QJ.net Game Discussion - PSP, Xbox, Wii, PS3, PSP Homebrew, and PSP Guides

Marach · 05-31-2009, 09:13 AM

Hello, my first post.
This is my PSP port of a game Meritous by Asceai.
I hope you like it like I do. Please report bugs, comments, complains and love letters in this thread.

http://elementgame.boo.pl/downloads/public/meritous.zip

Sorry it can't be in url tags, just copy/paste in browser adress field.

Also, check out my homepage and a PC toy-game "Sqr":
http://elementgame.boo.pl/

INFO:
It's a dungeon-crawl-action game. You travel through thousands of rooms killing monsters, finding artifacts and dealing with bosses. Controls are explained in readme file. Plot and more game help is explained in the in-game help file opened by pressing Select. Game contains 3 endings. Wuss mode is for less experienced, but I recomend playing always in normal mode. Game fits into PSP screen - it's not streched. What's up with that love letters?

Remember to save whenever you can, no one knows what will happen...
I spotted an issue, I don't know if that happens to everyone - after playing for long, some sounds will not play and game WON'T SAVE! If that happens, just restart the game, nothing will help. And remember to restart every 30 minutes unless I fix that. If that does not happen to you, you're lucky

.

**dan369** · 05-31-2009, 09:37 AM

http://elementgame.boo.pl/downloads/public/meritous.zip
Element

There you go. You need to add some more info, what the game is about, controls etc.
Frankly, i don't have a clue about this game

.

**scionsamurai** · 05-31-2009, 11:56 AM

this game is odly addicting. i have been playing for like 30 min strait, and am only 7% done!!! i am on normal mode not wuss.lol

**SG57** · 05-31-2009, 03:15 PM

Sounds like a re-occuring memory leak Marach.

Marach · 05-31-2009, 10:46 PM

I know.
I will contact with game creator, who already helped me before. Fixing even half of memory leaks can lengthen the gameplay to an hour

.

**yaustar** · 06-01-2009, 06:31 AM

I do wonder if it is memory related as I would have expected the game to hang rather then not work. It could be due to memory fragmentation (which isn't much of a worry on PC) as there are lots of little memory allocations.

Marach · 06-01-2009, 06:33 AM

So how do you think I can fix that?

**yaustar** · 06-01-2009, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marach

So how do you think I can fix that?

The problem is that I am not 100% sure if that is the problem. To reduce the amount of dynamic allocations, you have to think about using fixed sized memory pools and custom allocators.

**nickxab** · 06-01-2009, 10:29 AM

Cool.
Nice game man.

Marach · 06-03-2009, 12:22 AM

If an incomplete RPG demo can get its place on QJ main website, why this port can't?

You can check how people enjoy this one...

BTW, a stability fix is coming this week, stay tuned

.
I think the code loads the same image/sound twice and doesn't free the previous one.
Or, I will just load all images and sound at once to prevent fragmentation.

LOL where this forum sees any link or email address

**dan369** · 06-03-2009, 04:10 AM

Because there Busy, its E3 you know. They will but it up eventually

Marach · 06-03-2009, 04:43 AM

So you can eventually wait for the fix

it won't take long.

**nickxab** · 06-03-2009, 05:00 AM

Nice a new update

Tdude_gamer · 06-03-2009, 03:29 PM

haha ive been playing this so long i forgot to reply

. This is like the most complete homebrew i have ever downloaded in my life

. I thought it would be another partially finished rpg. But i got like 20% through the game, then i saved on an outside saving area, and when i turned it back on, i was back down to 3% with really weak stuff back at the main starting area

. do the outer saving posts not work or something?

Marach · 06-07-2009, 05:31 AM

^^ You can save wherever you want, but restart every 30 minutes or the game won't save anymore.

And, what I wanted to say:
HELP! Please, I need help fixing the memory bug! I tried creating custom memory allocator, but something is really f**ked up here.
If you want to help improving my allocator or you have an idea what's going on, PLEASE send me a PM. Any help will be appreciated.
-=Double Post Merge =-
One thing I forgot to mention: the new version (if it will ever come out) will have MUCH improved performance.

**daaa57150** · 06-10-2009, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marach

HELP! Please, I need help fixing the memory bug! I tried creating custom memory allocator, but something is really f**ked up here.
If you want to help improving my allocator or you have an idea what's going on, PLEASE send me a PM. Any help will be appreciated.

