Topic: [News] D2X-XL: Web hosted tracker service, post process filters, optimizations

[karx-elf-erx]

D2X-XL news time again!

#1 In cooperation with the Koolbear, Ryujin and Jeff250 from DescentBB.net a web based tracker service for D2X-XL has been created, allowing to check available Descent 1 and 2 game hosts via a web site. For an example, go here: http://www.descent2.de/trackers.html and click on "Active Servers" to the left.

#2 D2X-XL offers a new explosion shockwave effect realized by a post process filter (shader program modifying the entire frame after it has been rendered). Check out my

Youtube video

.

#3 While building the shockwave shader I found a spot in the code unnecessarily slowing down soft particle rendering - which should now be quite a bit faster. So this time, owners of powerful hardware get a goodie here for a change.

[Foil]

Oh, sweet!!

[Scyphi]

Hmm, the shockwave's look cool, but I dunno if I'd really want it in-game.

However, everything else looks/sounds good, and it's made me realize just how much I've fallen out of the loop regarding everything D2X-XL related. 

[-<WillyP>-]

a web based tracker service for D2X-XL has been created, allowing to check available Descent 1 and 2 game hosts via a web site. For an example, go here: http://www.descent2.de/trackers.html and click on "Active Servers" to the left.

It says server didn't respond, does that mean there are no servers, or is there a problem?

[karx-elf-erx]

Problem. The tracker has returned a server, but the server doesn't respond to game info requests.

[karx-elf-erx]

Ryujin has proposed a few improvements to D2X-XL's auto-launch capability as cherry on top of the tracker service cream we have created recently. I have implemented these, and you can now see this all working at http://www.DescentValhalla.com/tracker .

You can read what Ryujin has to say about it himself here: http://www.descentbb.net/viewtopic.php?style=16&f=20&t=18223 .