Ultima NUVIE: Ultima 6 in full screen!

[Luzur]

Alright, when i get around to playing U6 again i'll try it, i DL the mod anyway.

 

[Infinitron]

http://ultimacodex.com/2014/08/nuvi...n-dreams-support-including-the-ruby-slippers/

Nuvie: More Work on Martian Dreams Support, Including the Ruby Slippers
Kenneth Kully August 21, 2014 Ultima Fan Projects

Eric Fry and the rest of the Nuvie team have been hard at work on the engine over the last month or so. Or, well, over the last week at least; there was a brief hiatus in updates to the project’s changelog that began in mid-July, and lasted until August 13th.

The last July update, though, was a fairly significant one:

2014-07-16 Eric Fry r1955
* Added support for mid-game cut sequences.
* Added new script functions
player_get_gender() – Returns the Avatar’s gender
game_get_ui_style() – Returns an integer representing the current UI style.
play_end_sequence() – Play the end sequence
clear_scroll() – Clear the message scroll.
* Added new cutscene scripting functions
midgame_load() – load a WOU midgame file. eg MIDGAME1.LZC
canvas_set_solid_bg() – enable / disable solid colour backgrounds for cutscenes this is used to display the mid game cutscenes over the map window in the original UI.
canvas_show() – Show the cutscene canvas.
canvas_rotate_game_palette() – enable/disable the in-game palette rotation
effect. Used for mid-game sequences
* Added MD ruby slippers usecode.
* Added gender sprite selection logic to MD end sequence.​

There are a lot of “under the hood” changes here, though one notes that support for the ruby slippers has been added to the engine. (The slippers, in case you never tried them out inMartian Dreams, allow players to view in-game cutscenes out of sequence, and can also trigger a momentary vision of a field of wheat if the option to view the scenes is not selected.)

At any rate, here are the changes logged for August, to date:

2014-08-13 Eric Fry r1956
* Added new WOUActor base class.
* Added MD specific ‘new object’ op code in the conversation engine. This fixes problems with actors not thinking you’ve got the object they gave you.
* Added bool U6Shape::load_from_lzc(std::string filename, uint32 idx, uint32 sub_idx)

2014-08-14 Eric Fry r1957
* Added MD sky widget when using original style.

2014-08-15 Malignant Manor r1958
* Fix MD sky widget offset and don’t use it in original+ (at least for now).

2014-08-17 Eric Fry r1959
* Started work on adding multiple language support.
* Added sample Italian language file to MD for testing multiple language support.
* Added config_get_game_type() script function. This returns either “U6″, “MD” or “SE”.
* Added config_get_language() script function. This returns the currently selected language. This is a two character code. The default is “en” for English.
* Added lang.lua This is responsible for language translations in script.
* Added i18n(), printl() and printfl() script functions. These provide language support.
* Converted MD script files to use the new multiple language system.
* Changed nuvie_load() script function to return nil if it cannot open the requested file.

2014-08-17 Eric Fry r1961
* Bug fixes as a result of Coverity code scan.

2014-08-17 Kirben r1960
* Add common language script to Windows installer.​

Here too, there’s a fair bit, most notably the beginnings of multi-language support. Because let’s face it: translating Ultima 6 seems to be all the rage right now.

​

 

[Infinitron]

http://ultimacodex.com/2014/09/nuvi...rries-tends-and-more-martian-dreams-goodness/

Nuvie: Cold and Hypoxia, Berries, Tends, and More Martian Dreams Goodness
BY KENNETH KULLY · SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

The Nuvie team have been hard at work on their cross-platform engine for Ultima 6, Savage Empire, and (most relevant to this news) Martian Dreams. It has been a little over a month since we last checked in with the project, and in that time they’ve accomplished quite a bit:

2014-08-26 Eric Fry r1962
* Added search logic to MD when looking at containers.
* Added player_is_in_solo_mode() script function.
* More coverity bug fixes.

