Amnesia: The Second Dimension [READY FOR LAUNCH]

[MrBehemoth]

I have a completely different idea in mind for the real end credits...

I'll do some experiments with ending a level and report back.

[MrBehemoth]

So, after a quick trial, I can't get StartDemoEnd() to work at all. Maybe I'm missing something (or maybe it just doesn't work in the release version - I've never seen it used).

As for blank credits, you've still got to either wait for the empty text to scroll past before the "The End"/"Click to continue" text appears, or you can click to skip the scrolling, but that's two clicks, with nothing to tell you to click the first time.

...But most of the levels are going to have some flavour text at the start of them. This could easily go in the "credits" after the previous level, thus solving the problem.

Like I said, my initial thought about splitting it into custom stories was that people would hate it, so I ruled it out. And I'd been banging my head against a wall for so long trying to fix the crash that I was just a bit depressed about the whole thing. So thanks for the enthusiasm, it totally changed my mind.

You're right Mudbill, if it's the difference between SD getting released or not, then it's got to be!

[Darkfire]

For locking the levels if the last one is not completed:
If you made a full conversion, I would try some game-global variables (i think that such exist)
So, after completing a level set var to 1. Make a script in the next level that will teleport you to a dark room with "complete previous level(s) to play this one" message if the var= 0.

I've done such things, for example to change weather to rain after a certain level, but the scripts were between levels, not for whole game.

EDIT: I just realised this probably won't work, as CS's are treated as separate games ;(

[MrBehemoth]

EDIT: I just realised this probably won't work, as CS's are treated as separate games ;(

Exactly. I think they'll just have to be open. People can skip ahead if they want (or if they get really stuck), but most people will choose to play them in order.

Right, I'm settled on this plan. Now back to work for me! I'm still going to put out an alpha, but not just yet. Watch this space.

[Mudbill]

Then seeing as you will be using primarily the CS section for the game, what do you make of the "New game" and "Continue" buttons? I imagine if you never save in the "New game", "Continue" will never show up. You can then remove the lang entry for "New game" to make it disappear from the menu. It's still clickable in the very middle though, so beware. Or you could make it into "Tutorial" instead. Starts the main story of the mod, which is only a tutorial for the real game within the CS section. Or instead of "Tutorial" it could be "Introduction" or anything really. Just a few ideas thrown out there if you don't have one yourself yet.

[MrBehemoth]

Then seeing as you will be using primarily the CS section for the game, what do you make of the "New game" and "Continue" buttons? I imagine if you never save in the "New game", "Continue" will never show up. You can then remove the lang entry for "New game" to make it disappear from the menu. It's still clickable in the very middle though, so beware. Or you could make it into "Tutorial" instead. Starts the main story of the mod, which is only a tutorial for the real game within the CS section. Or instead of "Tutorial" it could be "Introduction" or anything really. Just a few ideas thrown out there if you don't have one yourself yet.

A very good idea, only the tutorial is already integrated into the first couple of levels.

It's quite hard to click the invisible "new game" button - it must only be a few pixels, if not just one. I'll trust people not to go hunting for it, and I'll make the main story be a copy of the first level, just in case.

[MrBehemoth]

So, it turns out that even with each level in a separate CS, returning to the main menu between each one, it still crashes. It takes a little longer, but it still happens.

No one map is causing it. That's been proven by my many, many tests, as well as Amn's. It's something cumulative.

That shouldn't even be possible! Sigh.

[Mudbill]

So there's a memory leak somewhere, probably caused by the intense script, that "overheats" the engine over time? Only way to reset it is to restart the program? Damn...

What do? We gotta find a way. Are you able to perhaps analyze your script, take out certain parts to see if you can find out what part(s) cause it?

[MrBehemoth]

There are 3 timer loops that run continuously. One updates the visible player character model and currently loops 60 times per second. The second updates the NPC models and currently loops 30 times per second. The third controls NPC AI, it loops 10 times per second but mostly just increments a counter and does more complex stuff less often. It's these loops that are the problem.

I'm sure of that because if you lower the frequency of the loops (so that they're all running just 10 times per second, for example) then it takes significantly longer for the crash to happen. But it still does happen. I don't think there's an alternative way of doing it. These loops are kind of the fundamentals of how it works.

But even having them as slow as 30 loops/s looks quite bad, even with v-sync on. The player and NPC models really need to update more than 30 times/s.

I only meant to spend 1 or 2 months on the mod, but it grew, and it's now 7. If I'm honest, I've been so frustrated with this problem for so long now that I've kind of already given up. I keep coming back to this.

If you want to take a look at the files, just let me know.

[Mudbill]

Yeah, perhaps I should join in on this testing and experience the crashes myself. That'll probably give me a better idea. PM?