MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2

@qaanol, on Nov 23 2008, 09:18 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

Bug report:

Status: Repeatable.

System: OS X 10.4, running MC 4.0.2 under Rosetta.

Method: From outfit editor when outfit has no description, click "Edit Description..." button to create description. Add text to description. Close outfit editor window. Attempt to close description editor window. Error occurs. Click "OK". MC exits. Description has not been created in the file.

I can repeat this as well. System OSX 10.3.9 on a G5 iMac.

Edit: sorry, I have no idea why I typed 10.3.8. I haven't had that for some time.

This post has been edited by Crusader Alpha : 24 November 2008 - 10:21 PM

@qaanol, on Nov 23 2008, 10:48 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

In fact, I'd like an undo that works in any editor. . .

So would I, but I haven't yet seen any way of doing it where the work would be substantially less than a complete rewrite. The star-map editor used to have a very rudimentary undo function, but even that was almost impossible to maintain.

@qaanol, on Nov 23 2008, 11:18 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

From outfit editor when outfit has no description, click "Edit Description..." button to create description. Add text to description. Close outfit editor window. Attempt to close description editor window. Error occurs. Click "OK". MC exits. Description has not been created in the file.

I think I know where this is happening – obviously, it's the closing of the oütf editor that's confusing things. I'll see if I can track it down.

@david-arthur, on Nov 20 2008, 02:08 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

Illustration to clarify the two possibilities:

ˇ ˇ 1 x x	 ˇ ˇ 1 x ˇ
x x x x x	 ˇ ˇ x x ˇ
x x x 2 ˇ	 ˇ ˇ x 2 ˇ

In most ways I prefer the second option, but if you could get the click-and-drag option of selecting things to work, then shift can do the first option and dragging would take care of the second. Of course, there is always the option of a checkbox in the preferances menu to choose between the two, but how would you word that?

This post has been edited by EV Wolf : 24 November 2008 - 02:20 PM

@ev-wolf, on Nov 24 2008, 02:18 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

In most ways I prefer the second option, but if you could get the click-and-drag option of selecting things to work, then shift can do the first option and dragging would take care of the second. Of course, there is always the option of a checkbox in the preferances menu to choose between the two, but how would you word that?

I've settled on the first option, since it's not only more consistent (as Guy pointed out) but also much easier to code. I may add selection by dragging later, but I'm definitely not going to make basic interface elements user-configurable: that road leads very rapidly to Linux. 🙂

Alright, I'm able to select multiples in the PICT editor, but if I copy and paste, only the first resource that I selected is transferred.

@crusader-alpha, on Nov 24 2008, 10:23 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

Alright, I'm able to select multiples in the PICT editor, but if I copy and paste, only the first resource that I selected is transferred.

Correct – multiple copying from the graphical picker is added for 4.0.3, which is coming soon.

Another spelling error.

In the ships resources under 'length' the help bubble says 'metres'.

@it-000, on Nov 26 2008, 04:21 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

A sign of British spelling.

In the ships resources under 'length' the help bubble says 'metres'.

@it-000, on Nov 26 2008, 07:21 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

In the ships resources under 'length' the help bubble says 'metres'.

Yes, that's correct.

Quote

Yes, that's correct.

Okay.

I don't know this is an error or not, but it won't let me give inaccuracy to Point-Defense Beams.

@qaanol, on Nov 23 2008, 11:18 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

Method: From outfit editor when outfit has no description, click "Edit Description..." button to create description. Add text to description. Close outfit editor window. Attempt to close description editor window. Error occurs. Click "OK". MC exits. Description has not been created in the file.

Fixed, thanks. (It was trying to notify the now-closed outfit editor that the dësc had changed, so that the oütf editor could change the red X on the edit button to a green check mark.)

@it-000, on Nov 30 2008, 10:27 AM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

I don't know this is an error or not, but it won't let me give inaccuracy to Point-Defense Beams.

