Lua Programming Help Thread

[Dark_Merlin]

Agh, I fixed my fps meter and now I see that its running at only 20 fps at best on the psp! Help

[Grimfate126]

Write your own or extend animlib to unload any animation frame images that are not being used from memory and load the frames that you need next or only load the images you need for the current frame. It be relatively slow but you have no choice since you are running out of memory.

Why on earth would you need 100 frames for an animation any way?

animlib does support freeing animations. (which literally frees all the images for that animation) just simply do:

animName:free()

and it will declare the image files as nil, and perform a garbagecollect().
-= Double Post =-

Agh, I fixed my fps meter and now I see that its running at only 20 fps at best on the psp! Help

20 FPS?!?? post your code. i think youre timer is still messed up, but it could be your code as well.

[Cheez Pirate]

Thanks EminentJonFrost. That fixed EVERYTHING lol.

[Grimfate126]

>_< Can someone help me with my code, it is really slow and the fps meter shows 0 all the time.

Heres the files http://upload.team-duck.com/users/Da...0Espionage.rar

ok, i took a quick look at that code, and here are some ways to improve it:


1. Colors.lua is a simple waste of memory. no game uses that many colors. so many colors will limit your ram. only keep the colors that you use.

2. requireC. whats the point of this?

3. bullets. you have too many directions. if you want it that way, use my tutorial which teaches you to shoot anywhere you want, and modify it.

4. elseif's. start using them.

[Dark_Merlin]

ok, i took a quick look at that code, and here are some ways to improve it:


1. Colors.lua is a simple waste of memory. no game uses that many colors. so many colors will limit your ram. only keep the colors that you use.

2. requireC. whats the point of this?

3. bullets. you have too many directions. if you want it that way, use my tutorial which teaches you to shoot anywhere you want, and modify it.

4. elseif's. start using them.

Can do, but what would a good fps speed be?

[Grimfate126]

Can do, but what would a good fps speed be?

try to get at least 50-55. 60 is max. if you get atlest 50, ill tell you a way to make it 60, but its super secret.

[Dark_Merlin]

50... hmm ok.

Nice tut btw! Amazing and almost EXACTLY what i wanted :)

Oh and to get it to 60, overclock ;)

[Grimfate126]

50... hmm ok.

Nice tut btw! Amazing and almost EXACTLY what i wanted :)

Oh and to get it to 60, overclock ;)

damn it. mind reader. lol. thanks for the compliment. :)

[xmOD]

anyone gonna help me on my question?..

[Dark_Merlin]

Hmm, slight problem

When moving and shooting it goes really weird o_O

Ill look at it and see what causes it...

EDIT: Fixed =)
-= Double Post =-
Well I get a constant non-dipping 30fps :)

[MasterChief117]

i was wondering how to delete a directory and ALL its files, like deleting "/psp/game/mygame/temp/" then "*.*"
-= Double Post =-
i tried

System.removeFile("*.*")

Didn't work

quotes

[EminentJonFrost]

anyone gonna help me on my question?..

just letting you know, your not being ignored. you just have a genuinely tough to understand problem. i have no clue how that number sentence you posted translates to a coordinate on the screen. didnt what i post in your old thread help at all?

[MasterChief117]

help please?

[SG57]

Your problem?

XMod - I dont know what to tell you... file:seek("set",byte) should work by 'set'ing the current position in the 'file' stream to 'byte'... Maybe youll need to convert the number returned to ASCII, so cut it into 2's, then make them a char...

