I've cleaned up the chat (thanks Eric T for capturing it), hiding those areas in particular where the qserve program ... um ... hicupped
<qServe> 1: Question from ILuvMe: "Will the data execution protection problem be sorted soon?"
<TGC> lee - not until upgrade 64bit :) Most users can switch offf DEP for the moment
<TGC> lee - it is a possible simple fix but not looked into it in any great detail yet
<qServe> 2: Question from Mouse: First question... When will DBDN merge into the site?
<TGC> mike - in the next few weeks
<TGC> mike - then all of the info from dbdn will appear on the main site - diaries etc.
<qServe> 3: Question from Mouse: Is there any chance of the command system overhaul discussed on DBDN and later on Apollo going into effect in DBP's future, even optionally or as an expansion, or is that for the next step...?
<TGC> mike - that's probably unlikely to happen for now
<TGC> mike - would mean too many changes to the commands
<TGC> mike - and would make lots of things incompatible
<TGC> mike - so awkward for us to do
<qServe> 6: Question from [jimmy]: When will the bugs be fixed?
<TGC> lee - which ones?
<[jimmy]> oh crap Mnem, you were supposed to block it :P
* [jimmy] apologizes
<TGC> lee - 5.4 final coming out this weekend and that will contain all bug fixes from this week
<qServe> 7: Question from ILuvMe: "Can function returns be improved so we can do something like endfunction a+1, instead of having to increase a and then do an endfunction a"
<TGC> lee - added a compiler check to detect and discourage this type of code in endfunction
<TGC> lee - unlikely to be improved for the imminent future
<qServe> 8: Question from Mouse: When will DBDN merge with the official TGC site and the general public get all the goodies?
<RichD> Mouse: the last day for DBDN is the end of June (30th)
<RichD> Mouse: the diaries will be available from then on, the showcase to follow.. the downloads never
<qServe> 9: Question from las6: for mike: "updated loop sound" - could you explain the changes in a bit more detail? (sorry if it came as a double)
<TGC> mike - loop sound now works as it should, there was a problem with it not resetting states
<TGC> mike - and this is now sorted so the information returned on playing and looping states is now right
<TGC> mike - if there are any bugs that you know of with sound then post on the bug reports forum and I'll take a look
<qServe> 10: Question from IanM: Can you run us through the release schedule you intend to follow for the next few releases and what we can expect from them
<TGC> lee - upgrade 6 is a completion of bug fixes and absolutely critical missing commands
<TGC> lee - upgrade 7 is a possible consideration to include some of the rather cool new features we have been working on for fpsc
<TGC> lee - upgrade 8 is lent to the more radical and extreme ideas that have been submitted for new commands
<TGC> lee - and upgrade 9 is probably going to be another bug fix with the amount of commands we are adding
<TGC> mike - there will also be more point releases after upgrade 5.4 for other bug fixes
<qServe> 11: Question from ZeroBlitzt: When is the newsletter coming out?
<RichD> Friday (5.4 depending)
<RichD> and it's got an awesome game on the cover :)
<qServe> 12: Question from adr: I've noticed that the set object lightmapping function doesn't behave as expected. I created two lightmaps (for a flickering light) and even seting the lightmap to the default lightmap screwed up the UVs, is this a known bug?
<TGC> mike - can you post a bug report on the forum and provide source code and media
<TGC> mike -we can then take a look over the next few days
<TGC> lee - the nicer the report the quicker to fix
* RobK has joined #darkbasic
<qServe> 13: Question from zircher: What fixes/additions can we expect to see in the .X parser this week?
<Ravey> Rob you are late, you shall be punished
<TGC> lee - nothing at the moment, for the latest X parser works great with every model we have loaded thus far, there are however a few new X models that have been sent to us that have yet been tried
<TGC> lee - go on ravey hit him with a fish
* Ravey slaps RobK around a bit with a large trout
<Ravey> there. lessoned.
