Feature todo-list

[Ashley]

This topic is now largely irrelevant, as the task of organising new features is delegated to this forum and the feature tracker. It is preserved only to keep the ideas within.

[Arima]

Requesting set x/y speed of the platform movement.

About including .dlls - does that mean that we could include d3dx9_30.dll and not have to install dx9 on a system? I seem to recall trying putting that .dll in the same directory as a dx9 app once and it worked, without having to install dx9. I've heard portals and such often don't like dx9 games because of the hassles of installing dx9 on people's systems.

[Ashley]

Yeah, putting the DLL in the same directory could work, but its absence could also be a sign DirectX 9 is simply not installed, which is why it prompts to download the latest DirectX. If you have DirectX 9 but just havent updated it, placing d3dx9_30.dll may work.

[deadeye]

I'd like to see:

- Get collisions for physics objects
- A "None" setting for physics object collision types

I had another suggestion but I've been sick with the flu and I'm all doped up on NyQuil and I can't think of it right now

[Snakesoft]

If you have DirectX 9 but just havent updated it, placing d3dx9_30.dll may work.

That would be great for games' compatibility since Vista having troubles spreading (no mistery why), there will be for a long time plenty of casual gamer with DX8 installed.

Some professional indie developers still develop today in DX7, just as example!

Plenty of thumbs up.

[Ashley]

Maybe I wasn't clear enough - putting d3dx9_30.dll in the same directory as your game doesn't install DirectX 9 and wont let people with DX7/DX8 play the game you need a real DX9 install.

[Snakesoft]

Oh

[Ashley]

Oh and as for compatibility, the SDL runtime will run universally so you can always opt for that if you want to make casual gaming painless. If you want the latest and greatest visual effects though, you have no choice: you have to use the DirectX runtime and your users need an up to date DirectX 9!

An OpenGL runtime, if we made one, may be more compatible too.

[Snakesoft]

you have to use the DirectX runtime and your users need an up to date DirectX 9!

Would be possible then to have personalized error messages in case DX9 are not installed? So that we could for example explain in a user friendly way the reason the game cannot run, and eventually put a link to the DX9 download page?

[Ashley]

The runtime already detects if DirectX 9 is not installed in the DirectX builds. If the user doesn't have DX9 the following message is displayed:

"A required DirectX component, 'd3dx_30.dll', was not found. Please install the latest version of DirectX 9 in order to run this application.

Click 'OK' to visit the Microsoft to install the latest updates for DirectX 9.
Click 'Cancel' to terminate the application."

Clicking OK opens the user's browser to here. It points to the DirectX download category because the original direct download link turned in to a 404 after a few builds, but there's a big link at the top for the latest end-user runtime.