-In the old paradigm, you would define the position of an Actor with two
+In the old paradigm, you would define the position of an Actor with two
different metrics - one for the X position, and one for the Y. For example:
ObjectX=100
ObjectY=220
-This system is being replaced by more powerful "commands strings". A command
-string can set positions, colors, effects, and also script animations over time.
+This system is being replaced by more powerful "commands strings". A command
+string can set positions, colors, effects, and also script animations over time.
Positioning an Actor with command string would look like this:
ObjectOnCommand=x,100;y,220
-A command string contains one or more commands separated by semicolons. This
-command string contains two commands: "x,100" and "y,220". A command is made up
-of a command name and a list of parameters. The command name and any parameters
-are separated by commas. In the example above, both the commands "x" and "y"
-both take exactly one parameter. Other commands like "diffuse" take 4 parameters
-(R, G, B, and A). For example, the command "diffuse,1,0,1,1" would turn an
+A command string contains one or more commands separated by semicolons. This
+command string contains two commands: "x,100" and "y,220". A command is made up
+of a command name and a list of parameters. The command name and any parameters
+are separated by commas. In the example above, both the commands "x" and "y"
+both take exactly one parameter. Other commands like "diffuse" take 4 parameters
+(R, G, B, and A). For example, the command "diffuse,1,0,1,1" would turn an
Actor's color to opaque purple.
-Typically, the metrics file will have two commands per Actor - the "OnCommand"
-(which is where you command an Actor to tween onto the screen), and the "OffCommand"
+Typically, the metrics file will have two commands per Actor - the "OnCommand"
+(which is where you command an Actor to tween onto the screen), and the "OffCommand"
(for tweening the Actor off the screen).
-Below is a list of actor commands and their C++ equivalents. I'll
+Below is a list of actor commands and their C++ equivalents. I'll
have an explanation of animations and more examples in the full documentation.
@@ -974,12 +974,12 @@ bob SetEffectBob();
spin SetEffectSpin();
vibrate SetEffectVibrate();
stopeffect SetEffectNone();
-effectcolor1 SetEffectColor1( RageColor(fParam(0),fParam(1),fParam(2),fParam(3))
+effectcolor1 SetEffectColor1( RageColor(fParam(0),fParam(1),fParam(2),fParam(3))
);
-effectcolor2 SetEffectColor2( RageColor(fParam(0),fParam(1),fParam(2),fParam(3))
+effectcolor2 SetEffectColor2( RageColor(fParam(0),fParam(1),fParam(2),fParam(3))
);
effectperiod SetEffectPeriod( fParam(0) );
-effectmagnitude SetEffectMagnitude( RageVector3(fParam(0),fParam(1),fParam(2))
+effectmagnitude SetEffectMagnitude( RageVector3(fParam(0),fParam(1),fParam(2))
);
additiveblend EnableAdditiveBlend( iParam(0)!=0 );
@@ -990,17 +990,17 @@ additiveblend EnableAdditiveBlend( iParam(0)!=0 );
-ScreenSelect is a type of screen that presents the user with a list of choices.
-The choices shown on these screens can be Styles, Difficulties, PlayModes, or
-any combination thereof. Each ScreenSelect screen has two metrics that define
-what choices are shown (examples below). Currently, there are only two different
+ScreenSelect is a type of screen that presents the user with a list of choices.
+The choices shown on these screens can be Styles, Difficulties, PlayModes, or
+any combination thereof. Each ScreenSelect screen has two metrics that define
+what choices are shown (examples below). Currently, there are only two different
screens that support the ScreenSelect framework.
