SS2Tool v6 Beta Test

[664a547798221voodoo47]

yes, bloom and hdr will murder performance on older, slower or integrated gpus, and as a lot or people out there are running those, the default should be left at off. "ss2tool made my game run like crap" is not something we want to see getting posted around forums.

[664a5477983cbmiracle.flame]

I have tried this also on Lenovo ThinkPad T430 with Intel® HD Graphics 4000 and yes on 1920x1200 it is quite choppy but on 1680x1050 very playable so I would not call it performance killer. Most users nowadays have decent hardware for this anyway and those with legacy systems are very used to finding their ways how to increase performance if possible. The feature may be left unchecked in setup by default for the sake but the values I am proposing should be way much more useful than those which are shipped in cam_ext.cfg for those who decide to enable Soft Bloom.

[664a547798535voodoo47]

nope. you know who the vendor with most gpu market share is, right? it's intel. that means mainstream and highend (or "gaming", if you want) AMD/Nvidia gpus form only a small fraction of the grand total. sure, the numbers will change once we remove pcs that will never be used for gaming, but still, it isn't far fetched to say that half the users will run the tool on gpus most of us would consider inadequate for "true" gaming (integrated and value solutions). hence, anything that significantly changes the minimum system requirements should be avoided.

anyway, any bloom/hdr options/selections available in the tool are up to K to decide. all I'm saying is that the default setting should always be off.

[664a547798713Kolya]

SS2Tool had postprocessing (bloom) enabled by default since I think version 4 to 5.2.
SS2Tool 6 has it disabled by default, but the values are the same if you enable it: bloomscale 4, bloom_threshold 0.85.
(The other values stay unchanged and hence at their defaults: bloom_range 2, bloom_saturation 0.7.)
I found these values by experimentation like you did. You will have to at least post some comparison screenshots to convince me that yours are better.
In the end though this would probably be best dealt with in a tweaking tool, which we unfortunately don't have yet. SS2Tool has a different purpose and the language it is written in (NSIS) doesn't lend itself to the sort of complex user interface you would want for a tweaking tool, ie tabs and sliders, radio buttons, checkboxes.

I don't think it matters too much if bloom is on or off by default because experience shows that most people will simply check and enable everything.

[664a54779888amiracle.flame]

Good idea, I have made 21 sets of comparisons and I was surprised by the outcome myself. The results are debatable and subjectivity definitely comes into play. Maybe a compromising averages between the differences is the way to go. I would definitely go into lowering bloom_threshold as for more light sources needs to be affected by bloom, adjusting radius and intensity accordingly.

Sorry for the large attachment but I have noticed markable inaccuracies in colors when converting to jpg which is very undesirable in this particular case (keep an eye on floor details when comparing).

Note: I have used bloomscale 1.2 instead on these, bloom_range 1 and bloom_threshold 0.4
[screenshots.7z expired]

[664a5477989b0remyabel]

I barely notice a difference in the screenshots. I notice a slight glow around the lights but that's about it. I've tried enabling bloom myself and couldn't tell the difference (I guess it's easier with screenshots.) No point in making the game potentially run slower for barely a visual enhancement.

Maybe if someone is willing to write an FAQ for common settings, this would be convenient for players so they don't have to tweak it themselves.

[664a547798aecmiracle.flame]

Firstly the comparison is not about on/off differences. The screens are comparing current bloom setting with my suggested setting. As bloom is about blooming light sources you should compare light differences.. the best way is to fullscreen the pic and switch between them immediately. If you would see the diferrence between on/off bloom you will say it's definitely worth it.

[664a547798c05Kolya]

I like that on your screenshots with the lower threshold some elements get bloom which don't get it with my settings, ie the white lights on doors or the yellow overhead lamp in the engineering tunnel. However that may come at a price: The green radiated fluids overhead are too bright in your screenshot. Not sure if it's just that shot or a general problem.
Overall the differences are very subtle between our settings. I might have to test this a bit in game.

[664a547798dceKolya]

Uploaded Beta 6.0.0.4 with some minor changes:
- save_0 is not moved to the SyncBackup folder anymore. That was an actual bug.
- patch_ext.crf is not moved to the SyncBackup and then synced down from the master anymore. This was merely inefficient.
- If Manual.pdf exists in the game root, it is moved to the Docs folder. Otherwise it's synced down to Docs. A Start menu shortcut can also be created.
- The exclude list (SS2ToolExcludeSync) is removed after the syncing process as it will be re-downloaded before any sync anyway and isn't useful for the user.
- In some cases the user will get the option to file a support request here on the forums: When game validation failed. Or if there was a version comparison error.

Stuff I noticed
- I could also send them to support if they have a network error, I guess. It might lead me onto what's bugging v47's machine. Or it might send people here with varying firewall problems that they cannot handle themselves.  
- I have implemented a feature to enforce updating of SS2Tool. That's cool. But not enforcing it is never an option, because version handling isn't that fine grained. If I set enforce to false, someone with a way too old version could continue. Not just the previous version, as intended.   

[664a547798eafKolya]

6.0.0.5
- added support option in case of network error
- send them here for now

[664a547798fd1remyabel]

Just tried it on Wine. Used 5.1 first (by accident, but good way to test what happens) and it seems to be outputting some errors (starting with "Downloading exclude list"). Unfortunately I can't copy/paste, so here's a screenshot.  It completes the installation fine but takes forever presumably because of the rsync failures. I also couldn't locate where BMM was installed.

