Info_player_start Missing From Dr

[Fidcal]

DR Version 0.8.1

 

Just got started and now my info_player_start has gone from the entity menu. To my best recollection this is what happened.

 

New map, create one room, add a light, add info_player_start then testmap. Ooops! Worked but had to use my lantern as no light. It must have been still selected when I added the start.

 

As an aside, it's hard to get used to this having to cancel a selection before creating a new one. Seems to me one would more often be adding a new item than 'associating' one with a previous selection. In Dromed I'm used to just click and create and holding a shift key to associate selections. But I'm sure tht's the Doom default and I'll get to deal with it in time.

 

To continue, added a light but now I think I had info_player_start selected. So I think that deleted the player start. Now I'm confused as to exactly what I did next as I was sidetracked by another problem. My background colour is black. In DR I found some entities such as player start were shown as black on black so, like a black hole, they could only be detected where the grid was hidden! Could not see any setting in the colour preferences for this. So after my player start was really lost I spent some time searching the grid for nothing!

 

Anyway, I then recall selecting info_player_start from the entity menu and got the error something like you must select a brush first. Huh? Not done that before. I think I did that then deleted it as probably a fault. Then I couldn't find info_player_start at all on the menu. Started over with a fresh map, even rebooted the PC. Nothing.

 

My best guess is I accidentally deleted it somehow in the inspector window thingy while it was focused. Is that possible? I tried with a barrel this morning but no effect so I just don't know.

 

OK, I searched the dark mod resources folder in Explorer for a file with 'player' in it but nothing obvious to me. So if a file has been deleted which one should I restore from the rars? Hell, I might as well have extracted them all again while I was writing this but I'd like to hear from someone first as I am in guessing mode here.

[OrbWeaver]

As an aside, it's hard to get used to this having to cancel a selection before creating a new one. Seems to me one would more often be adding a new item than 'associating' one with a previous selection. In Dromed I'm used to just click and create and holding a shift key to associate selections. But I'm sure tht's the Doom default and I'll get to deal with it in time.

 

This might be fixable actually -- when a new entity is created it could deselect the current entity rather than converting it.

 

To continue, added a light but now I think I had info_player_start selected. So I think that deleted the player start. Now I'm confused as to exactly what I did next as I was sidetracked by another problem. My background colour is black. In DR I found some entities such as player start were shown as black on black so, like a black hole, they could only be detected where the grid was hidden! Could not see any setting in the colour preferences for this. So after my player start was really lost I spent some time searching the grid for nothing!

 

Entities define their own colours in the DEF files, rather than using a global DR colour. I don't particularly like this, as it requires extra code and overrides the user's colour selections, but I think some mappers might like the ability to define the colours of each entity class rather than having a global entity colour.

 

Anyway, I then recall selecting info_player_start from the entity menu and got the error something like you must select a brush first. Huh? Not done that before. I think I did that then deleted it as probably a fault. Then I couldn't find info_player_start at all on the menu. Started over with a fresh map, even rebooted the PC. Nothing.

 

That seems pretty bizarre, I have never seen items just disappear from the menu. The contents of that menu are only constructed once, so I don't see how this could happen.

[Fidcal]

Yeah, I keep doing a second take myself. Here's a screenshot just in case I've gone crazy and looking in the wrong place!

[OrbWeaver]

So now the info_player_start is permanently gone for you? It doesn't just happen after a series of actions?

[Fidcal]

Yes, this happened yesterday and no sign of it even if I start a new mission. Hold on, one thing I've not tried is to load a map where I already put it - as I only have one such with Dark Mod resources. Yes, player start is shown in map (in black on black!) Select it, look in entities menu - it's back! Now I start a new mission and... yes it's back there too! Just gonna have a meal so will look a this later to see if it's permanently fixed, or what.......

[OrbWeaver]

I wonder if there is a problem with your D3 installation, or your engine path is not set correctly or something. You seem to be missing both info_player_start and info_player_start_deathmatch, which are both stock D3 resources, and they should not be black on black.

 

You could also try deleting the contents of your Documents and Settings/<user>/Application Data/DarkRadiant folder in case the XML files are not the correct versions -- I have seen some things appear incorrectly in black when this is the case.

[SneaksieDave]

Also, you can certainly change your background colors. I've set mine up as DoomEd's SuperMal, as it's pretty much the only setup I can stand to stare at for hours.

[Fidcal]

I'm glad I took that screenshot else I'd be beginning to think I imagined it myself. It does now seem to be fixed and I can actually start mapping with DM resources. But I do not have info_player_start_deathmatch.

 

But the problem with entities showing as black on black is close to unusable for me. Is there any way I can change them? Trying to line up a candle flame on a candle is hard when only one item is visible and you have to remember where the other one was and guess click at it. Sometimes items really are totally invisible and I think they are deleted.

