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Blackhand Studios Core Patch 1 PreRelease Announcement [message #97724]

Mon, 28 June 2004 03:11

Blazer
Messages: 3322
Registered: February 2003
Location: Phoenix, AZ

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This is a pre-release announcement of the release of Blackhand Studios "Core Patch 1". What is CP1? CP1 will be a release of all of the fixes that we are working on that we have tested and deem worthy of being released to the public.

Below is a list of what is currently planned to be in CP1.

Custom Downloader App
If you have opted to have core patch downloads enabled (in renguard) and the server detects that there is a core patch you dont have, the server will direct renguard to download and run a custom downloader app written by Jonathan Wilson. If you have no core patches, this app will download and apply an "all-in-one" patch to bring you fully up to date. If you have, say, patch 3 and the latest is patch 5, it will download and apply a patch from 3 to 4 then one from 4 to 5. This app is specific to core patch downloading and is not related to downloading maps (other than maps in core patches) or the new downloader in renguard 1.1. The downloader will be used for the game.exe version of Core Patch 1 (the server versions will be distributed differently) and is using PocketSoft RTPatch technology to make the patches as small as possible.

The core patch will also be available stand-alone for those that dont want to download it through RenGuard (e.g. those who have a fast connection on a machine other than the one with RenGuard and Renegade installed)

There will also be a Core Patch 1 for the Windows FDS and one for both versions of the Linux FDS containg the new maps, latest scripts.dll, sound fixes and so on. Basically, everything on this list that applies to the FDS's (including the UDP crash issue fixes)

New FDS Console Commands
[list][*]pamsg - Just like the amsg command, except sent to one specific person. The recipient will receive an in-game fullscreen message window that they must click OK to close. Usage: pamsg <text>. The next version of RenGuard, BRenBot, and djlaptops SSC will utilize pamsg for kick messages instead of relying on public hostmsgs and/or pages.

[*]ppage - Sends a page from the FDS ("Host") to the player. The player will receive a blue page just like the ones from other players, except it will be from the host. THIS ENABLES GSA-MODE SERVERS TO HAVE A PAGE FUNCTION! Usage: ppage <text>

[*]snda - Plays a wav or mp3 sound using Renegades internal sound player. If the sound specified is in always.dat, it will be played from there, otherwise the soundfile will be looked for in the data directory. The sound will be heard by all players who have CP1 installed. Usage: snda <filename>. *Spoiler* I intend to use snda to implement a "2 minute warning" that will play a sound when there is 2 minutes left in the round. Smile

[*]sndp - Just like snda, except only the specified player hears the sound. *Spoiler* I intened to use this to play a jingle when someone gives you a !rec, or when you do something special like kill a high priced character. Usage: sndp <filename>

[*]team - Force team change of specified player. Usage: team <team id> 0=Nod 1=GDI 2=Neutral

[*]team2 - Same as team command, but also transfers the players current cash and score with them.

[*]id - Prints the playerid of all players, or of a certain player. Usage: id [(partial) name][/list:u]
We also have several other console commands that we have deemed too dangerous to release (such as one that can spawn any preset at the location of any player and one that can give all weapons wioth unlimited ammo to any player) but those wont be in the public release. Some of them may be used for specific things for specific mods and in specific circumstances however (this list superceeds any other lists that may be floating about and contains the final list of what will be public). BHS strongly urges any mod team to contact us regarding special scripts or game enhancements, as we probably allready have something you can use instead of you or someone having to re-code it. If we do not allready have something you can use, we may be able to implement it for you.

Game Engine & FDS Bug Fixes
[list][*] Emoticons - Emoticons will now work for everyone. The emoticons are the small colored icons you see over the heads of players as they use radio commands. For an example of these play Renegade in SP or 1 player LAN mode, put yourself into third-person view, and use the radio commands. The Emoticons are very useful for seeing exactly who is saying "I need repairs!" etc.

[*] Sounds that were previously "host-only" now work in MP. This means you will hear the obelisk chargeup sound, cargo plane propellers, and other sounds normally only heard in SP/host-only mode. Props to SK for this fix, which required creating a new network event to forward the sound events from the FDS to the clients. Script commands which previously did not work in MP that will now function properly are:
Create_Sound
Create_2D_Sound
Create_2D_WAV_Sound
Create_3D_WAV_Sound_At_Bone
Create_3D_Sound_At_Bone
Play_Building_Announcement

This combined with the fixes to the obelisk script in the latest scripts.dll means that the obelisk now works like Westwood intended with working sound and glow animation.

[*] Fixed animations bug. This fixes any script using the Set_Animation_Frame script command for animation to have working animation for all players, not just the host.

[*] strings.tdb fixes - Both Aircraftkillers fixes are in here, as well as fixes that will show whether someone is a "Stealth Blackhand" or a "Blackhand Sniper" instead of the current label of just "Blackhand" (thanks npsmith82).

[*] Fixed GDI Weapons Factory glass (being able to fire through it from one side but not the other). This is a W3D bug, the glass is supposed to be bulletproof on both sides.

[*] New improved version of MSS.DLL. This is an upgrade to the Miles Sound System code that Rengade uses. The benefits of the upgrade include lower CPU usage for mp3 decoding and playback, as well as providing more sound modes like Dolby Surround Sound. Thanks to v00d00 for this fix.

[*] Fixes for two different UDP flood exploits which cause the FDS to crash. (Thanks to Alkaline for providing one of the fixes)[/list:u]

Linux FDS Fixes
[list][*] Independant logging of F2/F3 chat messages via a seperate log file with the name bhs_xxx where xxx is the name of the regular renlog (currently the LFDS randomly does not display them).

[*] Fixed output of IPs in player_info We are working on a fix to make the IP addresses display correctly in the player_info console command in the RH7.3 LFDS but it will probobly not be ready for Core Patch 1 and will have to go into Core Patch 2.

[*] The linux version of Core Patch 1 will include the remote admin wrapper written by mac.[/list:u]

scripts.dll 1.7.1
[list][*] BHS Core Patch 1 will contain the latest version of the custom scripts.dll written by Jonathan Wilson[/list:u]

Fixes to Current Westwood Maps
[list][*] Vis fixes.

[*] Fixed bad spawn points (falling through the map when spawn) on Volcano, Field, and Under.

[*] Fix for base-to-base exploit on C&C_Islands. MRLS will no longer be able to hit the Hand of Nod from behind the GDI Barracks (invisible blocker).

[*] Fix for base-to-base exploit on C&C_Field. MRLS will no longer be able to shoot missles through the mountain to hit Nod base.

[*] Fix to stop "wall jumping/driving" (with a vehicle) on C&C_Mesa, C&C_Walls, and C&C_Walls_Flying. This fix is a bit controversial because some argue that it is a valid tactic, and that they don't mind the jumping and that they prepare for it. BHS view on this is that the map authors *specifically* put vehicle blockers in those exact areas to prevent vehicles from passing those points, and we are simply enforcing that intention, thus fixing a bug/exploit that allows people who know how to get their vehicle past the blockers an unfair advantage.[/list:u]

BHS Map Pack
The BHS Map Pack are maps that BHS has tested and verified to be of high enough quality (little/no vis errors, good gameplay, no exploits) to be released to the public. The included maps are:
C&C_Mutation
C&C_FieldTS
C&C_Siege (new fixed version)
C&C_Snow
C&C_Sand
C&C_Gobi
Note that these are not all the maps we intend to have up for download, there will be more in future releases.