Messages

46

Programming / Re: ncurses and c++

« on: June 21, 2008, 05:57:02 PM »

ncurses is supported on multiple platforms, including DOS (Try DJGPP) and Cygwin... Windows is a... Let's just say it rhymes with Mitch... when it comes to curses - PDCurses doesn't have complete functionality, but you can always opt for Cygwin.

ncurses also supports mouse functions, at least, as far as I've read. Not sure how far I would go down that route though.

47

Programming / Re: New CyberPunk RogueLike

« on: June 21, 2008, 05:54:33 PM »

I think it's more to do with the initial load, but being interpreted just means rather than a single file access (.exe) there are multiple (concurrent-ish?) loads to be done. Does it aggravate it? It seems to, to me. I'm probably grasping at straws a little, but I do notice a difference at certain specific points.

I don't know all the ins and outs, but it's definitely slower on startup and disk access for everything I've tried. Gameplay doesn't seem to have any difference that I've noticed, so I have to agree with you in principle.

I'll try profiling from HD and USB at some point, see what the difference is. I'm expecting to see a big (relatively speaking) difference in disk access sections, but minimal difference everywhere else.

I enjoy these sorts of discussions, makes me think. Kinda tough to get that at work (kinda sad when work is a school)

48

Programming / Re: New CyberPunk RogueLike

« on: June 21, 2008, 05:47:41 AM »

Remember that Python (CyberRogue, crashRun) is interpreted, not compiled, Crawl and Dwarf Fortress are only slow during the initial generation... Once loaded and working from memory they don't seem to be any slower (that I've noticed), and since they're in memory, that's exactly what you should be seeing (errr - in memory=no slowness, disk access=slowness).

The game I first noticed "slowness" on was OpenTTD - it autosaves every X months of game time. It would freeze for a few seconds when run off USB, whereas it wouldn't when run off HD. It's drive access that causes the issues.

Oooh, forgot to add... At work, where we have a lot of stuff that runs over a network as well, the networked installers take forever to run... But if you copy and paste the folder somewhere onto the local machine and run it from there, it takes less time overall than if you just run it from the server. Windows networking sucks (not that we have a choice - can't exactly teach students how to use UNIX machines and send them out into a world of Windows, can we?)

Scautura (FNARG!)

49

Programming / Re: New CyberPunk RogueLike

« on: June 20, 2008, 06:29:53 PM »

Yes, actually, it does make a difference. 10x for my code (speaking very subjectively - I didn't time it, but it takes about 5 seconds to generate a level before displaying it on USB, and 0.5 on HD - approximate timing)

Dwarf Fortress actually doesn't like running off USB during generation, it seems to lock up (it's doing a lot of thinking) while creating a world.

Crawl is something like a 10x difference as well.

This is a rough estimate, but USB will not be able to match a HD for throughput - not yet, at least.

Scautura

50

Programming / Re: New CyberPunk RogueLike

« on: June 20, 2008, 10:42:23 AM »

Right now my code is running "slow" - but it probably doesn't help that I'm running it off a memory stick (I'm trying to keep it with me at work so if I have an idea I can try it out), but not to the point of being an issue.
I don't see mapgen as a problem, as it's a once-per-level operation, a couple of seconds breather between levels is not the end of the world. Unless the next level is the end of the world...
I have written code in the past where I've re-invented the wheel because I didn't read the manual well enough - 20 lines to do something I could have done in one function call. Doh! I do occasionally go back over my code and think "can I do this better another way" but that's something I'm saving for later - except for those moments when a lightbulb comes on over my head and I rewrite something there and then.

I'm enjoying this immensely - and I've already got further than ever before!

Scautura

Redrum! Redrum! Oops...

51

Programming / Re: New CyberPunk RogueLike

« on: June 19, 2008, 07:34:13 PM »

Valour! (Yep, I'm from "over here", but my other half is from "over there")

I'm probably going to end up with some stuff done backasswards because I'm stubborn and want to do it my way... I'll probably end up looking at it and going "I'm sure there's a better way to do this" and eventually it'll click.

Until then, backasswards it is.

Scautura

52

Programming / Re: New CyberPunk RogueLike

« on: June 19, 2008, 02:29:02 PM »

I hope you don't mind me waltzing through your code and learning Python on the fly?

Some of the things I find interesting is going through bits of yours after I've written (what I think is) something equivalent, and finding I've come at it from a different angle. Possibly because I don't know the language "from the inside" and I'm coming at it from a PHP type perspective?

Anyways, thank you for the inspiration (and I'm guessing you're not American from some of the spellings in the code!)

Scautura

53

Programming / Re: Adventures of Da'lar

« on: June 16, 2008, 11:22:07 AM »

In my case, it gives me motivation to actually do something. I've tried many many times before, but failed miserably. This time, I have a blog (something else I've failed miserably at before - however, this time it's slightly more specific) and already I have some working (loose definition) code with a message system.

Scautura (see below)

54

Temple of the Roguelike / Re: Welcome to Temple of the Roguelike Forums! (a.k.a. Introduce Yourself Thread

« on: June 15, 2008, 08:23:09 AM »

Hi, my name's Scautura, and I'm a rogue-aholic...

Well, maybe not quite, but I've been trying to develop my own RL (Cyberpunk setting) for a few years (over 10?) and not getting very far. Lost count of the number of attempts I've put pen to paper, but only once (before the current attempt) have I got code to hard drive. Even then, it was absolutely awful (errrr, generated stats - and that was it - run before crawl?)

I've got a blog (CyberRogue), and some code (an @ walking around a "floor" in Python with Console - for some reason, wcurses doesn't like me) and maybe this time I'll get a "finished" project out (since when did RLs ever end up finished?)

Scautura

55

Programming / New CyberPunk RogueLike

« on: June 15, 2008, 07:16:23 AM »

I've been trying to make a roguelike (cyberpunk style) for a while (ooooh, what, 10 years plus?)

Now for the first time (second time really, but who's counting?), I've actually got some code down and a blog (pardon some of the babble, and "micro posts", but it actually gives me the motivation to continue!) at CyberRogue.

Ideas, suggestions, criticism all welcome - I haven't even got everything in mind down in a form that you can read yet, and quite often I write in what I call "brain-babble" - everything in mind gets written down in the form it was in my mind, at least, the first time I get to it, so it may not make sense. No code yet, but I'm slowly getting there.

Scautura
PS: Blame crashRun for actually giving me motivation to develop this!