Exclusive -gamedir

[Baker]

Is there any sort of standard in, say, DarkPlaces or FTEQW to exclusively use the specified gamedir for game data.

For example, if I have a total conversion mod, I absolutely don't want it trying to load up files from id1.

Now, my simple solution to this is the "-exclusive" command line parameter or maybe a cvar like host_gamedir_exclusive.

I feel like this to be an existing DarkPlaces or FTEQW feature already, so if I am right how does DarkPlaces or FTEQW do this.

[Chip]

I just modified some lines inside DP's engine source, and "id1" is hardcoded in there. I changed it to "gamedata" to match my mod. There was no feature (or I did not notice it) to exclusively use (or ignore "id1") a TC directory.

[Spike]

what's wrong with -basedir?

[mh]

Well -basedir doesn't really work that way, if I've understood Baker's question right. What I think he's asking for is if there is already a standard way of not having this line executed:

Code: Select all

   // start up with GAMENAME by default (id1)
   COM_AddGameDirectory (va ("%s/"GAMENAME, com_basedir));

As in, tell the engine to run anything specified with -game as a pure TC rather than building on the ID1 base. Possibly something to do with his XMen PSP build problems?

[Baker]

Doesn't the basedir command line parameter just tell an executable where to find the Quake folder. That could be used to do this I guess, but I don't want an extra "Quake" folder for a gamedir. In particular, I have PSP projects in mind (and also to quickly check for mod purity --- like total conversions that actual have pak0.pak or other such expectations).

But yeah, MH got understood it correctly. Just a signal to not load up the default id1 gamedir as part of the search path.

If you are working on a total conversion, you don't want id1 to be in the search path. If you are working with a near total conversion, likewise you'd rather get error messages about missing models and sounds than it to load up Quake ones that might be coded in the QuakeC --- one example is that X-Men Ravages of Apocalypse isn't actually a total conversion but just super-close.

And you don't really want to have another extra "Quake" folder, you might want to easily test an engine build as both working with the usual Quake yada and also not.

Anyways, I thought maybe this had already been done in of the more advanced engines and wanted to stick with whatever that method was. But since it isn't, I guess I'll think of some something sensible and go with that.

[Spike]

with fte at least, you can use -basegame instead of -gamedir, if set it'll ignore any game-specific base games (read: id1+qw+fte/baseq2+fteq2 etc directories), and just use each -basegame instead.
Don't know about other engines.

[Baker]

with fte at least, you can use -basegame instead of -gamedir, if set it'll ignore any game-specific base games (read: id1+qw+fte/baseq2+fteq2 etc directories), and just use each -basegame instead.
Don't know about other engines.

Thanks! Consistency matters to me.

Don't know about other engines.

Really, setting recent history aside, I don't think it is very likely that anyone except yourself and LordHavoc and those in his orbit would have been spending any time thinking about this. So if DarkPlaces doesn't have -basegame, there isn't gonna be an implementation elsewhere.

[frag.machine]

<stupididea>
If the problem is how to force the engine to ignore the default id1 gamedir for total convertions, you could just add a "-tc" command line option to tell the engine your intention (I can see mh yelling to me: "NO MOAR COMMAND LINES!!!1ONE!!!" ).
</stupididea>

[mh]

<stupididea>
If the problem is how to force the engine to ignore the default id1 gamedir for total convertions, you could just add a "-tc" command line option to tell the engine your intention (I can see mh yelling to me: "NO MOAR COMMAND LINES!!!1ONE!!!" ).
</stupididea>

NO MOAR COMMAND LINES!!!1ONE!!!

Not a bad idea actually...