Converting CSBWin graphicengine to a OpenGL 3D engine

[Rasmus]

Okey then, I just wanted to share some new screenshoots of my progress so that you all don't think I have fallen asleep

I have created an editor for the graphics used in CSBWin3D. This way all the standard DM graphics can be replaced with new 24 bit graphics and with any resolution that you all may desire. Also I have added the posibility for frameanimation for all wall-, floor-, doordecorations. So that the torches can burn, and the fountains can have streaming water.

I haven't uploaded any new version yet, still have some other things to fix first, maybe later next week..

But here are some screenshoots:


Screenshot of a cave wallset and a DM2 torch burning (animated) to the left.
I don't know if it is posible to see here, but the walls, floor and roofs are not as flat as they were before. With some help of the editor I have created I now use a diffrent technique when creating the wallsets, letting the images go outside the standard squarish DM1 layout. I will be back with more info about this later..


A mixture of the cave wallset and a garden wallset.


Another example of a animated walldecoration, this one has 14 frames that loops and create a burning door.


Garden wallset with skybox, also a flower


Another screenshot with some various decorations from DM2.


Here is a screenshot of the editor showing DM Maps, the maps are created with any other tool. This editor are mostly for improving the graphics and putting out wallsets over the map..
To the right you can also see the posiblity to change that levels decorationgraphic.


Screenshot on the editor changing the doordecoration graphic.


Screenshot of the editor when I position the graphic in the dungeon. This is a really good tool, no more numbers for positioning things on the right place, just push the arrows to the right to move/resize and position the decorations, walls, floors, roofs, pits etc. anywhere you want..


Last screenshot of the editor. Here you can upload/remove/replace graphics that are going to be used in your dungeon.

[Gambit37]

Whoa...! That looks super cool, what amazing work you're doing! Keep it up, I can't wait to play with that

[oh_brother]

^^ I agree...wow! Looks amazing, but still manages to keep the DM1 feel.

[Rasmus]

Thanks guys
I have a good feeling about this too.. The editor is accually rather easy, fast and fun to use. But it still needs some fixing.
My next task is to replace the monster graphic and give them animation for all the movements. I am thinking about taking the DM2 mummy, maybe resize it alittle so that it doesn't take a whole square and can fit into a group of other mummys..

It will harder than replacing any other graphic in CSBWin, but I think it will be really cool.. Just adding animated torches and fountains have given the dungeon alot of life. Now imagine a group of mummys waiting to attack, all with animation, not exactly simular because they all have diffrent time in the animation loop.. This will be awsome to see!! And I can't wait to show the results when I am done, I think you all will like it

I must add here that I have made alot of 3D clones of DM before, but nothing in this direction.. It is really fun using images instead of 3D models for graphic, it gives the graphic much more warmth than a full 3D game.

So as a conclution I want to say that I am really exited about this project

[Rasmus]

One more thing here..
I really liked Zyx idea about looking down pit and to be able to have the posibility too look around corners. I will try to add all these features in the next version.
All the features I add here, graphics as functionality in the game are improved/created by me, but as these are only me ideas.. They may not fall in everyones taste.
I will edit my first post here and create a list of ideas that could be added to CSBWin3D.
If anyone has any suggestions about what extra features that could be added into CSBWin3D they are welcome to tell me, and I will make an effort to insert them..

Think of it as you are creating a dm game, and you would like to have a posibility to levitate, levels with water or lava, monsters that flyes above the wallsets, two handed weapon attacks, minimap over the screen, 3d models, etc.. Then just tell me, and I will try to insert the features for each version I upload..
Notice that these features will only be avalible if the person creating the dungeon wants them or not.. The dungeon creator will have to posibility in the future to set options so that the dungeon will look exactly as the original or look as weird as anything ever can look

[Bit]

or look as weird as anything ever can look

you mean notebookish?

Again amazing works!
I once had a bug while bringing truecolor to 'Heretic'. The effect was kind of a color distortion that ended up in mostly bright white, but then sometimes did overrun the limit and so added some very intense dark colors. That one looked somehow 'heavenly'. Once I really end my current task, I'd like to workout those effect generators - also something like a texture-synthesizer. There was one in 'Bryce' I think - not the worst thing.

