checkpoint20 wrote on 2024-08-15, 19:03:

Just a quick update from my work on ICR2 - we're having a discussion on the ICR2 forum about .MI4 files - https://icr2.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=139 … =13934#pid13934
Those are 16-color images that seem to help reduce file size and save memory, as opposed to the standard .MIP format. So I'll be using those image files in addition to other techniques to try to get Detroit fully working.
By the way, the mods told me they activated your account over there, so please check if you haven't already.

Oh wow! But like you said mi4 is a paletted format (4-bit/16 colour) so isn't there a loss in texture quality?

Thanks for the heads up on icr2.net.

sharangad wrote on 2024-08-16, 02:51:

Oh wow! But like you said mi4 is a paletted format (4-bit/16 colour) so isn't there a loss in texture quality?

The funny thing is that it improves texture quality in my opinion, because I am theoretically unlimited in the number of colors I can use in my track. The previous .MIP format limits you to the 256-color palette defined by SUNNY.PCX. With the .MI4 textures, I can have each building have its own 16-color palette, which I am finding is plenty of colors in most cases.

The .MI4 files accelerated my progress on converting Downtown Detroit to the Rendition game and I just posted a version on icr2.net that I believe works 100% as long as you use a carset with the default car shape. https://icr2.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=133 … =13943#pid13943

checkpoint20 wrote on 2024-08-16, 06:56:

sharangad wrote on 2024-08-16, 02:51:

Oh wow! But like you said mi4 is a paletted format (4-bit/16 colour) so isn't there a loss in texture quality?

The funny thing is that it improves texture quality in my opinion, because I am theoretically unlimited in the number of colors I can use in my track. The previous .MIP format limits you to the 256-color palette defined by SUNNY.PCX. With the .MI4 textures, I can have each building have its own 16-color palette, which I am finding is plenty of colors in most cases.

The .MI4 files accelerated my progress on converting Downtown Detroit to the Rendition game and I just posted a version on icr2.net that I believe works 100% as long as you use a carset with the default car shape. https://icr2.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=133 … =13943#pid13943

Still can't log in. Says "authorization expired"
[EDIT] Nm. It does work, just had a cached page.

That track looks awesome.

The game binary BTW way needs to be called indycar.exe or cart.exe. Dosbox and the wrapper need that for the right internal rendering profile to work.

ICR2: Detroit Downtown - Rendition Edition in action:

https://youtu.be/dIbjK_NUbU0

The first new Rendition specific track in a long time.

Meagre pickings I'm afraid: vQuake byte ordering fixed.

https://nirvtek.com/downloads/RReady.Alpha.20240818.001.zip
MD5: e56d83aa2bb51fba089ebc1966551ef1

- vQuake byte ordering: There was a serious bug in the handler for V_FIFO_MEM_WRITER_RECT, leading to texture corruption.
- Includes previous fixes.

This is an untested release. It will be tested sometime next week and pushed out to the store.

I'll post a video later about the byte ordering later.

Video:
https://youtu.be/KXVeBbSe-0s

Overview of WhiteMagicRaven hacks + vQuake 1+2+vHexen2 underwater palette fix:

https://youtu.be/rk57w-LnoLQ

https://nirvtek.com/downloads/RReady.Alpha.20240820.001.zip
MD5: 083581dfa985b62496b770e2ddc463c2

22 August 2024

Fully tested release (should be up on the store tomorrow):
https://nirvtek.com/downloads/RReady.Alpha.20240822.001.zip

[EDIT] I'm getting rather tired of Windows Defender's AV warnings.[/EDIT]
Fixes:

-Dosbox-Staging not showing up right after selecting installation folder
-Dosbox and dosbox-staging mouse motion and button clicks not registering on some systems
-Partial support for Descent II
-vQuake byte ordering (texture column swap): There was a serious bug in the handler for V_FIFO_MEM_WRITE_RECT, leading to texture corruption.
-vQuake, vQuake II and vHexen II underwater palette colour bug fixed (cl_blend/r_nomurk)

ICR2 HUD issues fixed completely:
https://youtu.be/QF89PTjRW48

Nascar 2/Nascar Racing 1999 Rear view mirror colour fix:
https://youtu.be/af-LFNsJxt0

Tomb Raider: Massive Chroma Keying improvments and Health+Oxygen bars

https://youtu.be/OblCSC89H8A

Alpha release later today.

RReady Alpha 27 August 2024

https://nirvtek.com/downloads/RReady.Alpha.20240827.001.zip
MD5: 6c2985bcb66879a4133b3bc8d6c4e1b0
- vQuake runs in FIFO mode with vanilla Dosbox
- ICR2 HUD minor corruption fixed
- Nascar 2 and Nascar Racing 1999 mirror background colour fix
- Tomb Raider Health+Oxygen bars and correct chroma keying (thick line drawing is only used for Tomb Raider 1)
- Eurofighter cockpit HUD seems a bit more alive than usual.

The source for the speedy3d code of rready is available here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/rready-speedy3d-for-dosbox/

Mainline dosbox-staging will at some point incorporate support. It will be watermark free and identical to the store based version for dos apps. It will not support RRedline (windows) apps.

