How to start CSB under Linux?

Discuss Chaos Strikes Back, the "expansion pack" for Dungeon Master.
This forum may contain spoilers.
Forum rules
Please read the Forum rules and policies before posting.
Post Reply
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

Hallo,

I have just finished Dungeon Master (using it in a Windows-7-Virtual-Machine), and now I would like to try Chaos Strikes Back.
Since my host operating system is Linux (Linux Mint 17 Qiana), so more or less Ubuntu, I decided to download & install CSB directly under Linux.

Now I have downloaded the CSB from this link:
http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=taxonomy/term/2 ... rder=title

and have no idea how to run or install it (yes, I am a Linux-Greenhorn...)

The description on the website says, I should just run the CSBwin-Programm. But when I click on it or try to "run" by right-mouse-click-sub-menu - nothing happens.
The same when I click the "csbwin.sh" file or the "csb-win-linux-install.sh".

There was some progress when I tried to run the "csb-win-linux-install.sh" as "sudo" in the console. It installed the game under /usr/local/games/csbwin - without asking me about the installation path. So what - I tried to run "/usr/local/games/csbwin/csbwin.sh" (so the now installed, not the downloaded) - and then came the error "NO GAME DIRECTORY PROVIDED".
In the README I found this:
"Game packages are to be unzipped into: "/usr/local/share/CSBwin/$GAMENAME",
and MUST have a file "dungeon.dat" there."
But I have not yet started the game, so how can I have any "dungeon.dat" file?...


So, to make it short: What would be the easiest way to start playing CSB on Linux for a guy like me?... I have heard that CSB is much harder that DM, but I did not expect the difficulties will start with the installation!
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

Just to let you know that I am not ignoring you.
I wrote CSBWin. But someone else ported it to Linux.
I have never used the Linux version and am probably
greener than you when it comes to using Linux.

I do know that the Linux version is a bit outdated.
But Chaos Strikes Back should work well with the
included program.

This is probably not of much value to you but I
am attempting to learn a bit about Linux and
I think I will make an attempt to update the
Linux version of CSBWin myself. A bit of a
challenge for an old man like myself and no
guarantee of success.

I hope someone else will be able to give you more
immediate help. If not, I will report my progress
as I learn.
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

Hi Paul,

so far I managed to run ChaosStrikesBack under Linux with WINE-Emulator, and it works.
Now I saved one game and have one file named "dungeon.dat" - and will try to copy it into my Linux-Directory and then start the game.
Any success will be reported... :-)
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

Oh,oh,oh.....wow. I am very much encouraged.
I have managed to compile CSBwin version 12.3
and have played the game as far as opening the
prison doors. There I need an additional file.

Also, I have not checked for sound.

But this is further than I expected to be at this time.
Linux is great. For experts. There appears to be a
lot of obfuscation (intentional???) taking place. I am
trying to remove the complications in the compilation/
installation/running of CSBwin. Mostly because I don't
understand the complications! The old build process
required a 'makefile' that produced another 'makefile'
that produced an executable. Sheeze!
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

I am able to create a new adventure, enter the dungeon,
pick up a dagger, and get killed by a Purple Worm.
Keyboard works. No sounds yet.

Sorry about the double posting.
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

I was hoping someone would reply so that I could avoid triple posting.
Oh, well. Even if I get banned, I can still read any feedback.

I uploaded:
http://dianneandpaul.net/CSBwin/Games/C ... 150308.tar

This works very well on my Ubuntu on my virtual machine running
under Vista. It consists of four files that should go into a common
directory. Then simply run the CSBwin executable. If I get any
feedback I will either try to fix problems or I will make the release
more official. If anyone wants to compile it themselves, I can post
the source code. I have no idea why it is so large.....perhaps because
I included debugging information. I can get rid of that. It is not
the latest version of CSBwin but it is close.
User avatar
Igor Poulpupov
Artisan
Posts: 167
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:30 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Igor Poulpupov »

Paul Stevens wrote:I was hoping someone would reply so that I could avoid triple posting.
Oh, well. Even if I get banned, I can still read any feedback.
What? They would ban the creator of CSBwin (and a global moderator) for 3 successive posts in 2 days !?
Damn, I hope they won't see that I managed 4 posts in 2 hours a few days ago... :?

I currently don't have a linux computer to help, but I admire your dedication... That's it, end of spam, now you can post again. :wink:
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

Thank you. Now I can let it be known that I replaced the original tar file.
The new one has the config.linux file which I had forgotten to include.
I also reduced the size of the executable by a factor of three by removing
the debugging information.

Off-topic....I would have edited my earlier post and avoided the multiple
postings but I can no longer find the 'Edit' button. Anyone know why it
seems to have disappeared? All I see is a 'Quote' button.
Edit: Well, this entry has an 'Edit' button....none of the earlier ones do.
User avatar
Saumun
High Lord
Posts: 2238
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 3:03 am
Location: The Ether

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Saumun »

Don't know if there is a time limit, or whether the edit button disappears after you leave the thread...
I had the same trouble a few days ago.
I had already double posted (which contained a mistake i could not edit), and had to wait days for someone else to post.

EDIT: Hmmm... Just left the thread and came back to edit this, so must be a time limit.
“Grynix Ernum Quey Ki Skebow Rednim U Os Dey Wefna Enocarn Aquantana” - Anon
Mindiell
Neophyte
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 1:55 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Mindiell »

Hi there,

I'm new here, but a very big fan of DM and CSB.
I'm under linux, I know a lot about it but it seems I'm unable to use the compiled CSBwin of Paul Stevens.

Paul, could you please point an url on your sources in order I can try to compile them ? What are you using, pure C ?

