Zod Engine port

There is an experimental Zod Engine AmigaOS 4 port available on http://capehill.kapsi.fi/ . Before trying, please make sure to read the instructions and download data files as described. Note: only local games are supported currently.

@Capehill
Tested on my peg2/1gb/r9250/1gb/latest os4-beta: Works. Music works, all loads fine (take about 14-15 sec for me with nice progress bar, so no problems visually). Plays a bit in window mode, it works as well.

I tried to port it year ago too, but just drop it because of endian issues.

PS. I also have sources of some nice game called Beret which was closed-source back in times, and i got sources from author to make amiga-like ports, and while i do AROS-i386 port without problems (here: http://archives.aros-exec.org/index.p ... e=game/platform/beret.zip) , i fail to make proper os4 port because of endianes: game load maps just in wrong order, should be easy to fix for skilled coders. I ask author to add big endian support, but he just have no motivation as well , and so he put sources to everyone, there is: https://gitorious.org/beret

Maybe you will in interest to give it a try ? As it works without problems for aros-i386 its for sure just endian problems, and i track down it till loading of maps. Was even in hope just go stupid way : just remake all maps to have "right" endian order, but all just was on hold and co. If you can fix endianes, we even can apply it to him and all will be in trunk for all.

@Capehill

Why you don't upload your ports to os4.depot? Now majority or at least many things that there is no good Quoke3 port for OS4.

Could you at least consider to do so?

But thanks :)

@kas1e: I can take a look. This weekend looks busy but some day. If endian problem looks file-related, check around fread() calls and investigate which kind of structs/types it reads in. Then just swap data (SDL_SwapLE16/32) which is 16-bit, 32-bit... that's the basic principle.


@utri007: my goal was that people would try my experimental stuff first and then if it happens to work, I could upload to OS4depot. But I always forget. I try to start uploading my files from now on.

@capehill

Working really nice here on my sam460 Thanks

@capehill

Thank you so much for giving us the chance to play to Z!

I had a go at it and I could beat the first (original) map vs one bot but got beaten in the 2nd !
Anyway, the port is functionnal but the aim of zod is to play online vs other players and there is no solo campaign as in the original game.

Is there any chance that you implement the net code and improve a little the performances ? I can play in window in 800x600 (80% CPU) but on a 1920x1080 WB screen, well, it is quite small.

Thanks a lot.

@Lio

Somebody should fix the network code because it ignores endianness totally. This is a boring job. Maybe sometime after SDL2? No promises though. Without fix, you would be only able to play with big-endian players.

Speed is something where SDL1 with compositing might help a bit. OpenGL renderer is problematic. It draws in immediate mode and uses non-supported texture sizes. No big gains here if I remember correctly.

So I guess this is somewhere in my todo list. But I can start a github project if somebody wants to help.

@Capehill

thx for taking the time to answer

are you saying that with the current state of the port, I could play against another AmigaOne user over a LAN ?

thats how I understand "Without fix, you would be only able to play with big-endian players"

@Capehill

cool will try soon, thanks!

I have setup a git project for the Zod Engine. Maybe we get the network endian fixed eventually. SDL2 port might make sense too (compositing).

https://github.com/capehill/zodengine