gameflorist wrote on 2023-11-22, 18:39:

gerwin wrote on 2023-11-20, 16:21:

I noticed the Windows OS system requirements were raised in this new release. Under Windows XP it won't run. Allegro 5.2 causes this with one NT6 call, among other things. But for such an OS the previous releases are a fallback.

Ah, didn't notice that. Thanks for the info! I don't think keeping XP compatibility is necessary. Copying over the DLL's from the previous version might also be a workaround.

There is 20MB of dlls there, so it may be quite the adventure to make it compatible. But yesterday I build a version of your 1.6.1 source code with my original Dune Dynasty Build environment. That one works on Windows XP as-is. A binary package is uploaded to my website.

Fairly sure an AI House is activated once you first discover a unit of their House, yes. This is the reason almost all missions feature enemy unit drops into your base; it's a mechanism to get the conflict started, and to prevent the player from turtling too much and building up too much money and forces before they confront the enemy.

Nyerguds2 wrote on 2024-01-14, 18:03:

Fairly sure an AI House is activated once you first discover a unit of their House, yes. This is the reason almost all missions feature enemy unit drops into your base; it's a mechanism to get the conflict started, and to prevent the player from turtling too much and building up too much money and forces before they confront the enemy.

Many thanks for the clarification, Nyerguds!

I've dropped plans to include an option, where the whole map is revealed from start anyway, since the shrowd is pretty standard with all RTS games.

@everyone
I've managed to build a version for macOS ARM64, but have no way to test it. It would be great, if someone with such a mac could test it for me. I've uploaded it here:
https://mega.nz/file/9LkXFCJI#HuPvDre5lqJ5gJf … hylF7TSQ6RilU6M

EDIT: macOS ARM64 build confirmed working and will be featured in next release!

gerwin wrote on 2023-11-20, 16:21:

I build a version of your 1.6.1 source code with my original Dune Dynasty Build environment. That one works on Windows XP as-is. A binary package is uploaded to my website.

Many thanks Gerwin !
Why break the XP compatibility ? Not on Vogons 😉

Hey everyone!

To add fire to the upcoming Dune-craze, i've just released Dune Dynasty v1.6.2. You can get it at the github releases page.

Here are the changes (see CHANGES.TXT for full details):

"Even vaster armies have arrived."

• Make enhancement "Raise unit cap" more effective:
  • Dune II has 3 types of unit caps:
    • A unit cap defined per house by the scenario (usually 25 for the player, and 20 for the CPU)
    • A hard-coded overall cap of 102
    • And a hard-coded cap per unit/group of units (caryalls and ornithopters: 11, saboteurs: 3, all others/ground units: 80)
  • This enhancement sets the scenario unit cap for all houses to 50, raises the overall cap to 322 and allows a total of 300 ground units (incl. saboteurs).
  • This enhancement is disabled by default and always enabled in multiplayer/skirmish.
• Add enhancement option "Raise structure cap". (thanks WillSo!):
  • Dune II limits total structures on a map to about 70. This enhancement raises that limit by 100.
  • This enhancement is disabled by default and always enabled in multiplayer/skirmish.
  • NOTE: Games saved with this option enabled will not be able to load, when the option is disabled! An error will be shown in this case.
• Multiplayer & Skirmish improvements:
  • Add teams and AI to multiplayer and skirmish. You can now setup matches with up to 6 teams with completely custom human/AI player configurations.
  • Enable worms in multiplayer and add worm-count option (0-3) to multiplayer/skirmish options.
  • Add option to choose starting army in skirmish/multiplayer:
    • Small option is: 1 trooper, 1 quad
    • Large option is: 1 trooper, 2 quads, 1 tank, 2 siege tanks
  • Several additional fixes and improvements.
• Add enhancement to show additional info in Outpost text:
  • Shows active, standby and max units.
  • Standby units are e.g. in production,ordered in factory,outstanding reinforcements, usually 1 backup-harvester.
  • This enhancement is always enabled in multiplayer/skirmish to provide the actual owned unit count in addition to the default allied count.
• Music / Soundtrack Improvements:
  • Add new soundtrack support for Dune II PC speaker recording. (download here).
  • Add new soundtrack support for the amazing 3-card mix (AdLib + MT-32 + AdLib Gold) of Cryo's Dune (1992) by the Sound Card database (listen to it on YouTube or download here). Many thanks to Ben from SCDB for providing the files!
  • Many thanks to Gobalopper from FED2k for hosting these 2 new soundtracks!
  • Support 2024 re-release of the Spice Opera soundtrackof Cryo's Dune (1992) by EXXOS.
    NOTE: If you are using the old Spice Opera soundtrack, you have to change it's filenames to the ones indicated in /music/dune1992_spiceopera/FILELIST.TXT. The old filenames are no longer supported.
  • Remove support for Dune II - The Maker MT-32 soundtrack, since it is a subset of Shaiwa's (FED2k) MT-32 recordings.
    NOTE: If you use this sountrack, please download and use Shaiwa's (FED2k) MT-32 package instead.
  • Some additional music related fixes
• Provide macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon M1) package.
  • The macOS packages now include a setup script to remove the executable and included libraries from Gatekeeper quarantine.
• Additional fixes and improvements