<qServe> 14: Question from Mnemonix: Is it possible to get forced variable declaration implemented at a compiler level
<TGC> lee - that is clearly an additional feature and shall not feature in 5.4
<TGC> lee - cruel to be kind
<qServe> 16: Question from Mouse: I may be recalling wrong, but I mentioned issues with file access (reading in my case) speeds (they're like a dead slug floating through crystalized molasses), especially noticable with large files (~40mb), and I think Mike said Lee would know about that... well, Lee ;)?
<TGC> lee - our implementation of sequential file access is as close to C++ as one can get
<TGC> lee - there may be a bug to explain the slowdown although I'm not aware of it
<TGC> lee - a bug report containing source code and speed comparisons in other languages would be the most helpful
<qServe> 17: Question from IanM: What other expansion packs are you considering/working on?
<TGC> mike - terrain will be released shortly after 5.4
<TGC> mike - then terrain plus after that
<TGC> mike - and also system enhancements pack for ogg vorbis, system info etc
<TGC> mike - physics packs
<RichD> oh and we're looking to resell 3rd party DLLs too btw
<TGC> mike - only really thought about other packs, not sure what we will do just yet
<qServe> 19: Question from ILuvMe: "Any change of introducing a hook system where plug-in code can be called before DBPro initialised DirectX?"
<TGC> lee - certainly a possibility for U 6/7/8
<TGC> lee - however for the immediate plans we are dedicated completely to pure bug fixes
<qServe> 20: Question from Mouse: Will TGC make more demos to showcase the new POWER of U6, or will that showcase basically be FPSC...?
<TGC> lee - there will be some demos to show off the new features of upgrade 6
<TGC> lee - quite rightly fpsc will be the dogs bollocks of demos to show off what db pro can really do
<qServe> 21: Question from Mnemonix: Hi, Are #constants handled as a preprocessor directive, and if not is it possible for the future?
<TGC> lee - the compiler treats # constants as a pre processing step before parsing the rest of the source code
<qServe> 22: Question from Mikey: I know this question is probably becoming tired, But If and when you do fix BSP, what are you planning to fix?
<TGC> mike - I have a list of bugs to fix this week for BSP
<TGC> mike - on the list are issues with texturing
<TGC> mike - some loading problems
<TGC> mike - and also some collision errors
<TGC> mike - and whatever else I can find in the bug report forums
<TGC> mike - if you have any specific bugs you want fixing then please post them in the bug forums and I will take a look
<qServe> 23: Question from ZeroBlitzt: What kind of new commands can we expect in the next few updates?
<TGC> lee - mainly bug fixes and commands that have been omitted that should have really been in the language
<TGC> lee - lower level access to the engine
<TGC> lee - more robust commands to make creating games easier
<qServe> 24: Question from IanM: With the online authorisation/registration, does this remove the CD check or will we continue to get that?
<TGC> lee - yes it does
<RichD> vamooshed
<qServe> 25: Question from Mattman: What does Ravey work on?
<TGC> mike - nothing
<RichD> heh
<RichD> we could tell you, but we'd have to kill you
<Ravey> I am in charge of trout slapping
* Ravey slaps Mattman around a bit with a large trout
<RichD> seriously, we cannot disclose it (publisher things)
<qServe> 26: Question from Liquidz_Snake: what kinda file types will be supported by FPSC (excuse me if this has been answered or posted somewhere)
<TGC> lee - only X files and DBO import
<TGC> lee - all the texture formats
<TGC> lee - and about 10 fpsc custom file formats
<qServe> 27: Question from RobK: Any chance of improvements in compiler speed? - I thought about perhaps keeping the compiler loaded in memory until the calling app exists (no need to load all DLLs each time)
<TGC> lee - there are some ways to speed up the compiler
<TGC> lee - however I have placed compiler bugs and related issues
<TGC> lee - ahead of optimisations
<qServe> 28: Question from Mattman: Any chance of banning the idiotic spammera ruining the forums rich?
