Briefings

[Fidcal]

Installed rain as described - but nothing on briefing screen. Sounds like you have something on your system that has not been committed?

 

I'll hold on until you check before uploading my test missions.

[joebarnin]

Fidcal (or anyone else who is having this problem), could you grab the latest darkmod.pk4 and try something for me? I added some logging to the code the gets the briefing text from the xdata, maybe it will point me at the problem. Run the Rain Test mission from the Start Mission menu. When you get to the briefing page, bring up the doom console. There should be messages of the format:

 

WARNING: DisplayBriefingPage: <blah blah>

 

Please send me all of those entries. There should be at least 3, at the end of the log.

 

Thanks!

[Fidcal]

OK, here they are...

 

WARNING: DisplayBriefingPage: start

WARNING: DisplayBriefingPage: briefingData is maps/rain/mission_briefing

WARNING: DisplayBriefingPage: xd is null

 

Here is the full path to my xdata (just in case it is a path error)....

 

G:\doom3\rain\xdata\rain.xd

[joebarnin]

Fidcal, could you scroll up in the console log and find "Current search path:"? Is "G:\doom3/rain" in the list?

[Fidcal]

No, just darkmod and base and their pk4s.

[joebarnin]

In your \Doom3\darkmod directory, is there a file called currentfm.txt? If so, what does it contain?

[Fidcal]

Yes, I just checked that by coincidence - and yes, it's got rain in there.

[joebarnin]

Okay, looks like tdmlauncher.exe isn't putting the currentfm in the command line when it spawns doom3. (I know I confirmed that you are using tdmlauncher, right?).

 

Here's a quick test: create a shortcut to doom3

 

Target: g:\Doom3\DOOM3.exe +set fs_game_base darkmod +set fs_game rain

Start in: g:\Doom3

 

Run this, and you should see the briefing text.

 

Now I just have to figure out why tdmlauncher isn't working for you.

[Fidcal]

Yes, that got it working.

 

I'm using my own custom program launcher that directly references tdmlauncher.exe so that seems to explain that BUT...

 

When I looked in the shortcut it did not have the correct target anyway? Figure that out.

 

I'll set up my program launcher to reference the shortcut and then I'll delete the shortcut and re-install rain again to see if it creates it correctly .

[Fidcal]

Mmm.. it's not created a shortcut so I'll make a new one myself.

 

Now SVN has screwed up because I tried an update while Doom was still running.

 

Stand by.... cleaning up.......

[Fidcal]

Created a new shortcut but just occurred to me, how do you know the name of the shortcut? So presumably it must have some special name?

[Fidcal]

OK, created a new shortcut named tdmlauncher like before but still doesn't work. What name do you give your shortcut?

[Fidcal]

No, I just searched for that old thread about the shortcut and am none the wiser. I can't figure out what we are supposed to do.

[joebarnin]

Your custom program launcher should reference tdmlauncher.exe, not the shortcut. Sounds like even if your custom program launcher references tdmlauncher.exe, the briefing text doesn't show up.

 

If you manually create a shortcut to g:\doom3\darkmod\tdmlauncher.exe, and run it, do you get the briefing text. If yes, then there is something weird with the custom program launcher. If no, then there is a problem with tdmlauncher.exe.

 

In fact, you don't even need a shortcut to tdmlauncher.exe. Just browse to it from Windows Explorer. If you 2x click it from there, do you get briefing text?

[Fidcal]

No - if I directly run tdmlauncher.exe I get no briefing text. I re-installed rain through it to make sure. Nothing.

 

So that shortcut was just for testing?

[joebarnin]

The shortcut isn't necessary. Eventually our installer should create one for the user (on the deskop or in the Start menu), so I thought it made sense for us to test running tdmlauncher from a shortcut. Sorry I wasn't clear about that.

 

So, for some reason tdmlauncher.exe isn't working for you. I think I need to build a version of it that does some logging.

 

In the meantime, to you happen to have a process explorer-type program on your system? Like procexp.exe? If so, run tdmlauncher.exe and once TDM is up, use Process Explorer to look at the doom3.exe process. On the properties page you should be able to see the command line that lauched doom3.exe. I'd like to see what that is -- that's the command line that tdmlauncher.exe used to run doom, and it should (but probably doesn't) contain "+set fs_game rain"

[Fidcal]

No, nothing like that - but maybe you could produce a special version of tdmlauncher that displays the command line instead of passing it to doom?

[joebarnin]

Yes I will do something like that. I'm heading out of the house for a little while, back in a couple of hours. I'll take care of it then.

[joebarnin]

Fidcal,

 

I've uploaded a version of tdmlauncher that logs information to a message dialog. It's called tdmlauncherLogging.exe and it's SVNed to the \darkmod folder (same place as tdmlauncher.exe). Grab it and put it in your \doom3\darkmod directory. Run it; it'll pop up a dialog. Do a screen grab of the dialog and send it along.

 

Thanks!

[Fidcal]

here we are...

 

---------------------------

tdmlauncher logging

---------------------------

argFileName: G:\doom3\darkmod\dmargs.txt

this exe: G:\doom3\darkmod\tdmlauncherLogging.exe

currentFMName: G:\doom3\darkmod\currentfm.txt

readFileLog: file is valid, buffer is rain

argFile: Found

command line:

doom args: +set fs_game_base darkmod +set fs_game rain +set fs_game darkmod +set r_fullscreen 1 +seta com_allowConsole 1

 

doom3exe: G:\doom3\darkmod\..\doom3.exe

---------------------------

OK

---------------------------

[joebarnin]

Looks like your dmargs.txt file has "+set fs_game darkmod" in it? If so, remove it. Then try tdmlauncher.exe again - I bet you'll see the briefing text this time.

 

The "+set fs_game darkmod" in dmargs.txt is overwriting the "+set fs_game rain" that tdmlauncher is generating. Thus, the \doom3\rain folder is not on the path.

[Fidcal]

Yes, that's fixed it. Must have just pasted the full command line from the original shortcut.

 

OK, thanks, I'll check out the objectives screen & purchase shop and see if my 3 test FM packs all launch then maybe upload them.

[Fidcal]

But I can't get my custom launcher to work it. I am passing the arguments dmargs_Windowed.txt and dmargs_fullScreen.txt. Just searched the forums but can't find those mentioned. Must be here somewhere.

 

No, it's searching correctly because it just found this post! I know I didn't dream them up so where did I get them from? Did you pm me? wiki?

[Fidcal]

No, it's not working from my own launcher even if I pass no arguments at all! It launched tdmlauncher that's all. I'll try it with that tdmlauncherLogging.exe see if that tells us anything

[Fidcal]

Ah, I see, it's any name whatever text file we put in the folder.

 

Now, just found that dmargs.txt has recreated itself and put +set fs_game darkmod back in - unless I'm going crazy