Rampastring

We've jump-started the new year this month with 3 updates for DTA. We've included new features, gameplay fixes, additional maps and new toys for mappers. Over the last 2 years we've got multiple requests for LAN multiplayer support. Thanks to CnCNet's great performance I didn't consider it important enough, but a group of donators managed to convince me otherwise and so, this often-requested feature has now been implemented. Since it was implemented only recently and it's difficult to test LAN alone, it works but is still in a somewhat beta state. So, if you spot any bugs, be sure to report them so I'll be able to fix them! Our client's looks have also got an overhaul in the latest update, in all themes. We've ditched the standard Windows borders to make room for our own, in all windows except for the game lobby. The default theme only has a 1-pixel silver border in all windows, but the change is more significant in the Classic theme and the Soviet and Allied themes. You can enable these themes in the game options menu. If you've played DTA, you might've got annoyed by a certain bug. Units that automatically fired at enemies went to chase after those enemies when the enemies got out of the units' firing range. It was common to see your artillery heading into the enemy base because of this bug, even when you didn't order them to do so. This bug has been plaguing the TS engine for 16 years, but thanks to AlexB, it is now fixed. You can now rely on your long-range units staying where you ordered them to stay. AlexB also fixed another bug of less importance, namely that if you capture all sides' production facilities on a naval map, DTA would crash. This is because the game engine cannot handle more than 75 icons on the sidebar, and would crash when the limit was exceeded. Now, instead of crashing, the game simply won't show more than 75 icons. This means that you can now safely have control of all 4 factions' technology on naval maps. I mentioned new toys for mappers. These are paved roads, pavement additions, new trains, a huge crater and more ice floes. Of these, the most significant are the pavement additions and new paved roads; as you can see above, they allow us to create much better looking cities. And there can't be a chain of DTA updates without new maps, right? During this month we've added one new Co-Op mission (Ally Under Siege) and one new standard multiplayer map (Coastal Path Revisited). Aside from that, we've improved the smoothness of the CnCNet lobby and fixed half a dozen issues in maps, some of them more serious than others. You can view the full change log of our updates (the latest 3 and everything before them) on our change log page. We hope these updates will give you lots of fun when you command and conquer the battlefield this year. See you there!

DirectDraw wrappers and compatibility fixes make C&C classics playable on Windows 10. They're not as smooth as on Windows 7 (most DirectDraw wrappers cause microstutter, for example), but they're playable.

The log shows no received message from GameSurge before the connection is cut. Since you started encountering this issue after we moved the lobby to Gamesurge, it being a client issue seems unlikely. Then again, most people seem to have no issue connecting to GameSurge either. I'm afraid I don't have any ideas here.

That's strange. I'll pushed some changes to the client code in a few minutes, update and check if it works now. If not, post another logfile. Also, btw, attach the logfile as a file next time. Don't just copy-paste it here.

Sounds like you'd only need a suitable DirectDraw wrapper (like TS-DDRAW or DDWrapper) or a compatibility database fix and the game would work.

I have no idea what's up with that error message. Based on googling it appears that changing the region setting in Control Panel > Region > Formats might help. The pink stuff is due to an outdated file in the installer, that's our fault but it should be fixed if the client could connect to update servers. Could you upload client.log here, and also, can you download http://downloads.cncnet.org/updates/yr/CnCNetYRLauncher.exe with your browser? It wouldn't be a simple process.

Upload cncnetclient.log from your YR dir into this topic.

Unlike XWIS, CnCNet displays currently running games in the lobby. And it displays them as locked.

Upload cncnetclient.log, not client.log. Client.log is the launcher's / updater's log file.

Looks like it's unable to connect to the update server. Check your firewall settings etc. to make sure that nothing is blocking it. If you're sure that you have nothing blocking the client's access to the Internet, it could also be the update server blocking you - I've had that myself lately. If that's the case here, there's nothing I can do. Also, are you able to download this with your browser? http://downloads.cncnet.org/updates/yr/CnCNetYRLauncher.exe

Yeah, upload client.log from your YR directory to this topic.

Looks like a corrupt installation, at least partially. What happens when you start the client? Does it attempt to update?

