Author Topic: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development  (Read 13013 times)

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Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Zathras 2.3 available for dev testing only.  If your just playing the game this is not for you.

To use I suggest extracting into a new directory (something like Zathras2.3) and pointing the mod in the launcher there.  This way you can switch back and forth to confirm any issues with the previous version.  Of course you will need 3.6.14 or 3.6.15 exes. 

Know issues:

-Multiple warnings from the launcher about invalid flags such as -spec, -normal, -env, -glow.  These were removed and now default to on.  (most of these should be fixed in 3.6.15 r9329 and above)
-Warning about the tech description of the Brakiri 57mm.  This is an old bug that was not caught before.  It is fixed in Zathras but there is no way around the warning as it still reads the 3.4b weapons.tbl first.
-Collision issue with rotating subsystems.  This seems to be code related as the models work with the old collision code.
-Warnings about docking points.  This check was recently added.  I will have the models fixed for the next revision.


Changes since 2.2: 
All Centauri ships now have lods and debris as well as some other fixes.  Full list Mantis 510
Fix a docking path issue on the Sharlin.
Fixed quite a few mismatches between number of lods in tables vs actual number model has.

Changes 2.3 to 2.3b
All Narn ships now have lods and debris as well as other fixes.  Full list Mantis 510
Added Zathras-hdg.tbm with extended escort and directive lists.
Fixed issue with Vorchan turret pivots from 2.3




« Last Edit: December 05, 2012, 05:18:19 pm by FUBAR-BDHR »
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline Slasher

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Oh yeah, more debris to litter the space lanes.  :yes: Also, I can't believe that Sharlin docking glitch was missed for eleven years.     

Link above goes to "Zathras 2.2."  and the archive is the same size as the old Zathras_2.2.rar.  Wrong link/filename?

 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
That will teach me to copy/paste.  Link fixed.
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline wesp5

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Okay, I tested it with some of MAGs missions and everything works fine, like with Zathras 2.2 :)! I still get the two warnings at the start though. I guess 0rph3u5 could easily fix the issue with his Drums of War campaign, once he gets around to read about it here, but what about the other one? Wouldn't it be possible to include a fixed weapon.tbl with the next Zathras to be placed into the main TBP folder overruling the buggy one? Or is the not-changing-anything-in-TBP policy so strict, that you won't do this even for such an obvious fix? Also how will the -glow etc. warnings be fixed?

Anyway, I'm quite pleased with my beam changes now, and I also modified the Drakh scatter gun and the Nial beams a bit. Please take a look at the files attached below. To get the yellow beams into Zathras only the "Wesp5" parts of the weapon.tbl and the df_* effect files would be needed ;)!

[attachment deleted by a basterd]

 

Offline Trivial Psychic

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Its been a while since I played TBP, but I recall that the sound for the Nial beams was considerably different than the one from the show.  The one from the show sounds like something metal scraping along a steel cable, while the one we have sounds more like a Freespace beam... that is unless its been changed in the last 2 years or something.
The Trivial Psychic Strikes Again!

 

Offline Slasher

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
The turret barrels on the Vorchan seemed to be removed from the rest of the mesh.  I think this is 2.3 specific.


 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Looks like the pivot on the barrels was set to center for some reason.  Not surprising as the mesh was corrupt and I had to export it piecemeal to get it into max.  Even the original .scr and .cob files (actually had the ones for this ship) were corrupt.  Had one hell of a time salvaging it and still was only able to save detail0 and the debris. Figures one of the few ships with full lods and debris and I had still had to make new lods.   
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline wesp5

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Its been a while since I played TBP, but I recall that the sound for the Nial beams was considerably different than the one from the show.

Speaking of the Nial beams, in TBP they are almost yellow-white, because their main base bitmap is black and white. I changed that to the usual green-yellow of the Minbari, check the archive above for the fixed bitmap!

 

Offline wesp5

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Okay, I'm through with MAGs missions now and everything works fine! If you want, I can upload my patch somewhere or attach it here.

