Return to the Shadowlands

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K1n9_Duk3
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by K1n9_Duk3 »

NY00123 wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 17:28 To finish, bugs are expected. One example is the name of "Pyramid of Footsteps" as shown while the level is loading
Oh, "Pyramid of Foosteps", I didn't notice that before.
NY00123 wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 17:28 I also had one instance in which the game froze while in Sunken Sinkhole; I realize that it can probably not be reliably reproduced, and my guess is that it was related to two dopefish which were more-or-less overlapping beforehand.
The Dopefish code has always been problematic. The code uses one of the object's temp variables to store a pointer to the object the Dopefish is trying to eat. If you save and then load a game while any Dopefish is trying to eat something, the pointer may be invalid after loading the game. Once the Dopefish has completed its bite animation, it removes the target object from the level. Since the pointer is invalid, the target of said pointer might not even exist in the level. Removing an object that doesn't exist will mess up the links in the object list, and any code that tries to follow the links until it hits a Null pointer may turn into an infinite loop.

The best way to avoid this issue would be to change the way the objects are written to and loaded from the savegame files, keeping any pointers intact. Doing that felt like overkill for this simple project. After all, the same bug has been present in Keen 4 for almost 30 years now. I have already modified the save/load code in FITF to take care of this (most of the creatures in FITF store pointers to other objects in their variables), adapting it for the Keen 4 codebase would be easy.
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Ceilick
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by Ceilick »

Regarding the world map, it almost took place above and beyond Crystalus; a modified Crystalus would have been level 1 and would function as a gateway to an entirely new world map from the old one. Ultimately I didn't go with that idea, but that's the reason why that area is modified on the big world map image I made (Also, because the Far Shadowlands map is offset from the original map, it left a really dumb looking solid field of mountains that I wanted to look more interesting).

I'm going to roll out version 1.05 later today with fixes for the misspelling and graphical issues NY00123 pointed out.
NY00123
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by NY00123 »

Ceilick wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 20:08 Regarding the world map, it almost took place above and beyond Crystalus; a modified Crystalus would have been level 1 and would function as a gateway to an entirely new world map from the old one. Ultimately I didn't go with that idea, but that's the reason why that area is modified on the big world map image I made (Also, because the Far Shadowlands map is offset from the original map, it left a really dumb looking solid field of mountains that I wanted to look more interesting).
Was the initial plan to cover most of the extended world map in mountains, or there would be a path to different areas (assuming the topic was considered)?
I'm going to roll out version 1.05 later today with fixes for the misspelling and graphical issues NY00123 pointed out.
I see that it's already out. Thanks for going through my screenshots!
Ceilick
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by Ceilick »

Was the initial plan to cover most of the extended world map in mountains, or there would be a path to different areas (assuming the topic was considered)?
If I understand the question correctly, yes the extra area above the original world map would have been all mountains.
PuddlePoop
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by PuddlePoop »

Hi!
First off , I just want to say this is a great mod and I enjoyed playing a lot as any of your previous mods.
Just finished the mod on Hard. I did encounter a bug though - at the Pyramid of Footsteps whenever I try to enter the stage - at any difficulty level - I always get this error message - US_CPrintline() - String exceeds width.
Does this mean the level's name is too long? How can this be solved? Warping into the level gives the same result. In all mods I played I never saw such a message.
Can you help please?
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Nisaba
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by Nisaba »

PuddlePoop wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 15:02 Can you help please?
Thanks for the bug report.
yeah, this error occurs when a text window is given a line of text too wide for it.

I quickly fixed the error and recompiled the code. Here is an inofficial updated version: RTTS_v.1.06
simply copy the RTTS.EXE file into you projects folder and you should be good to go.


@Ceilick this is the file I tweaked: K4_LEVEL.C
you might want to consider to update your "source code" download link as well. Also make sure to remove all temporary TC000*.SWP files before you upload the package.
out now (link) : Image
PuddlePoop
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by PuddlePoop »

Nisaba wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 7:13
PuddlePoop wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 15:02 Can you help please?
Thanks for the bug report.
yeah, this error occurs when a text window is given a line of text too wide for it.

I quickly fixed the error and recompiled the code. Here is an inofficial updated version: RTTS_v.1.06
simply copy the RTTS.EXE file into you projects folder and you should be good to go.


