simple machines forum
Sword of Moonlight => Archive (pre 2023) => Beginner and other Nonsense => Topic started by: SaneGino on February 11, 2013, 08:37:56 PM
-
UPDATE: Administration speaking. The information in this thread is out-dated, so it's being locked. Some of it may be useful, but other parts are misleading because the Getting Started guidelines have since changed. Namely projects are configured with their SOM files now, and the old Ex.ini extensions have been abandoned. This wasn't just for appearances. There was actually a real chicken/egg problem with the old workflow that appropriation of the SOM file addresses very elegantly.
I'm not really much of a computer expert, I went to college for it, but never really got too far, for finances, and since I know little about EX, I would call myself a beginner. I'm having a few problems, the first of which is the model titles are all random characters, I was wondering if there is a way to fix that, or rename them. Second of which, there is a file missing. Kage.cp, which I'm not sure where I can get, nor if it's as simple as pasting the file over. Thirdly, when i start up a preview, its throws some sort of sound related error, although the sound seems to be working fine. Is it something I should be worried about?
Thanks. ^^
-
Well you found your way to the right sub forum then :smile:
Sounds like you are off to a good start. SOM is really easy compared to any other way of making a full fledged video game. Luckily for you if you went to school for computers as you say you've probably faced much more intimidating things in your classes. We see a lot of people who want to make a game as if playing games and making games is the same thing.
Mostly you just have to follow the guide on the site. There is one in the Ex section and another in the Subversion repository that is a little more terse but also more thorough (though it may be a little out dated)
I can't really help with every little thing. Maybe Verdite will.
The random characters are Shift_JIS Japanese. If you want to see Japanese you need to add support to Windows via the control panel. If not you have two options.
You basically need to map Ex to an alternative data folder. That looks like this...
[Folder]
alternative_data_folder = Z:\Transfers\KF\SOM\data
That is explained in the guide. You can also drop the "Old English" language pack into the text folder. There is a guide in the text folder.
If only the model titles are garbled then you probably did something similar for your tools (ie. alternative_tool_folder) unless you did something else like overwrite the tools with other files.
There can always also be a bug. If you think there is I can look into it. Anyway unless you intend to make all of your artwork from scratch which is really advanced, you will probably want to use an alternate data folder with some of the doctored textures you can find around the internet. SOM's textures have a lot of holes and things.
I haven't quite gotten to the stage of methodically remastering all of SOM's artwork.
EDITED: Like I think the guides probably suggest we assume that your "alternative folders" are full of English translated files (in which case translation is not an issue)
As for Kage.cp you can suppress the dialog with:
[Output]
do_missing_file_dialog_ok = yes
You can also use cpgen.exe to make a Kage.cp file. A 0 sized file may also work. Kage is the shadow that appears under NPCs. This dialog is very handy for finding files that are missing in your game. Which tends to happen a lot when people go to share/demo games.
The sound error is a fix to warn people when their sound device isn't up to 3D sound but is trying to do it anyway. But the most likely reason you are seeing it is because of a bug that afflicts maps without a BGM file. I made a thread the other day called "Sound fun" that has a tiny silence .wav file attached. But if you can wait like a day I am about to release SomEx.dll 1.1.1.6 which has a fix for this bug.
It's a good time to get acquainted with SOM. It's not quite ready for prime time. But you can make a professional looking bug free game with it now and 1.1.1.6 has very fluid analog controls with lots of motion effects. The last few versions have had analog effects too. But its taken a while to fully flesh out all of the little details.
I was about to post something about what to expect in 1.1.1.6. There will be a more pared down introduction accompanying the blog announcement.
-
PS: About the sound message box. When I set it up I wasn't thinking about the no BGM bug and didn't even realize that bug would trigger it. The box is there so if someone tries a game the game won't be brought to its knees by the sound device, but instead they can keep playing without 3D sound so at the very least they will be compelled to keep playing the game and look for a fix if they like what they see.
I am frankly surprised the no BGM bug was not fixed until just now. I guess everyone is just so used to the bug being there. It only occurred to me to fix it when I was sent a test project to look at the other day that was hastily setup and so did not supply a BGM.
-
BTW: Here in a bit I intend to prepare a guide explaining the correct way to write a script for your game with Ex. Basically the way you translate your game into other languages is the same way you write a script for your game. You just write the first translation so to speak. It makes sense if you consider that SOM is Japanese and your game probably isn't.
