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I'm pretty new to making plugins and i suck at graphics but i'm still making a plugin using some custom pics and some from some of the online shipyards. but i've had some problems. 1. spb s. I don't get how to edit them with ResEdit. I've read the EV Bible and i've gone through the EV Data files but i still don't get it. Can someone help me? is there a editor that can edit spb(besides EV Edit). 2. ship/outfit icons I just don't know how to do it. I have the pics. and the pictures of the outfit come out on the left when i select it. but the icons not there. :frown: plz hlp.
my email address is [ J_Ace21@hotmail.com ](mailto: J_Ace21@hotmail.com "E-mail Link") thx
------------------ [ J_Ace21@hotmail.com ](mailto: J_Ace21@hotmail.com "E-mail Link")
Spobs. Pontus Ilbring's EVO Developer's Map is a wonderful tool for creating systems and spobs; you can get it on the Add-ons page.
To make outfits and icons converge - use EV Formula Calc by (who else?) Pontus Ilbring. It should be on either the EV or EVO addon files page.
Always glad to help a budding plugin developer.
------------------ "Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will have me as a member." - Groucho Marx
Why not just use EV-edit? But a mixture of both EV-edit and ResEdit with the EVO templates is better than just one or the other.
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This is a little repetitive, but I'd recommend the following programs to anyone beginning Plug-In creation:
ResEdit (most important!) - for editing lots of things, weapons, outfits, ships, dudes, etc. NOTE: the EV ResEdit Template (in the EV Plug-In Package) is necessary unless you're an authentic computer programmer who really knows what to do.
EV-Edit - for linking descriptions, names, pictures to outfits and ships; also a great planet editor, and good for mapping out systems.
Schmelta-V - almost vital to anyone making missions. The interface may seem identical to that of EV-Edit, but I think EV-Edit has some bugs in creating and editing missions...
Make Spďn - this is a slightly more obscure program. If you're planning on making your own ships, you will need this. Just pop a PICT into it, and it automatically creates sprites for it.
Also, the EV Bible is almost vital, but then you already mentioned that.
Hope I could be of help (or at least not TOO much of a bother...)
------------------ "The only thing we have to fear is Disney being bought by Bill Gates"
My two pence (UK):
First, get a really, really good idea of the feel of your plugin, and the underlying storyline.
Next, use EV-Edit to make any stuff like Spobs, Systems, Outfits and Ships that you know you'll need (or, just really want to make). Reuse graphics from other stuff to begin with -- you can make the graphics later when you've got more of an idea of how you want things to look.
Always back up a lot when using EV-Edit -- it crashes like crazy and takes your plugin with it.
Then, convert your plugin to EV (rather than EVO) and create all the missions. While you're doing this, you'll probably want to go back to EV-Edit (which can work with EV or EVO) and add outfits, govts, spobs as you go along. Remember to back up like crazy. Still don't make any graphics -- EV-Edit and Schmelta are much more likely to crash if the file is large -- and that's exactly what graphics make it.
When you've written everything you can think of, download PlugChecker. PlugChecker will find loads of errors -- most of them created by EV-Edit. You can only fix these errors using ResEdit, but by this time it shouldn't seem too weird (something tells me that EV-Edit is heavily based on ResEdit).
Fix the errors before you do anything else (including playing your plugin).
Then, delete EV-Edit from your hard drive. At this point even opening your plugin in EV-Edit can cause endless problems.
From here on, use EV-Developers Map, plus some other excellent utilities made by Pontus Ilbring, plus Schmelta and ResEdit.
Play through your plugin five or six times. You'll expand it as you go.
When you've finished expanding it, run it through Plug Checker one more time.
Ok. You can now start making graphics in your favourite 3d rendering package, and sounds in your favourite sound editor.
When you're totally ready, advertise on this board for Beta Testers. Take no less than five and no more than fifteen for an average plug-in. Get them all to sign up to regular updates over (say) a three week period.
Everything they criticise, fix, no matter how much you don't want to be criticised. These guys are working for you, and you owe it to them.
Take especial care to fix any bad grammar, spelling mistakes or clumsy writing. Players will forgive anything but this.
Now work out how much space your plugin is taking. Ask yourself: is it really worth five hours of someone's time to download my 48 MB plugin if the total playing time for all the missions is only 25 minutes? If not, then mercilessly prune away graphics that aren't essential, and sounds and music tracks. You can always release them as add-ons later if your plugin takes off.