EDIT

Ohhhh theres your problem i think... Try now printing whatever is in the 'file'. I dunno how to do that in Lua, youll probably need to first file:read 4 bytes into a buffer/string and then print it out... Ill make a little snippet now for you to try ;)

offset = OFFSET_#_HERE
num_digits = NUM_#s_AFTER_OFFSET_TO_READ
data = ""

file = io.open(filename_here, "r")
if file then
        file:seek("set", offset)
	data = file:read(num_digits)
	file:close()
end
screen:print(0,0,data,Color.new(255,255,255))

So say you had the text "Hello" at the offset 1124 in a file called SG57.reg...

data = ""

file = io.open("SG57.reg", "r")
if file then
        file:seek("set", 1124)
	data = file:read(5)
	file:close()
end
screen:print(0,0,data,Color.new(255,255,255))

Say yo uhave the VALUE '31010' at offset 1224 in a file called SG57.reg... you want toretrieve the value:

data = 0

file = io.open("SG57.reg", "r")
if file then
        file:seek("set", 1124)
	data = file:read("*n",5)
	file:close()
end
screen:print(0,0,data,Color.new(255,255,255))

See if something like that works...



GOOD reference:

file:read (format1, ...)

Reads the file file, according to the given formats, which specify what to read. For each format, the function returns a string (or a number) with the characters read, or nil if it cannot read data with the specified format. When called without formats, it uses a default format that reads the entire next line (see below).

The available formats are

    * "*n" reads a number; this is the only format that returns a number instead of a string.
    * "*a" reads the whole file, starting at the current position. On end of file, it returns the empty string.
    * "*l" reads the next line (skipping the end of line), returning nil on end of file. This is the default format.
    * number reads a string with up to this number of characters, returning nil on end of file. If number is zero, it reads nothing and returns an empty string, or nil on end of file. 

file:seek ([whence] [, offset])

Sets and gets the file position, measured from the beginning of the file, to the position given by offset plus a base specified by the string whence, as follows:

    * "set" --- base is position 0 (beginning of the file);
    * "cur" --- base is current position;
    * "end" --- base is end of file; 

In case of success, function seek returns the final file position, measured in bytes from the beginning of the file. If this function fails, it returns nil, plus a string describing the error.

The default value for whence is "cur", and for offset is 0. Therefore, the call file:seek() returns the current file position, without changing it; the call file:seek("set") sets the position to the beginning of the file (and returns 0); and the call file:seek("end") sets the position to the end of the file, and returns its size.

[MasterChief117]

Your problem?

look at the top of the page (my post with quote)

[gameo]

Hi all Lua Coders!


I'm currently working on a kind of browser system... im not so good at explaining, its kinda like PSPWindows.

But now i need, when my cursor is "over" a button, and i press X, then the button will blit itself into a "pressed button sprite" and it will blit a new image over itself, just like the start menu in windows.

Don't say the work "Collosion" to me, because i simply can't get that to work in any of my creations.

[BlackShark]

hehe "Collosion"..any way, do you know the "button's" X and Y value? if so, just make an if statement like....

if (insert Cursor X value here) >= (insert Button x value) and (Cursor Y value) and (Cursor X) <= (edge of the Button's X value) and (Cursor Y) <= (edge of Button's Y value) then
blablabla if statement stuff bla
blaOMGLOL11!!1!
end

it go like that, but really.. "collosion" would be pretty use fill there, instead of using the big IF statement.

[gameo]

That might help, i'll just post here where i need it:

Cursor = { x = 230, y = 140 }

while true do

pad = Controls.read()

screen:clear()
screen:blit(0, 0, background, false)
screen:blit(Cursor.x, Cursor.y, Cursor1, true)
screen:blit(0, 246, menu, false)
screen.flip()

if pad:left() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x -2
end

if pad:right() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x +2
end

if pad:up() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y -2
end

if pad:down() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y +2
end

(Then here goes Blacksharks code, like: if pad:cross() and (All those variables) then blablabla blitting images,
end)

if pad:start() then
break
end

end

[gameo]

That might help, i'll just post here where i need it:

Cursor = { x = 230, y = 140 }

while true do

pad = Controls.read()

screen:clear()
screen:blit(0, 0, background, false)
screen:blit(Cursor.x, Cursor.y, Cursor1, true)
screen:blit(0, 246, menu, false)
screen.flip()

if pad:left() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x -2
end

if pad:right() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x +2
end

if pad:up() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y -2
end

if pad:down() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y +2
end

(Then here goes Blacksharks code, like: if pad:cross() and (All those variables) then blablabla blitting images,
end)

if pad:start() then
break
end

end

EDIT: Dammit, double post. Delete this post please, mods.

