Arena.cfg

[Anonymous]

I kinda need a bit of help creating the arena.cfg file... I have read the config.txt file in \docs, and want to remove the autosave feature. I created the arena.cfg file as a text document, and entered NOAUTOSAVE, and then tested it, but found the label to not have an effect upon the game. Help would be greatly appreciated.

[draconuszero]

Just to make sure, its saved as a cfg file, not a txt right?  Also, is it in the gearhead main directory?

[Anticheese]

Steps to a successful arena.cfg:

1) Open notepad
2) Write in the options required (I use MechaControl R and NOAUTOSAVE)
3) Save as, Save as any file, Save as arena.cfg
4) Play.

To test if your file is working, try using the MechaControl R, getting into a Mecha fight and seeing if the turtle mode menu pops up.

Enjoy!

P.S

Quoting: draconuszero

Just to make sure, its saved as a cfg file, not a txt right? Also, is it in the gearhead main directory?

Make sure the file is in the folder with arena.exe

[Anonymous]

Oh... I created a text document and named it "arena.cfg" instead of opening Notepad as an untitled document... It turns out to be "arena.cfg.TXT". Thanks Anticheese and draconuszero.

[Tung Nguyen]

To make sure this never happens again, open Windows Explorer, go to Folder Options, under Advanced (or some such) there is an option reading "Hide extensions to known file types". Make it so it's unchecked.

Worst default setting ever.

[macksting]

You ain't joshin'.

[Reaver]

People who enable that setting should be shot. It's important to know ALL of your file extensions.

[macksting]

I also never hide "hidden" files; I'm a tinkerer, albeit paranoid enough to back up anything I tinker with. The fact that I'm not a sufficiently clever tinkerer to unbury the Stars! 2.0 registration code from my last operating system's registry is a testament to my ineptitude.

Anyway, so why doesn't the screensizing work in the SDL mode?

[peter]

Quoting: macksting

Anyway, so why doesn't the screensizing work in the SDL mode?

 IIRC from last time I answered that, the code has fixed default sizes in SDL mode, and doesn't look at the width or height from the config file.  I have no idea if the rest of the game would work properly at a different size (so there's not much code needing changing), or if there are other places that make assumptions about the screen size (so it would just crash or corrupt the screen if you changed the size).

[macksting]

Pity, that. But then, I'm sure most people know about my previous monitor woes.
Glad that's over.

[Tung Nguyen]

I remember seeing a version of GH compiled in "mini mode", where the screen dimensions were 640 * 480, rather than 800 * 600, set by a symbol. I'm not sure if GH checked the signal each time it was needed (I saw it in the SDL initialisation), but if not, it may suggest that screen resizing is possible.

SDL screen resizing isn't that hard: just switch the current surface for a new surface. I've done it before for a different project (though it was really more fullscreen/windowed hot-switching, but same principle).

[Joseph Hewitt]

The trouble with resizing the screen in GH1 is that the locations of all screen regions are stored as pixel values. I did add an option to compile the game for 640x480 resolution, but I haven't tested this much.

What I should do is add a procedure to rescale all the screen zones based on the resolution of the screen, but if I remember correctly there are a number of places where this wouldn't work.

Resizing the screen in GH2 could be done easily, since OpenGL doesn't use pixels for measurement. The surface upon which the menus and text is projected (which is a SDL surface) can be left at 800x600 resolution, and OpenGL will just stretch it to fit the dimensions of the actual screen when rendering.

[macksting]

...meaning that a 640x480 screen would have menus running off the sides of the window?

(If this is the case, it's a good thing almost nobody uses 640x480 anymore.)

[Joseph Hewitt]

Quoting: macksting

...meaning that a 640x480 screen would have menus running off the sides of the window?

(If this is the case, it's a good thing almost nobody uses 640x480 anymore.)

Yes. And, a screen larger than 800x600 would have blank areas on the right and bottom edges.

[SharkD]

Quoting: Joseph Hewitt

The trouble with resizing the screen in GH1 is that the locations of all screen regions are stored as pixel values.

Maybe you should use percentages instead.