When in the planets map screen in GLFrontier, the one where you pick a target for autopilot, I can't rotate the screen, as pressing the right mousebutton fires my laser instead of rotating the screen. Is there a keyboard shortcut that I can use instead? When I'm near a planet, I can't rotate the planet to find a port as it fires the laser and I just get into trouble with the cops!
Bwuh? I'm not familiar with the problem, are you sure youre presing the Right and only right mouse button which is configured in your system as the right mouse button, isn't messed up by some obscure and arcane bug/feature present in your system and/or installed software and is indeed the right mouse button you use to steer your craft around without any ill effects such as raking averything in sight with your laser?
If all else fails, you can use the PC Frontier under DOSBox.
Yep, it's definitely the right mouse button and nothing else. I don't use the mouse to fly the ship, I use the keyboard. I'd like to use a gamepad, but that doesn't want to work, so keyboard it is! I don't have a single problem with it in any other game, or in Windows, so it's most likely a problem with the game, I don't know what, I'm going to try and reinstall it but I don't want my savegames to be affected, I've got very far. I've uninstalled games before and tried to use the savegames, only to find that they don't work anymore.
Well as DraQ said, by default, holding down the right mouse button and moving the mouse should move the ship's orientation, and should also move the system map. Stupid question perhaps, but what happens when you press and hold the left mouse button and move the mouse? Try it in deep space perhaps, so you don't p*** off the authrorities. Does this fire your lasers too? Can you get your ship to move at ALL using the mouse?
Perhaps you'll just have to make do with zooming out so that you can click on your target, and if it's a planet and you can't see your port because it's around the other side of the planet, use the time-shift buttons to rotate the planet around. (Does that work?)
Perhaps you'll just have to make do with zooming out so that you can click on your target, and if it's a planet and you can't see your port because it's around the other side of the planet, use the time-shift buttons to rotate the planet around. (Does that work?)
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Most of the time that works, yes. I wish the Nav. Computer from F:FE was in Frontier, with that you just choose your target from a list and off you go. As for your other question, my mouse doesn't seem to control the craft at all, neither do my joystick/gamepads. Only keyboard control works, so that's what I'm stuck with (until Elite IV anyway).
Hmm. So left button does nothing, right fires the laser?
Odd.
Maybe try unplugging the joystick?
Thanks, will give that a go.
Many thanks, DraQ! Unplugging the gamepads worked, now I can navigate without accidentally blasting Mars High!!!! (I just smuggle illegal goodies like Hand Weapons and Slaves there instead!) 
Many thanks, DraQ! Unplugging the gamepads worked, now I can navigate without accidentally blasting Mars High!!!! (I just smuggle illegal goodies like Hand Weapons and Slaves there instead!)
You're welcome.
GLFrontier: flying bug
I have recently been experimenting with GLFrontier (from Tom Morton).
There seems to be an annoying bug in the more recent (23/6/06) windows binary, affecting playability when flying. I can't get the older binary (13/6/06) to work, so don't know if the bug is present on that version.
The bug concerns significant jerkiness when flying around. If you hold down the right mouse button anywhere remotely near the centre of the screen, then as soon as you move the mouse to change direction, there is a sudden jerk in the way you are pointing. This jerk happens even if the mouse is only moved a tiny amount. (Possibly connected symptom: when releasing the mouse button, the pointer appears miles away from where it was originally).
Has anyone managed to fix this bug from the source code?
Sam
I have recently been experimenting with GLFrontier (from Tom Morton).
There seems to be an annoying bug in the more recent (23/6/06) windows binary, affecting playability when flying. I can't get the older binary (13/6/06) to work, so don't know if the bug is present on that version.
The bug concerns significant jerkiness when flying around. If you hold down the right mouse button anywhere remotely near the centre of the screen, then as soon as you move the mouse to change direction, there is a sudden jerk in the way you are pointing. This jerk happens even if the mouse is only moved a tiny amount. (Possibly connected symptom: when releasing the mouse button, the pointer appears miles away from where it was originally).
Has anyone managed to fix this bug from the source code?
Sam
I managed to get the older windows binary to run on a computer at work, but the sudden jerkiness is still there when initially moving the mouse after holding down the right mouse button.
Anyone found a fix for this? Could the problem lie in the compiling of these windows binaries (perhaps using a dodgy mouse driver) rather than in the actual source code itself? I'd like to try compiling the source code myself, but am not sure how to do it.
It's a shame about this bug (detailed description in first post), as it makes accurate flying virtually impossible in GLFrontier, which is an otherwise lovely version of a top game.
Sam
Anyone found a fix for this? Could the problem lie in the compiling of these windows binaries (perhaps using a dodgy mouse driver) rather than in the actual source code itself? I'd like to try compiling the source code myself, but am not sure how to do it.
It's a shame about this bug (detailed description in first post), as it makes accurate flying virtually impossible in GLFrontier, which is an otherwise lovely version of a top game.
Sam
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Michael Brookes
Game Director
I don't seem to have this bug in my installation of GLFrontier, but I still have my problem of the game running at 20fps max, even though I have a modern computer running Vista etc.
The movement you describe is the same wherever my mouse pointer is when I hold down the right button, though at 20fps it isn't exactly smooth anyway
Thanks for your reply, Steve.
The best place I found to really notice this GLFrontier bug is to place the mouse pointer at either the left or right edge of the crosshair, hold down the right button, and move the mouse gently. When I do this, the ship suddenly lurches about 45 degrees sideways before moving properly with the mouse. This happens in both windowed and fullscreen mode, and also in all of the three graphics modes (openGL, normal, wireframe). If you only have 20fps in openGL, I guess that the bug, if present, would be more obvious in the smoother "normal" mode.
I'll give GLFFE another go, although I preferred the clean look of FE2 over FFE.
Sam
The best place I found to really notice this GLFrontier bug is to place the mouse pointer at either the left or right edge of the crosshair, hold down the right button, and move the mouse gently. When I do this, the ship suddenly lurches about 45 degrees sideways before moving properly with the mouse. This happens in both windowed and fullscreen mode, and also in all of the three graphics modes (openGL, normal, wireframe). If you only have 20fps in openGL, I guess that the bug, if present, would be more obvious in the smoother "normal" mode.
I'll give GLFFE another go, although I preferred the clean look of FE2 over FFE.
Sam
GLFrontier: No Autopilot?
Hi,
Its been a while since i played Frontier for the last time, but dont i need an Auto Pilot for autopiloting? Today i installed GLFrontier and had high hopes it could finally rid me of that periode of being Frontierfree, yet i seem either to have a bug in the software or in my way of thinking.
I have interstellar and interplanetary drives as well as an autopilot but when i click on a star system (no matter if i am in or not) i keep missing that red target marker, or anything else needed to chart a course.. am i simply rusted (its been years since i played last) or is there something wrong with GLFrontier?
Hi,
Its been a while since i played Frontier for the last time, but dont i need an Auto Pilot for autopiloting? Today i installed GLFrontier and had high hopes it could finally rid me of that periode of being Frontierfree, yet i seem either to have a bug in the software or in my way of thinking.
I have interstellar and interplanetary drives as well as an autopilot but when i click on a star system (no matter if i am in or not) i keep missing that red target marker, or anything else needed to chart a course.. am i simply rusted (its been years since i played last) or is there something wrong with GLFrontier?
Wait, what?
Could you please tell us what exactly are you doing, in what exact order and with what exactly in mind?
GLFrontier has no autopilot bugs I know of (though normal Frontier running under DOSBox is somewhat preferable).
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