Stratagus Menu UI for Chochlik

[qualakon]

I don't know if this is possible at all because I'm no pro at programming, however I don't know where else to ask for this:

I'd like to request that this Diablo mod support the Stratagus Main Menu UI. I don't know if it's possible but in my experience, everything is possible.

To start, I'd like this menu to match the current menu as seen below. It doesn't have to be fancy, but incorporate the same style of buttons as Stratagus Main Menus.



As you can see when you start playing, this is an older version of the new Diablo mod Belzebub now under the control of the Polish team who made the Awakening. This mod has a little history, it used to be called Chochlik and before that it was an unnamed Diablo Mod. I found out about it through ScummVM Forums April of last year I started helping Marsky/Marek/DungeonGenerator and was blown away at the beginning, but was told to keep it secret. If you read in the readme for the Unnamed_D1_marsky.rar, you will see there his word that he would release the source code. I helped him bug squish and add exciting features under the impression that we were working on an open-source project, or at least would be soon.

Code and resources for project will be shared once I finish it or get bored and abandon it.

I'm pretty sure the mod was programmed in Visual C++ 2010 but I can't confirm that as I don't have the source despite my efforts. I'd quote the Belzebub forums but it looks like they're down at this time.

I have also attached the last version of the mod before it switched from Chochlik to Belzebub. This was a time when I was running Khanduras.net and DungeonGenerator was allowing me to share with a Private Alpha group on Khanduras.net. I believe that once the project went to Belzebub, Noktis and his team added a lot of new changes, but scrambled the code so that it couldn't be read. I'm hoping that by providing these files, the right person will be able to use them to achieve this goal. Worst case scenario, we got a little history lesson on an obscure mod.

INCENTIVE

If you made it this far in the post, then I must thank you. This is the good part!

I'm offering $200 CAD (because that's where I'm from) to the person that contributes the most. In the event that two persons equally contribute (to be decided by the community) each person will receive $150. This money is not a payment for the code or resources provided, rather it will be a badge or recognition to promote open-source initiatives. Will be paid by PayPal or bank deposit if you live in Canada.

WHY AM I DOING THIS?

Because I believe in open-source software. I have a vision, call we'll it "Diabgus". It will be a barebones Diablo 1 HD engine with a rudimentary Single and Multiplayer games based on Diabdat.MPQ. But the fun part will be it's Mod feature which is run with LUA, copying Wargus etc. I was in talks with Darren Lamb, one of the artists who worked on Hellfire, late last year and he wanted to help out if the project was open-source which Belzebub is not. We'd have unique equipment and items to Diabgus. And there's nothing stopping communities to rise up. I'd also like to work on Khanduras.net again, and bring open-source, Diablo 1 modding into the fore-front. I need help getting there though and the only thing that motivates people in today's world is money.

FINALLY

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope I find the right person for the job. I haven't posted these files anywhere else but here, if you think you know someone, please direct him or her to this post. Even if you're not right for the job, reply with your support or criticism.

[Kyran]

Stratagus uses guichan for the menus, which is a small interface library for C++.

[qualakon]

Thank you for your reply. Do you know where I can get the latest version?

I'm thinking here: https://code.google.com/p/guichan/downloads/list but it looks out of date. The sourceforge site is broken. And how can I use it with VS 2010?

[Kyran]

That location looks about right. I doubt Stratagus uses the newest version. You can check out the getting start guide here.

[qualakon]

Yes, thank you for that Kyran.

What about Lua? How is that handled?

I have restored Khanduras.net. I have unlocked a previously hidden forum which contains all the passwords for the old Chochlik mods. I'm not too sure if someone could reverse-engineer a previous version. Check it out here: http://khanduras.net/forums/private-alpha-testing/

Hope that helps.

[Andrettin]

Hey qualakon,

I find your dedication to Diablo 1 amazing To me it is one of the best RPGs of all time, and I loved playing it back in the day.

Unfortunately, I don't think much can be done without the source code for those engines. If you want to use the Stratagus engine to do a Diablo 1 remake, though, that is another matter. With cybermind's changes to how unit variables work, it is possible to implement RPG features through Lua, like leveling up and acquisition of abilities. Of course, the game would still be quite different from Diablo 1, but you could fork the engine and modify it to make it closer to Diablo 1 gameplay. You would also need to make an extractor like Wargus', which would extract the data from the Diablo 1 disk.

