Finger info for icculus@icculus.org...




Men of Valor:
 Apparently I've been outed: I'm the 'team' working on this for Aspyr.
 More on this later.


UnrealEngine3:
 One thing I'm learning by fighting with a different project that has nothing
 to do with UE3: modern 3D graphic APIs are really friggin intimidating.
 I'm really growing to hate both DirectX 9 and OpenGL 2.0, which is
 unfortunate considering there isn't really any part of UE3's renderer that
 doesn't concern itself with DX9-level tech. This makes me grumpy. I feel like
 the Unix equivalent of those two old dudes in the balcony on the Muppet Show.


OpenAL:
 (If you want the Apple/VoIP patch source code, it's on the mailing list, but
  not in CVS as far as I know. Check the openal-devel list archives at
  openal.org.)


Duke3D:
 http://0day.icculus.org/duke3d/duke3d-macosx-12162004.dmg.bz2

 Same as last build, except screenshots work. Unlike previous builds, that'll
 actually do something when you hit F12 to take a screenshot. They'll land in
 "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Duke Nukem 3D/Screenshots" ... they're in
 PCX format (since that's what the game supports) but any graphics program
 should be able to convert them to anything else.

 Some FAQs on the MacOS X version are here:
  http://icculus.org/cgi-bin/finger/finger.pl?user=icculus&date=2004-11-29

 Notes on Duke in D.C. and TCP/IP are here:
  http://icculus.org/cgi-bin/finger/finger.pl?user=icculus&date=2004-12-06


UTPG:
 Apparently the driver bugfix got rolled into Software Update for OSX 10.3.6.
 Have you hugged an Apple engineer today?


Unreal Tournament 2003:
 There's an exploit in the ut2003 network code, so here's a new build.

 Linux: http://0day.icculus.org/ut2003/ut2003lnx_patch2225-3-BETA.tar.bz2
 MacOSX: http://0day.icculus.org/ut2003/ut2003-mac-patch-2225-3.dmg.bz2

 The Linux one has about a million changes over the stock 2225, since it's got
 all the MacOSX work on top of it. Consider it beta. The Mac version has one
 or two fixes, so it's worth updating.


Unreal Tournament 2004:
 Mac version 3339: http://0day.icculus.org/ut2004/ut2004-macpatch3339.dmg.bz2
 This one is big (90 megs instead of 15), because it installs the ECE Bonus
 Pack. It is safe to use this even if you previously installed the ECE-BP,
 but there are some 3339 things that need to override the scripts shipped
 with the bonus pack, so this was easier than trying get everyone to install
 everything in the right order.

 Linux version 3339: http://0day.icculus.org/ut2004/ut2004-lnxpatch3339.tar.bz2
 Please install the Editors' Choice bonus pack FIRST, and then 3339.
 Bonus pack is here: http://0day.icculus.org/ut2004/ut2004-ECEBonusPack.tar.bz2

 So this goes:
  1) Install game (or take an existing installation at any version)
  2) Unpack ECEBonusPack and copy into game installation.
  3) Unpack 3339 and copy into game installation.

  If you're using an Editors' Choice Edition disc (the box is reddish),
  then skip straight to step #3...the bonus pack is part of the default
  installation on those discs.


MOHPA:
 This builds now, but I'm working out some crashes...


Call of Duty:
 (new COD and CODUO patches are coming...any minute now...)

 Original COD Linux admins should currently be using:
  http://icculus.org/betas/cod/COD-lnxded-1.4-07252004.tar.bz2

 COD:UO Linux admins should currently be using:
  http://0day.icculus.org/cod/coduo-lnxded-1.41e.tar.bz2


Postal 2 Share the Pain:
 Download the free demo for MacOSX:
  http://icculus.org/news/news.php?id=2272

 Buy the full game for MacOSX:
  http://www.gopostal.com/store/index.php


America's Army:
 ArmyOps 2.2.1 for Linux is now shipping!
  http://icculus.org/news/news.php?id=2273


Other stuff:
 Boy, did I cause a ruckus with this whole GameSpy thing. The venom that is
  spilling across various Mac gamer forums is fairly impressive. I wanted to
  cover a few points.

