DSB on a remote controlled PC + possible bug

[T0Mi]

Hi,

I'm having problems running DSB on my mobile device when remote controlling the PC at home.
Usually any application that runs windowed can be fully used. CSBwin and CSBuild as "windowed-only" programs run fine, RTC (after some minor tweaks in the config), Dosbox, etc.

For DSB I'm getting an Error: "Overlays not supported". It runs fine in windowed mode on the PC itself, but fails to do so remote controlled on the PPC. The mobile devise supports a resolution of 800x480.

Furthermore I've encountered a bug (on PC) probably buried in throwtrolin.lua. When a trollin of the test dungeon throws its club, DSB exits with a:

Lua Function throwtrolin_noclub.msg_handler[100110]: base/monster.lua:92:
dsb_party_coords requires int in param 1

I can't tell which version of DSB I am using. There is nothing displayed in DSB nor in the readme. Am I blind?


greetings
T0Mi

[ian_scho]

Maybe Sophia could add VERSION=XX to the global.lua or dsb.ini files?

I've never seen either error message.

[Sophia]

For DSB I'm getting an Error: "Overlays not supported". It runs fine in windowed mode on the PC itself, but fails to do so remote controlled on the PPC. The mobile devise supports a resolution of 800x480.

Something about the graphics card or the resolution is making it impossible for Allegro (the graphics library used by DSB) to set a screen mode, or, at least, set any of the screen modes that my code is requesting that it use. This may take some investigation...

What do you mean by "remote controlled," exactly? Is there any hope of getting a higher resolution, or running full-screen?

Furthermore I've encountered a bug (on PC) probably buried in throwtrolin.lua. When a trollin of the test dungeon throws its club, DSB exits

Yes, you're right about the file. I'll fix this for the next version.

If you want to fix it yourself, around line 47 of test_dungeon/throwtrolin.lua, there's a function called pick_up_club_bash. Replace it with the following:

Code: Select all

function pick_up_club_bash(arch, id, data)
	grab_ground_club(arch, id)
	monster_attack(arch, id, data)
end

I can't tell which version of DSB I am using. There is nothing displayed in DSB nor in the readme. Am I blind?

The version is shown in the upper right corner of all dialog boxes, just like in DM and RTC. The quickest way to see it while playing is to try to save a game.

[T0Mi]

Something about the graphics card or the resolution is making it impossible for Allegro (the graphics library used by DSB) to set a screen mode, or, at least, set any of the screen modes that my code is requesting that it use. This may take some investigation...

My inital thought was that the option for a forced resolution setting (like windowed 640x480) would fix the problem, as it does for most programs.
But as I tried Bits DM port (using allegro for the graphics too), I've encountered the same problem, and it has a config that allows altering the screen resolution.
However, as I'm not very experienced in using a remoted desktop, there might well exist another solution. No urgent need to actually fix it if it doesn't take DSB further.

If you want to fix it yourself, around line 47 of test_dungeon/throwtrolin.lua, there's a function called pick_up_club_bash. Replace it with the following:

Code: Select all

 [/quote]
Tried it, and as always when I tinker with code: I failed. :-)


[quote]What do you mean by "remote controlled," exactly? Is there any hope of getting a higher resolution, or running full-screen?[/quote]
"remote controlled" means using a standard Windows programm called "Remote Desktop" with which you can have the screen of your main computer displayed on any other wire(less) connencted computer (as well as a Windows mobile devise) and interact, as if you were sitting in front of it. Truely, the possibility of having the power of a Desktop-PC in your pocket, that is something.
The resolution of my PPC is fixed and can be either 800x480 (landscape) or 480x800 (normal) with 16bit color depth. Both resolutions are sufficient to run any Windows standard application (Office, Mozilla, simply any program that runs windowed). There also is a full screen option with which the program tries to compress the PCs screen to the screen of the receiving computer. One possibiliy that might yield a great chance of doing the job is setting the resolution of the PC to a more close resolution the remoting device has... I still have to try that.

mophus-adoring greetings from Germany
T0Mi

[Bit]

Took a look into the source:
The error message that you wrote happens only with the call of init_directx_ovl and means, that your graphic card will not support the mode. You can try to force another graphics mode by adjusting allegro's config-file. Because I think that happens for directx only, try the safe mode, or win gui.
Line:
gfx_card =
to i.e.
gfx_card = DXSA
place the allegro.cfg-file in the folder where you start the game.

Allegro searches for the best possible driver, but when that fails because of a missing feature (like yours), it ends with an error message and doesn't try the next best one.

[T0Mi]

Finally was able to establish the WLAN connection again and tried out some stuff.

gfx_card = DXSA

didn't do it. But:

gfx_card = GDIB

did!
Very laggy, but still playable.
Things might speed up, if I manage to get GAPI (DirectX for WM) to run.

DSB too, might work then.
I'm planing to make a little video for Utube showing all existing DM clones running on a mobile device. This time I'll try not to be madly stoned.

T0Mi

[Sophia]

For DSB, you will probably have to put whatever Allegro options you need to set in dsb.ini instead.

To use GDI graphics, add this to dsb.ini:

Code: Select all

[graphics]
gfx_card = GDIB

[T0Mi]

I'd love to report back with something like

"that did it. Am I a coder now?"

but I can't get it to work.

After some research and lots of trying out it seems like I have to switch to something like the VNC Viewer, which simply transfers the content of the screen.
(standard remote desktop grabs it right from the videocard output and also needs to use some fitting drivers of the mobile device)

From what I heard this also means having something like 1-2 FPS when not connencted via a WLAN.
I'd have to choose a -very- rural enviroment for the video to make this up.


EDIT: got it running, dirty and left-handed, but it does run. Trick was to use WVGAfix, a little app, that allows changing the resolution of the PPC to a more common 640x480. Now I need a good provider for mobile internet, so I can have horses, huge american army-trucks and inner tubes in the video. Na... just kidding.