Also if you go to use any of the little standalone tools that From Software released via its SOM website. Some of them. A minority I think. Will look in the install folder that is in the registry (regedit.exe) which is a problem because that's not likely to be your data folder when using Ex right now. The only thing you can really do about this is use the Setup.bat script. Just copy it into the install you want to use and run the script, then when you are done run the script in the folder that you checked out the files here to.
http://svn.swordofmoonlight.net/Setup.bat
-
I'm not really much of a computer expert, i went to college for it, but never really got too far, for finances, and since i know little about EX, i would call myself a beginner. I'm having a few problems, the first of which is the model titles are all random characters, i was wondering if there is a way to fix that, or rename them. Second of which, there is a file missing. Kage.cp, which im not sure where i can get, nor if its as simple as pasting the file over. Thirdly, when i start up a preview, its throws some sort of sound related error, although the sound seems to be working fine. Is it something i should be worried about?
Thanks. ^^
I took the liberty to capitalize your i's and add apostrophes. 8 edits in total. You get this one as a freebie :cop:
-
Grammar never was my strong point. XD Well, as for the model names, what you said worked, thank you. As a side effect, however, it unassociated all the models with their respective objects. T~T As far as the kage file, I can only find the source code in the folder where the .exe is supposed to be. I tried compiling it, but I think I lack the libraries to compile the file. As for the sound issue, as long as it isn't going to rend my computer wire from wire, I can deal with it for now, while I'm messing around with the scripting and tile sets to get a feel for it.
-
Never mind grammar. Just use English capitalization and punctuation and spelling. Oh and paragraphs! Just try harder for SOM and everyone else. If there is a lot of demand I will make an Ebonics language forum or something :rainbow:
Your map won't play until you fix the sound issue. It might play thanks to the measures put in place by that message box. But you are knocking yourself out to keep running into it. Anyway SomEx.dll 1.1.1.6 was officially released earlier today. It automatically fixes the bug for SOM.
You need to post what steps you took to break your install. It sounds like you are not following the guides. Could save yourself some trouble to review them. You never know.
Most people come here after spending time with an English fan-translated SOM only to find that they need to install SOM in a second place. Then they map their new install to the old install.
The guides are fairly straightforward but I don't mind racking up some threads in this sub forum that illustrate the missteps people will commonly make.
You don't need to "compile" anything. The source code is just in there so everyone has a copy of it to be sure that it is never truly lost by any mechanism.
Does the message box not tell you what folder it is looking for a kage.cp file in? I am inclined to just ignore kage.cp. But if you can figure out what folders it should be in I will add kage.cp files to the file repository here. Anyway SOM doesn't seem to actually need it but when the kage.mdl file is loaded up it expects a matching kage.cp file.
Offtopic: Hmm. I wonder why your posts say you "has 0 posts" along the bottom. That's not good???
EDITED: Oh yeah. I'm sure it's because posts to this sub forum don't count against your total.
-
PS: If you post each point in its own paragraph it is easier to respond to them one by one with quotes and everything.
Anyway to update SomEx.dll you must update the SomEx.csv file with Subversion as normal. It will trigger an update when you run one of the programs. That's probably explained in at least one of the guides too. But I figured what the hell. May as well cover all of the bases.
-
It seems to be pointing to the data\enemy\model folder of my previous install. Hm.
Also, I meant to say that I cannot find the cpgen.exe, only the source code for it.
Perhaps this is related or maybe it isn't, but NPC models will not show up in game, or in the editor. The Npc is still there, it can be interacted, but it is invisible.
-
Aha!
It occurred to me this morning what you are describing. This is normal anyway so it didn't pop into my head when I was thinking about things you could be doing wrong...
Basically you already have a project going. And your project is looking for the pieces with the old Japanese names you were using. So you just need to go back to SOM_PRM and reassign the pieces and save.
All executable files (exe and dll) go into the tool folder. I've made a note to add kage.cp files to the SOM repository here. You should only need cpgen.exe if you are making your own models. At some point I am going to build it into SomEx.dll so it can automatically generate cp files at run time and cache them (if it makes sense to) so we don't have to keep track of them or even fuss with them. We will only be keeping the .cp files that are installed with SOM for reference. Although they will probably be deleted in later revisions at some point.