@Ceilick this is the file I tweaked: K4_LEVEL.C
you might want to consider to update your "source code" download link as well. Also make sure to remove all temporary TC000*.SWP files before you upload the package.
Hey , awesome! thank you.
I just wonder how come nobody encountered this before? people clearly played the level so this bug isn't universal I guess.
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Nisaba
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by Nisaba »

you've just picked the most recent update which is version 1.05. This update corrected the wrong spelling of "Pyramid of Footsteps" and as a side effect evoked the very bug you just came across. So this bug is "universal" for this version. But I guess that most other people here on the forums downloaded an earlier version which didn't had this issue. that's why nobody complained until now
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Ceilick
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by Ceilick »

Thank you for stepping in to fix this while I've been absent, Nisaba. When I have time I'll merge this into an official 1.06.
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55Aavenue
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by 55Aavenue »

Sorry to be so late to the party to get around to playing this mod but I've been so busy as of late. All I can say about this mod is I felt like I was a kid playing Keen 4 again back in the 90s. The level design and atmosphere is Keen through and through. I'm about 1/2 way through and really enjoying it. I regret I never had time to send you and music to consider for this mod, but I see it wasn't really necessary since XkyRauh knocked this Keenish soundtrack out of the park. Great work!
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by sbartus »

I have just finished the game. Thank you Ceilick and others for making this mod - I thoroughly enjoyed it. It really shows that you put a lot of effort into level design, music, new hazards and even the storyline. If Tom Hall et al. ever manage to produce more Keen games, I totally wouldn't mind you joining them.

I played version 1.06 on Normal difficulty. Suggestions for some minor improvements:
a) Pyramid of Fear: in the second area, there should be at least one more Arachnut on Normal. When I played it, the only Arachnut just stayed on the right and didn't move at all towards me. I think that there are two of them on Hard.
b) Pyramid of Footsteps: initially, the required Bounder just fell down to the area with the blue gem-operated door and I couldn't recover it, so I would modify the area slightly.
c) I found the color of Stingaru to be a bit annoying - it doesn't seem to fit the rest of Keen 4 graphics very well.

I'm looking forward to Operation Station Infiltration and its sequel. Also, I'm equally looking forward to play Foray in the Forest.
Ceilick
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by Ceilick »

Thanks for your thoughts, sbartus! I'm glad you enjoyed every aspect of it!
sbartus wrote:a) Pyramid of Fear: in the second area, there should be at least one more Arachnut on Normal. When I played it, the only Arachnut just stayed on the right and didn't move at all towards me. I think that there are two of them on Hard.
Are you suggesting 3 arachnuts on hard :bloody or two on normal and something else on hard?
sbartus wrote:b) Pyramid of Footsteps: initially, the required Bounder just fell down to the area with the blue gem-operated door and I couldn't recover it, so I would modify the area slightly.
It was intentional in the design that you could lose the Bounder, but not intentional that you should lose it so quickly. I'll consider changing that in a future update.
sbartus wrote:c) I found the color of Stingaru to be a bit annoying - it doesn't seem to fit the rest of Keen 4 graphics very well.
This one is funny to me because the color choice was intentional for me for this exact reason. I thought, "Well, there is no purple creature in the Shadowlands, so that's the color the Stingaru will be" :lol But I understand and accept the criticism, it is a departure from the rest of the Shadowlands.
sbartus
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by sbartus »

Ceilick wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 22:25 Are you suggesting 3 arachnuts on hard :bloody or two on normal and something else on hard?
Two on Normal and three on Hard is probably reasonable. Having three might mean that you will have to use a lot of ammo just to pass through that corridor, but there are already two Neural Stunners in that area.
rikimbo
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by rikimbo »

I just finished this mod after chipping away at it over the summer. I really enjoyed it. I have fond memories of Keen 4 and to me this was "Keen 4 but more of it". I remember the overworld in Keen 4 feeling bigger as a kid so the larger map and level count is just perfect for me. I also appreciate that the design language of the levels fits with Keen 4's style, just slightly enhanced because of what you can do with the new tiles. Thank you very much for creating this.

I look forward to revisiting Keen 5 in the next one!
Ceilick
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Re: Return to the Shadowlands

Post by Ceilick »

Bumping to announce version 1.07 is now live. There are a lot of small fixes in this update, and quite frankly I didn't keep good track of everything, but here are the most significant changes:

-Modification to an area in the Pyramid of Footsteps near the Bounder
-Some levels, particularly the Pyramid of the Sun and Isle of Ice, had item modifications to prevent crashes
-Fixed a misplaced background tile on the world map behind the secret level
-A brief textual congratulations screen now appears before the end story
-Corrected some text colors in the story

I expect this to be the final update. If you've already played, no need to play again since these changes are minor, and if you haven't played, it's safe to say this is the version to get started with!
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