Now I have started vidmasters lovely Dark Children campaign and I can't survive the mission with the explorer anymore on very easy. I did the whole campaign with an older Zathras and engine versions, so did the latest Zathras made the Shadow spitfires weaker somehow? Also the Spitfires weapon description "Quantum Bolt" doesn't fit on the screen, bolt is cut off. Maybe Zathras 2.4 should get rid of the "Quantum" part of it!

Update: I had forgotten completely about the Shadow reflex feature, maybe this is the reason I failed. I'll try tomorrow with that again :)!
« Last Edit: November 24, 2012, 05:28:25 pm by wesp5 »

 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Updated to Zathras 2.3b.  Same download link. 

Turrets on Narn and Centauri ships could use some testing.  I don't think the Bin'Tak turrets have ever worked correctly and will look at that later.  If they do work I don't know how. 

Narn Vortex Generator could also use some checking in existing missions.  When doing the lods and debris I noticed that the way it was set up it wouldn't have had proper collision detection on the top arm.  Also the arms were not spaced properly with the distance between the 2 lower arms being greater then the distance between the top arm and the lower ones.  The white is the old locations

I did the best I could to preserve the distance between the 2 lower ones and the existing center point. 
« Last Edit: November 27, 2012, 12:12:10 am by FUBAR-BDHR »
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline emi_100

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
does  the new zathras have the normal map?
DEDICATED TO ALL THE
PEOPLE WHO PREDICTED
THAT THE BABYLON
PROJECT WOULD FAIL IN
IT'S MISSION.

-------FAITH MANAGES------
  • Normal Maps for -The Babylon Project-
  • "Battle at ..." (Campaign) You can't choose when, but you will choose where... and you will fight! GO NOW!
  • "One Mistake" (Third Space Campaign)
  • "Each Night I Dream of Home" (Crusade Single Mision)

 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Well since I don't think I have them probably not. 

Confirmed that I do not have them and the thread with them end with a note that the links are broken.  Can you please post a valid link or send them to me. 
« Last Edit: November 28, 2012, 05:06:10 pm by FUBAR-BDHR »
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline wesp5

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
I think I found the reason for the "Guardian of Light" Dilgar mission warnings: The Dilgar capital ship has no docking bay! So I get the warning when their fighters leave from there, but no warning when they come in from hyperspace. This is a thing the next Zathras should fix!

 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
The DI Sekhmet does have a fighterbay.  It's in the center of the ship with 6 paths heading forward. 
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline wesp5

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
The DI Sekhmet does have a fighterbay.  It's in the center of the ship with 6 paths heading forward.

Hm, but it isn't mentioned in the ships-adv.tbl and I'm pretty sure the warning pops up the moment a fighter is supposed to leave. Can I just add the fighterbay info to the table or does it need to go somewhere else too?

 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Where are you getting a ships-adv.tbl from?  I'm pretty sure that's not even a valid table name.  The DI Sekhmet is in additional-shp.tbm and it has a fighterbay there as well. 
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline wesp5

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Where are you getting a ships-adv.tbl from?

It's right there in B5-Core-3_4.vp and I took a look at it to get the weapon names I needed to change to make the Centauri and Brakiri beams yellow. What else could cause these warnings? Once you make the fighters appear from hyperspace instead of docking bays, they are gone!

 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
So it is.   Another old unused file that should have been removed before the VP was made. 

Just about anything could be causing the warning.  A ship appearing on top of another ship but that should be ruled out as there are 6 paths and you can only have 6 ships in a wing.  So again we are back to needing to find the call stack.
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline FUBAR-BDHR

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Well I was able to confirm an issue with launching any ships from the Sekhmet.  I've reproduced it with a retail compatible version of the ship and filed a ticket on it to get that code checked.  Still no idea why it's happening.
No-one ever listens to Zathras. Quite mad, they say. It is good that Zathras does not mind. He's even grown to like it. Oh yes. -Zathras

 

Offline wesp5

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Re: Zathras 2.3 Alpha for development
Well I was able to confirm an issue with launching any ships from the Sekhmet.  I've reproduced it with a retail compatible version of the ship and filed a ticket on it to get that code checked.

Great :)! I tried a similar remove-or-change-events-until-the-error-dissappears with the Vorlon against EA mission, but couldn't really narrow it down. I have no clue why warnings pop up...