Pentagram still alive?

[Fish]

Yes, you're right. I've updated the patch.
The tools don't depend on SDL anymore since they don't use OutputLogger.

[Dominus]

Thanks again for your patches. In the end the problem solved a bit differently. Kirben had added outputlogger.o to objects.mk for fixing the building on Windows through mingw, since that doesn't use module.mk. So just removing it from objects.mk would have broken Windows builds again.
He needed to include it in the mingw makefile and remove it from objects.mk.
This is now in SVN.

[GuJiaXian]

Can we get an updated PC version? Also, will the changelog be updated?

[Dominus]

Yes, though only the Apple PC snapshot was updated. Windows PC didn't need an update since that was only a compile time problem, nothing functional changed since the last snapshot.

And no, since this change wasn't recorded in the changelog (again since this has nothing to do with how Pentagram works).

[oneismany]

thanks a lot for that fix. pentagram compiles now and it runs. but it won't play U8! I get this message that it can't find U8 when I run it and I have tried renaming the U8 directory and using quotes in the file and now I'm stumped again.

Quote:

Scanning config file for games:
pentagram: Pentagram Menu, English
virtual path "@detect": /home/USERNAME/.wine/drive_c/Games/Ultima VIII
u8: unknown, skipping
----------------------------------------
No games set up in configuration.
Please read the README for instructions.


Unquote.


Any more advice?

[Dominus]

How does your pentagram.ini look like? And best don't put it in a path with spaces (until it works and then try out how good it works with spaces).

[oneismany]

this is my whole ~/.pentagram/pentagram.ini file:

[U8]
path=/home/[username]/.wine/drive_c/Games/U8


When I run ./pentagram I get this error:

-- Pentagram Initialized --

Scanning config file for games:
pentagram: Pentagram Menu, English
virtual path "@detect": /home/[username]/.wine/drive_c/Games/U8
U8: unknown, skipping
----------------------------------------
No games set up in configuration.
Please read the README for instructions.
----------------------------------------


And no game to play. Curiously, it doesn't matter what I name my U8 folder, same results, but if I change [U8] (uppercase 'U') to [u8] (lowercase 'u') in the .ini, then the error line 'U8: unknown, skipping' will change to 'u8: unknown, skipping'. So it seems to be having trouble recognizing the game identification in the .ini file.

Pentagram doesn't have trouble finding the U8 directory. If I rename the directory something else it gives a different error saying that it can't find the directory. Like this:

Scanning config file for games:
pentagram: Pentagram Menu, English
virtual path "@detect": /home/[username]/.wine/drive_c/Games/U8
Problem mounting virtual path "@detect": directory not found: /home/[username]/.wine/drive_c/Games/U8
U8: unknown, skipping

So, that's not the problem.

[PS if someone could please edit my previous post and change the username in the virtual path directory to the same as this one I would appreciate it. The earlier one was unintentional.]

[Dominus]

So what version of u8 do you have and where is the usecode file in that folder?

[oneismany]

It's version 1.14 and the usecode file is in the U8/Usecode directory.

[Dominus]

hmm, isn't U8 numbered 2.x? I have 2.12. Let's try different approach, from which release is your U8? Floppy version, EA Classics, Ultima Collection...? And which language. And did you install the game or just copy the folders?

[Dominus]

Also check how the usecode file is written. I don't know how sensitive Pentagram is on cases.
EUSECODE.FLX is fine, eusecode.flx probably, Eusecode.flx most likely not

[oneismany]

Oh, sorry it's 2.12. I forgot about ctrl-v. It's copied from the original game CD and I ran the install under dosbox to set up the sound options like I've been doing for years and the game works well under dosbox.

[Dominus]

Then it is likely the case sensitive problem...

[oneismany]

Yes! I changed everything to ALL CAPS and it works!!!! The only problem is there's no music. Sound is fine, just no music.

[oneismany]

Also, this isn't a problem but when the game is full screen the mouse has the typical right handed configuration - left mouse button selects and right mouse button moves. But in widowed mode, it has the left handed configuration - the mouse buttons are switched. Like I said, it isn't a problem for me, because I'm left handed and I like to play the game that way. The original game like U7 let you choose handedness. That isn't implemented in exult, which was one strike against it for me. I hope this "bug" won't be fixed, unless it's to let the user switch handedness.

