| It still hurts one year later |
Author:
Q-dad ::
Posted:
Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:41 pm
Today (April 11th, 2008) it is one year since Allan Stewart (aka Doc/Dr.Evil~TAG) died in Afghanistan. The shock and disbelief of what happened is still present in my mind today. Even if he lived far away, and most of us "only" knew him through the internet, it felt as we lost a very close friend on that day one year ago. My thoughts still go to his wife and daughters who must have suffered a terrible loss.
Doc & myself always had a common interest in making the old game of DF2 a better game, and for years we had been working (on & off ) on a project called TXP2, which will include both new terrains, items, skins, sounds, maps, and much more... One of our dreams was to manage to convert items to DF2 from some of the other old Novalogic games, like DF1, AF3, LW/TFD, C4 and maybe even Tachyon, and include them in TXP2. We never managed to do that before he died, and we never had time to release TXP2 together...
Several months ago I announced that TXP2 would be released on this day, i.e. April 11th 2008. Since then I've been working to fulfill that promise almost each day, and I've also got some help in the process. Tomkat has since moving from DF1 to DF2 been a great help in the process of debunking the 3di file format, and jabo1SFH, BulletMagnet and varg have all been very helpful with comments and ideas in the TXP2 beta forums, and will also be part of the test team when the next & last TXP2 beta is being released.
However, some 10 days ago, I realized that there was still too much left to do, and too little time left before April 11th to do it, so I asked the guys for advice, and the result is that the release of TXP2 will be postponed until it is finished. No new date will be announced until it has been released. My view is that we owe it to Doc to do it properly before releasing it, or not release it at all (the latter is no option, though)...
What can I tell about TXP2 at this stage...?
Well, our dream of converting items from the other Novalogic games seems to be coming true these days, but there's still a lot of work left to be done... Currently, we have a good chance of being able to convert items from at least DF1, AF3 and LW/TFD (see pictures below), but items from more games might be possible as well if time permits...
Other than that, I can tell that TXP2 will include terrains converted from AF3 and TFD + some home made ones by Doc & Beowulf (their color maps can be seen here...: http://txp.df2.org/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=3) as well as a lot of sky maps converted from AF3. Many maps (both SP, with Doc's own mission voice, and MP) have also been made for these terrains and will be included in TXP2. There will also be a lot of well known items with new skins (mainly from other Novalogic games), as well as new sounds and new menu graphics. EXP2b (by TerraNova) and the Darklogic Mission Pack (by X Crest Delta) will be included as well...
Further on, it must be mentioned that over the years we have spent hundreds (or thousands, really) hours in front of a hex editor, trying to figure out the DF2 3di file format, and one year ago I would estimate that we had figured out around 95% of it, with great help from A.Bullet of TerraNova. After that, Tomkat has been of great help and inspiration in this work, and I would now estimate that 98% of the 3di file format has been figured out... Probably enough to start making new items for DF2, but since we don't have time to program tools to make this process simple, we have to do it manually with the use of a hex editor, and that is a slow process, and it won't let us create complex items...
Anyway, TXP2 will include things like rotating items (must be defined in events by the map maker) and items which can be made to move vertically like elevators (again, something which must be defined by the map maker). For instance, there will be a rocket which can be launched from the rocket gantry...
There will also be new armories, for instance inside the Edbro or the Storage Shed, etc, but also an invisible armory which can be placed anywhere on the map...
One of the latest "inventions", and which I'm still working on, is a new standard wall, which will come in many sizes, and which can be used by the map makers to build new fancy castles of their own imagination... A cross-product between the new armories and the new walls will be an armory wall, i.e. which can be placed inside structures made by the map makers...
There is probably a lot I have forgotten to tell about above, but hopefully some of the above will make people want to try out TXP2 when it's being released in the future, at a web site "near you"... 
Below are some screen shots of a small sample of items which hopefully will be included in the final release of TXP2...:
Some new armories (inside the Edbro and the Storage Shed)...:
A new "armory wall" (not finished)...:
The new standard (4x4x0.5) wall with different textures (not decided upon yet which texture will be used - there are more options than those shown as well)...:
A different size (64x32x0.5) of the new wall (not finished)...:
Item converted from unknown Novalogic game (not finished)...:
Items converted from AF3 (not finished)...:
Items converted from LW (not finished)...:
Items converted from DF1 (not finished)...:
More pictures will be posted at the time of (or after) the TXP2 release... The same thing goes for general TXP2 info and tutorial maps etc...
Remember...: DF2 Forever! 
|
| TXP2 for DF2 Release |
Author:
Q-dad ::
Posted:
Sun Nov 18, 2007 2:56 am
The release date for TXP2 has now been set to April 11th, 2008, i.e. the one year memorial day of the tragic death of Doc...
