GH1 patch updates

[Michael]

I have some updates to announce for the set of GH1 patches I maintain.

First, there's "gh-1100-pretty220.diff", which is yet another update to keep the boxdrawing crt-unit patch in sync with the most current version of FreePascal.  While FreePascal hasn't changed enough to actually prevent the old patch from working, I like to keep everything perfect.

Also, two older patches have been updated:

"gh-1100-lmrepair1.diff" is an improved version of my patch that allows healing of lancemates when on the world map.  The new version alters SeekGear() so that repairfuel for such healing can be found on the PC's person.  The old version of the patch only used repairfuel in mecha inventory.

"gh-1100-massmeter1.diff" is an improved version of my mass-meter patch.  This version redraws the separator line before drawing the meter, which avoids a graphic glitch if the meter should shrink (ie: when you drop things so the meter goes from 10.0kg to 9.5kg).

All are in /pub/user/ldeutsch/ghpatches on ftp.ocis.net.

[Erathoniel]

Nice.

[xpace]

...All are in /pub/user/ldeutsch/ghpatches on <a href=\"ftp://ftp.ocis.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">ftp.ocis.net.</a>

They are available for FTP on <a href=\"ftp://ftp.ocis.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">ftp.ocis.net</a> in "/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches".

On numerous occations I've tried to access the files you mentioned at ftp://ftp.ocis.net/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches/ using the Opera browser. But, lately, every time a log-in window pops up. It says "Please log in" and asks for a username and password. I tried to log in anonymously, but it just gives an error:
[qoute]The server requested a login authentication method that is not supported.[/quote]

I also tried to access the address through MS Internet Explorer. Again, I get a prompt for a username and password. Again, I tried to log in anonymously. But it still gives an error:

Either the server does not allow anonymous logins or the e-mail address was not accepted.

Have these files been removed/deleted? If not, are you sure that you have the public access flag switched on for both files and the /ghpatches/ folder?

I also tried an FTP program ("Cute FTP") to access the directory you mentioned directly. But it also gives an error:

Resolving ftp.ocis.net/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches/... 
Can't establish connection --> ftp.ocis.net/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches/:21
The requested name is valid and was found in the database, but it does not have the correct associated data being resolved for.

The way I figure, either the files have been removed or this host or website must have changed access privileges. That's my conclusion, because on my backup drive I still have your old .diff files that I downloaded from that location back in 2008.

Similarly, in the recent [GH2] Hands are "required" in GH2? thread, you posted:

Possibly one of the things that could have made all the different types worthwhile would be if the bonuses for non-Battroid designs actually exceeded the cap like Biotech does. +2 TR or whatever from a Groundhugger is pretty sweet if it's actually higher than any other mech-type can manage, whilst still being a pretty conservative bonus.

I tried patching GH1 to apply the form and cockpit-in-head bonuses after capping.  It turns out to make little difference at first, as all of the stock mecha are so overloaded, and have such poor targeting computers, that they do not reach their caps.  So the patch basically amounts to a large buff to the Mecha Engineering skill, since the player's custom mecha can now reach MV+2 TR+2 and no NPC can.

If anyone wants to try it out, here it is:
talamasca.ocis.net/pub/michael/ghpatches/gh-xmas-caps.diff

(The "xmas" in the filename is because this patch is relative to my "Christmas 2010 edition" release of Gearhead.)

Seeing as the address is different, I tried ftp://talamasca.ocis.net/pub/michael/ghpatches/ in the latest Opera browser. I was mildly surprised to see that it works and I get a Folder Listing. Unfortunately, when I try to access gh-xmas-caps.diff, I get an error:

Could not connect. FTP server may be too busy.
Check that the address is spelled correctly, or try searching for the site.

Just to be sure it wasn't due to excessive traffic, bandwidth, or site maintenance, I've tried again several times at different times of the day. But it still gave the same error.

Strangely... I tried to download ghxmas2010.zip and... it works! I had no problem downloading that file through Opera.

Not discouraged, I again tried to use an FTP program to access the file directly. But it would not even let me access the directory where it's at:

Resolving ftp.ocis.net/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches/... 
Can't establish connection --> ftp.ocis.net/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches/:21 @ Sat Oct 08 00:27:18 2011   (11004-100)
The requested name is valid and was found in the database, but it does not have the correct associated data being resolved for.

Finally, I tried again in plain old MS Internet Explorer and I got a Folder Listing. I tried to download gh-xmas-caps.diff and... it worked!

