Bug reports!

flash · 101141

Offline flash

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on: October 21, 2009, 09:44:03 pm
Please post any major bugs (or trivial) here.

I was finding it hard to trace them all in the main topic. It may help to keep them seperate. (Suggestions, chat, etc are great in main topic)

Thanks..

(hopefully this will remain pretty empty, unless the pixies are telling stories again)

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #1 on: October 22, 2009, 09:59:01 am
bugs on the xmas level.... I have removed most of the graphics to black to keep this one secret, so you only se the problem snow platform......

Please Note this level is completable as it are, it more visual bugs.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2009, 10:00:50 am by spacefractal »

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Offline flash

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Reply #2 on: October 22, 2009, 11:07:36 am
bugs on the xmas level.... I have removed most of the graphics to black to keep this one secret, so you only se the problem snow platform......

Please Note this level is completable as it are, it more visual bugs.

Ok, thanks. That is now fixed.
Also, 'Jump for joy' level should now work perfect! ;)

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #3 on: October 23, 2009, 07:58:58 am
comic mirco bug:
when you dying example on the Air Lock level, when the screen have been "faded out", you sometimes see a little white line in the middle screen, some times on the right place. But it only do when it totally blaced and begin to fade in again. This was after used a cheat mode.

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Offline headkaze

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Reply #4 on: October 24, 2009, 10:58:04 am
I knocked up a little demo to help locate the visual stuttering when changing music in the music selection screen.

What this demo proves is it's not caused by the zlib decompression routine.

What I would try next is to remove all graphic animations (such as the sprite and text) to see if the stutter dissappears.



Offline flash

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Reply #5 on: October 24, 2009, 11:01:24 am
Thanks mate, I will have a fiddle with this later at work.

Hopefully it is something SILLY somewhere, somehow?

Oh joy!

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Offline sverx

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Reply #6 on: October 24, 2009, 05:13:13 pm
According to the fact that it takes a different amount of time to decompress and load different songs and that causes different flicker effect on the screens, I'd suggest that the flickering is related to the fact that the screen raster is in an on-screen position when you change the contents. I guess you should wait for a VBlank after the "XM decompression & load" stage, so that the screens content doesn't change between VBlanks. That's my humble idea, of course. :)

There's also some problem with the ending text animation in MMWW. Can't understand what's happening there, looks like the text is changing 'twice' ???

YF level switch is perfect now :) Thanks! :)




Offline flash

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Reply #7 on: October 24, 2009, 06:35:34 pm
It should look like that in MMWW completion, but I did mess up a little and it missed a few tiles :) - sorted!

Thanks for the ideas for tracking the flicker down. I am trapping vblank, so still a bit confused.. I will have another play tonight or perhaps tomorrow.

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #8 on: October 24, 2009, 08:08:59 pm
I found most all secrets levels (1 missing, only trying to find hidden spot in radio picture level). Some is easy found, some toke some time, but all is well hided and nice placed. so No problems :-D

Minor Bug:
in the goonies level: you can jump to the top left wall and "hide" :-D.

Minor Bug (mine one):
And there is some problem in my very last tune (hero.xm) which I need to fix tomorrow. Not possible to fix that, but its do are really minor issue throuch.

Change option:
"Game Over" is not the right word when you have completed WW and the whole game, so its should been "the end" or "congratulations".

Change option:
On the very last screen, "we..." could been changed to something say of eventuelly bonus level if they are missed and some levels still can been unlocked.

Xmas level is perfect.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2009, 08:39:34 pm by spacefractal »

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Offline flash

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Reply #9 on: October 24, 2009, 09:08:48 pm
in the goonies level: you can jump to the top left wall and "hide" :-D.
Well spotted - sorted!

"Game Over" is not the right word when you have completed WW and the whole game, so its should been "the end" or "congratulations".
I have changed it to 'The End'

On the very last screen, "we..." could been changed to something say of eventuelly bonus level if they are missed and some levels still can been unlocked.
Not really sure what you mean?

Xmas level is perfect.
Hurrah!! :) :)

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #10 on: October 24, 2009, 10:42:07 pm
(I removed a post which is not need, but I do still guess some tips about missing hidden levels should been told to the use in some way when both game modes is completed).

Bug:
Cosmic Man is still impossible, due too much random fireballs and I allways got toasted by fireball near the evil placed exit.

