TDM for DIII4a support topic

[freyk]

This topic is intended to give each other tips on how to make TDM work well on DIII4a on Android.

Githubpage:
https://github.com/glKarin/com.n0n3m4.diii4a

Android Package
https://github.com/glKarin/com.n0n3m4.diii4a/releases
https://f-droid.org/packages/com.karin.idTech4Amm/

Installation:

1. download tdm 2.12 full package from moddb,
2. extract the "darkmod"-folder,
3. create a folder on the storage of your device, give it the name "diii4a"
4. move the "darkmod" folder to that folder.  
5. Download the apk from the releases page, install the apk, accept the storage permissions.

Running the game:

1. open the app,
2. select the profile for TDM and hit the start game button.
3. After this you get a black screen and wait some seconds (8 or 10) until the tdm menu appears.

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysLQTV8PZ-Q

 

Edited September 5, 2024 by freyk

[freyk]

== Tips ==

Updating the application.
download/install the apk from the github release page.
Or install / update the app using f-droid.

Change Advanced settings:
To change settings hitting the button "Edit Darkmod.cfg"
You can also use autoexec.cfg to overrule(?) lines in darkmod.cfg.
(but you need to create a file in the darkmod for it)

Performance tweaks
https://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Performance_Tweaks

Lower the screenresolution,
See DIII4a settings > graphics > screenresolution > Custom: 640 x 480
Or set in darkmod config or add following lines to autoexec.
seta r_customHeight "640"
seta r_customWidth "480"

Problem: Application crashes during loading mission.
No sollution found.
Sometimes restarting the mission helps.

Known problems:
tdm 2.13 crashes during loading mission. tdm 2.12 doesnt.

black textures > (solved in new version of DII4A)
wobbly wall textures when moving > (solved in new version of DII4A)
lights not active > (solved in new version of DII4A)
lightgem never dims > set tdm_lg_weak "1" > (solved in new version of DII4A)

Edited May 5, 2025 by freyk

[jaxa]

Who gets the blame for graphical issues? DIII4a or Google Android?

[freyk]

Both. But if you got some TDM config-lines to solve the mentioned issues, please let us know.

Edited September 7, 2024 by freyk

[taste]

I customised the DarkmodPadbinds.cfg on my computer and replaced the version in the DIII4a folder on my Android device (Anbernic RG556) but the settings were automatically overwritten with the default next time I started up. Any ideas?

I have noticed the first line in the DarkmodPadbinds.cfg reads 'unbindPad' - is that deleting my custom bindings?

(I had also listed my bindings more like as seen here: https://github.com/fholger/thedarkmodvr/wiki/Gamepad-support

with line breaks and // etc. Does DarkmodPadbinds.cfg need to be a simpler list format?)

Thanks!

Edited February 5, 2025 by taste

[datiswous]

2 hours ago, taste said:

but the settings were automatically overwritten with the default next time I started up. Any ideas?

Make the files read-only?

[taste]

Didn't work, sadly. Thanks for the idea though. It seems like the controller isn't being fully recognised. I can't seem to use the d-pad, for example.

[nbohr1more]

Try creating an autoexec.cfg. DIIIa may not support our new config files.

[taste]

Thanks, I'll try it. Sorry, do you have an example of what the contents of the autoexec.cfg should read?

This is the contents of my DarkmodPadbinds.cfg:

// Custom DarkmodPadbinds.cfg - gamepad button mappings

// NORMAL PRESS
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_A "_jump"
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_B "_crouch"
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_X "_inventory_use"
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_Y "_frob"

bindPadButton PRESS PAD_L1 "_lean_left"
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_R1 "_lean_right"

bindPadButton PRESS PAD_L2 "_parry"
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_R2 "_attack"

bindPadButton PRESS PAD_L3 "_speed"
// spyglass
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_R3 "inventory_use '#str_02396'"

bindPadButton PRESS PAD_UP "_inventory_prev"
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_DOWN "_inventory_next"
// cycle keys
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_LEFT "inventory_cycle_group '#str_02392'"
// cycle picks
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_RIGHT "inventory_cycle_group '#str_02389'"

bindPadButton PRESS PAD_START "escape"
bindPadButton PRESS PAD_SELECT  "savegame quick"

bindPadButton PRESS PAD_BACK "_objectives"

// LONG PRESS
bindPadButton LONG_PRESS PAD_A "_mantle"
bindPadButton LONG_PRESS PAD_B "_weapon_next"
bindPadButton LONG_PRESS PAD_X  "_inventory_grid"
bindPadButton LONG_PRESS PAD_Y "_weapon_prev"

bindPadButton LONG_PRESS PAD_UP "inventory_hotkey ''"
bindPadButton LONG_PRESS PAD_DOWN "_inventory_drop"

// lantern
bindPadButton LONG_PRESS PAD_R3 "inventory_use '#str_02395'"

[freyk]

The firstline "Unbindpad" clears the binding settings of the tdm controlpad, before the config file sets the controkpad bindings. That line should not be removed.

 

The lines in the config-files are just "commands". I dont know which config file is loaded first. I think darkmod.cfg, then the keybing configs and last autoexec.cfg.

if so, How about copying your darkmodpadbinds.cfg to autoexec.cfg?