PS: Incidentally it was recently brought to my attention that SOM_MAP (and friends presumably) don't seem to default to the project folder when looking for files the way som_db.exe (the game testing program) does. Makes you wonder why som_db.exe does that. Probably to be compatible with som_rt.exe. But anyway I am going to have to add that functionality soon because it is bad practice to keep custom stuff in the general data folder...
At the same time I am going to setup a new .set file system that is already implemented in the database here so you we can organize pieces into sets, and so you can pick out the set/pieces you want included in your project so so many don't have to be loaded up and sorted through, and so you can keep files anywhere and share them between projects...
And finally after I do that I will sit down and prepare a new English language pack and some stuff to list pieces by set in the tools (probably pieces will be able to appear within more than one set) and finally then people may want to use the new English translation so I will finally pull together a language pack neutral system that has been on the back burner for lack of demand which would have saved you from this trouble in the first place :smokin:
EDITED: Also, just so you know it isn't necessary to unzip the language packs. And it occurred to me that the SOM_RUN image in the language packs is cracked, so you can actually use SOM_RUN without a SOM disc if you are not using the original program that is in the tool folder. Presumably only Japanese users will use that file and they are in Japan so they can order a copy from From if they are not out of them.
FYI: From did tell a fan in Japan that it doesn't care what people outside of Japan do with SOM because at the very least the laws that apply to it are not even technically in effect. Also I intend to setup an alternative to SOM_RUN called SOM_NET. People have a lot of trouble with SOM_RUN once they are ready to share/demo their projects. Especially with custom stuff since SOM_RUN is a lot pickier than the other tools. Plus it doesn't know about Ex. But I don't know when I will get to that. There is a very useful extension for SOM_RUN in the Editor section if you get that far.
-
I apologize. I get the gist of what you are saying, but I'm not sure I follow. My NPC models don't appear because the program is looking in the wrong folder?
-
I apologize. I get the gist of what you are saying, but I'm not sure I follow. My NPC models don't appear because the program is looking in the wrong folder?
When you Preview the pieces in SOM_PRM do you see a visual or is it just black? If it isn't black then you need to assign pieces to your NPCs, objects, etc. If you don't Save your assignments will be lost (edited: you should probably be trying basic stuff like this before looking for help either way. By default SOM is not a creature of convenience)
If this doesn't work you will have to go into greater detail before I can make any sense of what might be going on.
-
I know how to set the models to their respective objects, at the least. :P I have the models set in SOM_PRM, saved, and I can see them there, but when I try to place an NPC onto a board, it wont show up, in game or in SOM_MAP's viewer.
-
I know how to set the models to their respective objects, at the least. :P I have the models set in SOM_PRM, saved, and I can see them there, but when I try to place an NPC onto a board, it wont show up, in game or in SOM_MAP's viewer.
Well the plot thickens then. Do:
[Output]
do_missing_file_dialog_ok = no
In your project's EX.ini file, in the folder with your .som file. In other words don't suppress the missing file dialog if you did that earlier.
Choose OK and see if you are missing the files for the pieces you are not seeing.
Sorry you are off to a rough start. To be honest Verdite is the only other person that I know for sure is using Ex successfully and he is making all of his artwork from scratch, so I don't know if he even has any of the original files in his Data folders.
PS: Can you please edit the Subject of your first post so that future users can get an inkling of what the thread is about?
Also which route did you take before? The language pack? Or the alternative data folder?
-
Well, I used the language pack, and didn't unzip it, but once I used the alternative data folder is when it worked.
As for the NPC problem, when I added that line to my SOM_EX.ini file, it caused missing file error messages to stop popping up, and now, I can hear the NPC walk around, but I still cant see him. :updown:
As for which files it told me I am missing, there are three. Kage.cp, 0177.mdl, and 0179.mdl, which I assume may be my invisible NPC problem, although I don't quite understand. I seem to remember fiddling with the npc model but it had little change on the outcome, and I can see it in SOM_PRM viewer. I dont remember this error message showing until I changed the NPC model to something different. Maybe its not related at all. :yumm:
-
As for the NPC problem, when I added that line to my SOM_EX.ini file, it caused missing file error messages to stop popping up, and now, I can hear the NPC walk around, but I still cant see him. :updown:
My mistake,
That should have been do_missing_file_dialog_ok = no :doh:
What is the path to the files that are missing? Which data folder does it go to? Seems the problem is the files are not in there right?