2014-08-28 Eric Fry r1963
* Started to document the Lua script API with LDoc.
* More work on use tent.
* Documented more lua script functions.
* Added generated ldoc html page for script API documentation.

2014-08-29 Eric Fry r1965
* Documented some more lua script functions.

2014-08-31 Eric Fry r1966
* Finished documenting lua functions in Script.cpp

2014-09-01 Eric Fry r1967
* Documenting ScriptActor.cpp lua functions

2014-09-02 Eric Fry r1968
* Finished documenting ScriptActor lua functions.

Okay, okay…most of the above is script and code documentation. However, note that in the first update, some work was done on container logic and the implementation of the game’s “solo mode” control scheme.

And yes, there’s more! Here, we get to the good stuff.

2014-09-10 Eric Fry r1969
* Added script functions party_hide_all() party_show_all()
* Added script functions objlist_write1() objlist_read1()
* More work on MD use tent logic
* Moved U6Actor::set_poisoned() into Actor class.
* Update ambience and view manager in script_wait() function.

2014-09-11 Eric Fry r1970
* Added actor leveling up logic to MD rest code.

2014-09-16 Eric Fry r1971
* Added MD ready/unready lua usecode script.
* Added the ability to call ready/unready lua script.
* Added poison hp update to the MD rest logic.

2014-09-20 Eric Fry r1972
* Updated lua from 5.1 to 5.2.3
* Added MD Radiation check.

2014-09-22 Eric Fry r1973
* Added MD berry counters.
* Added MD blue berry logic.
* Added MD eat berry usecode logic.
* Fixed bug with inventory view not updating properly in original mode.
* Added MD berry logic to tent usecode.

2014-09-25 Eric Fry r1974
* Added MD cold and hypoxia flags to script Actor object.
* Added more logic to MD advance_time() script function.
* Added generic Actor getter/setters for status_flags/ obj_flags.
* Load/save MD dream_mode flag in script.
* Cap max MD berry loading at 10 as per the original game.

Here we see some more significant bits of support for Martian Dreams being worked on, including the cold and hypoxia effects, support and systems for the blue berries, object readying and unreadying, support for poisoning, and even the leveling system.

An impressive body of work, in other words. Though, we’ve certainly come to expect that from Eric and the rest of Nuvie’s contributors.

 

[Infinitron]

Cut feature in Martian Dreams discovered: http://ultimacodex.com/2014/10/nuvie-unused-martian-dreams-red-berry-code-discovered/

Nuvie: Unused Martian Dreams Red Berry Code Discovered
BY KENNETH KULLY · OCTOBER 6, 2014

Eric Fry shot me an email the other night, in which he outlined an interesting discovery he had made as part of his ongoing work to implement Martian Dreams support in Nuvie:

I’ve just come across an interesting bit of code buried in the original Martian Dreams game.exe. It looks like Origin had originally planned to have a thing called “battle frenzy”, which I’m assuming the player would enter by eating the red berries.

I can see code in the game which handles this logic but it does not seem to be connected in any way. When you try to use the red berries, you just get a message saying that the berries aren’t edible. The red berries do have a quantity though.

The disconnected red berry usecode checks to see if you are in combat mode, if not then it prints the message:

“That would be a waste outside of combat.”​

If the party is in combat mode it prints “ enters a battle frenzy!” and sets a flag on the actor which increases their strength and dexterity by 3 points each. It also seems to last until the player exits combat mode.

I’ve attached a screenshot of the disassembly of the original logic.

I wonder if Origin were asked to remove the content to meet classification? Or maybe they had to change it in a subsequent version after the initial release.

I’m pretty sure it’s logic that isn’t accessible (I could be wrong) in the game which is cool.​

As you can see, Eric’s assessment is spot-on; the conditional logic is all there, as are the bits of text that would in theory be printed out should the logic ever be triggered. Which, evidently, it cannot be.

And yes, before you ask:

Yes, I’ll be adding support for it in Nuvie.

