Make project buildable using MinGW toolchain

[zzambers]

I would like to make Generals buildable using minGW (mingw-w64)

Background:
MinGW is open source project providing cross-platform suite/toolchain to build windows binaries (i.e. toolchain, based on GNU gcc + buinutils + windows headers etc). Can be used on many platforms including windows and linux. So this would make it possible to do build on other systems than window (such as linux, doing cross-compilation), and also drop dependence on proprietary software (for building). This can also serve as good intermediate step to eventual support for other platforms as build target. That would however need much more work and is out of scope of this effort.

Sub goals (many issues already raised by other people):

• fix name case of includes (to allow building on case-sensitive OSes; issue)
• fix encoding errors by making files ascii/utf-8 (issue)
• create replacement code for (VS specific) inline assembly using pure c++ (issue)
• fix GCC build errors by making code portable / standard compliant c++ (without need for VS extensions)
• do changes as necessary to build system (CMake files)
• add GitHub workflows to do build using linux + minGW

Making c++ portable/standard conforming
I have spend some time trying to fix these issues, but I see there is big overlap with ongoing effort to make game compile on VS2022/c++20. I basically faced all the same issues stated in PR as well. There will be more fixes necessary, to fix errors in GCC (like e.g. forward enum declarations etc.). But it will probably be better to wait for VS2022 work to be done, not to duplicate work.

[DevGeniusCode]

Additionally, this will allow building in CLion, without the need to adapt to other toolchains.

[xezon]

I support this effort very much. Do you expect any risk for breaking VS6 retail compatibility or should that be just fine?

Perhaps the right time to start this effort is after all VS2022 c++20 changes are merged. I expect it will be done this week for Zero Hour, Generals and all Tools.

You can already start it for Zero Hour though. That is merged now.

I will complete them in this order:

• Zero Hour (Done & Merged)
• Generals (Done)
• Zero Hour Tools (In progress)
• Generals Tools

[tintinhamans]

@zzambers would you like this issue assigned to you?

[zzambers]

I support this effort very much. Do you expect any risk for breaking VS6 retail compatibility or should that be just fine?

I hope not, I want to do minimal changes, just fix to build. (avoiding any invasive changes as much as possible)

Perhaps the right time to start this effort is after all VS2022 c++20 changes are merged. I expect it will be done this week for Zero Hour, Generals and all Tools.

You can already start it for Zero Hour though. That is merged now.

Ok, thanks.
I plan to make fixes to GeneralsMD and then try to "backport" changes to Generals (by exporting patch from GeneralsMD and applying it to Generals). So this fits my planned workflow.

[xezon]

How do you generate this patch? I have been transfering stuff by hand which took a while :D

[Fighter19]

Most of what your goals are have already been accomplished on my fork.
I'd suggest trying to build that one first, before jumping in and doing the work double.
Yes, we have a few problem with the keyboard under Win64 currently and the default configuration on Win32 has no sound, but it should already be buildable (and probably also playable) with MingW.

At least I'm occasionally building with Clang on Win64.

[zzambers]

How do you generate this patch? I have been transfering stuff by hand which took a while :D

You can for example generate patch between old and new revision using:
git diff old..new > changes.patch

Or generate collection of patches for each commit by using:
git format-patch old..new

You can then play tricks with git apply to apply them on different sub tree, such as:
git apply -p2 --directory=Generals changes.patch

Where p parameter specifies how many directory elements to remove form beginning of file paths when applying patch, directory on contrary adds prefix to file paths in patch.

Note that by default git apply either succeeds for whole change set or does not make any change and displays error. In case patch does not apply cleanly you can modify the behavior by adding --reject argument to git apply. Then it applies changes where possible. For changes, which it fails to apply, it generates .rej files, you can then review those and decide what to do (then you can remove .rej files after you no longer need them).

For more info just look into manual page for git command using e.g. man git-apply in terminal or search it on the internet. There are many creative ways to use git command line tools. Maybe there is even fancier way to achieve this. :)

[zzambers]

Most of what your goals are have already been accomplished on my fork. I'd suggest trying to build that one first, before jumping in and doing the work double. Yes, we have a few problem with the keyboard under Win64 currently and the default configuration on Win32 has no sound, but it should already be buildable (and probably also playable) with MingW.

At least I'm occasionally building with Clang on Win64.

Wow, I see you have been quite active in your fork. You are already porting Generals to SDL?
It is shame, that EA decided to make their repo read-only and not to continue development there. This way there is no official centralized place, where development would take place. Multiple people can then be doing same work without even knowing about each other...

[DevGeniusCode]

This way there is no official centralized place, where development would take place. Multiple people can then be doing same work without even know about each other...

Off topic, you can see a list of active forks here https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Generals_Zero_Hour/forks?include=active&page=1&period=2y&sort_by=stargazer_counts

[zzambers]

This way there is no official centralized place, where development would take place. Multiple people can then be doing same work without even know about each other...

Off topic, you can see a list of active forks here https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Generals_Zero_Hour/forks?include=active&page=1&period=2y&sort_by=stargazer_counts

Yes I know, that's how I found this one. :) It is on top (and seems most active in various aspects PRs, Issues ...).

[DevGeniusCode]

Yes I know, that's how I found this one. :) It is on top (and seems most active in various aspects PRs, Issues ...).

If you're not there yet, you're welcome to join the developers' Discord, which includes discussions between the developers of the various forks. https://www.community-outpost.com/discord and ask for get the dev channels

(The bot may still be having problems)