[MetHy]

Daedolon, on 04 May 2016 - 09:25 AM, said:

Need to look into the differences between versions at some point as well. No clue for the actual purpose of the post, but hey.

Yeah I started doing that in the Build Demos thread but it's nothing serious or organized. Also I may be wrong about Pirhanas being more aggressive; and the snake shots CAN backfire in the final game too just not as easily.

Edit : Ah yes also, Powerslave uses a different scale. It seems a bigger scale than that of Tekwar or Duke3D, kinda like Shadow Warrior.
I spent so much time editing SW in m32 I didn't even notice until now because I was used to it.

Anyway Powerslave isn't Shadow Warrior, it's a much more simpler game. Referencing every effect and how they work shouldn't take TOO long, though it all depends on how the more complicated effects work . Like sectors that move back&forth, can you control speed and distance? Some of them bob up/down, some don't... This is probably a separate effect and both can be combined. I'll look into that tomorrow.

I haven't looked at that yet either but I can bet the time limit and timer in Lev20 is hardcoded and not an editor effect like the others.

[t800]

Hey, what do we have here? New thread...
Looking forward to your map MetHy, what you can accomplish.

Several quirks I noticed (in final Powerslave):
- Setup lists only one compatible VESA mode - 640x480, but in fact it is 640x400. You cant force unsupported resolutions through editing SETUP.CFG.
- If you run game in 320x200, splash screen before showing menu will display "Lobotomy Software Inc. 3D Engine by 3D Realms", but if you run it in VESA, it is curiously absent.
- You can pretty much redefine freely any controls except crouching. When I discovered that "controls fix", I decided to redefine keys to WASD key set, and so I obviously redefined crouching to C. But this made crouching unreliable and rather random. So it has to be either default Z/Y or other function key like Ctrl, Alt, etc. But it musnt be different "letter key".
- Did you know there is 3rd person view too? You can toggle it via Alt+C. But it seems to me rather buggy and unfinished, because it changes view perspective if you get close to walls.

Few observations from beta shareware release:
- You actually can redefine controls, even when there is no option for that in Setup by editing SETUP.CFG. Problem is that redefined movement keys makes you move too sluggishly and Run key used with them prevents you from movement.
- "Crouching glitch" seems to be shared among all versions.
- In README.TXT, developers apologize for absence of mouse support. You can still force it trough SETUP.CFG by chaning ControllerType, but this will only allow to utilize mouse buttons.
- BTW your movement tricks dont work in this beta, MetHy.
- Obviously, "controls fix" doesnt work with this version. Patcher doesnt even recognize executable.
- Only official resolution 320x200 works, others cant be forced by editing .CFG, not even 640x400.

I am in 8th level now and so far I stumbled upon secret ladies from 3rd and 7th level. Where are they located in 1st one?

[Daedolon]

Didn't know ALT+F5 works too, I've used the ALT+C mentioned in the manuals.

[t800]

Daedolon, on 04 May 2016 - 11:44 AM, said:

Didn't know ALT+F5 works too, I've used the ALT+C mentioned in the manuals.

Oops, typo. It is Alt+C.

[Daedolon]

I'm getting some wonky responsiveness with the control patch, sometimes strafing stops working altogether and sometimes I can't look around properly. Should figure out a fix to end all fixes.

[t800]

Daedolon, on 04 May 2016 - 11:48 AM, said:

I'm getting some wonky responsiveness with the control patch, sometimes strafing stops working altogether and sometimes I can't look around properly. Should figure out a fix to end all fixes.

For strafing are you using Strafe left and right keys? If you enabled faster strafing option, you musnt use them anymore. Now Turn left and right keys supplement their function.

[Daedolon]

Nice, works like a charm now.

I bound crouch to LCTRL and just rebound the fire buttons to something else (Z and X work at least) so they won't overwrite the LCTRL bind. Classic modern WASD setup now and it works perfectly (now I just wish I had more control over mouse).

EDIT: Basically, I'm lacking inverted mouse aiming, which is the last step that stops me from completely enjoying the controls.

[Daedolon]

t800, on 04 May 2016 - 11:38 AM, said:

- Setup lists only one compatible VESA mode - 640x480, but in fact it is 640x400. You cant force unsupported resolutions through editing SETUP.CFG.

I noticed that Exhumed (full ver) doesn't like the setup stuff at all. Like you said, it only accepts 400 or 200 as the vertical resolution (not sure about higher resolutions, since I always play BUILD engine games at 640x400), so when you set it to 640x480 in the setup, the game gets confused by 480 and resets it back to 200. Since 640x200 is not a supported resolution, it defaults to 320x200.

