Update 0.4.1 is out

This is a small update with the following changes:

• Fixed game crash on start when using resolutions with heights of 1440 and higher, with the Default font scaling. This was due to a typo in the code probably made before the release.
• Added a new Resolution mode: Auto, and made it the default. This mode works like Game, however it will not use a resolution that's higher than your current desktop resolution. This is useful for example if you're using windowed mode and have set a super-resolution (higher than what your monitor supports) for use in-game with D3D9Wnd. Since there's no downsampling in frontend (nor can it be implemented properly), this is the only way to ensure good experience in the frontend. The old "Game" option, as usual, will use the specified in-game resolution as long as it's not 0 or less.

It's very recommended to install this update. If you are updating from 0.4.0.x, you can just download the dll as there have been no graphics changes since 0.4. Otherwise get the full package of the module. You can also enable the "Auto" option manually in the ini if you want.

Quote from: TheMadCharles on October 28, 2016, 06:44 PM
If you put fixing intro to low priority, is there a way to completely disable it? Like, from appearing out of nowhere when idling in main menu?

Yes, that should be easy to patch. Maybe it wouldn't fit in the scope of the module though, but I don't think that's a problem.

Quote from: solido on October 27, 2016, 05:19 AM
i downloaded the superfrontend and installed it but it made it worse....

how do I uninstall or tune it so the screen doesnt flash...

I don't know what you mean by the screen flashing, but that sounds like a graphics driver issue, unrelated to the module. The module does not alter the renderers in any way. What renderer are you using (Options - Advanced - Rendering API)? It's recommended to enable Direct3D9 for the highest performance.
If you want to disable the module: set EnableModule=0 in wkSuperFrontend.ini. Or delete the dll file.
Alternatively, if you haven't already, try D3D9Wnd. It resolves most issues related to running the game full-screen, and if I understand your issue correctly, it will 99% likely be resolved. You can run the game in a fake full-screen mode, with a borderless window covering the whole screen.
The only glitch with 1680x1050 that I know of is a thin line collecting some dust at the bottom. This is a bug of the game itself, and is already fixed in the upcoming W:A update. If you set the resolution to e.g. 1681 or 1049, the bug will not happen (but you'll need windowed mode)

That's because those maps have a predefined seed in them, in their waLV chunk. So that's normal, unless you change the seed yourself.

Quote from: TheMadCharles on October 21, 2016, 03:25 PM
What if someone wants to make a theme for this frontend, what do they need to know? what kind of bmp files used etc.?

All graphics are in graphics\_super\x960 and graphics\_super\x720, for resolutions with heights over 960 and over 720 respectively. These contain the files that you need to mod. Currently these are the only locations where the module looks for super graphics (except for fonts). Perhaps if I add a skin option then you could keep them side-by-side and switch with ease, but for now, this is it.

Quote from: Mega`Adnan on October 21, 2016, 06:35 PM
Map preview becomes small, I want normal map preview.

So like I mentioned in the 0.4 patch notes, this is a known issue, and I didn't want to delay the 0.4 release for it. The problem is, while I do know how to fix it, it is a pain in the ***. For a "proper" bigger thumbnail (downscaling from the big map to a bigger thumbnail, and not upscaling the smaller thumbnail like it's done in WWP Remastered), the entire function generating thumbnails has to be rewritten. Not just hooked and patched. And there are two copies of this, one for bit maps, and one for color maps. Each having math in them that requires some understanding and analysis. I might do it eventually but no promises. Ideally I'd also do it so that it could benefit from wide-aspect-ratios. So for example, if you load a wide map, and are using a wide resolution with SuperFrontendHD, it would occupy the whole wide space that is given to the map thumbnail in that mode.

Just a reminder, the ddraw fix is only effective on win8 and later.

Quote from: MarianRV on October 12, 2016, 08:09 AM

Quote from: StepS on October 11, 2016, 12:27 PM
The 8/16 bit color problem (poor performance of directdraw) has actually become less noticeable with the latest updates of win10. The game should now perform at 60fps at most screen resolutions. I have also made a DLL that boosts directdraw even more, up to 300fps with 1080p here. And that's without wndmode.

Steps,where can I find this DLL?
Since it seems like no one could come with a fix to my Direct3D9 problem I have to stick with directdraw and it's framerate annoys me

I believe it's still here:
http://files.steps.club/various/ddraw_fix_w8_up.zip
Just drop it into the game's directory.

The 8/16 bit color problem (poor performance of directdraw) has actually become less noticeable with the latest updates of win10. The game should now perform at 60fps at most screen resolutions. I have also made a DLL that boosts directdraw even more, up to 300fps with 1080p here. And that's without wndmode.
But you should use Direct3D9. Its performance is identical to that of the earlier systems (because it does not use directdraw).
Automatic updates can be turned off. I have been using Windows 10 with manual updates for almost a year. You can either: 1) disable them properly if you have the Professional edition of Windows 10 - this also gives you all the options you had in Windows 7 for controlling how you get and install the updates; 2) disable the Windows Update service; or 3) set your internet connection to "Metered" to prevent the search and downloading of updates. It's not a problem at all.

