31
Audio / Re: Slow music loading
« on: October 26, 2012, 06:46:14 pm »
That totally fixed it! I guess that's actually bad news for you .. 
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
32
Audio / Slow music loading
« on: October 26, 2012, 06:14:25 pm »
So last night I updated my game on Windows 7 from the SFML 2.0 RC version to the latest git snapshot. Most of it works but now music loading takes forever. Previously I wasn't even noticing the loading screen as it was so brief, but now it takes 10-15 seconds easily. That's unacceptable.
I'm using the openFromFile(); method. As I understand, that doesn't load the whole thing into memory but streams it instead. But if I log each file I see they each take considerable time. It almost feels like they're all read into memory which is odd, as sf::Music wasn't supposed to do that. What further makes me think that is the case is that longer files take longer to load, which shouldn't be the case with streaming ...
I could post code but I don't see how that helps, it's all very standard. The same code acts differently with different SFML builds.
My music files are OGG.
I'm using this tutorial for building.
Any ideas? Has sf::Music openFromFile been recently twiddled with?
I'm using the openFromFile(); method. As I understand, that doesn't load the whole thing into memory but streams it instead. But if I log each file I see they each take considerable time. It almost feels like they're all read into memory which is odd, as sf::Music wasn't supposed to do that. What further makes me think that is the case is that longer files take longer to load, which shouldn't be the case with streaming ...
I could post code but I don't see how that helps, it's all very standard. The same code acts differently with different SFML builds.
My music files are OGG.
I'm using this tutorial for building.
Any ideas? Has sf::Music openFromFile been recently twiddled with?
33
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: October 25, 2012, 06:49:01 pm »
Yes, I recently posted it to the concepts section because I don't think it's developed far enough for the proper evaluation on there. So before I spend any money on it I wanted to see what the general reception and interest was. So far I gotta say it's been super awesome! Apart from a couple of comments early on saying they don't like the graphics (which I totally get and had prepared for) it has been very generous and positive. It's been in the top there pretty much since I posted it. This gives me good reason to hope that once I post it on proper Greenlight it won't crash and burn in an instant 
But it has to mature a bit before I can do that.
And I'm working towards that. Some days are less productive than others but it's going well overall. Currently working on the overworld of sorts. Basically the section where you sail around the oceans hoping to find land. You have wind direction to take into account so you have to play with the ship orientation to reach maximum speed. I read up on sailing a little so now I'm putting some of that into the game.
It's not meant to be freeware. It might be, eventually, if things don't work out as I hope but that's not the current plan.
But it has to mature a bit before I can do that.And I'm working towards that. Some days are less productive than others but it's going well overall. Currently working on the overworld of sorts. Basically the section where you sail around the oceans hoping to find land. You have wind direction to take into account so you have to play with the ship orientation to reach maximum speed. I read up on sailing a little so now I'm putting some of that into the game.
... even if it's meant to be freeware.
It's not meant to be freeware. It might be, eventually, if things don't work out as I hope but that's not the current plan.
34
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: October 03, 2012, 05:08:52 pm »Congrats, I enjoy seeing a fun game develop.
Cheers, mate! Let's hope we see the fun game get completed eventually
35
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: September 26, 2012, 10:30:37 am »this graphics looks very nice i love 8bit <3
Thanks! But in fact it's 4 bits graphics (4 sets with 4 colors each, 16 in total = 4 bits)
Haha, nice to see you on this forum too Eigen.
You too. I've seen Moonman around. He's cool cause he likes SFML like I do.
36
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: September 24, 2012, 07:04:40 am »
Thank you so much! That's exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I'll work trough these this evening since I don't have much time right now. About the crash, is it reproducible? Sounds bad. How do you disembark? Do you choose the action from the sidebar or right-click the terrain? Would you mind help me debug this? I'd send you a couple of exes and see which one at which point crashes since I can't reproduce it on any of my systems.
About the town. Yes, it's basically just a menu right now. I would love to add more interactivity to it but I didn't want to take on any big developments as it would've postponed the release even more. It's definitely on my TODO list.
And you're right about the interface. There is a lot of clicking I'm hoping to get rid of. I have worked on it in some aspects. Trust me, it was worse in the beginning
Thanks again for the super feedback. I'll work it trough once I get home.
edit: I fixed a couple of things uploaded again. Made the inventory selection cyclic, changed day/days to turn/turns, added the tip for changing between characters with TAB and made pressing escape skip intro to the point where you make your first character.
Quote
I would like an easier way to select characters. It is a lot of clicking to get to the next guy.You can actually switch between characters using the TAB key. This should be indicated somewhere other than the help window which usually gets little attention
Quote
Are you sure it is wise to refer to the turns as days? It leaves a lot of questions that wouldn't come up if you simply call them turns. For me, it takes away from the immersion.They don't have to be days but since there are seasons (each of which lasts 90 days), time has to advance in rather measurable steps. Or do you mean simply replace 'day' with 'turn'?
