2 ?'s about 2.6.8 - standalone crash + waves that don't work

jtflassh · Post by **jtflassh** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 9:37 am

hi -- i run g-force 2.6.8 both thru itunes as well as the standalone version. my mac OS is 10.3.5

first question, my standalone version of 2.6.8 crashes after about an hour or so of working fine. when i use the itunes version this never happens. my system performance is set to "highest performance", screensavers are disabled and i'm using either 640x480 or 800x600 resolution. anyone else have this problem?

also a large number of waveshapes don't seem to work for me. i mean by this that whether i manually switch from one waveshape to another, or let g-force do this automatically, NOTHING happens other than a colorfield change or a particle or sprite is by chance created. i have to wait until the next waveshape is randomly called or manually switch to another waveshape to get out of this "no-action" mode.

anyone else notice this? the waveshapes that don't work for me are listed below. i've also listed my preferences file. if anyone with the same OS wants a hi frame rate and doesn't mind a large letterbox look to their screen, feel free to copy my preferences file. when i use a projector to display g-force onto a movie screen, the projected image is large enough that the letterbox effect isn't noticeable and falls back behind the screen. this allows the viewer to see just g-force working at frame rates over 40 fps!

thanks for reading this far!

BoomBarrel.txt
Box Beat.txt
Chi II.txt
Cutters.txt
Cylinder Crown.txt
Example Spectrum.txt
Father and Daughters.txt
Flower Power - Erie Atom.txt
Flower Power - Spinner.txt
Generator.txt
God is a Circle.txt
Grapefruit.txt
Inner Spikes.txt
Interlace.txt
Mavelick Salute.txt
Orbiting Stars.txt
Outer Spikes.txt
Predator Vision.txt
Simon Says.txt
Simple Sine.txt
Sing Me to Sleep.txt
Spectagon.txt
Spectrum 55.txt
Spyroid.txt
The Road More Traveled.txt
Thunderation.txt
Walls of Sound.txt

PREFERENCE FILE:

WMor="8 + rnd( 8 )",
PNum=260,
WInt="8 + rnd( 8 )",
FWin=0,
SInt="240 + rnd( 180 )",
FNum=155,
PInt="32 + rnd( 32 )",
FMap="1.2 * atan( .00005 * x ^ 1.7 )",
FMor="48 + rnd( 32 )",
TDur=14,
CMor="8 + rnd( 8 )",
SDur="4 + rnd( 4 )",
FS_D=8,
FInt="32 + rnd( 16 )",
wTop=52,
FS_M=-1,
PDur="64 + rnd( 32 )",
PSmo=.009999,
CInt="4 + rnd( 8 )",
FS_X=640,
FS_Y=480,
FPS=120,
ArtX=220,
ArtY=220,
MBlt=0,
FSmo=.009999,
CCal=.1,
TTxt=0,
MaxX=495,
MaxY=295,
WTrn="i^2",
FFde=.999,
TSze=18,
Flow=1,
UnPr="1/6",
FTrn="i^2",
CTrn="i^1",
NoBo=0,
A_in=0,
SScl=1.915681,
RScl=3.119366,
PScl=1,
wLft=11,
Vers=268,
wBot=470,
LBst=2,
TFnt="Lucida Grande",
wRgt=619,
PDbl=0,

JayPro · Post by **JayPro** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:24 pm

Hi there. Fellow OS 10.3.5 user representing.

Off the proverbial bat, I can prolly observe this:

Maybe the reason for some of your waves not working is that you have both the WInt and WMor funcs set to pretty fast transitions. It could be that the waves you singled out may have problems morphing at that rate. I'd suggest resetting WInt to its default to 15 + rnd(20) and WMor to the default 5 + rnd(15). Then see if your problem Waves return to their usual activity.

BTW, are your Pref specs for the standalone or the iTunes build? If it's for the standalone, maybe what I've described could explain the crashing.

Aha!

Did you also remember to disable Classic Mode before running the app? This is one of the most recently discovered culprits vis a vis crashing. Last night I ran the standalone for about 30-40 minutes before it crapped out on me; and all the while it never dawned on me to quit Classic before starting my nightly viewing session.

Anyway, try resetting first WInt and WMor to the default values and lemme know what happens. KIT; I may have some more ideas for ya.

JwP

JayPro · Post by **JayPro** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:01 pm

I just tried running my syandalone based on your prefs; and I'm also finding out that some waveshapes, while they're there, aren't responding that well. Now, I did keep the WInt and WMor defaults, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

I'm beginning to think that your editions of the other sound-related prefs might have something to do with it (especially, I think the Rscl and Sscl params). I think the two I just mentioned have something to do with how the internal mike picks up the signal. then again, I'm not quite an audiophile.

Maybe you wont have the problems with your question Waves if you reset all the audio/wave smoothing prefs to the defaults. I do like how you reset your C-map/particle and framerate prefs. the look especially good in fullscreen.

