Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 20:57:14 +1100 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Subject: games ports: score files, sound requirements Message-ID: <20011230205713.L997@welearn.com.au>
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I've had two (easily overcome) recurring problems after spending a day
playing games for the first time, and I'm wondering whether or not they
are real problems worthy of a PR or email, or not, because I'm not real
sure of the conventions.
What's the proper way to handle score files in games ports?
I've tried some games from the packages on the 4.4-RELEASE CD set,
and many of them complain about score files (or similar) not
being writeable. One of three things happens:
- The game runs fine, and at the end reports the score not recorded
- It refuses to run at all, complaining about the file permissions
- It segfaults (but that one also complained about sound, see below)
I found no documentation in the Handbook, FAQ, or the ports themselves
to advise how to set the games ports up for playing by a user, not even
mention that the user should be (I guess) in the games group (which
didn't help in the case of these score files rwxr--r-- root.games if
they did already exist). It might be simply a matter of chmod g+w on
the file, but wait, there might be some good reason why don't they
install that way in the first place. And it's quite possible that I
missed some doc somewhere too.
What I'd like to do or see done, if it doesn't exist, is to write
something up, maybe a FAQ entry, so that some games-loving home newbie
doesn't go down this track on their first day and yell "stupid OS, half
the games don't even work!" without anyone being able to respond RTFM.
Or worse, login as root so that newly installed games will work.
Another difficulty I had was that several games that use sound refused
to run when they found the sound device absent, and they could not even
be run with their documented options like -nomusic or whatever. One had
to run before you could get to the menu to turn sound off so that it
would run :-)
The ports concerned gave no warning that a sound card was necessary. In
fact, I don't recall any ports mentioning needing sound. Is that an
error worth reporting or not? i.e., is it just my peculiar system
(/dev/dsp but no card) or is it a real problem that porters would like
to be informed of so they can put "Requires sound card" in the Desc? I
wouldn't mind throwing a few of these tiny diffs into PRs if it helps
rather than hinders. Or do we assume that these days everyone has a
working sound card except one or two old aunties in outback Oz? :-)
--
Regards,
-*Sue*-
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