Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => Gaming Discussion => Topic started by: Iritscen on March 23, 2007, 08:19:46 am

Title: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Iritscen on March 23, 2007, 08:19:46 am
Hey guys.  Just a couple days ago I started wondering whether Descent had ever been ported in such a way that I could play it on my Intel Mac... and iquickly found that it has!  Yay!

I got it networked with my G5 (via Firewire!) and started a game all right... here's the thing: I have all these old maps (multiplayer for the most part) that I copied over from Descent (the original).  In Descent, starting a mission brings up a box with all of the maps for me to choose from.  In D2-XL, it gives me two choices, the Descent 1 and the Descent 2 missions....  Why are the 3rd party maps not showing up?
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 23, 2007, 09:41:27 am
You have to hit "New Game", do not hit "Single Player Game", that will give you only the D1 & D2 missions...

EDIT: BTW, you have played FreeSpace before, right?
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Iritscen on March 23, 2007, 10:14:54 am
Errr... no.

And I get the same two choices when I hit New game, Single Player, MultiPlayer, etc.  It's always just the D1 and D2 missions.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 23, 2007, 10:19:34 am
Take a look at my directory, which works:
(attached text file)

EDIT sorry about that, fixed now (re-download the text file, the other did not contain the info I wanted you to have).

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Iritscen on March 23, 2007, 11:21:05 am
Thanks jr2.  It looks like those extra maps were supposed to be in the Missions folder after all.  Somehow I tried that before and didn't see the maps show up (probably clicked the wrong menu item).  Nice.  Now I'm all set for a LAN game.  Thanks again!
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: MP-Ryan on March 23, 2007, 11:31:27 am
I appear to be cursed trying to run this game.

I finally got all the graphical options wrking properly (except the fullscreen startup, that was still not working), and then somehow the robot AI got switched off.  They wouldn't move, wouldn't fire back, wouldn't do anything.  And no, I didn't have the robot AI turned off in the commandlines.

I've come to the conclusion I'm not meant to play D2 anymore  :(
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: fsi.scsi on March 23, 2007, 01:13:33 pm
The official D2X-XL website (http://www.descent2.de) has a lot of detailed information on properly configuration, for example directory structure:

config: put all config files here (*.cfg, *.ini)
data: put all game data here (*.pig, descent.hog & .msn, descent2.hog & .mn2, *.256, etc.)
demos: demo files will be saved in this folder (*.dem)
missions: put all game data here (*.hog, *.msn, *.mn2)
models: put all hires model data here (*.oof, *.tga)
movies: put all movie files here (*.mvl)
profiles: put all player profiles here (*.plr)
savegames: put all save games here (*.sg?)
screenshots: screenshots will be saved here if this folder is present (*.tga)
(from http://www.descent2.de/d2x-install.html (http://www.descent2.de/d2x-install.html))

Not to rant here, but it seems like a lot of the "problems" or bugs people have with D2X-XL stem from not reading the installation/gameplay instructions correctly/at all.

MP-Ryan: More details please? (i.e. version number, what OS you are running it on, if you have the original D2 HOG files, etc.. the works.) :)

jr2: Strangely enough I have gotten 3rd party levels to work through the "Single Player Game" option.  Weird.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Iritscen on March 23, 2007, 01:24:55 pm
For what it's worth, I did read the install instructions, but the page says, and I quote:

Quote
D2X-XL supports organizing the Descent 2 data in subdirectories of the main Descent 2 folder. Use of these folders is optional; if d2x-xl finds one of them, it will however only look there for the related data.

Since I had no Missions folder at all, I figured d2x-xl would just look in Data.  The main install instructions tell you explicitly to make a Data folder, but now I notice that the Data folder is also listed as one of the "optional" folders.

Perhaps then, d2x-xl is seeing Data and looking for only the Data files there, not Mission files.  It's rather confusingly worded in the instructions.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: MP-Ryan on March 23, 2007, 03:11:08 pm
Latest version, Windows XP, and I've read basically the entire D2X-XL website trying to get this thing to run properly.

Seems a lot of the lines just don't work properly.
1.  I don't get the new menu backgrounds.
2.  Movies work sporadically (and yes, I removed the high-res options).
3.  Inactive enemies.  Which is odd, because when I tried this a week or so ago I didn't get that problem; instead I couldn't get any of the new graphical options to work.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 23, 2007, 06:25:35 pm
MP-Ryan, you need to go into your d2x.ini file, in your d2x-xl\config dir (if you have one in this dir and also one in the main dir, ... move the one in your main dir to the config dir)
remove the
Code: [Select]
; from
Code: [Select]
;-fullscreenThe other probs are the same type... take a look at my working d2x.ini:
(attached text file; rename as d2x.ini if you want... if you can't rename, ask me, I'll show you how)


[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 23, 2007, 06:30:16 pm
@Iritscen:
The link for d'ling FS is in my siggy too, but wait until April, as the bandwidth is exceeded for now... or you can just torrent it.
FreeSpace2 SCP DVD .torrent - please help seed when you finish!! (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,45946.0.html)
FileFront direct download:
FreeSpace SCP DVD ISO Now Available for Download (New Mirror Posted!) (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,45835.0.html)
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Mars on March 23, 2007, 07:38:53 pm
I appear to be cursed trying to run this game.

