Mod Release Build 14 Gamma Version [Last update: 19th September 2024]

[Pieter Boelen]

... can you remember which file that was? And are you sure it was "CharacterName" and not "Character.name", reading the character's name directly from an attribute rather than using a function like 'GetMyName(Character)'?

No, I don't remember.
Chances are THAT was one of the citizen dialog files then.

True, which means there's no point in changing it again.

The other reason I don't want to change it, and why I am not interested in mere formatting changes, is that when the files are changed, so are the dates on them. And that's important when I get round to writing the documentation just before releasing an update. I do a WinMerge comparison between what's currently in my update folder and the last released update, with WinMerge set to sort by date so I can see all the files which have changed, and when. Then I can document them in "fixes.txt". Sometimes I want to check back on the forum, for example to find out who to credit. None of that is going to happen if the file has changed again for the sake of changing that day/night boundary again, or if the file with the important change is lost among a mass of files whose only change is the deletion of a couple of unwanted spaces.

Whatever you wish.
Me, I do so hate horrid formatting.
Clean code is so much easier to handle in the long run.

For the change log, I always go through EVERY file changed since the previous update anyway.
My method is to do a full install of the previous version and then compare it all.
In this process, I both do a final check of all the new changes going in, as well as compile the change log at the same time.

I never worried about listing changes per date; just that they go in "Build Info.txt" under the right version number in a sensible spot.
As for giving credit where it is due, I try to ensure for any code change, I put the right person in the comment for future reference; and for anything else, I like to update the "Build Info.txt" at the same time that I add the update itself, so I don't risk forgetting.

But that's just me.

 

[Grey Roger]

No, I don't remember.
Chances are THAT was one of the citizen dialog files then.

If so, please upload it. I can not find any citizen dialog files in "PB_Update_2024-06-16.zip".

 

[Pieter Boelen]

If so, please upload it. I can not find any citizen dialog files in "PB_Update_2024-06-16.zip".

Nothing I can do.
I already departed from home.
Won't have access to any of my files for another two months or so.

It was pretty obvious though.
I'm sure if you check the files between your previous and current, you'll spot it soon enough.

 

[Grey Roger]

It's definitely not "CharacterName". A Windows search shows that "CharacterName" does not appear in any dialog files. It's in several files in "PROGRAM\INTERFACE", plus "PROGRAM\QUESTS\quests.c". Out of all those, the only one in your zip is "PROGRAM\INTERFACE\shipyard.c", and the only change there is a minor formatting change right at the end. So I'm certain that "CharacterName" is not in your files.

But I do have a vague memory that you noticed that "PChar.name" or "NPChar.name" was missing from a dialog somewhere, though I can't remember which one. I do remember why, though. For one thing, long ago when I was starting work on "Ardent", I was told to use functions rather than direct attributes. For another, this is particularly important for the "name" attribute because it might not be there. Characters with only one name, such as Blackbeard, have the name moved to the "lastname" attribute somewhere in game code, so if you're playing such a character, "PChar.name" will be empty. Function "GetMyName" checks for this and if the character only has one name, be it "name" or "lastname", that's what it returns. But the reason I removed "PChar.name" or "NPChar.name" entirely is that functions 'GetMyAddressForm' and 'GetCharacterAddressForm' have two arguments which control whether they include the character's first and last names. So something like:

GetMyAddressForm(NPChar, PChar, ADDR_CIVIL, false, false) + " " + PChar.name

can be both corrected and simplified:

GetMyAddressForm(NPChar, PChar, ADDR_CIVIL, true, false)

I've changed one or two dialogs in the most recent update, and I've since done it again, so at least one more dialog will have a similar change in the next update.

 

[tuan16]

Sorry, I was out for a long time, but I just wanted to make it clear that this is the last ever up to date shader sea for AMD Radeon GPU's. It is more pleasing to the eye. I hope you include it in the next update and thank you all for a new update!!

 

[Grey Roger]

Sorry, I was out for a long time, but I just wanted to make it clear that this is the last ever up to date shader sea for AMD Radeon GPU's. It is more pleasing to the eye. I hope you include it in the next update and thank you all for a new update!!

