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xm3smps: now with more Visual Basic

Discussion in 'Engineering & Reverse Engineering' started by nineko, Dec 9, 2007.

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  1. Dec 18, 2007 #41
    SMTP

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    I assume topic creators can lock topics, can they not? :P
     
  2. Dec 18, 2007 #42
    nineko

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    OLD POST DELETED. EDITED AS FOLLOWS.

    I asked Tweaker to unlock this, and I apologise for my behaviour.
    While I won't work on xm2smps/xm3smps anymore, it has come to my attention that it might be good to keep this topic open, if people have something to ask about the whole project. Here is what Upthorn told me on AIM:
    Please note that questions concerning why I canceled this aren't appreciated, anyway.
     
  3. Dec 25, 2007 #43
    Flygon

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    I am glad too see that you have decided to unlock this topic, this will definitely allow more progress to happen indeed.
     
  4. Dec 25, 2007 #44
    nineko

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    Well, this topic may be unlocked, but the project *is* canceled.

    You may see that I actually released a new version (3.0.4), but that's only to fix a couple of major bugs that appeared after the transition to Visual Basic, I just didn't want to cancel it while it was still a non-stable software, that would have been just retarded. Now that it shouldn't have any more major bugs, I can cancel it in peace, as I have no reason at all to feel guilty, since it's fully functional.

    edit: just saw (and reverted) Flygon's edit on the wiki. I still stand by my position, as I still think that no one is interested in this. As I just said, the additional release was only to feel in peace with myself, as I don't really like to release a buggy software, in ANY circumstance. I may be a dickhead, but I have a style.
     
  5. Dec 25, 2007 #45
    LocalH

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    No offense, but that's what's retarded. I can't for the life of me see where you get the idea that there is no interest in this tool. With proper voice banks, this could easily be the best way to make custom music for Sonic games (and, if one chooses to use SMPS in their own works, it would be useful for original productions too). Before you call it "completely useless" and decide that "no one is interested", why not try posting about it over at Spritesmind?
    Then, if noone seems interested after, oh, say a month, then you can truly cancel it in peace. I can't help but get the feeling that you are actively searching for some reason to believe that your tools are useless. I remember you did this once before when you were working on the previous incarnation, but you reopened it after realizing that people were interested in it. At least, if you're going to personally stop work on it, release the source so that others can build on your work. You don't have to actively support it, you can just say "here's the source, have fun, don't ask me shit about it".
     
  6. Dec 25, 2007 #46
    Sith

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    Your statement is unfounded as the many responses in this topic demonstrate.
    If you don't want to work on your tool anymore for some reason, let someone else take over...
     
  7. Dec 25, 2007 #47
    nineko

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    Correction. xm2smps has never been canceled.
    My exact words were:
    The progress on xm2smps was slow because I was facing real life issues at that time, but it never stopped. I just thought (and I still think) that it's useless.

    Since I also thought that the lack of interest in this was because of the unfriendliness of MS-DOS, I tried to release a Visual Basic version to see what would happen. Nothing happened. End of story.
    Now, please, seriously, stop talking about this, because it's starting to piss me off. There has been enough drama around this whole project, and I'm getting tired of it.

    Let me state something once again: XM3SMPS IS A 100% WORKING CONVERTER THAT OUTPUTS WORKING SMPS FILES. I WASN'T GOING TO WORK ON IT MUCH MORE THAN THIS ANYWAY, AS ALMOST ALL THE FEATURES I WANTED TO ADD ARE ALREADY IN. IF NOT AT VERSION 3.0.4, IT WAS GOING TO STOP AT 3.0.6 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ANYWAY.
     
  8. Dec 25, 2007 #48
    Aquaslash

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    You seem to be evading the whole issue of letting someone else take over. If it isn't obvious now that quite a few folks find this of some use, then perhaps it'll never be. Shoot, even I'm starting to want to get into this thing as I hear it blows Sonic QX out of the water.

    Besides, it's kinda silly to have the topic open and then discourage people from talking about it. If you're that tired of it, and think it's that useless, then just hand it off to someone else and move on with your life.

    In short, share the wealth :P
     
  9. Dec 25, 2007 #49
    Jayextee

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    All things considered, I think the presence of either convertor is a good thing; My own hack would not have custom music were it not for XM2SMPS, and that's a fact (Because I'm not going to devote the time to learning how to hex-hack anything -- I'm too busy).

    I think the only issues here are

    1] VB sucks. Period. I've given up trying to run the VB version, I'm using the old DOS XM2SMPS -- I think, that considering what Tweaker has outlined; so long as you have a knowledge of the .XM you are porting (Write. Them. Yourselves. Period :D), everything speaks for itself, so long as one can get a compatible voice bank. Which leads me nicely onto...
    2] I have three voice banks. Two were converted from the .YMX files which come with SonicQX, and the other is the UVB. This isn't ideal.

    About point 2, if somebody could go around stealing voices left-and-right to put together basically an equivalent of the stock General Midi voices, that would make things criminally easy -- and who knows, we may have some non-coder musicians taking up the slack to make up for any Green-Hill-with-Scrap-Brain-music hacks there might be ;)

    I'd do it, but Sonic QX only half works on my 'puter. Any attempt to fiddle with voice banks, it crashes; ergo, I can't steal voices. Do you know how frustrated I am that I can get some Thunderforce IV - style guitars together? :D

    Anywho, I've derailed myself here. Back on track; nineko's work here is awesome. The persecution complex is not.
     