- ScreenSelectMaxType1
- ScreenSelectMaxType2
- (more will be converted over in the next couple days)
-// Example 1: Show all Styles for the current game type the DDR MAX Select Style
+// Example 1: Show all Styles for the current game type the DDR MAX Select Style
template
[ScreenSelectMaxType1]
@@ -1008,7 +1008,7 @@ ChoicesType=0 // 0=styles, 1=difficulties, 2=modes, 3=games
Choices=
-// Example 2: Show specific Difficulty and PlayMode choices using a DDR MAX
+// Example 2: Show specific Difficulty and PlayMode choices using a DDR MAX
Select Difficulty template
[ScreenSelectMaxType2]
@@ -1016,7 +1016,7 @@ ChoicesType=1 // 0=styles, 1=difficulties, 2=modes, 3=games
Choices=Beginner,Easy,Medium,Hard,Nonstop,Oni,Endless
-// Example 3: Show specific Style-PlayMode-Difficulty combinations using a DDR
+// Example 3: Show specific Style-PlayMode-Difficulty combinations using a DDR
MAX Select Style template
ChoicesType=2 // 0=styles, 1=difficulties, 2=modes, 3=games
@@ -1033,27 +1033,27 @@ Choices=versus-arcade-medium,couple-arcade-medium,double-arcade-medium,single-ar
* What are textures?
-"Texture" is simply another name for graphics file. The name "texture" is more
-common when taking about 3D graphics. This document uses "texture" and "graphic"
+"Texture" is simply another name for graphics file. The name "texture" is more
+common when taking about 3D graphics. This document uses "texture" and "graphic"
interchangeably.
* How to you specify that a texture has multiple frames (for animation)?
-Simply add the string "(NxN)". Immediately before the "." that separates the
-main file name and the extension. For example, suppose there is a file called
-"title menu logo.png" that you would like to turn into an animation. Now, you
-create an graphic file with 9 frames of animation - 3 frames wide and 3 frames
-high. Name this file, "title menu logo 3x3.png", and StepMania will play the
-graphic as an animation with frames in the order left-to-right, top-to-bottom,
+Simply add the string "(NxN)". Immediately before the "." that separates the
+main file name and the extension. For example, suppose there is a file called
+"title menu logo.png" that you would like to turn into an animation. Now, you
+create an graphic file with 9 frames of animation - 3 frames wide and 3 frames
+high. Name this file, "title menu logo 3x3.png", and StepMania will play the
+graphic as an animation with frames in the order left-to-right, top-to-bottom,
with 0.20 seconds separating each frame.
* What are .sprite files?
-.sprite files are a way to have even more precise control over how your graphics
-animate. Each sprite has multiple "states". For each state, you may specify: 1)
-What frame of the graphic to show, and 2) how long to show this state before
+.sprite files are a way to have even more precise control over how your graphics
+animate. Each sprite has multiple "states". For each state, you may specify: 1)
+What frame of the graphic to show, and 2) how long to show this state before
moving to the next state.
Let's look at an example .sprite file:
@@ -1067,12 +1067,12 @@ Delay0001=0.05
Frame0002=2
Delay0002=0.05
-Texture is the name of the texture file to use. This must reside in the same
-directory as the .sprite file. If your texture has multiple frames, be sure to
+Texture is the name of the texture file to use. This must reside in the same
+directory as the .sprite file. If your texture has multiple frames, be sure to
specify the dimensions in the file name using the convention described above.
-FrameNNNN is the index of the frame number to use for the first state of the
-animation. Frame may range between 0 and (total number of frames - 1).
+FrameNNNN is the index of the frame number to use for the first state of the
+animation. Frame may range between 0 and (total number of frames - 1).
Frame indicies move left-to-right, top-to-bottom over the frames in an image.
DelayNNNN is the time in seconds to show the state.
@@ -1082,15 +1082,15 @@ DelayNNNN is the time in seconds to show the state.
Change your PNG images to use "palette mode" instead of "RGB mode".
Paletted images have three advantages:
-- StepMania can load paletted images with higher color precision than RGB
+- StepMania can load paletted images with higher color precision than RGB
images.
- paletted images use much less texture memory than RGB images.
-- paletted images often have a smaller file size than an equivalent RGB mode
+- paletted images often have a smaller file size than an equivalent RGB mode
image.
