Cool. Also another thing that would be good to fix: The rendering option should be on additive as default (please rename TransAdd to additive <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> )
Another bug i found: When you save your particle system as .ps and load it back in again, the base colour RGB have changed to a gray colour.
And another one: When you export to file your app forgets to add the fileextension name to the file so i have to rename it now (or manually add .ps when i save)
And another one: When you export to .ps and import again, then the velocoty shape is forgotten. I don't know how .ps files work and if they doesn't even need data like velosoty shape and colour but it remembers the values so i kinda wondered <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
An idea: If there is only one system available in the file you load, then just load it without asking what system to load.
And an idea (again <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> ) When you load a new file what about make it 'Create particle system' by default everytime? It would speed up viewing many files with many particle systems saved into.
And to Flayra <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> : NSPS Edit creates a data file in the same folder as the exe that holds this data ( nspsedit.cfg ). Just delete it and everything is reset.
I'm getting the same as Parralax and Mendasp. It says things are rendering (gives all the options of the one I chose from the ns.ps, says how many particles are running currently) but nothing renders other than the grid. It really looks slick and I'd love to get it working!
I havent went through any of the bugs thats you lot have metioned :s only one is
i have to press the create paricle twice apart from that works perfectly
i'm on a Ati Radeon 7000 32mb <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
I used dxdiag (type dxdiag in the run menu) and clicked on save all information. then I pmed that to prsearle. Perhaps if everyone having a problem does this he can spot patterns.
Probably a better idea though prsearle is to trap every error you get - it could be that there are errors creating the opengl device you are ignoring, or something like that. If you trap every possible error and show a complaint then we can tell you what complaints are happening and you can get some more info.
If three out of say 100 people have had this problem and mentioned it, then you might have quite a problem on your hands in terms of compatibility.
<!--QuoteBegin--Parallax48+Jan 21 2004, 10:13 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Parallax48 @ Jan 21 2004, 10:13 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If three out of say 100 people have had this problem and mentioned it, then you might have quite a problem on your hands in terms of compatibility.
-Parallax <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Well just for comparising - i'm on
256 ram 1.4 amd cpu 32mg Radeon
i doubt your comps are as crap as mine, lol but yeh so what it does the job <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--Flayra+Jan 21 2004, 01:11 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Flayra @ Jan 21 2004, 01:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Wow, I'm impressed. XP-Cagey, would you mind adding this to the Mapping Guidelines (both a link to prsearle's page and a local download in case the mirror is down)? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Will do <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
1. The sprites do not display as Additive, they display as Normal and therefore look ugly when overlapping.
2. Animation Speed is not supposed to be Frames per Second, it's complete animation cycles per particle lifetime (The default value of 1 makes it play through all the sprite frames before it dies, while a value of 2 makes it play the frames twice before it dies).
Okay, I'm working on fixing things up. I'll try and get a new version uploaded by tomorrow. Stuff that's already done:<ul><li>Fixed background/ground texture loading. <li>When saving, add the appropriate extension if the user misses it. <li>If loading from a .ps and there's only one system defined, load it automatically. <li>Fixed problem loading VelShape and BaseColour <li>Renamed rendermodes to match NS FGD. Additive now default. <li>Fade-in/out now works properly (for me, at least).</ul>Things left to do:<ul><li>Add in more error checking (esp. in spite loading) <li>Move "generate" button to be more accessible. <li>Load env_particles_custom from RMF/map files?</ul> Yamazaki: Additive mode works for me. Also, while the comment in ns.ps says that animation speed is cycles per lifetime, I'm pretty sure it's wrong. The spore cloud sprites only cycle once, and they're set to a speed of 6.
<!--QuoteBegin--prsearle+Jan 22 2004, 01:24 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (prsearle @ Jan 22 2004, 01:24 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Yamazaki: Additive mode works for me. Also, while the comment in ns.ps says that animation speed is cycles per lifetime, I'm pretty sure it's wrong. The spore cloud sprites only cycle once, and they're set to a speed of 6. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Additive works for you? Doesn't work for me, as the picture attached to this post attests to. What do info do you need from me to track this problem down?
