Arcanum Arcanum Multiverse Edition

[Drog Black Tooth]

Anyway, here's a pretty pic:

 

[SDeden]

Have you ever heard of aspect ratio and a concept known as "consistent art style"?

Drog, please don't use those.

I have, but not being an artist I must settle for less.

 

[SymbolicFrank]

I'm still wondering if I would want to join in the fun and help make the code simply scale.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

I'm still wondering if I would want to join in the fun and help make the code simply scale.

I'm pretty sure it won't work, since this is not like e.g. Quake 3 which just renders HUD as one single bitmap and stretches it across the screen.

But eh, feel free to show off your smarts. I can even PM you the current code with comments.

 

[F-man]

But I could just uncap the stats and disable the race stat cap special check function. I've done it before, just for fun. E.g. a good way to go about it would be:
-- Set the stat caps to something unreachable, like 99.
-- Remove the race based max cap special check.
-- Use the "max" command in effects to set your own stat caps for races, backgrounds, etc.

But is possible to edit those race based max caps (with hex editor or something) rather than just remove them? Effects have limits how many same type stat changes it is possible to use in a single effect and limiting all 8 stats with single race-specific effect is too much I believe.

 

[Anomander Rake]

Drog, I finished my last exam today. Do you still need help with the Wrapper? Consider that I use windows 7.

Let me know if there is something in particular you need. And I apologize once again for being late. I gave you my word (even if it's on internet) that I would be helping you so I won't let you down. Let me know.

 

[Torian Kel]

Reading this thread about arcanum improvement and patching that old gem is increasing my 5-hydroxytryptamine aka serotonin levels i feel so happy good work people God bless ya or Gods or science what ever you belive in !

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Drog, I finished my last exam today. Do you still need help with the Wrapper? Consider that I use windows 7.

Let me know if there is something in particular you need. And I apologize once again for being late. I gave you my word (even if it's on internet) that I would be helping you so I won't let you down. Let me know.

It's okay really, but if you don't mind I'd love to know how well does Arcanum perform on your system. Things to look out for:
- Enable the FPS counter with the -fps command line argument. The FPS should be close to 60 at all times.
- I suggest you enable double buffer too, -doublebuffer command line argument. There's no reason to not use double buffer nowadays really and it does help.
- If the FPS is not so good or there are any graphical glitches and/or weirdly long loading times, then try one of the following: switch to the software renderer with the -no3d command line argument, OR better yet try installing one of the wrappers, you can see the rundown in this post.

 

[Anomander Rake]

So, what I should do is:

1) try deleting/renaming ddraw.dll?
2) Try using ddraw anyway in the GOG Version and do some stuff around to see if I get graphical glitches
3) Add these commands and see the results.

Am I missing anything? You'll have your results tomorrow.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Sergio
Yep, all of that. Thanks in advance!

Also, you might as well try it all with the new High Resolution Patch. Yes, High Resolution Patch 1.5 has gone public.

 

[Anomander Rake]

First experimentation: ddraw removed and fps activated.
The fps go from 4 (inside the menu) to 210, but it doesn't seem to impact in any way the performance in the gameplay. I met one graphical glitch, namely the cursor being circled by a black square right after arriving to a new location but immediately disappearing.

While in-game, if one takes a look at the stats menu, the fps will skyrocket from 400 to 1000 ~

Also, when starting a new game, the game will start, you'll be seeing virgil and the main character, but it seems like it is stuck for three seconds. There are also two black bars, where the menus are supposed to be (so one bar top, where there are all the buttons, and one bar bottom, where there is the other part of the menu).

There are also some graphical weirdness when switching from the race menu to the stats menu while starting a new game.


Second experimentation: Ddraw removed, fps activated, no -3d command activated.

No difference from the previous experimentation, apart from the fps not skyrocketing as much (I would be reaching a maximum of 150 fps, and not the astounding numbers of 1000)



Third experimentation: Ddraw removed, fps activated, no -3d command and -doublebuffer activated.

Game works perfectly. None of the shenaningans that I've told before (from the menu glitching when starting a new game to the cursor having a black square) do happen. The fps are set to 60 at maximum, and the game seems to work without any issue


Okay, it seems like wrapper isn't needed for windows 7. I didn't meet any weird loading time, nor any graphical glitch. Do you need further experimentation with the wrapper? Or were you just looking if it was possibile to delete it ?


I will try the high resolution patch later.

 

[Althorion]

Enable the FPS counter with the -fps command line argument. The FPS should be close to 60 at all times.

Not when using wrapper—fps drop down to single digits when nothing new is being rendered. Could be annoying when using {free,g}sync monitor, but benign otherwise, I think.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

Missed this post.