However, paletted PNGs have a couple limitations:
- they support you to only "on/off" alpha.
-- they support a maximum of 256 colors. This can make smooth gradients
+- they support a maximum of 256 colors. This can make smooth gradients
look ugly.
Alternatively, inserting "dither" into filenames will instruct StepMania
@@ -1099,60 +1099,60 @@ to dither the image when loading.
* Why do the graphics look so blurry?
-Some 3D graphics cards (the Voodoo3 in particular) do not support textures
-greater in size than 256x256. If a texture is larger than the card's maximum
-texture size, the image will scaled down internally resulting in output that
+Some 3D graphics cards (the Voodoo3 in particular) do not support textures
+greater in size than 256x256. If a texture is larger than the card's maximum
+texture size, the image will scaled down internally resulting in output that
looks blurry.
-
Building StepMania from CVS source
+
Building StepMania from CVS source
(top)
-CVS is the repository that manages the StepMania source code. Our CVS server is
-graciously provided by SourceForge. You can get the absolute-latest bleeding
-edge updates to StepMania by taking the source from CVS. Below are instructions
-on how to configure your computer to download source code from CVS and compile
-the source into a working executable. If you do not have a basic understanding
-of how to build a program using Visual C++, then you probably should not attempt
+CVS is the repository that manages the StepMania source code. Our CVS server is
+graciously provided by SourceForge. You can get the absolute-latest bleeding
+edge updates to StepMania by taking the source from CVS. Below are instructions
+on how to configure your computer to download source code from CVS and compile
+the source into a working executable. If you do not have a basic understanding
+of how to build a program using Visual C++, then you probably should not attempt
to build StepMania.
* Step 1: Install and configure Visual C++
-The StepMania source can currently be built with Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 or
-Visual C++ .Net. Installing Visual C++ or Visual Studio with all the default
+The StepMania source can currently be built with Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 or
+Visual C++ .Net. Installing Visual C++ or Visual Studio with all the default
options is sufficient.
* Step 2: Install the Direct X 8.1 SDK
The DirectX 8.1 SDK is a
-free download from Microsoft. Install it using all the default settings. The
-SDK installer will configure Visual C++ with the correct paths needed to find
+free download from Microsoft. Install it using all the default settings. The
+SDK installer will configure Visual C++ with the correct paths needed to find
the DirectX 8.1 libraries and headers.
* Step 3: Create a SourceForge account
In order to commit changes to CVS, you'll have to have a SourceForge account.
-Create an account with
-SourceForge, then e-mail Chris
+Create an account with
+SourceForge, then e-mail Chris
with your username so he can add you to the project.
* Step 4: Install WinCVS
-A CVS client is required to "checkout" the course from the CVS server. Download
-latest stable version (1.2) of WinCVS here
+A CVS client is required to "checkout" the course from the CVS server. Download
+latest stable version (1.2) of WinCVS here
or here.
-IMPORTANT: Now, open and close WinCVS once. This will cause WinCVS to create
+IMPORTANT: Now, open and close WinCVS once. This will cause WinCVS to create
registry entries, which is required for the next step...
* Step 5: Use SourceForge Setup to install SSH and configure WinCVS
-A small utility called SourceForge Setup will greatly simplify the steps needed
+A small utility called SourceForge Setup will greatly simplify the steps needed
to configure SSH and WinCVS. Download SourceForge Setup
-here. Use the following settings
+here. Use the following settings
when prompted by SF Setup:
- Unpack SSH directory: c:\ssh
@@ -1162,40 +1162,40 @@ when prompted by SF Setup:
- Name of the project: stepmania
- The directory where you will be keeping checked out project sources: c:\stepmania
-IMPORTANT: If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP SourceForge Setup will
-not correctly write changes to the c:\autoexec.bat file. Verify that the
+IMPORTANT: If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP SourceForge Setup will
+not correctly write changes to the c:\autoexec.bat file. Verify that the
following lines are present after you run SF Setup:
rem SourceForge setup stuff
SET PATH=%PATH%;c:\ssh
SET HOME=c:\ssh
-IMPORTANT: You must restart after running SF Setup so that the new environment
+IMPORTANT: You must restart after running SF Setup so that the new environment
variables take effect.
