Author Topic: Graphical problems with OS X install  (Read 6839 times)

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Offline jg18

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
I am 100% with you on that but I know nothing about the technical feasibility thereof.

I'd say the feasibility is looking pretty good. I just edited my previous post. :)

 

Offline General Battuta

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
If we could get Windows and Linux builds that do that that'd be amazing.

 

Offline jg18

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Well, here's the modified patch I applied to antipodes revision 9507. It'd be nice if someone could make an official alternate BP.patch, since I made this by taking the official BP.patch and tearing stuff out until the result looked satisfactory. What was left were some SEXP changes and a bump in the ship class limits, which I bet was done without talking to daveb, despite the code comment saying you should. :nono:

The other tricky part is the ship tables, which contain some glowpoints data that's only supported by the new graphics code. I just made a copy of the table, commented out the glowpoints lines, and put it in data\tables\ for each of blueplanet and blueplanet2. Another option would be to post alternate core VPs that have the modified ship tables.

 
Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Whatever we can do to allow more people to play is really good in my book.

Releasing alternate builds that don't include the new graphics code would be a great move towards that goal IMO. That would allow people having graphics-related problems with the current builds to play now using the tried and true standard rendering pipelines. They'd only be a short term solution, but since deferred rendering and shadows may not be in trunk for at least a little while, they'd do for now.

EDIT: [selfpromotion]I have posted unofficial OS X builds here that attempt to do just that.[/selfpromotion]

It worked for me! I get the right visuals and, more importantly, no crashes! :) At least not yet ... But I am no longer crashing in the "One Future" mission where I was before. I didn't get very far to test much out, because I died rather quickly :) ... I had stopped playing FS and BP for so long I had forgotten how hard they were. Need to remember how to dodge missiles - though I guess for this mission and ship in particular there is no "dodging" of missiles. I'm also trying the Diaspora game right now where, again, I really need to remember how to dodge missiles. :P

EDIT: Tried the unofficial release build from jg18 a little more: 1 full mission + 1 full dreamscape and it is working perfectly. Thanks!
« Last Edit: January 29, 2013, 04:52:30 am by crazy_dave »

 

Offline Echelon9

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Here's the compilation instructions for Mac, using Xcode (free via Mac App Store).

I've actually already had a go at inserting the code to setup an OpenGL 3.2 context. Didn't work though, in part because I was taking a harder route and not using a more recent trunk version of SDL -- which I believe should make calling the OpenGL 3.2 context and gracefully falling back to OpenGL 2.x on older hardware or OS X releases easier.

The patch should at least provide a guide to a plausible location. Literally this code change should be no more than 10 lines.

 
Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Literally this code change should be no more than 10 lines.

This is precisely what I was speculating. Enough code to see whether we're running on/compiled for OS X, call the context, check to see if the context is valid, then fall back if not. The rest of the code should remain unchanged.

Thanks for the hints about where to look, what to change, and that SDL should probably be upgraded :) I might have some time on Sunday to work on this - I'll post whatever I come up with.

 
Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Literally this code change should be no more than 10 lines.

This is precisely what I was speculating. Enough code to see whether we're running on/compiled for OS X, call the context, check to see if the context is valid, then fall back if not. The rest of the code should remain unchanged.

Thanks for the hints about where to look, what to change, and that SDL should probably be upgraded :) I might have some time on Sunday to work on this - I'll post whatever I come up with.

In his version, jg18 also had to remove some information from the ship data tables to get it to work on the older graphics. I can confirm that, unless the code knows not to look for those data when the graphics can't support them, the game won't work as I tried it without the modified data tables at first (only jg18's build) and the game simply crashed.

 

Offline jg18

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
The issue there was caused by some new glowpoints code that was added just for the BP builds, although it'll get into trunk eventually. There were some additional table features enabled by that code ($Glowpoint overrides:), and that's what I commented out. The crash/freeze occurred because the regular ship table parser couldn't process those table lines.

 
Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
The issue there was caused by some new glowpoints code that was added just for the BP builds, although it'll get into trunk eventually. There were some additional table features enabled by that code ($Glowpoint overrides:), and that's what I commented out. The crash/freeze occurred because the regular ship table parser couldn't process those table lines.

Ah I see, so a version which falls back on earlier graphics shouldn't suffer from the same problems as the code to parse those glow points will be intact.

 

Offline jg18

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Well, graphics stuff is way outside of my expertise, but if I were to guess, the glowpoints code probably uses OpenGL 3-compatible shaders and thus presumably won't work with older graphics cards.

However, by the time the glowpoints code is ready to be committed to trunk, the rendering pipelines will probably already be divided between the OpenGL 3 pipeline and the pre-OpenGL 3 fixed render pipeline (i.e., no shaders aka -no_glsl). Machines with older graphics cards will already be using the second pipeline and will thus be unaffected by changes in the first.

 

Offline GrahamO

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Thanks for the no_glsl suggestion - it removed all my 'black squares' from A of A campaign and made it actually playable.

the only minor glitch left for me is in ship/weapon selection where I get strange thin, green down lines (hard to describe) rotating in sync with the model in the left hand side of the screen - like part of a wireframe model, but shifted half a screen to the left of the actual model. It doesn't affect anything though.

Thanks again for the suggestion - much appreciated !

 

Offline Echelon9

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
the only minor glitch left for me is in ship/weapon selection where I get strange thin, green down lines (hard to describe) rotating in sync with the model in the left hand side of the screen - like part of a wireframe model, but shifted half a screen to the left of the actual model. It doesn't affect anything though.

Thanks again for the suggestion - much appreciated !

Known issue.

 

Offline GrahamO

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Thank you Echelon9.

Is the presence of a Borg Cube instead of a sun in 'The Plunder' similarly known ?

It makes no difference to the game obviously but the big square in the sky looks a little funny ;)

 
Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
I might have some time on Sunday to work on this

... And I didn't. Ended up getting called to work. :(

 

Offline Echelon9

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
I might have some time on Sunday to work on this

... And I didn't. Ended up getting called to work. :(

Anymore updates ultimateloather on this? Would be happy to take a look at any patches you might create to get this working.

 
Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
I unfortunately even haven't had time to play since I posted that. Things at work have been ... relentless and when i get home the last thing I want to do is spend more time in front of a computer. I suppose that's what 10-12 hour days for four weeks will do to you :\

Once things settle down at the office I'll have some time to put into it but it probably won't be for another couple weeks yet.


 

Offline Hoot

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Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Just a quick note, the Sidhe just show white rectangles instead of texture or glows at WiH. I think it is the same with the Kayser in FS2.

Running Mac OS X 10.6, no_glsl, glowmaps disabled etc. (so no black thingies show up anymore).

EDIT Found the problem for BP2, it seems. Was due to old command options saved with wx_launcher while playing via FS2_Launcher.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2013, 10:35:43 am by Hoot »
First encounter: ELITE. Later: X-Wing. The eclipse: FS2O. Ah, and a fan of post-apocalyptic Jugger in real life.

  
Re: Graphical problems with OS X install
Unfortunately due to real-life constraints I'm just not going to be able to take on this project :(

I thought I'd have time, but with additional responsibilities and roles being placed on me at work I'm doing 10-12 hour days pretty constantly now, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend more time sitting in front of a computer.

I'm happy to help do some quick testing if someone else wants to pick up the mantle and run with it, but unfortunately doing any of the work is probably going to be out.

Sorry ...