* lag sets mode: +b *!*@fc-31C45BC5.dyn.optonline.net
<RichD> gimme their ID and consider it done
<RichD> (that long 32 character thingy)
<Ravey> But Mike works for TGC - it would be unfair
* TGC fall down laughing .... <Ravey> :)
<qServe> 29: Question from RobK: How many free beers do we need to offer Lee to attend the convention (Help me out here Mike & Ravey!)
<TGC> lee thinks....
<RichD> you need to hold the convention during night time to entice Lee along, surely?
<TGC> mike - tries persuasion methods
* Mnemonix tries hypnosis, doesnt work through the internet
<TGC> lee - I'm 90% going with a 10% get out clause <Mnemonix> (:))
<qServe> 31: Question from GCEclipse: How much are expansion packs likely to cost?
<RichD> depends on the pack.. not much, around $20-$40
<TGC> mike - depends on their content
<qServe> 32: Question from jrowe: When will FPSC come out?
<TGC> lee - fpsc is an entirely internally funded project
<TGC> lee - which in developer speak means we can make
<RichD> when it's ready :)
<TGC> lee - up the deadline as we go along
<TGC> lee - at the moment expect something playable by christmas
<qServe> 33: Question from GCEclipse: Are there going to be any changes (especially compiler changes/fixes) that affect custom IDEs?
<TGC> lee - we are still on the hunt for the official IDE but it has to be great
<TGC> lee - widely supported in the community
<TGC> lee - fully translatable into every language including traditional chinese
<TGC> lee - and free to everybody who wants to use it
<TGC> lee - and then we will look at compiler changes to support said IDE
<qServe> 34: Question from xTransworldx: This is probably a stupid question but, is there a way to use OpenGL instead of DirectX with DarkBASIC? Because my graphics card doesn't support DirectX 8.1 or 9. And I wanna make a game that can run on OpenGL or DirectX systems.
<TGC> mike - no chance :)
<RichD> no :)
<qServe> 35: Question from FireWire: Is there any chance of making pointer manipulation more robust/flexible? How about pointer arithmetic?
<TGC> lee - we currently have the ability to write a value into the address
<TGC> lee - of an existing variable
<TGC> lee - I do feel that we need the reverse
<TGC> lee - a way of getting the address of a variable directly
<TGC> lee - a possible u 6 / 7 / 8 feature
<qServe> 37: Question from Mnemonix: On behalf of vanB, who i think wanted to know: will there ever be a way to manipulate single vertices of an object using simple commands?
<TGC> lee - way ahead of you, we have been using these commands for months
<TGC> lee - however, before we can certify them as completely stable
<TGC> lee - we have yet to run tests on them
<TGC> lee - and are going to perhaps include them in upgrade 6
<qServe> 38: Question from Mikey|NotTGC: RichD: When Are you planning for the new forums to be up?
<RichD> it's a question of time, and Rick has me stretched in many different directions at the moment.. so no official ETA really
<RichD> although we're looking at moving the current forum to a dedicated server
<RichD> to help speed/etc
<qServe> 39: Question from Mattman: Any idea of the FPSC price?
<TGC> lee - same price as a computer game give or take
<TGC> lee - in other words I reserve judgement until
<RichD> yeah, but bear in mind there will be many variations of FPSC, so no one single price either
<TGC> lee - we have conducted a proper marketing analysis
<qServe> 40: Question from adr: You mentionned lower level access to the engine. Could you expand on that? For example, fast vertex manipulation? (currently too slow to recreate the object through memblocks)Are we talking through DLLs or just in the native commandset (or both)? cheers...
<TGC> lee - in the native command set
<TGC> lee - they're as fast as any internal command for sure
<qServe> 41: Question from jrowe: When u finish FPSC will there be any other major projects on the horision or will u just get back to work on DBpro?
