0.2.8.3_beta1: Release process and bugs

[Lacrymosa]

The alpha works fine for me (Vista), I haven't checked the linux version yet. But is it possible that the Moviepack option is activated by default? When I installed and started it, I saw the titlescreen of my moviepack, the one that's actually in the moviepack folder of the aa main directory.

[wrtlprnft]

I think the alpha is supposed to use your old settings. So if you had the moviepacked activated before you installed the alpha it'll stay activated…

[Z-Man]

Someone just told me he thinks the alpha sucks because it keeps crashing for them. I wasn't able to get any further details, though :-/

Sounds like one of Luke-Jr's bug reports.

And yes, the old settings should be used, and the moviepack always was active by default.

How about we update the Wiki page with a list of participating servers, while those are still in the minority?

[wrtlprnft]

How about we update the Wiki page with a list of participating servers, while those are still in the minority?

Done.

Because there are a lot of requests for a trunk build (ie a build that contains the new 0.2.8.3 features and the new cockpit, font, cam and stuff) I made a windows build of the latest trunk: http://wrtlprnft.ath.cx/armagetronad-CVS.win32.exe
Maybe I'll publish a little “How to turn a windows machine into something capable of building arma”. I found it a little hard to find all the stuff I needed.

Also, there's a bug in the alpha: The labels for spectator mode and hiding your global ID are swapped. In other languages than english this leads to the text for spectator mode appearing twice, one time in english, one time in the respective language. The lower entry is always the one for hiding your global ID, the upper one is for spectator mode. Sorry, my fault.

Oh, did I already mention http://armagetronad.svn.sourceforge.net ... iew=markup?

[Lacrymosa]

Thanks wrtl, just what I was looking for.

EDIT: I noticed two bugs, in the menu, where it is supposed to display "About Armagetron" it says @progtitle@, but I can just press enter and I see the "About" page. You probabyl just forgot to name it. The secon bug is the cockpit. When I start a local game (haven't tried it online yet), there is no cockpit at all, it says "Error 404 File not found".

EDIT #2: The cockpit works now, I just restarted the game.

[Z-Man]

The @progtitle@ is perfectly normal for a pure SVN Windows build. The Unix tools that pack the source zip for the real builds handle the renaming, because in Windows, no standard tools are widely available.

[Loor]

I found another bug too. I'm not entirely sure if to do with lag, but the three times its happened, i've been playing the alpha.

Sometimes you "drive through your own tail", but the game renders it that you have avoided it, then after a few seconds, the camera gets heaved back to where you drove through, and you explode, and die.
It usually happens when doing tight turns.

[Z-Man]

What server, and what ping to you have there? Also, a debug recording would really help here.

[Loor]

Hmm, Durka durka and cheers so far, with a usual (aussie) ping of ~390. I'll try to get a recording too.

EDIT: Here, a recording of it happening. Skip forward to about 445 seconds, its happens just after that.

[Z-Man]

Security warning for dedicated server owners: Set ACCESS_LEVEL_ADMIN so that only people you fully trust can use /admin. A fix is in svn/bzr already, and of course will be in the next version.

Loor: thanks, but apart from your lagged death later that round, I see nothing unusual, no passing through walls, anyway. Maybe it's a compiler version thing, I'll check with the builds when I get home.

[Z-Man]

New builds (alpha_20080217) are up at aabeta and sourceforge.

New stuff this time is mostly on the client. I've added code all over the place optimizing the OpenGL rendering where I could; that code is also in the new trunk snapshots wrtl is making, but it comes from 0.2.8 originally. Now, we really need you to test this in all possible configurations; already two crashes caused by buggy display drivers were worked around, but only a very limited choice of drivers has been tested so far. Here's where you come in. We need you to
- get the new client build
- start it, go to the System Setup/Display Settings/Performance Tweaks menu
- make sure "Display Lists" is on "Create and Call".
- play some minutes/hours

Then, please report back, even if there was no crash, stating your operating system and graphics card; it's best to quote the GL_RENDERER, GL_VENDOR and GL_VERSION lines from your user.cfg. For the release, we may have to only allow the optimizations to be active with drivers we know to be working. That means if you don't give your "it's working" report, you won't get the full graphics performance in the final release.

