PioneerWiki - User contributions [en]

DDS textures

2016-11-04T13:15:36Z

FluffyFreak: Added two links to articles on technical and artistic aspects of DXTn textures.

Fluffyfreak wrote:

= Formats to use: =

In Pioneer we support DXT1 and DXT5 formats, many places will give a [http://www.opengl.org/wiki/S3_Texture_Compression long] and [http://www.fsdeveloper.com/wiki/index.php?title=DXT_compression_explained detailed] explanation for what this means but I will be brief:

*DXT1: 24-bit images, RGB no Alpha channel.
*DXT1a: 32-bit images, RGBA - results in 1 bit alpha '''DO NOT BOTHER.'''
*DXT5: 32-bit images, RGBA - best alpha quality, use this for patterns etc.

So: Got an alpha channel (like Patterns have)? Use DXT5 otherwise use DXT1. Do not bother using the DXT1a or any other format, partly because Pioneer doesn't support anything but DXT1/DXT5, but also because you get worse quality with only a tiny saving in memory usage :(

Beware of forum [http://forums.ouya.tv/discussion/1003/rather-use-dxt-1-or-dxt-5 threads] that discuss the "performance" benefits of DXT1 vs DXT5 - if you're using any DXTn format on anything more powerful than a mobile phone then you've already gotten all the performance benefit you will be seeing.

= MipMaps =

These are half-size images of your texture, they form what are called a "mip-chain" going from the full resolution image and halving in size until they are either 4x4 for DDS (DXT1/5) or 1x1 for uncompressed textures. They are used to improve the quality of the texture on the 3D models when it is viewed at high angles or as it gets smaller on screen. AMDs The Compressonator can generate the mip-chain for you if you ask it too, when I did the batch conversion it seems as though ImageMagick did the correct thing and generate mipmaps for all of the textures too, I don't know what the GIMP plugin will do.

== Neat Trick: ==

You can manually edit the sub-mips (the lower resolution copies) in a mip-chain to useful effect - make the full resolution image a distinct colour, then make all of the lower mip levels a different colour. Then when you look at the model ingame you can see if the highest resolution is ever actually used. If you make each level of the mips different colour you can even find out which mip is most commonly seen.

= Reasons to use DDS (& DXT1/5) =

PNG files look like they are smaller, they are only smaller on your harddrive. Once loaded onto the GPU they are between 4 and 6 times bigger than the same texture compressed using DXT1 or DXT5. This has two drawbacks. The first is simply that they take up more room, OpenGL only has a finite amount of memory on the GPU to work with and once it's gone we get [https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/issues/2937 bugs] saying that the game is crashing. The main problem here is OpenGL doesn't let us know how much memory we can use!!! This is for political, stupid and plain fucking wrong reasons that were decided by total morons who have never had to support software in the real world. AMD and nVidia do provide ways of getting this information, but since they're good graphics card makers they're not the ones that cause us grief, Intel who do cause us all of the grief don't provide us this information. The second problem is not one we have to worry about very much but in theory if we started drawing a LOT more stuff, like trees/grass/rocks/animals/etc on planets, then we might start to use textures a lot more and that would eat up memory bandwidth between the GPU and ram. This is a bit of a worry with integrated GPUs (like the Intel ones) since they share the GPU bandwidth with a CPU, and it's a LOT (LOT LOT LOT) less than a dedicated GPU has available. In practical terms however I've not seen any evidence that this is a problem for Pioneer yet.

For us this is mainly about GPU memory saving, loading time reduction and controlling the final quality of the textures.

DXTn compression does introduce blocky artefacts into textures, so '''it does create quality issues of it's own''', it is a '''lossy compression method'''. This makes it unsuitable for most UI, character and some other uses however it's worst problems can be avoided with care.

Use it for 3D models like ships, stations, buildings.

I won't be removing support for PNG files '''ever''', they're useful for development and sometimes, just very very rarely, they're higher quality is useful so use them exceedingly sparingly :)

== Useful Articles: ==

Gamasutra article on DXTn textures from a programmers perspective: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130906/texture_compression_techniques_and_.php

Gamasutra article on DXTn textures from a artists perspective: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130877/making_quality_game_textures.php?page=1 this is particularly helpful when authoring textures in such as way that you avoid the worst blocking and colour distortion problems common to the DXTn compression scheme.

= Software for working with DDS files =

*[http://developer.amd.com/tools-and-sdks/archive/legacy-cpu-gpu-tools/the-compressonator/ AMDs The Compressonator] and a [http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/textures/making-dds-using-ati-compressonator.php guide] for it.
*[http://www.gimp.org/ GIMP] [https://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/ plugin to export DDS files].
*[http://www.imagemagick.org/ Imagemagick]
*[http://blender.org Blender] opens DDS textures, but it can't create them.