[664a5477993d4remyabel]

Firstly the comparison is not about on/off differences. The screens are comparing current bloom setting with my suggested setting. As bloom is about blooming light sources you should compare light differences.. the best way is to fullscreen the pic and switch between them immediately. If you would see the diferrence between on/off bloom you will say it's definitely worth it.

Yeah, sorry for my stupidity. I probably didn't notice the bloom before because my installation was so old. But after playing again the lighting looks really awesome.

Side note: I just saw a psi monkey in the hallway where the BOTM cutscene starts. This has never happened to me before.
[lighting.png expired]
[lighting2.png expired]

[664a5477997c7Kolya]

Continuing the discussion from Secmod3 here with remyabel:

Can't even get to that part. I did a refresh install with ss2tool 6.0.0.5 and it has a black screen (with sound) as soon as you enter one of the career paths.

After reading your log file , it turns out SS2Tool never actually synchronised with the master, see the many failed events in the log. I will try to catch that error in the future and give appropriate feedback to the user at least, if I'm not able to fix it.

In the meantime: What operating system are you running on?
Could you try and run SS2Tool 6.0.0.5 again?

When it works, in the log

Code: [Select]

receiving incremental file list should be immediately followed by

Code: [Select]

delta-transmission enabledand then multiple lines like these:

Code: [Select]

[generator] protecting file 7za.exe because of pattern 7za.exe
[generator] protecting directory Binds because of pattern /Binds/
[generator] protecting directory Cmds because of pattern /Cmds/

[664a547799ba1remyabel]

Continuing the discussion from Secmod3 here with remyabel:
After reading your log file , it turns out SS2Tool never actually synchronised with the master, see the many failed events in the log. I will try to catch that error in the future and give appropriate feedback to the user at least, if I'm not able to fix it.

In the meantime: What operating system are you running on?

Fedora 20

Could you try and run SS2Tool 6.0.0.5 again?

When it works, in the log

Code: [Select]

receiving incremental file list should be immediately followed by

Code: [Select]

delta-transmission enabledand then multiple lines like these:

Code: [Select]

[generator] protecting file 7za.exe because of pattern 7za.exe
[generator] protecting directory Binds because of pattern /Binds/
[generator] protecting directory Cmds because of pattern /Cmds/

No change. I tried adding port 873 to my firewall as well.

[664a547799e81Kolya]

Fedora 20

This could be a problem with the cygwin library where the error pops up or an incompatibility with the Wine environment.
Please try the attached test version with updated cygwin libs and see if the failed events still occur.

[attachment removed]

[664a54779a154remyabel]

This could be a problem with the cygwin library where the error pops up or an incompatibility with the Wine environment.
Please try the attached test version with updated cygwin libs and see if the failed events still occur.

Now rsync.exe actually crashes (encountered a problem...) The installer keeps going as usual though (with the usual errors).

Cygwin's port of GCC is known to have problems. I recommend Stephan T. Lavavej's (a developer who works for Microsoft) 64-bit MinGW distribution. It comes with GCC 4.9.1, and many up to date packages including the GNU core utils (so you don't need MSYS)

[664a54779a25dKolya]

I think the problem is the multi layered setup. We have a unix tool that we're running on top of a POSIX layer on top of a windows emu on top of a unix system. It's like selling a fridge to the Eskimos.

[664a54779a33bremyabel]

Perhaps it's too ambitious. Should I just stick with ss2tool 5.1?

[664a54779a4b7Kolya]

I looked into a MinGW based rsync but apparently it uses a different syntax? Seems a bit weird. Or it's because I'm using a slightly newer cygwin based version.

Code: [Select]

rsync: change_dir#3 "/cygdrive/C/Users/Kolya/Desktop/SS2_virgin_ENG" failed: Bad file number (9)To be honest I'm not terribly enthusiastic further pursuing this, as I have a hunch it's failing in Wine.

I think the best solution for you would be to have a windows partition for games.

Alternatively copy the game to an USB stick, update it on someone else's windows box and then mount the stick in Wine or copy it back.
There will be no more development on the 5.x series of SS2Tool and the results differ already. So I don't recommend to rely on it for the future.

[664a54779a5b6Kolya]

Here's another test version for you, remyabel.
[SS2Tool-BETA-v.6.0.0.5.exe expired]

[664a54779a6ccremyabel]

I decided to go along with the Windows route. Thank you for your hard work and patience.

Edit: Binds are missing and it crashed. I'm going to have to try again.

Edit2: Reinstalling it via Wine and merging the two installations seemed to do the trick. I'm going to have to see if it has any actual issues now.

[664a54779a7acKolya]

In which setup were the binds missing and the crash now?
Not sure what you merged exactly.

[664a54779aa07remyabel]

In which setup were the binds missing and the crash now?
Not sure what you merged exactly.

I did the Wine install on Fedora, copied to USB, ran the original download on it on Windows 7, and then tried to run the game on Fedora from the USB. It created a "binds" folder (lowercase) that was empty (and the game wouldn't even start past the menu screen). I then wiped the Wine install, reinstalled it on Wine, and copied the install folder from the USB over and did a Replace All. After that, it now works fine although the binds are still missing

[664a54779ab23Kolya]

If it didn't have a Binds folder after running SS2Tool on windows 7 then something must have gone wrong there already. In which case the game is still in an unstable condition, regardless if it runs.
I mean it probably needn't bother you and I can understand if you just want to play now, but keep this in mind if any strange stuff happens.