#1 2013-12-10 15:39:12

Icantthinkofanickname
Moderator

DarkPlaces issues

There is this: https://www.quaddicted.com/engines/darkplaces but there does not seem to be a forum thread. Obviously DarkPlaces has incompatibility issues with certain maps, and sometimes these are obvious, e.g. explosions that display incorrectly in kinn_marcher, or maps that simply do not load at all, but some issues are more insidious, and may lead DP users to judge certain maps unfairly negatively – so I though it would make sense to start this thread.

Some of these may have obvious solutions, so if someone more knowledgeable than me (i.e. probably just about anyone on this site) wants to give the solution, that would be great. And of course please add other issues/more examples.

These are issues with the latest stable release of DP (as of late 2013); at least some of these problems were absent in earlier versions.

So:

1) Missing secret items: something I have noticed in many maps and know to be an issue at least on my DP setup, but others might unfairly think that the author left the secret area empty. Here is an incomplete list, just off the top of my head:
utah
bbelief
something_wicked
digs04
digs01

2) Monsters stuck in architecture (often mid-air), e.g. dogs at the start of czg07.

3) (Possibly related to the problem above) Traps that work incorrectly: instead of being killed, monsters get stuck on/in the trap mechanism, e.g. cogs.
   
4) Black squares instead of explosions in kinn_marcher (I assume because it uses custom explosions).

5) Missing silver key in zer's graveyard map (because it falls through the platform).

6) Incorrect display of textures, e.g. bizarre, messy shadows in whiteroom.

7) Fiends from time to time become frozen in mid-air: just about every map with fiends in it.

8) Incorrectly displayed cutscene/cinematic: ne_ruins (the readme discourages using DP, but most of it actually runs fine … except, that is, for the ending).

Last edited by Icantthinkofanickname (2013-12-11 02:42:34)

#2 2013-12-10 16:00:39

negke
Moderator

Re: DarkPlaces issues

From the March 2013 build onwards, all sv_gameplayfix cvars default to 0 - this should improve compatibility to several mods.

#3 2013-12-10 16:11:04

Icantthinkofanickname
Moderator

Re: DarkPlaces issues

Thank you very much for the quick response, negke. The version I have is 20130304, though (the latest stable release) -- is that not the same as the March 2013 build? Or have I misunderstood something?

#4 2014-07-11 16:43:40

jackieben
Member

Re: DarkPlaces issues

I guess maps are usually made with a more vanilla engine in mind, and are probably tested with one,
so I'd use DarkPlaces only when a map author suggests it, or if I want enhancements for the original campaigns (extra effects, lighting),
or when playing Nexuiz / Xonotic / Retro Blazer ;)
For the enhancements you have to compromise a little bit of compatibility, and perfomance probably, considering that even a not-so-well optimized map should run on anything nowadays

I also recommend trying dev/nightly builds to catch the new bugfixes early

#5 2014-07-12 12:54:31

Icantthinkofanickname
Moderator

Re: DarkPlaces issues

Thanks for the response, jackieben.

Yeah, I realise many if not most maps are tested mainly with FitzQuake/Quakespasm, but some people use DarkPlaces for whatever reason.* I thought it might be better to understand and maybe fix a problem with a given engine, rather than just say "switch to something else". It's a bit like when someone posts on a forum "How do I fix problem X with Windows 7?", and then someone else responds with "Switch to Linux"/"Buy a Mac" ... which is not really helpful at all. And I say this as a Linux user.

*Not necessarily for the "enhancements" -- I personally configured DarkPlaces to be as "vanilla" in appearance as possible. In my experience, despite all its issues it's a pretty stable engine that runs even gigantic maps really smoothly with consistently high fps, which is something Quakespasm does not always manage. I initially only used DarkPlaces, because it was really easy to get it up and running in Linux, and I wasn't even aware of other engines at the time (this was six or seven years ago). I can't remember how I came across DarkPlaces, but it was pretty much by accident, and it was DP that got me into playing Quake custom content -- initially restricted only to a couple of releases from this page, which was all I was aware of. It wasn't until I discovered Quaddicted much, much later that it turned into a full-blown addiction.

Last edited by Icantthinkofanickname (2014-07-12 12:55:41)

#6 2014-07-12 18:06:35

jackieben
Member

Re: DarkPlaces issues

It's true that the "just use X" suggestions are a pain, but sometomes they can't be helped

In an ideal world, each map would have a version or guide for all the engines that doesn't run them flawless by default
Also in an ideal world, I wouldn't have to have Windows installed alongside an os that I prefer to use :,(

I just don't think that the main goal of DP is compatibility with custom content, and we can't really change that

However I support the idea of your topic, and I also use DP sometimes

#7 2014-07-12 18:19:17

jackieben
Member

Re: DarkPlaces issues

Maybe posting such bugs/issues to http://quakeone.com/forums/quake-help/q … ad-12.html or a similar place would cause a greater echo

#8 2014-07-13 09:11:00

Icantthinkofanickname
Moderator

Re: DarkPlaces issues

Thanks for the link, jackieben. I'll certainly have a thorough look at it later.

Oh, and I forgot to add this here (I linked to it in a comment on whiteroom.zip), but I have since found an answer (though sadly not a solution) to # 6.

Last edited by Icantthinkofanickname (2014-07-13 09:13:19)

#9 2014-07-14 10:39:01

Emanuele
Guest

Re: DarkPlaces issues

Try sv_gameplayfix_droptofloorstartsolid 1

It fixed missing silver key in hipnotic hip2m3.

there's also sv_gameplayfix_droptofloorstartsolid_nudgetocorrect which I still have to enable.

I'll check later if it fixes zer's stuck key too!

#10 2014-11-29 22:59:34

Aceplayer
Member

Re: DarkPlaces issues

"Honey" cant be finished with darkplaces.
I finished it with fitzquake, unfortunately I found that quoth doesnt work with fitzquake.
Also music in MP1 and MP2 dont play in fitzquake, so right now I am using both versions.

#11 2014-11-30 10:27:30

Spirit
Administrator

Re: DarkPlaces issues

Quoth works perfectly fine in Fitzquake as does music (ok, only from CD I guess...). You are doing something wrong ;)

#12 2014-12-01 01:28:54

Aceplayer
Member

Re: DarkPlaces issues

I got it !
I was using fitzquake_mark_v instead of fitzquake085

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