I'd expect there to already be a way. At least in TS you can take screenshots in-game with Ctrl + C, I'd expect there to be a similar hotkey in YR as well.

That's impossible to completely prevent then, although in obvious cases the players would be banned.

I'm not sure what happens if someone's game crashes. You'll have to ask Tahj for info on that. If we see good evidence of someone cheating, they'll get banned. I'm not sure what you mean with "pushing". The point awards will work similarly in all CnCNet games. The related algorithms have been designed and are controlled by Tahj. Yes, as far as I know. Red Alert 1 is the most popular game on CnCNet, in both player and game counts. At the time of writing this, there's 171 RA1 players and 116 YR players. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- It looks like everyone wants the ladder to be restricted to default settings and default maps. We'll go with that, then. Ladder will use the current game lobby, the settings will just be locked and the map list restricted. Ladder games will also get a cup icon in the game list. Technically impossible, for me at least. While I could lock the game speed in the game lobby, you'd still be able to change it in-game.

The new GameSurge server has strict data limits, which causes some messages to be delayed. We're currently still optimizing the client to handle the delay better, but we can't entirely eliminate the lag. As a tip, don't spam short chat messages, but write everything you want to say at once. That should keep the chat more responsive.

It's the server's (GameSurge's) fault. I'll try to contact them about it.

Try logging in again now, we just released an update (version 2.07) that might fix it.

You're correct, but he's been learning C# lately. His code still isn't that great and I've often had to fix up some mistakes that he has done, but I'm sure that he'll become more skilled over time (assuming he resumes work). He has also pushed a lot of YR updates to the update servers, helping me that way. I have two questions for everyone who's interested in the ladder: - Should the game options be locked to default settings (for example, you couldn't pick 50 000 starting money)? - Should mod maps be allowed, or only the Westwood multiplayer maps?

It's still likely that YR will get a ladder one day, but currently it has been delayed due to lack of staff / the existing staff taking a break to clear out some stress. To clarify: I'm the one who mainly works on the client, but as I'm not a YR player I mostly focus on generic features and code that is utilized by either all games that use my client (DTA, TI, and YR) or just DTA and TI. Grant recently joined me in the project and started taking care of the YR side, adding mainly YR-specific features to the client. These YR-specific features include the ladder, since DTA has fairly low player counts and so it wouldn't really benefit from a ladder. That means that I'm not interested in adding ladder support myself - although I can and will help if someone else like Grant decides to implement it. FunkyFr3sh's post covered the overall situation pretty well. Basically, Grant had already done some work on ladder support for YR, but then we had to do an unexpectedly quick server move that brought some issues with it (you might've noticed this as lag and delays in the client when changing your game settings, locking the game etc.). Fixing that took some effort from me (and grant), and so we haven't been able to focus on the ladder lately. Grant felt exhausted after a week of pushing daily updates to YR and learning the client code so he could implement features like the ladder in the future, and so he's taking a break right now. That means that right now we have no one working on YR - but it doesn't mean that we'd have abandoned YR entirely. Basically, we've been working on the ladder for months (first as a beta for RA1 and TS), there's already most of the work done on the YR ladder too, and while work on the YR ladder is on hold right now, it'll continue once Grant returns from his break or someone else starts working on it. Yeah. However, the work mainly comes from ladder auth code and UI design / implementation. That still doesn't make it a big job though. While I could do the ladder quickly (if someone else did the game hacking part), I don't have a lot of free time and it's partially also a principle. When I added YR support to my client, I only promised to make it possible to play YR with my client, but with the assumption that someone else would support the YR community after release. I already have 3 other games to tend to, and I never promised that I'd provide active support (including new features) to YR. Despite that I've still been forced to do that when there's been no one else around to support YR (like after Iran quit, and now when Grant's taking a break), and I'm kinda getting fed up with it. YR is draining more free time from me than I agreed to give it when I added support for it, and I'd rather focus on my mods.

You can add DTA and TI to the list

In the "Connect to CnCNet" window, you have a Port option there.

It's most likely anti-virus software preventing the file from downloading properly. If it was an unupdated file CRC, it'd happen to everyone.

Hi.

Blank? Could you upload a screenshot?