Suggestions for ports #2

[Drdave79]

@ExarKunIv I tried a different copy of the game and got the following error on launch:

There was a problem initializing the Build engine: Failed to load PALETTE.DAT!

The other version loads at least, but frozen on game menu.

[sleve_mcdichael]

Looking at Shadow Warrior. It's Doom/Duke Nukem with ninjas? Yes, please!

Is it normal to have no background music if I don't have the hq ogg music files? I get sound FX but no bgm. I've tried withtimidity as in the install script, with libfluidsynth-dev as in the repo's instructions, with both, and with neither.

Music works fine if the ogg tracks exist in the roms/ports/shadowwarrior dir in zero-padded 2-digit lowercase format e.g. track02.ogg-track14.ogg (you have to rename the capitalized Track##.ogg files if you got them from the GOG version.)

Expansion packs may be enabled, as described here: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/20369/jsfw-source-port-for-shadow-warrior-now-available

Using the GOG "Classic Complete" version as a reference:

Make an account on gog.com, "buy" Shadow Warrior Classic Complete (it's free), download the offline backup version to your PC. The .exe is a self-extracting archive. Run it and extract to the location of your choice (click on "options" to change the install location.)

For Wanton Destruction: copy the file WT.GRP from the install folder to your Shadow Warrior data dir on your Pi (roms/ports/shadowwarrior). Launch the expansion with "$md_inst/sw -gWT.GRP" (no space after -g) and select episode "Code of Honor (registered version)" in the in-game menu.

For Twin Dragon: in the install folder, in the dragon subfolder, zip up all *.MAP *.VOC *.ART and *.ANM files into a dragon.zip. If you just copy the whole folder onto your Pi, you can do it there with the 7z command:

cd /{install dir}/dragon
7z a dragon.zip *.MAP *.VOC *.ART *.ANM

Then, move the dragon.zip file into your data dir, launch with "$md_inst/sw -gdragon.zip" and select the registered-version episode.

@Drdave79 said in Suggestions for ports #2:

There was a problem initializing the Build engine: Failed to load PALETTE.DAT!

I got the same error when loading the "Special Edition" CD-ROM files (from...sources.) Fortunately, the "Classic Complete" edition is free on GOG and that version's files seem to work (but see above, no music until I add the hq ogg tracks -- I wonder if this is specific to this version since it is distributed with the HQ tracks already? I haven't tried any other sources, yet. There's another CD-ROM in "that place" that I can try, but I won't have a lot of time for tinkering for the next week or so.)

@ExarKunIv I have some questions about the install script and make params if you can answer them, or can refer me to someone who can. I see it is a recent addition to the RP-Extra repo, did you write this script or import it from somewhere else?

Is timidity necessary? It is not mentioned in the build instructions on the repo. libfluidsynth-dev, however, is (though optional). Is this a substitution, or...? I'm not getting any MIDI background music with either, or both, but the ogg tracks work fine (see above -- may be related to the specific version I'm using but likely won't be able to test this anytime soon.)

(freepats isn't mentioned upstream either, but I already had that one installed from other ports, and I didn't mess around trying it without.)

What is OPTOPT="-march=armv8-a+crc -mtune=cortex-a53"? I didn't understand this part so I tried compiling without it, and it still works (I think so, anyway, but I've only played the first levels for a few minutes.) What was its purpose?

(After more searching, it looks like these are setting it to build for a specific target architecture. Is this right? Won't it break if they are using it on another platform?)

[Drdave79]

@sleve_mcdichael That's the version I'm trying. The one from GOG. Freezes every time I launch it from ports. I copied the entire folder too.

Secondly, I copied the 13 track files to the shadowwarrior folder and renamed them with a lowercase t. Still no music. In fact, music is grayed out in the shadowwarrior menu.

[sleve_mcdichael]

@Drdave79 in my testing so far, I've actually built it straight from the repo without using the scriptmodule, yet. I see it is using XINIT: yet it doesn't install X (xorg). Does this even do anything, then? I've just been launching it with ./sw. Try removing XINIT: from your emulator command in emulators.cfg?

[Drdave79]

@sleve_mcdichael Did a search in the emulators.cfg file. No XINIT found. I did the initial engine install from retropie extra ports.

I'd be fine playing it under the MS-DOS section, but scroll lock keeps turning on messing up the controls and my compact keyboard doesn't have a scroll lock key.

[sleve_mcdichael]

@Drdave79 what is your /opt/retropie/configs/ports/sw/emulators.cfg? Is it not:

sw = "XINIT: /opt/retropie/ports/shadowwarrior/sw"
default = "sw"

? I just mean remove the XINIT:{space} from the first line so it reads:

sw = "/opt/retropie/ports/shadowwarrior/sw"

[Drdave79]

@sleve_mcdichael said in Suggestions for ports #2:

sw = "/opt/retropie/ports/shadowwarrior/sw"

THAT DID IT! I was looking at the wrong file. Both game and music are working now under ports. Thank you SO much @sleve_mcdichael !!

[ExarKunIv]

@sleve_mcdichael i made that one, but that was like the first one i ever made back like 1 year or more ago. it all came from a post here someone had about SW, and the compile part came from some where that is outdated most likely.