This is what the Nova Bible says:

Quote

Inaccuracy
The weapon's inaccuracy as it leaves the ship (ignored for guidance-10 point defense beams)

Of course, it isn't always definitive. Does anyone have evidence to the contrary?

@david-arthur, on Nov 30 2008, 10:41 AM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

Fixed, thanks. (It was trying to notify the now-closed outfit editor that the dësc had changed, so that the oütf editor could change the red X on the edit button to a green check mark.)
This is what the Nova Bible says:

Awesome. On further investigation, the same problem currently exists for other resources besides oütf, such as shďp and mďsn, anywhere there's one of those red X's that opens a new window, including for PICTs and dëscs. Does your fix for this fix those too?

Also, here are a few typos I found (not an exhaustive list—do you have a text version of all the mouse-over 'Help' strings that I could look at to do an exhaustive reading of?) and some suggested corrections.

In the outfit editor:
Explanatory text for "Remove after purchase" checkbox: "Causes the item to be removed after it is purchase (useful for permits and other intangible purchases)"

Should be, "after it is purchased".

Explanatory text of "Random factor" field: "The percent chance that an item of this type will be available for purchase on a given day, from 1-100. Values less than 1 or greater than 100 are interpreted as 100."

Should be, "from 0-100" and "Values less than 0", unless I am sorely mistaken.

Explanatory text of "Tech level" field: "What the technology level of the item is. This item will be available at all spaceports with a tech level of this value or higher. (The exception to this rule invloves the SpecialTech fields of the spöb resource; see the help on spöb resources for more)

Should be, "involves".

Explanatory text of "Require" button: "If for each bit in the Require field there is a matching bit in the player's Contribute field, the item will be available."

Should be, "If any bit in the Require field does not have a matching bit in the player's Contribute field, the item will be unavailable."

In the government editor:
Explanatory test for "Require (to land)" button: "If each Require bit isn't matched inthe Contribute fields, you won't be able to visit any planets owned by this govt; useful for making travel permits."

Should be, "If any bit in the Require field does not have a matching bit in the player's Contribute field, the player will be unable to land on any spöb belonging to this gövt; useful for making travel permits."

This post has been edited by Qaanol : 30 November 2008 - 05:22 PM

@qaanol, on Nov 30 2008, 05:22 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

Awesome. On further investigation, the same problem currently exists for other resources besides oütf, such as shďp and mďsn, anywhere there's one of those red X's that opens a new window, including for PICTs and dëscs. Does your fix for this fix those too?

Yes, the bug had nothing to do with the oütf editor as such. The fix was to add a couple of lines to UnmakeEditor in the document window, making it go through all the remaining editors and tell them to stop notifying the editor that's now closing (the oütf editor in your original example) whenever they change. This notification protocol is, as you've noticed, used wherever the red Xs appear; that's how the X turns into a check mark when you create the resource.

@qaanol, on Nov 30 2008, 05:22 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

...do you have a text version of all the mouse-over 'Help' strings that I could look at to do an exhaustive reading of?

No, I'm afraid they aren't stored that way. It would have been much easier to catch all those invalid characters that popped up during the switch to Unicode if they were.

Quote

Explanatory text for "Remove after purchase" checkbox: "Causes the item to be removed after it is purchase (useful for permits and other intangible purchases)" / Should be, "after it is purchased".
Explanatory text of "Tech level" field: "What the technology level of the item is. This item will be available at all spaceports with a tech level of this value or higher. (The exception to this rule invloves the SpecialTech fields of the spöb resource; see the help on spöb resources for more) / Should be, "involves".

Fixed, thanks.

Quote

Explanatory text of "Random factor" field: "The percent chance that an item of this type will be available for purchase on a given day, from 1-100. Values less than 1 or greater than 100 are interpreted as 100." / Should be, "from 0-100" and "Values less than 0", unless I am sorely mistaken.

This is copied directly from the Nova Bible – does anyone know offhand what the actual behaviour is?

Quote

Explanatory text of "Require" button: "If for each bit in the Require field there is a matching bit in the player's Contribute field, the item will be available." / Should be, "If any bit in the Require field does not have a matching bit in the player's Contribute field, the item will be unavailable."