Have fun, and let me know of any problems you encounter!

Short question - is it possible to configure Dune Dynasty to play music via real Roland SC-55 under Mac?

gerwin wrote on 2023-11-20, 16:21:

I noticed in skirmish games that revealed shroud activates enemy units. And allies start to attack enemy units/buildings which y […]
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gameflorist wrote on 2023-11-20, 14:23:

robertmo3 wrote on 2023-11-20, 13:36:

just wondering why you don't allow uncovering the map as an option

You mean having the whole map uncovered from the beginning? Well, having to unveil the map is a quasi standard gameplay mechanic for this RTS genre. Also, I don't want to change gameplay too much.

I could look into adding it as an optional enhancement though.

I noticed in skirmish games that revealed shroud activates enemy units. And allies start to attack enemy units/buildings which you reveal. So I tend to be really cautious with scouting.
If you would reveal all in skirmish game it would probably cause all enemy units to attack and swamp you, in the first minute of the game.
So one would need two types of revealed shroud, for it not to break the game: The normal triggering type, and a non-triggering cheating type.

I noticed the Windows OS system requirements were raised in this new release. Under Windows XP it won't run. Allegro 5.2 causes this with one NT6 call, among other things. But for such an OS the previous releases are a fallback.

I have already done this function. In addition, there was a bug in DuneDynasty, due to which in the campaign a harkonnen missile would arrive in the first second of the mission and kill the base. I have fixed this error. You can reveal the map and it looks very cool. I also did a double fog. Darker fog for unexplored areas, lighter fog for explored ones. This approach is used in Starcraft 2 and looks very modern, I would even say fantastic in Dune 2. Unfortunately DuneDynasty is a bunch of rubbish, I am very sorry that they are not working with the original OpenDune

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 11:59:

I also did a double fog. Darker fog for unexplored areas, lighter fog for explored ones. This approach is used in Starcraft 2 and looks very modern, I would even say fantastic in Dune 2.

A regrowing (Warcraft-style) shroud is already in the game and has been for 12 years. The option is called "Fog of war" and can be enabled in the gameplay options (main menu).

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 11:59:

Unfortunately DuneDynasty is a bunch of rubbish, I am very sorry that they are not working with the original OpenDune

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. Feel free to post any issues or bugs in GitHub.

mikesk8 wrote on 2024-03-06, 07:01:

Short question - is it possible to configure Dune Dynasty to play music via real Roland SC-55 under Mac?

It should be working. Dune Dynasty has MIDI support. So if a Roland SC-55 is the MIDI-device of your mac, it should use that. However, i just tried MIDI-output on a mac, and i encountered some problems with hanging notes.

Alternatively you can use rcblanke's pre-recorded Sc-55 sountrack (see here).

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 12:17:

A regrowing (Warcraft-style) shroud is already in the game and has been for 12 years. The option is called "Fog of war" and can […]
Show full quote

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 11:59:

I also did a double fog. Darker fog for unexplored areas, lighter fog for explored ones. This approach is used in Starcraft 2 and looks very modern, I would even say fantastic in Dune 2.

A regrowing (Warcraft-style) shroud is already in the game and has been for 12 years. The option is called "Fog of war" and can be enabled in the gameplay options (main menu).

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 11:59:

Unfortunately DuneDynasty is a bunch of rubbish, I am very sorry that they are not working with the original OpenDune

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. Feel free to post any issues or bugs in GitHub.

It is a fact. I worked with the code and I know what I'm talking about.

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 12:21:

mikesk8 wrote on 2024-03-06, 07:01:

Short question - is it possible to configure Dune Dynasty to play music via real Roland SC-55 under Mac?