As for animation speed, I ran a test in-game with Wallpuff.spr. I made a particle system that created one particle that lasted for 5 seconds, with an animation speed of 1. It cycled through all its frames in 5 seconds. I then made another system that had a lifetime of 30 seconds and it cycled through all its frames in 30 seconds. Wallpuff.spr has 30 frames so it was easy to observe this in practice. But when I plugged in the exact same values into your editor it failed to produce the same animation rate as the one in-game.
Not trying to knock your work, just trying to point out the problems where it diverges from the real thing. As for spore cloud sprites set to a speed of 6, I am not sure where you are pulling this figure from. What map-based particle system uses the spore cloud sprite?
Now the forums are back up I can finally post an update... although things seem a little strange for me - all the posts have the wrong names on them...
The figure of 6 for SporeCloud animation speed was taken from the ns.ps file, whih lists the standard particle systems. Flayra's been kind enough to send me a copy of the NS particle code, and I'm currently rewriting NSPSEdit to match the behaviour. From what I can see, there are differences depending on whether a PS template is created from a .ps file or an env_particles_custom. Some things I've noticed so far:<ul><li>The "Base Colour" property isn't used in the code, even though it's listed for the systems in ns.ps (a left over from earlier development?). Either way, it won't be in the next version.</li><li>GenShapeParams are only read in from .ps files. env_particles_custom uses the GenShapeParam field for GenEntityParam instead.</li><li>GenEntityName is only read in from env_particles_custom.</li><li>"Generate system on collision" is only read in for env_particles_custom.</li></ul>The next version of NSPSEdit should be able to edit particle systems directly from the RMF, so all these differences shouldn't matter. The problems with Additive sprites I'm going to attribute to my lazy coding. The rewritten version will do things properly (I hope). In the meantime, if you have any suggestions/changes you'd like made, post them here <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Wow, this program looks great for newbie mappers. Any ideas when the next version will be out, because I cant use the program on my PC, even though I have a good Graphics Card... Dont know which one it is though, in Control Panel - System, it says this:
Computer: AuthenticAMD AMD Athlon XP 2000+ 128.0MB RAM
Oh, I see: NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400, should I have any problems here?
I'm hoping to release the next version sometime monday night... I suspect the problems some people have been having are more to do with loading the sprites and converting them to OpenGl textures than the actual display. I'm trying to do things properly this time around; the original NSPSEdit was an incredibly hacked-together program.
Current status:<ul><li>UI: complete</li><li>RMF loading: complete</li><li>Integrating Flayra's particle code: still to do</li></ul>
And also, I found a way of using getting rid of the grid if you put it onto your background, just make a copy of grid but make it blank, then load that <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> That makes it invisible.
Edit - I found out how to overcome not being able to see the sprites aswell <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> I downloaded this free demo of a program called SciTech GLDirect, and now it works perfectly, you go sister <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Sure, lemme find it. This is just a demo version, you'll have to buy the real version or *Cough* w-a-r-e-z *Cough* it *Cough* Becvause with the demo, for some reason, after a while, a logo pops up on the program, but try it anyway: <a href='http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/gld/gldirect-4.0.1.exe' target='_blank'>SciTechSoft program.</a>
Yeah, sorry about that. Real-life intervened and then I got bogged-down in the RMF rendering. I'm still working on it though. Until I can get the new version finished, here's a quick screenshot:
Wow. Looks amazing, sorry for bugging you, Im just so excited about this <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> What a saddo... <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Comments
Also another thing that would be good to fix:
The rendering option should be on additive as default (please rename TransAdd to additive <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> )
Another bug i found:
When you save your particle system as .ps and load it back in again, the base colour RGB have changed to a gray colour.
And another one:
When you export to file your app forgets to add the fileextension name to the file so i have to rename it now (or manually add .ps when i save)
And another one:
When you export to .ps and import again, then the velocoty shape is forgotten. I don't know how .ps files work and if they doesn't even need data like velosoty shape and colour but it remembers the values so i kinda wondered <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
An idea:
If there is only one system available in the file you load, then just load it without asking what system to load.
And an idea (again <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> )
When you load a new file what about make it 'Create particle system' by default everytime? It would speed up viewing many files with many particle systems saved into.
And to Flayra <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> :
NSPS Edit creates a data file in the same folder as the exe that holds this data ( nspsedit.cfg ). Just delete it and everything is reset.