[BlackShark]

Alrighty, try this..

while true do

pad = Controls.read()

screen:clear()
screen:blit(0, 0, background, false)
screen:blit(Cursor.x, Cursor.y, Cursor1, true)
screen:blit(0, 246, menu, false)
screen.flip()

if pad:left() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x -2
end

if pad:right() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x +2
end

if pad:up() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y -2
end

if pad:down() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y +2
end

if pad:cross() and Cursor.x >= Button.x and Cursor.y >= Button.y and Cursor.x <= (x value of the Right side of the button) and Cursor.y <= (bottom of Button's Y value) then
do if statement stuff here
blit an image or 2
crazyomglol
getdrunk
end

if pad:start() then
break
end

But make sure to get the X and Y value of the far Right of the button image and the
Bottom of the Image, and replace the parenthesis with them. if you have any troubles then PM me with like the images or something...but give that a try first!

now, theres a much more efficient way of doing this but that involves "collosion" and functions.

[GuitarGod1134]

Alrighty, try this..

while true do

pad = Controls.read()

screen:clear()
screen:blit(0, 0, background, false)
screen:blit(Cursor.x, Cursor.y, Cursor1, true)
screen:blit(0, 246, menu, false)
screen.flip()

if pad:left() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x -2
end

if pad:right() then
Cursor.x = Cursor.x +2
end

if pad:up() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y -2
end

if pad:down() then
Cursor.y = Cursor.y +2
end

if pad:cross() and Cursor.x >= Button.x and Cursor.y >= Button.y and Cursor.x <= (x value of the Right side of the button) and Cursor.y <= (bottom of Button's Y value) then
do if statement stuff here
blit an image or 2
crazyomglol
getdrunk
end

if pad:start() then
break
end

But make sure to get the X and Y value of the far Right of the button image and the
Bottom of the Image, and replace the parenthesis with them. if you have any troubles then PM me with like the images or something...but give that a try first!

now, theres a much more efficient way of doing this but that involves "collosion" and functions.

That looks like collision to me. Anyways

Collision check and if pad:cross() then
sprite = the other sprite you want
screen:blit(x,y,bla)
and all the other stuff you want to happen
end

But if you can get collision that well go to evilmana they explain it pretty good.

[BlackShark]

ya, evilmana is great!

[myschoo]

pls how do i make something go up together wit timer?

i mean:

if currentTime > 1000 then
screen:print( 10, 10, "1%", blue)
end
if curretTime > 2000 then
screen:print(10 ,10, "2%", blue)
end

the problem is %s are overriding and its unreadable...

[Grimfate126]

pls how do i make something go up together wit timer?

i mean:

if currentTime > 1000 then
screenrint( 10, 10, "1%", blue)
end
if curretTime > 2000 then
screenrint(10 ,10, "2%", blue)
end

the problem is %s are overriding and its unreadable...

timer = Timer.new()

while true do

screen:print(10,10, math.floor(timer:time()/1000), blue)

screen.waitVblankStart()
screen:flip()
end

that will show the number of seconds.

[myschoo]

thx dude... :)

edit. ok another question... how do i do it to prin only seconds? not like 14.698 sec.... :/

[EminentJonFrost]

thx dude... :)

edit. ok another question... how do i do it to prin only seconds? not like 14.698 sec.... :/

?
that does print only seconds...

[myschoo]

yeh but somehow it always gave me error with grims methos so i just used

timeinSecs = timer:time() / 1000
print:screen(x,x, timeinSecs .. "seconds", blue)

but now i see 14.658 secs

[TacticalPenguin]

Change timer:time() / 1000

to

math.floor(timer:time()/1000)

[yaustar]

Use the math.floor function which rounds down.

[myschoo]

oh thx i will try this

btw. why did u change name from penguin to pinguin? o_O

yep, works perfect, thanks guys :)