-
I added a 0 sized kage.cp file to the files here, but it's really of no use since most people using SOM right now will be using an alternative data folder that won't contain it. You should add your own to data/enemy/model/kage.cp.
I dunno. What you are describing just sounds impossible. Is there just those 2 NPCs in your map? I presume the map tiles themselves do appear?
-
As for which files it told me I am missing, there are three. Kage.cp, 0177.mdl, and 0179.mdl, which I assume may be my invisible NPC problem, although I don't quite understand.
I looked and there are no files anywhere that look remotely like 0177.mdl or 0179.mdl. Where did you get your files from?
-
The error points to my old install of SOM, not the EX version. I assume it points there because of the alternate data folder? :confused:
-
The error points to my old install of SOM, not the EX version. I assume it points there because of the alternate data folder? :confused:
Yes it does. But why does it point to "0177.mdl and 0179.mdl" and why are those not part of your install? Any ideas? No such file as those come with Sword of Moonlight.
Anyway, can we please do this in fewer posts? You need to supply more information in your next post. Or I just won't be able to help you any further. I recommend you try making a new project from scratch until you have a better idea of how things work.
EDITED: For the record for SOM to access those they must be in your project's PARAM files. In which case they must be put there by SOM_PRM. SOM_PRM looks in the installed .prf files for the models. Then when you save the PARAM files are updated.
-
I understand how the program works, how to place things, how to save things etc etc, but I'm not all that sure why these error messages are popping up. Maybe I'm dumb and am doing something wrong, and I apologize for my noobyness.
I'm sorry my posts aren't all that long, but I don't really know enough to provide paragraphs of information for you. I'm trying to go at this one step at a time in order to keep myself from being overwhelmed. On the bright side, I did figure out what I was doing wrong, and I facepalmed so ridiculously hard I still have a headache. The size for the NPC's were set to 0.0 :doh: :doh: :doh: This harkens back to my first statement, on the subject of noobyness. :updown:
As for the error messages that pop up, the two with 177 and 179.mdl point to my old install data\sfx\model. I'm not exactly sure what those are, but nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.
So I suppose, for now, all my errors are fixed. Thank you. ^^
-
I understand how the program works, how to place things, how to save things etc etc, but I'm not all that sure why these error messages are popping up. Maybe I'm dumb and am doing something wrong, and I apologize for my noobyness.
They are not error messages. They are helpful hints to let you know something is amiss. I see those too. I tend to just ignore them since I don't really have any projects to maintain.
I'm sorry my posts aren't all that long, but I don't really know enough to provide paragraphs of information for you.
I didn't want paragraphs. I just needed you to retrace the steps you took, because there was nothing else to go on. That's why I suggested just starting over with a new project since there didn't seem to be a way out.
I'm trying to go at this one step at a time in order to keep myself from being overwhelmed. On the bright side, I did figure out what I was doing wrong, and I facepalmed so ridiculously hard I still have a headache. The size for the NPC's were set to 0.0 :doh: :doh: :doh: This harkens back to my first statement, on the subject of noobyness. :updown:
I'm surprised that is a legal setting myself. Sounds like a bug to me. I've combed probably hundreds of bugs out of the game player over the last few years. I haven't even gotten started on the tools. I just worked on them enough to make them usable on today's computers. And most people still refuse to use Ex out of sheer self hatred one would presume. Pat yourself on the back.
That said any idea how they got to be 0 sized? That sounds like a bug too. Though one I've never seen. I don't think setting up the alternative data folder could have caused that. But anyway I recommend removing the language pack from your text folder as long as you are already using files that have been translated. No sense in translating them twice.
The language packs are kind of a proof of concept so far. They've been around for a while but no one has needed them. I happen to be set to do more work with them here soon, but as far as I know they do work. Last I checked anyway. I set them up first thing because I am always careful to maintain that SOM is Japanese by default.
As for the error messages that pop up, the two with 177 and 179.mdl point to my old install data\sfx\model. I'm not exactly sure what those are, but nothing seems to be out of the ordinary.
Oh yes. If you had mentioned SFX I would have known what was going on. I did do a search for those file names after giving up looking, but obviously that was completely ill-conceived because they don't exist right :doh:
Yeah I saw a couple missing SFX files when I looked to see where kage.cp was in the file tree. You have to forgive me. People assume I know a lot about SOM. But I focus very narrowly on this and that and even by the time I've focused on everything I will have forgotten how most things work.
