PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

A user-friendly interface for downloading, tweaking and playing mods.
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starwindz
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by starwindz »

Total Pack 4.0-pre1 has been released. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw07W8 ... sp=sharing

* To-do-list for Ver.4.0 (2017.03.07)

[Done]
1. Make some mods run properly
1-1. [Done] Mod 0000141 (King of persia: Direct run of Windows batch file)
1-2. [Done] Mod 0000153 (Secrets of Citadel: Direct run of SDLPoP.exe)

2. Add custom graphics (Dungeon, Palace, Character)
2-1. [Done] Mod 0000156 (Princess of persia)

3. Fix minor bug
3-1. [Done] Change "Use Original Graphics" to "Use Official Graphics"
3-2. [Done] Change diffpop.exe option
- start diffpop.exe with --locations or -l
3-3. [Done] Change user created media option of YouTube search

[Working]
1. Add new and major feature
1-1. Add user-created mod manager(?)
1-2. Add favorite mods manager
1-3. Add feature of replay download and view

2. Add minor feature
2-1. Add '2016, 2017, 2018, 2019' and others to 'Creation year' of Search window
2-2. Remove flickering levelset info panel when changing mods in the mod list
2-3. Add PC Speaker setting to DOSBox setup
2-4. Add Roland MIDI or MT-32 setting to DOSBox setup
2-5. Support DOSBoxSVN
2-6. Comma as decimal separator

3. Add extentive feature
3-1. PoP1-SNES
3-2. PoP2-DOSBox
3-3. Change text-style comment view to HTML-style view
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Norbert
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by Norbert »

It's nice to see you're actively working on it. :)

I have a suggestion:
Maybe in future packages include a changelog text file, for example ChangeLog.txt.
In it, you can include all notable changes made for each version, such as bug fixes, new features, etc.
You could chronologically order it.
Here is a very basic example:

Code: Select all

7 March 2017, version 1.2
- Gave the About window a different color.
- Changed the color of the Quit button.

1 February 2017, version 1.1
- Added an About window.

1 October 2012, version 1.0
- Released the program.
This makes it easy for users to figure out what exactly has changed.
It also makes it easier for you to remember what you changed for each version.
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starwindz
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by starwindz »

Norbert wrote:It's nice to see you're actively working on it. :)

I have a suggestion:
Maybe in future packages include a changelog text file, for example ChangeLog.txt.
In it, you can include all notable changes made for each version, such as bug fixes, new features, etc.
You could chronologically order it.
Here is a very basic example:

Code: Select all

7 March 2017, version 1.2
- Gave the About window a different color.
- Changed the color of the Quit button.

1 February 2017, version 1.1
- Added an About window.

1 October 2012, version 1.0
- Released the program.
This makes it easy for users to figure out what exactly has changed.
It also makes it easier for you to remember what you changed for each version.
Okay. I will make a changelog file and include it to the next update of total pack. Thank you so much for your kind advice. :)
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by malvivio »

is it possible to introduce the chance to choose between original standard sound and soundblaster in 4.0?
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starwindz
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by starwindz »

malvivio wrote:is it possible to introduce the chance to choose between original standard sound and soundblaster in 4.0?
"Original standard sound" means "PC Speaker sound"? This feature is already included in the to-do-list. :)
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by malvivio »

Oh great! I didn't recognize it was that! :D
salvadorc17
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by salvadorc17 »

starwindz wrote:
3. Add extentive feature
3-1. PoP1-SNES
3-2. PoP2-DOSBox
3-3. Change text-style comment view to HTML-style view

How do you plan to add support for snes levels testing, will use some custom emulator, also any level conversion??
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by starwindz »

salvadorc17 wrote:
starwindz wrote: 3. Add extentive feature
3-1. PoP1-SNES

How do you plan to add support for snes levels testing, will use some custom emulator, also any level conversion??
Currently my plan is just 'run snes mod directly with snes emulator such as snes9x'. No level conversion...
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by starwindz »

Screenshots of Mod Maker's concept program for new feature of Total Pack 4.0. Currently it is at very primitive stage.
Editing resources and levels would be done by external software and techniques.
Attachments
00.png
01.png
02.png
03.png
04.png
05.png
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by starwindz »

Please help me regarding the development of 'Preview feature of custom graphics and levels'. This feature would be added in the next update of Total pack. (Like this attachment #1)

1. Objective
- For this feature, 10 x 3 tiles of the each room of the level should be drawn by some kind of sprite images.
- My idea is to use sprites generated from SpriteConversionTool made by lvcabral. (See the attachment #2)

2. Issues
- However, linking 'Foretable codes' with the filenames of sprites is quite a difficullt. (See the attachment #3 (Yellow area))
- Also, linking 'Background modifiers by group' with the filenames of sprites is quite a difficullt. (See the attachment #4 (Yellow area))

3. Request for help
- Filling the filenames of sprites(Attachment #5) in the excel file(Attachment #6) for each 'Foretable codes'.
- Filling the filenames of sprites(Attachment #5) in the excel file(Attachment #7) for each 'Background modifiers by group'.