* Step 6: Enable SSH access to the cvs machine
-Before you can use your account, you must run the following (substituting your
-username and projectname as appropriate) before attempting to use CVS from a new
+Before you can use your account, you must run the following (substituting your
+username and projectname as appropriate) before attempting to use CVS from a new
user account. Open a command prompt, and type:
ssh -l username cvs.stepmania.sourceforge.net
-Enter your password, and you'll get a message about how you're not supposed to
-be there and the connection will drop. What they don't tell you is that this
+Enter your password, and you'll get a message about how you're not supposed to
+be there and the connection will drop. What they don't tell you is that this
creates your home directory and is required for things to start working.
* Step 7: "Checkout" the source code
- Open up WinCVS again.
- In the right pane, you should see the folder "stepmania".
-- Right click on that folder and choose "Checkout module...". For the module
+- Right click on that folder and choose "Checkout module...". For the module
name enter "stepmania".
- Click OK.
- If a "chose your home directory" window appears, select "c:\stepmania".
-- A minimized console window should appear. Unminimize it, type in your
+- A minimized console window should appear. Unminimize it, type in your
SourceForge password, and press Enter.
-- The source code should begin downloading. This can take a long time depending
+- The source code should begin downloading. This can take a long time depending
on your connection speed.
* Optional: Create the SSH keypair for painless access to CVS server via SSH.
@@ -1205,29 +1205,29 @@ Open a command prompt and enter this to create a new key pair:
ssh-keygen -C <comment> -f identity
-<comment> is an identifier placed in the public key. I used my email address.
-Just press enter when it asks you for a passphrase. You don't want a passphrase.
-BTW, without the -C option the program will fail and you won't get a new key
-pair. I couldn't use any other ssh-keygen utility except for this one. Any other
+<comment> is an identifier placed in the public key. I used my email address.
+Just press enter when it asks you for a passphrase. You don't want a passphrase.
+BTW, without the -C option the program will fail and you won't get a new key
+pair. I couldn't use any other ssh-keygen utility except for this one. Any other
(SecureCRT, or the linux server) and ssh.exe wouldn't read it.
-Next, on your user account page at SourceForge, you should find a box to enter
-your SSH public key. Copy the entire contents of the identity.pub file (located
-in your .ssh directory) into the text entry box on the page -- be sure not to
-add any line breaks or it will not work. After a 6 hour wait, you should be able
+Next, on your user account page at SourceForge, you should find a box to enter
+your SSH public key. Copy the entire contents of the identity.pub file (located
+in your .ssh directory) into the text entry box on the page -- be sure not to
+add any line breaks or it will not work. After a 6 hour wait, you should be able
to use CVS with SSH without using your password.
(Meanwhile...)
Copy the file "identity" (no extension) to c:\ssh\.ssh\
-Create a new file called ssh.bat in your ssh directory (c:\ssh\) with
+Create a new file called ssh.bat in your ssh directory (c:\ssh\) with
notepad and dump these contents into it:
@echo off
rem echo %0 %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9 > debug.txt
ssh.exe -C -l %3 -i c:\ssh\.ssh\identity %1 %4
-Open WinCVS. In Admin->Preferences...->Ports tab, check 'Check for an alternate RSH name'
+Open WinCVS. In Admin->Preferences...->Ports tab, check 'Check for an alternate RSH name'
and put "ssh.bat" into the editbox.
* All done! Congrats.
@@ -1237,7 +1237,7 @@ and put "ssh.bat" into the editbox.
Thanks (top)
-redcrusher for help on ez2 graphics
+redcrusher (Michael Curry) for help on ez2 graphics
Dj Slash & Tony Thai for the caution graphic
Kyle "KeeL" Ward for his awesome menu music (www.ampcast.com/keel)