SDL Test #7797 Win7

[MatGB]

First impressions, turn 42

It takes awhile to get started, ran the install then clicked 'run FO' and it gave me the traditional small blank rectangle .exe screen, which then disappeared, to reappear, then the game window eventually appeared. I changed all my settings then restarted as usual, same again, appears, disappears then eventually runs.

On hitting single player and going for the defaults after changing the colour (OT: does anyone like that horrid green as the default colour? Can we change it to something less lurid so I don't get a headache when I forget?), it takes a LONG time. Each individual AI process gets its own little rectangle and takes time to start running, I didn't time it but it was a frustratingly long time. After all the AIs were, eventually, running, the game itself seemed to get going relatively quickly.

Main feedback here, I've no idea if these delays can be reduced or eliminated, but if there are going to be multiple process windows appearing and disappearing, it would be a VERY good thing if they said something so an end user isn't worryign there's a crash, etc. Even if it's just the AI saying hello and issuing a few threats or something.

After that, in game, it *feels*, well, different. Weird, at first, sizes seem different, text looks different (but not in a definable way, it might just be a psychological effect), the mouse scrolling and map movement is definitely smoother. I haven't noticed an improvement in resource usage nor a reductio in lag, OTOH I'm playing early game with a small (default 150 systems) map.

Is there anything specifically I should be looking for, testing for, etc?

[Geoff the Medio]

Is there anything specifically I should be looking for, testing for, etc?

Is all the content working, mainly...

What own-little-rectangle for AIs are you talking about? I don't get anything similar sounding with my Window builds... I'm running from a command line usually, though.

[MatGB]

Playing from the executable as per a standard install and double clicking the desktop icon. Basically at the start of a new game (not loaded from save yet) each individual AI process starts with a separate small rectangular window with its own name (I forget, freeoriond.exe?) which appears for a bit, then disappears for a new one.

That's new behaviour, if it happened before it happened so quickly I didn't see it even on the oldest of machines. Do bear in mind I'm on a 4 yr old laptop that was only mid spec with low end integrated graphics so it's behaviour that might happen really quickly if at all on a higher spec machine but it is a much slower startup proces than before.

Given the game appears to run better and faster once it's running it's a tradeoff I think I'd keep, but it might be worth flagging things up so people know that it's getting setup as the delay does look like nothing's happening and/or something's crashing. I'll try it on H's (much better) laptop in a few days see if it responds better.

[Vezzra]

It takes awhile to get started, ran the install then clicked 'run FO' and it gave me the traditional small blank rectangle .exe screen, which then disappeared, to reappear, then the game window eventually appeared. I changed all my settings then restarted as usual, same again, appears, disappears then eventually runs.

Although it does feel like it takes longer now for the program to start up, everything else is like before. The small console window doesn't disappear and reappear, it just stays, as it has always done. (Btw, what's up with that little console window anyway? I don't ever get that on OSX.)

On hitting single player and going for the defaults after changing the colour [...], it takes a LONG time.

You mean, game startup (launching AI processes and universe generation) takes unusually long? Doesn't for me... on the contrary, it feels as if it is a bit faster than before (especially the AI processes seem to get launched more quickly, but that's very likely just subjective perception...).

(OT: does anyone like that horrid green as the default colour? Can we change it to something less lurid so I don't get a headache when I forget?)

I couldn't agree more. Default color is now sky blue. Committed.

Each individual AI process gets its own little rectangle and takes time to start running, I didn't time it but it was a frustratingly long time.

Very odd. Like Geoff, I don't get these. AI processes start up just fine...

Is there anyone who can reproduce that behaviour with the r7797 SDL test builds on Windows?

Is there anything specifically I should be looking for, testing for, etc?

Probably if anything looks/is broken, or if everything works fine/as before (keep in mind that these builds are based on the SDL/SDK branch which misses several weeks of commits to trunk, so all of the recent additions/changes are missing).

Do bear in mind I'm on a 4 yr old laptop that was only mid spec with low end integrated graphics so it's behaviour that might happen really quickly if at all on a higher spec machine but it is a much slower startup proces than before.

Well, compared to my Windows test rig that's probably still a high spec machine. Said windows test rig is a 9(!!!) yo desktop. Was a decent machine back then, but today that's a dinosaur. Running XP 32bit.

[MatGB]

Loaded the savegame this morning, and it took an age to get running, I didn't time it but each AI client (freeorionca.exe) got its own process window, stared at me blankly for awhile then hid itself to let another one load up.

It was, definitely, slower to load up a savegame than it ever has been on trunk and I've never seen a process window for each individual AI before.

Apart from that, I've not noticed anything not working that should be, there are features I've got used to quickly that I miss (like the design list staying in the same place when you delete a design, such a little change but it was a nice improvement) but they are new.

One thing I don't like, lots of overlapping detection circles, that's definitely new, and I can't seem to find the option to remove/change opacity of the border lines for them.

[Vezzra]

lots of overlapping detection circles, that's definitely new

Yep, right, confirmed on OSX.

[Mitten.O]

Sounds like an issue with the stencil buffer. Does the behaviour change between windowed and full screen?

[MatGB]

Two and a half minutes to load the game after selecting it from the list of saved games.

But, having booted up fullscreen, yes, the issue's gone in fullscreen.

[Vezzra]

Sounds like an issue with the stencil buffer. Does the behaviour change between windowed and full screen?

Yep. Issue only appears in windowed mode. In fullscreen everything works fine.