So I suppose, for now, all my errors are fixed. Thank you. ^^
Please hang around and help others. I really can't justify spending my time this way. Thankfully "others" is so far a hypothetical for the most part. We need support and I just can't be it longterm. Not on every day matters at the least.
So you will be making a My Little Pony game? Time well spent then :xd:
Just kidding. I assume you want to use the artwork that comes with SOM? People say they are sick of it. But making new stuff is a time sink if you ask me. I could stand to play a lot more games with SOM's artwork alone myself. It's not like anything truly spectacular has been done with it so far. And SOM is a really great rapid-prototyping solution for any kind of adventure game. You can tell instantly if the game will be any good or not from a SOM mock up and then decide whether to invest more time into the details or not.
The artwork is rough around the edges. I am developing very ambitious editors that I will use to polish all of the rough spots away myself if I have to. Some help wouldn't hurt though. After the tools are ready to rock and roll that is :thumbsup:
-
If I had model making experience, I would LOVE to make a MLP game, but alas, I do not. :razz:
I plan to stick around, I'll be working on this little game and fiddling around with the engine a bit every day, I hope to be able to work more quickly in the future.
The biggest issue I'm having right is trying to layout the maps in efficient manner, that is still interesting to explore, yet balanced.
-
Something tells me MLP would not integrate into the community so well. Time well spent :xd:
If you've ever enjoyed Armored Core you can always make a stable of MLP themed ACs after I get that working (it's going to be a while)
-
I do enjoy some classic armored core. :P
-
I do enjoy some classic armored core. :P
I'm going to be remaking Master of Arena with SOM basically. Just versus. Other people can make missions if they want to. That and KF2. Would rather get MoA done first (both with data ripped from From's discs)
-
The size for the NPC's were set to 0.0 :doh: :doh: :doh:
When you use the delete button in the parameter editor it erases all the default settings for the selected slot- including setting size to 0. I've done that more than once myself :hearton:
-
The size for the NPC's were set to 0.0 :doh: :doh: :doh:
When you use the delete button in the parameter editor it erases all the default settings for the selected slot- including setting size to 0. I've done that more than once myself :hearton:
So that's a bug. Should be set to 1.
-
Here is a simple tip.
You can take the SOM_EX.exe file from the tool folder and make a copy of it in your project's folder. Then rename the EX part to the name of the map you want to test. Eg. SOM_00.exe. Then you can test your maps without going through all of SOM's tools.
It's invaluable to me. But I tend to spend most of my time testing things that aren't governed by the tools. At the very least you don't have to go through the title screen or SOM_MAP.
-
Well that's cool. :razz:
I've been tumbling ideas around in my head, and I know it's going to take a while for me to finish, really just the tedium of making everything mesh smoothly.
The gist of the game I'm building is much like Battlespire, if you've ever played it, and I plan on making it rather large.
-
Well that's cool. :razz:
Bite your tongue. I told you that because it could save you an awful lot of time and trouble. Just wait. You'll see.
The gist of the game I'm building is much like Battlespire, if you've ever played it, and I plan on making it rather large.
Well at least you know that whatever happens your game will be better looking :evil:
-
Correctamundo.
I'll be popping my head in and out time from time when I run into any gamebreaking stuff. Hopefully this thread can end up helping many a SOM_EX newcomer. Hopefully. :updown:
-
Well THAT was quick.
When an enemy strikes the player and deals damage, SOM_DB crashes, and that's literally all the information I have for you. :xd:
-
You'll have to attach your project file if you come across a bug. If it's big try to replicate it in a miniature project.
I see a potential zero divide if your maximum HP is zero. Not sure if that is possible.
-
As the maximum file size is 1.9 megs, and the project is well over 120, I'm not sure what I need to post. Just the .som file?
-
Your project folder should be ~2MBs before compression unless you have customs in its data folder. Make a copy of your project without BGMs and delete the MPX files in the MAP folder.
If it is much larger make a smaller project. This is the only way bugs that aren't affecting everyone ever get fixed.
EDITED: My test project compresses to 28KBs with save files. Figure something out.
-
I found an unrelated bug last night that broke some extensions that make the skyline much nicer. It will be fixed in the next release or trial but you can bypass it by setting sky_fadeline_multiplier less than 1. Then the horizon will blend into the sky. If you are using skies.