Never use Linux...
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 24, 2007, 01:28:41 am
Oh.  Linux, I don't know much about.  Sorry.  :(
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Admiral Cheater on March 24, 2007, 01:40:05 am
I have the same problem as MP-Ryan, the enemy bots don't seem to do anything even when I nudge or fire at them and after a while the game crashes with the generic windows error message . I'm using version 1.9.159 on Windows XP. I really want to play this game because it seems like fun.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 24, 2007, 01:55:19 am
Did you look at my d2x.ini file and compare it with yours?  Or better yet, just back yours up (rename it), then copy mine over, and rename mine from d2x.ini.txt to d2x.ini
Do this by opening the command prompt, start > run, type cmd for 2k/xp or command for win9x , press enter.
change directory to the directory where you put my file.
Code: [Select]
c:
cd "\games\d2x-xl\config"
or
Code: [Select]
c:
cd "\documents and settings\jr2\desktop"
Once there, type in:
Code: [Select]
ren d2x.ini.txt d2x.ini
Then copy the file to your d2x config directory.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Admiral Cheater on March 24, 2007, 02:08:50 am
I've replaced my ini file with the one you uploaded but it is still the same.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 24, 2007, 03:24:20 am
Erg.  You put it in the d2x-xl\config directory?  Make sure that you don't have another one in the main directory as well...  Or, if you put mine in the main directory, move it to the \d2x-xl\config directory. If you don't have the \config directory, make one.  Did you see my directory listing from this (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,46115.msg940692.html#msg940692) post?
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Admiral Cheater on March 24, 2007, 03:34:24 am
Yes, I placed the file in the config folder and made sure there wasn't another one anywhere but the bots are still inactive. Oh well, don't worry about it. I'll go play something else instead. Thanks for the help anyway.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 24, 2007, 03:37:23 am
Try posting on D2X-XL's bug tracker in sourceforge
( http://sourceforge.net - search for d2x-xl , then trackers > bug tracker )
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: MP-Ryan on March 25, 2007, 03:44:33 pm
MP-Ryan, you need to go into your d2x.ini file, in your d2x-xl\config dir (if you have one in this dir and also one in the main dir, ... move the one in your main dir to the config dir)
remove the
Code: [Select]
; from
Code: [Select]
;-fullscreenThe other probs are the same type... take a look at my working d2x.ini:
(attached text file; rename as d2x.ini if you want... if you can't rename, ask me, I'll show you how)


I'm going to try it again, but I've tried everything you've told me and it's STILL acting up.  Normally I have no problems with configurations, which is why this bugs me so much.

EDIT:  Incidentally, I have the Win95 edition of Descent 2

EDIT2:  Well, in a bizarre twist the third reinstall has everything working, albeit for one show-stopping bug.  The first boss robot will not die (level 4 or 5, methinks?).  I enabled the damage indicator and he's at 0, but he won't explode.  Which is bizarre.  Oh, and I still have to go to fullscreen manually by Alt-Enter.  *shrug*
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 26, 2007, 04:44:27 am
You have the latest version of D2X-XL?  If so, go to the bug tracker section of http://sourceforge.net/projects/d2x-xl/ (Trackers -> Bugs) and report it....
I know Diedel has a username over here, but IDK what it is.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: karx11erx on March 26, 2007, 04:54:53 am
The missions folder is *not* optional, as it is required by the original Descent already.

Please post all bug reports and feature requests in the trackers on http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/d2x-xl.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: jr2 on March 26, 2007, 04:58:32 am
Hm, I thought he had the missions folder already... his problem is he can't destroy the L5 Boss.  But I thought there was no Boss until L15?  And the full-screen thing is weird.

EDIT: Could this be a conflict of some demo version files being in his missions dir?
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: Iritscen on March 26, 2007, 09:04:17 am
@Iritscen:
The link for d'ling FS is in my siggy too, but wait until April, as the bandwidth is exceeded for now... or you can just torrent it.
FreeSpace2 SCP DVD .torrent - please help seed when you finish!! (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,45946.0.html)
FileFront direct download:
FreeSpace SCP DVD ISO Now Available for Download (New Mirror Posted!) (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,45835.0.html)


Kewl.  Thanks.
Title: Re: D2-XL is awesome, but...
Post by: MP-Ryan on March 26, 2007, 11:11:06 am
Hm, I thought he had the missions folder already... his problem is he can't destroy the L5 Boss.  But I thought there was no Boss until L15?  And the full-screen thing is weird.

EDIT: Could this be a conflict of some demo version files being in his missions dir?

I have the missions folder.

The full-screen thing IS bizarre.  The flag isn't doing anything.  Very strange.  ALT-Enter works, but it's kinda irritating :P

The problem is in Robby station... the big red robot won't die :)

I'll post the bug on sourceforge.