Quake 2 for DS WIP Update

[Da_ALC]

So far, RAM doesn't seem to be a serious problem. Granted, I've only played through a few levels so I'm not yet sure why the PSP is having problems with memory. Running the level in the video was taking ~12 meg of RAM (4 + 8), and I could probably shrink it by streaming the textures from disk like I did with Q1.
There's still no chance of being able to play the game without slot-2 memory though.

Regarding which card to buy, I'd hold your horses a bit! I've still not decided if I'm gonna actually do the game due to the amount of work involved. At the moment it only runs on the 32MB Supercard, but there's no reason it won't run on any other 32MB card (eg the M3). At this stage it *ought* to run on a 16MB card, and if I get the time then I'll confirm that this is so. My 16MB EZ 3-in-1 is definately faster than my 32MB Supercard...

Cheers for the quick reply ill hold back from buying for now.

[simonjhall]

Hi guys, just some sneaky teasers to keep interest in this game alive
I've just this minute got coloured lighting into the game and thought I'd take some photos to show how it's going. It's a shame my camera doesn't capture how vibrant the colours look, though...


In general, the game is progressing really well. The majority of the graphical effects are in, the full sound system in now there, save games are still a problem - but the game is pretty damn playable. It's looking as though a 16MB card is the required minimum, although I've not yet had it run out on memory when playing any levels.

Set your flash cards to stun.

PS: ImageShack seems to be crawling.

[Pilot_51]

Could you get some video sometime soon like you did before? A video makes for some great mouth-watering show-off material, especially if it's as smooth as you make it sound.
[edit]
Never mind, I just checked your YouTube profile and found a newer video. It definitely looks playable, but still a little slow and the textures loading and unloading are sort of an eyesore. Would the textures be fixed with a larger memory expansion and has the performance increased much since that video?
[/edit]

By the way, do you (or anyone else) have recommendations for a memory expansion? The cheaper the better as long as it's reliable and can handle Quake2DS in all its glory.

[simonjhall]

No time for a video, I'm afraid - I'm about to go home for the hols! Takin' the laptop though! Plus whenever I make a video or take a photo, I'm always disappointed by the quality since it's so hard to focus, avoid aliasing patterns AND play the game! Hold on a bit longer...

In response to your other questions,
1) the amount of slot-2 memory can't increase the amount of textures renderable per frame. The amount of texture RAM is fixed at 512k.
2) the strobing and other texture loading/unloading problems have been sorted out. This won't happen now, except in EXTREME conditions! ie, it's not happened since!
3) the framerate is much better now, two to three times faster I'd say?

[Tripsk8er333]

Wow! I am Amazed at your Coding skills just flat out amazed ! It has been a While since I have talked about this, but seriously This Is the BEST PORT TO THE DS SO FAR!!!! I Know this may sound to early for this Question But do you think There Will Be MULTI PLAYER in the Future? I Really hope so. But once again. WOW! Keep Up the Work Man.

If I was Rich I would Pay You for all the Work you have done, But sadly I am A broke Skater from Knoxville.

If I ever get some Money I will Help with the Donations


Thanks you for the Amazing work!!

Tripsk8er333

( Tester and Doc Writer for MinivMacDS )

[simonjhall]

Yo, the game is coming on in leaps and bounds.
Since I've got nearly everything I want into the game now, just a feeler - what do YOU guys want in there? (no idea too silly :rofl:, except for double-tap jumping)
I wanna make this the most feature-packed port there is!

Existing stuff suggested
- automap
- cheat menu
- HDR effects
- model viewer
- built-in bots?
- directions to nearest secret
- in-game box art

anyone else got any little things they want in there?

[Echo1]

Will it work okay using the EZ-Flash 3-in-1's 16mb memory?

[Pilot_51]

All I really want is the multiplayer, cross-compatible with the PC version as is QuakeDS. The multiplayer (as with most games) is what made it one of my favorite games. I can take single player for awhile, it would be awesome playing through it on my DS, but it probably won't last as long as I want it to last.

I don't think you need to worry about compatibility with my favorite mod, No Item Quake (NIQ), which only the server needs to install and all it does is remove items and give everyone the same weapon (rotating weapons at a server-defined number of seconds).
The mods that my Quake2-playing friend likes might need looked into. His favorite is Weapons of Destruction: Lethal Orifice Examination (LOX), which as you might know, modifies the weapons with insane explosions and excessive power.

By the way, I like what you listed.
I never would've expected HDR effects.
Automap is somewhat expected (and wanted) in these types of ports, but it's always nice to be assured.
Is the model viewer just for the character customization or is it more than that? Regardless, it'll be nice to have.
I'm curious how the nearest secret directions will be displayed. An arrow on the map pointing towards it? By the way, it sounds like that might be best as a cheat feature or beginner-only feature rather than standard.

I can't really think of anything too silly to suggest. Oh, maybe get double-tap jumping! :thumbup:

[simonjhall]

Will it work okay using the EZ-Flash 3-in-1's 16mb memory?

Yes, that's my #1 card I develop with.
I almost squeezed the game onto the 8MB Opera expansion but I'm a few meg short of being able to do that, sorry. A 32 meg card is not necessary and you won't notice any benefit over a 16 meg card.

<snip>

I'll have a look at multiplayer after the first release once I've sorted out all the issues with that. On the plus side the multiplayer maps run really really well (30fps+) on the DS so the only things that are letting it down at the mo are ping times and bandwidth!

I'm afraid there is likely to be little-to-no compatability with non-server-based mods since mods in Q2 have to be manually compiled for the machine they're going to be run on, unlike Q1. Custom maps etc will work fine though assuming they don't use lots of memory.

And yeah for the secrets thing I was thinking of a big arrow on the screen or something? And yeah only when you're playing with cheats turned on

Oh and does anyone wanna step and take Q3? :rofl:

EDIT: if I do do multiplayer, of course it'll be compat with the PC :-D

[Echo1]

That's good news that it'll only require a 16mb card. I can't wait till it's done. Q2 is one of my all-time fav fps on the PC.