[Dominus]

Strange with fullscreen and mouse button switch. Never noticed that. Will need to investigate.

About music, you probably need to configure pentagram.ini for your music device. Alsa might need a port set.

[Dominus]

I cannot confirm the different mouse behavior between fullscreen and windowed mode. At least on OS Xit is the same in both modes.
Perhaps you were able to set something up for left handedness that somehow influences SDL in fullscreen.

[oneismany]

Hmmm, that's strange about the handedness, but it works out for me.

Ugh. I don't know how to find my ALSA port. Any help?

[Dominus]

it should be the default port but more than this... no idea

[Shadowblade]

It was so great to play this classic again without the claustrophobic, limited field of view. Pentagram was working great with Pagan Ultima VIII on my 1920x1200 24" monitor.

My pentagram.ini is standard with 640x480 or 800x600 @1600x1200 to preserve aspect ratio.


But on the Ancient Necromancer's Quest, after getting the "Grant Peace" spell, I teleported to the area with grass in the centre, two chests and a stone throne. The Throne area teleports you to the next area. The chests and the grass have rare ingredients, so it's nice to collect them.

But whenever I walk across the map it crashes at some point - not always the same point.

Sometimes it insta-CTDs with no message, other times I get an Assertion Failure. It's not always the same error, sometimes line 427 or 21 or something else, sometimes it mentions character animation and says to check the C++ documentation or something.

I tried re-installing Pentagram but it doesn't help.

I ran to the throne and teleported to the next level and it insta-crashed as soon as I landed.

This is pretty much a game breaker as I cannot continue. I could try an older save or I could Recall to the plateau and go through again, but I don't know if the error will re-occur or even if I can get through the Necromancers again as I already have some spells so I may not be teleported at the corrct point.

Is there any work around for this?


I DID use some of the cheats to use some spells before I had actually learned the spells, but I don't know if that could corrupt something.


Many Thanks

~

[Shadowblade]

PS

My system:
Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z
Intel i7 2600K 3.40 GHz overclocked @3.8 GHz
8GB Corsair Vengeance PC3 2133MHz DDR3 RAM
AMD Radeon HD 7970 3072MB
Dell U2410 24" 1920x1200 widescreen flat panel
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Pro
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

[Dominus]

We might need a savegame

[Shadowblade]

OK. How would I send that? I know, RTFM!

I have:
one from just after I managed to gather ingredients which is corrupted and I can load but get weird graphical glitches and cannot use as the menu won't respond etc - it must have crashed just as I saved

one from a little earlier when I arrived at the place, before trying to gather ingredients.

Which do you need?


Cheers

~

[Shadowblade]

PS checked the bugtracker sticky, so I'll follow that.

~

[Shadowblade]

File limit 256 kb, saves are 385 kb.

What now?

~

[Shadowblade]

I zipped the saved game and sent it to the bug report place. Any chance some one might look at it?


Cheers!

[Dominus]

Wjp fixed an old bug that corrupted savegames (see http://pentagram.sf.net)

[Jaesun]

Can Pentagram play .ogg files for music like Exult can? I spent last year recording the MIDI music as played in each section of the game (via DOSBox and through a Roland Sound Canvas) here http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAD18FFF0FF78BC28 just to document the music as it is heard in game.

I'd love to record the music for this if this was available.

[Dominus]

No, Pentagram can't do this. YET! Since we did away with SDL_mixer dependency of Exult, maybe these changes can be backported to Pentagram (code is already shared anyway). *I* can't do this, maybe Colourless will when he finds time, maybe you want/can try your hands at this?

[Jaesun]

OK thanks Dominus. If at some point someone would like to implement this, I'd be happy to provide the Sound Canvas .ogg files for it.

[Colourless]

Pentagram's music system is quite complicated and can't trivially be extended to play oggs, nor do I think it should.

My recommend using FluidSynth (Pentagram should be built with it) with something like the Fluid soundfont for great music in Pentagram. High quality string and piano samples make a big difference. A Sound Canvas just can not compare to the quality you'll get from a high quality software modern software synth.

[Dominus]

Thanks for speaking up. Problem with Fluidsynth these days is that it depends on glib2, not only for building but during use as well. Unfortunately this adds significant overhead if you want to distribute a static built ;(

Edit: freezing the thread due to spam magnetism