<TGC> lee - there are no products planned beyond fpsc
<RichD> FPSC and DBPro are both long-term products
<TGC> lee - and we have a particular impotus to return to DB Pro
<TGC> lee - and bring it into the 22nd century
<qServe> 42: Question from Mouse: How much free beer to get Lee to drop by the American one... and feather dancers if neccessary?
<TGC> lee - is it in florida?
<qServe> 43: Question from Thorpe: Are there any plans to support graphics APIs outside of DirectX in the foreseeable future?
<TGC> lee - no plans to do that
<qServe> 44: Question from RobK: Will you be able to look at speed improvements for 2D commands this week (esp. DOT, GET IMAGE).
<TGC> lee - these would fall under the category of optimisations
<TGC> lee - which we don't want to focus on in bug week
<TGC> mike - these are something we can look at for the next few point releases
<qServe> 45: Question from RobK: Lee, would it be possible to improve the plugin system so that a file of #constant declarations was automatically imported whenever a certain plugin DLL was used in the users code? (would really help for BlueGUI v2!)
<TGC> lee - for clarity are you asking for built in constants applied to third party dlls?
<qServe> 47: Question from mx7: Does DBP use a common pool of memory in which all variables/objects reside, or is it segmented by type (ie. strings and 3D data have their own regions) ?
<TGC> lee - the engine uses one segment of data through local DLL storage, and the main application uses variable space to store things like variables and strings
<TGC> lee - these two allocations are separate
<qServe> 48: Question from Mikey: RichD: Occasionally the forums and TGC site runs extremely slowly etc. Is thi s a bandwith issue, Because there have been rumours of people trying to get into TGC
<RichD> its not a bandwidth issue, it's just a CPU load issue - many requests = slower access at peak times of the day
<RichD> we recently bought a new dedicated server for files and we're looking at another for the forums
<RichD> this will resolve 99% of the issues I believe
<RichD> (it's a popular site!)
<qServe> 49: Question from Mnemonix: It says on the site that you will be offering file hosting in the future, is there an ETA?
<RichD> when the forum moves server, we'll add this in - but not before
<qServe> 50: Question from DARKGirl: Do you think you could include the ability to use wildcards for variable names?
<TGC> mike - as in dynamic variable names?
<TGC> mike - not really sure of the question
<DARKGirl> i cant explain it without showing an example
<TGC> mike - ok might be best to send an email
<TGC> mike - explaining things and we'll take a look
<qServe> 51: Question from Mouse: Will FPSC games have commercial sellage fees? If it's a matter of what edition of the software you buy, is it likely we should expect to pay anything like the originally planned DBP licencing fees?
<TGC> lee - the original fpsc release will allow you to create games
<TGC> lee - and distribute them on the internet for free
<TGC> lee - when it comes to charging money for something made in
<TGC> lee - fpsc then for us it becomes a grey area
<TGC> lee - and we have yet to decide a course of action
<TGC> lee - watch this space
<qServe> 52: Question from Mnemonix: Is it possible to implement a feature where i can call a function when the name of the function is in a string(like callByName in vb6)
<TGC> mike - have to look into that, something for a future upgrade, useful thing to be able to do
<qServe> 53: Question from RobK: If you ever decide to do another language after DBPro, can you set up a poll or forum for user suggestions (DBP felt a bit rushed in terms of design in some places)
<TGC> mike - yeah good idea to get everyones views on anything like this
<qServe> 54: Question from FireWire: The current implementation of mesh memblocks requires us to specify triangles as a set of three unique vertices (as opposed to using a face list to re-use vertices). Is this how DBPro represents triangles internally? Also, with the future addition of new mesh manipulation commands, will it be possible to specify how triangles are stored (i.e. face lists, triangle fans, triangle strips)?