 

I thought I'd try deleting that DR folder you mentioned. First I backed it up elsewhere. I noted in a log a lot of lines that say:

 

ColourScheme: Colour default_entity doesn't exist!

 

Open Dark Radiant and all settings restored to defaults. Select Game in File menu and enter Dark Mod. Open my last map. The xyz background is the default white. The player start does not show at all. It was definitely there before and I had previously noted down its coords so I could find it when black. I click on that spot. Nothing. It is not there. Open entities menu. It does show there but if I try to add it then I get the error "Unable to create entity 'info_player_start', no brushes selected." Save map with new name and testmap it. The map runs OK indicating that surely the player start must be there but not tangible in the xyz display at all. zero. no trace. Zoomed in or out. Background black or background white. I know its coord but it is not shown.

 

One maybe relevant glitch. In the 'select game' option in the file menu as I mentioned elsewhere I got corrupt text in the select mod box. This has now changed to 'rops'. If I click the drop arrow it shows one blank and the other is this 'rops'. Should it not say something like 'base' and 'darkmod'?

 

Doom3 itself was a recent clean install plus the 1.3 patch.

 

As I recall when I installed DR I just extracted it into the doom3 folder and set the shortcut parameters. Then later that 'Select Game' which I didn't know about.

[OrbWeaver]

As I recall when I installed DR I just extracted it into the doom3 folder and set the shortcut parameters. Then later that 'Select Game' which I didn't know about.

 

You extracted DR into the Doom 3 folder? It's supposed to go in its own installation folder, it is not part of Doom 3.

 

I can't immediately think of any problem this would cause, and it may or may not be the root of your problems, but it isn't a recommended installation method.

[greebo]

You're obviously not running the 0.8.1 release, are you? The "default_entity" colour has been implemented a few weeks ago if my memory serves me right, so there's most probably a configurational conflict present. Please try to delete your colours.xml file from your local settings folder.

[Fidcal]

Sorry, I meant DM not DR - when I installed the dark mod download I extracted it into the doom3 folder. Dark Radiant I installed separately in its own folder on the drive. The 'about' in DR says v.0.8.1 but as I recall I also downloaded some incremental update that included s & r and extracted it over v.0.8.1 but it still says 0.8.1.

 

I have deleted the entire Dark Radiant application data folder including the colours.xml file and DR has now re-created them and I get all the defaults back but it has not solved the problem.

 

I have just typed in 'base' in File > Select game and got back to the doom3 resources. I opened an old testmap of mine and the player start colour in the xyz window is fine - bold clear red, and info_player_deathmatch is also restored to the entities menu. Clearly there is some pathing error but how do I fix it. I repeat that File > Select game shows the 'Select Mod' input with two fields : one as corrupt text which keeps changing from time to time, at the moment it says 'er Action' and the other field is blank. Surely these two field ought to show 'base' and 'darkmod' for the user to select? If I go back to 'darkmod' then the player start disappears from the map in the xyz.

 

Should I completely uninstall DR and re-install just 0.8.1 but not add the update with the s & r? See what happens?

[greebo]

The development version still shows 0.8.1, we use to increase the version just before the release.

 

This is what my game preferences tab looks like:

 

I don't know where the corrupt lines are coming from, though. The drop-down field should only contain "Doom 3", as this is the only game we're working with right now. Hm...

[Fidcal]

My Dark Radiant preferences dialog are set out quite different from yours; the path is in a different part of it and the Game mod is not in preferences but separately on the file menu. But my select game in preferences does show Doom 3; my engine path does show correctly as g:/doom3/ and I do have darkmod in the Game mod box on the other dialog.

 

Occasionally player start does show in the xyz and it's there at the moment but whether it will stay I don't know.

[greebo]

Maybe your snapshot build is outdated, perhaps it was created while my preferences refactor was WIP. I'll upload a current build, so expect it on the FTP in a few minutes.

[Fidcal]

Greebo : Can you point me in the right direction please? The only link I have for DR is at sourceforge...

 

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=161727

 

I do use ftp so if there is some info on where and how to connect to some TDM resource let me know where the details are.

[greebo]

Take this! http://208.49.149.118/TheDarkMod/DarkRadia..._latest_SVN.zip

 

The link won't change, so you can bookmark it if you like. Extract it over your existing installation and be sure to clean your user settings in case things go wonky.

[sparhawk]

Is this an up-to date build? And how often do you update it?

[greebo]

Yes, this is the most recent build (rev. 1500), compiled this morning.

 

Concerning the upload: It depends. I usually upload a new build when a new feature is implemented, a new build is requested or before I go to sleep or I don't do it all.

 

It's just a sneak-peek preview for a very small audience (basically SneaksieDave, Mr Mike and Fidcal), so it's no real priority. No installer, no guarantees, but it usually is quite stable.

[Fidcal]

wonky is my middle name

[Fidcal]

OK, got this now thanks Greebo and it seems to be in order. Player start OK. See how it goes over the next few days but I think it should be alright. Looking good.