FAQ

2016-08-15T09:55:53Z

FluffyFreak:

= Frequently Asked Questions =

== About the Game ==

=== What is Pioneer? ===

Pioneer is a freeform single player space adventure in the spirit of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier:_Elite_II Frontier: Elite II].

=== Is this a game or a simulation? ===

Frontier was a game, but with a newtonian flight model and a slightly more scientific flavour to the universe than usually in space games. Pioneer will follow this same path.

=== Can I play online? ===

There will be no multiplayer. This does not rule out the possibility of minor network features, but multiplayer as it is commonly known is not compatible with the core mechanics of Pioneer. See for instance [[Network_features|Network features]], and [[ServerAgent|ServerAgent]] for more, or our dev-forum [http://pioneerspacesim.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=216 here]

=== Can I colonize planets, build space stations or conquer the universe? ===

No, these are out of the game scope. While the game universe might not stay static for the duration of a game, the player can not generally influence major events.

=== Can I walk around space stations and planets? ===

No, you cannot exit your ship. The ship is always your avatar.

=== Is the universe pre-defined or randomly generated? ===

There are millions of stars in the galaxy. A few hundred on them are based on real-world astronomic catalogues. some of the planets (obvious ones being in the Sol system) are pre-defined, but most things are procedurally generated. This means that a planet does not exist until you actually visit it, but it will be generated the same way for every player.

=== Can I hire crew for my ship? ===

Yes. You can hire crew. But they don't do very much at the moment.

=== Are savegames compatible between releases? ===

While the game is still in alpha, this cannot be guaranteed. The situation will stabilize in a few years.

=== Are savegames compatible between Mods? ===

Again as with savegames between alpha versions, compatability between mods can not be guaranteed. It all depends on what mods you have installed.

=== Where is star system X from Frontier? Can I buy ship Y? ===

Although Pioneer started out as a clone of Frontier, it no longer is, thus references to the Frontier universe have been removed, and we aim at making Pioneer far better than Frontier. Thus, you will have to figure out new trade routes! But don't worry, Newtonian physics will remain, as well as single player.

== Gameplay ==

=== How do I take screenshots? ===

Ctrl+Printscreen saves .png files in the same directory where the game .ini and savegames are. You can cycle through full HUD/HUD without labels and cursor/No HUD and cockpit using TAB as described in [http://pioneerwiki.com/wiki/Keyboard_and_mouse_controls#In_flight [1]].

=== How do I find star X in the star map ===

First it is important to note that just like in real life, names are not unique. The star map allows the player to search for either name or coordinates of a system. The search is done in the local region of the currently selected system.

Thus a standard way of finding a system is to type in the name in the search field in the lower right corner of the star map. If you know the system is within a few ly from your position, then have your current location selected when you do the search, since it only does a "local" seach in space. If the search fails, go to the sector where the star is supposed to be, either by typing the coordinates into the search field, or by using arrows, mark a nearby star in that system, and do another search. You can scroll the star map super fast by holding in the Shift key.

=== I have a Taxi mission to system X, but which starport? ===

For Taxi missions any starport will do, as long as you dock before the deadline.

=== Starsystem names are not unique ===

This is not a bug, space is big, and just here on Earth it is quite common with cities and villages sharing the same name, sometimes quite close.

=== I picked up a mission to a starport in a system, but when I search for the system, it seems that it doesn't have the destination starport, or even uninhabited. ===

As mentioned above, there could be multiple systems with the same name. Each mission states the coordinates (Sirius (1,0,-1) for example) of the destination system, and you can enter them into the search field on the sector map, to find the correct system.

=== I end up "a big number" AU away from the star when I hyper jump to a system ===

This happens in binary star systems. You can select the star you want to jump to from the [[Manual#System_info|System View]].

== Technical FAQ ==

=== How/where do I report my bug/crash ===

Bug reporting is the most important part where you as a player can help the community. When you encounter something that seems strange or odd in the game, please report it, preferably to our [https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/issues issue tracker], but you can also stop by the [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#pioneer IRC channel].

When having problems with graphics, or pioneer not starting/crashing, please attach the files '''output.txt''' and '''opengl.txt''' from the pioneer [http://pioneerwiki.com/wiki/FAQ#Where_is_the_configuration_file.2C_saved_games.2C_screenshots.3F config folder] in your home folder / My Documents folder. If you didn't get the '''output.txt''' file, then make sure '''RedirectStdio=1''' in '''config.ini'''.

It is important to include as much of the following information as possible in each issue report, much of this is available to use from the '''output.txt''' and '''opengl.txt''' but if you cannot attach them then please tell us:

*The version of pioneer you are trying to run (''build date or ingame version number'')
*What operating system you are running, Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, Linux (''what distribution''), OSX.
*Your computers system specifications - CPU / RAM / Graphics card.
*Whether you have downloaded it from our site, or if you are building it from the source code.

