PlanetsCentral

Hi,

I have uploaded PCC2 2.0.11.

This version adds one new features that was missing from PCC1: you can now sell torpedoes or fighters you accidentally bought this turn, and do not have to reset the entire location. (It does not include a disk recovery program. Sorry, CCC ).

Among the minor improvements, PCC2 now uses the engine's nominal speed when you activate the hyperdrive, which gives better tow resistance. Previously, this was hardcoded as warp 2.

Bugs fixed include that PCC2 accidentally wasn't showing some ships you should see, as well as a crash in the starbase task editor.

Deprecation notice: PCC2 still runs on Windows-95-class operating systems. This is becoming more and more of a maintainance problem. For example, some virus scanners no longer know the compiler used to build it, and therefore mark it suspicious. I therefore plan to drop Windows 95 support in the near-to-mid future. I'm seeing the occasional request from a browser claiming to run on a Windows-95-class system, so if that's you and you need PCC2 on that, tell me

As usual, get it here: http://phost.de/~stefan/pcc2.html

--Stefan

Okay this will be my first version used for linux only. And no disk-revovery tool needed. That's the part you covered thoroughly. But there is a lot other stuff that's giving me the creeps.* The only thing that worked perfectly fine so far was installing dosbox and copy paste my dosbox games directory...

Right now I chose to install the linux version of PCC2.0.11. Working perfectly so far. Next step recovering my old settings and thus altering some files like expr.cc or expr.usr. But there are they? And more important how to start pcc2? It's not listed in applications at all.

The best I could do was to have a look at my old system and using search function to locate the stuff on my linux drive. So I could find expr.cc and expr.usr. And I found this:

Name     Size     Type     Location
pcc-v2   4.9 MB   Program  /usr/local/bin/

But I'm pretty sure it is not the purpose of linux for users to find their stuff somewhere on the disk and running it manually. There is even other stuff to run (and not to run) in that folder that has nothing to do with pcc like ms-sys and some that is related to pcc like un-trn.

So what went wrong? I'm using linux mint 20.3 (Ulyana)

*The most annoying is how to create a bootable usb stick for win7 with only linux systems running?! Seems to be next to impossible.

Right now I chose to install the linux version of PCC2.0.11. Working perfectly so far. Next step recovering my old settings and thus altering some files like expr.cc or expr.usr. But there are they?

The configuration files you're supposed to modify are in your home directory, in a hidden directory ".pcc2", i.e. normally "/home/<user>/.pcc2". Create your expr.ini there.

In Windows, it's similar; the directory is called "PCC2" and is in "C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\PCC2". This is mentioned briefly in the documentation if you know where to look.

You're not supposed to modify the file that the installer created, neither in Windows (C:\Programs\PCC2\specs\expr.cc) nor in Linux (/usr/local/share/planets/expr.cc), but it doesn't seem too uncommon to do that in Windows.

And more important how to start pcc2? It's not listed in applications at all.

The best I could do was to have a look at my old system and using search function to locate the stuff on my linux drive. So I could find expr.cc and expr.usr. And I found this:

Name     Size     Type     Location
pcc-v2   4.9 MB   Program  /usr/local/bin/

But I'm pretty sure it is not the purpose of linux for users to find their stuff somewhere on the disk and running it manually. There is even other stuff to run (and not to run) in that folder that has nothing to do with pcc like ms-sys and some that is related to pcc like un-trn.

You're right, I didn't add that to the GUI menus. I take that as a feature request.

That aside, you're not supposed to search. /usr/local/bin is a on your $PATH by default, so all you need to do is open a shell prompt (terminal) and type "pcc-v2". /usr/local/bin is the traditional directory for programs that are not part of your distribution. If every program had its own directory, like in Windows, THEN you would have to search...

Sure, if you're used to start programs with the mouse this may have that slightly negative "run it manually" vibe. For me that's pretty normal, that's what I do all day...

Anyway, thanks for feedback with the Linux version: most feedback I got so far was for the Windows one, and my usage patterns of PCC2-under-Linux are probably not the same as most others'.

--Stefan

Yeah yeah. I'm still 'new' to linux. That's true and there is some stuff I don't want to get accustomed to at all. Well that's the feeling right now at least. I'm not totally hopeless though since right now I used ls -h (not working) followed by ls --help (that's it) as a stab into the dark to get to know how I can show hidden directories with the terminal. That part worked, still there is no .pcc2 there at all.

Funny Idea to get a win feeling is to create a shell script like this:

#!/bin/bash
pcc-v2
done

Put in on the desktop and link it to a picture.

Furthermore would this command work in order to get PCC into the applications list?

sudo cp /usr/local/bin/pcc-v2 /usr/share/applications

Addendum
Huh?! I can start pcc-v2 from my old hard disk using wine just fine

Since I'm already trying stuff...