<TGC> lee - memblock meshes were designed as a rough and ready
<TGC> lee - method of creating your own meshes quickly
<TGC> lee - they are by no means the most optimal method of creating a mesh
<TGC> lee - upgrade 6 introduces the possibility of a set of commands
<TGC> lee - that will offer low level access to vertices
<TGC> lee - thus allowing index data to be created for your mesh
<qServe> 55: Question from Mouse: Requested Repeat: How much free beer to get Lee to drop by the American one... and feather dancers if neccessary? (Editor's Note: Schnapps and whiskey too? PLEASE LEE!)
<TGC> mike - keep on working on it mouse :) you might be able to grind him down
<Mouse> to clarify-- location... somewhere in Mas/New Hampshire, baically like the last american one. decent turnout. sometime in the next year.
<TGC> lee - depends on many factors - time, money, location, entertainment, refreshments, willingness, bribery
<[jimmy]> women
<Mouse> :D
<Mouse> okies.
<TGC> lee - women comes under bribery
<Mouse> i'll ask again when there's smth solid :)
<TGC> mike - I would probably go to it
<qServe> 56: Question from GCEclipse: Is DBPro ever likely to support real time sound fx? Reverb, chorus etc... and for that matter EAX?
<TGC> mike - EAX commands are included with the enhancements expansion pack :)
<TGC> mike - everything that can be done with EAX can be done with the new commands
<qServe> 57: Question from IanM: Rich, are you still planning on adding user project areas? If so, when (if Rick ever gives you the time ;) )?
<RichD> there's still much I want to do with the main site, at the moment I'm working on new product sites 3 of which we'll release this week
<RichD> and then there's the book and FPSC web sites.. and forum.. and newsletters.. you get the idea :) it will happen, no idea when...
<RichD> small steps, etc
<qServe> 58: Question from Mnemonix: Will there be a scripting language used with FPSC(sorry if this has been cleared up already)
<TGC> lee - yes there will be something called the AI script which is a sort of mini programming language
<TGC> lee - exclusively designed for controlling game elements
<TGC> lee - as an example instead of yrotate object, you would have turn head
<qServe> 59: Question from Supermonkey: are there any thoughts in the back of your head about writing another language? I know its a bit premature since DBP is still going strong, I'm just interested
<TGC> lee - absolutely no thought whatsoever, completely none
<TGC> lee - except an idea I have in embryotic stage
<TGC> lee - with a guy like me theres always something brewing
<Ravey> with mike its normally just tea
* Ravey slaps TGC around a bit with a large trout
* Ravey slaps RichD around a bit with a large trout
* Mnemonix slaps every1 around a bit with a large trout
* lagmaster slapeth Ravey aroundeth a bit witheth a large trouteth
<RichD> time for the last episode of Fraiser.. night all :)
<Ravey> nite Rich
<qServe> 61: Question from RobK: Will FPSC feature Captain Constipation?
<Mnemonix> ?closeservice
<qServe> The question service is now closed
<TheDarthster> lets hope so * CattleRustler is now known as CattleRustler_Away
<RobK> Indeed
<Mnemonix> whew
<TGC> mike - captain constipation has been banished forever
<Mnemonix> :(
<Liquidz_Snake> noooooo!!!
<lag> noooooooooooooooo
<TheDarthster> nooooooo
<Ravey> his memory will forever live on in our hearts
<TheDarthster> and in my games :D
<Mnemonix> mike, what is happening when dbp exits and leaves a text file behind?
<RobK> Lee - about q47 earlier, what I meant was that I have a DBA file full of about 100 constants, and I would like the pre-processor to automatically use them whenever my DLL (gui2.dll) was used in a program
<TGC> lee - error message
<TGC> lee - shows the line number where things went wrong
<Mnemonix> ah
<RobK> Rather than making the user include the DBA file in every project
<Mnemonix> it could be a problem with a tpc
<Mnemonix> Thanx to IanM for his ini plugin, without it qServe would have been a lot more stubborn
<Liquidz_Snake> wait, qserve wasn't stubborn?
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