  10. Dec 25, 2007 #50
    nineko

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    This implies that I have to give my source code to someone else, and this isn't going to happen. It has been in the FAQ since version 0.1 that I wasn't going to give the source code to anyone.

    In the meantime, I don't see people asking Saxman to work on Sonic QX again. Yet it's much more unfinished than xm2/3smps. Hell, how much should I say that xm3smps is a 100% working software?

    As Upthorn suggested, I asked to unlock this topic to talk about technical questions. My first post after the unlock even contained a big «Please note that questions concerning why I canceled this aren't appreciated», yet it seems that this is the only subject we're talking about. I'm wondering if I should ask for another lock, but Tweaker might kill me.

    You're right, VB sucks. I'm still using xm2smps too.

    Thanks! I really needed some positive feedback, after all. I'm looking forward to play your hack!
     
  11. Dec 26, 2007 #51
    Aquaslash

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    Well, if you have the latest(?) version of SOME, and I don't know..maybe an hour or two to kill with a hex editor, you could assemble a universal voice bank containing all of the voices in the Yamaha(?) set that Sonic QX provides.

    Hmm..I actually have to go picking through those later...maybe I might do it.

    EDIT OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION:
    Ahem yes, so now that I've finally got around to transitioning from QX to this thing (God damn, that was fast), I must say, this is a mighty fine piece of work here. I'm particularly impressed with all the options, and even custom DAC choosing....for slots beyond what the original Sonic 1 has to offer! No more find and replace for me, and no more lame DAC conversions for QX use.

    Good stuff nineko, good stuff.
     
  12. Dec 27, 2007 #52
    Jayextee

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    I'm looking forward to the bloody Xmas season being over so I can get back to my WARM student dorm and work on it some more... Thought my shiny snow level would be done around now-ish, but no.

    Anywho, I'll send it to you (What I have so far, anyways) when I fix Zone 1's music and finish the snow level.
     
  13. Dec 27, 2007 #53
    Flygon

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    After finally figuring out how to get the voices working and so on (I had to get the UVB =P), I have to say that this is a mighty fine converter, it works perfectly to every instruction that I give it and it is really easy to use. And getting the Visual Basic files was actually easier to do that it is being made out to be by the way, though I guess it depends on others computers and patience for finding the files. =P

    But yeah, from my view, this converter does NOT need any further releases, it works great already.
     
  14. Dec 31, 2007 #54
    nineko

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    Oh shut up.

    Version 3.1 has been released, go get it! xm3smps

    Happy 2008 everyone!
     
  15. Dec 31, 2007 #55
    Armada

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    Great job! This version is much less canceled. At least you can write properly to .bin files. XD
     
  16. Dec 31, 2007 #56
    Puto

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    Part of Team Megamix, but haven't done any actual work in ages.
    IT IS CANCELED, STOP ASKING *shot*
     
  17. Dec 31, 2007 #57
    Flygon

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    Uh, might I please ask what the differences are between the versions?

    I would download and find out but I am stuck at my mothers house without any other tools either.
     
  18. Dec 31, 2007 #58
    nineko

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    From the readme:

    == History ==
    Version 0.1
    +First release

    Version 0.23
    +XM loader completely rewritten to be faster and better
    +Fixed a bug that scrambled the pattern order for certain songs
    +Fixed a bug that transposed all the songs by one semitone
    +Added support for panning (8xx effect in XM)
    +Added support for pattern break (Dxx effect in XM)
    +Added support for custom loops
    +Output file for [filename].xm is now called [filename].bin
    +Minor bugfixing here and there

    Version 0.25
    +Fixed support for non-standard pattern breaks
    +Fixed support for non-standard custom loops

    Version 3.0
    +Moved from MS-DOS to Windows. xm3smps now has a GUI!
    +You can now change the tempo
    +Improved voice manager with hex preview
    +Added support for ymx files, and you can now extract voices from other songs
    +Added the chance to output an ASM file
    +Added a new handling option for hi-hats
    +Fixed a few minor bugs (including a pan-related one)

    Version 3.0.1
    +Worked around a Visual Basic bug that prevented you from converting any song

    Version 3.0.2
    +Fixed a stupid bug that messed up songs that don't loop
    +Added an animation in the "wtf" window

    Version 3.0.3
    +Fixed a bug related to the temporary files
    +Fixed a bug related to the screen size
    +Fixed a bug you will never know about

    Version 3.0.4
    +Fixed a bug that prevented the conversion of songs with no PSG
    +Added Tool Tips to the buttons on the main window

    Version 3.1
    +Added an option to mass-remove unneeded rests from the DAC channel
    +You can now have notes longer than $7F (127) on the DAC channel
    +Added more panning options to override 8xx commands
    +Slightly rearranged the "More Parametres" window
    +Added an option to add an $E4 to non-looping songs
    +Added the chance to see the XM header
    +Fixed some minor bugs here and there
     
  19. Dec 31, 2007 #59
    Aquaslash

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    This merits one of those anime style falls. :P
     
  20. Dec 31, 2007 #60
    nineko

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