my first post so I'd better start by saying hello, and having just discovered the port, I am very impressed!
I have a question that doesn't seems to be covered by the documentation, and which I have been unable to figure out from searching the forum here: is it possible to use a custom user.con file in order to set up user-created episodes and music? This was possible with the original version of Duke, by putting the required .map and .mid files in the Duke directory, backing up the old user.con file and replacing it with one that specified which files were to be used for the levels and music, etc.
I can't see any sign of any *.con files in the install directory. I've tried using kgroup from the old unported (Atomic) version of Duke to bundle all of the files together, creating a zip of the custom .con files that go with it, and calling it from the command line as
duke3d.exe /groupfile.grp /zipfile.zip
(actual filenames in place of groupfile and zipfile, of course), as appears to work on this link, which has been posted up previously in the forum. However all this does is bring up the dialogue that tells me how to call duke3d.exe, exactly if I'd typed "duke3d.exe /?".
Am I missing something here? Is it even theoretically possible to do what I'm doing? I've got it working using a Duke setup made following the instructions from this website, but I'd much rather get it running under JonoF's port if at all possible, primarily for network gaming (though of course, prettiness and better sound is also significant!)
If anyone has done anything similar or has advice to offer, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance! :)
Edited at
ProAsm at
You can still change the User.con and Game.con to whatever you like but only the Game.con can be called.
Also the ZIP basically replaces the GRP file although the GRP file still works.
Edit the User.con - edit the Game.con but rename it to Mymod.con and edit whatever else, tiles, wavs/vocs, maps etc...
ZIP the whole lot up into one ZIP file.
Duke3d.exe /xMymod.con /gMymod.zip
or if you have not touched the Game.con:
Duke3d.exe /gMymod.zip
;)
GeekDog at
Thanks for the info. My brother figured out another way of setting it up using a separate install - obviously less elegant but there you go. Instructions are as follows in case anyone might find them useful. It (should, I think) simplify the process for anyone wanting to play network games via DukesterX using custom content, as I'm not sure how to pass command line options into this.
Create a temp directory
Copy kextract.exe and duke3d.grp into temp directory
Open up command prompt (Start->Run->"cmd") and change to temp directory
Type "kextract duke3d.grp *.*" on the command line
Copy in all of the custom .con, .mid, .dmo, .art, .voc and .map files (any other potential custom files I've missed?), overwriting existing version if necessary
Delete kextract.exe and duke3d.grp from the directory
Copy kgroup.exe into the directory
On the command line, type "kgroup duke3d.grp *.*
Create a fresh install of Duke3d (making sure you install it somewhere else than your pre-existing install)
Copy the new duke3d.grp file from your temp directory into the install directory of the fresh install of Duke3d
Delete temp directory
Ready to play!
This will probably give you extra unnecessary files in your .grp file, unless you've given your files the same name as the originals, but given the size of modern computer hard drives that shouldn't be an issue.
Makoto at
any idea what to do with TCs that contain custom .exe files to run? the aforementioned commandline parameters work, but the game crashes often (e.g. when firing weapons) so it's unplayable.
The Commander at
Makoto said
any idea what to do with TCs that contain custom .exe files to run? the aforementioned commandline parameters work, but the game crashes often (e.g. when firing weapons) so it's unplayable.
If your talking about TC like Starship Troopers ect. Ive gotten them to run perfectly.