade)  

not been there since late last year (other than check the news page) so no idea where that came from, so I guess that means any q2ice/ltktbm association is now officially gone. On a lighter note it forces my hand to section out the AQ2 game engine for general Q2 stuff (name suggestions?)

[slacker]

nice work on the linux porting.. im surprised to hear it's comming along so well

On a lighter note it forces my hand to section out the AQ2 game engine for general Q2 stuff (name suggestions?)

what do you mean by that? does that mean your aq2 engine improvements can no longer continue because of the ltktbm/q2ice association is gone?!

[mSparks]

what do you mean by that? does that mean your aq2 engine improvements can no longer continue because of the ltktbm/q2ice association is gone?!

nonononoooooo....
merely that the AQ2 exe will become a seperate entity from ltktbm, (i.e. also available as a seperate download) rather than just available in the ltktbm package (full installer will still include the aq2.exe), its more a packaging thing than any specific code changes,
/rant
I had already pulled away from q2 ice for 1.7, ripping out usefull pieces of code, mostely because I was unhappy with the bugs and general progression of the q2ice project (and we overtook it with things like openAL and general gfx features like lighting and decals).
TBH I was already (silently) unhappy with the paths idle was taking, effectively pulling the AQ2 retexturing site from developers (and AQ2) was, in my view at least, an unnessecery bad move, and detrimental to the entire Q2 community. I dont really see myself as an 'LTKTBM developer' or even a 'Q2 developer' I feel like more of a community developer working on projects for and by the community. I have some plans for a more 'specialized' project, but nothings set in stone and it will most likely come in a most unexpected format (and most definately NOT at the expense of people who play and enjoy the stuff I work on).
/end rant

[mSparks]

New linux developement platform is pretty much set up and ready, which means the next thing todo is get the q2a3d linux code done and begin testing, also bringing the linkfile, SCI and high res texture code into one of the linux game engines, brought the .plan page into php and added an update, hopefully I should be able to free up some spare time at the end of this month, but who knows what else will come along, I've been more or less badgered into adding a paypal donate button to the site, which will probably be along shortly....

[mSparks]

1.8 distribution:
I think I have a fair idea now of how the 1.8 final installer will work, basically it will be split into 2 file types, a cross platform 1.8 content distribution, which is suitable for both windows and linux, then a 1.8 windows installer, and a 1.8 linux .tar.gz/rpm, theres no point in having a seperate massive file for both windows and linux, when 99% of the content is identical.
edit: in other news, the only good suggestion I've had for the game engine name is Quake 2 Proliferation; Evolution was also suggested but we can all guess why thats not suitable

[slacker]

that sounds like a much better idea msparks.. will the 1.8b content distribution be full (like the 1.7b installer) or an update to the 1.7b install files?

[mSparks]

.zip archive (i.e. the content in the 1.7 archive minus any executeables) so to use a 1.8 full installer on windows you get the content archive + 1.8 installer then run the 1.8 installer to install everything, linux works almost identically, but the installer is a different file).
I'm just working on the linux stuff atm, everything seems to be working now, just have to work on bringing all the code changes up to date from the windows engine, fingers x'd I should have progressed enough to release some more linux stuff this weekend.

[slacker]

yeah thats a great idea msparks.. good thinking there

looking forward to the official 1.8b release again lol

remember im available for testing the linux engine for you

[mSparks]

sweet, getting very close to having a linux engine up and running, so far the engine code is compiling; opengl seems to be working, with debris/decals stains and high res textures, software mode is more or less identical, and cl_pure seems to be doing its job, just some changes to the video menu and gl driver loading code to fix up and we should be good to go, which means Im still on course for a linux release this weekend.

[Smiff]

new to this project, just skimmed over the thread, got some idea of its history now. its great to see your steady work on this over quite a long period of time. want to think how to get you some more publicity i used to love AQ2 and this seems like a natural progression that still _feels_ like Aq2, which has been missing from some other games i tried.. very very nice.. keep it up B)