Instructions

1) Download and install Upgrade 7.4. You can get it from the download box below these instructions. This upgrade will only work with the full version of DarkBASIC Professional.

2) If you have already activated DarkBASIC Professional, you do not need to do this again after installing this Upgrade.

As with any upgrade - always take a backup of your source code (usually your "Projects" folder) before installing. You can access any previous Upgrade on this site, the most recent are: 7.3, 7.2 and 7.1.

DarkBASIC Professional Upgrade 7.4
	Download:	dbpro_upgrade_7_4.zip
	File Size:	22.39 MB (22926 KB)
		56Kb: 63 Mins 41 Secs 128Kb: 27 Mins 17 Secs 512Kb: 6 Mins 56 Secs 1Mb ADSL: 3 Mins 28 Secs
	Released:	23rd July 2009
	Description:	Latest upgrade for DarkBASIC Professional.
	Downloads:	5453

This zip file contains various extras compatible with Upgrade 7.4. Contents include updated FPSCreator source code engine (for V115 version), provided fix to allow lighting to work properly (fix thanks to S4REAL).

DarkBASIC Professional 7.4 Extras
	Download:	dbpro_upgrade_7_4_Extras.zip
	File Size:	1.01 MB (1034 KB)
		56Kb: 2 Mins 52 Secs 128Kb: 1 Mins 13 Secs 512Kb: 0 Mins 18 Secs 1Mb ADSL: 0 Mins 9 Secs
	Released:	23rd July 2009
	Description:	Additional download for DarkBASIC Professional Upgrade 7.4.
	Downloads:	2206

• Added new TextureCameraBackdrop to SNIPPETS to show how to use TEXTURE BACKDROP
• Added new ZBiasUsage to SNIPPETS to show how to use the ZBIAS command for 3D
• Modified SET BLEND MAPPING ON command with better example
• Added new SimpleBlendMapping to SNIPPETS to show how to use basic blend mapping
• NOTE: Icelandic keyboards will only work with Service Pack 3 or above!

• Now detects for and produces an error on RETURN commands inside user functions
• Above only happens when the 'RemoveSafetyCode=Yes' flag is set in SETUP.INI
• Updated to allow new DarkCLOUDS official plug-in for U74 onwards
• Updated to allow new DarkKFS official plug-in for U74 onwards

• Modified internal bounds computation for certain X files used by FPSCV115
• Added new GAMEFX command called SET UNIVERSE CULLING for FPSCV115 source code
• Fixed camera distance calculation for LOCKED objects (wrong zdepth sort in mode 6)
• Added extra parameter to SET BLEND MAPPING ON to allow limb number to be used:
• SET BLEND MAPPING ON Object Number, Limb Number, Stage Index, Image Number, TexCoordMode, Blend Mode, Arg1, Arg2, Arg0, ArgResult
• Fixed culling issue for scaled objects (sw)
• Fixed unpredictable order of rendering for ghosted objects at the same distance from camera (sw)
• Replaced sort routines for rendering order when sorting by texture, object id or distance - all are now much faster
• Disabled removal of reflection and shadow stencil effects when changing an object texture
• When reflection shading is disabled on all objects, the double-render is now also disabled
• PICK OBJECT with a flag of 0 will now only pick non-locked objects. When used with a flag of 1 will now only pick locked objects
• When creating a new instance from an existing instance, the new instance will be allowed and will refer to the original object, not the source instance
• Relocated retrieval of camera settings when rendering to reduce the number of retrievals carried out (performance)
• OBJECT IN SCREEN has been change to use a more accurate method of detection
• Ensure that when carrying out distance checks for object render order that the current camera is used, not camera 0.
• When using creation mode 6/7, sorting is carried out every frame to ensure that correct camera distances are used - this may have a minor impact on performance in those modes.
• (REMOVED FROM BETA 7) Ensured U/V ADDRESS states updated when shader used (solves cartoon model issue)
• (REMOVED FROM BETA 8) Creating a plane with a flag value of 0 would create a plane with a Y rotation of 180 degrees - this would be lost when instancing the plane (instances don't inherit rotation or position). The initial plane is now created with a fixed rotation that is not lost
• Each render phase now has it's own object list, to avoid repeated checks during rendering for a performance increase.
• Fixed Transparency and Camera Mask problem in Basic3D DLL from BETA8
• (REINTRODUCED FOR BETA 9) Ensured U/V ADDRESS states updated when shader used (but moved before BEGINPASS)

