Request for improvements of automatic tape playback

[filbo]

> To test the attached fixed tape, copy it to a "tape" sub-folder of that level set and type:
>
> shell> ./rocksndiamonds -e "autoplay emc_emerald_mine_original_1 071"

The subdirectory name is "tapes", not "tape", at least on Linux.

I verified that this works:

$ GAME_DATA=/usr/share/games/rocksndiamonds
$ LEVELSET_DIR="Emerald Mine Club"
$ LEVELSET=emc_amiga_mine_22

$ sudo ln -s ~/.rocksndiamonds/tapes/$LEVELSET $GAME_DATA/levels/"$LEVELSET_DIR"/$LEVELSET/tapes
$ rocksndiamonds -e "autoplay $LEVELSET 1"

(but is not generic since I had to manually supply the $LEVELSET_DIR part of the path)

Can you make "-e autoplay $LEVELSET" either automatically pick up the contents of ~/.rocksndiamonds/tapes/$LEVELSET, or add a similar command like "-e testmytapes" or a flag like "-e autoplay -user"? I don't want to have to perform surgery on my system-wide games data hierarchy in order to test per-user saved tapes...

Also would be nice:

- a way to visually play back a level or whole levelset from the command line (I think this exists? but not documented in --help output)
- when visually playing back, a flag to specify the playback speed
- when visually playing back, a flag to specify the playfield zoom factor (currently just the Setup -> Graphics -> Small Game Graphics toggle, but hopefully some day a full ++/-- zoom set like now available in the editor... :)

[filbo]

Posting a "bump" for the above requests, since I ran into it while searching whether I had ever posted another bug which I'm about to post...

[Holger]

> Also would be nice:
>
> - a way to visually play back a level or whole levelset from the command line (I think this exists? but not documented
> in --help output)
> - when visually playing back, a flag to specify the playback speed

No, this did not exist before (just the invisibly played back test tape run).

But I've extended it now as follows:

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$ ./rocksndiamonds --help
...
  "autotest LEVELDIR [NR ...]"     test level tapes for LEVELDIR
  "autoplay LEVELDIR [NR ...]"     play level tapes for LEVELDIR
  "autoffwd LEVELDIR [NR ...]"     ffwd level tapes for LEVELDIR
...

What previously was "autoplay" is now "autotest", while "autoplay" now visibly plays back a tape or whole set of tapes. "autoffwd" does what "autoplay" does, but with maximum speed (no delay between frames). (This differs a bit from the wording in the game, where "fast forward" is double-speed playback, while playback without delay is "warp forward" (which exists in a visible and an invisible variant, depending on when you press which button).)

Maybe I will also add an "autodemo" mode, which also contains door animations, screen fading and everything else which you would see when manually playing back a tape, just for demonstration purposes or when making a gameplay video.

The "zoom" thing would also be nice indeed...

[filbo]

The new options work -- thanks!

While playing with them (along with the `sudo ln -s ~/.rocksndiamonds/tapes/$LEVELSET $GAME_DATA/levels/"$LEVELSET_DIR"/$LEVELSET/tapes` workaround), my ~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup/$LEVELSET/levelsetup.conf got blown away. Not sure exactly what I did to cause it.

Renaming "autoplay" -> "autotest" may break someone's regression testing.

The output

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Level 000: playing tape ... solved.
Level 001: playing tape ... solved.
Level 002: playing tape ... solved.

etc. could be improved to include what sort of playback and how long it took:

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Level 000: testing tape ... solved in 5.604s.
Level 001: playing tape ... solved in 89.048s.
Level 002: ffwding tape ... solved in 12.345s.

[Holger]

(This topic was split from this thread to be handled as a separate feature request, as it was initiated by, but had nothing to do with that bug report.)

[Holger]

Can you make "-e autoplay $LEVELSET" either automatically pick up the contents of ~/.rocksndiamonds/tapes/$LEVELSET, or add a similar command like "-e testmytapes" or a flag like "-e autoplay -user"? I don't want to have to perform surgery on my system-wide games data hierarchy in order to test per-user saved tapes...

