How to make this java game work?


trix

Very Active Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2010
Messages
436
Hello!

So I'm trying to get this game Wurm Online going on my Pandora. It's a java game. The graphics are definitely too much for the old Pandy but there's a neat config option "world_render=false" that removes all the graphics and just leaves the UI.

This would allow me to log into my character while I am at work and leave him online for chatting and trading from inventory (and selling my enchanted weapons!

However, I can't even get the patcher to load!

To launch Wurm I run the .jnlp file from wurmonline.com using the console (with "javaws wurmclient.jnlp")
that works and the splash screen loads and it downloads the patcher itself. Once the download completes it shows the splash screen again and right when it should show the patcher it crashes

The console gives errors that say "net.sourceforge.jnlp.LaunchException: Fatal: Launch Error: Could not launch JNLP file"
further down it says "Caused by java.lang.NullPointerException"

Does anyone have any idea what that means and how to work around it?

Thanks!
 
Also, this game is free-to-play, so if you'd like to try the steps yourself, it's easy. Just go to wurmonline.com and click Play. It will download the JNLP file. Stick it somewhere and use javaws (Java Web Start) to launch it.
 
Normally, logs can be considered to be strictly in forward causality. If the null pointer exception comes after the failure to launch, that usually means it was a result of the previous error, not the cause. The big exception to that is stack traces and error reports which generally come immediately after a big error and are the stuff that led up the the error above occurring, so in practice you need a little skill to read a log, and it depends how much 'further down' the null pointer exception report was.
 
After some more investigating I found that the Java Web Start used to launch the JNLP file launches from /mnt/utmp/java/openjdk/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/jre/bin/javaws. I thought the Java Installer from the Java PND installed Oracle Java 7?

Could outdated Java be the culprit here?
[doublepost=1550904132,1550903540][/doublepost]
https://forum.wurmonline.com/index.php?/topic/69357-common-issues-on-linux/
This thread seems to indicate OpenJDK has issues loading large JNLP files, making me wonder if a newer version of java web start might help.

Could I be on the right track? I'm not sure where to get a newer javaws binary that would work on the Pandora.
 
I have compiled newer JDK/JRE version for some of my PND. You can grab Destination Sol on the repo for example, you'll find a JRE 9 inside. That should be new enough.
 
Thank you for your suggestion but unfortunately it's become a moot point.

I was 1/2 way through installing Destination Sol PND when my cat chose the wrong moment to jump from the couch and take my pandora with it.

The battery cover is broken, and I cannot find a way to secure the battery tight enough for the unit to stay on. I've tried some ideas like tape and various material, but the battery really needs to be pushed very firmly against the Pandora to work. I was using a folded paper shim to keep it firmly pressed before due to this issue.

This original first batch cc unit has tons of issues, mostly due to heavy use. I use it every day, which is why I could never get around to parting with it long enough to get it fixed. I guess now I don't have an excuse!
 
Oh that sucks. I had one cat grab the power cord while running which sent my Pandora crashing to the floor. It cracked the edge of the upper case and broke a shoulder buttton. I've stripped the screws while trying to fix it so now I have a broken shoulder button (I can get it to register a press if I insist but it's not very convenient to use).

Back to your original question, a newer version of Java can help. I've been thinking about making an updated Java pnd to include Ptitseb's newer JRE/JDK builds. It looks like it could benefit some people.
 
Well, thanks to some free time at work and half a pound of electrical tape I got my Pandora to work again!!

I downloaded the Destination Sol PND and checked it out, but in the jre9/bin directory there's "Java" but no javaws. I need Java Web Start, the normal java binary won't load JNLP files.

@ptitSeb Do you have any PNDs with updated Java that includes a javaws binary?

Thanks for the help!
 
Ah, well done. Last night I put the battery back the right way up in and I can get the unit to boot up with power in but as soon as I remove power the unit turns off, which makes me think the battery isn't connected properly.

As I recall, and I think I documented it here somewhere, I'm of the type of unit that won't power up without a battery, so I'm a little perplexed as to how it's booting but not charging the battery. I'll try now I think to remove the battery entirely and see if it powers now with my current charging solution (a PSP charge cable from a supposed 2.1A usb charge port).
 
My rebirth Pandora powers on even without a battery in the unit on the DC jack. I've been running battery less for years on my CRT TV setup.
 
Well, thanks to some free time at work and half a pound of electrical tape I got my Pandora to work again!!

I downloaded the Destination Sol PND and checked it out, but in the jre9/bin directory there's "Java" but no javaws. I need Java Web Start, the normal java binary won't load JNLP files.

@ptitSeb Do you have any PNDs with updated Java that includes a javaws binary?

Thanks for the help!
I checked, and none of the JRE and JDK, beeing 9 or 10, have the javaws binary built. I need to check if openjdk have this, and if you, how it's built...
 
Last edited:
Well, thanks to some free time at work and half a pound of electrical tape I got my Pandora to work again!!

I downloaded the Destination Sol PND and checked it out, but in the jre9/bin directory there's "Java" but no javaws. I need Java Web Start, the normal java binary won't load JNLP files.

@ptitSeb Do you have any PNDs with updated Java that includes a javaws binary?

Thanks for the help!
A little search gave me this: http://geekgaucho.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-run-jnlp-java-web-start-jws-apps.html
Bad news is, I haven't built Icedtea plugin, sorry.
 
Drat! Well, thank you for trying.

The Java PND does install Java Web Start and can launch JNLP files, but it uses OpenJDK 6, and that specific version of Java Web Start has problems with large JNLP files.

I hope to at least get Java Web Start from JRE7, that would work, but everything I can find from Oracle's website is hard float, and I'm pretty sure Pandora is soft-float. I don't know what to do :(
 
So how does one go about building the icedtea plugin?

I couldn't even figure out how to install OpenJDK, as the linux ARM versions on the Oracle website are all hardfp and I'm pretty sure Pandora is softfp.
 
Yes: https://repo.openpandora.org/?page=detail&app=java (but you'll still need the Oracle tgz archive iirc)

Sorry for the long delay, my Pandora required further repairs to work again.

The Java PND you linked is the same one I started with. It installs JRE7, however the Java Web Start binary still comes from OpenJDK 6.

I think what I need is the Java Web Start ARM SoftFP binary from Java 7 or 8. JRE8 would be preferred as it is the officially supported version for Wurm Online.

I don't know enough about this stuff to get any farther, I'm trying to learn but I can't figure out how to install JRE8 from Oracle. There's Java Embedded 8, which has a SoftFP version, and while I downloaded the file, I'm not really sure what to do with it, nor if it will have the requisite version of Java Web Start included.

Even once I get past the JNLP file, to actually launch the game requires full OpenGL, and I have no idea how to use the compatibility layers (gl4es?) required to attempt to load the game.

Any help would be appreciated. I would even be willing to pay money for successful help with this!
 
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