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22/04/2012 |
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YANG v0.91 has been released, with the following updates: |
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While not technically an update to YANG itself, the banlist has currently been cleared. It seems like a good opportunity, considering the following update. |
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A global banlist is now enforced on the YANG Network and all advertised rooms. If one doesn't want a ban to be in affect, following the YANG Network Terms is a good advise. Alternatively, private unadvertised rooms can do the job. |
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Fix for file transfers in rooms with a mix of Internet and LAN players. |
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A couple of more security improvements. |
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23/04/2011 |
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YANG v0.90 has been released, with the following updates:
Finally here we are: A long awaited YANG release that Turrican has worked on for the whole year on his weekends when he has had time available to work on this new YANG release. |
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Single-Player and Multiplayer dialogs |
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Rewritten both the Single-Player and Multiplayer dialogs : now, there will be a tab for each of the main games supported by YANG (a tab will only appear if you have selected at least one source port for this main game), allowing to only display the relevant options for each of the main games, and also, now each of the settings/options will be saved separately between each of the main games. |
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Settings common between the Single-Player and Multiplayer dialogs are shared, except for the "Game type" setting for the "Blood" and "Duke Nukem 3D" games, since that in the Single-Player dialog, there is an additional "Single Player" gametype, and also except for the "Skill" setting for the "Duke Nukem 3D" and "Shadow Warrior" games, so that there's "No monsters" by default for multiplayer games. |
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Support for custom DOS games |
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Added support for any DOS game (by using DOSBox) : you can create custom DOS game profiles, in the new "Custom DOS games" tab, located in the menu "Settings -> Source ports" dialog. |
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The "Single-player mode game only" option is useful for the custom DOS game profile(s) you have created for your DOS games which don't have any multiplayer mode, so that these profile(s) won't appear in the Multiplayer dialog. |
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If your custom DOS game uses a different executable for multiplayer mode, like "Redneck Rampage" and "Rise Of The Triad" for example, you can deselect the "Use same executable for multiplayer mode" option, and then specify the multiplayer executable to use, in addition to the single-player executable. |
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If you need to use a CD-ROM for your custom DOS game, you can either specify a CD-ROM location (the drive letter on Windows or the mount point on Linux and Mac) or a CD-ROM image file. |
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If your custom DOS game supports in-game/lobby joining for its multiplayer mode, like "Death Rally" and "Command & Conquer" for example, you can select the "Supports in-game joining multiplayer mode" option, so that when hosting a gameroom for such custom DOS games, if the YANG's "In game" gameroom status is set to "yes" (when the host has launched the game alone or with other player(s)), then players joining these gamerooms will be asked for automatically launching the game (this was already implemented long ago in YANG for the "Descent" and "Descent 2" games, and also later for the "EDuke32" source port in "Server/Client" mode). |
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If your custom DOS game requires NetBIOS for its multiplayer mode, like the "Syndicate : American Revolt" expansion and "Magic Carpet" for example, then you can select this option and specify the "NETBIOS.EXE" file location. |
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You can also specify command line arguments/options to use in single-player mode, in multiplayer mode just for the host, and in multiplayer mode for every players in the gameroom. |
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In both the Single-Player and Multiplayer dialogs, if you have at least one custom DOS game profile, a "Custom DOS game" tab will appear, allowing you to select one of your custom DOS game profile(s) to use, and you can also review your profile's settings. |
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In the Multiplayer dialog, an additional feature allows playing in Null-Modem mode, useful for DOS games which don't support LAN (network) mode, like "The Need For Speed" and the DOS version of "The Need For Speed : Special Edition" for example. |
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The current DOSBox's implementation of the Null-Modem feature is using the TCP protocol rather than the UDP protocol, so don't forget to also forward a TCP port with the same number than the usual UDP game port number. |
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Remember that the Null-Modem concept has always been limited to 2 players, and that you must also make sure the COM1 port number is set in these DOS games. |
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Note that the current DOSBox's implementation of the Null-Modem feature seems to have a rather high latency (even when used on a real LAN), so it's recommended to only use it for DOS games which don't support LAN (network) mode. |
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You can also adjust the "rxdelay" option for your Null-Modem games, if you get serial overrun messages in the DOSBox status window : the current DOSBox's default value is 20. |
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You can also make use of the "Supports in-game joining multiplayer mode" option for your Null-Modem games, where the host would then launch the game alone, and then choose the "Answer" option in the game's Null-Modem menu, and then wait for a player to join the gameroom and choose the "Call" option in the game's Null-Modem menu. |
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When joining a gameroom set for a custom DOS game, you will be asked to select one of your configured custom DOS game profile(s) to use : be sure to select your DOS game matching and compatible with the one the host is using. |
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Rewritten the whole TC/MOD concept |
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Now, you can create TC/MOD profiles in the new menu "Settings -> TCs and MODs" dialog.
