Q2, Linux and VID: Could not open Display error

Hallo everybody!

I know this is an old problem but I have not yet found a solution
despite my thorough searches. I'll give some background first.

I have a win PC and Linux box connected on a LAN. I can play 'normal'
multiplayer (no mods) on the lan with either the WinPC or the linuxPC
as server and it's great fun! me missus stills whoops me ass, though
I'm getting better! the linuxPC uses the softx vid_ref (no open gl on
my basic vid card). BUT, when a mod'ed multiplayer (eg eraser) is
started on the WinPC and LinuxPC tries to join, I get the VID: could
not open Display [] error.

my shell output is as follows...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
==== ShutdownGame ====
Connecting to 192.168.0.11:27910...
192.168.0.11:27910: challenge
192.168.0.11:27910: client_connect
Added packfile ./eraser/pak5.pak (1 files)




The Edge

------- sound initialization -------
sound sampling rate: 11025
------------------------------------
------- Loading ref_softx.so -------
Cmd_AddCommand: +mlook already defined
Cmd_AddCommand: -mlook already defined
Cmd_AddCommand: force_centerview already defined
recursive shutdown
Error: VID: Could not open display []

---------------------------------------------------------------------

now, I've seen many post about this error, but none have helped me. I
have tried "xhost + localhost" (with the user who initiated the x
session), aI have tried starting quake as root, I have tried setting
the the DISPLAY env variable but I'm now stuck! I did see a post that
said this could be a bug in quake, but no other info regarding bug-fix!
I also read that it could be a server/client incompatibility and so
set up a server and told it to allow downloads of all info (player maps
etc). still no bananas.

one more thing before I go, If I start a dedicated server on the linux
box with Eraser (#./quake2 +set game eraser' then the game loads as
normal. I start a server and on the console type num_bot 5 (or'bot_num
5'- Idon't know off-by-heart) it just repeats it as though tmy
character said it. I haven;t managed to get any eraser bots on a linux
server... the eraser logo is present on the dropeed down console
though.

I a using v3.20 on both machines.

thanks for any suggestions, and sorry about the long post!

cheers

oh- also, some of my character models aren't picked up by my linux
quake, even though there in the right place (baseq2/players...etc)

I've just had a thought about eraser on a linux server (eraser logo
appears on console screen but no bots appear...)- I've checked my
'eraser' directory and there's no gamei386.so file. Should there be
one? if this 'so' file behaves like the win32 counterpart (dll) then
surely even though I have succesfully loaded the eraser mod, it can't
run the game mods because it can't find the gamei386.so file in the
eraser directory so it would default to the gamei386.so file in the
baseq2 directory...? Would this explain why the 'num_bot 5' command is
accepted but is not acted upon?

This still doesn't answer why a linux client gives the VID: error when
trying to connect to an eraser server run on the winPC...

thanks for your thoughts....

(just incase you're wondering why I haven't provided linux
distro/version- it's because I didn't think it is relevent- the game
*does* work as a one player and LAN multiplayer (without mods) though
softx. mdk9.2 for those who were curious.)