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Frontier/JJFFE etc

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:44 pm
by Zireael
I found Frontier on abandonia. Now, before I download it, I'm trying to understand what's GLFFE and JFFE about.

Please help.

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:46 pm
by DaddyHoggy
I would presume GLFFE means openGL version of FFE (rather than DirectX for producing the 3D graphics - much like Oolite - more portability) and JFFE is Java FFE - so the whole thing is coded in Java - again - makes it cross platform - but I would imagine quite slow too (I remember somebody took Elite:TNK and rewrote it in Java and it was dog slow!)

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:49 pm
by Zireael
Thx. I'd prefer OpenGL then, since Oolite is running fine at my end.

What does 'replacement executable' mean in the description of GLFFE and JFFE? Do I have to download Frontier from abandonia and then one of those?

They seem to have fixed some bugs plaguing the original and work under WinXP too!

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:54 pm
by DaddyHoggy
Not sure but sounds plausible - possibly there are other associated files in the original game that aren't in the main exe that are needed/used by the replacement GL/J versions of the code.

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 1:15 pm
by another_commander
JJFFE is John Jordan's FFE. This is the person who has created a version of FFE running on modern hardware, consisting partly of the original executable's assembly code and partly from rewritten functions that enable the old DOS program to actually work on native Windows. A few modifications to this version are also in circulation.

Replacement executable means that you have to have the original program's resource files (i.e. have the original program) and run this executable instead of the one in the standard distribution.

For whom it may concern, John Jordan is one of the current Pioneer dev team members.

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 1:48 pm
by Zireael
another_commander wrote:
JJFFE is John Jordan's FFE. This is the person who has created a version of FFE running on modern hardware, consisting partly of the original executable's assembly code and partly from rewritten functions that enable the old DOS program to actually work on native Windows. A few modifications to this version are also in circulation.

Replacement executable means that you have to have the original program's resource files (i.e. have the original program) and run this executable instead of the one in the standard distribution.

For whom it may concern, John Jordan is one of the current Pioneer dev team members.
Thanks a lot. So I'm going to grab Frontier from abandonia and then one of those. I found a Polish site about Frontier so I'll be able to get most tips in my native language. It even has a Polish patch to JJFFE.

Should I then grab JJFFE or GLFFE? Which is better?
Language, as you see from my post, is least of my worries. I'm more concerned about stability and bugs being fixed.

Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 1:38 pm
by JeffBTX
Sorry, I realize this post is about a month old...

Check this:
http://www.frontierastro.co.uk/

Navigate through the site, it's informative... can help you concerning the topic.