And how about detect the dpad keys commands you need, when you change/set the "controls" in the tdm menu and see them in  keybind.cfg?

Edited February 6, 2025 by freyk

[taste]

No luck sadly. In TDM it won't recognise the d-pad (and I can't set long presses on any button), and manually trying to set the controls via autoexec.cfg or darkmodpadbinds.cfg doesn't seem to have an effect. I wondered if it was something to do with the pad being recognised as the wrong type (Dualshock vs. Xbox for example), but I can only seem to change between Xbox and Nintendo Switch on this device, and I'm not sure if that only swaps the A and B button inputs.

 

Maybe I need to wait for an update to DIII4a? Thanks for all the suggestions though.

[taste]

For the d-pad, I wonder if it's that the d-pad directions are set to the arrow keys but the joystick is somehow overriding it, leaving the d-pad buttons seemingly unresponsive. I see in DarkmodKeybinds.cfg that the arrow keys are linked to forward / back / left / right. Maybe I can remap those directions to something else and see if the joystick behaves differently.

If I change commands inside the TDM settings menu it does seem to save the results (so I've been able to remap ABXY, for example), but I can't get it to register the d-pad in order to change those buttons. Maybe this idea could shed some light. Sorry if I'm repeating myself, it's a combo of tiredness and trying to formulate a plan to sort this!

[Kaaiman]

My wish is to play TDM on my widescreen tv with a game controller, ideally replacing my aging Linux pc setup. My tv is connected to an Nvidia Shield 2017 (Android 11), but I also have the possibility to connect my Motorola Edge 50 Pro (Android 15) with USB-C video output.

So I've started trying to get TDM 2.13 to work with idTech4a++, latest version from F-droid (build 11068). Level of success varies a lot. I copied the 'darkmod' folder from my pc onto both devices, including configurations.

On the Shield I can't get things to work yet. Menu and mission selection works, but the game crashes after loading a mission.

On the Moto some missions load. I tried the Training Mission and A New Job, both load fine and seem playable. The Painter's Wife doesn't load at all, the game crashes upon pressing 'Start this Mission'. Iris crashes halfway mission loading. Of course both are heavily scripted and very large missions and more likely to refuse working properly.

Are there other people around who have tried (and hopefully succeeded) playing TDM on Nvidia Shield? And have some tips 'n tricks?

Edited August 31, 2025 by Kaaiman

[nbohr1more]

Try image_downSize options:

https://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Performance_Tweaks#Image_downsizing

[taste]

On 2/6/2025 at 11:07 PM, taste said:

For the d-pad, I wonder if it's that the d-pad directions are set to the arrow keys but the joystick is somehow overriding it, leaving the d-pad buttons seemingly unresponsive. I see in DarkmodKeybinds.cfg that the arrow keys are linked to forward / back / left / right. Maybe I can remap those directions to something else and see if the joystick behaves differently.

If I change commands inside the TDM settings menu it does seem to save the results (so I've been able to remap ABXY, for example), but I can't get it to register the d-pad in order to change those buttons. Maybe this idea could shed some light. Sorry if I'm repeating myself, it's a combo of tiredness and trying to formulate a plan to sort this!

If it's of any help to anyone in the future, I managed to solve this by updating TDM to 2.13 and updating to the latest version of DIII4a (idTech4A++_1.1.0harmattan68.apk at time of writing). In the controller settings tab in the DIII4a launcher you can scroll up and manually configure the controller. In there it was a matter of setting the d-pad as arrow keys and then I had access to every button on the RG556 to customise in TDM.

[freyk]

Here is another sidequest to run TDM on Android:
There is "Winlator", a frontend for WINE on Android. (It is like valve proton)
https://github.com/brunodev85/winlator and https://winlator.org/

TDM Windows executable runs on it (using default settings):
Got the TDM menu working, but crashes during loading a mission.

To me, it is a nice app to run Windows games/applications on Android
(such as DR/Thief1234/Steam)
But you dont get the native speed and graphics of TDM, like in DIII4a.
And it is a battery-energy drainer!

====
Installation in short:

1. Download & install the apk for winlator and accept the app-permissions.
2. In Winlator, create a new container, 
3. In the  settings of the container, go to drives and point the targetpath for the drive d to the dIII4a folder on the storage. (or somewhere else)
4. start the container. in the application "computer" (file browser), navigate to d-drive > darkmod folder > in the darkmod folder, double-finger-tab on the "Thedarkmod64.exe" > to get the quickmenu  and hit "create shortcut".
5. Close the session:  hit your phone back-button and in the menu, click on "exit".
   (start > wine boot > exit windows. > ok.)
6. You will find a shortcut to tdm executable in winlator shortcuts.

 from shortcuts menu, you can simply run the tdm executable  by clicking on the the tdm shortcut.
And use the settings menu of the shortcut, to change things of the container. 
In the session, hit your phone back-button, to get a menu.
where you can change the input controls to a overlayed virtual-pad, keyboard, etc.
====
 

Edited September 20, 2025 by freyk