Comments on v. 0.3.9

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Geoff the Medio
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#16 Post by Geoff the Medio »

MikkoM wrote:I am having problems running this version as well. When I try to run FreeOrion from the desktop icon, it opens a window with text that then closes fast and that`s it.
Whenever this happens, before or if deleting config.xml doesn't work, run from the command line so that the console output stays visible after the program exits.

Start Menu -> Run... "cmd" (or if that fails) "command"
cd to the directory with freeorion.exe in it, and run "freeorion"

The same spew of text listing command line flags should result from the error, and at the top (you'll probably need to scroll up), right under "freeorion" being run, should be some error text. (If the scrollback doesn't go far enough, you can increase the Height of the Screen Buffer Size on the Properties of the console window).

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MikkoM
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#17 Post by MikkoM »

Geoff the Medio wrote:Whenever this happens, before or if deleting config.xml doesn't work, run from the command line so that the console output stays visible after the program exits.
I did this without deleting anything and the result was a long list of text, which starts with
"Auto-select the top fleet when a fleet window is opened. Consider using this flag if you use UI.multiple-fleet-windows. | Default: 1"

and ends

" -- stringtable-filename
Sets the language-specific string table filename.
Default: eng_stringtable.txt"

I haven`t been able to locate any sort of an error message from this text.

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Geoff the Medio
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#18 Post by Geoff the Medio »

Geoff the Medio wrote:(If the scrollback doesn't go far enough, you can increase the Height of the Screen Buffer Size on the Properties of the console window).
500 lines should be sufficient.

(And I'll see if tzlaine is ok with removing the lengthy usage output when such errors occur)

frankc
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#19 Post by frankc »

MikkoM wrote:I am having problems running this version as well. When I try to run FreeOrion from the desktop icon, it opens a window with text that then closes fast and that`s it. I don`t know if this could be the same problem that Ray Radlein already had, but if so I apparently can`t even find this file from my computer:
Geoff the Medio wrote:Delete config.xml in

C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Application Data\FreeOrion
I am using Windows XP with Service Pack 2 as my operating system and version 0.3.8 run fine on my computer. Any thoughts?
You probably have the Application data folder marked as a hidden file (I think that it is by default).

If you search for folders named application data it will be found and the file will be in the freeorion folder. It may be named just configuration or config but it is there I'll bet.

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MikkoM
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#20 Post by MikkoM »

frankc wrote:You probably have the Application data folder marked as a hidden file (I think that it is by default).

If you search for folders named application data it will be found and the file will be in the freeorion folder. It may be named just configuration or config but it is there I'll bet.
It was a hidden file, so no wonder that my previous attempts to search for it failed. I deleted the file and now FreeOrion seems to run without problems. Thanks for the help.

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researching

#21 Post by icekiss »

Well, I just downloaded freeorion0.3.9 to give this game a whirl. And looking around some, it does look REALLY interesting!
I had the error "Face object created from '.../DejaVuSans.ttf' was invalid", but a quick google search pointed me right at the solution (change working directory to freeorion) so not a big deal.
Now however, I am stuck, and feeling quite stupid about it. I read a few tech descriptions, and decided upon a tech I would like to research. However, I can't find how to give the game that instruction. I have read the V0.3 Quick Playing Guide, and it's description of how to research should be just about as foolproof as it can be. However I am unable to follow the last instruction: 'Click "Add to Queue" near the top right of the screen. This button is above the tech's icon if one exists, or an empty black box if one doesn't.'
The research icon (wrenches orbiting a planet) is just right of the grey "Research" box totaling how many research points are available. But I can't see any "Add to Queue" button above it, nor anywhere else on the screen. :cry:
My chosen tech (Orbital Construction) doesn't have any prerequisites either, so that can't be the reason for the missing button.
I am going to attach a screenshot of the game window to this post. If there really is an "Add to Queue" button on it, someone will have to draw a big red arrow into the image, because I just can't find it. :shock:
Thanks a bunch, and I am very much looking forward to trying this game out!
Attachments
Missing "Add to queue" button?
Missing "Add to queue" button?
freeorionResearch.jpg (156.46 KiB) Viewed 1793 times

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Geoff the Medio
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#22 Post by Geoff the Medio »

Double-click the tech on the tree to enqueue it.

The v0.3 guide is *very* out of date, and probably won't be updated until v0.4 is released.

There was an Add to Queue button at one point, but it was removed for reasons I don't immediately remember. It might get added back, but it would need to be put somewhere, and there's no anywhere to put it with the current layout that wouldn't waste a lot of space or overlap something. Perhaps an additional status line on the description panel indicating whether a tech has been researched, has been enqueued and/or is currently researchable (ie. all prereqs are researched) could be added, with an "enqueue" button when it hasn't already been enqueued or researched could work...

