The status of ZDoom 2.0.97

[randi]

How about automated level builder?

That should be easy to do: Just write a batch file that runs Slige and then ZDoom.

[DoomRater]

But that was due to drawing all the sprites, not the AI.

The sprites had a lot to do with it, but the map had SO much more. In fact, during the camera scene, when it sufficiently stopped pointing at the castle the frame rate went back to smooth.

It seemed more like the level was doing a lot to make the AI think more. You know, all those crossed lines over at the top of the door and other places to make it look 3D-ish. Sigh... That wasn't right. That was the forceful upgrade from my Celeron 466 to a Pemtium 3 800 that I ended up having to do because I couldn't play Helm's Deep worth a crap on the old one. (But thankfully I got to experience ZDoom with unpegged framerates on other maps)

[randi]

And since I know VC's optimizer quite well I can say that this does not create optimal code.

Don't worry. I do check the assembly code the compiler generates. For instance, I can do this:

Code: Select all

dist = Vector2(victim->Origin - m_Spot->Origin).Length();

That casts a 3D vector to a 2D vector by discarding the Z component and then calculates the length. The compiler is smart enough to not even bother subtracting the Z component, since it just gets thrown away:

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fld         dword ptr [esi+18h]
fsub        dword ptr [eax+18h]
fld         dword ptr [esi+1Ch]
fsub        dword ptr [eax+1Ch]
fld         st(0)
fmul        st,st(1)
fld         st(2)
fmul        st,st(3)
faddp       st(1),st
fsqrt
fstp        st(2)
fstp        st(0)

Interestingly, GCC seems to have a more aggressive x87 optimizer that inserts fxch everywhere to improve parallelization opportunities:

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fld         dword ptr [eax+18h]
fld         dword ptr [eax+1Ch]
fxch        st(1)
fsubr       dword ptr [edx+18h]
fxch        st(1)
fsubr       dword ptr [edx+1Ch]
fxch        st(1)
fmul        st,st(0)
fxch        st(1)
fmul        st,st(0)
faddp       st(1),st
fsqrt

So compared to GCC, Visual C++ isn't great, but it's not bad either. It does a decent job of keeping data on the register stack. And it can replace an atan2() function call with the fpatan instruction, which GCC doesn't do. (But atan2() is not used all that much, so it doesn't matter a whole lot.)

[Graf Zahl]

But how about this:

NormalLight.Color = PalEntry (255, 255, 255);

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	mov	al, 255					; 000000ffH
	xor	ebx, ebx
	mov	BYTE PTR $T19519[esp+8], al
	mov	BYTE PTR $T19519[esp+9], al
	mov	BYTE PTR $T19519[esp+10], al
	mov	BYTE PTR $T19519[esp+11], bl
	mov	ecx, DWORD PTR $T19519[esp+8]
	mov	DWORD PTR _NormalLight+4, ecx

Especially when using constructors to assign values it seems that it sometimes does have problems creating optimal code.

[The Ultimate DooMer]

Are we going to get Hexen inventory items that can run scripts eventually?

[Graf Zahl]

If I had to decide, yes. I have already done some investigation how to do this without overkilling DECORATE but right now I prefer to wait for the next version until I spend some more serious thought about it.

(Let's just say that with what I have in mind it would be possible to do all of Doom's powerups without any item specific coding as it is now... )

[randi]

NormalLight.Color = PalEntry (255, 255, 255);

Okay, that doesn't look so great. But by adding another operator = overload that takes a PalEntry as input, I can get rid of the temporary:

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mov         ebx,0FFh
mov         byte ptr [_NormalLight+4],bl
mov         byte ptr [_NormalLight+5],bl
mov         byte ptr [_NormalLight+6],bl
mov         byte ptr [_NormalLight+7],0

It could be done better by merging those four byte writes into a single dword write, but I'm not using Watcom, so I don't really expect that to happen. (Watcom is the only compiler I've seen that will combine consecutive small writes into fewer larger writes.)

[Graf Zahl]

Good to know. This actually helps me to cut down the code size in a project of mine significantly. This inefficiency is one of the things I least liked about VC for some time now.

[TOGoS]

How about automated level builder?

Only if it supports MappingStyle: TOGoSian

Speaking of which, there should be a new version of Crapi available by the end of summer...

[Galaxy_Stranger]

Does 97 have an intergrated coffee maker?

It should come with a blowjob, too!

[morbidtwatt]

those pictures of what looks like 3d mode for a wad editor. randy are u planning on adding a visual to stacked sectors somthing that helps us see it without trial an error?? what are those pictures u posted at the bottom of ur post?

[RabidZombie]

... did you read any of this thread at all? It was polymost. If you read bck there is more info about it.

[morbidtwatt]

heh ohh well i geuss i dont mind zdoom with more color gl rocks anyways, but are u sure those bottom pics are for polymost and not somthin to do with stacked sectors?

[Chris]

randy has said its polymost, where did he say it was to do with stacked secotrs? not that they couldn't have benefits for stacked sectors but thats not their purpose

[Chilvence]

Hey Graf, just out of curiousity, which company do you work for? Not that I'm trying to stalk you, I just wanted to see what games our favourite German Giestbuster has had a hand in