Loading DC2 Levels

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Davacardo
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Loading DC2 Levels

Post by Davacardo »

RnD version 3.2.4 states:
- added file loader for native Diamond Caves II levels and level packages

This implies to me I can get a DC2 level/levelgroup and put them somewhere. Then RnD can open the level/levelgroup and play them, edit them, convert them, whatever.

How do you do this? Or have I interpreted the statement wrong and it actually means something else altogether?
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Holger
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Post by Holger »

No, you're right! It works just exactly as for Supaplex level files and level packages: Just create a new directory with a "levelinfo.conf" file (that defines the usual things like level set name and number of levels) and put the level file or level package file (like "levelpackage.dc2") into that directory. Then restart R'n'D and select the newly defined DC2 levelset -- that's it!

If you don't know how to write a "levelinfo.conf" file, just clone an existing one and change it for the new level set.

Please note that R'n'D only supports the older level files and level packages from DC1 and DC2 (file names like "levels.dc" and "levels.dc2"), but not the current DC3 files (file names like "levels.dc3").
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Davacardo
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Post by Davacardo »

So that is how it's done!
Thank you very much.
Dark
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Post by Dark »

Hi.

I'm really sorry, but for some rather odd reason, i couldnt' get any Dc2 levels to work at all.

i I created a folder with a level info conf file, downloaded some level packs from the Dc2 homepage at http://www.diamond-pro.com/games/dc2.shtml and coppied them into my folder.

However when I found that folder in R&D, the game showed it as empty and containing no levels at all, ---- much less the packs I'd downloaded from the Dc2 homepage.

i even tried renaming the level packs to have an extention of .level instead of .dc2, but that didn't seem to work either.

I've not tried loading any native game levels in R&d before, ---- sinse I believe just about all the levels produced for boulderdash and Superplex are available anyway (I got them from the R&D page of Martijn's Bd fansite), so if I'm making a very stupid or elementary mistake, please let me know.
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Holger
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Post by Holger »

Could you please post your complete "levelinfo.conf" which you used to (try to) load the DC2 level package? Then we'll have at look at it! :-)

I'm sure it's only a minor problem (typo etc.) and easy to solve.
Dark
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Post by Dark »

Hi.

It's strange, the other folders I've created (such as my in progress folders where I put copies of level sets I'm currently playing), have come out fine using the same text, ---- but maybe there's something wrong I'm not sure of.

here's the text for the info conf file for the folder where I'm putting the Dc2 level packs:

file_identifier: ROCKSNDIAMONDS_LEVELINFO_FILE_VERSION_3.2.4
name: Dc2
author: Several authors
sort_priority: 200
level_group: true
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Holger
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Post by Holger »

OK, this is easy: For loading such a native level package from a file (a .dc2 file in this case), you have to explicitly specify the level package file name in the config file (as the game is looking for single level files otherwise) -- just add a line like this to your "levelinfo.conf" file:

filename: levelpackage.dc2

(With your own filename instead of "levelpackage.dc2", of course.)

(I'm not sure about the exact syntax now, but it should work like this. I will check this when I'm at home, and correct it, if needed.)
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Davacardo
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Post by Davacardo »

If you like, I'll send you a skeleton outline of the folders and levelinfo.conf files. It all works fine for me.

The following works for me for a particular levelgroup:

file_identifier: ROCKSNDIAMONDS_LEVELINFO_FILE_VERSION_3.2.4
name: Acrylator
author: DC2 Levelset
levels: 99
first_level: 1
sort_priority: 100
level_group: false

You could try putting it in seperate folders like I've done
levels > DC2 > Accrylator
> Classic
> minis
etc.
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Holger
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Post by Holger »

Just checked this... I'm a bit surprised, but apparently you don't need and extra option "filename" at all -- it should just work without it (apparently I solved it so that it just takes the first *.dc2 file; can't say exactly at the moment :-O ).

For example, I have a directory called "dc2_jewels_15" with a file "Jewels15.dc2" in it plus a "levelinfo.conf" file that looks like this:

--- snip ---
file_identifier: ROCKSNDIAMONDS_LEVELINFO_FILE_VERSION_1.2
name: Jewels 15
levels: 99
first_level: 1
sort_priority: 200
--- snip ---

That's it, and it should work fine! :-)
Dark
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Post by Dark »

thanks, that did it! I should've realized that each Dc2 level set needed it's own folder with it's own conf file, and I didn't realize that conf file had to have "level group: false" either.

