Danger from the Deep - An open-source subsim

[CTarana]

I just installed Danger from the Deep the other day, and I'm having a bit of time getting it to stay running. I have a Intel Celeron D 356 3.3 ghz machine with 512 megs RAM. I'm running WinXP Pro SP3 and an ATI Radeon Express video card at 1024x768. I can enter the main menu just fine but when I try to launch a scenario it closes back to the desktop.
Here's the version of DFTD I installed: dangerdeep-setup-0.3.0.0.exe

Thanks!

ChristopherT

[artao]

The devs have specifically told me to ignore the v0.3.0.0 version as it's at least 2 years old ... go to their IRC channel, #dangerdeep at freenode, and ask where to get the latest build ... or PM me, as I may still have the bookmark, I'll have to look ... and not certain if it's ok to post it publicly ...

[CTarana]

Originally Posted by artao

The devs have specifically told me to ignore the v0.3.0.0 version as it's at least 2 years old ... go to their IRC channel, #dangerdeep at freenode, and ask where to get the latest build ... or PM me, as I may still have the bookmark, I'll have to look ... and not certain if it's ok to post it publicly ...

Thanks! That's okay if we have to wait a little, doing work that nice needs time.

ChristopherT

[krashkart]

Does DFTD still require an absolute adherence to the OpenGL shaders? The video electronics in my laptop won't handle the really *SHINY* shaders, and even had trouble running DFTD on the Radeon 9700 in my desktop machine. If I can't load a mission how am I supposed to see the work they've done?

[dcb]

Originally Posted by artao

The devs have specifically told me to ignore the v0.3.0.0 version as it's at least 2 years old ... go to their IRC channel, #dangerdeep at freenode, and ask where to get the latest build ... or PM me, as I may still have the bookmark, I'll have to look ... and not certain if it's ok to post it publicly ...

I don't really understand this policy from the devs of an indie, open-source piece of software. At a moment when their latest stable version is 2 years old, when they are seeking help on the net, when they progress at snail's pace, to keep their work closed seems 100% counterproductive to me. On the contrary, if they opened their team/code/effrorts, if they did a little PR work here and in other groups of talented programmers and modders, I think they would receive the support they need, the fresh blood to their project.

But it's just my opinion and they may have their own reasons (which, I repeat, I don't understand).

Anyway, I wish them the best of luck and I really hope to see DFTD completed someday.

[artao]

I was just at their website last nite, and they appear to updating it more regularly, including links to the current builds, which appear to be coming out fairly regularly.

[Mike 'Red Ocktober' Hense]

sounds good rc... yeah, whipping up this stuff aint easy

--Mike

[rconstruct]

Hi
New release of dangerdeep is ready, release 0.1.1.
The hydroachoustics will be implemented in the next one, but part of the structural work that needed to be done to have the hydroachoustics is done already. We have a new GUI, the events graphics are all new, background music too for menus, a new TDC, based on some data from a S3 manual. New UZO screen, with rangefinder card, for both UZO and periscope (cyclable via tab key). New sky code (still needs some work, but it's better than the old one already), new per/torpedo information, in the torpedo management screen, with all the technical/historical information. Vessel preview, in the main GUI, the DDXML model format now has relationships implemented, for parent<>child relationships/constraints. Parallax angle is computed and displayed in the new TDC, better perlin noise generation working already, as well as improved (better looking and faster) ocean displacement mapping.
New XML based game save format, a mission editor was added too, convoys had some fixes done. The new kennebak class tanker is in the convoy lists already too. Sensor detection code was implemented (getting ready for the hydroachoustics, radar, and AI), and, last, but not the least, bug fixes, and most important of all, new SSE intrinsics, that cause a 1.5/1.6x boost in performance. Code now builds in MSCV too, and gcc 4.0/4.1, on x86-32 and x86-64. FreeBSD ports are available as well.
And that's it, linux and windows packages, and freebsd ports are available already, if i'm not mistaken. If you find any problems, plz post some info in the forums (http://ponto-dot.com/dftd/). You can get the packages at:
http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net
There's more new stuff implemented, but i'm too tired to remember everything atm. Enjoy

Dangerdeep developers team

[Theta Sigma]

Is it updated beyond what I posted below, or did I get the current version?:

http://forum.tidesofwar.net/index.php?showtopic=2647

[rconstruct]