About the town. Yes, it's basically just a menu right now. I would love to add more interactivity to it but I didn't want to take on any big developments as it would've postponed the release even more. It's definitely on my TODO list.
And you're right about the interface. There is a lot of clicking I'm hoping to get rid of. I have worked on it in some aspects. Trust me, it was worse in the beginning
Thanks again for the super feedback. I'll work it trough once I get home.
edit: I fixed a couple of things uploaded again. Made the inventory selection cyclic, changed day/days to turn/turns, added the tip for changing between characters with TAB and made pressing escape skip intro to the point where you make your first character.
37
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: September 23, 2012, 09:28:12 pm »Were you at all inspired by Jagged Alliance?
I can't say that I have been. Why do you ask? Do you see similarities?
38
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: September 23, 2012, 08:58:00 pm »
Oh, wow, thanks! I really glad you like it. You're right, it could be played for hours because of the pacing. It's quite slow but that's something I enjoy about games myself. And to answer your last question, I'm hoping this could sell a few copies. That's the plan for the future. I'm not really thinking about that right now because the game needs to be made first and that's what I enjoy doing.
Anyway, here's the new build. It's only for Windows right now but I'll get the Mac version up when I get to work tomorrow.
Download for Windows
Anyway, here's the new build. It's only for Windows right now but I'll get the Mac version up when I get to work tomorrow.
Download for Windows
39
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: September 23, 2012, 12:53:29 pm »
Just a little big update to say that this project is still going strong and even though these past few months have seen all sorts of ups and down, overall it's been really productive. Here's a new gameplay video to show the new developments:
A new build for your downloading pleasure is probably coming later today, or perhaps tomorrow. Stay tuned!
I also updated the first post with latest screenshots and stuff.
A new build for your downloading pleasure is probably coming later today, or perhaps tomorrow. Stay tuned!
I also updated the first post with latest screenshots and stuff.
40
Audio / Re: Fade-in volume problem
« on: September 17, 2012, 01:16:45 pm »
Nevermind! I did some reading up on OpenAl, and since it's for 3d sounds mainly, it got me thinking that maybe it doesn't like mono.
It doesn't, as it turned out! The sounds have to be stereo. Single channel doesn't cut it. It seems to be working on Mac at least, I'll try it on Windows once I get home.
I don't know what I was hearing with the music then, since that's already stereo. Maybe just some loading thing since music is streamed or whatever.
edit: Converting sounds to stereo seems to have only fixed the issue on Mac. On Windows I still have the problem as described.
It doesn't, as it turned out! The sounds have to be stereo. Single channel doesn't cut it. It seems to be working on Mac at least, I'll try it on Windows once I get home.
I don't know what I was hearing with the music then, since that's already stereo. Maybe just some loading thing since music is streamed or whatever.
edit: Converting sounds to stereo seems to have only fixed the issue on Mac. On Windows I still have the problem as described.
41
Audio / Fade-in volume problem
« on: September 17, 2012, 12:50:11 pm »
Hi.
First off, I'm using a version built from git repository a few months ago (I checked the log and the audio files haven't been updated in 6 month so it doesn't matter anyway).
Let me try to explain my issue:
When-ever I play a sound, like a button click or random sfx, it starts out quiet and then fades in. The fade is rather quick (~60-90 ms maybe) but if it's a really short sound (like a button bleep or bloop), then it never reaches the set volume and is basically un-hearable. It happens with longer sounds as well. Also, it happens with musics. I can distincly hear the music starting out quietly.
If I manage to play a sound twice in a row (like double clicking or whatever), then the second time it's played at the right volume but if the previous instance has completed playing when playing again, it's back to un-hearable.
It happens both on Windows (Win 7) and Mac ( 10.8 ). But there's a slight difference: on Windows it works fine when I plug in my earphones. When played trough the speakers, the issue arises. BUT, when I start the game with headphones plugged in and then un-plug them, the speakers work fine. Windows might use different output devices/drivers for each case (I'm not sure) which SFML then picks up on start-up? I have updated my drivers. It's a brand new machine anway, but still. I also have an old XP machine and that works fine. Again, it might be something with the audio drivers/devices.
On Mac it doesn't matter, it's always bugged. I think it was fine on the previous OS version but I'm not sure. It was defintely fine with SFML 1.6.
That's all I can think of right now. It was also broken in the RC version.
Okay, one more thing. On Mac, I tried playing the sounds with the Finder play button thingy on the file icon. It doesn't work. If the sound is longer, it does. VLC also doesn't play anything. But Audacity does. It's almost like if the sound data isn't long enough, it bugs out.