Of course, it's even more important to report back if there is a crash on your system. In that case, we need all the info we can get: operating system, exact driver version, all your settings. And we'll probably ask you to run further tests to narrow the cause down.

Also, be on the lookout for graphics errors in your favorite configuration. Like missing movieplack textures.

On the server side, there is the new SUSPEND admin command that removes a player from the game, but not the server, for a selectable number of rounds.

The linux autopackage builds are this time for libstdc++6-systems only. I did not manage to convince the builder to create a dual version that also supports libstdc++5, and version 6 is standard in every major distribution for over two years now. If you're still on a version 5 system, you'll need to build from source now.

[philippeqc]

For the release, we may have to only allow the optimizations to be active with drivers we know to be working. That means if you don't give your "it's working" report, you won't get the full graphics performance in the final release.

Could be better to make a new thread just to collect that information rather than to have it diluted here.

/ph

[Luke-Jr]

Curious regression in branches/0.2.8 (didn't have this problem a month or so ago)
It's only a problem if the 'Display Lists' setting is something other than 'Off'

The problem itself should be obvious contrasting the two screenshots attached, but just in case... for some reason text is -- in most frames -- being rendered with odd/wrong colours, especially the ones that are supposed to be default coloured. The miscoloured text does not remain a static colour (it changes), and at times is completely transparent.

[ebuild R ] x11-base/xorg-server-1.3.0.0-r5 USE="dri ipv6 nptl sdl xorg -3dfx -debug -dmx -kdrive -minimal -xprint" INPUT_DEVICES="keyboard mouse synaptics -acecad -aiptek -calcomp -citron -digitaledge -dmc -dynapro -elo2300 -elographics -evdev -fpit -hyperpen -jamstudio -joystick -magellan -microtouch -mutouch -palmax -penmount -spaceorb -summa -tek4957 -ur98 -vmmouse -void -wacom" VIDEO_CARDS="fbdev radeon vesa -apm -ark -chips -cirrus -cyrix -dummy -epson -fglrx -glint -i128 -i740 -i810 (-impact) -imstt -mach64 -mga -neomagic (-newport) -nsc -nv -nvidia -r128 -rendition -s3 -s3virge -savage -siliconmotion -sis -sisusb (-sunbw2) (-suncg14) (-suncg3) (-suncg6) (-sunffb) (-sunleo) (-suntcx) -tdfx -tga -trident -tseng -v4l -vga -via -vmware -voodoo" 9,047 kB

[ebuild R ] x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati-6.6.3 USE="dri -debug" 707 kB

Linux yokochan 2.6.20-gentoo-r7 #3 PREEMPT Tue May 8 00:04:25 CDT 2007 i686 Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 2.00GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon R250 [Mobility FireGL 9000] (rev 02)

[Z-Man]

Philippe: Good idea.

Luke-Jr: This could take some back and forth, so forked.

[Z-Man]

New build is up on aabeta and SF. New this time: A crapload of bugfixes, of course, plus:

Code: Select all

 - FORTRESS_COLLAPSE_SPEED: tune the collapse speed of fortress zones.
- VOTE_KICK_REASON: default reason given on kick votes.
- "/vote" chat interface to votes; "/vote kick <player>" issues a kick vote.
- new vote type "/vote suspend <player>" suspends a player for 
  VOTING_SUSPEND_ROUNDS rounds.
- new vote type "/vote include <file>", includes configuration file
  vote/<file>.
- new vote type "/vote command <command>" executes console command
  <command>. (Both that and /vote include are by default only available
  to moderators).
- VOTING_HARM_TIME: time between all harmful votes against a player

  Featurelets:
- /team messages can be used by spectators to chat with other spectators only.

Sorry if things are missing or duplicate, we don't track features for individual alpha builds.