Hi
Well, a new release. If you can do a checkout and compile the code, you won't need releases anyway, and it's the fastest way to stay up to date with the development(s), but altough not a hard thing to do, it can be a real pain sometimes. So, there are lots of new stuff, since the last 0.10 release. If you're up to date with the cvs development(s)/build, then the release is just a matter of packaging everything, if not, then there are lots of new stuff/features, fixes, improvements. I forgot to mention btw, there were improvements in the shaders, and OpenGL 2.0 support. Anyone wnating to help, you can check the main page, http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net , you don't need to be a programmer to help, there are lots of ways you can help us. Currently, only the sources are GPLed, the artwork is restricted to dangerdeep, altough for instance, the 2 soundtracks in dangerdeep, have their own licenses, since they were available at archive.org, with either creativecommons or public domain. We're having a bit of a headache with the sky code, and the hydrophones stations didn't make it into this release yet, but everything's pretty much ready for their implementations (they're dependent on uboat type, period of war, etc..., so different sets of graphics had to be made for each piece of equipment, and work is on its way to finish implementing the hydroachoustics code). So, another new release should be out soon, hopefully in a couple of monthes. Any tips/suggestions/ideas, are more than welcome, but please have in mind that this is voluntary work, with very scarse resources, and this is an alpha version, of what will become hopefully, an historically and technically correct uboat simulation. Hope you enjoy it

[AG124]

I've just downloaded the new version, but don't have time to try it tonight (due to the fact that I have to write a Political Science exam).

However, I did have time to check the Vehicle Viewer - I really like that new Kennebec class tanker (better than any of the SHIII tankers actually). Also, I would just like to say that that low-res small tanker looks very AOD inspired. The AOD light tanker also inspired the Coastal Tanker SHIII kitbash which you can see in my signature.

There is one problem that I would like to ask about - there is a detroyer appearing in the vehicle viewer without any texture. (It is plain brown). It appears right before the high-res Tribal class destroyer. Is there a fix to get the texture to show up?

[rconstruct]

Hi
Regarding the models, i have to confess that i find UV mapping boring, and it takes a lot of time/work, because texture map size is limited (bigger texture maps > more video ram consuption, and we don't want to end up with a game in which a player needs a 512MB or 1GB card to play it), and on top of that, i have to do all the other screens/graphics/3d stuff, so i end up doing models between major tasks. So, we started with proxy graphics for everything, and then, we replace graphics/3d models, by new high res graphics / low poly models, as we focus on the features. The only definitive destroyer atm, is the tribal class. But for the next release, we're going to add a flower class corvette, a liberty ship, a victory ship, and a z38 narvik destroyer. Hopefully we'll go on like this, adding 3, 4 models per release (amongst the other features), and as soon as we finish implementing everything major (sensors/detection/AI/career/guns code), then we have more spare time, and can focus more in releasing more models, in (more frequent) releases.
That's it, hope you enjoy it, work is being done for the next release already

P.S.: i forgot, do you have any information regarding that coastal tanker? That's one area take takes a huge amount of time/effort, doing research for merchant ships to implement, and i really wanted to add some variety to the game, by adding tons (pun intended) of different ships/models

[AG124]

Originally Posted by rconstruct

P.S.: i forgot, do you have any information regarding that coastal tanker? That's one area take takes a huge amount of time/effort, doing research for merchant ships to implement, and i really wanted to add some variety to the game, by adding tons (pun intended) of different ships/models

Unfortunately, I know very little about that design. But one thing I can tell you is that an identical design appeared in Silent Hunter I, which had more detailed ships than Aces of the Deep. This leads me to believe that this is actually a Japanese design (in case you don't know, Silent Hunter I is US vs. Japanese). Also, if you look at some of the Japanese tankers I posted in the SHIV part of this forum, you will see some resemblences in some of the designs. Some of them are identical to Western tankers, but there are two in particular which are of interest here. Their funnels are closer to amidships, and are not connected to part of a split superstructure, as most tanker funnels are. Also, the superstructures are more bulky and solid, without the features of the sparse winged bridges on western tankers. This isn't conclusive, but these Japanese features appear similar to the features of the smaller AOD tanker of which we are speaking.

[Theta Sigma]

I posted some new screens on TOW:

http://forum.tidesofwar.net/index.php?showtopic=2647

It looks great.

[Mike 'Red Ocktober' Hense]

WOW... it has come a loooong way...

are those screenies from the latest release?

--Mike