I’m just not sure if I should make it the default behavior. I’ll also have a look to see how easy it is to get the red berries. I’m also just assuming that it should be activated by the red berries. I’m open to suggestions on how it should be or actually is used.​

At least as far as the Codex of Ultima Wisdom knows, the red berries are useless and have no function in Martian Dreams. Which makes them something of an oddity, really, seeing as how every other berry type does have a function.

So this is a very interesting — very cool — discovery that Eric has made, and I for one look forward to seeing the effects of the red berries on combat in Martian Dreams.

​

 

[Infinitron]

http://ultimacodex.com/2014/11/nuvie-berry-markers-object-usage-config-editing-and-speech-control/

Nuvie: Berry Markers, Object Usage, Config Editing, and Speech Control
BY WTF DRAGON · NOVEMBER 11, 2014

Eric Fry and the Nuvie team went dormant for a couple of weeks, from toward the end of October until early in November. However, there have been a number of edits posted to the project changelog recently, detailing the progress that the team has made on the engine in November.

For example, the team has added “use” capabilities to a number of objects (among other functions):

2014-11-08 Eric Fry r1977
* Added MD berry markers to party view.
* Show adjusted stats on Actor view.
* Added C script calls for getting adjusted stats from lua script.
* Lots of work on map x coordinate wrapping for MD
* Load MD movement points correctly from the objlist
* Added MD musical instrument usecode. (sfx aren’t done yet.)
* Added MD use hammer on oxium geode.
* Added new play_md_sfx() stub function.
* Added MD use gong.
* Added MD update_all_actors() script function.
* Added MD perform_worktype() stub function.
* Added back support for setfenv() lua function. This has been deprecated
in lua 5.2​

As well, they’ve added an option to configure the game from its menu:

2014-11-09 Eric Fry r1978
* Added ‘startup game’ button to the config menu. You can now change
the startup game (‘config/loadgame’) from within Nuvie. Added a future
config option to select the game from a menu at startup. At the moment
this just reverts to U6 if selected.​

The Create Food spell has also had its functionality adjusted somewhat:

2014-11-10 Malignant Manor r1979
* Increase GameplayDialog height and increase the button_index.
* Have created food go in the caster’s inventory instead of the Avatar’s.​

And for those of you who aren’t enamored of the speech in the FM-Towns version of the game, there is now an option to disable it:

2014-11-10 Malignant Manor r1980
* Add speech_enabled U6 specific cfg key. This allows FM-Towns speech to
be enabled or disabled instead of always being on. This can be changed
in the menu, but speech will finish playing if turned off.​

As per usual, then, the Nuvie team are making excellent — impressive — progress. And the engine’s support for Martian Dreams continues to improve.

 

[LESS T_T]

Um, I don't find a good thread to ask about this, so I post here.

Anyone have backup copies of these Ultima VI technical documents? All download links are broken now.

http://www.ultimaaiera.com/galleries/ultima-6-technical-documents/

 

[Infinitron]

Um, I don't find a good thread to ask about this, so I post here.

Anyone have backup copies of these Ultima VI technical documents? All download links are broken now.

http://www.ultimaaiera.com/galleries/ultima-6-technical-documents/

I'll ask Kenneth about this.

 

[Infinitron]

http://ultimacodex.com/2014/12/nuvie-larger-conversation-window-lots-more-martian-dreams-support/

Nuvie: Larger Conversation Window; Lots More Martian Dreams Support
BY WTF DRAGON · DECEMBER 31, 2014

Eric Fry and the Nuvie team have made some significant strides with the development of said cross-platform engine for Ultima 6/Savage Empire/Martian Dreams since we last checked in on their progress. New entries to the project changelog include:

2014-11-30 Eric Fry r1981
* Added mapwindow converse gump for MD / SE. This replaces the mapwindow
for conversations when playing in original UI mode.
* Changed converse gump config to allow gump type selection.
You can now select between ‘default’, ‘u7style’ or ‘wou’ conversation
gumps.
* Changed MsgScroll’s MsgText class to contain color information. This allows
for the blue input text on the new WOU converse gump.
* Changed script functions to accept signed coordinates. These are then
wrapped to the actual map dimensions.