[Rasmus]

hehe, notebookish

Bit, I know that you are checking some opengl stuff out on your notebook.. Does any of it work? I mean if something works, maybe not cg but standard OpenGL I could adjust the project alittle so that it will be posible for people with old computers to check it out. CSBWin3D uses nothing advanced that shouldn't work on your computer.. I got DMT2 running on your computer even if the textures was wrong, and that says alot I think.. I will send you a pm with a tutorial tonight if you are intrested / have time to look at it.. If you can run the tutorial with some adjustments, I think I can change the code alittle in CSBWin3D to make it work on your computer. I just need to know your limits

About heretic colors, I noticed that CSBWin uses rgb with 3 or 4 bits per color. Meaning that r = 31 in CSBWin is accually r = 255 in Windows.. This forced me to multiply it with 8 to get the right color. But at first I had some problems because r > 255, and as r is a byte (max value 255 and then goes around to 0) the result was a black color where it should have been a red color.. Cool effect, but I don't know how useful it is in CSBWin3D, maybe for some palette effects when monsters are beeing hit or something..

[beowuuf]

It's amazing how subtle but fundamental shifts in the graphics and animation make things seem fresh. This is very fun and exciting work, and I can't wait for your next engine release!

[Rasmus]

Next release..

You have seen some of the screenshots above, and I don't want to spoil anymore for those how are interested in trying the new version out
But I can add that since the last version alot have been modified and changed.. Some new gameplay mechanics have been added, and DM 1 is no longer recogniseable..
One clue is that I stole the CSBWin "mouseclicking in viewport" and used it in my own code instead, so more things in the dungeon are now clickable, and in diffrent angles too..
In this version I have included an editor, it has alot of fun functions and have a very basic interface, so I don't think it will take alot of time to get used to it..

If anyone wants to know all the new functions in this version they can check out the first page of this topic, I will list it there..

So here is the download: http://dmtribute.webs.com/Files/CSBWin3 ... 3Dv0.1.zip

If it is going slow, or are taking to much of your computer, the "OpenGL" menu allows you too lower the fps rate and resolution..
Just remember that this version still have a few graphical abnormalities here and there, I have found a few to fix for the next release, but please tell me if there is something you think looks odd, or should be in another way.. Also, improvment suggestions are always welcome

[Sphenx]

That's a change for sure!
I like the integration of the "spy eye".
And the wall rendering is pretty good!
...

So ... I will just report two things: when closing the door on the mummy, the door gets back to a step by step move; if you unequip the torch ... maybe it should not darken the sky

[Rasmus]

I did know about the door, I have been cheating with this animation for a while now.. If you press the button to close the door and then enter the inventory, the door will stop there untill you leave the inventory. But as everything else in this OpenGL version, DM keep on going, it is just the visual that can be alittle of
I didn't know about the darkening of the sky and I will get that fixed also til the next release..

Thanks for the reports Sphenx

[zoom]

Sadly it crashed for me shortly before the stairs after Hall of Champions

Chose Halk, went to the "map" scroll, left it open in inventory (left it in hand) turned left, took the torch, put it back into wall (normally not possible to click on sideofwall in viewport),
then there was another scroll lying there,on the ground in front of the stairs.

while I clicked on the scroll I got a strange item, looking like the teowand but with a strange name: "xk" or something . scrambled text. I just thought: Uh uh! and after a second it crashed!
Using win7..


edit: the second time it worked .. dunno what that was..?

[Rasmus]

Okey then, now we have a little more serious bug..
No, but I think I know why it crashed.. It has to do with me taking over the "picking" in the dungeon, and it is probably not flawless I have managed to run thru level 0 and 1 two times without experiencing a crash because of it, I think I will have to do some debugging here, but it is a easy fix..

By the way, the posibility to pick things on the sidewalls in the viewport is something I added
I have also added so that it is possible to drink directly from fountains without using flasks or waterskin.. Just so you don't think it is a bug

Thanks for your comments zoom. I will get right on it and see if I can upload a new version soon without this bug..

[beowuuf]

This is great to see

I noticed a graphical dither with the stairwell/ladder on the ahll of champions if you sidestep left and right away from it.

