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Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 26 Dec 2017, 05:39
by BuzzNBen
FusionWarrior wrote: 6 years ago
SAJewers wrote: 6 years ago
according to this he has some sort of i5 and a gtx960.

Looks slightly doubtful.
Yeah I thought i remembered the specs correctly.
Basically raocow has the same computer I have but double the memory. If the game and virt runs fine on my machine with the loud slowly dying video card installed, we are go mode.

...If not we are talking finding a cheap windows 7 gaming laptop and that ain't gonna likely be a thing.
It's so weird that I started developing the game with only 4GB of ram at the time and it ran perfectly smoothly with no issues. I watched the stream and it simply looks unplayable (despite getting it to run). *Sigh* I'm going to try my best to make a "special" version for raocow if possible, but first raocow needs to take a look at those 8 executable files I sent him.

And really though, wouldn't it be kind of expensive to get a laptop with the game to raocow anyway? I mean, there has got to be another way right? There's got to be a reason why the game doesn't run on some computers?

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 26 Dec 2017, 06:43
by FusionWarrior
The tech used simply does not support the modern operating systems, and I cannot dedicate 4GB of ram on my machine to it... raocow, if he still has the specs listed above, might, however.

Larn is a wonderful game from 1986 that, by all reason, is within the limits of modern computers. However it is programmed based on processors and file archetectures and tech so different from what we use now it's simply impossible to get the original running on not only modern PCs, but PCs from when you made SMD would struggle to have it run properly. However virtualization will allow it to run.

Knowing what raocomputer is capable of, only a few more tests, connecting the Graphics card inside my computer (and giving it 3GB of ram I think) should come close to simulating what you built this game on (2 core processors were the do back then, + what you said above) and work.
The only thing I think is needed on your end is to maybe ease up on some, but not all, the transitions. The level start graphic transition seemed to chew more than any other aspect, I know I died a few times from the extra lag early on.

Don't beat yourself up about having your game not able to keep up with the modern age. The creator of Castle of the Winds made his game totally free as technology passed him by. He cannot even compile the source of his game on modern computers. When he made it, it was Windows 3, and his game took advantage of all the best it had to offer. I can't even run it properly on anything newer than Windows XP. Finding out raocow has any dedicated graphics card at all was a massive boon to our chances. I just don't want to ship it off to him until there are no doubts.

I don't think trying to get it running proper on Windows 10 is a worthy endevour. As painful as it sounds, it would likely take less time to recreate it in modern Game Maker, or recreating it in the latest build of SMBX with Lua, as a remaster definitive edition.

EDIT: RE-Laptop, Not really. I have ways and means, and it would delay the LP indefinitely until I get the right diceroll and the right "junker" lands in my lap, in addition to making sure the raoman has an HDMI compatible capture card, and then cost of shipment. Not terribly difficult, just time consuming. Considering other earlier fangames, indies and games exist that would struggle with Windows 10 (and can you believe amongst this list is Fallout 3? Good thing there is a minor effort bypass!) that can thrive on Windows 7, it wouldn't just be a one and done thing. If the VM works proper and right with the graphics card, all it would take to transfer over other games to it would be a flash drive to be the carryover. Download to computer, copy to flash drive, hit a button, copy from flash drive to VM. Super simple you can do it in your sleep. That's why I wanted to get the Virtual Machine solution so bad. Because it can do so much.

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 31 Dec 2017, 07:30
by FusionWarrior
Big Update!

Gcenx (the Virtualization expert), BuzzNBen and I, along with assists from PizzaPony, Wymar, Mikkofier and Lockirby2 in the chat got a lot of work done today.

Determined that with 2 cores and 2 gb of ram, alongside a proper graphics card being installed, 99% of slowdown and lag has been eliminated!

But the game still crashes 7 to 12 minutes into it's run time. However by smashing our brains together we determined the most likely cause of the crashes! GameMaker!
Since GM loads all assets into memory, and handles it poorly (not BuzzNBen's fault! Problem in the engine!) the amount of content this game has is part of the problem! BuzzNBen found this out by being able to run a build of the game devoid of images from the farthest background layer, and was able to run it for well over 30 minutes on the same virtual machine build, and stopped playing before it crashed at all.

I experimented with giving the virtual machine more juice, but all that did was slowing down my open youtube video once or twice, and little to help otherwise. A third core showed no improvement, nor did 3 gb of ram, and 4 gb (the upper limit for the virtual machine to recognize) actively brought back issues from earlier tests.

Right now the aim is to create a build of the game that uses fewer resources (backgrounds, music tracks) in ways that does not compromise the overall quality of the game itself, which is the last thing we want.

This is great progress!

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 31 Dec 2017, 18:59
by SAJewers
Not sure if Buzz N Ben is in the Patapon Spotzone, but I ended up giving the game another try.

Played it for about an hour (with about a 14 minute AFK spot in there). Got up to completing the 1st level of world 2, before calling it quits.

No crashes. No problems, outside Windows complaining that I should install DirectPlay.

Windows 10 on FCU/version 1709.

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 31 Dec 2017, 19:36
by FusionWarrior
SAJewers wrote: 6 years ago Not sure if Buzz N Ben is in the Patapon Spotzone, but I ended up giving the game another try.

Played it for about an hour (with about a 14 minute AFK spot in there). Got up to completing the 1st level of world 2, before calling it quits.

No crashes. No problems, outside Windows complaining that I should install DirectPlay.

Windows 10 on FCU/version 1709.
x86 or x64?

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 31 Dec 2017, 19:39
by SAJewers
x64.

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 08 Jan 2018, 03:03
by BuzzNBen
So a long awaited update. Version 1.6 of Super Mario Bros Doomsday is here, fixing most of the problems FusionWarrior and I encounter while testing the Virtual Machine. It now loads some assets into memory externally rather than loading everything at once (which was causing the game to crash almost on a timer).

There are still crashes, but only if you were to play the game for an hour and a half straight. Once the game is reset, this "timer" resets, so it shouldn't be an issue until later in the lets play when it happens.

As for the plan, the plan is that raocow is going to play it after hyper6. I personally think it will be a good idea for raocow to warm up with a good ole fasion SMW rom hack first since this game is heavily inspired from SMW. :D

The latest version:
https://gamejolt.com/games/smbdoomsday/265229

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 06 Mar 2018, 06:15
by FusionWarrior
UPDATE! Well as anyone who's seen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsbng_AraYI would know, raocow has the finished build of Super Mario Doomsday!!! He's gonna finish the Super Hyper Haimari Vi, then a relaxing stroll through Wario Land 2, and finally Doomsday! I've given him everything he needs to play this game as stable as possible, alongside the Virtual Machine! Doomsday is now on 1.7, and we can all look forward to a great time in about a month and a half!

HYPE!

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 06 Mar 2018, 14:33
by SAJewers
has he tested it himself just to make sure?

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 06 Mar 2018, 21:57
by BuzzNBen
SAJewers wrote: 6 years ago has he tested it himself just to make sure?
Yeah, it might be a good idea if he tries running it now so he's not in a rush to get it working last minute.

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 08 Mar 2018, 19:56
by FusionWarrior
I have suggested as much over discord, but that's all I can do. It's literally in his hands now.

Re: Operation Get Super Mario Doomsday Working

Posted: 26 Mar 2018, 16:22
by FusionWarrior
raocow has installed the virtual machine and tested it, it all works! He'll be testing recording later, but it looks like we've got a go after Wario Land 2!