The first line item here is where the image above comes from. One complaint that is commonly leveled at Ultima 6 is that the conversation window on the UI is very small, and that as a result following conversations in the game can be difficult (especially when characters have much to say).

Now, Nuvie already has one solution for that issue, in the form of a very Ultima 7-like conversation overlay. But if, like me, you’re rather a fan of the Ultima 6 interface and control scheme, this new approach to solving the problem should have a certain appeal. It preserves the game UI, but still makes conversations significantly more readable, and easier to follow.

Other changes made to Nuvie in the last month include:

2014-12-06 Eric Fry r1982
* Update MD pocket watch tile based on time.
* Added new lua script functions for accessing tile animations.
anim_get_number_of_entries()
anim_get_tile(anim_index)
anim_get_first_frame(anim_index)
anim_set_first_frame(anim_index, anim_start_tile)

2014-12-08 Eric Fry r1983
* Moved MD look lua script into its own file. look.lua
* Added script for the following look actions.
Pocketwatch, marker flag, martian wheel barrow, rail cart and cannon.

2014-12-09 Eric Fry r1984
* Added more MD look usecode. martian seed, metal woman and broken strap.
* Close gumps upon entering conversation mode.

2014-12-11 Eric Fry r1985
* Added more MD look usecode. Belgian Combine, Sprayer, Weed sprayer,
heat ray gun, freeze ray gun, robot sprayer system, tracking motor,
switch bar, cabinet and panel.
* Added tile_get_description() script function.

2014-12-12 Eric Fry r1986
* Added MD look usecode for light sources and doors.

2014-12-14 Eric Fry r1987
* Added MD look obelisk.
* Changed canvas_hide() script function to force a full redraw.

2014-12-22 Eric Fry r1988
* Added MD wrench object usecode
* player_post_move_action() script function hook.
* Added party_use_entrance() script function.
* Started work on MD entrance logic.

2014-12-23 Eric Fry r1989
* Added optional flag to Actor.inv_add_obj() to allow qty combining
for stackable objects.
* Added MD use oxium bin, use sledge hammer on broken track and
use pliers on spool to tower.
* Added new alt-code 999. This allows you to search the map for
a given object type,frame,quality combo. The party is then teleported
to each subsequent location until the player chooses to break out.

2014-12-30 Eric Fry r1990
* Added support for MD 0xD1 conversation opcode. This allows conversation
scripts to execute specific game logic. Like opening the city gates at
Olympus Mons.
This calls the talk_script() lua function which will implement all the
MD specific talk scripts. At the moment only script #6 has been implemented.
* Added MD use gate
* Fixed MD use door
* Changed Obj x,y,z script variables to update the objects location on the map
if changed and the object is currently on the map.
* Fixed assert crash when walking near an egg with no container objects in MD.
(12e, 277, 0)

2014-12-31 Malignant Manor r1991
* Add Add MD weapon damage and armor values.
* Add a couple strings to the language file.

There’s a lot here to digest, much of which pertains to the engine’s ever-expanding support forMartian Dreams. Suffice it to say, as 2014 draws to a close, that the Nuvie team are making excellent progress enhancing the engine. I, for one, look forward to completing Martian Dreamsin it at some point…perhaps in the new year?

 

[Infinitron]

http://ultimacodex.com/2015/01/nuvie-correct-ultima-6-endgame-music-more-martian-dreams-support/

Nuvie: Correct Ultima 6 Endgame Music; More Martian Dreams Support
BY WTF DRAGON · JANUARY 2, 2015

New Year’s celebrations notwithstanding, the Nuvie team have been hard at work making further improvements to the engine. Five separate updates have been posted to the project changelog since New Year’s Eve:

2015-01-01 Eric Fry r1992
* Pause script until conversation has finished when using Actor.talk() function
* Started work on MD avatar death sequence. The party is teleported back to
Dr Blood when the avatar’s hp goes to zero. Dead party members are also
revived.