Totally valid request. I've added a new option "--mytapes" for this purpose, so you can decide which set of tapes to use.

For example:

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$ ./rocksndiamonds --mytapes -e "autotest classic_boulderdash"

This one was really missing so far.

[Holger]

Does it work as expected? If yes, I would mark this thread as "solved"...

[filbo]

It all works. I was going to suggest an "--autowarp" flag, but then I tried it and it worked :) -- and then I checked the "--help" output and there it was.

I see you didn't do "--autodemo" as you suggested you might.

Running any sort of --auto* annoyingly overwrites ~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup.conf [last_level_series], so that I must go questing. Some day, would like (1-easy) that not to happen, (2-annoying) a "recently played level series" list recorded in levelsetup.conf and accessible through game UI. :)

Thanks!

[Should I go raise bugs for those two?]

[Holger]

It all works.

Good to know.

I see you didn't do "--autodemo" as you suggested you might.

Yeah, right. I's a bit more tricky than I thought at first... :/

Running any sort of --auto* annoyingly overwrites ~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup.conf [last_level_series], so that I must go questing. Some day, would like (1-easy) that not to happen, (2-annoying) a "recently played level series" list recorded in levelsetup.conf and accessible through game UI.

You're right here. The first one should be fixed, and the second one would be really nice to have!

[Should I go raise bugs for those two?]

Yes, go ahead, please!

[Holger]

Running any sort of --auto* annoyingly overwrites ~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup.conf [last_level_series], so that I must go questing.

Just tested this, and cannot reproduce it (or maybe just misunderstood whan you mean): Using "auto<something>" never touches my "~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup.conf" file! So, for example, I can play "classic_supaplex", quit, "autoplay classic_sokoban" or whatever, start the game again and continue with my last Supaplex level.

Have I overseen something, or did you mean something different?

[filbo]

It overwrote for me. My levelsetup.conf has always been fairly fragile, gets overwritten all the time. So I may have provoked whatever bug causes that, rather than a direct effect of the --auto flags. I'll try to repro some time soon.

[Holger]

Hmm, I cannot remember that I ever had such a problem. But this probably does not mean much. I'm really curious what actions might have caused the trouble you've experienced.

The only case of "unpleasing" overwriting of that file I can think of is if the game ran into a "fatal error" state where it shows a final error message and exits after a keypress or mouse click, resetting the current level to the default (safe) tutorial level set (to prevent subsequent failures usually caused by a custom level set triggering whatever sort of misbehaviour, which usually does not occur with a "proven" standard level set, so it would be unwise to start and fail with that last level set again and again).

[filbo]

That's probably been the cause in many cases, but I'm certain not all.

If it could just remember a "where I was before I reset to safe default" levelset name -- even if there was no UI to retrieve it, beyond `cat ~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup.conf` -- that'd be a help. And if you're resetting to the default level from the default level, don't overwrite the saved one :)

Ah: repro:

1. ~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup.conf contains: last_level_series: emc_den_mine_06
2. $ (while :; do grep last ~/.rocksndiamonds/levelsetup.conf; sleep 2; done)&
3. $ rocksndiamonds --mytapes -e "autowarp classic_boulderdash"
4. `grep` loop continues to show emc_den_mine_06
5. While it is autowarp-ing, hit ESC, Enter
6. Now back at main menu (side bug: "door" still shows "do you really want to quit" question)
7. Main menu is at classic_boulderdash levelset
8. `grep` loop still good
9. Click on 'Quit' main menu item
10. `grep` loop shows classic_boulderdash (note I have not confirmed quit yet!)
11. Confirm quit
12. levelsetup.conf is (was at step 9) overwritten

... sorry, not entering formal bugs right now, need sleep :)

[filbo]

last_level_series getting overwritten to 'rnd_tutorial_niko_boehm' in various failure states continues to plague me!

Please make levelsetup.conf contain more than just a single 'most recently played' + 'most recently caused a problem'. At the very least, don't rewrite the 'caused a problem' comment with the name of the default levelset; if the problem happens while running the default levelset, retain the previous comment.

But, much better, add the 'recently played levelsets' UI I hinted at here.