[Knight Templar]

I don't know where this topic should be, but I'm sure the wonderful administration will move and shift and lock and delete accordingly.

Anyway, I downloaded the complete FS package that HLP hosts. You know, the one with the latest and greatest from FSO, a bunch of user campaigns I don't want to play, and a couple that I do, and a bunch of other fancy stuff? Yeah, downloaded, installed (C:/games/freespace2) I get all excited (save for my lack of a joystick =\ ) and I click on the .exe for FSO and... crash. Doesn't even open. Gives me a windows error report. I try the debug version, same deal.

And I just tried playing with the Launcher. Before I set the Launcher to a specific .exe, I couldn't open any FS2 file. Now that I set it vanilla FS2, I can do that. But as soon as I try to launch with open or I try to run directly from the open .exe, I get a windows error and crash. (Windows XP)

So what's the deal?

[Turey]

did you install OpenAL?

[Knight Templar]

Uh. No..

What is that?

[Mongoose]

OpenAL

It's essentially the audio equivalent of OpenGL.  The SCP switched over to it exclusively a build or two ago.  Just run the installer, make sure that "Generic Software" is selected in the launcher's audio tab, and you should be good to go.

[Knight Templar]

nice, everything is fixed now.

Only thing left nagging me is something graphical. I noticed that most background objects (stars, planets, nebulae) and to a lesser extent, hud targeting brackets seem to bounce around depending on what angle I view them. For instance, if I'm flying on one side of the Colossus, and I know the Sun is on the other side... I'll be able to see it from a diagonal view, but if I turn to face it directly, it shifts position in the sky behind the Colossus. And the targeting brackets aren't always around my target, except when I have them directly in the center of my screen. It's like everything is relative to my ship rather than the space itself.

I really don't remember things being this odd, so I'm assuming it's a bug, or some coder thought it was cool.

[Jeff Vader]

Well, the sun thing is a 'feature'. The suns look like they move compared to the rest of the background when you turn your ship. Maybe it's cool.

As for the targeting brackets, are you playing in widescreen? Because that sounds like an issue with widescreen resolutions. In that case the sun thingie might also be stronger.

[Knight Templar]

A Feature? I don't get it. Why?

[colecampbell666]

  I don't think it's a feature. Widescreen is still buggy so you have to play in 4:3.

[Jeff Vader]

Well, it is. At least I can see it, whether I play in 4:3 or in 16:10. Or 16:9. Or 5:4. Or anything. Widescreen is just so trippin' otherwise that it also enhances the motion of the suns when you turn your ship. But you can also see it in, like 1024x768.

Do play FS in 4:3 and this time, pay attention to the suns when you turn your ship.

[Knight Templar]

Well, I am playing at 1024, but not widescreen.

[Jeff Vader]

So like I said, it's completely normal for the suns to look like they 'move'. Don't worry about that.

But the targeting bracket issue sounds mighty funky to me. So far I've only heard about people having malfunctioning HUDs when playing in widescreen. Maybe someone can explain it. Maybe not.

[Knight Templar]

Ok, new problem.

I'm at school, FS is installed on my laptop. After I download that AL thing, it works fine. Plays fine.

I come home this weekend, bring my laptop with me. I power it up tonight and go to launch FS from the launcher (keep in mind, I haven't touched a thing) and it crashes and gives me a windows error report. I try all the .exes, same bit. I don't know if it matters, but I'm mid-way through the first set of Snipes missions in the main campaign.

So yeah, wtf?

edit: apparently that fixed itself with a windows restart. 

[CP5670]

Well, the sun thing is a 'feature'. The suns look like they move compared to the rest of the background when you turn your ship. Maybe it's cool.

There is no way that thing is intentional. The background bitmaps seem to be rendered with a different FOV than the stars. It has always been like that though.

[Jeff Vader]

K. So it's an unintentional, yet persistent 'feature'. But it's not that bad a problem, considering that there shouldn't be any reason to stare the suns during missions.