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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#23 Post by icekiss »

Yep, double clicking worked, cool!
The v0.3 guide is *very* out of date, and probably won't be updated until v0.4 is released.
Well, who says that you've got to do that? That's what users are for. :mrgreen:
Updated the research instructions, so no one should stumble about this anymore. If I find anything else that is outdated, I will adjust the instructions in the Quick Play Guide accordingly.

Thanks a bunch, Geoff, for the quick and helpful resonse! :)

PS: The Theory and Application filters are switched: "Theory" shows only applications, "Application" shows only theories. :P
PPS: Just noticed a bug (or justa missing feature?): Double clicking to remove a technology from the queue doesn't remove enqueued technologies that depend on it. (mmh, maybe I should start a feedback thread? Naa, this IS a feedback thread :) )
PPPS: Your "researchable" filter doesn't work either: Probably because you can enqueue anything (it just adds the prerequisistes as well).

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Geoff the Medio
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#24 Post by Geoff the Medio »

icekiss wrote:
The v0.3 guide is *very* out of date, and probably won't be updated until v0.4 is released.
Well, who says that you've got to do that? That's what users are for. :mrgreen:
Updated the research instructions, so no one should stumble about this anymore. If I find anything else that is outdated, I will adjust the instructions in the Quick Play Guide accordingly.
It would be better to start a new guide for the latest version, which can be eventually made into the v0.4 guide. The v0.3 guide should, arguably, remain appliable to v0.3.
PS: The Theory and Application filters are switched: "Theory" shows only applications, "Application" shows only theories. :P
All the filters are toggles that are active when coloured (or grey) and inactive when black. The default it to show all, so if you click "Theories", it will toggle off that filter, and thus remove all the theory techs from the tree.
PPS: Just noticed a bug (or justa missing feature?): Double clicking to remove a technology from the queue doesn't remove enqueued technologies that depend on it.
It's neither. A player may want to leave such a tech on the queue. It doesn't hurt them to do so.

icekiss
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#25 Post by icekiss »

Thanks, now I got how filters work. Will split the guide...

PS. Guide split, research explanation is updated. Before I can do more, I'll actually have to play the game. :mrgreen:
PPS: Feel free to rename the wiki article (called V0.4_Quick_Play_Guide right now). If I'd named it V0.3.9_Quick_Play_Guide, we'd break anything that links to it every time a new minor version comes out...

frankc
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#26 Post by frankc »

Geoff the Medio wrote:Double-click the tech on the tree to enqueue it.

The v0.3 guide is *very* out of date, and probably won't be updated until v0.4 is released.

There was an Add to Queue button at one point, but it was removed for reasons I don't immediately remember. It might get added back, but it would need to be put somewhere, and there's no anywhere to put it with the current layout that wouldn't waste a lot of space or overlap something. Perhaps an additional status line on the description panel indicating whether a tech has been researched, has been enqueued and/or is currently researchable (ie. all prereqs are researched) could be added, with an "enqueue" button when it hasn't already been enqueued or researched could work...
That's good to hear. I had found that the double click worked but I wondered if I had a bug when the add to button was suddenly gone at 3.8. The double click is perfectly acceptable but I am very AR about things not being as they should be. :)

Keep up the good work!

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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#27 Post by SowerCleaver »

I also installed 0.3.9 and .net framework. I can proceed to the window that pops up when I click "Single Player" -- the window that sets the number of stars, etc. When I click "ok" to start the game, it becomes unresponsive for 30+ seconds, and then shows an error message "Timed out while waiting server response" or something like that. What am I doing wrong?

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Geoff the Medio
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#28 Post by Geoff the Medio »

SowerCleaver wrote:I also installed 0.3.9 and .net framework. I can proceed to the window that pops up when I click "Single Player" -- the window that sets the number of stars, etc. When I click "ok" to start the game, it becomes unresponsive for 30+ seconds, and then shows an error message "Timed out while waiting server response" or something like that. What am I doing wrong?
Sounds like a firewall problem. Make sure freeorion, freeoriond and freeorionca can all access the local / trusted network.

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eleazar
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#29 Post by eleazar »

Geoff the Medio wrote:There was an Add to Queue button at one point, but it was removed for reasons I don't immediately remember.
Such a button seems unnecessary. Double click is pretty easy, and IIRC (not that i have a working copy of 3.9) you can also drag-and-drop techs into and out of the queue.

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Geoff the Medio
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Re: Comments on v. 0.3.9

#30 Post by Geoff the Medio »

eleazar wrote:...IIRC (not that i have a working copy of 3.9) you can also drag-and-drop techs into and out of the queue.
You can drag-drop to reorder techs (or production items) within queues, but not to add to or remove from queues.

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