What language is this programmed in? If it's C++ I have written a bunch of things to watch memory state, count objects allocation/deallocations and the like. Some things will work if it's pure C too. I found a lot of small memory leaks with that; and the most weird thing that caused problem was the use of std::iostreams: some initialization had to be done at the start of the program or else after a while the game would freeze during a loading.

Marach · 06-10-2009, 03:59 AM

It's written in C, but I changed filenames to cpp and used C++ features extensively to patch the game to work on PSP.

**daaa57150** · 06-10-2009, 05:52 AM

Ok, then maybe you'll find some useful code in my sources .
Look inside code/framework/check, there are 2 things you may be interested in:

- MemoryWatcher: use this to use the "wolf fence" technique, I wrote it after reading that article : Finding memory leaks with mallinfo()
Read it and you'll know what it does. I have 3 "getMemoryLost" methods; if I remember I reffered to only one of them but I don't remember which one, the others may be broken you have to test sorry

- Trackable: I used this to count my allocations / deallocations; but works only on C++ classes, so I'm not sure you'll have an interest. Briefly: you make the class you're interested in inherit from this one, call the "startTracking" method, and when you're finished call "stopTracking" and then "Trackable:: dumpToFile", and you'll see the number of allocations & deallocations for all your tracked classes.

**suloku** · 06-11-2009, 05:56 PM

That's one hell of a game! I really hope you can manage to solve the saving bug, 30 minutes are gold in this game.

BTW i've played 2 hours straight (pc version), can't get tired of it. I have 1/3 of the game only, but all the artifacts.

It's beggining to feel monotonous, though I want that agate knife!

dargx001 · 06-12-2009, 08:16 AM

Quite honestly this is one of the best homebrew I have seen for the PSP. I can't stop playing it. I enjoyed powder, I enjoyed the port of rogue, but this takes the cake. I can't wait until the bugs are fixed and I can play it indefinitely. Keep up the great work!

**suloku** · 06-29-2009, 11:01 AM

Any progress on this?

Sithis · 08-08-2009, 04:23 PM

Don't know if it's okay to bump or not (please let me off with a warning if it isn't), but I'd love to see this updated.
I really like this game and I don't want to have to worry about save problems if I switch to the port.

**dan369** · 08-08-2009, 04:56 PM

Recent threads (a few months ago, like this) is okay. 1 year+ threads, is considered spamming.

EsTuArT · 08-08-2009, 06:53 PM

thanks

**FaT3oYCG** · 08-08-2009, 08:16 PM

stop spamming just so you can post links, atleast post something that expresses your opinion and not just thanks.

**elite999** · 08-09-2009, 07:34 AM

@FaT3oYCG, some things can't be stopped. :/ I am going to try this game, because many users said it is addicting.

05-31-2009, 09:13 AM	#1
Marach Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	[RELEASE] Meritous PSP Hello, my first post. This is my PSP port of a game Meritous by Asceai. I hope you like it like I do. Please report bugs, comments, complains and love letters in this thread. http://elementgame.boo.pl/downloads/public/meritous.zip Sorry it can't be in url tags, just copy/paste in browser adress field. Also, check out my homepage and a PC toy-game "Sqr": http://elementgame.boo.pl/ INFO: It's a dungeon-crawl-action game. You travel through thousands of rooms killing monsters, finding artifacts and dealing with bosses. Controls are explained in readme file. Plot and more game help is explained in the in-game help file opened by pressing Select. Game contains 3 endings. Wuss mode is for less experienced, but I recomend playing always in normal mode. Game fits into PSP screen - it's not streched. What's up with that love letters? Remember to save whenever you can, no one knows what will happen... I spotted an issue, I don't know if that happens to everyone - after playing for long, some sounds will not play and game WON'T SAVE! If that happens, just restart the game, nothing will help. And remember to restart every 30 minutes unless I fix that. If that does not happen to you, you're lucky . Last edited by Marach; 05-31-2009 at 01:40 PM.. Reason: More info

05-31-2009, 03:15 PM	#4
SG57 ...in a dream... Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 4,957 Trader Feedback: 0	Sounds like a re-occuring memory leak Marach. __________________ ...you'll never know what it's like... spending your whole life in a dream... Launch a Kitten out of a Cannon and win real cash! Checkout my newly updated site for all my projects (Kitten Cannon, BOXHEAD, Light Cycle 3D)

