Looking for a Q2 engine...

[no_life]

Interesting thoughts. Using xatrix and CTF, etc together would probably require more than just sharing pak data. Since they are run from separate compiled binary files (example: gamex86.dll in windows) they would probably have to be integrated directly with the source code of both mods. Maybe editing the game to load multiple mods could be possible, but it sounds like it would be a mess. Doubt it would work.

As far as the mp3 music goes, there are various ways it could be setup. I know it's been done before client side. I recall even seeing code tutorials to implement mp3 support directly into the client.
I'm sure it could be done so that the mp3 music is linked directly to the actual map itself rather than just the client. It would be a little more complicated probably. Some server side modification may be required, to run a map with mp3 sound. Modified clients would probably be needed as well, for players to use the feature. A map editor may need to even be modified to compile the map/support the sound being used with it. A more practical way may just be to make it client side, perhaps so the map sounds/music could be customized per user, without server changes being involved.

Always thought about making a better in game server browsing system as well. I made a few of my own small changes a while back, using the same system that server browsing tools use, yet able to use in game. Sending a status packet to a server will return the information about a specific server. I only had it setup with the packet command. The data is pretty raw as well, in the form of a bunch of text spammed in the console. There is definitely possibility there for improvement. I'd like to work more on that some day. As my old code is now, I can retrieve server stats within game with the push of a button, but it's not neat by any means. I only have it setup to do like 3 servers currently too. They could all be added in time. I plan on working on it much more. Here's an example of the raw data - a starting point. This is from an alias command in the client to check the DM, Railz, and Vanilla server status.

74.54.186.226:27916: print
\Q2Admin\1.17.44
-tsmod-2\mapname\q2dm2\anticheat\1\sv_noobquad\0\maxspectators\4\gamedate\Aug
 2 2009\gamename\baseq2\sv_handicap\1\INFO2\NO BOTS, HACKS, CHEATS
PLEASE\INFO1\All Skill Levels Welco
me\cheats\0\timelimit\15\fraglimit\30\dmflags\16404\deathmatch\1\version\R1Q2
b7864 i386 Oct  1 2008 Linux\hostname\tastyspleen.net::dm\maxclients\16
4 36 "KanELO"
0 9 "WallFly[BZZZ]"
4 238 "cazzone italian"
6 154 "Roadster"
7 154 "No.2"
4 186 "Presiden Chavez"
74.54.186.226:27911: print
\Q2
Admin\1.17.44-tsmod-2\mapname\in2obl\anticheat\1\maxspectators\4\gamedate\Oct
 7 2006\gamename\baseq2\INFO2\NO BOTS, HACKS, CHEATS PLEASE\INFO1\All Skill
Levels Welco
me\cheats\0\timelimit\20\fraglimit\40\dmflags\26687\deathmatch\1\version\R1Q2
b7864 i386 Oct  1 2008
Linux\gamedir\rails\hostname\tastyspleen.net::railz\game\rails\maxclients\16
0 2 "WallFly[BZZZ]"
0 179 "prot"
0 65 "-621-RoadRunner"
74.54.186.226:27912: print
\Q2Admin\1.17.44-tsmod-2\mapname\mine3\anticheat\1\sv_noobquad\0\gamedate\Aug
 2 2009\gamename\baseq2\maxspectators\8\sv_handicap\1\INFO2\NO BOTS, HACKS,
CHEATS PLEASE\INFO1\All Skill Levels Welco
me\cheats\0\timelimit\15\fraglimit\30\dmflags\16406\deathmatch\1\version\R1Q2
b7864 i386 Oct  1 2008 Linux\hostname\tastyspleen.net::vanilla\maxclients\32
0 3 "WallFly[BZZZ]"
3 8 "Scrotumus-cru"
1 66 "*-=Skyhawk=-*"
]condump statuspacket
Dumped console text to ./baseq2/statuspacket.txt.

Now this data could be collected, for each server and compiled into some sort of neat format or in game server browsing tool. Like I said, it's messy, but it's something to start from. I'm currently thinking of ways to implement it.