2015-01-02 Malignant Manor r1993
* Move 242, 250, and 999 alt-codes to common.lua.
* Update nuvie.cpp, cfg files, and docs with recent cfg and alt-code changes

2015-01-02 Malignant Manor r1994
* Add background to wou conversation gump in original+ style.

This update is, I think, the result of a conversation on Facebook, in which some people suggested that the background colour of the conversation window shown in the image above might should more closely match the UI colours.

2015-01-02 Malignant Manor r1995
* Fix MD specific alt-250 code.

2015-01-02 Malignant Manor r1996
* Play the correct ending music for U6 instead of just end.m.

Now this is a welcome correction! The ending music for Ultima 6 — a brilliant harmonization ofRule, Britannia! and the Gargoyle theme — is among the most compelling pieces of music produced for the Ultima series.

 

[Infinitron]

http://ultimacodex.com/2015/01/nuvie-export-maps-to-tiled-map-editors-tmx-format/

Nuvie: Export Maps to Tiled Map Editor’s TMX Format
BY WTF DRAGON · JANUARY 20, 2015

If you’ve been following the Nuvie changelog, you’ll have hopefully taken note of some very exciting changes. And I don’t just mean this bit of Martian Dreams-related good news:

* Fixed directional basemap blocking for MD. You can walk around in the dream world correctly now.
* Added get_direction_name() function.
* Added DirFinder::get_nuvie_dir() This finds the direction from a src to a target.
* Added new is_passable methods to map to handle MD directional blocking.
* Started adding new image/save support to NuvieBmpFile class.

It’s obviously a good thing that Nuvie’s support for Martian Dreams continues to increase. But in the last couple of days, Eric Fry and his team have taken a few steps to turn Nuvie into something rather more than just an engine for running Ultima 6 in a windowless mode, or on non-Microsoft operating systems.

Witness:

* Added function to export game maps in ‘Tiled’ tmx format. Use Alt-913 to save the map. Each game map level is saved to a separate tmx file. The files are saved into your current savegame directory.
* Added TileManager::exportTilesetToBmpFile() to dump the game tilemap to a bmp file.
* Added new map_export_tmx_files() lua script function.
* Removed old altcode logic from MD init.lua
* Changed altcode lua to use a table based lookup.
* Added GamePalette::loadPaletteIntoBuffer() this dumps the game palette in 32bit format. RGB + unused alpha
* Fixed bugs with BMP save logic.

* Fixed shorelines when creating U6 tilemap.
* Added better support for toptile rendering when creating tmx map files. Still need to fix fountains.

The Tiled Map Editor, if you’re not familiar with it, is a freeware utility for creating maps out of tilesets. There are plugins for Unity that can be used to import Tiled tilemaps into that engine, and I think the Construct 2 engine also supports them.

So, at minimum, Nuvie can now be used to export maps from Ultima 6 (and, presumably, Martian Dreams and Savage Empire) for use in other game engines, or for editing in Tiled proper. And I wonder if perhaps the reverse will soon become true, if Eric and his team might figure out a way to import TMX files with changes to the maps of these games, so that Tiled might also be used as a means of editing the worlds of Britannia, Mars, and Eodon.

You can grab an export of the maps from Ultima 6 below.


Ultima 6 TMX Export

A Nuvie-created export — in the Tiled Map Editor’s TMX format — of the maps of Ultima 6(the overworld, the four dungeon levels, and the Gargoyle realm).

Download Now!

 

[Infinitron]

http://ultimacodex.com/2015/02/nuvie-tmx-export-fixes-martian-dreams-drills-shovels-and-rail-cars/

Nuvie: TMX Export Fixes; Martian Dreams Drills, Shovels, and Rail Cars
BY WTF DRAGON · FEBRUARY 21, 2015

The Nuvie team have been busy adding still yet more support for Martian Dreams to said cross-platform engine, and they have also been doing some bug-fixing on therecently-added TMX export feature, and elsewhere.