[Kyanos]

Daedolon, on 04 May 2016 - 12:07 PM, said:

Nice, works like a charm now.

I bound crouch to LCTRL and just rebound the fire buttons to something else (Z and X work at least) so they won't overwrite the LCTRL bind. Classic modern WASD setup now and it works perfectly (now I just wish I had more control over mouse).

EDIT: Basically, I'm lacking inverted mouse aiming, which is the last step that stops me from completely enjoying the controls.

I'd try tossing bmouse in if I were you, worth a shot. I doubt it's compatible but had to mention it. I want to play this with proper strafe and mouse

[Daedolon]

The engine is old enough not to support external controllers. Adding MouseScale or Flip stuff into the CFG don't help either. I guess if I knew where the mouse aiming speed was defined in the exe, I could just fork a - inside there somewhere.

[Hendricks266]

Has anyone looked at the Japanese release of Powerslave?

[Daedolon]

Who'll ever run into a copy?

EDIT: I'm pretttty sure they never released the PC version in Japan, ever. PSX and SS versions are the only ones available. So guess that totals to:

Exhumed (PC)
Exhumed (Sat) [670-9462-50]
Exhumed (PS) [SLES-00097]
Powerslave (PC)
Powerslave (Sat) [T-13205H]
Powerslave (PS) [SLUS-00102]
西暦1999 ファラオの復活 (Sat) [T-18001G]
西暦1999 ファラオの復活 (PS) [SLPS-00599]

[Kyanos]

Daedolon, on 04 May 2016 - 12:45 PM, said:

The engine is old enough not to support external controllers. Adding MouseScale or Flip stuff into the CFG don't help either. I guess if I knew where the mouse aiming speed was defined in the exe, I could just fork a - inside there somewhere.

The source of the patch has locations of some stuff.

  PatchList: Array[1..PatchByte] Of TPatchList = (
    { Run (7) - revert logic }
    (Offset: ($000367FE, $0003639B); Values: ($74, $75)), { always run }
    { Mouseview (25) - always on }
    (Offset: ($00036887, $00036424); Values: ($E9, $B8)), { [3] allow mouseview when Move_Forward }
    (Offset: ($000368B1, $0003644E); Values: ($E9, $BA)), { [4] allow mouseview when Move_Backward }
    (Offset: ($000368EF, $0003648C); Values: ($42, $00)), { [1] always mouseview }
    (Offset: ($00039A7E, $000395B9); Values: ($02, $00)), { [2] turn off center view }
    { Strafe (4) - revert logic (always strafe; faster than strafe left / strafe right) }
    (Offset: ($00036A81, $0003661E); Values: ($84, $85)), { [1] revert logic }
    (Offset: ($00036AA6, $00036643); Values: ($87, $57)), { [2] go to mouse_look_turn }
    (Offset: ($00036AB0, $0003664D); Values: ($21, $1C)), { [4] go to [3] }
    (Offset: ($00036ACE, $0003666B); Values: ($5F, $2F)), { [3] go to mouse_look_turn }
    { /cdoff always enabled }
    (Offset: ($000A2EC2, $000A1B8A); Values: ($00, $01)), { nocd }
    { that patch byte needed only for Exhumed - skips MSCDEX check }
    (Offset: ($0005AB77, $00000000); Values: ($75, $EB))
  );

[Daedolon]

Yeah I was just looking at that earlier, should peek in the EXE file to see what kind of other data is nearby those positions. Luckily the source code is out so we can just stab a more easily readable C program if we figure more things out, not a fan of Pascal.

[t800]

Hendricks, while you, TerminX and co. hold honor to look after beta materials; havent you got chance to notice anything connected with Powerslave? Maybe something from Ruins era prior Playmates acquisition?

[Hendricks266]

Nothing related to Powerslave in the stuff. That said, Fred didn't send us all the hard drive data he copied. Someday I want to go to Denmark, do a forensics grade backup, and take a copy home with me.

[MetHy]

Daedolon, on 04 May 2016 - 02:12 PM, said:

Luckily the source code is out so we can just stab a more easily readable C program if we figure more things out, not a fan of Pascal.

I'm sorry? You have the Powerslave/Exhumed sourcecode?

[Lunick]

MetHy, on 04 May 2016 - 11:48 PM, said:

I'm sorry? You have the Powerslave/Exhumed sourcecode?