• Fixed bug reintroduced through DarkGDK, fog no longer resets when particles used

• Copied MFC71.DLL and MSVCR71.DLL into the Compiler folder for compatibility

• Fixed bug causing array element deletion to cause wrong string to be released
• Corrected the updates of the DATA pointer so that it can never point outside of the data
• New method implemented for fixed-rate syncing. The new method will provide the exact frame rate requested
• Fixed bug where FAST SYNC would incorrectly update the time of last sync, causing a slow-down when using a fixed sync rate
• New implementation of a render order list for more third party flexibility

• Restored Camera DLL to use d3dx9_31.dll from October 2006 DirectX SDK (legacy)
• Implemented the TEXTURE BACKDROP and related commands
• Reorder of internal structures to avoid breaking third-party plug-ins.

• Updated main sound updater loop to perform faster when large sound list used
• A second RECORD SOUND statement while a first is still recording is no longer ignored. The first recording is now stopped and created (if anything was recorded) before the second recording is started. A STOP RECORDING statement is still needed for the second recording, but not for the first

• Added two more parameters to SET DISPLAY MODE to allow backbuffer to be a different size than resolution
• Above syntax: SET DISPLAY MODE w,h,d,vsync,msfactor,mmmode,bkwidth,bkheight
• Added an additional parameter to SET DISPLAY MODE to allow virtual reality mode
• Above syntax: SET DISPLAY MODE w,h,d,vsync,msfactor,mmmode,bkwidth,bkheight,vrmode
• Added new command: SET NVPERFHUD Flag (0=use HAL and 1=use NVPerfHUD HEL mode)
• Above command will allow your application to run with NVPerfHUD if set to one

• When using multiple controllers, forcefeedback would only work on the first device it was used on. Now works for all devices
• Forcefeedback is now determined by device rather than only for the last controller activated
• New function CONTROL DEVICE INDEX can be used to determine which controller is currently active
• New command SET JOYSTICK DEADZONE can be used with the 'digital' joystick commands (eg JOYSTICK UP) to make them less sensitive to values returned from the current controller
• New multi-function JOYSTICK INFORMATION can be used to get various pieces of information about the current controller
• Updated PERFORM CHECKLIST FOR CONTROL DEVICES to place an index value in CHECKLIST VALUE B, making the use of multiple controllers with identical names much easier
• New command SET KEY STATE TOGGLE allows the current toggle value of a key to be set to the specified value - see GET KEY STATE for more information

• Implemented SET LIGHT TO OBJECT POSITION and SET LIGHT TO OBJECT ORIENTATION to work - previously they did nothing
• SET VECTOR3 TO LIGHT ROTATION changed to return angles rather than a direction vector

• Changed horizontal sprite texture scrolling mode from clamped to wrapping, in line with vertical scrolling
• Replaced priority sorting system with a much faster method - sprite priority will now have little to no effect on sprite rendering time
• Rewrite of sprite rendering process to group sprites with common priority and textures together to enhance the speed of rendering
• Sprites outside the display area are culled early to reduce the amount of rendering

• FIRST TOKEN$ and NEXT TOKEN$ changed to avoid corrupting the input string
• APPEND$ command removed - corrupts memory and there is no way to fix it to work correctly
• Fixed FIRST TOKEN bug which caused internal string overflow with large string handling

• Fixed creation of internal long filename for textures to correct path
• Modified earlier V109 BETA8 fix to allow image info load from physical file (imageblock bug)

There is an extensive on-line guide to Activating your copy of DarkBASIC Professional which covers the entire process step-by-step. You can read it on-line.

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Please note that this Upgrade includes all fixes and enhancements found in previous versions.