You can also do something like sky_distance_multiplier=1.2 and sky_fadeline_multiplier=0.8 to make the saturated area of the fog blend into the sky so that there is a smooth transition. That just says push the sky back 20% so that that bit is all fog. And then make 20% of that blend into the sky.
Makes things much simpler IMO and is nice. It's not realistic but neither is everything else fading in and out. It is snazzy though. I may sit down to make it a little nicer at some point. Right now the triangle order matters. But the same applies to SOM's fade in effect, so I probably shouldn't fix it unless that is fixed. Even if its not as good as it could be, better to be consistent.
Kind of embarrassed. SOM isn't so pretty out of the box.
EDITED: That should also make the fix'es to the skies in the IMAGES.INI file work if you copied that to your project folder as directed. Except I didn't get them all done. And I just noticed that sky02_1.txr is different in my alternative data folder, so must be someone took it upon themselves to alter it or something. How dare they corrupt the righteous files of Sword of Moonlight :rant2:
Things will be a lot better organized once the art files here can be canonical. There's just too much to keep track of :dazed:
-
Here is a proper sky with these fixes. Nothing really fancy except the main sky is 4x larger (or 2x, 4x area) and colorkey is disabled on the halo or skirt or whatever. Plus the blending is extensions. I only posted this because I spent a whole lot of time just now poring over these two cases to figure out what the hell is different (to make that sharp line in the right) when I should have been going to sleep.
I am pretty sure I know what it is now. Yet another bug. Probably because I totally reworked the sky stuff to radically simplify it a little while back after spending some time with one of SOM's bugs that proved quite revelatory. Apparently I broke many things in the process. Good finds :goodnight:
-
Hm. I did notice the skies are a little funky, but to be honest, those look much nicer, glitches and all. :xd:
Anyways, I had alot more custom junk than I thought. Here you go.
Please mind my very very very rough start. Just fiddling with the tools and getting a feel. :razz:
-
Hm. I did notice the skies are a little funky, but to be honest, those look much nicer, glitches and all. :xd:
Anyways, I had alot more custom junk than I thought. Here you go.
Please mind my very very very rough start. Just fiddling with the tools and getting a feel. :razz:
Just reminding everybody that we are busy making SOM if not realistic, at least easy on the eyes. And that is after all all that really should matter.
You cannot really use custom files in your project DATA folder yet. It works with som_db.exe for some reason but not SOM_MAP as far as I can tell, and probably not any of the other tools. The only thing custom you should have in your project folder is BGMs, pictures, and movies. Those have to go if you have to post a project for debugging.
I am going to be working on making SOM_MAP and friends work with the project data folder because the Ex data folder is not a place for custom anything. Its a folder where you synchronize public files on the internet which should go through a strict standardization and approval process. Obviously the only thing that is in there right now is the stuff that comes with SOM. After a major game is released we can think about integrating its contents. And the contents of other From' games will be added also over time.
Anyway I only mention this because if you need to post a test project you should only use game pieces that everyone has easy access too, so customs are out even if you have some. That said I happen to have a lot of the customs that have been around for a long time in my alternative data folder. But anything made in the last 2 or 3 years I won't have.
The holy grail is to make it so most games can be mostly made out of public domain stuff here (or elsewhere) online, so you can download a game that is only a couple megabytes initially and stream any of music and movies and stuff from the internet as you play. Like browsing a webpage. Most likely you will already have game pieces cached if you have played any other SOM games recently and as artwork is improved it will be automatically updated the next time you encounter it in game. Its an alternative vision to downloading a multi-gigabyte (internet clogging) demo for sure.
-
Before anything else you need to be spending a lot more time familiarizing yourself with Ex.
To begin with the SOM_EX.ini file in your project looks like it is setup for tools. You can put that kind of thing in your project Ex.ini but you probably want it in your tool/SOM_EX.ini file so it applies to all of your projects.
[Editor]
language_pack_to_use = Old English
;Read text/English.txt for download instructions.
;Place the language pack (do not unzip) in the text folder.
;It will be used automatically if it's the only one.
;Otherwise you can select the one you prefer below.
