Thursday 19 November 2015

Alpha 2.0.29

Edit: This update was botched when fist released — should be fine now.

Major changes this update:

  • Fixed teleports
  • Fixed colour doors
  • Level Pit UI improvements
  • Fixed some levels
  • New renderer
The new renderer has been taking up most of my time this week. It still doesn't look as good as the old renderer but it takes CPU usage from 35% to 8% on my Windows 7 test machine, so I've enabled it as an option. If you'd like to test it out, go into options and set "Renderer" to "bgfx" then restart the game.

Once I hear back that it's working for people, I'll remove the old renderer.

Known issues with the new renderer (it won't become default until these are fixed):

  • Doesn't show the full explosion effect
  • Doesn't show terrain outside the level
  • Invisible walls don't show up in editor
  • Mine, grill and laser sound effects don't play
There's no reason these can't be fixed, I just thought it was about time I put an update out. You're welcome to stay on the old renderer and just enjoy the other improvements from this update.

25 comments:

  1. I get the following message (and crash) when trying to place the orange or purple blockers that can be turned off and on. All other tiles seem to work fine (unless I forgot to try, went through most of tnem), Not sure if I need to reinstall or something:

    "OGRE EXCEPTION(6:FileNotFoundException:) Cannot locate resource PegContBaseOld.mesh in resource group[...]"

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    1. Please download & install again to fix this. Thanks for being a tester =P

      Delete
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  3. Yay, the other doors work! When I play "Mega Fun", I get an OGRE EXCEPTION(6:FileNotFoundException) - a hell, I will email it to you. I was just playing it before the update.

    19 November 2015 at 20:51

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    1. Please download & install again to fix this, I dun goofed.

      Delete
  4. Actually, I am getting that exception on a bunch of levels and it boots me out of the game!

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    1. I got it on my unfinished level, so I thought it got broken and deleted it. Maybe it happens in all levels that use the orange or purple blocker/door thingies?
      Also, yay for fixed doors and teleporters :D

      Delete
  5. Yo RGA, I beat level 16 where at the end, it is the fire floor. I did not make it to the safe tile but instead, at the precise moment, I quickly backed up when the fire was upon me, and lo and behold, survived! :)

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    1. I can't pull that one off. I tried several times and it worked once (so I know what you're talking about) but couldn't do it a second time.
      On that matter, you can avoid that speedrun part by going back where you came from until the booms are done.
      But the editor stuff works now :)

      Delete
  6. It happened again x.x
    When arriving at the checkpoint, the current state of the level got saved in the editor. I can't even edit it anymore. Well, I can, but changes wont be saved.

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    1. OK, I can make it happen. You can get your level back as long as you DON'T save it when this has happened. You don't need to mess about deleting files:

      1. From the editor, play your level.
      2. In the level, press Ctrl+R to restart ignoring save points
      3. Quit back to the editor

      Now that I can make this happen, I'll fix it for the next update. (I mean it this time!)

      Delete
    2. Thanks, that actually worked. To answer your former question, it happened when I died (but I guess you already figured it out).
      The strange thing: Like I said before, I tried to change and save it and it didn't seem to work. Now I tried the Ctrl+R thing and I can see my changes from before (since there are explosion marks on the ground, I now can copy and draw them, too).
      I can edit and test the level, but when I die again the game crashes. I don't know if that's related to the abused save file or something, but at least I can work with that.

      Delete
    3. If what Rob says doesn't work, Stechus (Wunk), you can find that file on your computer. Search for ...Blackshift/Saved states. There should be only one file there. Delete it. The Ctrl+R didn't work for me a few times and that is what I did. More detail of this file is in the thread below this one!

      It is a hidden folder under C:\users\[your profile name]\appdata\roaming\blackshift

      Delete
    4. More precisely, it crashes when trying to go back to edit modus. If I retry with R fast enough, I'm fine.

      Delete
    5. What the heck and I supposed to do with the one eyed eggo? Does he have the magic power to open the gate? ha ha ha

      Delete
    6. Quick observations:
      1. Graphics in bgfx poor and the game seems slower.
      2. Have been getting the "cosmic rays screen" a lot.
      3. Game stops randomly and you have to exit in both renderers
      4. Hitting "Reset" sometimes takes you to another level.
      5. On No. 4, you might lock up and crash.

      Happening in both Portable Win8.1 and graphics computer win7 with a lot of rammers!

      Report back later!

      Delete
    7. Cold boot, cleared my Save States files and similar issues happened, however, when I played the levels that Rob made in the game, not a single problem except that some of the graphics didn't work and the wandering black cube turned into the random dude from the original Blackshift Ha ha - Like the black cube better - looks meaner but nicer! Still testing......

      Delete
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  8. I am a bit chatty tonight.... he he he, in bgfx mode, you can grab the side bars and make the screen whatever the size you want.... Aaaaand, the bigger the screen, the better the graphics!!! Who would thunk Wunk? Plus, the blockers show up in colour! Keep workin' on it Rob!

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    1. Yep, the bigger the screen with bgfx, the better the graphics and the game speeds up. Small screen sucks and looks like crap and awkward. It is like taking a picture and reducing the size where it gets squashed. I think we can work with bgfx but maybe need to automate it to go to full screen by checking the video setting first. I am sure you know how to do this Rob.

      It still keeps crashing on Wunk's (Save Me) level.

      It's funny that it works great on your 19 levels but when someone programs a new level, (and Wunk can break just about anything), it crashes.

      Delete
    2. It's actually a cheap (some old stuff doesn't work anymore and I didn't think of new stuff yet) version of the (old) blackshift level I once sent you - thx again for the backup btw :D
      I guess you're stuck at the part after the teleporter and can't reach the green switch? Hint: That follower guy can brace a box for you.

      I may not have too much time atm, but I gotta spend some of it now and actually think of some new things to test.

      Delete
  9. Playing around with bullets and deflectors: When you place a droppable deflector on a ground deflector,there are different outcomes. If there's an straight back deflector (180°) among them, the bullet will always go back. A / placed on a \ however seems completely random, the bullet goes anywhere (except straight through). That might be fun.
    Also, I like how the bullet color changer works already. It doesn't really do anything else though, does it?

    But this looks like a bug: A pushed box protects you from a laser when you go from the gun in the direction it is pointing; without a box you can't do that (you can try it in my "Telebox test")

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  10. Working on your [Telebox test] but need to put the Porsche to bed for winter during our short Canadian winters! The bullet colour changer doesn't work yet as the do colour changer tiles. The blue bullet is supposed to go thru orange deflectors (available in old Blackshift). That little spinning coloured thing is supposed to change the bullet colour back to orange. I like that because it is movable!

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  11. Wunk, saw your solution for [Save me], I'll try it, I guess I didn't think I had that much time to save the one-eyed monster. On my level with the square deflectors, I wanted to point out that the deflectors deflect from the middle and not the edge. I think it was Sabik that put movable deflectors in the middle of the fixed deflectors in one of the older Netshift games and it would make the bullet deflect in the opposite direction of the movable deflector. I thought that was a neat feature.

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