Once your plug-in is thoroughly ready, upload it on the add-ons page, and tell everyone on the board. Most people seem to immediately rate their own plugin five out of five. This is fair enough if you really think that your plugin is (say) better than Babylon 5 or Star Wars. A better way would be to ask people to give an honest rating after they've played it.
If the ratings are low, find out why people don't like it and fix it. Often the 1.0.x versions of a plugin are a lot better than the initial versions.
If there are bugs, deal with them immediately. No one likes buggy plugs.
If the ratings are high, remember to answer all the emails you get, and start work on the sequel.
Good luck.
M A R T I N T U R N E R
I already use EV-Edit for names and right now for planets. I'm using the ev developer's map for systems but how can you edit planets with the EV Developer's Map? I don't really like using EV-Edit very much. I used to use it when i made slight changes to other plug-ins but when i'm making my own it almost always mess up things that i didn't even alter with EV-Edit that I had already done in Res-Edit(things like, I set one of the weapons to a turret. after using EV-Edit with it I try testing it with EV and it's set to a cargo pod!). Also, I have the basic plot down but I can't think of very good mission ideas. I pretty much suck at making stories. any ideas??
oh yeah. can someone tell me how to assign flags for outfits, weapons.... in ResEdit. I try doing what it says in the EVB but ResEdit gives me an error message
Quote
Originally posted by J.Ace21: oh yeah. can someone tell me how to assign flags for outfits, weapons.... in ResEdit. I try doing what it says in the EVB but ResEdit gives me an error message
You replace '0x' with '$' in ResEdit.
------------------ OpenGL Avara!
AIM: EVAndrewM
"I haven't seen myself lately, AndrewM." GreenYO, #ev
Originally posted by Andrew M: **You replace '0x' with '$' in ResEdit.
**
thx
How do you switch a plug from EV to EVO. Do i just need to change the file type. If i do what about the extra stuff i can do with EVO??
J.Ace21 Wrote: How do you switch a plug from EV to EVO. Do i just need to change the file type. If i do what about the extra stuff i can do with EVO??
It's a lot easier to just start over from scratch, especialy if it's a small plugin that maybe adds a planet or two or ship or something like that. as for editors:
Schmelta-V is only for EV, you CAN convert it to EVO, but it doesn't work.
EV-Edit F%$#S UP Missions, Spobs, Systems, and maybe a few other stuff, although it works fine for things like ships, outfits, weapons, dudes, personalities, fleets, junk, etc.
ResEdit is the best all-around editor, it's a little hard to use, but has very few bugs and it's COMPLETELY 100% FREE!!!!
I use ResEdit for just about everything, EV-Developers Map is the only other Editor i REALY use, although if it's for EV i do use Schmelta-V for missions and personalities.
P.S. What ever happend to MissionEdit or what ever it was?
Schmelta V can be used to edit EVO plugins with no problems (except the ones it had for EV).
Use filetyper or FileType CM or your favourite to change the file type. Schmelta won't access the additional EVO codes, but it won't mash them either. Go through and do all your missions in Schmelta, then do any additional funny stuff once converted back to EVO.
There's a reason why there are a lot of very good mission intensive plugins for EV and very few for EVO, and that reason is Schmelta V. Until someone comes up with a viable alternative, it's Schmelta for me all the way.
i changed some resource IDs in my plug to the ones the EV Formula Calc recomended and suddendly when i tried it again almost all the ships were using the spins for the light freighter. I looked at it with ResEdit and there was nothing wrong. but whenever i try playing the plug...
Originally posted by J.Ace21: **How do you switch a plug from EV to EVO. Do i just need to change the file type. If i do what about the extra stuff i can do with EVO?? **
Originally posted by Mordon: It's a lot easier to just start over from scratch, especialy if it's a small plugin that maybe adds a planet or two or ship or something like that.
Actually it's not that hard to convert a small plugin from EV to EVO or vice-versa. All you have to do is use Res-Edit, open the plugin, go to the file menu, select "Get Info for..." and change the file type to Mpďf and the creator to Mërc. That changes it to a EV plugin. You can also change to EVO plugins by doing the same thing only put Opďf in the file type, and EscO in the creator. I recommend making all your plugins for EVO and then using this method to convert them to EV. Although you can do this the other way as well (i.e. change the EV plug to EVO), it requires adding more information to certain fields. When converting a plug to EV from EVO, you do not have to worry about this because EV will ignore the extra fields.