More details will be posted nearer to the release date. The documentation of TXP2 will be updated at the following URL during the period until the release (not much there yet, but that will soon change)...:
txp.df2.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?t=473
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| TXP2 Development Diary |
Author:
Q-dad ::
Posted:
Wed May 09, 2007 6:35 am
Ever since Doc passed away, I've realized that TXP2 now will have to be released. Not that it didn't have to earlier, but now I feel a much stronger commitment of finishing it to honor his memory. I've been very tired, though - both physically and mentally, and the task has seemed a bit daunting. TXP2 will not be released in a rush, and I've decided to add some of the stuff that Doc & myself discussed previously, before it is released. This includes for instance the rocket which can be launched from the rocket gantry, and in order to make that happen, I'll need to make a 3di tool first, and also figure out more things related to the 3di format.
I will split the task of releasing TXP2 up into smaller tasks, and I will post the list below here later. Each of the main tasks will have its own topic inside the other forums here (links will posted below), and I'll add daily progress reports to them. These will form a TXP2 Development Diary for the remaining TXP2 work, until it is released. I can't work on this every single day, but I'll try to add as much detail as possible for those days I do work on it.
TO-DO list (content will be changed and links added)...:
01. Finish texturing the original DF2 Hooks building
02. Finish the rocket which can be launched from the rocket gantry, as best I can without having the X3di tool to help me
03. Add more TXP2 items, including sliding items, rotating items, elevating items, non-destroyable items and special items like letters, numbers, etc.
04. Add more and/or adjust length/quality of existing TXP2 sounds
05. Fix TXP2 items, including door sizes, texture coordinates, rotation speed, material types, etc.
06. Produce TXP2 Documentation
07. Create example maps and tutorials for TXP2 map makers
08. Test all parts of TXP2
09. Create installer package for TXP2
10. Create promotion material for TXP2, including forum posts, pictures and videos
11. Request a CB update from the GolD guys in order to make TXP2 CB compatible (this won't have any influence on the release date of TXP2)
12. Release TXP2 at April 11, 2008
|
| Doc (DR.EVIL~TAG) has passed away |
Author:
Q-dad ::
Posted:
Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:54 pm
It's with great sadness I post this. Allan Stewart passed away yesterday on a mission in Afghanistan. He was my best internet friend and a very giving person. His contribution to the DF community in the different forums out there shows how dedicated and helping he was as a person. I will miss him deeply. My deepest condolences go to his wife Christa and their 2 children.
You can show your support for Christa in this thread...: http://txpgone3d.com/viewthread.php?tid=212
News URL: http://www.cjob.com/news/index.aspx?dir=national&src=ext&rem=./n0411157A.xml
Extract:
| Quote: |
As six of its war dead were solemnly returned to Canada, a pair of roadside bombs killed two more Canadian soldiers Wednesday, signalling an apparent escalation of violence in a battle-scarred corner of Afghanistan.
The two dead soldiers were identified early Thursday as Master Cpl. Allan Stewart, 30, and Trooper Patrick James Pentland, 23, both of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont.
Stewart and Pentland were killed after their Coyote armoured reconnaissance vehicle struck an improvised explosive device, or IED, a short distance from where a similar bomb injured another soldier in a different convoy two hours earlier. |
|
| New update by Novalogic |
Author:
Q-dad ::
Posted:
Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:49 pm
http://novalogic.com/download/nlexepatcher.html
(See quoted text below)
Mind you, do NOT install the update until you lose your connection to the DF2 lobby, or else you probably won't be able to play online until they've actually moved their DF2 lobby...
Not sure if the No-CD patches will work afterwards.
DeadBolt is working on a fix for DFFavs/CB.
| Quote: |
Important notice concerning NovaLogic games and NovaWorld!
Beginning Sunday, March 25th, 2007, we'll be moving our Network Operating Center (NOC) from our offices in Calabasas to a colocation center in the Los Angeles area. This move will begin with a half day of non-service followed by a series of non-service periods throughout the following weeks. Some of our game titles will require you to download our free patcher utility which will modify your installed product to work in our new location. If you do not modify your installed product, it will no longer work over the internet.
The game titles that will require this utility are:
* F-22 Raptor
* Comanche Gold
* F-16 Multirole Fighter
* MiG-29 Fulcrum
* F-22 IBS
* Delta Force
* F-22 Lightning 3
* Armored Fist 3
* Delta Force 2
* Tachyon The Fringe *
* Delta Force Land Warrior **
* Tachyon The Fringe will no longer allow consumers to host their own game servers once it has been patched.
** Some versions of Delta Force Land Warrior installs will require it.
Download this utility now!
You can select the RUN option, or the SAVE option. You may also right-click this link and select "Save target as...". Clicking on the SAVE or Save Target As options will require you to begin the program once the download has completed.
Once the NL Exe Patcher utility has started, follow the instructions given.
Click here to view the read me file for this utility.
If you are experiencing any problems or technical difficulties, please contact us at support@novalogic.com. |
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