[Gambit37]

This is sweeeeeeet! This works really well and is exactly the kind of thing I always wanted a smoother 3D DM to be: better movement, better animation, but the same basic step-based game. The fully animated mummies are even better than they were in DM2, and the way the trees move is pretty cool also.

I think monsters move too fast now though -- and for monsters that don't have walking animations (trolins for example), the way they slide from tile to tile looks really strange. I don't know what you can do about though.

I've noticed quite a few glitches and issues -- do you want me to report them all?

[Rasmus]

@Beo:
Thanks I can fix the ladder in the Editor to the next release..

@Gambit:
Thanks Gambit, I am glad you liked it
I was alittle afraid that me using DM2 graphic (that generally isn't appriciated here) would destroy some of the feeling.. But with some modifications it seems to work out fine..
When you say move to fast, do you mean from tile to tile or the animation? I think I can make them move from tile to tile alittle bit slower, the only thing stoping me is that it can't be slower than the DM monsters movement and attack duration..
Animation speed of monsters and everything else can be changed in the editor..
I didn't think anyone would play past the second level, I haven't looked into the graphic at the levels with standard wallsets since my last update.. I am aware of that trolins and other original DM monsters looks weird when they move around, the only thing I can do here is putting up a flag in the DM editor to make original monsters move from tile to tile instead of sliding. Otherwise the animation have to be fixed in the editor.
I would like as many reports as posible (and don't spare my feelings) But only from the first two levels, I will get into levels with original graphics later..

Thanks again for all your reports, and I am happy that you all seem to like what I have done so far

[Zyx]

I had a quick test: amazing! Very promising. The editor window is too small. There are a lot of improvements to do on the editor, in fact, I find it confusing and the navigation is bad. And I don't understand the use of the menu options, like speed. Are they leftover?

[alandale]

I tried this out on my laptop running Windows XP SP3 (GeForce 8600M graphics card), but I'm seeing some serious display issues. There appears to be a second dungeon view that gets drawn below/beneath the correct one, but with the wrong colors (brown becomes blue, blue becomes red, etc.). Very odd, but doesn't really interfere with playing.
In addition to this though, everything has an extremely annoying flicker to it. The flicker frequency seems tied to the OpenGL frame rate I select, but still happens even on the slowest setting. All the other UI elements (movement arrows, champions, etc.) are invisible unless I'm moving the cursor over them, at which point I see them with the flicker.

[Rasmus]

Thanks Zyx, I am glad you liked the game
About the editor, I am glad that you are honest here, I guess Gambit also have some pointers about this because he works alot with design..
The menu option speed is sort of a leftover, it is useful at one point when checking the wallsets out and turning left and right.. But still rather unessesery accually..
The editor window can be resized with the "size" menu option, but it should be removed and replaced with something more userfriendly. I will try to do something about the window size.. I think increasing it to atleast 1024x768 should do it, and then that it resizes with the window size..
A resolution increasment should give me enough space to categorize everthing with headlines and more text to explain all it uses.. Also a pop up text when holding the arrows over the buttons may be a good idea.
I will see if I can do these changes soon, and that I can post some screenshots as I go along. Maybe you all could point out what looks good and bad, I can be blind to these sort of things since I design the editor and already knows what everything is for..
Thanks for your input

@Alandale:
I have experiencing this second dungeonview before, and I may have some ideas of what it causing it.. The same goes for the wrong colors..
It is good that you brought it up, I know Sphenx had these problem on one of his computers, but I didn't know if it was a computer related problem or not. The flicker problem is new to me, but I think I know where to look to get it right.
I will get right on this problem and see what I can do! Hopefully I can upload a new version later today

[beowuuf]

I have to agree with Gambit, though I hadn't thought about it until he said it. This is the best combination of the 3D environment, where the environment is 3D, but the step movement (and so basic puzzles, etc) are still maintained.

[Sphenx]

I agree with Gambit and Beo, that is really how I want to have a 3D DM engine - you know what I was trying to do Rasmus

I was alittle afraid that me using DM2 graphic (that generally isn't appriciated here) would destroy some of the feeling.. But with some modifications it seems to work out fine..