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You can build a list of all the TC/MOD files to use with each of your TC/MOD profiles.
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For the "Duke Nukem 3D" game's TC/MOD profiles, you can specify a main CON file to use, only needed if it has a different filename than "GAME.CON" ("/x" command line argument/option).
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For the "Duke Nukem 3D" game's TC/MOD profiles, you can specify a main DEF file to use instead of the default "DUKE3D.DEF" filename, and for the "Shadow Warrior" game's TC/MOD profiles, you can specify a main DEF file to use instead of the default "SW.DEF" filename ("/h" command line argument/option).
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If the main CON and/or DEF file is external, you can select it in your TC/MOD files list and click on the "Set CON file"/"Set DEF file" buttons, to quickly enter the filenames (these buttons are enabled with the checkboxes).
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Remember that with the modern Jonof based source ports (JFDuke3D, EDuke32, Duke3dw, JFShadowWarrior and SWP), the main CON and DEF files can be inside a GRP/ZIP group file, in which case you'll have to manually enter the filenames.
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You can specify an URL (can directly point to a filename) which will be useful when hosting multiplayer games, to indicate/provide the joining players, the web site/page where they can download the TC/MOD or directly an archive file containing the required/compatible TC/MOD files.
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In both the Single-Player and Multiplayer dialogs, if you have at least one TC/MOD profile, the new TC/MOD selector will be enabled, allowing you to choose one of your TC/MOD profiles to use.
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When joining a gameroom using a TC/MOD profile, you will be asked to select one of your configured TC/MOD profile(s) to use : be sure to select your TC/MOD matching and compatible with the one the host is using.
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To help when selecting a configured TC/MOD profile to use when joining a gameroom using a TC/MOD profile, 2 vertical lists containing the TC/MOD files on the host side and on your side are displayed side-by-side, so that you can easily compare : the filenames displayed in red color on the host list are the files you are missing on your side, and the filenames displayed in blue color on your list are the 'extra files' you have, not present on the host side (these 'extra files' are displayed in blue, because they are less likely to cause problems than the missing files).
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To also help with the CON and DEF files, you are also able to compare the chosen one between the host side and your side, and if the filename is different, then it's written in red color on both sides.
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If the host has specified a download URL for his selected TC/MOD profile, you can simply click on the indicated host's TC/MOD name, being a hyper-link pointing to the URL he has set, in this case, and then your default web browser will automatically open to the specified web site or start downloading the file (if the URL is directly pointing to a file).
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If you don't trust clicking on a host's TC/MOD name being a hyper-link pointing to the URL he has set, you can right-click on it instead, to pop up a context menu, and then rather use the "Copy URL" option and then paste it somewhere to get an idea of the link's content.
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When starting/launching a game with a TC/MOD being selected, any GRP/ZIP group file found in your TC/MOD files list is automatically added to the command line with the "/g" argument/option.
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Also when starting/launching a game with a TC/MOD being selected, with source ports which don't support 'search paths' ("/j" command line argument/option), every files from a profile's TC/MOD files list are temporarily copied (Windows) or symlinked (Linux and Mac) into the game source port executable's directory, just before actually running the game, and when exiting the game, these temporary copy/symlink are deleted : this is the same concept than for user maps.
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And as for the source ports which support 'search paths' ("/j" command line argument/option), nothing is copied/symlinked of course, and all of the different directories containing the files from a profile's TC/MOD files list, are added only once to the source port's file path stack : of course, that means you would only need to add at least one file from each of the different directories containing one TC/MOD, in this case, but please, make sure to keep your profile's TC/MOD files list in sync with the directories' full content of the needed TC/MOD files, especially when hosting gamerooms, so that the joining players can clearly see if they are missing some files or not.
