13 replies to this topic

[DCrosby]

File Name: Sonic The Hedgehog with Ultra DMD

File Submitter: DCrosby

File Submitted: 23 May 2019

File Category: VPX Originals

Author(s): Bendon Baily
Javier1515
Derek Crosby
Permission to MOD?: Yes, without approval

This is the Base Table by Benden Bailey, then modded by Javier151 the same one with the same issues or glitches if any, what I adding was the DMD functionality, and sprite animations. But I can't do that without modifying the original code, and I put in so that it should revert if you don't have ultra DMD, but I'll take feedback, and see if it doesn't work that way I'll try and fix it. Even though this is for the DMD and the table, the b2s is in the screenshot to illustrate the DMD. You'll have to find the B2S seperately as it's not included in this pack, just Table, Animations, and vbs script for the DMD

Click here to download this file

[Thalamus]

This is a cool and unexpected upload.

Thank you, I will definitely give this a shot.

Edited by Thalamus, 23 May 2019 - 06:01 PM.

[Thalamus]

Hmm. This is interesting. I've had for a long time had my suspicions that playing UltraDMD via dmddevice to Pindmd3 is one of the scenarios that will add stutter to the gameplay no matter how good the hardware is. I've meant for some time now to go back to the original release to see what happens when I shoot the upper left gate. I can clearly see for a very short time some stutter going on there. With UltraDMD, I see stutter almost all the time, but, hitting that gate is really laggy. It can best be described as looking at a old camera being able to take maybe 3-4 shots a second until the ball passes through.

 

Great upload for two reasons I guess ! ;-) Thank you again.

[DCrosby]

Yeah I noticed that gate getting me a lot of points, and I agree ultradmd seems to make it worse, so maybe I'll look at what's causing the gate to create a delay, possibly something updating causing a infinite loop, that eventually exits... or something... But it's a failure of the table, as my code just sets certain images to display when events are triggered.

[Thalamus]

I can be a primitive that isn't optimized or something like that as well. But, I'm more interested in the relationship between the table and the the dll. I'll have to try to play this without sending it to the real dmd. Don't have time before the weekend though.

[NailBuster]

Hmm. This is interesting. I've had for a long time had my suspicions that playing UltraDMD via dmddevice to Pindmd3 is one of the scenarios that will add stutter to the gameplay no matter how good the hardware is. I've meant for some time now to go back to the original release to see what happens when I shoot the upper left gate. I can clearly see for a very short time some stutter going on there. With UltraDMD, I see stutter almost all the time, but, hitting that gate is really laggy. It can best be described as looking at a old camera being able to take maybe 3-4 shots a second until the ball passes through.

 

Great upload for two reasons I guess ! ;-) Thank you again.

 

fyi...I used this table as starting 'base' for PinUP Jukebox vpx.  that upper left gate code was 'broken'...I had to fix it in my table/script so its not any hardware.. happens always.

[DCrosby]

Can you go into more detail as to what you found, and I can fix it and create an update...

 

Also as a respected software engineer, how do you debug things like this, do you use print statements or watches and if so how ?

Edited by DCrosby, 24 May 2019 - 05:28 PM.

[Thalamus]

Easy solution is to delete those trigger gates,make invisible new ones of course with the same names as the deleted ones. It looks like the way they are built is the main problem.

[NailBuster]

IIRC,  the table has like something gate2 and 2b.  i removed the 'broken' trigger and took the code from that trigger 'hit' and moved that hit-event of the gate2 for example.

 

this was my first real use of the vpx editor/table.....  lets just say,  its a lot of trial and error when you start and looking at many other tables to get a feel for how it all works.

 

also,  this table script uses an external fp.vbs type file?  i don't know why or if needed... i just moved the small script text from that file into the main table script and 'remarked some stuff out.

Edited by NailBuster, 24 May 2019 - 06:20 PM.

[Thalamus]

I've criticized the way fpvpx.vbs is distributed already. Install this game after you install Sons of Anarchy, Metal Slug or Junkyard Cats and follow the general suggestion to keep scripts in scripts folder and it will become a support issue from a lot of users. I have no plans to respond to these.

 

Support scripts should never ever be distributed with the tables. That is my opinion on the matter.

Edited by Thalamus, 24 May 2019 - 08:22 PM.

[Mike DA Spike]

This is really awesome!
Is it possible when the ball is waiting for launch that is shows what players turn it is ? I only have a black box at the moment.
Dont have a constant stuttering with my pindmd3, but the upper left gate is indeed a fps dropper.
Hope that with the suggestion of Thalamus it can be fixed
And thanks for this mod. Really like the dmd !

[jpsalas]

I don't see the need of that fpvpx.vbs, since it just contains some constants that you can simply add to the top of the script.

 

 

Also as a respected software engineer, how do you debug things like this, do you use print statements or watches and if so how ?

 

For debugging I use the built-inn debugger window. It is very useful as you can add a line like this:

 

debug.print variable

being variable the name of any variable when you want to check the value

 

or simply

 

debug.print "Started bonus count"

 

or the name of the sub it has started, or anythying you like.

 

Moving the ball with the mouse is another nice way to test the tables, or just throwing balls at targets and ramps to see how they behave. These can be enabled in the debugger window.

To open the debugger window while playing, just press "d", and then you may use the mouse to open expand the window, as shown in red in the image below.

 

[attachment=29566:debugger.jpg]

 

[DCrosby]

I kind of lost track of this thread, thank you for answering me, I will get back to Sonic, and it's "Sonic Gate" Issues.

Right now I'm neck deep in Phantom of the Opera, and once I get that sorted, and get some feedback / help I'll get back onto making sonic a better table, it's already huge what I'm learning about plastics, and lighting, I hope to get more in-depth with the code, and where certain functions draw data from the Rom, which is really my "Blindside" as I always hated dealing with .dll's and such, where you just throw data in, and hope it does what you told it to do.

 

Phantom of the Opera Thread :

https://www.vpforums...showtopic=42293

Edited by DCrosby, 28 May 2019 - 04:00 PM.

[spoontangclan]

IIRC,  the table has like something gate2 and 2b.  i removed the 'broken' trigger and took the code from that trigger 'hit' and moved that hit-event of the gate2 for example.

 

this was my first real use of the vpx editor/table.....  lets just say,  its a lot of trial and error when you start and looking at many other tables to get a feel for how it all works.

 

also,  this table script uses an external fp.vbs type file?  i don't know why or if needed... i just moved the small script text from that file into the main table script and 'remarked some stuff out.

 

Can you please share your modded version of the sonic table if I'm reading correctly that your edits led to the removal of the lag or at a minimum share them with DCrosby so he can officially update?