TSSHP (The System Shock Hack Project) / News: Recent posts

It's been some while, but I was curious and started to reimplement the resource loader from scratch - this time using C++.
Since this is totally new and I didn't want to mess around with the 'original' tsshp source tree, I figured to create a new module with its own release package: tsshp2.

What to expect from this? Not much, but since the code contains both loader AND saver, it could server as a basis for some editor programs. Some basic resources (sound samples, object properties, ...) are contained as well.... read more

And here's another! TSSHP 0.2.10f is mainly a bugfix release, though there have been some behind-the-scenes changes to the exit mechanism. You can now no longer see objects through doors in System Shock. (well, except in certain very rare conditions, but that's a problem with object sorting rather than with doors per se). Keybindings are not lost on exit if there is a problem with the configuration. And music now follows levels properly. We've also cleaned up a bunch of memory leaks on shutdown. Get it while it's hot : http://sourceforge.net/projects/tsshp/ ...

The wheels of TSSHP grind slow, but they grind exceeding small. TSSHP 0.2.10e is here at last! Get it from Sourceforge at the project page (http://sourceforge.net/projects/tsshp/). Improvements too numerous to mention (we haven't been entirely idle these last months), but see the change log. (Hint: PageUp and PageDown are your friend)!

I'm more or less keeping up with my task list at the moment. TSSHP 0.2.10d adds Gouraud shading to the OpenGL renderer, mostly, so you'll get lighting in glshack! It looks nice. Dynamic lighting (for Underworld) is still done in software. I've moved over to linear rather than inverse-square lighting, but I'm not sure whether it's actually better ... I've left it as a compile time option just in case. For any 3D hackers out there, TSSHP now uses the quadtrees to generate its list of drawable tiles in the "real world" as well as in cyberspace; when running in OpenGL it doesn't do any of the clipping itself, thus reverting to a painter's algorithm type approach (after all the blood sweat and tears I spent on the clipping, yet). This actually improves the framerate in most cases, but there are a couple of sorting problems with objects still, and some bleed-through on the flight deck (I think one of the textures is actually transparent; no problem in software, which ignores transparencies for wall texs, but OpenGL honours them).... read more

TSSHP 0.2.10c is here! This improves the OpenGL renderer, more-or-less completing 3D model support (notably flat-shaded faces are present, so the camera "red-eye" is watching you), and adding sprite objects. I've also had another look at sprite positioning and scaling: sizes "look about right" (this is the only justification I have for the scale values used, I have no idea where they actually come from). Critters now have their feet firmly on the ground, and don't jump about as you view them from different angles as the bitmap size changes.... read more

Oops! That's what happens if you don't test thoroughly. Yesterday's release incorporated a nasty bug which meant it wouldn't run at all on Windows 2K (and probably NT too, come to think of it). It's now fixed, and version 0.2.10b is released. How's that for promptness?

For once, a treat for you Windows users out there. Music! Thanks to Bryan for that, see his note in the README. Sound now uses the SDL_mixer library, so you will need to get a copy of that too. Make sure you have the version appropriate to your SDL. Linux support is in the pipeline.

On the graphics side, 3D model support is improved, with texturing finally correct in software and (incomplete) OpenGL model rendering. Some objects look a little weird, because only texture-mapped surfaces are rendered at the moment. Plus, thanks to an update from firefreak, we should be ok with the System Shock demo as well. Get it while it's hot ...

TSSHP 0.2.10 is here at long last! Those of you who've been following the project will know what this means: I've now hacked together basic OpenGL support for texture mapping. So all levels now display in hardware, if you've got it. This is good.

Details: Basic level architecture is supported, as are most decals and doors, although they don't yet have transparencies so appear with a black background. No objects. No lighting. The source release defaults to compiling with OpenGL; the Windows release has shack.exe for software and glshack.exe with hardware support.... read more

Back to sensible headlines, or at least more sensible than before. TSSHP 0.2.9c is out. Maybe it'll work with Win2K NOW ...? I've fixed another couple of bugs, and fixed the clipping also on sprites and 3D models so they don't appear through walls any more. Doors is another matter though, blerh. They're sort of intermediate between objects and surfaces at the moment, so aren't correctly sorted. Will fix at some point.... read more

Honest, I didn't screw up the news headlines for the last n releases just for the sake of that one dreadful pun. Well, not entirely, anyway. Lots of bugfixes this release: go fetch 0.2.9b now, particularly if you were running 0.2.9a on Windows 2000 and wondered why it kept crashing. (Floating-point exceptions in the lightmapper. I could tell you weren't really interested).