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Miscellaneous stuff |
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Now, the new TC/MOD profiles feature is for the "Duke Nukem 3D" and "Shadow Warrior" games only, but it is planned to also add it for the "Blood" game in the future : however, you are now able to also play the "Cryptic Passage" add-on for the "Blood" game.
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This new "Cryptic Passage" add-on support for the "Blood" game, works with the original edition of the "Cryptic Passage" add-on installed on the "Registered" and "Plasma Pak" editions of "Blood", but also with the "Cryptic Passage" add-on bundled with the "One Unit Whole Blood" edition too : the new "Use the Cryptic Passage add-on" option in both the Single-Player and Multiplayer dialogs will be enabled/available if the "CRYPTIC.EXE" executable file is found in your "Blood" directory.
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When the new "Use the Cryptic Passage add-on" option is selected, the built-in "Original map" list is updated/replaced with the "Cryptic Passage" add-on's map names.
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So far, upon launching a game requiring a MAP or MOD file, such a file would be prepared in the relevant game dir so it can be found. It wouldn't be the case if a file with the same name already existed, though. Starting with v0.90, such existing files are temporarily moved to a new directory.
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The legacy "Master/Slave" connection type has been added back for the "EDuke32" source port : now, there's a new "Connection type" selector instead of the old checkbox, and it's enabled only for the "EDuke32" and "Duke3dw" source ports, since these are the only two "Duke Nukem 3D" source ports supporting more than one connection type, and also, their connection type setting is stored separately, especially since "EDuke32" has got the additional "Server/Client" connection type.
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Updated support for the lastest "D1X-Rebirth" and "D2X-Rebirth" source ports, and also now they will use the YANG game port number (UDP), instead of their own default UDP port number 42424 : you can set the YANG game port number to 42424 if you prefer.
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Packet mode selector added for Blood |
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Well, if it's true that there's no network performance problem at 2 players, when playing with the Build Engine games on Internet, using DOSBox, it's however not the case anymore at 3 or more players, which usually results in much more latency. |
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The main reason is that these games are designed in a way where every players are sending and receiving packets directly from and to every other players, whereas DOSBox is designed to work in Server/Client mode, meaning that there's no direct link between the 'client players'. |
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As a result, when playing with the Build Engine games on Internet at 3 or more players, using DOSBox, since there's no direct link between the 'client players', this means that the packets sent and received between the 'client players' will have to take a longer path, going through the 'server player', which results in a higher network latency between these 'client players', leading to a higher network latency for every players then, since the other direct links between the 'server player' and the 'client players' which could be faster, will have to 'wait' to keep the game in sync. |
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However, with the "Blood" game, there's a special feature/option that no other Build Engine game has, being the ability to choose between a 'broadcast packet mode' or a 'master/slave packet mode'. |
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By default in "Blood", for <5 players, the 'broadcast packet mode' is automatically used, and for >4 players, the 'master/slave packet mode' is automatically used. |
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So, if this 'master/slave packet mode' in "Blood" results in the packets not being sent and received between every players, but only between the 'slave players' and the 'master player', then this would be exactly what's needed for playing "Blood" on Internet, using DOSBox, with the lowest latency possible when at 3 or more players. |
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Unfortunatelly, the problem is that there's no way to specify which player is the 'master player' (blue color player/first slot in the fragbar), which seems to have always been automatically determined in every Build Engine games, by the computer's speed, and maybe other factors too. |
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And with DOSBox, it's even worse for some reason, because the 'server player' (hosting player) is _never_ the 'master player' (blue color player/first slot in the fragbar), whatever the computer you use to host the game. |
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Now, despite this problem, I've still decided to implement in YANG, an option to allow forcing the 'broadcast packet mode' or the 'master/slave packet mode', so that you can experiment with it : what you'll notice when in 'master/slave packet mode', is that when the 'master player' (blue color player/first slot in the fragbar) exits the game, it results in the game automatically closing on every other players' side too. |
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So, what I'm asking, is some help to possibly find a way to make it so that when playing "Blood" with DOSBox, we can force the 'master player' (blue color player/first slot in the fragbar) to be the one hosting the game ('server player') : if you've got a solution, you can contact the YANG team or talk about it on a "Blood" related forum, like "The Postmortem" @ www.the-postmortem.com. |
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