Fireballs should NOT shoot that random, and you should have a change to memory them in some way if you want to keep the layout, but them them use some pattern.

Bug?
In "Where's the hyperspace button?": 3-4 times I could not jump on the circle formed platform after jumped on it from the start point. It does not happens each time and not sure why. When it happens he would just walk right, falling and then die. Not sure it by design or a bug.
« Last Edit: October 24, 2009, 11:04:45 pm by spacefractal »

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Offline flash

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Reply #11 on: October 24, 2009, 11:27:31 pm
The fireballs are not random mate.. They follow a strict 16 y pos sequence (as does meteor storm)

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Offline flash

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Reply #12 on: October 24, 2009, 11:30:29 pm
In "Where's the hyperspace button?": 3-4 times I could not jump on the circle formed platform after jumped on it from the start point. It does not happens each time and not sure why. When it happens he would just walk right, falling and then die. Not sure it by design or a bug.
I will have a look at that, but it is a conveyor on both sides and hopefully replicated the same.

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #13 on: October 24, 2009, 11:59:18 pm
The fireballs are not random mate.. They follow a strict 16 y pos sequence (as does meteor storm)

- Year!!! The standard time should been 1:05 for the time I got if you want to keep as it are.... It took a bit longer time, due I wont been toasted by the same fireball once more  ;D.  There is just one problem fireball yet, its that one fired at 44 secs (the third one), which is something pain and bad timed (shoot too early, or late mightbeen).

- Even on the blagger level, it happens some times I could not jump at all on the convolve. I still not sure when and why. So it might been a general bug?

« Last Edit: October 25, 2009, 12:37:59 am by spacefractal »

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #14 on: October 25, 2009, 10:53:30 am
halt.xm was intended only play once on the halt screen and should not loop (unlike all other songs, including both other end screens), but that is really up to you if you still want this looping.

On the Jukebox Section it should of course loop.

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Offline flash

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Reply #15 on: October 25, 2009, 10:59:57 am
I did not know what you meant about the 'Halt screen', this you mean the pause menu? If so, there is no way to stop the main music and then resume it.
It works really nice on the Bonus Completion screens though. What do you think? Did you want to make it longer for that?

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Offline sverx

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Reply #16 on: October 25, 2009, 12:28:26 pm
Gave it another run today, I found those things:

- explosions sfx are missing when you remove walls in 'Space Shuttle' MMLL level
- a mummy is walking on nothing in the 'new' mummy level (3rd in MMLL, I think)... or was it supposed to be like that?

Then I think there should be a number in the upper left corner of the lower screen telling you which level number you're playing (maybe something like 'x of 20' on LL and 'x of 10' on WW... or just the number alone)

Now my DS is charging, going to check more later :)




Offline flash

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Reply #17 on: October 25, 2009, 12:34:13 pm
The mummy is meant to walk on nothing, it is silly, but this is how it is in the original level.

I still have a few samples to add, the explosion being one of the - thanks for reminding me though ;)

I have a free night tonight and intend to get the last samples done, so if anyone is around, then there may be some final beta's flapping about.

Also, saving is hopefully going to be implemented.

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #18 on: October 25, 2009, 04:30:46 pm
did you fixed the DS card problem using the file system or such (even I known you want to avoid that), but file system could been good for the music tunes?

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Offline sverx

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Reply #19 on: October 25, 2009, 05:32:27 pm
I still have a few samples to add, the explosion being one of the - thanks for reminding me though ;)

I believe the other one is when you find the hidden bonus, right? ;)

BTW I'm also curious about that problem with the DSTT card... did you try what I suggested on gbadev forum? And, finally, did you decide to do not implement any animations based on music in the tune selection screen? Curiosity again...

See ya later ;D




Offline flash

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Reply #20 on: October 25, 2009, 05:40:46 pm
Yeah, bonus level sfx is one of them..

I never did get the data to read ok for the audio screen, and then I thought, even if I did, what would i do so not do kill that nice picture? so, I left it for now at least? Who knows...

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #21 on: October 25, 2009, 06:44:22 pm
even without that it works likes fine due the awesome picture. So its no really needed feature.

I did not know what you meant about the 'Halt screen', this you mean the pause menu? If so, there is no way to stop the main music and then resume it.
It works really nice on the Bonus Completion screens though. What do you think? Did you want to make it longer for that?