I've done a fair amount of cleaning up in the surface mapping code; I want to be "OpenGL ready" by 0.2.10 . Force bridges now get proper 3D models (the same as ordinary bridges only transparent, oddly enough). And just to prove that I am attacking that TODO, animated sprite objects for Ultima Underworld are here. Don't those fountains just make you want to go to the toilet? Enjoy!

Version 0.2.9a is here! I said it wouldn't be long, and for once was telling the truth. Bryan has added support for the FMOD sound engine ( http://www.fmod.org/ ), which is much more powerful and has cooler features than the native SDL or OSS drivers. Check the source and sound Makefiles for compile options; it should be easy enough to get going. In future FMOD will be the main sound library used by TSSHP, though we will continue to support SDL sound as a legacy system.... read more

Now that version 0.2.9 is out of the way, work can begin on 0.2.10. In fact it already has: firefreak has made a big update to the HUD/MFD, which very much improves the speed and adds "clean" project files for Visual C++ 6.0. There's also now accelerated support for the HUD via OpenGL! Source snapshot is available from the downloads page, as usual. Windows types will have to wait till 0.2.9a for the executable, which shouldn't be that long. Go firefreak!... read more

To paraphrase Avon, rumours of our death have been slightly exaggerated. However, I'm now going to add "sorry it's late" to my list of things I'm not going to say any more, because you can practically take it as read. Anyway, we're all so busy with other commitments at the moment that "when it's ready" is the only release strategy that makes any sense.

Having said that, of course, you've probably guessed the purpose of this announcement. TSSHP 0.2.9 is here at last! This is a big step up from 0.2.8d (see the changelog), but briefly, the cyberspace renderer is more-or-less complete: depth cueing and softs/logs are here, and sorting of objects and geometry wireframe is improved. firefreak has added much to the HUD system, notably posture control, health bars and the bio monitor. Happy hacking!... read more

Just time before Christmas to release interim 0.2.8d (http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html). It's not all that precious, to be honest, but does add the cyberdog and the cyber cortex reaver (the fragmented red faces). They look a little weird because the fragments aren't yet properly depth sorted, but basically they are there. Colours for most cyber objects (not softs or critters though) are correct modulo a bit of shading, as I have finally found where the colour schemes are stored (right under my nose as usual). They will be handled properly in due course.... read more

Interim release 0.2.8c goes up today, and adds depth cueing for cyberspace, so that the geometry fades into the distance somewhat. Oh, and it also adds ...

... accelerated 3D support via OpenGL. Well, to an extent. The only thing that works with acceleration is the basic wireframe for cyberspace. In particular, the texture-mapped realspace engine will give a blank display. But it's a start. Those of you who get the executable release, just run glshack.exe instead of shack.exe. If you're compiling from source you'll have to fiddle in the Makefile (accel/Makefile.linux) and in src/defines.h . It's a little bit rough and ready at the moment, I'm afraid. I'm aiming to bring OpenGL support gradually up to speed over the next few versions, with full acceleration early in 0.3 .... read more

A very brief note today. Interim release 0.2.8b (http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html) is up, adding colour to the cyberspace wireframe. Next on the c/space list is depth cueing.

All those of you who thought that System Shock was a fantastic game with the one exception of cyberspace, which you found illogical, blocky and hard to navigate, will hate this one. Yes, TSSHP now has basic architecture support for the cyberspace levels. They are drawn wire-framed, as is proper, but not yet coloured in or shaded. Ordinary 3D models are rendered but again, not correctly coloured and shaded, and fragmented models (e.g. the cyberdog) are absent altogether.... read more

Work on cyberspace continues. The BSP tree is now compiled, as far as I can tell correctly, and is used for cyberspace instead of the portal system as for the "real" world. Walls in cyberspace are now not textured, or indeed drawn at all, so it doesn't look terribly exciting. The snapshots (source and Windows exe both) are up on the downloads page (http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html) as usual. You should get the latest snapshot even if you aren't interested in cyberspace because it also fixes a nasty bug which was causing shack to crash occasionally.