Thx for all the great job, I'ld be so happy to be able to play DM again !
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

I have a new version of DM and CSB for linux just
about ready for release. If you wait a couple of days then
you will be able to get a release that works much better
than the old release. It runs Conflux, for example, flawlessly.

CSBwin uses C++. The old versions had a lot of difficulty
with sound, for example, and did not implement some of the
visual effects of Conflux.
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

I'm unable to use the compiled CSBwin of Paul Stevens.
OK. I have CSBwin working nicely under Ubuntu 14. It has been
updated to use SDL2.0.

Can we work together to get this going on your computer?
My email address is displayed at:
http://www.dianneandpaul.net/DianneGenealogy/email.gif
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

Hi Paul,

I downloaded both files,
http://www.dianneandpaul.net/CSBwin/CSB ... 51202-1230
http://www.dianneandpaul.net/CSBwin/CSB ... 51201-2133
and... dont know what to do now :-)
I am a Linux-user for more than 2 years, but no IT-expert. When I try to "run" the files, nothing happens (not even an error). In "Properties" it is set to "executable", so it should not be a rights problem. Are the files packed or have to be compiled first?
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

Those are the executables. They are supposed to be, anyway.

Are you trying to run them from the GUI desktop?
If so, try running them from a command line so as to be
able to see any error messages.

They require SDL 1.2 or SDL 2.0. Perhaps those are not
available on your system. What flavor of linux are you
running?

Did you put them in a folder with the game you are playing?
Ie: did you put them in the same folder as config.txt, dungeon.dat, etc?
They were meant to replace the "CSBwin" in your current game folder.

I appreciate your taking the time to try these.
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

Hi,

I run Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu.
When I try to run CSB (SDL 1.2) from command line, I get a error message like "Memory access error" (the original is in German). When I run CSB SDL 2.0, the error is:
"Error while loading shared libraries: libSDL2-2.0.so.0: cannot open share file: No such directory."
What file/library of SDL 2.0 should I install do you think?
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

We need to know if SDL is already installed. And what version.
On my Ubuntu system I can do this with:

dpkg -l >list
grep sdl list

It will show all packages with names containing "sdl".
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

Sorry Paul,
I oversaw the point with dungeon.dat and other files...
But now there is some Chaos (yes!) with my files, versions, downloads, configs, direcotries there.
Could you write a short How-To-Install-instruction please, for people like me (using Linux, just as a desktop users, with basic command-knowledge), please?

What I try:
- Download the original CSBwin (see my first post from march). Does it makes sense? What are the steps to follow here?
- If it works - overwrite the old CSBwin-file with one of your new files?
- execute CSBwin from the folder where it is ("usr/local/...")?
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

OK,

I managed to copy the following files to the following directory
/usr/local/games
The files there are:
"CSBwin" (the SDL 2.0 version)
"dungeon.dat"
"graphics.dat"
"mini.dat"
"csbwin.sh"

When I try to execute CSBwin - as root - from command I get the following error:

CSBwin 12.0v0
SDL initialized
Message:
Flags = 00000001
Title = (null)
Message = System Error 13586
System Error
Speicherzugriffsfehler (= means "error on memory access")

So SDL seems to be installed. What can it be now?...
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

Oh, dear. I'll have to take some time to look into this.
Yes...SDL2.0 appears to be installed.
I'll be back. Probably this evening. Tomorrow for you.
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

Maybe this will help you too:

- no matter from what directory I tried to start CSBwin (of course, with dungeon.dat and other .dat files in the same directory): /usr/games, /usr/local/games , /usr/share/, /home/lukasz/Desktop/CSBwin/ etc - it was always the same error. So it is not a access-rights error, or the question "am I root or not". Some other SDL2.0 games I tried as test could be started even thru double-click from the same directories.

- in a tar-Package from your website (I think the file from mid Nov) I found not only CSB-source, but a compiled DM-version. I copied this just to my desktop, clicked on DM - and it worked without any problems (except missing sound).

- my translation from the german error "Schreibzugriffsfehler" war linguistically ok, but the meaning is not "memory" (RAM), it means rather "saving". So it sounds like a problem (access rights? missing file or destination?) accessing disk / saving.
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

a compiled DM-version.....worked without any problems
Very helpful. Very encouraging.
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

I just noticed......Your printout when the error occurs
looks like this:

Code: Select all

CSBwin 12.0v0
SDL initialized
Message:
Flags = 00000001
Title = (null)
Message = System Error 13586
System Error
Speicherzugriffsfehler (= means "error on memory access")
But that is not the correct version. It should be 15.6.
You do not seem to be using the file named
CSBwin_linux_x86-32_SDL20_20151201-2133

I just downloaded and ran it and it prints "15.6v0".

(Probably easier if you rename it ! )
User avatar
luke41
Craftsman
Posts: 119
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:25 pm

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by luke41 »

Hi Paul,

You are right, I had the wrong file.
Now I took the right file - 848,5 KB, right? - and the error is just:

Speicherzugriffsfehler

It works on your Linux independently from the directory? What about the access rights (of user and associated to the file)? When the game is executed, to which directory it tries to write anything?

By the way: Is it ok that I write you per mail, I already found two small bugs in DM-Linux-Version (both at the end of Level 1) (But after restarting my p#c sound started working!! And it sound really good I didnt have to configure anything...)
User avatar
Paul Stevens
CSBwin Guru
Posts: 4318
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2001 6:00 pm
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Re: How to start CSB under Linux?

Post by Paul Stevens »

Certainly, we can do all of this via Email.

You can find my address at the bottom of:

http://www.dianneandpaul.net/DianneGenealogy/
Post Reply