Quote from: TheMadCharles on October 10, 2016, 07:53 PM
Intro isn't completed... just sayin'

That's mentioned in the known issues. Low priority, because too much work for little visibility (although I haven't actually measured how much that work would be).
The objects on the nuclear intro are intentionally replaced with empty images, because they are misplaced at the moment. And must be in sync with the background, as there's no alpha-transparency support in BMP (even more so 8bit).

Quote from: TheMadCharles on October 10, 2016, 07:53 PM
That door is going to trigger my OCD

This is normal right now (however, it's mentioned in the known issues). The door uses the size as provided by the graphics package. In your case it's 900 -> 720, so the 720p door. There are two ways to 'fix' this:
1) center the door, and make all objects under it invisible when the door is in front. This is my current plan.
2) additionally stretch the door in realtime, a la AutoScaleMissingGraphics (nearest-neighbor). Would look awful, especially if we stretch it to your aspect ratio too.

Also, you are using an x900 resolution. Unfortunately, x900 resolutions (1440x900 and 1600x900) are the unluckiest at the moment (if we don't count 1440p and beyond), because there's no x1.75 (840p) package, only 720p and 960p. So you're forced to 720p. In the future, it might become possible to use arbitrary-height packages. The module will then scan and choose the most appropriate package for you. So you could have a true 900p or 768p package for example.

Quote from: aik on October 08, 2016, 06:08 PM
Might be very likely linked to using wine - I encounter an "Out of memory" Error, if I try to go to wormnet (not every time - but 6 out of 7...).

Would like a CRASH.DMP file. That includes much more information about the crash, as well as a minidump and the stack trace. Then I can tell which API specifically (and how) failed. Sounds like a fail in WinAPI.

Your new graphics driver no longer supports 640x480, so you can't run the game only with the default settings.
Also do not download wkSuperFrontend from that link, it's outdated. Instead, download the new SuperFrontendHD 0.4 that I released this week: https://www.tus-wa.com/forums/worms-armageddon/wksuperfrontendhd-0-4-released-(with-hd-graphics)-27448/
I will now remove the old version from the old server.

I'm not sure what causes the black bars on your system, that's weird (I can only suggest checking the driver settings for the scaling). However if you're using the module together with D3D9Wnd then make sure to disable the following D3D9Wnd's Frontend options: Stretch, Centered, EnableCustomSize. Those options use workarounds and are not recommended. Make sure "Hardware Cursors" is on in Advanced settings, or if that's where the issue happens, try disabling it.

What if you enable Direct3D9 via Tweaks\Renderer_Direct3D_9_Shader_Palette.reg ?

Quote from: Anubis on October 04, 2016, 03:19 PM
Wait, they separated Linux, Mac and Windows based PC OS? I didn't fathom how incapable they are, lol. Must be the only game out there that separates PC players based on the OS they use.

Not the only game. Also Worms Reloaded.

It has been long overdue, but the update is finally here! This is the largest module update (and the longest one to make) that I've done yet. The update finally introduces HD graphics for the frontend: all the bitmap assets used by the game: there's more than 1300 of them, for 720p+ resolutions (x1.5) and for 960p+ resolutions (x2.0). As well as new fonts and many other things. This is something that had been missing ever since the appearance of Magnification in the module. It has been a long year, but here goes!
For a more in-depth description please read the top post of the thread.

Update notes for v0.4:

• Introduced "SuperGraphics": over 1300 graphics in high quality, for 720p+ and 960p+ resolutions. Graphics are stored in "graphics\_super\<package>", and the fonts are located at "graphics\_super\Fonts". There are now 6 new fonts in the game. EXE resources are now files in the _resource directory of each package. And much more. Please read the top post of the thread for more information on SuperGraphics.
  
• Any missing graphics can be scaled automatically using "AutoScaleMissingGraphics" when "SuperGraphics" is on, nearest-neighbor, and saved into the respective package directory. This will always save changes to the disk.
  
• The INI layout has been overhauled. Some options have been added/removed/grouped. The text parameters are not case-sensitive. The new INI options are as follows:
  
  • Resolution (in Misc). This absorbs the former "AlwaysUseDesktopResolution" option, and now has three possible values:
    
    • Game: uses the in-game resolution you've set in the game for the frontend resolution. This is now the default.
      
    • Desktop: uses the resolution of your desktop at the time of launching the game. This used to be a separate option.
      
    • Custom: lets you specify your own resolution, set via CustomWidth and CustomHeight.
      
