BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

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blast
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BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by blast »

BZFlag 2.4.6 is coming soon, and today we're releasing the first (and hopefully only) release candidate. There's not many changes, so there shouldn't be as much to test.

This release mostly only affects Windows users. The biggest change is that Windows is now using SDL2 to handle window and display management. So, some direct results of this are that you will be able to enable vertical sync from the Display Settings menu using the 'Energy Saver' option (it will have Off, FPS Limit, and Vertical Sync as options). Another visible change is that the video resolution menu (called Change Video Format) will now just list resolutions, not each variation of each resolution with different refresh rates and color depths. I think it will just match the desktop refresh rate and color depth, but I'm not entirely sure. Also, you can resize the window now when windowed! Woo!

But the primary reason for the (partial) switch to using SDL2 on Windows is that it seems to resolve the issue with Windows 10 with AMD graphics issue that prevented the game from running. I've only verified that it works properly now on my own system, but I have high hopes that it has resolved it for everyone else too.

So, try it out, report especially with whether or not it resolved your issue with Windows 10 and AMD graphics. Also try out the various window/display related features (going windowed, minimizing, resizing, etc) to ensure there's no bugs there.

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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by blast »

Note that the packaged source there won't build correctly on Mac, or on Linux when passing --enable-SDL2 to configure. I had mishandled one line of Windows-specific code in one of the SDL2 platform files. It's fixed in the latest git code, though.
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by NTH »

With regards to the AMD driver issue, bzflag now starts without having to mess with the scaling mode. However when you exit (F12) or menu all my desktop icons and display is washed out just like you get after a crash of bzflag.
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by blast »

Interesting. I didn't see that on my system. Are you using a non-default brightness setting in the client?
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by NTH »

This seems to break it

set gamma 2.297397

default is 1.0
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Why is it when someone says there is a more than a billion stars in the sky you believe them, but if that same person says wet paint you have to touch it to make sure.

You die you spawn ..... You die you spawn .....
Only you controls the length of time between the two.

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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by blast »

Thanks. I'll try to duplicate when I get home.
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by NTH »

Blast Thanks for your continued support...

The gamma setting I use (2.297397) is within standard range, on brightness you still have three dashes left to go. its been my setting for many years now.
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Why is it when someone says there is a more than a billion stars in the sky you believe them, but if that same person says wet paint you have to touch it to make sure.

You die you spawn ..... You die you spawn .....
Only you controls the length of time between the two.

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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by blast »

I'm assuming it's just not restoring the old gamma setting when it exits, so it's leaving the desktop with a gamma of 2.297397 as well.
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by NTH »

That seems likely, in the same way when bzflag crashes it looks over exposed.
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Why is it when someone says there is a more than a billion stars in the sky you believe them, but if that same person says wet paint you have to touch it to make sure.

You die you spawn ..... You die you spawn .....
Only you controls the length of time between the two.

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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by alpha-5H »

Says on the Front download page, 2.4.6 works with mac 10.6 + but I get a no work logo on download
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by blast »

It actually only works on 10.7+. Upgrade your OS. You're three years behind on security updates.
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by Fred From France »

Maybe his system is too old but for update on Mac , you must change machine. I've got a power pro tower and his blocked on 10.7.5. when the machine was slow, this game run.
retourn to small game, very cheap but for every body. If we have a strong machine, we are un defeated. maybe its the cause of a deffective player. 10 years ago, we are thousand of players, all server were full, and we stay a long time in observer befre playing.

But that, they were before.

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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by blast »

I don't recall a time when "all servers were full". I've been playing since 2001, and I don't even recall a time when there were more than two pages of servers in the in-game list that were populated.

https://web.archive.org/web/20040703013 ... erlist.php <-- That shows around 120 to 130 players on 12 to 15 servers (unsure if it counts observers, but it probably does) on roughly Fri, Jul 02 04:53:45 PDT 2004. And there's 113 servers shown there in total.
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Re: BZFlag 2.4.6 Release Candidate 1

Post by Green Manalishi »

blast wrote:I don't recall a time when "all servers were full". I've been playing since 2001, and I don't even recall a time when there were more than two pages of servers in the in-game list that were populated.

https://web.archive.org/web/20040703013 ... erlist.php <-- That shows around 120 to 130 players on 12 to 15 servers (unsure if it counts observers, but it probably does) on roughly Fri, Jul 02 04:53:45 PDT 2004. And there's 113 servers shown there in total.
that site is pure nostalgia. you can not only see all the servers and maps hosted back in the day, but also click on them and if you're lucky, see the players too. made my day.
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