GRG's Miscellany

This is a record of my experience of setting this up.  It's meant more as a record for my future self than a tutorial, but maybe somebody will find it useful. 1 - Install DCS First step, install DCS World via the Steam client as normal.  2 - Install LinuxTrack Linuxtrack Download here: https://github.com/uglyDwarf/linuxtrack/wiki/Downloads   Instructions here: https://github.com/uglyDwarf/linuxtrack/wiki/universal-Linuxtrack-package   Using the gui (ltr_gui) requires qt4 libraries, which I could not find in my standard Ubuntu repositories, so I had to use the ppa instructions here: https://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/2020/07/install-qt4-ubuntu-20-04 Run ltr_gui from linuxtrack's bin directory to check everything works so far before moving on to get it running under Proton.  3 - Install LinuxTrack into the DCS World prefix NOTE: Attempting to install for Wine games WON'T WORK e.g. here https://github-wiki-see.page/m/uglyDwarf/linuxtrack/wiki/Wine-Games   Th...

Lots of trial, error and frustration has got me to this stage: This video was screen-grabbed from pcem running as a 386SX. 386s are SLOW AS ALL HELL, so I had to do some trickery for the parallax scroll: Use a 'trash buffer': I set up the VGA so there is 32px of invisible data to the left and right of the display (and also above it).  This means I don't have to worry about clipping my sprites.  If they're even partially on-screen, there's enough trash VRAM around the screen that it won't wrap round or corrupt other pixel data. Shrink game area: use a status display to shrink the rendered game area.  I did this with the VGA's Line Compare functionality, so that when it reaches pixel row 176, it will reset to render from VGA offset 0x0000.  (I also had to change the Pixel Panning Mode bit in the Attribute Mode Control Register because I use hardware panning). Solid colour blanking: this can be done with an asm rep stosb and a suitably large value in cx.  ...

What? I participated in my first itch game jam and it was great fun.  I thought I'd write a postmortem for posterity and in case anybody might find it useful. The jam The game Art apps used: GIMP , Pinta , Tiled Sound apps used: Beepbox , Audacity Engine used: Godot How I came to the game jam I used to work as a game programmer and I've always harboured my dream of making my own games.  I'd been to my local game developer meetup , and we'd discussed itch game jams as a motivational tool.  When the Easter holidays came around (I'm a full-time teacher), I decided I would take the plunge.  I chose the 8-bits-to-infinity jam because the constraint of only using two buttons intrigued me. Initial ideas for the game With such a strong limitation as only having two buttons, I decided to start with the mechanics.  Having played Micro-Machines on the PSX back in the day, I remembered playing 4-player with only two controllers.  Each player had hal...

I am loving Shenzen IO at the moment.  I am also incredibly annoyed with Shenzen IO at the moment. It makes me feel like a real electronics engineer in the same way that Guitar Hero makes me feel like I'm a real guitarist.  It's almost certainly nothing like the real thing, and yet... It is SO COMPELLING.  I just want to tweak that circuit, or have a stab at the next puzzle, but each puzzle takes me AGES.  I have never been one to stick at puzzle games before, but the rigid logic of it makes it certain that failure is my fault, not the game author's.  Somehow this makes failure stir even more determination in me and it's near impossible to break away!

I was looking at a game on Gog called Kingdoms and Castles .  It was extremely tempting. But then I remembered that I had already bought SimCity 2000 , which I have always enjoyed.  So I reinstalled it and started it up. I was feeling confident that I could still manage to build up a decent city, but I went in on easy mode anyway because I didn't want to be too challenged. It all started off well.  I survived the inevitable destruction of the power plant, and my budget was in the black.  It was all going well. Then came the earthquake. ...and eventually I realised it was time to start anew.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a great game.  It has made me feel like a brutal martial arts expert, a stealth-killer, an elite techno-hacker - all the things that Batman is.  To my mind, that's what a game is for: it makes you feel like you're another person, in another universe so you can experience their story. However, the game has reached a shelf-point for me.  I hate rage-quitting, but that's what it made me do.  I'm not sure if I'll go back to complete it.  I'll explain why. Two types of battle which work really well: Firstly, fighting off a mob of henchmen, with the combo and counter moves.  It makes me feel like Batman: I feel anxious to avoid being hit, I weigh up the individual opponents and choose which to take out first, I spread my attacks between multiple opponents and choose a variety of special moves to help.  I also like that it slows down time a bit when you need to counter, so you have time to realise it and press the appropriate b...

I had forgotten how much I hate PC games for this type of crap. So I pre-ordered Battlefield 3. It finally arrived (3 days late - thanks Amazon/Royal Mail), and I started the inevitable and interminable installation. I have to install 'Origin' first (EA's equivalent of Steam). Sucky number 1. Then, I have to install an update that's required for Battlefield 3. I PRE-ORDERED THIS GAME!!! How come it needs an update already?! Sucky number 2. At that point I'd created an Origin ID, logged in to it and all it can say is 'No Games Detected'. Sucky number 3. So having followed the install instructions to the letter, I now have Origin installed which I did NOT want, but no Battlefield which I DID want. ULTIMATE SUCKAGE. And then, guess who didn't think to check that it supports Windows XP? >_< So a few days later, I install Windows 7. Problem solved? No. I had to try the install 4 times before Origin would recognise that I actu...