FYI, I am running mine through a TNT2 vid card.
i have to press the create paricle twice apart from that works perfectly
i'm on a Ati Radeon 7000 32mb <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Probably a better idea though prsearle is to trap every error you get - it could be that there are errors creating the opengl device you are ignoring, or something like that. If you trap every possible error and show a complaint then we can tell you what complaints are happening and you can get some more info.
If three out of say 100 people have had this problem and mentioned it, then you might have quite a problem on your hands in terms of compatibility.
-Parallax
-Parallax <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well just for comparising - i'm on
256 ram
1.4 amd cpu
32mg Radeon
i doubt your comps are as crap as mine, lol but yeh so what it does the job <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Will do <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
1. The sprites do not display as Additive, they display as Normal and therefore look ugly when overlapping.
2. Animation Speed is not supposed to be Frames per Second, it's complete animation cycles per particle lifetime (The default value of 1 makes it play through all the sprite frames before it dies, while a value of 2 makes it play the frames twice before it dies).
<li>When saving, add the appropriate extension if the user misses it.
<li>If loading from a .ps and there's only one system defined, load it automatically.
<li>Fixed problem loading VelShape and BaseColour
<li>Renamed rendermodes to match NS FGD. Additive now default.
<li>Fade-in/out now works properly (for me, at least).</ul>Things left to do:<ul><li>Add in more error checking (esp. in spite loading)
<li>Move "generate" button to be more accessible.
<li>Load env_particles_custom from RMF/map files?</ul>
Yamazaki: Additive mode works for me. Also, while the comment in ns.ps says that animation speed is cycles per lifetime, I'm pretty sure it's wrong. The spore cloud sprites only cycle once, and they're set to a speed of 6.
Yamazaki: Additive mode works for me. Also, while the comment in ns.ps says that animation speed is cycles per lifetime, I'm pretty sure it's wrong. The spore cloud sprites only cycle once, and they're set to a speed of 6. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Additive works for you? Doesn't work for me, as the picture attached to this post attests to. What do info do you need from me to track this problem down?
As for animation speed, I ran a test in-game with Wallpuff.spr. I made a particle system that created one particle that lasted for 5 seconds, with an animation speed of 1. It cycled through all its frames in 5 seconds. I then made another system that had a lifetime of 30 seconds and it cycled through all its frames in 30 seconds. Wallpuff.spr has 30 frames so it was easy to observe this in practice. But when I plugged in the exact same values into your editor it failed to produce the same animation rate as the one in-game.
Not trying to knock your work, just trying to point out the problems where it diverges from the real thing. As for spore cloud sprites set to a speed of 6, I am not sure where you are pulling this figure from. What map-based particle system uses the spore cloud sprite?
The figure of 6 for SporeCloud animation speed was taken from the ns.ps file, whih lists the standard particle systems. Flayra's been kind enough to send me a copy of the NS particle code, and I'm currently rewriting NSPSEdit to match the behaviour. From what I can see, there are differences depending on whether a PS template is created from a .ps file or an env_particles_custom. Some things I've noticed so far:<ul><li>The "Base Colour" property isn't used in the code, even though it's listed for the systems in ns.ps (a left over from earlier development?). Either way, it won't be in the next version.</li><li>GenShapeParams are only read in from .ps files. env_particles_custom uses the GenShapeParam field for GenEntityParam instead.</li><li>GenEntityName is only read in from env_particles_custom.</li><li>"Generate system on collision" is only read in for env_particles_custom.</li></ul>The next version of NSPSEdit should be able to edit particle systems directly from the RMF, so all these differences shouldn't matter. The problems with Additive sprites I'm going to attribute to my lazy coding. The rewritten version will do things properly (I hope). In the meantime, if you have any suggestions/changes you'd like made, post them here <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Computer:
AuthenticAMD
AMD Athlon XP 2000+
128.0MB RAM
Oh, I see: NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400, should I have any problems here?
Current status:<ul><li>UI: complete</li><li>RMF loading: complete</li><li>Integrating Flayra's particle code: still to do</li></ul>
Edit - I found out how to overcome not being able to see the sprites aswell <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> I downloaded this free demo of a program called SciTech GLDirect, and now it works perfectly, you go sister <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I have a GeForce 2 MX/MX 400 as well, and I can't see any particles.
<a href='http://www.scitechsoft.com/ftp/gld/gldirect-4.0.1.exe' target='_blank'>SciTechSoft program.</a>
What a saddo... <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->