Thanks! It's not just for AMD Radeon GPU's, it works on nVidia too, which is why I can see a difference. What should I be looking for with this version?

 

[tuan16]

Thanks! It's not just for AMD Radeon GPU's, it works on nVidia too, which is why I can see a difference. What should I be looking for with this version?

Oh! I'm very glad and relived at the same time for everyone to enjoy new shaders. This is with the "mov oT2.xyz, EYE_VECTOR" where "x" is removed, it provides a much better ribble at night and at day and overall, creates a more pleasing eye to the view. Don't think about it much, all you need to see is the end result, which looks better, from the tests that I've did, decided to stick with this variant.

Once again, thank you for an update!

 

[tuan16]

@Grey Roger Remember, how I said, that it would be the last one? Yeah, I lied, because there is always room for improvement. You can test this one and choose what shaders you like better the old one or the new one. Do keep in mind, that to see the full beauty of the new shaders you have to test for all of times of the day (morning, daytime, afternoon, etc.)

Btw, whoever wants to test it, put it into Modules/Techniques/Weather/Shaders/ and rename it to ATIShaders.sha

P.S. Another optional shader added to test out. Also, having REALISTIC_WAVES 0 turned off, actually makes the shader MUCH better

 

[Grey Roger]

What is improved or changed in these new shaders?

 

[Grey Roger]

I'm hoping to put out another update soon. Anyone who has anything to go into it, could you please upload it? That includes but is not necessarily limited to @AkrimalS, @Homo eructus, @BathtubPirate and @Jack Rackham.

 

[Jack Rackham]

Here are 11 bugfixes and improvements for WR and GB. Six of them found by @BathtubPirate.
This package replaces any earlier uploads for this period as the same file(s) have been changed several times.

 

[Grey Roger]

Here are 11 bugfixes and improvements for WR and GB. Six of them found by @BathtubPirate.
This package replaces any earlier uploads for this period as the same file(s) have been changed several times.

Got it - thanks!

What is the difference between the new and old versions of "step_path.wav"?

Nice to see "pistol6_2" getting some more action! The stock game only had the dual-barrel pistol "pistol6" in one place, hidden in a particular building in Isla Muelle. Someone complained that it's a common weapon in New Horizons, so I imported "pistol6_2" to be a replacement Easter egg in San Juan. It shouldn't become common like the original "pistol6" but it can certainly be used for special purposes in quests. (It really ought to be a three-barrel pistol - you can find pictures of replicas for sale and they all have a revolving three-barrel assembly. However, the game model only has two barrels.)

 

[Jack Rackham]

The step_path was corrupted in some way. It was invisible in the folder but when trying to copy in a new one I was asked if to overwrite it.
Nice to see "pistol6_2" getting some more action! Yes, I had used a pistol6 I think which I later disabled for WR quest.

 

[Grey Roger]

Time for a new update!
https://piratesahoy.bowengames.com/potc/Grey Roger/post_1Jan_updates_190924.zip
Several bug fixes and general improvements have been made to "Tales of a Sea Hawk" thanks to @AkrimalS, who also continues to extend and improve the Russian translation.

@Jack Rackham has likewise done some bug-hunting and general improvement in "Woodes Rogers" and "The Gold-Bug".

And I've also fixed a few bugs, such as preventing random walkers from denouncing you as a pirate when you're in a pirate-friendly town such as Port Royale in the "Spanish Main" period. But one of my changes, if I've done it right, should be invisible to players - almost all the code for the "Night Craft" quest is moved from the storyline-specific files for "Tales of a Sea Hawk" into files for general sidequests. The idea is not to turn it into a general sidequest, but to make it available for use in FreePlay without duplicating the code. At some time in the future, I hope to turn it into a specific quest for advanced FreePlay smugglers.

Another recent project has been to bring the rigging of all the "Manowar" ship models, including Silehard's flagship Sovereign of the Seas alias "manowar1", up to New Horizons standards. On the left, how it used to look; on the right, how it looks now.