I think he might mean the source code of the patch, otherwise I'm not sure what he's been drinking

[MetHy]

Of course he means that, I'm just not fully awake yet.

But speaking of that, I'm sure you guys have already nicely asked the remaining findable people of Lobotomy Software if they'd know anything about the sourcecode to the game?

[Lunick]

The sprite of the player is animated in Multiplayer

Music also doesn't play in multiplayer and the music starts playback when all other players leave.

[MetHy]

I wonder how this game works in co-op. After all the entire adventure is built to be played from map#1 onwards as you can only pick up most weapons once in the entire game. That would mean if you played in co-op you'd have to do it from map#1 too? Maybe it's possible to start from a savefile and therefore both players have the weapons available to that save file?

I didn't spot any MP only item in the maps but I may not have paid attention. Come to think of it, I don't remember any co-op spawn point either?

I also wonder if it's possible to jump on your partner's heads, that would allow for tons of sequence breaking considering a lot of level design is based on the jump height limit.

The game has a lot of DM only maps, like a dozen, although some of them are parts from the SP levels cut off and re-arranged.

[Lunick]

It's a bit annoying to start multiplayer. You have to put in the number of the level you want to start but it doesn't give you any indication of the name of the level so you have to put in a number from 1 to 32. It looks like that items respawn after a certain amount of time in any level you pick.

Also it is really annoying every time I go into setup, the game rebinds the fire key as LCTRL...

[Daedolon]

MetHy, on 04 May 2016 - 11:56 PM, said:

Of course he means that, I'm just not fully awake yet.

Yeah and it was late for me writing that, first sentence is about looking in the EX.EXE and second is about the source of the patch, I guess it could be mistaken.

[MetHy]

Lunick, on 05 May 2016 - 12:27 AM, said:

Also it is really annoying every time I go into setup, the game rebinds the fire key as LCTRL...

Ah yes, at some point CTRL suddenly became fire too for me (as well as the strafe key, which is what I binded it to) but I was wondering why.

Also sometimes my CAPSLOCK autorunning trick just doesn't work anymore but I suspect it's DOSbox acting up when I do several alt+tab; not sure. I think I'll just use the patch anyway from now on.

[Daedolon]

Lunick, on 05 May 2016 - 12:27 AM, said:

Also it is really annoying every time I go into setup, the game rebinds the fire key as LCTRL...

MetHy, on 05 May 2016 - 12:31 AM, said:

Ah yes, at some point CTRL suddenly became fire too for me (as well as the strafe key, which is what I binded it to) but I was wondering why.

Daedolon, on 04 May 2016 - 12:07 PM, said:

I bound crouch to LCTRL and just rebound the fire buttons to something else (Z and X work at least) so they won't overwrite the LCTRL bind.

[Hendricks266]

MetHy, on 04 May 2016 - 11:56 PM, said:

But speaking of that, I'm sure you guys have already nicely asked the remaining findable people of Lobotomy Software if they'd know anything about the sourcecode to the game?

There is one guy we haven't been able to contact yet, but we assume the PC source is lost.

[deuxsonic]

Powerslave EX is a good remake of the PS1 version. I realize Powerslave is 3 different games on the 3 platforms but that's at least one you can play in a modern fashion. It would be nice to have a source port of the DOS version but, like Blood, I suspect the only way we're going to see it is if it's also remade rather than a source port since the source is likely gone.

[HulkNukem]

I still have Powerslave EX (if anyone wants it, contact me through PM)
I haven't played Powerslave beyond that but I've heard about it before; I got maybe 3/4 of the way through, and its been a number of months since I've last launched it, and I think it all comes down to the level progression. I thought I would like the replay levels with new upgrades to get to new areas, but its making the game more of a chore, especially when everything, breakable walls, objects, enemies, etc all respawn even if you beat the level, and you replay the whole thing only to discover nope, you can't beat it yet, you must replay another level. And god forbid you die as theres no saves, only replaying the whole level.
I know the original PC version doesn't have the overworld map and level select, and I think at this point I'd prefer that. I love the setting and gameplay, just hate the level progression.

[MrFlibble]

t800, on 04 May 2016 - 11:38 AM, said:

I am in 8th level now and so far I stumbled upon secret ladies from 3rd and 7th level. Where are they located in 1st one?

When you enter the Sphinx, in the series of dark rooms with spiders check the alcoves with braziers to the right.

[leilei]

I'm curious about the Japanese version. Obviously, something had been censored there.