EDIT: Some of your waveshapes respond also in a manner in which input signal affects the color and not necessarily the distortion factor, if you get my drift. Sonething like, say, Boombarrel, which operates in a way similar to Parkening Power, might not tolerate even slight changes in audio/mike defaults.

JwP

jtflassh · Post by **jtflassh** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 12:38 am

JayPro wrote:I just tried running my syandalone based on your prefs; and I'm also finding out that some waveshapes, while they're there, aren't responding that well. Now, I did keep the WInt and WMor defaults, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

I'm beginning to think that your editions of the other sound-related prefs might have something to do with it (especially, I think the Rscl and Sscl params). I think the two I just mentioned have something to do with how the internal mike picks up the signal. then again, I'm not quite an audiophile.

Maybe you wont have the problems with your question Waves if you reset all the audio/wave smoothing prefs to the defaults. I do like how you reset your C-map/particle and framerate prefs. the look especially good in fullscreen.

EDIT: Some of your waveshapes respond also in a manner in which input signal affects the color and not necessarily the distortion factor, if you get my drift. Sonething like, say, Boombarrel, which operates in a way similar to Parkening Power, might not tolerate even slight changes in audio/mike defaults.

JwP

thanks for the help. i'm going to try to see if resetting to the default values works.

i'll report back soon....

jtflassh · Post by **jtflassh** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 8:47 pm

JayPro wrote:Hi there. Fellow OS 10.3.5 user representing.

Off the proverbial bat, I can prolly observe this:

Maybe the reason for some of your waves not working is that you have both the WInt and WMor funcs set to pretty fast transitions. It could be that the waves you singled out may have problems morphing at that rate. I'd suggest resetting WInt to its default to 15 + rnd(20) and WMor to the default 5 + rnd(15). Then see if your problem Waves return to their usual activity.

BTW, are your Pref specs for the standalone or the iTunes build? If it's for the standalone, maybe what I've described could explain the crashing.

Aha!

Did you also remember to disable Classic Mode before running the app? This is one of the most recently discovered culprits vis a vis crashing. Last night I ran the standalone for about 30-40 minutes before it crapped out on me; and all the while it never dawned on me to quit Classic before starting my nightly viewing session.

Anyway, try resetting first WInt and WMor to the default values and lemme know what happens. KIT; I may have some more ideas for ya.

JwP

i changed my prefs for the standalone (see below). i didn't go back to the defaults, but i did give plenty of time for WInt and WMor. Please note that I use G-Force with drum'n'bass/techno music, which is why i have things pretty "rigid" and "formal" and use time counts at 16 or 32 seconds.

in order to get G-Force to synch almost perfectly with the "phrases" or "changes" within electronic music (which always occur at every 16, 32, 64, etc. bars or measures), I'm roughly equating a BPM (BPM = the # of beats per minute, an electronic music term that refers to the speed of the music) to roughly one beat per each second. i have G-force calling time intervals that will keep the intervals or morphs always near 16, 32 or 64 seconds. i.e. + rnd( 1 ).

Anyway, that's all DJ/techno jargon that you don't have to know about -- i just wanted to explain my choice of values.

To give more detail, G-Force is not just crashing my computer in the traditional sense. It almost seems to cause my OS to restart or at least log me out so that the next thing i see is my Mac log-in prompt. Really weird.

Here are the new prefs. Any help would be great, b/c this does not happen at all when i use the iTunes version.

WMor="32 + rnd( 1 )",
PNum=260,
WInt="32 + rnd( 1 )",
FWin=0,
SInt="240 + rnd( 240 )",
FNum=155,
PInt="32 + rnd( 1 )",
FMap="1.2 * atan( .00005 * x ^ 1.7 )",
FMor="64 + rnd( 1 )",
TDur=14,
CMor="32 + rnd( 1 )",
FS_D=8,
SDur="16 + rnd( 1 )",
wTop=45,
FInt="64 + rnd( 1 )",
FS_M=-1,
PDur="64 + rnd( 1 )",
PSmo=.009999,
CInt="32 + rnd( 1 )",
FS_X=640,
FS_Y=480,
FPS=120,
ArtX=220,
ArtY=220,
MBlt=0,
FSmo=.009999,
CCal=.2,
TTxt=0,
MaxX=495,
MaxY=295,
WTrn="i^2",
FFde=.999,
TSze=18,
Flow=1,
UnPr="1/6",
FTrn="i^3",
CTrn="i^2",
NoBo=0,
A_in=0,
SScl=1.176468,
RScl=18.640527,
PScl=1,
wLft=15,
Vers=268,
wBot=463,
LBst=2,
TFnt="Lucida Grande",
wRgt=623,
PDbl=0,

JayPro · Post by **JayPro** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 1:32 pm

I appreciate your explanation of how you set your program up. While I'm not exactly a fan of dance, techno, house, trance etc., I have heard enough to understand what you're trying to do.

As far as G-Force crashing your whole OS, this may be something that you might hafta take up with Andy. Honestly, I've not heard of this happening on any system, never mind the Mac. Otherwise, you might want to check the ol' OS to see if everything's kosher.

JwP