#!/bin/bash
xrandr --output <fill in video out> --mode '640x480'
cd /my/path/to/pcc2/data/
pcc-v2
xrandr --output <fill in video out> --mode '1280x1024'
done

( 'xrandr' gives the video out name and the information if 640x480 is possible; change last line to your prefered screensize obviously)

As far as I know this is kinda sledgehammer / bruteforce. Is there a simpler way to do the same (maybe without installing xrandr)?

Yeah yeah. I'm still 'new' to linux. That's true and there is some stuff I don't want to get accustomed to at all. Well that's the feeling right now at least. I'm not totally hopeless though since right now I used ls -h (not working) followed by ls --help (that's it) as a stab into the dark to get to know how I can show hidden directories with the terminal. That part worked, still there is no .pcc2 there at all.

You're looking for "ls -a". If there is no ".pcc2", create one. PCC2 tries to avoid creating the directory if it wouldn't put anything in it by itself.

Anyway, I would recommend everyone to install Midnight Commander which makes file management more visual. However, you may need to enable display of hidden files here as well (Options > Panel options > Show hidden files).

Funny Idea to get a win feeling is to create a shell script like this:

#!/bin/bash
pcc-v2
done

Put in on the desktop and link it to a picture.

What worked for me, right now and here, in KDE: in file manager (Dolphin), right-click, Create New > Link to application, fill in the "Application" page (Command: /usr/local/bin/pcc-v2), and drag the result onto the desktop.

Furthermore would this command work in order to get PCC into the applications list?

sudo cp /usr/local/bin/pcc-v2 /usr/share/applications

Copying binaries files is never a good idea. I do not yet know what the best way is to get files into menus, in a way that works in most distributions. If it were easy and obvious I would already have done it

15 years ago, Debian was praised for its Menu system (/usr/share/menu), but it seems people have settled for a different solution now.

Addendum
Huh?! I can start pcc-v2 from my old hard disk using wine just fine

If it works, why not?

If you end up with the decision that the Windows version works better in full-screen than the Linux version, I wouldn't be surprised; on my current PC, this is the case whereas on my previous PC it was the other way around. One reason why things are this way is that I'm using a 15 year old toolchain and SDL library. Upgrading that will solve such problems; this is one of the reasons why I want to retire Win95 support... With SDL2, everyone gets smooth full-screen support with GPU-based upscaling.

--Stefan

If you end up with the decision that the Windows version works better in full-screen than the Linux version, I wouldn't be surprised; on my current PC, this is the case whereas on my previous PC it was the other way around. One reason why things are this way is that I'm using a 15 year old toolchain and SDL library. Upgrading that will solve such problems; this is one of the reasons why I want to retire Win95 support... With SDL2, everyone gets smooth full-screen support with GPU-based upscaling.

--Stefan

Well.
It worked with wine. But it didn't do a thing about screensize. in win7 I used a long parameter string under properties. But I can't even access these properties anymore because I don't have a working win-95/98/XP/Vista/7-whatsoever.
So wine opens with the usual small window on my big screen and I don't have single clue what I could do about it. With the linux version the above commands (Addendum #2) are working.

streu in Re: PCC2 2.0.11:

If you end up with the decision that the Windows version works better in full-screen than the Linux version, I wouldn't be surprised; on my current PC, this is the case whereas on my previous PC it was the other way around. One reason why things are this way is that I'm using a 15 year old toolchain and SDL library. Upgrading that will solve such problems; this is one of the reasons why I want to retire Win95 support... With SDL2, everyone gets smooth full-screen support with GPU-based upscaling.

Well.
It worked with wine. But it didn't do a thing about screensize. in win7 I used a long parameter string under properties. But I can't even access these properties anymore because I don't have a working win-95/98/XP/Vista/7-whatsoever.
So wine opens with the usual small window on my big screen and I don't have single clue what I could do about it. With the linux version the above commands (Addendum #2) are working.

The option you're looking for is '-fullscreen'.

When I start PCC2 as wine "/dos/c/Program Files (x86)/PCC2/pcc-v2.exe" -fullscreen, I get a full-screen application (and it messes up my dual-monitor setup). In contrast, the native version "pcc-v2 -fullscreen", just gives a 640x480 application with a huge black borders (as far as I understand, the difference is that the native version tries to leave the upscaling to the monitor, but most monitors stopped supporting that like ten years ago).

--Stefan

The option you're looking for is '-fullscreen'.

When I start PCC2 as wine "/dos/c/Program Files (x86)/PCC2/pcc-v2.exe" -fullscreen, I get a full-screen application (and it messes up my dual-monitor setup). In contrast, the native version "pcc-v2 -fullscreen", just gives a 640x480 application with a huge black borders (as far as I understand, the difference is that the native version tries to leave the upscaling to the monitor, but most monitors stopped supporting that like ten years ago).

--Stefan

That's better then xrandr. Because setting the resolution to 640x480 still means PCC2 is starting in a window. Which cuts into the picture (above as well as below).

Since my monitors are leftovers from the predecessor of the 10 year old system I just got rid of they are doing the task with ease. So wine and linux version are both working with -fullscreen for me in the same way. Though I expect the linux version to give less troubles and it is faster.