It should be working. Dune Dynasty has MIDI support. So if a Roland SC-55 is the MIDI-device of your mac, it should use that. However, i just tried MIDI-output on a mac, and i encountered some problems with hanging notes.

Alternatively you can use rcblanke's pre-recorded Sc-55 sountrack (see here).

Thank you for the answer. My goal is to use a real SC55 as this is the most fun way 😉 I am going to check it out the next week once my new USB MIDI cable arrives and report back.
Do you know the root cause of the hanging notes you mentioned? Did you use the actual device? Which USB MIDI cable did you use?

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 14:02:

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 12:17:

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 11:59:

Unfortunately DuneDynasty is a bunch of rubbish

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. Feel free to post any issues or bugs in GitHub.

It is a fact. I worked with the code and I know what I'm talking about.

Developers of MS Excel probably also say that its code is anything but clean - heck, you can probably say that of 90% of all "historically grown" software out there. But what counts for the end-user is not how aesthetic the code is, but how the app is working. And yes, i know there tends to be a correlation between the two, but i have played Dune Dynasty up and down multiple times, and in my humble opinion it is very stable (even in multiplayer) and for me the currently optimal way to enjoy this classic.

I thank you for all your commits, but bashing an open-source app, which is working very well and without any notable bugs, as generally "rubbish", just because you think it's code is not as clean as your standard demands is.... well, not very constructive.

mikesk8 wrote on 2024-03-07, 16:01:

Thank you for the answer. My goal is to use a real SC55 as this is the most fun way 😉 I am going to check it out the next week once my new USB MIDI cable arrives and report back.
Do you know the root cause of the hanging notes you mentioned? Did you use the actual device? Which USB MIDI cable did you use?

I just generally tested MIDI on the mac version with the Mac's built-in MIDI driver. I don't know what could be the cause of the hanging notes. They aren't happening on Windows. Unfortunately it's also a bit problematic for me to debug it, since i don't have a mac at home (just for quick-testing purposes at work).

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 18:07:

Developers of MS Excel probably also say that its code is anything but clean - heck, you can probably say that of 90% of all "hi […]
Show full quote

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 14:02:

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 12:17:

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man. Feel free to post any issues or bugs in GitHub.

It is a fact. I worked with the code and I know what I'm talking about.

Developers of MS Excel probably also say that its code is anything but clean - heck, you can probably say that of 90% of all "historically grown" software out there. But what counts for the end-user is not how aesthetic the code is, but how the app is working. And yes, i know there tends to be a correlation between the two, but i have played Dune Dynasty up and down multiple times, and in my humble opinion it is very stable (even in multiplayer) and for me the currently optimal way to enjoy this classic.

I thank you for all your commits, but bashing an open-source app, which is working very well and without any notable bugs, as generally "rubbish", just because you think it's code is not as clean as your standard demands is.... well, not very constructive.

mikesk8 wrote on 2024-03-07, 16:01:

Thank you for the answer. My goal is to use a real SC55 as this is the most fun way 😉 I am going to check it out the next week once my new USB MIDI cable arrives and report back.
Do you know the root cause of the hanging notes you mentioned? Did you use the actual device? Which USB MIDI cable did you use?

I just generally tested MIDI on the mac version with the Mac's built-in MIDI driver. I don't know what could be the cause of the hanging notes. They aren't happening on Windows. Unfortunately it's also a bit problematic for me to debug it, since i don't have a mac at home (just for quick-testing purposes at work).

I don't care about the end user. The most important part is the developer time spent fixing and overcoming unnecessary limitations imposed by broken code. The end user does not exist without the developer, and therefore the developer is always number one

In any case, if you choose to support an initially flawed project, passing it off as original and claiming that it is stable, this characterizes you quite well. Your consumers are naive users of second-rate software. It is your choice and the choice of these users. I don't dare judge.

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 18:27:

In any case, if you choose to support an initially flawed project, passing it off as original and claiming that it is stable, this characterizes you quite well. Your consumers are naive users of second-rate software. It is your choice and the choice of these users. I don't dare judge.

Puh, ok. Yes, I also have a pretty good idea of your character now.

You still fail to actually provide any proof of instability aka. bugs.

