Homeworld?

[mick_aka]

Ok, im thinking this is probarbly impossible on gp2x, but Relic released the source code for Homeworld quite some time ago and there are now both Linux and OSX ports of the game, Homeworld will run on a seriously low spec PC with graphics set to software rendering.

Its such an awesome game? Anyone fancy looking into it?

or is this just totally impossible?

You can grab the source code by registering free here: http://www.relic.com/rdn/

Mick.

 

[dioxide]

This was discussed before. The answer is maybe, if anyone is interested enough.

 

[Purist]

come on, its a port, not a entirely new game. Some people should work together and they could finish it in a ~6~ months.

 

[Ravnos]

come on, its a port, not a entirely new game. Some people should work together and they could finish it in a ~6~ months.

​

If it's so easy then you do it. I'm sure everyone here will thank you.

 

[ravuya]

come on, its a port, not a entirely new game. Some people should work together and they could finish it in a ~6~ months.

​

Yeah, but you would have to write the entire OpenGL framework to go under it. That, and the OpenGL port isn't even complete yet (the SDL port's software rendering isn't functioning yet according to the requirements page).

 

[Purist]

thats why I said ~6~ months. meaning 6+ months. Oh well, I get it now. If we already had opengl then my estimation would be more accurate. Also, I'm a python developer, so I couldn't do this stuff. Expect some stuff from me in a few months.

 

[Julius]

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=21110

Come on guys... at least read the original discussion

The software renderer is pretty much functional according to the original author of the SDL port
(I asked him).

But it will require some coding magic to get it fast enought to play, and the controls are problematic too. But it is very much possible.

 

[FluffyPanda]

It's the controls that really puts me off. I just don't see how you could get the game playable even if it was running perfectly.

I think homeworld is one game that deserves to stay on the desktop.

 

[mick_aka]

If you dont bother with all the shortcut keys Homeworld is playable with a 2 button scroll mouse pretty much on its own, I dont see why rotating in the environment would be so much worse with the analogue stick?

 

[Julius]

It's the controls that really puts me off. I just don't see how you could get the game playable even if it was running perfectly.

​

Hmm what about:

One unit is aways selected (starting with the mother ship), moving the stick rotates around the ship (vol+/- is zoom).
Press A to go into control-circle mode where the stick first moves in the x/z circle and then after pressing A in the y line.
Press B and you can move a curser on the screen much like a mouse to select attac targets or mining targets
Press L/R to cycle units (maybe with sub/super-groups selectable with select button).
Press start to open the build menu of the current selected unit (where the curser jumps between options and the buttons are remapped to click etc) and start long opens the game menu.
X and Y is still unmapped and could be used for a lot of other stuff I can't think of right now
Edit: One of them could be a general cancel button or something.

I guess that sounds pretty doable and enjoyable to play.

 

[FluffyPanda]

Press B and you can move a curser on the screen much like a mouse to select attac targets or mining targets

​

Basically that is enough to make me doubt that it would be fun to play. Chasing a fleeing fighter squadron with the stick-mouse to issue an attack command sounds like a bit of a nightmare.

Have you played Dune2 on drmd? It was designed for the megadrive by westwood games but I still find commanding multiple units to defend themselves frustratingly fiddly.

Still, if someone gets it into a CVS / subversion repository and needs an extra pair of hands I'll contribute some coding.

 

[ravuya]

I'll also donate some time and effort.

 

[Julius]

Ok, but if the cursor would jump between the visible targets?
Probably a bit harder to program, and there should be some sort of filter to sort out targets too far away (or too small in the current view).

Edit:

Still, if someone gets it into a CVS / subversion repository and needs an extra pair of hands I'll contribute some coding.

​

Not sure if that would work well, as the Homeworld source is under a strange license where you can not make the full sourcecode available for download (except from their developers page), but only automaticly applied changes or something like that (see the homeworld SDL page).

 

[FluffyPanda]

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF THE SOFTWARE TO ANY OTHER SERVER OR LOCATION FOR FURTHER REPRODUCTION OR REDISTRIBUTION IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED, UNLESS SUCH REPRODUCTION OR REDISTRIBUTION IS EXPRESSLY PERMITTED BY THE LICENSE AGREEMENT ACCOMPANYING SUCH SOFTWARE.

Yup, there it is.

Well I don't really see that much can be made of this. Would we even be able to redistribute the results? Probably not.

 

[Jarska333]

If you dont bother with all the shortcut keys Homeworld is playable with a 2 button scroll mouse pretty much on its own, I dont see why rotating in the environment would be so much worse with the analogue stick?

​

You may be right. It's a darn shame the 2X does not have analoque stick. :rolleyes:

 

[Julius]

Yup at there it is.

Well I don't really see that much can be made of this. Would we even be able to redistribute the results? Probably not.

​

I was under the expression that this only applies to the source-code and not the binary.

At least here:
http://www.thereisnospork.com/projects/homeworld/
are binarys with the altered code available, just not the complete source.

 

[mick_aka]

You may be right. It's a darn shame the 2X does not have analoque stick. :rolleyes:

​

Reaping the disadvantages of not having mne yet

 

[FluffyPanda]

I was under the expression that this only applies to the source-code and not the binary.

At least here:
http://www.thereisnospork.com/projects/homeworld/
are binarys with the altered code available, just not the complete source.

​

Interestingly they also have a svn repository. You just need to agree to the RDN license agreement to get access.

Maybe it would be worth asking the SDL homeworld project if we could add gp2x support to their svn version. I'm sure they'd appreciate the work on the software renderer at least.

 

[Julius]

I was under the expression that this only applies to the source-code and not the binary.

At least here:
http://www.thereisnospork.com/projects/homeworld/
are binarys with the altered code available, just not the complete source.

​

Interestingly they also have a svn repository. You just need to agree to the RDN license agreement to get access.

Maybe it would be worth asking the SDL homeworld project if we could add gp2x support to their svn version. I'm sure they'd appreciate the work on the software renderer at least.

​

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=21110&st=0

Scroll down a bit... there is an answer of the guy how did the SDL port... took quite long for him to answer, and he seems to have more or less abandoned the project. But I guess he would have nothing against another contributor to the project.