=== Where is the configuration file, saved games, screenshots? ===

*Windows: My Documents\Pioneer
*OS X: /Users/your_username/Library/Application Support/Pioneer
*Linux: /home/your_username/.pioneer

=== Where is the Mac version? ===

Pioneer is built for both Windows and Linux on the same machine, thus these are our main releases, and are always in sync with each other. To build a Mac release we actually need access to a Mac machine, which, unfortunately, none of the developers currently have. If you have a Mac which can compile and upload pioneer for us on a regular basis, then please contact us (IRC).

=== I'm getting "OpenGL Version 3.1 is not supported. Pioneer cannot run on your graphics card." error on startup ===

Your graphics card should support at least OpenGL 3.1 to run Pioneer mode. Pioneer requires your graphics card to support Shaders. If your hardware is not hopelessly old, it could be just that the drivers supplied with your operating system are out of date.

*[http://www.nvidia.com/Drivers Nvidia]
*[http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx AMD (ATI)]
*[http://downloadcenter.intel.com/ Intel]

=== Previous versions of Pioneer (pre 2014-11-19) used to work, but current doesn't start ===

As of 2014-11-19 Pioneer has switched to OpenGL 3.1, as stated above. If your hardware (or drivers) don't support it you can try the last OpenGL2.x version of Pioneer, which you need to compile yourself by following the directions in [https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/blob/master/COMPILING.txt compiling.txt], after first doing a "git checkout 20141118" after the "git clone" command. However, if you are on MS. Windows, you can find older binary versions over at [http://www.moddb.com/games/pioneer/downloads moddb].

(An emergency hack is to run pioneer from the command line with "LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 pioneer")

=== Where do I find older versions of Pioneer ===

You can find older versions starting from December 2014 (2014-12-05) on our [http://sourceforge.net/projects/pioneerspacesim/files sourceforge] page. 2014-11-18 was the last version supporting OpenGL 2, between 2014-11-19 to 2014-12-07 Pioneer required OpenGL 3.2. From 2014-12-08 only OpenGL 3.1 is required. Over at [http://www.moddb.com/games/pioneer/downloads moddb] they have windows version going further back in time.

=== I'm getting graphical issues ===

Such as wrong textures, ships missing from the view, text display glitches. '''Updating the display drivers usually solve these problems.'''

These usually occur on older graphics adapters, or because of outdated GPU drivers. Not too old NVidia and ATI cards are usually enough to play the game, but integrated GPUs are usually not enough.

=== I'm getting graphical issues, such as snow-like sky and transparent terrain ===

This is probably caused by the eclipse shader which isn't supported by some open source graphic drivers. You could install the propritary drivers, if available, or disable the eclipse effect by adding DisableEclipse=1 to your pioneer configuration file (config.ini).

=== I see blank untextured Gas Giants and I'm using an ATI graphic card under GNU/Linux with open source drivers (Mesa R600) ===

With chipsets using the R600 gallium drivers the shader fails to compile. There is a workaround that uses less noise octaves. This produces less detailed texture maps for the gas/ice giants but they still look good and at least the program runs.

Try setting <code>AMD_MESA_HACKS=1</code> in ~/.pioneer/config.ini or disable GPU jobs entirely by setting <code>EnableGpujobs=0</code>

=== I'm getting text rendering artefacts ===

Some system monitoring HUD utilities, like MSI Afterburner can cause distorted text rendering. Try switching the HUD utility off.

=== The game freezes at the intro screen ===

If you cannot start the game at all, edit the configuration file and change value DisableShaders to 1.

=== The game crashes after the loading screen. I'm using ATI free drivers on GNU/Linux. ===

If you are getting a GL_INVALID_ENUM in console, could be because some ships uses textures in a format that, because of patents, is not included in the main mesa package. Search for libtxc-dxtn or libtxc_dxtn in your distribution and install it.

=== The game hangs when I turn on the ''Enable Cockpit (EXPERIMENTAL)'' option ===

It's because it's an experimental feature right now, infrastructure mostly. You need a cockpit model for to be able to use it.

You can find one heavily WIP one posted on the Community Forums. Note that it's a highly experimental feature right no, so please treat it accordingly.

=== My joystick is "drifting" ===

The game has a deadzone setting, but it is only accessible through the configuration file. Open config.ini and raise the JoystickDeadzone value.

=== I'm getting poor performance ===

The heaviest part of the game is planetary terrain generation. Turn down the "Detail distance" and "Fractal detail" settings, they have the most impact for performance. Reducing screen resolution is also recommended, this can be done in the [[Settings_Menu|Settings Menu]], or manualy to a custom values by editing your personal configuration file, on linux: <code>~/.pioneer/config.ini</code>. On Windows: <code>Documents/pioneer/config.ini</code> Look for <code>ScrHeight</code> and <code>ScrWidth</code> entries.