You are talking about PC/MAC DM2 graphics ... You may try with PC98xx/MegaCD/Amiga DM2 graphics for something scarier.
But indeed there is a problem for all creatures that are not common between DM1 and DM2 (the only usable could be: giggler, tiger striped worm, ghost, vexirk, mummy and skeleton). DM2 uses about 6 animated frames per movement; it would be long to try converting DM1 gfx that way.

I know Sphenx had these problem on one of his computers, but I didn't know if it was a computer related problem or not

If you want to know, I have tested on three : one displays the same problem Alandale talked about (GeForce 8800GT - could it be a problem with nVidia? I did not yet search for new drivers); one displays the game with a blue fog all over (Intel chipset for laptop) and finally the third one runs correctly (and that one's not at my home )

[Rasmus]

I agree with Gambit, Beo and Sphenx It is also alot easier for me having a stepbased engine already fixed than having to create a new freemovment engine with the same puzzel mechanics as in DM..
Well, I personally don't have anything against the DM2 graphic.. I like the cartoonish look.. But when we aren't talking about PC or MAC, I agree with you Sphenx, the graphics there are horrible! I am starting to think that the FTL team didn't put that much effort in creating DM2. Much of the stuff I am doing to have the same posibilities in DM2 are just some changes in the code here and there in CSBWin.. DM2 sometimes feels to me like an expantion of DM1, and not a new game..

Great that you brought that up Sphenx, I just wish that I had a computer that did the same crazyness as your computers
I can't find any problems in the code that should create these problems, maybe it has to do with me using cg graphics.. I am going to try to convert it back to the original OpenGL. I think this will fix all the problems

[Rasmus]

Good news, I have removed the vertex and fragment shaders in the game, and started to set alpha values to the textures instead of looking for it in the fragmentshader.. And some parts of the dungeon turned BLUE
Now that I am experiencing the same problem I may be able to solve it!

[Gambit37]

I am starting to think that the FTL team didn't put that much effort in creating DM2. Much of the stuff I am doing to have the same posibilities in DM2 are just some changes in the code here and there in CSBWin.. DM2 sometimes feels to me like an expantion of DM1, and not a new game..

I know this takes your post a little off topic, but here's some info:

DM2 was years in the making. FTL did in fact spend a long time on it, but most of the innovation is in the AI apparently which is odd because it's not that apparent in the game. I'd agree that their graphic skills were not great (it was fine for DM, but not good enough for a game coming out 7 years later) -- and the DM2 graphics were so poor in the first version of DM2 (Japanese Sega Megadrive version) that when they wanted to release it in Europe/USA, Interplay told them they needed to upgrade the graphics. So they then spent another year or so doing the new PC/Mac graphics in a different style, including some 3D rendered stuff. This is why there is a big disconnect between the styles and why DM2 always looks a little unfinished (inconsistent might be a better word).

Of course, because of these delays, DM2 came out in Europe/USA about two years after Doom, and by then gamers expected something different. If FTL had released DM2 around 1990, FTL's legacy as a game developer might have been very different! They might even still be trading. Imagine if FTL had got a killer 3D game out there before ID Software!!!

[Rasmus]

I read about that on DM Enyclopedia, alot of people that reviewed the game said that it should have been released some years earlier, then it would have gotten alot more roses.
Well, it is sad how it turned out, maybe a dm3 would have come out if the second one was a bigger success

So, from one thing to another..
I have fixed some more stuff. As said before the fragment and pixelshader are now history and it is plain old OpenGL.. So the Nvidia cg stuff is now out the window, and hopefully the problems with it.
I have changed the grapic internally in the engine giving it all textures with alpha values instead of colorkeys. This should get rid of the "blueish" problem some of you are having.
By removing the vertexshader I had to do alot of matrix caluculations manualy in the game. But as every wall has about 2 polygons I think the computer can handle it
Also, the framerate went up almost 50%..
The graphical dither with the stairwell/ladder that Beo pointed out have been fixed.
Some abnormalities that a z-buffer normaly would handle have also been fixed.
The mousepicking bug Zoom found have also been fixed (I hope), I was able to generate it myself when turning at the same time as I was picking up the item. This cause the game to pick up a item on a tile that no item was on. It was interesting, I did manage to pick up two simular scrolls, and when I sat one of them in my hand the other one opened But anyway, it should work now..
Gambit, I tried to slow down the monsters alittle, but then they where able to attack me at the same time as they was moving towards me.. Hmmm.. So the only was to slow them down now is to increase the attack or movement duration for the monsters in CSBBuild. So it is still optional
I also upgraded the raingraphic, the sky doesn't get darker when the dungeon is dark, and I have also fixed so that the rain has a deeper look.. I am still not saticefied with it, but it will have to do for now.
There is still some minor updates coming up after this one, I want to get all the bugs and graphical abnormalities out the way before I continue on the next major task in CSBWin3D..