It the correct screen you used. It was used to been a short (Somewhere a jingle). I call it halt screen because there was a sign that stood halt on it. So its Bonus Completion screen you call it. So tune used correct in the lastet demo.

There is no stop feature in XM67Play, You can just stop it after some time. But if you cant stop it, that ok for me then I send you a new tune with abit longe pause (I do that anyway).
« Last Edit: October 25, 2009, 07:09:42 pm by spacefractal »

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #22 on: October 26, 2009, 06:18:50 am
All these is NONE annoyring at all and no need to really fix them:
 - Save should do when faded out, due there is a little lag when you do save when level completed (its none annoyring issue).
 - Cheat mode for level skip and unlimited lives should change.
 - vblank line (even when you just die and tune countinue to play).
 - Jukebox Flicker still on select tunes.

Major bug:
 - Tune 2 is now played, regaardless which tune you select in the jukebox section (only happens now I think?).

This is with the newest demo.


« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 06:19:14 am by spacefractal »

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Offline flash

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Reply #23 on: October 26, 2009, 07:04:55 am
Thanks,

Jukebox is sorted again (though i cannot stop that flicker)

The cheat mode will be changed before release.

The game is saved at the begining of each level, but I will look into that lag?

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Offline sverx

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Reply #24 on: October 26, 2009, 07:24:38 am
There is no stop feature in XM67Play, You can just stop it after some time. But if you cant stop it, that ok for me then I send you a new tune with abit longe pause (I do that anyway).

There's STOP, there's no PAUSE, you mean. ;) libXM7, you mean ;)




Offline spacefractal

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Reply #25 on: October 26, 2009, 10:59:09 am
no it was XM4583474573473476457473475play i meant.... I came to write 6 intead of 7, but when I edited I trought I have stroke the 6 number out :-D, but I did italic it instead :-D.

Stop is all fine, pause is not needed on that halt song, but I do have the silent gap abit longer and sent that to Flash.

I have not noticed the lag before the lastest beta, but its none annorying as I told here.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 11:40:20 am by spacefractal »

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Offline sverx

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Reply #26 on: October 26, 2009, 01:58:24 pm
[...] when I edited I trought I have stroke the 6 number out :-D, but I did italic it instead :-D.

And how could I have known that? ;)  (btw, really, they're not using XM7Play in MM, they're using libXM7... I also believe they've never seen XM7Play at all, they don't need it ;) )

Can I use the tune you made for the 1st MMLL level as a ringtone for my cellphone? ;D Have you got an mp3 to share?  :-*  ;)




Offline flash

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Reply #27 on: October 26, 2009, 06:11:25 pm
Sverx,

Been going through this flicker problem.

Have noticed (try yourself) it does it everytime music is init. Check when you skip levels. This thing has taken 4 hours off my life today.

I have tried stopping vblank - this kills the fades and spotlight effects. Remember - we init music per level and also on completion, gameover, etc - so the flicker is on all of them (if the fade is removed it is visible).

So,

I then uncompressed all xm's so that I could test if it really was the uncompress function causing the problem - NOPE!

I then stopped the,
Code: [Select]
ldr r0, =Module @ Pointer to module data
ldr r1, =ZLibBuffer
bl XM7_LoadXM @ Load module
call and the flicker went away..

I then put it back and stopped the (important),
Code: [Select]
ldr r0, =REG_IPC_SYNC
ldr r1, =IPC_SEND_SYNC(0)
strh r1, [r0]
and the flicker was still gone! (along with all music LOL)

But, this shows that loadXM perhaps is not the issue and it lies somewhere in the IPC_SYNC? I really am at a loss and HK is not about to help this poor boy!

So, what next? as I am loave to release with this flicker and I cannot even think of a way to hide it in audio options?

Any ideas?

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Offline flash

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Reply #28 on: October 26, 2009, 07:26:05 pm
Don' worry,

Headkaze rode by on a white horse, hair flowing in the wind, and with a flick of his wrist - sorted it!! :)

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Offline spacefractal

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Reply #29 on: October 26, 2009, 08:06:48 pm
great job to harm that little big bug, even it was not really annoyring. Im was not very much home. Do you still release tomorrow, or do you one final test tonight? I hate with that take long time. Have tried that my self and its not funny.

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