All my scripts are made just for the Pi3 or Pi4 only, as i don't have anything else to test them on, let alone time to mess with anything else.

i had a Pi3 when i started writing the scripts then i got a Pi4 half way through them all.
since the old ones still worked i just let them alone.

cleaning the ones i made are part of my TODO list as i know there are depends missing like XORG from SW and others have things they dont need

[sleve_mcdichael]

@ExarKunIv does it need xorg for something? I had it running without, though I didn't play for more than a couple minutes so there's a good chance I might have missed something.

[quicksilver]

@sleve_mcdichael the two reasons I can think of that you would want to run a game using xorg on a pi 4 running retropie are if the game doesn't scale to the full screen properly without it (some sdl1 programs have this issue with the pi 4) or the program only supports full desktop OpenGL. Looking at the shadow warrior GitHub it looks like it supports OpenGL ES and sdl2 so I wouldn't think XINIT should be needed.

[ExarKunIv]

@quicksilver @sleve_mcdichael
Yes it supports both. I believe the settings I have for it to conplile is for opengl.

Or that a what the person that posted those commands said it would do.

I would have to look for the old post and see if I did add those commands or not in my script.

But even if I have them in there. Does not mean that it is doing it or not.

I think I have the same thing with my blood port. I have it set for one but it can be used with or without xinit.

[sleve_mcdichael]

@ExarKunIv said in Suggestions for ports #2:

but it can be used with or without xinit.

If it works fine without, then we should do without, yeah? Why install/use an additional software that isn't necessary? If it doesn't serve an identifiable purpose, I say cut it.

[sleve_mcdichael]

https://github.com/Exarkuniv/RetroPie-Extra/pull/42/files

I want to remove the timidity and freepats dependencies too, but I need to do some more testing. Does anybody have MIDI bgm (not OGG) working, in any configuration?

[NIGHTKILLER05]

Hi guys !

I have a small issue with your excellent port of Hexen II Hammer of Tyirion, I followed the instructions to add the retropie extra packages (instructions found at https://github.com/Exarkuniv/RetroPie-Extra), and then installed hexen 2 I found at "Retropie-setup > Manage Packages > Manage Experimental Packages > hexen2", rebooted the system, and when I try to play the demo the game shows in a tiny window. Inside the game in "options > video mode" I can only select resolution up to 1280x1024, that makes the game fills the entire height of the screen, but only half of the screen's width:

After that, I uninstall the port and followed the instructions of this post to install Hexen 2 with something called "dispmanx" (I don't have a clue of what is that, some sort of "video trick" I think) , the instructions says that I need to "add dispmanx to the rp_module_flags="" in the hexen.sh scriptmodule that was downloaded" , I found that script at "/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/ports/hexen2.sh". I did it:

Then I reinstall the port, but the instructions says that I need to go to "settings > Retropie-Setup > Configuration / Tools > Dispmanx " an enable that "Dispmanx" for Hexen2, and I don't have that Dispmanx option in any menu.

Please help, I love Hexen game series (of 2) !!!!

[mitu]

@NIGHTKILLER05 said in Suggestions for ports #2:

Then I reinstall the port, but the instructions says that I need to go to "settings > Retropie-Setup > Configuration / Tools > Dispmanx " an enable that "Dispmanx" for Hexen2, and I don't have that Dispmanx option in any menu.

The dispmanx configuration entry has been moved to the backends config entry, from there you can choose which emulator will run with dispmanx enabled.

[NIGHTKILLER05]

Thank you man, worked like a charm !!

[Drdave79]

This post is deleted!

[Drdave79]

@sleve_mcdichael Do you have any suggestions for slowing the turning speed for Shadow Warrior? It's so damn fast. I went into the sw.cfg file and changed the JoystickAnalogScale(s) to 32767 as another post suggested, but it's still so quick, it's tough to play. Thank you.

[sleve_mcdichael]

@Drdave79 I've noticed that too but haven't experimented past that same fix yet. I'm not sure but we could try turning down the Scale value even further, and/or maybe messing with the Saturate values.

You could try adjusting them in-game and see if that gets you anywhere, or see this post regarding eduke32 (another build engine port, so may or may not be relevant) which suggests some useful values must be set manually via config.

[sleve_mcdichael]

@sleve_mcdichael said in Suggestions for ports #2:

I want to remove the timidity and freepats dependencies too, but I need to do some more testing. Does anybody have MIDI bgm (not OGG) working, in any configuration?

With help from JonoF I did get the MIDI working. It requires:

• apt install libfluidsynth-dev -- timidity and freepats were not required;

• modify sw.cfg -- FluidSynth tries to use the JACK output driver by default. We need to change this with:

[Sound Setup]
MusicParams = "audio.driver=alsa"

• ...and finally, you have to use the shareware version game data. The registered version doesn't even have MIDI in the .grp file (presumably because you're meant to just play with the CD in), only the shareware version does.

With that in mind, it may not be worth installing the extra package and futzing with the config, only to have music in the not even full version (which is free, and has the HQ music anyway.) But if you want it, that's how.