Release Oolite

[milinks]

one of the tools on oolite is to take snapshots using the [shift] * buttons, also when paused, if pressing "O" the HUD disappears giving you a clear screen to capture. These are captured in /home/oolite-saves/snapshots, on the pandora, using this method images are captured, but they are plain black screens, is this something that could be changed, or is it part of the problem with porting such games, ive found this easy to use, especially as they say a picture paints a thousand words, when describing something. ive tried using snapsnap capture, and similar capture tools, but they dont give you the options of the inbuilt capture commands does

 

[ptitSeb]

one of the tools on oolite is to take snapshots using the [shift] * buttons, also when paused, if pressing "O" the HUD disappears giving you a clear screen to capture. These are captured in /home/oolite-saves/snapshots, on the pandora, using this method images are captured, but they are plain black screens, is this something that could be changed, or is it part of the problem with porting such games, ive found this easy to use, especially as they say a picture paints a thousand words, when describing something. ive tried using snapsnap capture, and similar capture tools, but they dont give you the options of the inbuilt capture commands does

Hum, I have to check. The reading on the framebuffer in GLES is not always simple, so it may be a side effect on the port .

 

[levi]

Oof!  Just took down a fugitive ship and accidentally crashed into his cargo as I was too close (and had good enough shields and couldn't be arsed to swerve).  Immediately I get a fugitive rating myself and the police who were chasing this guy turn on me!

Unless I accidentally fired a stray shot at a police viper during the scuffle, I shouldn't get a record for simply destroying cargo should I?  Unless it was slaves I suppose.

 

[milinks]

@Levi - i cant think of a reason, unless you were so close that you wiped out an escape pod, as you  can your hand slapped for pot shotting at bodies in space  i've found this link which has some amazing videos of the AddOns OXPs that are available for oolite, goes to show just how much effort has been put into this game, and whats available out there in OXPs

http://www.lgdb.org/game/oolite

I've GOT TO find out where the whitchspace mod and HUD are on the second video shown!!

 

[ptitSeb]

one of the tools on oolite is to take snapshots using the [shift] * buttons, also when paused, if pressing "O" the HUD disappears giving you a clear screen to capture. These are captured in /home/oolite-saves/snapshots, on the pandora, using this method images are captured, but they are plain black screens, is this something that could be changed, or is it part of the problem with porting such games, ive found this easy to use, especially as they say a picture paints a thousand words, when describing something. ive tried using snapsnap capture, and similar capture tools, but they dont give you the options of the inbuilt capture commands does

Ok, I think I know what is wrong with the screenshot function:


if (surface->w % 4) glPixelStorei(GL_PACK_ALIGNMENT,1);
else                glPixelStorei(GL_PACK_ALIGNMENT,4);
for (y=surface->h-1, off=0; y>=0; y--, off+=pitch)
{
glReadPixels(0, y, surface->w, 1, GL_RGB, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, pixls + off);
}


On GLES, the glReadPixel is sure to work only with GL_RGBA. I will make some workaround inside glshim...

 

[ptitSeb]

Looking forward to the soft keymapping. I'd love to get yaw as the default on the D-pad without having to shift. I've played enough Elite over the decades to be thoroughly fed up with constantly going up to chase other ships. Being able to just navigate left/right up/down without all that rolling nonsense would be a blessing.

I'm pretty sure you can already do that. Create a file with default control and invert Yaw and Roll keycode and it will work with current version.

 

[milinks]

one of the tools on oolite is to take snapshots using the [shift] * buttons, also when paused, if pressing "O" the HUD disappears giving you a clear screen to capture. These are captured in /home/oolite-saves/snapshots, on the pandora, using this method images are captured, but they are plain black screens, is this something that could be changed, or is it part of the problem with porting such games, ive found this easy to use, especially as they say a picture paints a thousand words, when describing something. ive tried using snapsnap capture, and similar capture tools, but they dont give you the options of the inbuilt capture commands does

Ok, I think I know what is wrong with the screenshot function:


if (surface->w % 4) glPixelStorei(GL_PACK_ALIGNMENT,1);
else                glPixelStorei(GL_PACK_ALIGNMENT,4);
for (y=surface->h-1, off=0; y>=0; y--, off+=pitch)
{
glReadPixels(0, y, surface->w, 1, GL_RGB, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, pixls + off);
}


On GLES, the glReadPixel is sure to work only with GL_RGBA. I will make some workaround inside glshim...