Or, alternatively, you could create a game that has gameplay inspired by that of Diablo 1, without using any of its data or lore (in that case an extractor wouldn't be necessary, and everything would be open source). There are open source graphics out there which resemble those of Diablo 1 (for instance: http://opengameart.org/content/isometri ... nd-heroine), which you could conceivably use with the Stratagus engine.

An example of the RPGish possibilities with the Stratagus engine can be seen in the latest version of Wyrmsun, where units level up as they gain experience. Certain units can advance to upgraded unit types when they level up (an upgrade button appears in their interface), while the others just get an increase in maximum HP. Thanks to cybermind's modification to the engine, it would also be possible to add level-up buttons with functionalities different than upgrading to other unit types, such as adding a new ability or increasing damage. It should also be possible to save units so that they can be played with again (so the player character can be saved in a RPG), but I haven't personally tested that.

[qualakon]

Hey Andrettin, thanks for your response.

I'm looking into Flare but I don't know if that's what I'll use. I really like the timing and atmosphere used in the classic game, which would be hard to replicate in another engine.

The hard part for me is I don't have enough knowledge to do what I'm looking for. The question I've been asking is how can I?

I've found a couple half-baked open-source engines for Diablo, it'd be great to have a complete one.

[Andrettin]

Hey Andrettin, thanks for your response.

I'm looking into Flare but I don't know if that's what I'll use. I really like the timing and atmosphere used in the classic game, which would be hard to replicate in another engine.

The hard part for me is I don't have enough knowledge to do what I'm looking for. The question I've been asking is how can I?

I've found a couple half-baked open-source engines for Diablo, it'd be great to have a complete one.

I think you should be able to get the timing and atmosphere you want if you get the right graphics. Either way, I took an open-source skeleton graphic and stuck it into Wyrmsun, and here is the result:



By changing the tileset and other graphics you could get the atmosphere you are looking for. You would probably have to modify the engine to make the player character be always selected, and to create an inventory system. I don't have much experience with Flare, but it might be an interesting possibility for you to build the game on (possibly easier than adapting Stratagus for this purpose). This artist has created a lot of open source graphics which seem approximate to the Diablo style to me.

In any case, of course it would be quite a bit of work to create a game with an atmosphere and gameplay inspired by those of Diablo 1.

[qualakon]

GitHub user wheybags uploaded his project Freeablo recently and released his v0.1 today. It looks quite awesome and is open-sourced. He has compiling instruction for Windows (Visual Studio) and for Linux using cmake. You can see the GitHub repo here: https://github.com/wheybags/freeablo

I like what I see here and he's looking at making a GUI for it next. I suggested GUIchan but we'll see what he decides. He's looking for pull requests and others to contribute so perhaps someone from this group would enjoy that.

I made a post about it here: http://khanduras.net/2014/04/repo-freeablo-v0-1/

You'll see a further in-depth look at the source and compiled versions provided on Khanduras.net in the coming days, if you like that sort of thing stay tuned to Khanduras.net!

[Andrettin]

GitHub user wheybags uploaded his project Freeablo recently and released his v0.1 today. It looks quite awesome and is open-sourced. He has compiling instruction for Windows (Visual Studio) and for Linux using cmake. You can see the GitHub repo here: https://github.com/wheybags/freeablo

I like what I see here and he's looking at making a GUI for it next. I suggested GUIchan but we'll see what he decides. He's looking for pull requests and others to contribute so perhaps someone from this group would enjoy that.

I made a post about it here: http://khanduras.net/2014/04/repo-freeablo-v0-1/

You'll see a further in-depth look at the source and compiled versions provided on Khanduras.net in the coming days, if you like that sort of thing stay tuned to Khanduras.net!

Quite cool, thanks for the info! I'll keep an eye to see how the engine's development progresses.

I think it would be a good idea to have the engine released under the GPLv2 instead of the GPLv3 (or have it released under both), as the former is (AFAIK) much more commonly used. I also think that it might be a good idea to change the name from "Freeablo" to something else, as "Freecraft" received a Cease & Desist letter from Blizzard exactly for allegedly infringing the "Warcraft" trademark. I don't think Blizzard had much reason in considering that a trademark infringement, but it is a good idea to avoid repeating this situation.