;language_pack_to_use = Old English
;do_hide_direct3d_hardware_devices = yes
;default_pixel_value = 00f
clip_volume_multiplier = 0.5
texture_subsamples = 2
[Folder]
;If you've been working with Som much prior to 2012 or so
;you'll probably want to point your Ex enabled install to your
;working data folder (from your previous Som install)
alternative_data_folder = C:\Program files\Sword of Moonlight\data
;Same deal with your tool folder if you have anything special in
;there, or don't want to use the available language packs.
alternative_tool_folder = C:\Program files\Sword of Moonlight\data
Also your alternative_tool_folder there is pointing to a data folder! I am kind of surprised this even works. That may be a bug in and of itself.
Your project Ex.ini file should look more like http://svn.swordofmoonlight.net/SAMPLE/Example/Example%20Ex.ini (http://svn.swordofmoonlight.net/SAMPLE/Example/Example%20Ex.ini). By not following instructions or preparing you can only hurt yourself. If your CS teachers didn't teach you that first thing in college you didn't get your moneys worth.
That Example Ex.ini file is getting pretty long in the tooth. But I don't think it will get updated anytime too soon. It's a start. You just need to study the extension documentation in the wiki and follow the discourse.
-
PS: Plus there is that not everyone has the same tools setup!
Here is the project Ex.ini file I made so to not give myself a headache.
Prison of Darkness
[Locale]
do_use_builtin_english_by_default
do_use_builtin_locale_date_format
[Window]
do_not_hide_window_on_startup
window_title_to_use = Prison of Darkness
do_force_fullscreen_inside_window
do_scale_640x480_modes_to_setting
do_auto_pause_window_while_inactive
directx_version_to_use_for_window = 9
shader_model_to_use = 3
;shader_compatability_level = 0
;do_force_refresh_on_vertical_blank
;do_force_immediate_vertical_refresh
[Option]
do_st
do_aa
;do_log
do_wasd
do_mouse
do_pause
do_cursor
do_escape
do_mipmaps
do_dither
do_smooth
do_invert
do_fog
do_lights
do_ambient
do_hdr
do_sounds
do_bpp
;do_highcolor
do_anisotropy
;obsolete
do_bob
do_sway
do_dash
do_walk
do_pedal
do_red
[Detail]
escape_analog_modes = uzxy-y, xzuv-v
[Analog]
error_allowance = 0.02
error_allowance2 = 0.04
error_tolerance = 0.1
error_clearance = 0.2
[Player]
player_character_radius = 0.375
[Adjust]
fov_frustum_multiplier = 1.2
pc_walk_speed_multiplier = 0.5
pc_dash_speed_multiplier = 0.5
[Script]
;status_fonts_height = 50
;status_fonts_to_use = 200% 100
[Bugfix]
do_fix_any_trivial = yes
do_fix_any_nontrivial = yes
[Output]
function_overlay_mask = c0
function_overlay_tint = fe0
function_overlay_contrast = 000
do_missing_file_dialog_ok
You also neglected to copy the IMAGES.INI file in the tool folder to your project folder as instructed so some of your textures that aren't compatible with Direct3D 9 will look worse than they could.
This is something that would be nice to fix. But its also easy to follow directions.
The bug you were experiencing was due to their not being an [Option] section. It will be fixed in the next release or trial. You did the right thing and your game looked promising. Most people seem a little bitchy when they find their first bug and don't want to help fix it.
They don't realize that's the only way bugs get fixed. And how lucky they are that anyone is up to fixing it.
EDITED: Oh yes you can press F12 for information and Esc for dual analog modes.
I added do_not_hide_window_on_startup in case your game gets stuck starting up but it will appear to be unresponsive while loading. It makes it easier to kill than looking for the background process in Task Manager.
I slowed down your moving speeds to. You can press F4 to fly through the map at 3x speed. Go vertical with Alt or Insert/PageUp I don't know what analog settings to use at the speeds you had, and it might require a larger clipping radius than you would like unless you use do_dpad.
-
BTW: I recommend using much more subtle directional lighting. Just so there are defined edges. It makes things feel solid but not unrealistic.
-
And you can get around the map tiles disappearing here and there by not checking the Optimize Map feature in SOM_MAP. Ideally you want your map optimized but even if you are careful to make sure everything is properly closed off you can still have issues if you don't keep your maps very simple like those of the KF1 remake.
No one really understands how optimization works. Probably its just based on the simple closure info in the PRF or MHM files one (irrespective of elevation) but you can't see that in SOM_MAP regretfully. We'll get around to figuring it out eventually.
