Topic by Rocky Waters 2017-02-10 20:26:05

  • Registered: 2013-11-14
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This program is a model of our solar system.  Primarily an educational tool, it is also fun to use.  It has low vision graphics, music, and audio output, including an audio description of the working model.  The program has screen reader support, with auto detection of an active screen reader.  The model is scientifically accurate, in that the sizes of planets, speeds of planets, and distance of orbits are all accurately scaled  relative to Earth.  As the 4 outer gas planets are much more distant and go slower than the 4 inner rocky  planets, there is a zoom out and speed up feature.  There is also an orbit tracer to track the motion of each planet.  The program comes with much information about geology, atmosphere, temperatures, moons  and myths and legends for each planet.  The music is the planet suite by Holst.  I am hoping you find this program both interesting and informative. 
Available at www.rockywaters.co.uk
A big thankyou to community members, Hannibal, Kane, CrashMaster, IronCrossand Buzz for testing, to Badger for sound editing and to Aprone for advice on graphics.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-10 20:32:53

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After much heart searching, I am sorry to announce, there are no dragons in this release.  Adding a game mode, to fly a spacecraft would be an option.  But no dragons, multi-coloured, or otherwise.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-10 22:41:21

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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When I try to run it, I get a fatal error.

audiogamer101's Website

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-10 22:43:45

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can you give me details of your system, your screen reader and post up the exact error message if you can, please?

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-10 23:42:02

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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I'm using windows 10 64 bit with the latest version of NVDA.
---------------------------
Fatal Error!
---------------------------
rockyPlanets returned -1

---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

audiogamer101's Website

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-11 03:01:13

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audioGamer firstly, thankyou.  Secondly, damn, going to have to look into this.  Thirdly, anyone else with windows 10 please post.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-11 15:23:12

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I have someone running this on windows 10 64 bit, using NVDA with no issues.  audiogamer do my other games and software run on your machine?  Also can you run the executable from the command line and post up the error message, it might give me a lead into this.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-11 16:27:44

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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I tried running your game of floods program and had no problems.
When I tried to run Rocky Planets through the command line, I had the same error, although it loaded winamp while it was saying the loading message, and then closed it when the error came up.

audiogamer101's Website

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Reply by Angel 2017-02-11 16:39:53

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Hello.
Sorry Rocky for this but I forgot to send you a report.
But for your next game or program I will send you one.
And now my report.
It is a good and verry useful program with good music and because I am completely blind I can not see the graphix.

I am myself and noone is ever gonna change me, I am the trolling master!

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-11 21:31:15 (edited by Rocky Waters 2017-02-11 21:32:32)

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A small bug with planet traces has been fixed.  Current download is updated with this fix.  Also AudioGamer, this recompiled version try this to see if a little error handling fixes the issue.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-11 22:47:43

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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Still getting the exact error as before.

audiogamer101's Website

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-12 19:57:12

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AudioGamer is your SAPI working ok, I'm fishing here,  but I do initialise Sapi, even for folks with a screen reader.  Game of floods is text only, but perhaps try the colour mixer or bead brains or spacey vaders, all having Sapi.  If it's Sapi, I can try a fix at my end.  It may well not be Sapi of course, so if there is anything else that behaves badly on your computer, let me know, it might give me a pointer.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-12 20:45:35

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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I got the same error when trying to run spacey invaders.

audiogamer101's Website

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-13 12:31:12

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Before I rejig my Sapi calls, does Sapi work OK on your computer?  Perhaps try changing voices and trying spacey vaders again.  Sorry to ask you to test these things, but this might be of value to my other games and perhaps other developers also.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-13 19:36:53

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AudioGamer, I have started work on version 2 of the spaceyVaders game.  I have 2 ideas to test, if you would bear with me, here is a drop box link, Test2 will follow after we have tested Test1, cheers.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g6d28nlt3l968 … 1.zip?dl=0

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-14 16:13:48 (edited by Rocky Waters 2017-02-14 20:05:28)

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AudioGamer, the above test1 captures any error with  a module called winSound and this next link captures any errors with sapi or screen readers in general:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/887gejw56ks4y … 2.zip?dl=0
If we find this second test works, you will not have screen reader support, but then I can isolate the issue and put screen reader support back in minus the sapi and see if that works.  The reason I am flogging this one, is that your experience will help me eliminate screen reader problems for future games, this may still of course not be the issue, but I would appreciate either way.  Thankyou.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by GrannyCheeseWheel 2017-02-15 05:20:29

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Pygame likes to pull that returned -1 thing sometimes, idk why.

Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
End racism
End division
Become united

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-15 20:00:33

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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One interesting thing is I was able to test the Rocky Planets program on a Windows 7 laptop, and it ran fine. I can't test the 2 test versions at the moment because I'm not at my Windows 10 computer until tomorrow evening.

audiogamer101's Website

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-15 22:10:22

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IronCross, I believe you are on the right trail.  I am working on the assumption that there was a unclean exit.  Possibly python closed without pygame closing first, which would happen if another module had the error, hence working through.  It has been suggested to me that sapi creates a good number of issues, I am hence looking at this first.  On the up side, spacey Vaders version 2 is coming along nicely.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-17 05:30:05

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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Hi Rocky Waters,
The second test version of spacey vaders sort of worked, although there was no speech.

audiogamer101's Website

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-17 14:16:22

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Aha we have it, worst case scenario is no speech, but next test I hope will put at least NVDA in for you and any working speech engine for anyone else.  Will post Test 3 as soon as I can.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-17 16:52:23

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AudioGamer, I hope this fix works, if it does by the way your Sapi is broken but your screen reader is good.  If it does not, then both are broken at your end.  I am not really fixing your issues, just working around them.  However there is much good news here, firstly this may well help other folks, secondly it will enable you to play my games and thirdly you will know why other software using sapi blows a fuse, and lastly you get to play the latest beta version of spacey vaders, with better sound panning and 5 waves of aliens. 
Let me know if it works, then I can get round to updating my other releases, cheers.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8fschm6g83irr … 4.zip?dl=0

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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Reply by audiogamer101 2017-02-17 18:16:06

  • From: New Braunfels, Texas, U.S.A.
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I'm pleased to inform you that test 4 worked.

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Reply by Rocky Waters 2017-02-17 20:38:23

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Brilliant and thank you for your patience.  this will help other folks with slightly dodgy sapi.  I am told some issues with sapi are caused with installing other voices, and sometimes the only fix is to reinstall windows, but I can neither confirm this or recommend such drastic action.  Maybe simply switching your preferred voice could work for other software that requires sapi.  I am now in the happy position of auto detecting peoples screen reader, then using sapi if no screen reader, allowing screen reader changes for folks with both, and not blowing a fuse if anything is broken.  Again, thank you.

Try my free games and software at www.rockywaters.co.uk

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