2015-01-25 Malignant Manor r2000
* Fix crash when using dithering in original+ styles larger than 320×200
* Use any hat on a joystick/gamepad instead of only hat 0.
* Fix joystick axis naming in auto-generated cfg.

2015-02-02 Eric Fry r2001
* Fixed some object rendering issues with the TMX map export.
Fountains should display over the pools in U6 now.

Their current focus, as far as expanding support for Martian Dreams is concerned, seems to be on the mining/drilling/ore loading portion of the game:

2015-02-15 Eric Fry r2002
* Added support for automatic pushing of railcar and drill objects in MD
* Added the ability to move MD rail car and drill objects in and out of mines.
* Added optional boolean flag to lua map_get_obj() function. This allows you
to include multi-tile objects in the search results if they are on an adjacent
overlapping tile.
* Added the ability to exclude an object from ObjManager::get_obj()
* Added player_before_move_action() script call. This can be used to execute lua script
before the player is moved. This is used by the MD push object logic.
* Added MD use switch bar logic.
* Added support for lua script based move-code logic.
* Added movecode for MD drill and rail car objects.

2015-02-17 Eric Fry r2003
* Added MD use assembled drill.
* Started on MD use shovel on ore to container logic.

2015-02-18 Eric Fry r2004
* More work on MD use shovel on ore to container logic.

2015-02-20 Eric Fry r2005
* Work on MD usecode to unload dirt/ore from containers.

As always, this team impresses with the speed at which it is able to operate.

 

[Infinitron]

Thread title will soon actually be correct: http://ultimacodex.com/2015/10/nuvie-full-screen-mode-coming-soon/

 

[Junmarko]

Eric Fry is a legend.

 

[Malignant Manor]

Nuvie has worked well in full screen for standard resolutions for quite awhile, except for OSX, because of how they changed full screen handling. I wish I knew about this earlier so I could have talked to him in irc. Hopefully this means non-integer scaling or allowing the game resolution to be scaled and then adding black bars.

The current code isn't very nice and doesn't allow you to set a screen (or window) resolution that doesn't get affected by the scaler. You can't use 3x scaling and have a 1136x640 full screen resolution, because the screen resolution doesn't divide evenly by 3. A 378x213 game resolution scaled by 3 would work great if it could have black bars added after scaling. SDL 2 isn't needed for any of this though as Exult had this working a long time ago.

 

[Infinitron]

Martian Dreams compatibility progress since August: http://ultimacodex.com/2015/11/nuvie-martian-dreams-logic-internationalization-ultima-6-bug-fixes/

 

[PeachPlumage]

Will keep an eye on this.

 

[Malignant Manor]

Yeah, Eric has been working on SDL 2 support (as default). You'll still be able to compile with SDL 1.2. He added support for VGA 4:3 non-square pixels. I don't know if I should try to bug him about having resolution and scaling (and probably lighting) be able to be changed in game. That would take more time away from MD development.

 

[Malignant Manor]

The changes are in the current snapshot. OS X should no longer have full screen issues. I'm not sure if the Windows snapshot uses SDL2 or SDL 1.2.

 

[Junmarko]

For anyone interested, someone has actually started a Let's Play using Nuvie - nice if you want to see the mod in action before testing it out yourself

They're also using the FM-Sounds version, which features voice work from Richard Garriott and is quite amusing (I've never heard it before).

 

[Malignant Manor]

Someone should tell him he can right click to reverse through the menu settings. The speech is really horrible and they talk really fast to save file size. I really hope Eric gets back to working on Nuvie soon. I thought he would be back after the SMS Power competition but that ended awhile ago.

 

[Junmarko]

This is very cool :D

 

[:Flash:]

Hmm, this sounds completely different.
I was impressed when he used a keyboard that has exactly the same chip as a soundblaster:

 

[Jaesun]

 

[Junmarko]

Hmm, this sounds completely different.

Yeah he's also playing the first part of the chorus there, it changes when the Avatar is captured by the Gargoyles

 

[Severian Silk]

Martian Dreams is the only Ultima I've played, and I never finished it.