But is possible to edit those race based max caps (with hex editor or something) rather than just remove them?

The race based stat caps are not an array, it's just a function that goes like: check stat num, check race num, if e.g. 0 (Strength) and 9 (Ogre), then allow 26, etc. This is not that easy to edit/expand, since the code space is always limited in an already compiled executable. Your best bet would be to completely rewrite the function, e.g.
lea eax [stat_num*4]
lea ecx [race_num*8]
lea eax [stat_array+ecx*4+eax]

And then you would add an array somewhere at the end of the file that would go like:
ST CN DX BE IN WP PE CH, 8 stats, each a dword, 11 races, so 11*8*4 = 352 bytes, ouch...

 

[Anomander Rake]

I tried the wrapper now. It seems to be taking a toll on my computer, and I can't seem to understand if it is fisiological or not. I would never use it.

I will try the hrp later.

 

[Drog Black Tooth]

OK, guys and gals, I'm putting things on hold with UAP 2.0, Race Mod and everything else. Maybe I'll get back to it in another 10 years. Ha.

This is just too time consuming and not very rewarding at all. It's become a meme, very few people here actually play Arcanum, it's mostly just "look at this guy making Arcanum mods for 10 years". Yeah, I don't wanna be that guy. Guess I'll just go back to playing my Steam backlog.

But seriously, guys and gals, so many things have changed during the last decade, Arcanum is probably truly dead. I'm staying in touch with the Multiverse guys, and what do you know, the reason they stopped posting updates is because their project leader is feeling exactly the same, i.e. very few people care about Arcanum beyond "oh I remember that game" and "good job, maybe I'll play it again for 5 minutes with your patch". So seems like that project is up in the air too.

Oh, and I'm 30 and don't have as much energy for all this shit as back then, so this excuse to quit is as good as any.

 

[Urbanolo]

Yeah, sure it's niche, but why not finish what you've already started and poured work into? It'll probably help your mental health to end some things in your life (or an 'insane modder chapter') and move on, instead of putting them on hold for God knows how long.

 

[OracleX]

Did you expect a huge audience, Drog?
Anyways, thanks for the new release of the res patch
still looking forward to your upcoming work (I not going anywhere)

 

[Tigranes]

Currently playing through Arcanum on the Multiverse patch, had put it on hold for UAP

 

[Lyre Mors]

So are the Multiverse guys folding your new high-res patch into their mod?

Anyway, thanks for your work Drog. I appreciate it!

 

[Goral]

It's become a meme, very few people here actually play Arcanum

That's because only a small percentage of Codex users knows that you're doing this. I've tried to promote your patch but with no results:
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/vtm-bloodlines-high-poly-patch.113118/#post-4918869
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...erage-of-real-rpgs.115583/page-5#post-5167834

I mainly blame (((Infinitron))) for this, why inXile/Obsidian fanboy decides what goes on the front page and what not is beyond me.

 

[Cosmo]

But seriously, guys and gals, so many things have changed during the last decade, Arcanum is probably truly dead. I'm staying in touch with the Multiverse guys, and what do you know, the reason they stopped posting updates is because their project leader is feeling exactly the same, i.e. very few people care about Arcanum beyond "oh I remember that game" and "good job, maybe I'll play it again for 5 minutes with your patch". So seems like that project is up in the air too.

You're wrong : Arcanum hasn't been forgotten, it just was never that famous in the first place.
Why ? Because, while being a near masterpiece, it's also a fucking mess, full of systemic and design flaws that for a lot of peaple manage to drag the whole thing down.
What doesn't help either is the fact that in my experience its most rabid fans are infatuated with these flaws, maybe because they can't or won't tell apart the forest from the tree...
Having said that, i understand you burning out, but that feeling is just as temporary as the elation i imagine you felt when beginning your modding projects.

And above all, modding is the only thing that could potentially make Arcanum become the masterpiece it deserves to be.

 

[SDeden]

You've got another 45 or 50 years left to make patches and add content, Drog, there is no rush.

 

[Merlkir]

I was waiting on the patch to start my new playthrough. Anyway, thanks a bunch!

 

[Anomander Rake]

 

[Anomander Rake]

Drog and multiverse edition, please don't give up these magnificent projects. :'(

You find there is a lack of interest, but I'm pretty sure more than being a lack of interest it is due to the fact that these two 'projects' are not well known at all. I've discovered the project just a month ago and it actually encouraged me to register on these lands! People will flock to this but you have to give time and you need to let the word spreadl around.

I'm also pretty sure most of the people that are actually interested to the project are actually lurking and actually waiting for other players to test\betatest for them and play the finished\released project.

Keep going guys! Your work is appreciated ♥