-
I am pretty sure I know what it is now. Yet another bug. Probably because I totally reworked the sky stuff to radically simplify it a little while back after spending some time with one of SOM's bugs that proved quite revelatory. Apparently I broke many things in the process. Good finds :goodnight:
It turns out this bug was a long outstanding assumption in the shader (GPU micro program) that if you have do_[alpha]fog on everything would be in fog. Except that the sky is not in fog! The sky is drawn around the PCs head like an astronaut's helmet. So if the fog starts in front of the sky helmet it blends with the sky.
It's a nice feeling knowing that if there are any more bugs on the player's end it is probably in the SomEx.dll source code and not in SOM. Not that I expected this to be a SOM bug, but in retrospect I guess it could have been. Anyway, wasn't what I was expecting. But it is progress.
-
Hey sweet!
I spent the most of today fixing a bug thanks to your project. I noticed that the intense directional lighting wasn't lighting the furniture.
http://csv.swordofmoonlight.net/SomEx.dll/1.1.1.6.zip
I think I would have caught this sooner except I tend to work with toy test projects and Verdite never uses lights with his Rathmor project. I've given up on even mentioning the idea. And as far as I know you two are the only dudes working with Ex.
But honestly people tend to not use the map-wide directional lights, and if you do its best to make them subtle as I suggested above, so I might not have noticed them in other games I sometimes toy with.
PS/Offtopic: there is a do_arm extension that lets the arm flail about in this build in case anyone wants to try it.
While I am posting,
I also noticed today that SOM_EX.exe got linked against Windows' debug C runtime somehow. I don't know if that will run on everyone's computer but I haven't had any complaints so far. I intend to try to clean it up (something I've been meaning to do for a while) and update it here in a bit.
EDITED: So even if you drop SOM like a bad habit in short order like probably 95% or more people do, you contributed to something :wink:
-
FYI: The experience points in the F6 overlay got fixed because of your project here. It was being shown as a 16bit number, but your starting experience was too large to be 16bit.
And I just fixed the Strength and Magic displays too. Not sure what happened there but they are not showing the bonuses (of your equipment) correctly. Strength was actually setup differently from Magic, so most probably I just got distracted at some point.
Also if you want to have those overlays on when you start your game you can change function_overlay_mask to c1. The last digit will turn them on if odd, off if even. Increment it (you can also just do f12_function_overlay_mask=1 but I don't want to explain how you must set them in order :rolleyes:)
-
For the record, I just noticed that the silence.wav BGM fix didn't take for your project because it doesn't have a BGM folder. This will be fixed in 1.1.1.7.
-
Even at a full kilobyte of silence this file sometimes pops when coming on. As far as I can tell it is correct. It occurred to me that SOM does play .mid files. It might be much simpler (more compact) to just use a silence MIDI file. Something to look into.
-
I should have took the time to search this section...
I started recently as well, and I ran into a similar issue that SaneGino did.
However, when I started another project, it said that it was missing the IMAGES.INI file. Now the funny part is that it was directing to the Sword of Moonlight folder, not my Sword of Moonlight EX folder that I made for this project.
I did the alternative path, but I don't think that helped in terms of the IMAGES.INI issue.
How would I go about fixing this?
-
I should have took the time to search this section...
I started recently as well, and I ran into a similar issue that SaneGino did.
However, when I started another project, it said that it was missing the IMAGES.INI file. Now the funny part is that it was directing to the Sword of Moonlight folder, not my Sword of Moonlight EX folder that I made for this project.
I did the alternative path, but I don't think that helped in terms of the IMAGES.INI issue.
How would I go about fixing this?
The information here is outdated. I think you should make a new thread in this board, and explain first if you are migrating an existing project, or beginning a new project. Because that will make a difference.
Either way the easiest approach right now is probably to make sure you are up-to-date and just make a new project, and then copy your existing project over it, and begin working with the new project folder.
Also I encourage you to make a new thread so something can be written there about best practices. The biggest difference between now and the information here, is now we use the project's SOM file for matters such as where to locate files and folders (this is explained in the Getting Started page, but likely not very well. SOM is Alpha right now. So you shouldn't expect setup to be a walk in the park, and shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. But neither should you not try to do as much on your own as possible.)
EDITED: I see you've made a new topic/thread already. Why not just use that one to carry on? I've moved it to this board: http://www.swordofmoonlight.net/bbs2/index.php?topic=177.0