Download: http://dmtribute.webs.com/Files/CSBWin3 ... Dv0.1a.zip

Sphenx, Alandale: I think you will be able to run this new versions on your computers now, I hope anyway
And if Bit could give it a try it would also be great.

'Once I have defeated the powers of Bits' notebook, there is nothing stoping me!!'

[alandale]

Sphenx, Alandale: I think you will be able to run this new versions on your computers now, I hope anyway

No change, unfortunately.
Updating to the latest NVIDIA drivers didn't do anything either.

[Rasmus]

Hmmm, maybe it has nothing to do with the OpenGL..
I did a small change from CSBWin when porting Open GL to it, and that was that I stretched the viewport onto the screen. CSBWin did change the viewports resolution (even if not visible) with its screensize..
So I have now changed it back from using "StretchDIBits" to "SetDIBitsToDevice", maybe this will fix it.. The reason why I wanted to stretch it was that now I have to render in the same resolution as the screensize. Meaning that a viewport that has the resolution of 224x136 with the size 4 will now force openGL to render at the resoultution 896x554.. Not that much maybe, but it is defenitly a diffrence from 224x136..

Hopefully this version will be a step in the right direction, here is the download: http://dmtribute.webs.com/Files/CSBWin3 ... Dv0.1b.zip (Note that this version doesn't have the editor attached to it and is only 1.9 MB).

[alandale]

I'm still getting the same problems: second dungeon view with crazy colors, flicker, and invisible controls.
I did notice that with this build the messed up second dungeon view now scales with the correct dungeon view. It used to stay a fixed size.

Here are some screenshots of what I'm seeing (minus the flicker which doesn't show up in screen captures). Notice the UI is invisible in the first screenshot, but not in the second.

[Rasmus]

Thanks for the screenshots Alandale, I think I managed to figure out the problem (I don't say that alot )
In CSBWin3D openGL usually render to the backbuffer, then I copy the backbuffer to a texture, and then draw the texture over the viewport.. Alittle bit complicated, but in this way I could keep the dm surroundings..
Anyway, instead of copying the backbuffer to a texture I let OpenGL render to the visible frontbuffer, and the result was the same as you showed in your screenshots. I guess you had to drag the window down so that the blue viewport and the other didn't get mixed..

Well, your graphiccard seems to ignore that I don't want to render directly to the window and does it anyway.. Alittle bit annoying
So I sat down this morning and converted the whole DM screen to openGL so that it could render directly to the window without any interferance of DM:s original drawings.
Anyway, It really should work now!! Anyway this problem should dissapear, but there are always room for new problems with this next release

Download: http://dmtribute.webs.com/Files/CSBWin3 ... Dv0.1c.zip

[Trantor]

Ok, I have to admit this new version is the first one I tried - and I have to say I am very impressed! It looks really good!

A couple of things: If you eat something, the mouse pointer remains the food item until the chewing animation is complete. In the original, the pointer immediately reverses to the hand.
The dungeon walls (normal DM wallset) look a bit strange with the lights and shadows, especially if you are in a corridor and look directly to the wall. The tile on your right is strangely illuminated.
If you throw something, it flies too low I think. It looks as if the item is in the middle of the screen.

In some places, the characteristic "click" sound is missing (like when you press the button for the compass corridor). But I guess this is due to the dungeon, not the engine, right?

Oh, can the whole DM dungeon be played? And sorry if somebody else already reported these issues, I haven't been paying close attention to this thread until now...