06-01-2009, 06:31 AM	#6
yaustar Developer Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: UK Posts: 2,316 Trader Feedback: 0	I do wonder if it is memory related as I would have expected the game to hang rather then not work. It could be due to memory fragmentation (which isn't much of a worry on PC) as there are lots of little memory allocations. __________________ [Blog] [Portfolio] [Homebrew Illuminati - Serious Homebrew Development Forums] [I want to make Homebrew FAQ] [How I broke into the Games Industry] [Programming Book List] [Programming Article List]

06-01-2009, 10:29 AM	#9
nickxab Pro Hacker My Mood: Join Date: Jan 2009 Real First Name: Nick Location: Greece,Limnos Just Played: Counter Strike 1.6 Posts: 2,698 Blog Entries: 5 Trader Feedback: 0	Cool. Nice game man. __________________ Phat PSP 1004 TA-079 v3+Sony 16GB Mark II+Two Sony Softmoded Pandoras with 5.00 m33-6+1.50 kernel+5.01 patch+6.10 version.txt iPhone jailbroken with OS 3.1.2 PS2 Slim model SCPH-75004 + MC boot 1.8 Fujitsu Simens Amilo PA1510+2.5GB Ram+AMD Sempron 3400+ 1.8GHz+Windows XP My site My qj blog My guides Patch the 5.50/6.00 games to work with all FWs My CWCheat databases

06-03-2009, 05:00 AM	#13
nickxab Pro Hacker My Mood: Join Date: Jan 2009 Real First Name: Nick Location: Greece,Limnos Just Played: Counter Strike 1.6 Posts: 2,698 Blog Entries: 5 Trader Feedback: 0	Nice a new update __________________ Phat PSP 1004 TA-079 v3+Sony 16GB Mark II+Two Sony Softmoded Pandoras with 5.00 m33-6+1.50 kernel+5.01 patch+6.10 version.txt iPhone jailbroken with OS 3.1.2 PS2 Slim model SCPH-75004 + MC boot 1.8 Fujitsu Simens Amilo PA1510+2.5GB Ram+AMD Sempron 3400+ 1.8GHz+Windows XP My site My qj blog My guides Patch the 5.50/6.00 games to work with all FWs My CWCheat databases

05-31-2009, 09:37 AM	#2
dan369 Enter Custom Title Join Date: Jan 2008 Real First Name: Dan Location: Wales, cardiff Just Played: Overlord 2 Posts: 1,308 Blog Entries: 1 Trader Feedback: 0	http://elementgame.boo.pl/downloads/public/meritous.zip Element There you go. You need to add some more info, what the game is about, controls etc. Frankly, i don't have a clue about this game .

05-31-2009, 11:56 AM	#3
scionsamurai Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 69 Trader Feedback: 0	this game is odly addicting. i have been playing for like 30 min strait, and am only 7% done!!! i am on normal mode not wuss.lol

05-31-2009, 10:46 PM	#5
Marach Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	I know. I will contact with game creator, who already helped me before. Fixing even half of memory leaks can lengthen the gameplay to an hour .

06-01-2009, 06:33 AM	#7
Marach Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	So how do you think I can fix that?

06-03-2009, 12:22 AM	#10
Marach Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	If an incomplete RPG demo can get its place on QJ main website, why this port can't? You can check how people enjoy this one... BTW, a stability fix is coming this week, stay tuned . I think the code loads the same image/sound twice and doesn't free the previous one. Or, I will just load all images and sound at once to prevent fragmentation. LOL where this forum sees any link or email address

06-03-2009, 04:10 AM	#11
dan369 Enter Custom Title Join Date: Jan 2008 Real First Name: Dan Location: Wales, cardiff Just Played: Overlord 2 Posts: 1,308 Blog Entries: 1 Trader Feedback: 0	Because there Busy, its E3 you know. They will but it up eventually

06-03-2009, 04:43 AM	#12
Marach Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	So you can eventually wait for the fix it won't take long.

06-03-2009, 03:29 PM	#14
Tdude_gamer Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: hawaii Posts: 35 Trader Feedback: 0	haha ive been playing this so long i forgot to reply . This is like the most complete homebrew i have ever downloaded in my life . I thought it would be another partially finished rpg. But i got like 20% through the game, then i saved on an outside saving area, and when i turned it back on, i was back down to 3% with really weak stuff back at the main starting area . do the outer saving posts not work or something?