[The Happy Friar]

I tested & berserker isn't compatible with local old Q2 mods but it can connect to r1q2 dedicated servers running old mods (IE the Q2 SDK).

[SquiSHeR]

I tested & berserker isn't compatible with local old Q2 mods but it can connect to r1q2 dedicated servers running old mods (IE the Q2 SDK).

So it can't act as a server for non-berserker clients, but can be a client for old servers instead. I wonder if any of the better quakers from TS community use berserker. But probably it doesn't even support Anti-Cheat? But the big plus is, its under active development (other than other engine mods).

Now this data could be collected, for each server and compiled into some sort of neat format or in game server browsing tool. Like I said, it's messy, but it's something to start from. I'm currently thinking of ways to implement it.

If you change something, maybe it would be a good idea not to built on a clean Quake2 3.21 code base, but rather try to add it to some of the more common clients like r1q2, egl or q2pro? This way many could benefit from it. I don't know if its possible to contribute to those projects, though.

[no_life]

Anything that has an up to date open source code release, available to the public can be worked on. I always just start on the 3.21 source because I already know where a lot of the important stuff is. Wouldn't be too hard to move the code over to another engine though probably.

I had an issue with one custom engine compiling or something I think. This was ages ago though. I was on this forum near the beginning of it I think. I found a thread that's like 6 yrs old where I was talking about code, lol:
http://tastyspleen.net/quake/forums/index.php?topic=163.msg1949#msg1949

I did take a long break from everything for a while.. starting to refresh my memory with everything.

[VaeVictis]

an ingame server browser for q2 would be good to allow you to change the server list referenced that way if one goes down you can type in a new one and be up and running

[The Happy Friar]

So it can't act as a server for non-berserker clients, but can be a client for old servers instead. I wonder if any of the better quakers from TS community use berserker. But probably it doesn't even support Anti-Cheat? But the big plus is, its under active development (other than other engine mods).

I didn't try that, but the programmer suggests using something else for a dedicated server.  I just tried loading up a Q2 mod from my Q2 folder & berserker would switch the game & then go to desktop.  But, from what Paril told me about CleanCode, as long as the dll is compatible with the engine it should work.  Both CleanCode & Berserker are C++ vs C.

Also, Berserker has the entire engine in "main.cpp" & all the game (mod) code in "game.cpp".  It's all there but one file.  Diving me nuts. 

[SquiSHeR]

But, from what Paril told me about CleanCode, as long as the dll is compatible with the engine it should work.  Both CleanCode & Berserker are C++ vs C.

I heared about CleanCode. But why do you mention it? Did you try Berserker with CleanCode game.dll? Is CleanCode released at all?

[The Happy Friar]

Cleancode is released.  I mentioned it because it's a game.dll revamp that changes the languague & structure of the game.dll code but still works with stock Q2.  So I'd guess that the Q2 engine could run anything labeled gamex86.dll as long as it was programmed correctly.

I'll do more testing with Berserker & see if it was that one mod or it was a fluke.

I did find that if you use the "quit" console command the engine always crashes, if you use the quit menu command it doesn't.

[VaeVictis]

i believe cleancode was the engine rewritten in c++ with a lot of the bad or confusing algorithms sured up making it theoretically a faster game dll

paril is a pretty good programmer, just use some google-fu to find cleancode i believe it was on some google site that you could download the code from

[The Happy Friar]

http://code.google.com/p/cleancodequake2

[no_life]

Worked a little bit on the in game server browsing. Didn't go into anything real advanced yet, but I created this thing which has been pretty useful. Displays real time info for a few of my fav servers. Map name, number of players. Autoupdates itself every 5 seconds.

On screen in game server stats, FTW.



Monitor servers while playing.

[no_life]

Larger lists could be built into the scoreboard or menu systems.. or wherever. Also got the capability to add any/however many servers manually via variables in the cfg. Could make custom lists of servers to monitor. This kind of stuff could be added to any of the open source engines easily.