MMF2 Build #253

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Originally Posted by SortaCore

HWA can be accessed by choosing Direct3D 8 or Direct3D 9 display mode in the application properties.

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I have a question about exactly this. Previously I was developing my project with the HWA beta and I'm pretty sure I was using DirectX as nothing else really worked. Now, using DirectX I have none of the acceleration and I've noticed a very big drop in framerate in most of my levels.

I'd have no problem switching to Direct3D, except that subapplications don't work with it from the get-go. Apparently, I can create a new sub application once my project is in Direct3D mode and then can check "display as sprite," but I have a good 22 frames each with very complicated rules for the subapplication object, and I can't just go to each frame and check "display as sprite" on my subapp objects because it's greyed out on these.


Basically, I want to keep using hardware acceleration, but now must switch to Direct3D for this, but this means I have to replace all my subapplication objects and rules in all of my frames. Is there an easier way? Or can I somehow roll back to the HWA beta which was working fine for me?

The DirectX mode of MMF2 is outdated and is only partially accelerated. It's accelerated only for transfers between screens, and is usually much slower if you use semi-transparent objects, objects with alpha channel, or fade transitions. This mode didn't change for years, we keep it for compatibility only, and it's exactly the same in all the versions of MMF2.

One thing was different in the HWA version though, and that could explain your issue. In this version, the collision routines and the collision detection events are better optimized than in the standard version. We didn't report these changes to the normal runtime because they are heavy and they may cause compatibility issues with existing applications. In the new version of MMF2, standard/DirectX apps use the normal, non-HWA runtime that doesn't contain these optimisations, unlike the HWA version that was using the optimized runtime even for non-HWA apps (hopefully I'm clear :p).

If you want real acceleration, you have to use one of the Direct3D modes.

Possible solutions :

1. You can force the HWA runtime to work in DirectX mode with the /DDRAW command line option. To run your application in DirectX mode from MMF2, just put /DDRAW in the Command Line box in the properties of the application. When you redistribute your application, add /DDRAW to the command line in the properties of the shortcut to your EXE.

2. I guess your application runs in full screen mode otherwise you wouldn't need to select the Display As Sprite option for the sub-apps? This option is grayed out if the "Popup window" option is selected, because you can't display child windows in full screen Direct3D apps. Possible solution : you make a launcher for your app, that switches to standard full screen mode, runs your Direct3D app in windowed mode (maximized), and waits for it to ends. Example Direct3D in windowed mode is slightly slower than the full screen mode, but you can display child windows like sub-apps.

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Originally Posted by ColdFire

is possible to install 251 and 253 at the same time?

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No, you can't. I'll answer your PM.

Build number of DLL is old when used /DIB option and displayed in titlebar.

Yes I know, I forgot to change it. Not important anyway.

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Originally Posted by Yves

One thing was different in the HWA version though, and that could explain your issue. In this version, the collision routines and the collision detection events are better optimized than in the standard version.
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Possible solutions :

1. You can force the HWA runtime to work in DirectX mode with the /DDRAW command line option. To run your application in DirectX mode from MMF2, just put /DDRAW in the Command Line box in the properties of the application. When you redistribute your application, add /DDRAW to the command line in the properties of the shortcut to your EXE.

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Thanks very much for the quick reply, this explains it... Yes, my application is running in full screen mode. I'll try your suggestions.

I tried the /DDRAW command line option, and it slowed everything to a crawl (down to single-digit FPS.) For some reason, DirectX is still the fastest display mode in which everything works.

I tried a few test things to get the subapplication working in Direct3D- I could uncheck the popup window thing, check "display as sprite" and do a few other changes to make it work in this way. I could get it to work, but my application (specifically, my subapplication) makes extensive use of displayed list objects, which do not work in Direct3D. I didn't want to go through the trouble of converting my whole application to work in Direct3D if this part would always be broken.

So, is there any way to make list objects work in Direct3D mode? Alternatively, is there a way to roll back to the HWA version I was using previously? Honestly I would love to have this running in Direct3D 9 for best performance and compatibility, but if that means redoing all of my game I don't think it's worth it.

Ah, yes by default /DDRAW is DirectX+VAM. Use /DDRAW /NOVR for DirectX, sorry.

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So, is there any way to make list objects work in Direct3D mode?

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They work in windowed Direct3D mode, they don't work in full screen Direct3D mode. If your app is in full screen, use the tip I gae you above to switch to full screen via a launcher application.

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Originally Posted by Yves

Ah, yes by default /DDRAW is DirectX+VAM. Use /DDRAW /NOVR for DirectX, sorry.
They work in windowed Direct3D mode, they don't work in full screen Direct3D mode. If your app is in full screen, use the tip I gae you above to switch to full screen via a launcher application.

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Okay, I tried the windowed launcher method as in the example you posted, and while subapps and lists do work, it now crashes to desktop on the first real level screen. I'm currently looking at four versions of my project:


1. Launcher + Direct3D 9. Works fine until you try to play an actual level, then crashes immediately.

2. No launcher, DirectX. Works, but has a noticeably lower framerate (~10 fps hit, nearly unplayable)

3. No launcher, /DDRAW /NOVR command line. Same framerate issues.

4. An older version that I built with the HWA beta I was using on 12/5- Runs full screen, full fps, no crash to desktop, no complaints


Simply put, I wouldn't have installed this latest MMF version if I'd known that it would have caused this much trouble with my project; I would have finished it up in the legacy version and then fully updated MMF. At least wait until the project was done. Is there any way I can roll back to the older version?

I can provide the .mfa files and exe if you want to look at them, but it's a huge project and the compiled version from 12/5 is 10.5 MB as is. There is a lot going on in the code and picking through it might not be totally instructive.

1. Yes please zip and send me your MFA (or upload it somewhere). I'll try to see why it crashes.

3. When you use /DDRAW and /NOVR, are you sure you've set the graphic mode to Direct3D? (so that MMF2 uses the HWA runtime) EDIT: sorry apparently I forgot to mention it in the posts where I was talking about the command line options, oops...