3 Questions [edited]

Simple Plug-in knowlege

1st: I've created several modified ships, (they don't replace any ship in the game) but when i buy any of them, i just cant buy any outfit other than the ones that have the same TechLVL (i made this ships 369 so they are sold only in the system i created), anyone knows why? (Dunno why but couldnt upload here)

2nd: Can someone link me to a working tutorial for making the sprites from a 3D model for EV:N? (i'm using google Sketchup)? all the links in the "useful links" aren't working, or are for EV.

Attachment: Too lazy to remove the outfits and that, have a look if you want (I recommend the Homing Laser, works the same way that the Cloaking-seeker missiles work, though i didn't know that when i made them, i was trying to reproduce the Homing Lasers from Eureka Seven, an Anime Series), they're sold in the Nekodia system, which you reach from Sol -> Nekodia Access -> Nekodia.

(edit)
3rd: is there any way to make a solid trail? i tried with particles, but when theres some missiles the trails start to dissappear
(/edit)

My System = Download

= excuse my grammar/redaction if there's anything wrong, too tired to translate correctly =

This post has been edited by Meoiswa Twang : 21 July 2008 - 04:45 PM

In order to prevent you from installing physical upgrades on a Vell-os ship, most outfitter items have their Require field set to require a particular bit in the ship's Contribute field. If you set the Contribute field on your new ship to the same value as it has in a standard ship - the Starbridge, for example - you should be able to buy any outfitter item that fits.

@meoiswa-twang, on Jul 21 2008, 02:18 PM, said in 3 Questions [edited]:

1st: I've created several modified ships, (they don't replace any ship in the game) but when i buy any of them, i just cant buy any outfit other than the ones that have the same TechLVL (i made this ships 369 so they are sold only in the system i created), anyone knows why? (Dunno why but couldnt upload here)

First off, welcome to the ASW Boards, Meoiswa Twang! Enjoy your stay and may you be blessed by the light of Lathander!

You'll need the contribute bit 0000000000000001, otherwise known as bit A5 for Macs. Without it, your ship is like a Vell-os ship: you can't buy anything, other than Marine Platoons.

I can't help you, unfortunately, with anything else.

The only solutions that I know of for three is to either cicn trail (looks junky in my opinion) or to use a relatively low number of particles for the weapon trail. (like 4 or 5) Not only will the latter look better, but it should also allow you to fill the screen with more missiles and have them keep their trails. (Nova will stop drawing particles when there's 256 of them on the screen, by the way)

You might also want to check the maximum life span of the particles you're using. Usually you want to avoid anything above a value of 30 and lower than 15, of course setting a value lower than 15 can give you interesting effects. (A value lower than 15 makes the missiles look like they're spraying a fluid rather than combusting a fuel, in my opinion.)

Wow, thanks ^^.. first time i get a response in less than a week in a developer's forum, ill try those answers, and, i was thinking in creating a trail using a round solid color dot of smoke, and (dunno if possible) make EV create that smoke every frame or so

(edit) can someone teach me how to use the smoke trails? (/edit)

This post has been edited by Meoiswa Twang : 21 July 2008 - 07:23 PM

I don't see what you're getting at... If you use the particle system, the particles will fade out from the color you gave them (note that you always want this to be a relatively light color). If you use cicns, you'll have to draw your own sprites.

You can't make particles be generated every set interval of frames. I don't know how the Nova engine decides how much time it takes to generate a new set of particles.

I say the best medicine is experimentation; find the values that work best for you. That's pretty much the only way to understand the Nova engine, after reading the Nova Bible, of course. I've been working with Nova plug-ins for about 2 years now and I'm still finding "undocumented features" here and there when I'm working on CTC-C. There's a surprising number of them.

Thanks for the info, but, if you have a look at my plug, you'll see i'm currently using particles in the best way (i experimented A LOT, probably edited the particles value more than 50 times). I want to know how to use the Smoke Trails, and create a line the same way the game creates beams, by placing lots of circles one after the other.
Also, EV engine generates the amount of particles you assign every second.
The link is a picture, its the current particle configuration, its set in the brightest pink color possible (its the shot hitting the Pegasus) and in the way it worked best for me.
(sorry for the BIG image)

This post has been edited by Meoiswa Twang : 21 July 2008 - 09:39 PM

Particles are generated every frame so if you if want a solid trail coming from a missile you can't make its speed greater than 100. Smoke trails are no better, plus you have almost no control over their lifespan.