  - You can't just rip GameSpy out. Several people have written me saying
  that they have alternate solutions (some open source, etc) that provide
  the same functionality as GameSpy. This doesn't change the fact that
  the Windows game clients still "speak" GameSpy, so having an alternative
  isn't sufficient unless the PC side of things supports it, too.

  - Having a tech replacement is only half the battle. You also need to run
  master servers.

  - Most third party browsers are just using the GameSpy protocol. "Just
  ship Forward Observer X with ArmyOps" isn't a viable option.

  - Most games only use GameSpy for the server browser. Once you find your
  favorite game server in the list, the game doesn't use GameSpy anymore...
  in the ArmyOps case, it's using Unreal's built-in networking code for
  everything from the initial connection to the in-game packets, just not
  the server browser.

  - Some games use GameSpy for CD key verification. These games are a total
  loss without the GameSpy SDK, since even if you can get a server list,
  the server either won't know what to do with you, or will boot you for
  not providing a "valid" CD key. In these cases, you will _never_ be able
  to have Mac-to-PC compatibility. Most games I've worked on don't use
  this piece of GameSpy. Men of Valor does, unfortunately.

  - Current Mac games that are shipping aren't going to stop working with
  GameSpy. This is about licensing for future titles.

  - GameSpy's SDK, as long as I've been porting games, has always come in
  source code form, and has _always_ compiled on the Mac. I've never had
  any GameSpy tech support for the Mac, and have never needed it. It always
  Just Worked. As long as it remains in source form, I'll never call them
  for help...maybe that's the Linux hacker in me, but I'm a fan of solving
  problems myself as long as I'm empowered to do so. Someone pointed out
  that in terms of added network load, tech support and development, the
  biggest resource GameSpy needs to expend on the Mac is however much
  gasoline it takes to drive to the bank to cash the check.

  - This is literally the only showstopper in ArmyOps 2.2.1 for the
  Mac. If I had a GameSpy license, I could recompile the game and ship it.
  As it stands, there isn't a clear or simple solution to this problem in
  the 2.2.1 timeframe.

  - The short term solutions are not pleasant. The best case scenario is that
  we all find reasonable price points with GameSpy and ship our titles...
  More realistically, we'll surrender network compatibility on some titles,
  and wedge in some half-assed solutions, which are better than nothing.

  - The longer term solutions involve an act of subversion. Namely, someone
  needs to step up: develop and market a product that replaces GameSpy.
  It's not a secret that GameSpy's SDK doesn't have any real competition
  at the moment. It's also not a secret that most PC developers would shed
  no tears for GameSpy if a better alternative came along. I will be daring
  and say a small, modestly-funded team could pull this off, and if they hit
  the right PC developers, could gain critical mass with a quickness. The
  obvious choices for this, if we're being Mac-centric, are either Aspyr or
  Destineer. I would suggest this might be best done by an independent
  company that has no sort of Apple affliation as their primary interest...
  you don't have to like the fact that PC developers have an irrational
  fear of Mac-oriented companies...and I don't want to have this fight about
  Linux clients five years from now. Getting a good Triple-A title on the
  PC to ship with this, Mac port or not, makes this much more intriguing to
  everyone else, though. After all, there're plenty of reasons to ditch
  GameSpy on the PC, too; this Mac episode just illustrates it...they could
  always inflate their prices universally. Smart developers will take notice
  now when it's still someone else's problem...because tomorrow, it could be
  their's, too.

  - I know I sound like I'm attacking GameSpy here, but I'm just being
  practical...I'm a Mac developer with two projects in the pipeline that are
  screwed at the moment. If I get a call tomorrow telling me the SDK is
  reasonably priced again and the check has cleared, I'll delete this whole
  rant and sing GameSpy's praises from the mountain tops.

--ryan.


When this .plan was written: 2004-12-16 08:47:03
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