Nothing too momentous to report today, except that I have made a start on a BSP tree-based engine for cyberspace levels (why fight it, I knew I'd end up implementing one sooner or later). The current snapshot [http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html] represents the state of play; its practical effect is to print out reams of diagnostics when run on a cyberspace level, but hey, it's progress.... read more

Yes, it's 0.2.8! [http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html] You know where to go by now, I hope. A lot of work has been going on on all fronts this last month, so I'll let each of the team describe it in his own words.

firefreak: Two things from my side: Reconfigurable keys and a HUD that features the mouse! See readme on further details on the key configuration - the system is very powerful! Also the mouse (under SDL or windows) is being used - the default configuration TSSHP features two mouse modes: MouseLook and MouseCursor (similar like SS2). Hit TAB to switch between the modes (the first time you'll have to hit it twice - a minor bug ;) .
The Hardware and the MFD buttons work with the left mouse button. Logs and the small sidemap can be scrolled/zoomed with the right mouse button (click and drag the mouse up or down)... read more

Just when you were least expecting it, along comes TSSHP 0.2.7! What do you mean, about bloody time? Oh all right then. http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html as I'm sure you know by now.

All 3D models for the underworlds are now rendered and (mostly) illuminated. Doors and portcullises: only the frames are drawn. Doorframes and bridges aren't properly Gouraud shaded to match their environment. I'm not going to fiddle around with the lighting any more until I've redone the clipping so it all works in world space. That's now scheduled for the next release (I've done some juggling of the TODO). Fingers crossed that it won't take so long this time ...

I've started on 3D doors for the Underworlds. Currently only the doorframes are drawn, textured to match their tiles as is proper, but not shaded to blend in with their environment. (See the hackers' forum for info about that). They look a little weird because they aren't yet scaled according to the roof height; this also means that the textures don't align properly between the top and sides. That's next on the agenda. There's a source snapshot [http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html], and I also managed to debug sufficiently to get a working Windows zip. Happy hacking!... read more

A minor update today. Underworld gravestones are now correctly textured (though the sides are still pink), as are most bridges. As with System Shock, Underworld bridges may be textured as ordinary floors, and such bridges are not yet properly textured. There is a source snapshot available [http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/download.html]

firefreak has also prepared a Windows snapshot based on Monday's code, see the downloads page. Note that this won't work for Underworld; this is my fault not firefreak's. My Underworld resource reading code isn't portable and breaks under Visual C++. I'll fix that asap.

It's been a while, hasn't it? The usual excuse I'm afraid: we're all far too busy with Real Work. That's not to say that nothing at all has been going on on the TSSHP front; firefreak has redone the control system (that'll be really cute) and hacked about with the MFD, as well as adding partial transparencies for the invisible mutants in System Shock. Bryan has added sound support ... the only driver currently supported is the "silence" driver, but don't despair, FMOD [http://www.fmod.org/] support is almost there, and OSS, SDL etc. is in the pipeline. On the other hand, we need to have things to make sounds first ...
As for yours truly, I'm still cracking my forehead against those Underworld 3D models, which are still lurking stubbornly in the 0.2.7 TODO. If you get the current snapshot [http://madeira.physiol.ucl.ac.uk/tsshp/tsshp-current.tar.gz] you will see how I'm getting on. They aren't lit yet, so look a bit odd. They also tend to be pink, since I haven't yet figured out how flat shades are specified. The only model that is textured is the bridge, and that wrongly. On the bright side, that ankh looks damn cool with the Gouraud shading.

I added the orientation-based correction factor to object positions as I mentioned, to force decals flush with their walls. And what do you know, it seems to work, at least as far as I can tell by eye. I have checked the positions of bridges and they are all precisely centred in their tiles, after correction, whatever their heading. Which is as it should be. So until I get definite proof of bogisity I'm leaving the correction in for all objects. In fact I'm wondering whether to apply the equivalent correction for System Shock objects as well, since they exhibit the same problem to a lesser degree (having 256 possible values rather than 8 for in-tile positioning). Get the current snapshot and check it out.... read more