Reviving Iso-Angband

[Etinarg]

The server is up and running, but I heard about the timeout problem from someone else too. I'm not quite sure if I can do something to fix it, since it seems to be a network problem rather than a server problem

Maybe you can try again in a while? If the server access fails for a longer while I must see if I can find another host for the archive.

[Xecutor]

The server is up and running, but I heard about the timeout problem from someone else too. I'm not quite sure if I can do something to fix it, since it seems to be a network problem rather than a server problem

It works perfectly fine from home. Different provider, different uplink, different route.
Downloading.

[Etinarg]

Good

It seems I have about 25% of the monster images done now, and 50% of the items. Angband has sooooo many different monsters.

[Etinarg]

Some previews for the next release (will appear in proper color in the game).

Louse, Cat, Killer Beetle, Dragonfly, Harpy, Vortex



Hobbit, Beggar, Blubbering Idiot

[Etinarg]

I've uploaded a new development snapshot, Iso-Angband 0.2.8.1:

http://www.funkelwerk.de/site/misc/iso-angband/releases/iso-angband-0_2_8_1.zip

There is a Windows executable included. If you use Windows, you can try it right out of the box. Just run the "start.bat" in the top level directory, and Iso-Angband should start.

Sources and images are included as well, and I think it should compile for Linux, too, but I had no chance to test that yet (try Makefile.isov-sdl for the SDL based code).

The biggest news for this release is that the codebase was updated from Angband 2.9.1 to Angband 2.9.3. This is still a very old version, but it got a lot of bugfixes compared to 2.9.1, and was structurally similar enough to 2.9.1 so that the move was fairly easy. The iso view code is the same as for the last release. Also, only a very few images got touched up. So, no big changes in the graphics this time either.

I feel a bit uncertain about this release. Due to the replacement of the whole Angband codebase, there can be all kinds of new and unexpected effects, but in my tests things worked rather well.

Bug report thread: http://www.funkelwerk.de/forum/index.php?topic=197.0

[getter77]

Nice to see this coming along again, be sure to post over for the Rephial crowd as they'd likely be among the most adept at ferreting everything out.

http://angband.oook.cz/forum/index.php

[Etinarg]

Thanks for the pointer, getter77 I have registered and posted an announcement there. I was told a moderator must approve it first. So I'll wait now and see what happens.

[Etinarg]

There have been a few releases in between which I didn't announce here, but you can check them out in my forum:

http://www.funkelwerk.de/forum/index.php?topic=195.msg1501#msg1501

The latest news:


Besides a newly introduced image for cloaks, this version features signs for shop entrances. I always had troubles to memorize the 1-8 shop numbers, and the visual clues help me a lot:

Click for full size.

For Windows users, there is a precompiled executable included. Also two starting batch files, "start_small.bat" and "start_large.bat" which choose a smaller or larger font, and therefore start with a smaller or larger window.

Download:
http://www.funkelwerk.de/data/iso-angband/releases/iso-angband-0_2_8_4.zip

Sources and images are included as well. I did some changes to main-sdl.c and I think it should compile for Linux, too, but I had no chance to test that yet (try Makefile.isov-sdl for the SDL based code).

Thanks, d_m, for testing the compile on Linux, and the report about the problem in main-sdl.c!

Known bugs and problems:
http://www.funkelwerk.de/forum/index.php?topic=197.0

If you find a new problem, please let me know. Particularly misconfigured images.

[Etinarg]

I had this crash in the (l)ook function again. This time I was able to debug it. At least in the scenario where the crash had happened in my testing game it is gone now.

I've released a new version with this fix and no other changes.

Download:
http://www.funkelwerk.de/data/iso-angband/releases/iso-angband-0_2_8_5.zip

Known bugs and problems:
http://www.funkelwerk.de/forum/index.php?topic=197.0

[Etinarg]

As a player, roguelike projects often look dead to me. There's a release, some short aftermath if you're lucky and the project then goes silent for several years. You don't hear anything, not even rumors. It's kinda like the Developer(s) fell off the earth. I never know whether its finished, abandoned or simply takes its healthy time for progress.

Maybe I should post a little something then. After a period of big activity, things have slowed down again with Iso-angband. This is  natural for the way I work on my projects - I have 3 or maybe half a dozen things in work, and depending on mood and whatever, the one or the other attracts my attention and will be developed for a while, till I move on with something else. I try not to start too many new things though, and to regularly come back to my projects, although that can mean only one or two active times a year, sometimes less.

In this case I have started to work on a Angband variant lately, which I may or may not release. It is geared to my personal likings, and if it looks promising I'll publish it, otherwise it goes to data heap with all my sleeping projects.

Iso-Angband saw a few minor updates since then, a two or three new images, a configuration update or two, but nothing really substantial which would rectify a new release already again.

I haven't fallen off the world yet, so there is hope that the project will see better progress once again

[Etinarg]

Progress has slowed down, which might have many reasons, but one of them is, that I have become a bit bored again with Angband. To counter that I've started to work on a personal Angband variant, but again, this leaves less time for Iso-Angband with the vanilla core.

But a few things were done, still. At least all images and the image configuration are shared between the projects, so progress in one is also progress for the other:

- Line archer/ranger image.
- Fixed novice paladin config.
- Slightly improved centipede image.
- Image config for edible mushrooms.
- Ball and chain image and config.
- Whip image and config.

Ball-and-Chain, Whip, Edible Mushroom:

[Krice]

Those item graphics look kind of small. There is no need trying to keep stuff in proportion, just draw everything as big as possible to make it easier to see them.

[Etinarg]

I've been thinking about this now and then. I haven't made up my mind entirely yet. I think I have two cornerstones right now:

- Small images should be big enough to be easily recognized
- The image sizes should be steady, that is a smaller item has a smaller image, but maybe not proportionally smaller.

Many of the small images appear too small to me too, but those are mostly from the times when I wanted "realistic" scales.

I don't know. At the moment I feel little urge to rework 200 images to adapt them to a new decision, but maybe some day I redo the whole set, then I can consider this.

[Krice]

Some kind of scale is ok, just don't draw too small items because it's hard to see them. Actually I have (had) that problem in Kaduria.

[Etinarg]

Rings and amulets are most likely too small. Although still fairly easy to spot. But they are among the things that I will rework first.

Meanwhile I have been working on different walls. It's now the same wall rendering technique again that the Iso-Angband version around 0.2.4 had, and I could fix a number of the old problems.

A first test, with new lighting, granite walls and magma veins. Also, some treasure in the magma vein - the orange spot.

Click for full size.

Current version - added quartz veins, touched up the magma veins. Fixed a few more minor problems in the code.

Click for full size.

These walls are thinner than the former versions, and therefore do not hide small monsters or items near walls so easily.