Having a read up today, to try an bring some knowledge to my tiny brain, is that to do with the difference between GLES1 and GLES2, and the difference pixalted images being able to bring shaders into play etc?

edit: with regards to the config file, what would that file be called? default...? i know it sounds a dumb question, and im not wishing to change any keys, but was just wondering,dont ask dont learn lol  :unsure:

 

[ptitSeb]

one of the tools on oolite is to take snapshots using the [shift] * buttons, also when paused, if pressing "O" the HUD disappears giving you a clear screen to capture. These are captured in /home/oolite-saves/snapshots, on the pandora, using this method images are captured, but they are plain black screens, is this something that could be changed, or is it part of the problem with porting such games, ive found this easy to use, especially as they say a picture paints a thousand words, when describing something. ive tried using snapsnap capture, and similar capture tools, but they dont give you the options of the inbuilt capture commands does

Ok, I think I know what is wrong with the screenshot function:


if (surface->w % 4) glPixelStorei(GL_PACK_ALIGNMENT,1);
else                glPixelStorei(GL_PACK_ALIGNMENT,4);
for (y=surface->h-1, off=0; y>=0; y--, off+=pitch)
{
glReadPixels(0, y, surface->w, 1, GL_RGB, GL_UNSIGNED_BYTE, pixls + off);
}


On GLES, the glReadPixel is sure to work only with GL_RGBA. I will make some workaround inside glshim...

Having a read up today, to try an bring some knowledge to my tiny brain, is that to do with the difference between GLES1 and GLES2, and the difference pixalted images being able to bring shaders into play etc?

edit: with regards to the config file, what would that file be called? default...? i know it sounds a dumb question, and im not wishing to change any keys, but was just wondering,dont ask dont learn lol  :unsure:

All is explained in the link provided earlier by @Levi: there

 

[levi]

I'd just like to bring to people's attention an OXP that I'd very much recommend to Pandora players on the current version.  The lack of engine contrails makes it a little hard to identify mostly mid-dark grey ships against a dark-grey background, so one solution is Griff's ArcElite OXP which colours in the ships like they used to look in the Archimedes version of Elite.  Look at that, 256 whole colours!  And not so many of them grey, leading the ships to be painted all sorts of different colours, albeit all fairly muted.  It makes it much easier to spot a coloured dot in the distance against the grey sky.

All you have to do is download the V2 version from the link above and unpack it.  It'll give you a folder containing a readme file and five .oxp folders.  Create a folder called 'AddOns' in pandora/appdata/oolite and shift at least griff_arcelite.oxp in there.  Now when you next start Oolite, all the ships will be made out of flat shaded but coloured polygons.

I've not experimented with the other oxps in there yet, as I've achieved my aim with that one.  Personally, I unpacked the archive directly into my AddOns folder, as other oxps I've tried just unpack the one .oxp folder directly in there.  I've left the remainder of the folders inside the Griff_ArcElite_Shipset_v2.03 folder it unpacked inside my AddOns folder and it doesn't seem to be interfering with anything, so it can live there for now.

 

[milinks]

Just for the info of anyone wishing to experiment with the keymapping as mentioned by Levi above, there is a very handy browser tool, that allows you to change any key to what you choose, or gives you the option of choosing classical elite or oolite versions as a base for your key config.

OoliteKeyconfig1.1.zip

 

[Diziet Sma]

I've GOT TO find out where the whitchspace mod and HUD are on the second video shown!!

The witchspace effects (there are several which can be combined in various ways - and there are improved docking effects available also) are optional settings in BGS (easiest to change using OXPConfig).  Unfortunately, they require shaders to be enabled, so it's not going to work with the current version of GLES.

The HUD is one of the Deepspace HUDs.

 

[Diziet Sma]

Looking forward to the soft keymapping. I'd love to get yaw as the default on the D-pad without having to shift. I've played enough Elite over the decades to be thoroughly fed up with constantly going up to chase other ships. Being able to just navigate left/right up/down without all that rolling nonsense would be a blessing.

I'm pretty sure you can already do that. Create a file with default control and invert Yaw and Roll keycode and it will work with current version.

Just for the info of anyone wishing to experiment with the keymapping as mentioned by Levi above, there is a very handy browser tool, that allows you to change any key to what you choose, or gives you the option of choosing classical elite or oolite versions as a base for your key config.

A note for those who wish to experiment with editing the existing configuration plists.  It is strongly recommended that you do not edit the original files.  The preferred method is to create a folder in AddOns called 'Config', then copy the plist you wish to edit into that folder and edit the copy.  Any plist in AddOns/Config will automatically over-ride the default settings.

 

[milinks]

Forgot to mention there is, for those who haven't found it yet, a slide show of the objects, ships etc available within oolite. By pressing "N" when it asks you to load commander, it will take you to the next screen to press SPACE to continue, don't press the SPACE key, instead by using the left and right D-pad buttons you can cycle through the available objects, leaving it will slowly cycle through them from the originals first. However, if you press the LEFT D-pad button it will cycle through any new additons you have that are included in any OXPs you have installed. this gives you an idea of what they will look like in-game. It also shows how much work goes into the making of the ship models etc.

edit: for those old school elite players, you may remeber how to force a misjump in witchspace, for those who would like to give it a try, hyperspace to a planet, but remember to have enough fuel to make another jump out of witchspace, or you'll be stuck there.... when the countdown gets to 3-2 press climb hard on your stick until hyperspace begins, this will force a misjump and land you in witchspace, where thargoid warships hangout this is great for racking up serious kill points and for collecting the "thargon" craft which the thargoids shoot out at you, they are classed as "alien items" when you sell them . but remember you'll need a bit of experience before you try this seriously!