I've been playing some Dragon Age. I've quite enjoyed it so far, but I can't put my finger on exactly what is fun about it. General impressions: I've not used many adventurer-party combat systems, but this one is accessible at least. It mostly does what I feel it should be doing, and the action looks pleasing. The levelling up doesn't mean much to me and hasn't given me any 'Wow! Now I can do THIS!' moments. Maybe they'll come. The conversations offer some decent choice - I haven't felt like there is no option my character would choose. It feels a little disconcerting that my character is mute. Totally understandable from a practical point of view, but still disconcerting. Main reason for post: I met an encounter I couldn't win, no matter what I tried. It was a pivotal story moment, defeating a monster at the top of a tower. I made many attempts, with various combinations of party tactics, but just couldn't do it. Was th...

I bought this game because I wanted a plausibly realistic racing experience without the obligatory grind of Gran Turismo or Forza. I'm a sim fan, ready to face some demanding challenges where practice is required and Race Driver: Grid seemed to fit the bill. It offers an in-car view, with car damage, and even debris left on the track. I would never pay full dollar for a Codemasters game, so I bought it pre-owned. It was a wise choice - there are some serious flaws to this game. My first impressions are that it knows what it wants to be: an aggressive, demanding, plausibly real racing game. To me, it's always a good sign when a game knows what it wants to be. I always find it easier to overlook a game's flaws if you can see what it is trying to achieve. Race Driver does make it difficult though. The most annoying flaw I have noticed so far: No practice mode. I mean, it's a demanding game, which will require practice, so practice should be an easy part of the...

Having played COD: World At War and enjoyed it, I was quite eager to get stuck into Modern Warfare 2. The promise of tactical manouvres in squad-level combat with modern weapons really got me excited. The reality, however, falls far short - at least in single-player. I expected the inane machismo and the inevitable betrayal of characters I don't care about, by characters I don't care about, for items/plot points I don't care about. What I didn't expect was them to take the confusion levels to such heights as to eliminate the tactical element almost entirely. It really is reduced to the level of "I'll try running here....Oh I died. I'll try running to a different spot next time"....and repeat. In order to make tactical decisions, you need to either be given information directly, or time in which to gather that information yourself. You get neither here. But confusion in battle is surely realistic - it's only part of the immersive expe...

A Christmas holiday coming to the end. It's been so full of people and gatherings, I'm actually pretty tired. It's been a fantastic break away from the ravages of school though. I've got just a day or so more and that makes some decent time for planning. Although I do have Far Cry 2, Modern Warfare 2 and Gratuitous Space Battles calling me...

I've just discovered this game, and I'm absolutely loving it. You take a B-17 Flying Fortress on bombing missions over Nazi-controlled France. Each mission starts with a briefing where you are shown the target. Then you fly the mission, where you alternately shoot at fighters from the various gunner positions and guide the bomber through clouds of flak, then do the bomb run. You go through another phase of gunning and avoiding flak on the way home. This all lasts a few short minutes. Shooting at planes is very much fun. You hear warnings like 'Fighters at 1 o'clock low', which prompts you to click on the appropriate gunning position on the touch screen. The top screen is a 3D first-person view from the selected gunner's position, where you press up/down/left/right and fire to fend off the fighters. Dodging flak is less fun. You see a top-down view of the plane, with small black explosions randomly appearing ahead of you. You have to press left and ...

Well, I enjoyed it. I'll probably play it some more to complete some of the missions. The problem is that the missions are the worst part. The raids are fairly random, as are the defend-the-area-from-the-baddies missions, and the demolition experts are puzzley but aren't really satisfying as puzzles. It's very pretty though, and knocking buildings down with a hammer, or by driving through them, or by blowing them to itty bits never ceases to be immensely satisfying. All in all, a worthwhile experience, but with many frustrating wtfs.

I started playing this recently, and it is so very satisfying. The first 'tutorial' town is dead easy. You go around blowing stuff up and shooting many people. Great fun. The second town, I found rock hard. Gangs of soldiers shoot back rather accurately, and despatch you without delay. They run for cover, and then advance ruthlessly - don't think they'll still be waiting in the same place when you've finished cowering. Also, it hurts when buildings fall on you - who knew? This was all very frustrating until I realised that my play strategy needed addressing. Had the game been 'Red Faction:One Man Tank' I would've been fine. However, I have now realised the value in running away and coming back later. It's still early days, but so far I've found it a fun but unusually tricky game where engaging your brain actually helps. So far, I'm impressed.

I recently bought Ninjatown for the DS, and I'm enjoying it immensely. It's an RTS, very similar in mechanics to Desktop Tower Defence but it's far more than just a re-skin. The basic idea is that wee devils (the bad guys) have invaded Ninja Town in order to steal the secret recipe for ninja cookies. You play a series of levels, each with entry points where the bad guys spawn, and exit points they'll try and reach (or an objective they'll try and attack). Your job is to stop them - let too many through and you fail the level. You stop them by placing and upgrading different types of ninja huts, each of which spawns two ninjas appropriate to the type of hut. Each type of ninja has different abilities (slow and powerful, faster and weedier, ranged attack, etc.), and will automatically attack any wee devil that comes near. Building and upgrading huts costs currency (ninja cookies), so you have to choose your combinations carefully. There doesn't appear t...