If you help me, your help will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Attachments
attachment #1.png
attachment #1.png (4.75 KiB) Viewed 4517 times
attachment #2.png
attachment #3.png
attachment #4.png
attachment #5.zip
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attachment #6.zip
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attachment #7.zip
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Norbert
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by Norbert »

Don't split the foreground and background. The float potion, for example, is 1 thing. It combines the 0x0A foreground and the 0x03 background. This overview has all legacy combos used in levels. (The 0x03 background is different for each foreground, that's why you should not split them.)

Some output of SpriteConversionTool are partial tiles. For the float potion, you would combine palace/palace_10_fg_2.png with... I guess palace/palace_1.png, plus bubbles from some place.

So your table would contain rows like this:
fore | back | use
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
0x0A | 0x03 | ..._10_fg_2.png + ..._1.png

SDLPoP accurately draws complete tiles. Total Pack could pass custom LEVELS.DAT files to SDLPoP, with one or multiple tiles in a room, and show Total Pack users the output of SDLPoP. To make this even easier, SDLPoP could get a command-line option to export rooms as PNG. Then Total Pack could show the PNG export of a custom LEVELS.DAT you pass to it.
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by David »

(Norbert posted while I was writing...)
starwindz wrote: 2. Issues
- However, linking 'Foretable codes' with the filenames of sprites is quite a difficullt. (See the attachment #3 (Yellow area))
- Also, linking 'Background modifiers by group' with the filenames of sprites is quite a difficullt. (See the attachment #4 (Yellow area))

3. Request for help
- Filling the filenames of sprites(Attachment #5) in the excel file(Attachment #6) for each 'Foretable codes'.
- Filling the filenames of sprites(Attachment #5) in the excel file(Attachment #7) for each 'Background modifiers by group'.
I'm afraid there isn't always a simple 1:1 correspondence between tile codes and images.

*Usually*, the name of the image you need is "<leveltype>_<fore>_<back>.png", or if that does not exist, "<leveltype>_<fore>.png".
You could try that for a start.

But that's often not enough.
For example, animated tiles (and some others) have the name of the tile instead of the foretable code.
Or the potions, they have palace_10.png for the background, palace_10_fg_1.png for small potions, palace_10_fg_2.png for big potions, and you would also need the bubbles which are not among the images.
And then there are the wall patterns...
Norbert wrote:SDLPoP accurately draws complete tiles.
Complete rooms, even!
Norbert wrote:To make this even easier, SDLPoP could get a command-line option to export rooms as PNG.
I was thinking of something similar.
(Later, maybe we could even add options to make a full map, complete with doorlinks. Yeah...)
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by Norbert »

To supplement what David and I have already written...

To put it bluntly, the "fore(ground)" and "back(ground)" terminology is misleading.
It has nothing to do with the location of scenery in the image.
It has nothing to do with what parts of a view are nearest to the observer.

Each tile consists of 2 bytes.
All the first bytes of all tiles are stored (saved) together in one 'table' in LEVELS.DAT.
And all the last bytes of all tiles are stored together in another 'table' in LEVELS.DAT.
In LEVELS.DAT, the 'fore table' is saved before the 'back table'.

When you see "fore(ground)", just read "group".
When you see "back(ground)", just read "modifier" (or "variant").
A float potion consists of 2 bytes: 0x0A and 0x03.
Byte 0x0A is the potion group, and in that particular group 0x03 means the float variant.

Some groups only ever use one modifier.
For example, the sword group (0x16) has only one (0x00).

If you would save a float potion (0x0A and 0x03) and a sword (0x16 0x00), you would save 0x0A 0x16 0x03 0x00.
There, the bytes 0x0A 0x16 are the "fore(ground)" table, and 0x03 0x00 the "back(ground)" table.

It's impossible to look at just the group and pick an image, then just the modifier and pick an image.
The reason is that only the combination of the two bytes tells you what image to use.
An example are the bytes 0x14 and 0x0C.
As you can see here 0x14 is the wall group, and 0x0C is the modifier that makes the tile look like a floor.
So it's a fake floor. (Looks like a floor, but the prince will bump into the wall.)
If you would look at just 0x14, you would pick a wall image, which is incorrect.
And if you then look at just 0x0C to find something to add to the wall image you picked, you wouldn't even know what to show, because if you don't know which group you are in, 0x0C could mean anything.
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by starwindz »

@Norbert, David
Thank you very much for your kind and quick comments. After reviewing and learning your advices, I will ask questions again. :)
Thank yoy again.
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Re: PoP1-Total Pack: New version development

Post by salvadorc17 »

Can you explain more of the mod maker?? this does also include snes version??
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