Re: CF: Crossfire-Client/Server

["Mark Wedel" <mark@icp.siemens.com>]

On Feb 10, 12:25am, David Sundqvist wrote:
> Subject: Re: CF: Crossfire-Client/Server
>
> Now, if someone wants to write/maintain a client that can actually run on
> such interesting equipment as the VAXStation 3100, and maintain the
> graphics needed, I'd be happy to see it done.

 Note that I believe 0.95.2 client at least fixed the problems running on black
and white display.  While pixmap code (-pixmap) may not be as fast as font
mode, it is certainly faster than xpm, and does look better on bw systems also.

 The problem with the font code wasn't as much the graphics format (there was a
program included with crossfire which would convert the bitmaps into a font) -
the bigger problem is that each font was tied to a specific server/arch
distribution.  If some server adds a new arch with a new image, the output gets
completely scrabbled as all the images are offset by one.  The font effectively
tied a specific image to a specific number (image 25 will always be a bag or
something.)  This makes it very non portable if you play on different servers.

 The other problem with this and the client is there was no easy way to
transmit the font information save for transmitting the entire font.  For
reasons of simplicity, the font code was removed.

 I would guess that if someone was so inclined to get maximum performance out
of the client, writing a bw specific version of the x11.c file might not be a
bad start.  Putting font code in coudl possible done, but would be pretty ugly
(client would have to have translation tables for image num X from server is
really Y in this font), and still have to have some support for new images not
in the font (image Z is a pixmap, so use that code).  Further optimiziation
could be done by not animating objects in the players inventory, and perhaps
using shared memory for drawing.

 Note that most of the drawing code for the client is basically that from the
server.  So save for the fact that no more font mode exists, performance should
be pretty similar.


-- 

-- Mark Wedel
mark@pyramid.com
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