Drizzle problems

[andylegate]

Many of the problems you've mentioned have been noted by other people. Some have better success at converting the Ages than others. No one knows why yet.

As far as linking using the keystrokes.........sorry. You will not be able to do that, as only those people that downloaded the files via the torrent were able to do that, and of course everyone stopped the torrents and removed the links......

However. If you open up the ULM and download the Age called Andy's Nexus, you'll be able to use it to link to each and every MOUL Age that you have converted.

[Justintime9]

Ah, I see thx

[GPNMilano]

Many of the problems you've mentioned have been noted by other people. Some have better success at converting the Ages than others. No one knows why yet.

As far as linking using the keystrokes.........sorry. You will not be able to do that, as only those people that downloaded the files via the torrent were able to do that, and of course everyone stopped the torrents and removed the links......

No, we know why. The reason is, quite simple really, is that Drizzle does not convert some regions, namely physicals correctly, which is why the ladders in the pods do not work, and the footstep and sounds are screwed up. Also the python files needed for the ages, like the buttons in the pods, are not included. Its all very sparse, and non of that is Dustin's fault. Backwards converting is difficult. MOUL worked with a different physics engine, which is why the physicals are so difficult to convert. And the python files were stored server side I believe for MOUL, so I give Dustin credit for getting what he did and being able to work with it to create ages that are semi-functional.

If people are patient, in the next couple of days I should be ready to release a patch that will make these ages workable, new physicals, as well as personally coded python. As long as you have the sound files for MOUL, you should be able to hear all the sounds you would in the MOUL ages. No Cyan intellectual property will be included. It will be all new stuff, created with PyPRP to make the ages fully functional. So I hope the GOW won't have a problem hosting a link, or the patch itself.

[andylegate]

Explain why most people's Minkata won't convert then? Yet it did so just fine on my computer?

I know about the ladders, buttons, etc, etc. heh. I was talking about the problems some people were having: IE someone can convert Dereno, yet person B could not. Makes no sense.

:shrug: doesn't matter, I just figured out how to use Drizzle and wrote the tut for it.

I don't see why the GoW would be upset about hosting your patch, but be careful.......we've seen some people get quite in an uproar about converting MOUL Ages.

[GPNMilano]

Explain why most people's Minkata won't convert then? Yet it did so just fine on my computer?

I know about the ladders, buttons, etc, etc. heh. I was talking about the problems some people were having: IE someone can convert Dereno, yet person B could not. Makes no sense.

:shrug: doesn't matter, I just figured out how to use Drizzle and wrote the tut for it.

I don't see why the GoW would be upset about hosting your patch, but be careful.......we've seen some people get quite in an uproar about converting MOUL Ages.

Did Minkata convert correctly on yours or was it still many of the important features (Like say all those steam vent like craters?) Also we are basically backporting ages from a newer version of Plasma, namely Plasma 2.05. Which was a graphically superior engine yet lower end machines could run it. For instance, the computer I am on at this moment has issues graphically with Uru CC, yet ran MOUL just perfectly, and better than alot of other people I met during MOUL. This could be the cause of the various graphical issues people have with loading converted ages like Minkata in CC. So far, the only problem I have had with the converted ages is some elements in Minkata missing. (like the steam vents) Also the instructions for Drizzle are semi inaccurate (I was actually going to suggest posting an update to the tutorial). Leaving the age file from MOUL seems to work, yet its not a fully converted age either. When trying to open PRPExplorer with just the converted PRPs, it throws up the exception of Myst Online ages not being supported. Thats because the age file is still a MOUL age file. Changing the age file itself also seems to help with being able to run the ages themselves (By changing the age file for instance, as well as converting the PRPs, it's possible to import those ages into blender)

Mainly the problems lie with drizzle itself, Its a great tool but needs more work, and people willing to put the time in it to make it functional.

I don't think people will have a problem with my patch, since the patch won't have any Cyan IP distributed. The names of the objects in the file will simply be the same names as the missing ones in the PRPs. But the objects themselves will be created with PyPRP, and directed to pre-existing cyan files like the sounds.

[Chacal]

I was talking about the problems some people were having: IE someone can convert Dereno, yet person B could not. Makes no sense.

From what I've read in the Alcugs forums, this may be related to localization, which may explain why some people had trouble and most had not.

[GPNMilano]

Personally, I'm using the files distributed with Drizzle. Many people frown on that, but those already converted ages were the best workable ones out there it would seem. For instance, using those ages as a starting point, I have been able to get everything in Dereno fully functional, with the exception of the ladders and the nexus book. Which is only a matter of making a new blend file with the ladder regions in it. Once thats done, I can export four prps, one for each pod, and the pods at least will be fully operational.

EDIT: Just took a trip to Dereno, sounds, lights, pod battery, and the animations for all the buttons and pod battery switch are working beautifully. Now I'm making my ladder regions, and the pods will be back up and running.

[dtierce]

I haven't seen this issue discussed before and this thread seemed to be similar enough.

Now that MORE is starting up, will a reverse-version of Drizzle be needed to convert the existing fan created ages (including Ahra Pahts) for the different physics engine used online? That would seem to be simpler than asking each author to rework their ages. Some of the existing ages were produced by teams where there is no clear single author to perform such rework. I would be unhappy if we "lost" some of those existing ages simply because nobody volunteered to perform the necessary rework for the on-line game.

If future fan content continues to be tested off-line, a reverse of Drizzle would continue to be important. If online testing becomes feasible, then the writers will need to adapt their plug-ins, methods, and guidelines to produce the online content directly. Although Cyan has agreed to release their 3DMax plug-ins, not everyone will by paying for that commercial tool.

David Tierce

[D'Lanor]

Also the python files needed for the ages, like the buttons in the pods, are not included.

I am not sure what you mean here. xPodBattery and xAgeSDLBoolCondResp are included and xAgeSDLBoolRespond does not need to be included since it is a global file present in CC. The MOUL version has 2 more variables but they are not needed (you don't have to attrib everything the pythonfilemod sends).

[Chacal]

Now that MORE is starting up, will a reverse-version of Drizzle be needed to convert the existing fan created ages (including Ahra Pahts) for the different physics engine used online? That would seem to be simpler than asking each author to rework their ages. Some of the existing ages were produced by teams where there is no clear single author to perform such rework. I would be unhappy if we "lost" some of those existing ages simply because nobody volunteered to perform the necessary rework for the on-line game.

No doubt the devs will adapt the Pyprp plug-in, which will take care of Ages for which a .blend file can be found.
For others, what would be needed is either a reworked import function in PyPRP (which is not supported anymore) or, as you mention, a reverse-Drizzle for converting CC prps to MOUL prps.

Whether or not anyone would want to go through all this trouble for those few Ages remains to be seen.

If future fan content continues to be tested off-line, a reverse of Drizzle would continue to be important.

The question will be asked to Cyan tomorrow, but it is more likely that we will need a private test shard.