06-07-2009, 05:31 AM	#15
Marach Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	^^ You can save wherever you want, but restart every 30 minutes or the game won't save anymore. And, what I wanted to say: HELP! Please, I need help fixing the memory bug! I tried creating custom memory allocator, but something is really f*ked up here. If you want to help improving my allocator or you have an idea what's going on, PLEASE send me a PM. Any help will be appreciated. -=Double Post Merge =- One thing I forgot to mention: the new version (if it will ever come out) will have MUCH improved performance. Last edited by Marach; 06-07-2009 at 05:40 AM.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost*

06-10-2009, 03:59 AM	#17
Marach Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	It's written in C, but I changed filenames to cpp and used C++ features extensively to patch the game to work on PSP.

06-10-2009, 05:52 AM	#18
daaa57150 Developer Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: france Posts: 167 Trader Feedback: 0	Ok, then maybe you'll find some useful code in my sources . Look inside code/framework/check, there are 2 things you may be interested in: - MemoryWatcher: use this to use the "wolf fence" technique, I wrote it after reading that article : Finding memory leaks with mallinfo() Read it and you'll know what it does. I have 3 "getMemoryLost" methods; if I remember I reffered to only one of them but I don't remember which one, the others may be broken you have to test sorry - Trackable: I used this to count my allocations / deallocations; but works only on C++ classes, so I'm not sure you'll have an interest. Briefly: you make the class you're interested in inherit from this one, call the "startTracking" method, and when you're finished call "stopTracking" and then "Trackable:: dumpToFile", and you'll see the number of allocations & deallocations for all your tracked classes. __________________ Try my latest game: MEGA DROPS 2

06-11-2009, 05:56 PM	#19
suloku Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 44 Trader Feedback: 0	That's one hell of a game! I really hope you can manage to solve the saving bug, 30 minutes are gold in this game. BTW i've played 2 hours straight (pc version), can't get tired of it. I have 1/3 of the game only, but all the artifacts. It's beggining to feel monotonous, though I want that agate knife!

06-12-2009, 08:16 AM	#20
dargx001 Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 7 Trader Feedback: 0	Quite honestly this is one of the best homebrew I have seen for the PSP. I can't stop playing it. I enjoyed powder, I enjoyed the port of rogue, but this takes the cake. I can't wait until the bugs are fixed and I can play it indefinitely. Keep up the great work!

06-29-2009, 11:01 AM	#21
suloku Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 44 Trader Feedback: 0	Any progress on this?

08-08-2009, 04:23 PM	#22
Sithis Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Teh Demon Realm Posts: 45 Trader Feedback: 0	Don't know if it's okay to bump or not (please let me off with a warning if it isn't), but I'd love to see this updated. I really like this game and I don't want to have to worry about save problems if I switch to the port.

08-08-2009, 04:56 PM	#23
dan369 Enter Custom Title Join Date: Jan 2008 Real First Name: Dan Location: Wales, cardiff Just Played: Overlord 2 Posts: 1,308 Blog Entries: 1 Trader Feedback: 0	Recent threads (a few months ago, like this) is okay. 1 year+ threads, is considered spamming.

08-08-2009, 06:53 PM	#24
EsTuArT Join Date: Aug 2009 Real First Name: Bryan Posts: 12 Trader Feedback: 0	thanks

08-08-2009, 08:16 PM	#25
FaT3oYCG Developer and Tutor. My Mood: Join Date: Jul 2007 Real First Name: Craig Location: Widnes, England Just Played: Life. Posts: 1,646 Trader Feedback: 0	stop spamming just so you can post links, atleast post something that expresses your opinion and not just thanks. __________________ ------ FaT3oYCG ----- AKA Craig, call me what you want to It's your preference. My Website: is down for a while ... I'll bring a new one back soon. Currently working on: (0) PGE Gears Of War - On hold (Very large project). (0) PS???? - A tactical 2d side scrolling game involving AI and online multiplayer features. - Tile engine nearley finished (1 bug to fix).

QJ.net Game Discussion - PSP, Xbox, Wii, PS3, PSP Homebrew, and PSP Guides

[RELEASE] Meritous PSP