Here are a couple of sound files:
Very short bleep - It's finished before reaching its set volume in SFML
Longer bloop - does reach the volume, but the fade is noticable
One more thing I tried: I added 5 seconds of silence to the end of the first file and then during those 5 seconds, whenever I replayed the sound, it was fine. As soon as the first play ended, the issues was back. It's like it drops the buffer then and has to re-initialize everything on next play.
First off, I'm using a version built from git repository a few months ago (I checked the log and the audio files haven't been updated in 6 month so it doesn't matter anyway).
Let me try to explain my issue:
When-ever I play a sound, like a button click or random sfx, it starts out quiet and then fades in. The fade is rather quick (~60-90 ms maybe) but if it's a really short sound (like a button bleep or bloop), then it never reaches the set volume and is basically un-hearable. It happens with longer sounds as well. Also, it happens with musics. I can distincly hear the music starting out quietly.
If I manage to play a sound twice in a row (like double clicking or whatever), then the second time it's played at the right volume but if the previous instance has completed playing when playing again, it's back to un-hearable.
It happens both on Windows (Win 7) and Mac ( 10.8 ). But there's a slight difference: on Windows it works fine when I plug in my earphones. When played trough the speakers, the issue arises. BUT, when I start the game with headphones plugged in and then un-plug them, the speakers work fine. Windows might use different output devices/drivers for each case (I'm not sure) which SFML then picks up on start-up? I have updated my drivers. It's a brand new machine anway, but still. I also have an old XP machine and that works fine. Again, it might be something with the audio drivers/devices.
On Mac it doesn't matter, it's always bugged. I think it was fine on the previous OS version but I'm not sure. It was defintely fine with SFML 1.6.
That's all I can think of right now. It was also broken in the RC version.
Okay, one more thing. On Mac, I tried playing the sounds with the Finder play button thingy on the file icon. It doesn't work. If the sound is longer, it does. VLC also doesn't play anything. But Audacity does. It's almost like if the sound data isn't long enough, it bugs out.
Here are a couple of sound files:
Very short bleep - It's finished before reaching its set volume in SFML
Longer bloop - does reach the volume, but the fade is noticable
One more thing I tried: I added 5 seconds of silence to the end of the first file and then during those 5 seconds, whenever I replayed the sound, it was fine. As soon as the first play ended, the issues was back. It's like it drops the buffer then and has to re-initialize everything on next play.
42
General / Re: Need opinion of this crap game.
« on: August 08, 2012, 11:04:52 am »
The title was very misleading
I'm actually doing something similar with states in my game. It gets the job done and is pretty simple. However, I think you should combine different states related to the table into one and handle the different logics there. There's no need for a state for every action. SPLASH, MAIN_MENU and TABLE should be sufficient. Also, QUIT and EXIT make no sense because these aren't states. When you press Esc or an exit button in the main menu you should simply close the main loop or call a cleanup/close method of your main game object or whatever.
For drawing, why not implement a drawing class which would have a method like drawSpriteAtPosition(...). That would internally call the SFML methods needed but you only write it once. Should the API change, there's only one place you need to change it. States would stay untouched.
For sprites (and sounds) I would recommend a shared resource manager which each state could access.
I'm actually doing something similar with states in my game. It gets the job done and is pretty simple. However, I think you should combine different states related to the table into one and handle the different logics there. There's no need for a state for every action. SPLASH, MAIN_MENU and TABLE should be sufficient. Also, QUIT and EXIT make no sense because these aren't states. When you press Esc or an exit button in the main menu you should simply close the main loop or call a cleanup/close method of your main game object or whatever.
For drawing, why not implement a drawing class which would have a method like drawSpriteAtPosition(...). That would internally call the SFML methods needed but you only write it once. Should the API change, there's only one place you need to change it. States would stay untouched.
For sprites (and sounds) I would recommend a shared resource manager which each state could access.
43
General / Re: Two Mac Bugs - RC 2.0 and OSX 10.7.4
« on: July 19, 2012, 08:03:51 am »2. The first time I play a sound, there is often a crack/half sound/no sound at all. When it is used again, it plays fine. The sound is in .ogg format.
I can confirm that this happens to me too. I have a button clicking sound and most of the time when first played, it's really quiet/muffled. Then it gets better but still plays quietly occasionally. Difference is, it's a WAV file.
44
General / Re: Question about pixels
« on: July 18, 2012, 01:40:01 pm »Is the topleftmost pixel (0,0) or (1,1)?
C++ and most other languages have 0 based indexes. While some might argue if this should be the case in the high-level languages of today, it is, which means it also applies to SFML and its pixel coordinates
45
SFML projects / Re: Pioneers
« on: July 17, 2012, 12:29:42 pm »
It'd be cool if the site supported derivatives but oh well, I changed the engine to SFML. Going to check out what good stuff is there.