I'm not "passing it off as original". The first sentence of the readme states: "This fork is a continuation of the abandoned sourceforge project - see development history for details." - which then details it's history, original developer and contributors (you included) in a the first section after the initial "About" section. At the end of the readme i list all involved authors (again you included):

David Wang aka wangds: Original author Andrea Ratto aka neg3ntropy: Compilation fixes and graphics updates Zbynek Vyskovsky aka […]
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David Wang aka wangds: Original author
Andrea Ratto aka neg3ntropy: Compilation fixes and graphics updates
Zbynek Vyskovsky aka kvr000: Compilation fixes and other polishing
1oom-fork: Various fixes and new features
codeflorist: Various fixes, new features and maintainer of this fork

This pretty much corresponds to the facts. I'm even calling it explicitly a "fork". I'm not trying to "pass off" anything for anything.

I'm just some dude, that got it to compile and continued fixing and adding stuff and thought it was worth a release - because noone else did. Mostly for myself and not my "consumers" (lol). I don't want to sell anything. I pour dozens of hours of my free time into an open-source project to provide value for myself and any others, that find it useful. That's simply it. I love playing the game and want it to improve. If any "naive users of my second-rate software" get enjoyment out of it, i'm glad. For all others, i've listed the alternatives in the readme.

I'll start ignoring you now.

gameflorist wrote on 2024-02-24, 22:00:

[*]Multiplayer & Skirmish improvements:

• Add teams and AI to multiplayer and skirmish. You can now setup matches with up to 6 teams with completely custom human/AI player configurations.

Thank you for that neat feature!

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 18:22:

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 18:07:

Developers of MS Excel probably also say that its code is anything but clean - heck, you can probably say that of 90% of all "hi […]
Show full quote

MyName wrote on 2024-03-07, 14:02:

It is a fact. I worked with the code and I know what I'm talking about.

Developers of MS Excel probably also say that its code is anything but clean - heck, you can probably say that of 90% of all "historically grown" software out there. But what counts for the end-user is not how aesthetic the code is, but how the app is working. And yes, i know there tends to be a correlation between the two, but i have played Dune Dynasty up and down multiple times, and in my humble opinion it is very stable (even in multiplayer) and for me the currently optimal way to enjoy this classic.

I thank you for all your commits, but bashing an open-source app, which is working very well and without any notable bugs, as generally "rubbish", just because you think it's code is not as clean as your standard demands is.... well, not very constructive.

mikesk8 wrote on 2024-03-07, 16:01:

Thank you for the answer. My goal is to use a real SC55 as this is the most fun way 😉 I am going to check it out the next week once my new USB MIDI cable arrives and report back.
Do you know the root cause of the hanging notes you mentioned? Did you use the actual device? Which USB MIDI cable did you use?

I just generally tested MIDI on the mac version with the Mac's built-in MIDI driver. I don't know what could be the cause of the hanging notes. They aren't happening on Windows. Unfortunately it's also a bit problematic for me to debug it, since i don't have a mac at home (just for quick-testing purposes at work).

I don't care about the end user. The most important part is the developer time spent fixing and overcoming unnecessary limitations imposed by broken code. The end user does not exist without the developer, and therefore the developer is always number one

As an end user I completely disagree. And unless you are paying for the product your opinion is just that, your opinion.

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 18:49:

I'll start ignoring you now.

You just have nothing to say, that's all.
You can argue, make excuses and find fault with words as much as you like without accepting the essence at all, but facts are stubborn things.
You are wasting not only your personal time, but also the time of those who make corrections to it, instead of working on a quality project.

appiah4 wrote on 2024-03-08, 10:01:

As an end user I completely disagree. And unless you are paying for the product your opinion is just that, your opinion.

You're just confusing facts with opinions.

MyName wrote on 2024-03-08, 13:30:

You're just confusing facts with opinions.

You are just confusing your opinions with facts.

mikesk8 wrote on 2024-03-07, 16:01:

gameflorist wrote on 2024-03-07, 12:21:

mikesk8 wrote on 2024-03-06, 07:01:

Short question - is it possible to configure Dune Dynasty to play music via real Roland SC-55 under Mac?

It should be working. Dune Dynasty has MIDI support. So if a Roland SC-55 is the MIDI-device of your mac, it should use that. However, i just tried MIDI-output on a mac, and i encountered some problems with hanging notes.

Alternatively you can use rcblanke's pre-recorded Sc-55 sountrack (see here).

Thank you for the answer. My goal is to use a real SC55 as this is the most fun way 😉 I am going to check it out the next week once my new USB MIDI cable arrives and report back.
Do you know the root cause of the hanging notes you mentioned? Did you use the actual device? Which USB MIDI cable did you use?

hey mikesk8, i think i was able to fix the hanging notes problem with MIDI on macOS. here are updated packages:

macos-x86-64
macos-arm64

let me know if you have any problems!