=== I've enabled anti-aliasing in the config file, but it does not work ===

Make sure the AA settings are not overridden by your graphics card settings, on NVidia AA should be set to "application controlled" mode.

=== Full screen mode is incorrectly scaled ===

If you are on Windows, try:
<pre>Sounds like windows 7 desktop-scaling issues.
Try adding some compatability modes to the Pioneer.exe.
Right click it and Choose properties -> Compatability -> Tick
Disable desktop scaling, and Disable desktop composition.
</pre>

== Development ==

=== How much development is being made? ===

Development is sporadic, but no month goes by without some change to the source, fixing bugs, cleaning up code, introducing new content and/or features; see [https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/blob/master/Changelog.txt Changelog.txt]. All contributors work on pioneer for free when they have time.

=== What's the deal with the inconsistent UI interface? ===

Pioneer started transitioning to a "NewUI" defined in easy-to-change Lua files ([https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/pull/2589 #2589], merged in 2013), that do not require recompilation, thus ideal for users to play around with, extend and ideally contribute any improvements back into the project.

The NewUI screens are the nice "blue" frames, such as Options/Settings, BBS, ShipMarket, Commodity market, Lobby, ShipInfo, etc. The migration to NewUI has stalled somewhat, and the SectorView (F2), communications/autopilot (F4), and others are still defined in the old hard coded C++ source code.

Due to lack of time, and coders, transition has stalled for now, although SystemInfo is halfway there ([https://github.com/pioneerspacesim/pioneer/pull/3564 #3564]).

=== Do you accept contributions? ===

Hell yes! Pioneer is not any one persons personal project. It is the sum of the contributions made by the people who play and care about the continued development of the game. See: [[How_you_can_contribute|How to contribure]].

Settings Menu

2016-01-12T19:21:13Z

FluffyFreak: Add anisotropic filtering option

This menu is accessed by pressing ESC. We detail here the meaning of some of the options available.

You can access the settings menu from the main menu, or when you press the pause button again if you pause the game, or by pressing esc.
== Video options ==
Many things here are self explanatory. Multisampling level and the detail levels of the planet and cities are the most resource intensive features, so if there are performance problems, it's useful experiment with these settings first. Most graphics settings require a game restart to take effect.

=== Video resolution ===
Self explanatory. If the resolution you want is not available, then it can be entered manually into the configuration file (see [[FAQ]]). Lowering resolution gives smoother game play.

=== Multisampling ===
A graphical [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multisampling fine-tuning feature], used to reduce jagged, pixelated contours. It can be quite resource-intensive.
[[File:Multisampling.png|center|600px]]

=== Full screen ===
Self explanatory.

=== Compress textures ===
Enabled by default since 2014-06. This frees up more memory for the graphics card, which is likely what you want, at the expense of compressing them during game start.

=== Anisotropic Filtering ===
Samples the texture across multiple mip levels to produce a much clearer texture when viewed at shallow angles.
Stops the textures from becoming as blurred however it can come at a heavy performance cost.
Disabled by default.

=== Planet detail ===
Use a lower setting if you don't have a modern graphics card.

=== Planet textures ===
TODO

=== Fractal detail ===
Higher detail increases load. No surprise there.

=== City level detail ===
Determines the size of the rendered cities. Higher details equals more buildings to render.

===Display nav tunnel===
A navigation aid showing a "tunnel" of squares on the HUD, towards the navigation target.
[[File:Settings_navtunnel.png|center|600px]]

===Display speed lines===
Space dust while you travel, to get a sense of motion.

===Display HUD trails===
Draw a trail after ships. A visual aid to show their motion.
[[File:HUDTrails.jpg|center|600px]]

===Enable Cockpit===
An experimental, Work in Progress feature to support 3D cockpits with slight head movement in reaction to ship rotation. Without any interaction currently.
[[File:Cockpit_screenshot.png|center|600px]]

= Sound =
Accessed by clicking the speaker icon, second tab.

= Language =
Set in game language. See section on [[Translations]] for more information if you want to add a new language or improve current translation. Language setting needs a game restart to take effect.

= Contol options =
Set keyboard and joystick controls.

= Overriding settings =
Settings found in the config.ini file can be overridden by command line parameters.

<code>pioneer.exe -g -g ScrWidth=800 ScrHeight=600</code> sets the resolution to 800*600, useful if you switch monitors a lot.

Note that these values are saved in the config.ini if you change any settings in-game.

FAQ

2014-11-20T17:31:26Z

FluffyFreak: Update the section about error messages on startup and the required OpenGL version