Don't these say the same thing?

@david-arthur, on Nov 30 2008, 03:36 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

Don't these say the same thing?

Look closely; one is the converse of the other. Basically the same as the previous sentence structure fix suggestion.

Quote

Yes, the bug had nothing to do with the oütf editor as such. The fix was to add a couple of lines to UnmakeEditor in the document window, making it go through all the remaining editors and tell them to stop notifying the editor that's now closing (the oütf editor in your original example) whenever they change. This notification protocol is, as you've noticed, used wherever the red Xs appear; that's how the X turns into a check mark when you create the resource.

I'm glad you succeeded.

@david-arthur, on Nov 30 2008, 05:36 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:

@qaanol, on Nov 30 2008, 05:22 PM, said in MissionComputer now updated to 4.0.2:
Explanatory text of "Random factor" field: "The percent chance that an item of this type will be available for purchase on a given day, from 1-100. Values less than 1 or greater than 100 are interpreted as 100."

Should be, "from 0-100" and "Values less than 0", unless I am sorely mistaken.

This is copied directly from the Nova Bible – does anyone know offhand what the actual behaviour is?

Just tried it and found: from 0-100. Values greater than 100 are interpreted as 100; values less than 0 are interpreted as 0. (This is the same as saying values greater than 99 are interpreted as 100, and values less than 1 are interpreted as 0.)

Quote

Quote

Explanatory text of "Require" button: "If for each bit in the Require field there is a matching bit in the player's Contribute field, the item will be available."

Should be, "If any bit in the Require field does not have a matching bit in the player's Contribute field, the item will be unavailable."

Don't these say the same thing?

Depending on other fields (availability, tech level, random factor), it's possible that the require bits could be met but the item would still be unavailable.

All right, fair enough.

I have a question on languages. I'm currently developing something for EV Nova. I'm using Mission Computer 4.0.2. I am wanting to use as part of the story the idea that all languages in the Federation have been lost with the exception of Greek. I'm wanting to use Greek on the first few messages. Is it that the EV Nova engine does not allow for and language other than English? Or is this Mission Computer only.

EV Nova uses the Mac Roman charset, which only includes a few Greek characters as used in mathematics.

In fact, MissionComputer 4.0 and up use native Unicode internally, but I can't write anything into the data files other than the MacRoman that the game engine supports. You might be able to accomplish something like this by putting your text into pictures attached to the dësc resources, though.

I just thought of an idea to help make editing a system easier to test and to decrease errors in development. How about making a "System Locator" (or whatever other name you would call it).

Basically, at the top of the star map system editor, there would be a drop-down box. The first option would be 'normal' (which is where the drop box starts at when you enter the editor), where the system editor behaves normally as always. The rest of the options in the drop box would allow you to identify which systems contain certain information. For example: if you selected 'commodities' from the list, all the system graphics would turn into blue circles except those containing planets with any type of commodity being sold, they would turn green (in simpler words, if a system sells no commodities then it remains blue, if else turn green). Then another drop box would appear next to it where you could (if you wanted to sharpen your search) specify the certain commodity you wanted to locate. Once you select the commodity your looking for, then every system containing a planet that is selling that certain commodity turns green, while those that don't turn blue. Then if your looking for commodities at certain prices (High, Med, or Low), another drop box could appear for that. This would be helpful for setting up trade routes and to test to be sure all your systems have the correct commodities, instead of having to play the game and go to each and every system.

There are plenty of other things you could locate, pretty much any information you could get from a s˙st or spöb could be located. The most useful things to locate would be governments, commodities, tech levels, and many others.

I know little on the type of programming your using, but I'd imagine it would be very hard, if not impossible to check information from every single planet and system, then display it efficiently without a lot of thinking time. But, that's why its an idea, and it would be on the bottom of the to-do list anyways. Though it would be another really cool and useful feature MC would have over other editors. Tell me you guys like the idea! (THEN tell me the technical difficulties :rolleyes: )