 

[milinks]

One thing i never realised was now available in this version of oolite is SPEECH!! whilst looking at the seond video along on this site

http://www.lgdb.org/game/oolite

at approx 5min 45 seconds was speech from a NPC interacting with the player asking for, and thanking for help. Again i am showing ny ignorance and definately not wishing this to be a millstone, but is it posible for this amazing feature to be available on this port? If anyones interested check out the video its well worth a few minutes of your time to show what capabilities this has.

 

[ptitSeb]

One thing i never realised was now available in this version of oolite is SPEECH!! whilst looking at the seond video along on this site

http://www.lgdb.org/game/oolite

at approx 5min 45 seconds was speech from a NPC interacting with the player asking for, and thanking for help. Again i am showing ny ignorance and definately not wishing this to be a millstone, but is it posible for this amazing feature to be available on this port? If anyones interested check out the video its well worth a few minutes of your time to show what capabilities this has.

The speech use espeak module. I compiled it, but my build seems a bit unstable, so I didn't included it. But, it's optionnal, so maybe I can enable it in a future build, as an experimental feature.

FIY, I upgrade my sourcebase to 1.77.1. Still have to work on the glReadBuffer (screenshot) thing. Than maybe I'll try enable speech and release next build...

Looking forward to the soft keymapping. I'd love to get yaw as the default on the D-pad without having to shift. I've played enough Elite over the decades to be thoroughly fed up with constantly going up to chase other ships. Being able to just navigate left/right up/down without all that rolling nonsense would be a blessing.

I'm pretty sure you can already do that. Create a file with default control and invert Yaw and Roll keycode and it will work with current version.

Just for the info of anyone wishing to experiment with the keymapping as mentioned by Levi above, there is a very handy browser tool, that allows you to change any key to what you choose, or gives you the option of choosing classical elite or oolite versions as a base for your key config.

A note for those who wish to experiment with editing the existing configuration plists.  It is strongly recommended that you do not edit the original files.  The preferred method is to create a folder in AddOns called 'Config', then copy the plist you wish to edit into that folder and edit the copy.  Any plist in AddOns/Config will automatically over-ride the default settings.

Maybe I can copy default plist to the right folder, so everyone who want to hack it will find it at the right place with the right info?

 

[milinks]

That sounds brilliant! Thanks Ptitseb

 

[mongrol]

Looking forward to the soft keymapping. I'd love to get yaw as the default on the D-pad without having to shift. I've played enough Elite over the decades to be thoroughly fed up with constantly going up to chase other ships. Being able to just navigate left/right up/down without all that rolling nonsense would be a blessing.

I'm pretty sure you can already do that. Create a file with default control and invert Yaw and Roll keycode and it will work with current version.

Hmm, not sure what file you mean but I found some config in the default plist and swapped the yaw/roll keys. This only resulted in swapping the nub axis, not the dpad.

 

[spud42]

@Levi - i cant think of a reason, unless you were so close that you wiped out an escape pod, as you  can your hand slapped for pot shotting at bodies in space  i've found this link which has some amazing videos of the AddOns OXPs that are available for oolite, goes to show just how much effort has been put into this game, and whats available out there in OXPs

http://www.lgdb.org/game/oolite

I've GOT TO find out where the whitchspace mod and HUD are on the second video shown!!

looks like the deepspace hud

http://www.jblythe.f9.co.uk/oolite/OXP/DeepspaceHUDOXP.zip

ninja'd by Diziet Sma

 

[Diziet Sma]

Maybe I can copy default plist to the right folder, so everyone who want to hack it will find it at the right place with the right info?

That sounds like a very good idea.. I may even suggest it to the Oolite devs.

The two config files most useful in this regard are keyconfig.plist and planetinfo.plist (detailed information can be found by following the links.).  Planetinfo is a particularly interesting one, as you can do things like tweak nebula settings and the colours and density of the starfield.  Reducing the number of stars and nebula in the background can help performance on low-memory systems.  The Realistic Stars OXP and ZygoCinematicSky&Nebulas OXP use planetinfo.plist to work much of their magic.

There are also a number of discussion threads at the Oolite BB where people have posted their own planetinfo tweaks.

 

[ptitSeb]

So, I tried with espeak, but it's not working properly, so I'm compiling again without before posting build 04. That next build will have quite some improvment. The screenshot is fixed, and the downscale is improved. And I also fixed the bleu flames of the ships. Look at thoses screenshot (that I got using shift *) :





Pic 001 & 002 are vanilla, for the others, I added, from here the Resources 1.2.25, Core Ships replacement 1.34 and Station bundle v1.1, plus the BGS from here. Still fluid on my Gigahertz, but you may need a swapfile (2 of the oxp are around 100Mo size).