Try using this...
Game | File Type | Creator
EV | Mpif (with Unmlauts over "i") | Merc (with unlauts over "e"
EVO | Opif (with Unmlauts over "i") | EscO (with funny c)(i.e. "ç")
How to make the special characters...
Character - Key Stroke
ď - "option" + "u", release, then "i"
ë - "option" + "u", release, then "e"
ç - "option" + "c"
That's all, easy ain't it!
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Originally posted by J.Ace21: **i changed some resource IDs in my plug to the ones the EV Formula Calc recomended and suddendly when i tried it again almost all the ships were using the spins for the light freighter. I looked at it with ResEdit and there was nothing wrong. but whenever i try playing the plug... **
Don't mean to belabor the obvious, but have ypou tried adjusting the memory allocation for EV? Incorrect ship sprites is of course a common symptom of insufficient memory for the EV application. Also if you changed some of the resource ID#s, you may need to change others to avoid conflicts. And have you run 'Plug Checker' on your plug? It's a great program that can save hours of searching for problems - it's not perfect, but an essential tool for any serious plug designer.
------------------ Joe Burnette
"I find that humans can be divided into only two meaningful categories: Decent Humans and Sonsofbitches; both types appear to be evenly distributed among all shapes, colors, sizes, and nationalities." -- Keith Laumer
Originally posted by Joe Burnette: **Don't mean to belabor the obvious, but have ypou tried adjusting the memory allocation for EV? Incorrect ship sprites is of course a common symptom of insufficient memory for the EV application. Also if you changed some of the resource ID#s, you may need to change others to avoid conflicts. And have you run 'Plug Checker' on your plug? It's a great program that can save hours of searching for problems - it's not perfect, but an essential tool for any serious plug designer.
I've run Plug Checker and i've checked all the IDs. and I think that 90MBs of RAM would be enough...
You may have assigned too much. Mac OS needs a certain amount of additional space above what it claims is in use.
Are you sure that you actually have 90 MB of free RAM available to EVO? Your system software may have eaten up to 30 MB depending on what you're doing, plus overheads for any other processes that are happening, so assigning 90 MB may actually the equivalent of assigning a lot less, as well as giving the OS no breathing room (which it needs).
You probably already checked this, but it's something that comes up fairly often.
Originally posted by Martin Turner: **You may have assigned too much. Mac OS needs a certain amount of additional space above what it claims is in use.
yes, i was giving it 90MB of FREE RAM with still about 10MB left for MacOS. anyother suggestions??
Originally posted by J.Ace21: **yes, i was giving it 90MB of FREE RAM with still about 10MB left for MacOS. anyother suggestions??
No, EVO will never need that much. Bring it back down to normal levels, then take a good hard look at every spďn, and the picts they point to. Way back on the old boards several other people and myself discovered this "memory" problem and realized it always occurs when something is wrong with the spďns. This is caused primarily because EVO dumps the sprites into the memory, causing those errors if something is wrong... And..
**Schmelta V can be used to edit EVO plugins with no problems (except the ones it had for EV). Use filetyper or FileType CM or your favourite to change the file type. Schmelta won't access the additional EVO codes, but it won't mash them either. Go through and do all your missions in Schmelta, then do any additional funny stuff once converted back to EVO.
I agree, but remember, Schmelta V has outdated restrictions on all bits, since it only allows you to go up to 256, as opposed to 512, EVO's limits. This is one of the reasons Schmelta is annoying to use for EVO plugs, since if I want to use bits above 256, I have to write how much to add to the bits later. For example, some missions will be called "Delivery to Earth (+100)", and the bits are 200 and 1200, so I add 100 on in resorcerer later.
~Bomb
Originally posted by Bomb: No, EVO will never need that much. Bring it back down to normal levels, then take a good hard look at every sp?, and the picts they point to. Way back on the old boards several other people and myself discovered this "memory" problem and realized it always occurs when something is wrong with the sp?s. This is caused primarily because EVO dumps the sprites into the memory, causing those errors if something is wrong... And.. ~Bomb
Actually I was using EV and before giving it 90megs I started from 20 and kept adding 10. Sometimes EV would give me a low memory error even if it had 30megs?