Moral of the story:
Persistance pays off? MS has a monopoly on non-standard World Wide Web standards? (MS seems to think it is above the standards set by the WWW Consortium, which the Opera browser adheres to religiously.) Setting up FTP for true public access is complicated?

May I suggest you consider hosting these files on Host-a.net? I only suggest this because it's the only free file host I could find that never deletes user files. They only give free users 50 MB. But they're hosted for life and that's more than enough for countless small files.

[xpace]

As for content:

If I understand the purpose of these (and other) patches correctly, they sound awesome.  However, even though I downloaded many of these back in 2008, I've never tried them. And that's mostly because I'm a Windows user and I'm afraid of all the work and complication that goes into compiling programs from source code. (That, and I forgot about them.) As such, I haven't a clue how to use .diff files. I knew that if I Google enough I could figure it out. But I'm lazy and I haven't had the motivation or excuse to compile GH1 from source... until now.

For other Windows users who don't know how to apply a patch using .diff:
 * patch (Unix) - About .diff files
 * WinMerge - a Windows tool for visual difference display and merging, for both files & directories
 * Patch for Windows
 * Using a Windows version of GNU Patch.exe with CVS and Diff Files

Also, more details about your files would be greatly appreciated. In general, you seem to  assume that readers already know what it does (particularly if it's an update for an old file). For instance, the description you gave here of "gh-1100-pretty220.diff" seems cryptic:

"gh-1100-pretty220.diff", which is yet another update to keep the boxdrawing crt-unit patch in sync with the most current version of FreePascal.  While FreePascal hasn't changed enough to actually prevent the old patch from working, I like to keep everything perfect.

The description for the old "pretty" file seemed a little more revealing:

gh-1010-pretty204.diff -- Minor adjustment to the Linux-boxdrawing patch to apply cleanly against the Freepascal 2.0.4 sources.  While the old version (intended for FPC 2.0.0) still works with minor grumbling from patch, I like to keep things tidy.

So this just fixes a conflict in GH1 with Linux builds that makes the game display correctly... correct? So, it's only relevant to Linux users?

Also, even though I am still unable to connect to ftp.ocis.net/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches/ , I have questions about the files that I downloaded from there several years ago. Namely, what do these patches actually do?

gh-1100-busfix.diff
gh-1100-fnwfix.diff
gh-1100-mule.diff
gh-1100-nofollow.diff
gh-1100-typofix.diff

Judging by the filenames, I might hazard to guess that busfix.diff fixes a problem with the bus, mule.diff may or may not allow players to use a lancemate as a packmule, nofollow.diff might stop one or more followers from following the PC around, and typofix.diff might fix some typo somewhere. But those are just guesses on my part.

Also, I downloaded two zip files:

pasdis.zip (Contains binstest.pas and pasdis.pp... which does what? An experiment?)
spambug.zip (Contains RPGMichael.txt, which I assume is a savegame as an example of something?)

BTW: Looking through gh-1100-mule.diff, I think I may have found a typo on line 4:

Code: [Select]

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ DJ_OUTOFACTION <# is removed to a safe lThat comment seems to have been cut off. All comments should start with "<" and end with ">", correct? Shouldn't that read something like this?:

Code: [Select]

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ DJ_OUTOFACTION <# is removed to a safe location.>

[Michael]

On numerous occations I've tried to access the files you mentioned at ftp://ftp.ocis.net/pub/users/ldeutsch/ghpatches/ using the Opera browser.

That's because you are using ftp.ocis.net, not talamasca.ocis.net. 

"ftp.ocis.net" is my ISP's own server.  Unfortunately they decided (without even warning me) to stop supporting anonymous FTP quite some time ago.  The only purpose of that server now, I understand, is to allow their own users to upload web content. 

"talamasca.ocis.net" is the static IP assigned to my own computer in my own home.  And it runs a FTP server.

Since this occurred before my Christmas 2010 release, all references to that use a currently valid URL.

Note that the ghpatches directory is in a slightly different location (/pub/michael/ghpatches) on the new server.

[SharkD]

Posting some of these tips on the wiki to flesh out the compiling tutorial would be a good idea.

Also, I wanted to ask again if you'd be willing to patch the game to support some additional graphics I made:

* 16 directional road tiles for N, E, S, W and their combinations
* different arena and fortress wall sprites
* others, that I have forgotten off the top of my head

[Michael]

Also, I wanted to ask again if you'd be willing to patch the game to support some additional graphics I made:

Answer is same as always: No, since I'm not into SDL.

[SharkD]

Oops, I forgot. Sorry.

[DudeGuyMan]

Ruh roh, spam bot!