Watermarked alpha releases will continue to be released as will the watermark free paid store version.

Thanks to the open sourcing, it may be possible to remove the named pipe dependency and the extra process (dosclient renderer, from the dosbox-rendition project and used by staging as well ) and lower latency and cpu load for Speedy3D (dos) apps. That might mean most of dosclient's functionality can be moved into dosbox and the speedy3d support can be loaded directly into dosbox in a shared address space. A win win situation for Rendition fans.

Dosbox-rendition and dosbox-staging-rendition will continue to be maintained and may become 64 bit for dos apps. They are currently 32 bit.

RReady Alpha (Fully Tested watermarked store build)

https://nirvtek.com/downloads/RReady.Alpha.20240829.001.zip
MD5: 72494780c755d0dae0c6e747a81051b5
- vQuake runs in FIFO mode with vanilla Dosbox (vQuake performs best with DMA mode enabled)
- ICR2 cockpit minor corruption (stray pixel line) fixed
- Nascar 2 and Nascar Racing 1999 mirror background colour fix
- Tomb Raider Health+Oxygen bars and correct chroma keying (thick line drawing is only used for Tomb Raider 1)
- Eurofighter cockpit HUD seems a bit more alive than usual.

[EDIT]I supplied the wrong help file with the store build. Clicking help button in RLauncher will open a PDF document without a table of contents. This should have it:
https://nirvtek.com/downloads/RReady%20Rendit … e%20Wrapper.pdf[/EDIT]

The "Team Apache" front buffer rendering (or not) with RReady appears to be caused by a lack of mouse movement.

Even on original hardware after pressing [ESC]->[Y] (to confirm mission exit) the screen doesn't update until the mouse moves. With RReady, if the mouse is moving about rapidly while hitting [Y] the screens do appear and don't require the user to move the mouse about to update the bits of the screen under the pointer.

It's GDI/Windowing related. @Been_Nath58, can DxWnd do somethinga bout this?

RReady Alpha (Fully Tested watermarked store build)
(Hotfix for dosbox-staging not running in alpha releases, sorry should've tested this)
https://nirvtek.com/downloads/RReady.Alpha.20240901.001.zip
MD5: a4da1e987458e9b18f13866dec3ac75a
*** vQuake will have missing polygonal content if r_surfacelookup is not set to "0"
With stock vquake in the <Quake installation>/id/config.cfg add/set
r_surfacelookup "0"
- RLauncher remembers the last tab and selected app in each and every tab between restarts
There are no changes to the core wrapper code. (This will be released to the store during the next update).
- vQuake runs in FIFO mode with vanilla Dosbox (vQuake performs best with DMA mode enabled)
- ICR2 cockpit minor corruption (stray pixel line) fixed
- Nascar 2 and Nascar Racing 1999 mirror background colour fix
- Tomb Raider Health+Oxygen bars and correct chroma keying (thick line drawing is only used for Tomb Raider 1)
- Eurofighter cockpit HUD seems a bit more alive than usual.

vQuake: Scourge of Armagon works with Dosbox/RReady

https://youtu.be/m8pDoayvmAg

(r_surfacelookup must be set to "0", just like for vQuake. This is a bug with the Dosbox/RReady and will be fixed.

vQuake: Malice

https://youtu.be/8Gu70zcMk6Q

r_surfacelookup must be set to "0", just like for vQuake. This is a bug with the Dosbox/RReady and will be fixed.

Dissolution of Eternity doesn't run for some reason. It will be fixed.

[EDIT]
vQuake: Malice V2100 vs RReady
https://youtu.be/QnPLcb2OQvI

RReady captures are from the framebuffer so it's darker. and the V2100 from my phone.
[/EDIT]

vQuake: Dissolution of Eternity

https://youtu.be/1P-NsMKDgmU

r_surfacelookup must be set to "0", just like for vQuake. This is a bug with the Dosbox/RReady and will be fixed.

The quake.rc file contained in the pak file has an incompatibility with Dosbox/RReady. Adding a text file with name quake.rc with the text listed below will fix it, for now:

1// load the base configuration
2exec default.cfg
3// load the last saved configuration
4exec config.cfg
5// run a user script file if present
6exec autoexec.cfg
7// stuff command line statements
8stuffcmds
9// start demos if not allready running a server
10startdemos demo1 demo2 demo3

Setup guide for MDK with RReady (both Alpha and Microsoft Store):
https://youtu.be/iFSEsMDJBk8

The description has details (at the bottom for Quake 2 and Hexen II) on how to set things up. It's very painful to make these videos, takes up a lot of time, but I'll try and post videos for Quake 2 and Hexen II.

[EDIT] Setup guide for Quake 2
https://youtu.be/2aBBpB6dIBU?si=T4wCSolb0mqQhQJv

[EDIT2] Setup Guide for vHexen II
https://youtu.be/lHSWxzI6mMI

Quake 2: Ground Zero
https://youtu.be/6pyp99Gal8k

Finally getting around to test all the expansions.

vQuake2: The Reckoning
https://youtu.be/hqyheHp7Bck

Its very cool to have them, those guide videos !