Davacardo, just as a suggestion, sinse you've obviously downloaded all the Dc2 levels from the homepage and put all the work into creating a handy directory for them with working Conf files, how about getting that hosted as it's own level pack on one of the Rnd sites? That way people can download all of the Dc2 levels in one lot ready to play, similarly to all the classic sets for other games such as Bd or sokoban.
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Davacardo
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Post by Davacardo »

Dark wrote:Davacardo, just as a suggestion, sinse you've obviously downloaded all the Dc2 levels from the homepage and put all the work into creating a handy directory for them with working Conf files, how about getting that hosted as it's own level pack on one of the Rnd sites? That way people can download all of the Dc2 levels in one lot ready to play, similarly to all the classic sets for other games such as Bd or sokoban.
I'd be happy too, pending two things:
1. I need to actually finish listing the proper number of levels (they al lsay 99, even though not all levelgroups have 99 levels)
2. I don't the legality of posting the levelgroups elsewhere.

I'd be happy to finish the conf files off though and post the conf files and folder structure if anyone wants me too.
Dark
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Post by Dark »

Hmmm, is the information on the dc2 levels page for numbers of levels in the packs not correct then?

for instance that the Slk pack has 54 levels, the Z pack 50?

If this information is wrong please let me know, sinse the two Dc2 packs I've installed thus far (classic and slk), I used that information for number of levels in the conf file.

As for legality, well on the one hand I can see that the level packs were supposed to only be available to registered users of Dc2, on the other, sinse Dc2 is no longer being sold does that make them abandon ware?

I know you can also play them in Dc3, however you can play emerald mine levels in Dc3 as well, ----- and those are deffinately abandonware.

I think if Rnd was made to play Dc3 levels, it might be slightly dodgy, but as it is I'd assume it's okay.

On a personal level, One reason i want to play the Dc2 levels in rnd is I can then play them without a time limit.

Being visually impared, and so not able to quickly scan the screentime limits can be incredibly! frusrating, even in normal levels.

In fact this is the only reason I haven't bought a copy of Dc3 myself, sinse the time limits prevented me from even completing the tutorial.

Yes I know these are alterable in the level editer, but unfortunately the editer didn't seem to work well with my screen reading software.

appologies for the Ot question, but if anyone knows an infinite time cheat in Dc3, I'd be very pleased to here about it.

Back to Rnd though, if you want a hand putting in the numbers for level groups in the conf files, just let me know.
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Post by Holger »

> I know you can also play them in Dc3, however you can play emerald mine
> levels in Dc3 as well, ----- and those are deffinately abandonware.

This is a good point. In my opinion, the DC2 level sets are similar to the EMC level sets (or game disks) distributed in the Amiga era: The level sets were created by individuals (which still hold the copyright on their creative work), but to play them, you need a game engine created by somebody else who sells the game engine together with the levels (where the EMC club charged the money for copying and distributing the game disks, while the DC2 programmer charges money for selling the game engine).

Therefore, IMHO, it is perfectly legal to offer an alternative game engine (R'n'D) instead of the "commercial" game engine (EMC or DC2) to play the copyrighted, but freely distributable (and sometimes even public domain) level sets with that engine. Deciding not to actively re-distribute the customer contributed DC2 level sets was simply to try to not (financially) hurt the DC2 project as long as it still seems to be actively developed.
Dark
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Post by Dark »

checking the dc2 website, it does seem that Dc2 as a project has been discontinued in favor of Dc3, ---- you can't even buy the Dc2 game anymore.

the Dc2 game engine arguement seems quite reasonable to me, but as the level packs people have created for the game are freely available from the Dc2 homepage anyway, it doesn't seem to me there would be too much difference in hosting them on the rnd website with conf files and a level structure.

If however you think this is a problem, you could always host a set of conf files and folders, with a link to the Dc2 level groups page so people will only have to download the levels and extract them to the right place.

Btw, I thought that the emerald mine engine was itself no longer available, either commercially or for free, ----- other than by getting a copy from E-bay, or similar, which is why i thought it was abandonware.
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Davacardo
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Post by Davacardo »

Dark wrote:Hmmm, is the information on the dc2 levels page for numbers of levels in the packs not correct then?

for instance that the Slk pack has 54 levels, the Z pack 50?
No, it is my conf files that are wrong. Most levelsets have 99 levels, so I said "levels = 99" and copied and pasted, but didn't bother changing it. There's nothing wrong with the DC2 levelgroups or the DC2 site, per se. I need to change my conf files to report the right number of levels.


Bit busy at the moment, but I'll see what I can do fixing up & posting the conf files & folder structure.

Given that it seems there's only 3 sites that are members of the Emerald Mine Webring (Diamond Caves, Rock n Diamonds and the [apparently dead] DX Boulderdash), isn't there some kind of consensus among the members?
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