  • FontScaling: "Default" scales font based on the general scaling factor. "Lesser" works like the former "LesserFontScaling": it will not scale fonts x2 unless you're on 1440p or higher. To disable font scaling completely (not recommended), you can use "Off".
    
  • SetInternalResolution: this lets you specify how you should see the innards of your frontend within the general resolution you specified. Note that for ANY option used here, there's a minimum narrow-resolution limit: 4x3. In other words, if you try to use 5x4, you will get a 4x3 inside 5x4, even if you use a Custom resolution.
    
    • Auto (default): this will expand the frontend to your resolution and aspect ratio, however it will not go wider than 16x10. This is a compromise between the original Stretched mode and the 4x3 mode. Some people prefer 4x3, it is now easier to enable that as well.
      
    • 4x3: this works like the former "UseInternal4x3AspectRatio" option: use a 4x3 box of frontend inside a wider area that expands to your screen resolution.
      
    • Graphics: a new mode that can be used when SuperGraphics are on (and shouldn't when SuperGraphics are off). This will make the internal frontend box 960x720 (for the x720 package) and 1280x960 (for the x960 package) respectively.
      
    • Stretch: this mode, like before, stretches everything to your resolution and aspect ratio, and it doesn't have the 16x10 limit. In other words, even if you have a super-wide screen, the frontend will still stretch over the whole width of the screen.
      
    • Classic: this is the classic centered 640x480 mode, like in the early versions of frontend (before 0.3). This can also be enabled via Custom and 640x480. When 640x480 (or any resolution with a height below 720p) is used, SuperGraphics are not enabled.
      
    • Custom: lets you specify the resolution you want in CustomInternalWidth and CustomInternalHeight.
      
• The INI options "CenterBitmapControls" and "RestrictFormsToFontHeight" have been hidden and are always enabled by default. It is possible to disable them by adding them to [Magnification] and setting them to 0, but it's not necessary unless for some debugging purposes...
  
• AdjustDebris and Magnification are now always enabled. This was inevitable given the extensive set of features and fixes added into the code. If you want to get the old 640x480 centered mode (like in the old versions), set "SetInternalResolution" in [Magnification] to "Classic". As a side note, this also lets you use the bottom line of the screen to minimize in the 640x480 mode (this was not possible in the unmagnified mode).
  
• It is now possible to minimize via the bottom line in any resolution, regardless of the aspect ratio. A new hidden option (enabled by default) called "AdvancedDialogSizingShenanigans" is responsible for this. Instead of moving the inner dialogs, the size of the graphical window is used, while elements such as buttons and forms are moved into the middle if necessary, to form the inner resolution box as required. This allows input to the bottommost pixel of the dialog, thus, allowing minimization.
  
• The "graphics\backdrex.bmp" file is no longer necessary, because the module now automatically stretches your backdrop.bmp upon loading it (doesn't save to the disk), to adjust for your resolution. Thus, the background is no longer cycled. In the future, new options might be added to customize the gradient better (as well as produce new gradients in runtime). If you still have the backdrex.bmp file, you can now delete it.
  
• There's now a secret option to be a Star God. To become a Star God, press Ctrl+Alt+Clear, then hold or press Ctrl+Num- or Ctrl+Num+. God powers are limited at this moment, but a music visualizer feature is planned.
  
• There is now a limit for the minimum narrow-aspect-ratio resolutions. If the resolution is narrower than 4x3 (e.g. 5x4), then the frontend's innards will appear as a 4x3 box inside the taller resolution. This was required to ensure that there are no overlap issues when HD graphics are used. Also, it is pointless to stretch to such narrow resolutions, as that only increases empty space (the input forms do not extend vertically) and doesn't add anything.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes made inputs "transparent" after quitting e.g. from quick-games. This only happened on some specific versions.
  
• Fixed the height of headers in tables (like player/game/teamlists). They will now respect the current height of the font used.
  
• There should no longer be a gravestone rectangle wandering in the wild in the Team Editor (with any aspect ratio).
  
• Fixed support for 3.7.0.0 (only the patched r2 version) - AdjustDebris and the Arsenal Door work properly with it now. This was required anyway given the SuperGraphics upgrade.
  
• Improved compatibility with future versions of the game (such as 3.8.0).
  
• General improvements and fixes.
  

Some known issues with this release:

• Issues such as non-smooth green/red/purple fonts, and screenshots have not yet been resolved. I've decided that due to the time already spent into making the SuperGraphics update, this can wait, and come at a later date when needed.
  
• Map thumbnails (including the editor area in the Map Editor) are still unscaled. This is fixable (the former at least), but is such a pain in the *** implementation-wise that this will also wait until a future patch.
  
• The intro screens are semi-broken, so placeholders for small parts are used. This is low priority... You probably don't even open that.
  
• HD weapon icons in the Weapon Editor will not currently be visible in future versions of the game (such as 3.8.0), but this will certainly be fixed by the time a W:A update comes out.
  

The download links are in the OP.