Your browser does not seem to support JavaScript. As a result, your viewing experience will be diminished, and you have been placed in read-only mode.
Please download a browser that supports JavaScript, or enable it if it's disabled (i.e. NoScript).
FYI, Over the next week or so, I'll be posting the Readme files for the NovaTools and the other developers tools. Comments/Questions? Post away.
To Start with the NovaTools themselves, next up will be ConText and ResStore....
NovaTools - EVN editor plugins for ResEdit 2.1.3 ------------------------------------------------ v1.0.0fc5 2002 Ralph & Rodger Sutherland. All rights reserved.
A set of EV Nova game resource editing tools.
Requirements: -------------
Software: ---------
Available free at: (url="http://"http://www.apple.devworld.com/")http://www.apple.devworld.com/(/url)
Hardware: ---------
A colour capable mac (SE/30 or newer except PB 100), PowerPC or G3/4 recommended.
4 or more MB avaialble, up to 40 or more MB RAM if very large PICT based sprites are being edited.
Installation: -------------
If ResEdit is not already installed, copy it onto your hard disk and start it up.
Then locate the ResEdit preferences file (in preferences in the system folder. Open the NovaTools.res file and copy/paste the resouces in it into the ResEdit preferences file.
Quit ResEdit and get info on it and allocate at least 6MB (much, much more if you are going to work on large sprite animation).
Run ResEdit again, and start editing Nova resources.
De-installation: ----------------
Totally: trash the ResEdit preferences file.
Disable one or more editors: remove the RSSC resource from the ResEdit preferences file with the name coresponding to the resource you want to stop editing. This is useful if you get a new TMPL template for a changed resource and no-longer want to edit with the NovaTools editor.
About NovaTools: ----------------
What Is It?
NovaTools is a set of 23 editor plugins for editing the "EV Nova" game by Ambrosia Software Inc.
NovaTools is 'free-ware'. You are welcome to use it indefinitely for free, there are no registration codes or obligations. However, it may not be sold, resold or bundled with other software without the authour's permission.
Who Did It? -----------
Ralph and Rodger Sutherland developed NovaTools, independently but with technical advice from Matt Burch and Ambrosia Software.
Bug Reports To --------------
dr_ralph@mac.com.au
Other Related Nova Editing Tools: ------------------------------------------
ConText & ResStore - exports and imports Nova resources to and from Excel spreadsheets.
Mish & Mash - Exports and Imports descs to and from a tagged text format, especially descs associated with misn storylines.
DeRLE/EnRLE - convert between PICT based and rl8 and rlD sprite formats
Duped - locates duplicate resources across multiple files
BlitZen - Processes and Renders PICT Resources, to optimize display and compression for 32, 16 or 8 bits.
Port Authority - Converts EVO plugins to work in an EVO compatible environment with the Nova engine.
p2s, m2s, px2s - produce 8 and 16 bit PICT sprite layouts and masks from collections of PICTs (or any graphic format), from PICS files or from QuickTime movies. Useful for EV and EVO as well.
NovaTools EVN dsc Spelling Checker Dictionary: -----------------------------------------------
The Words folder contians the optional spelling checker for the dsc editor. It consists of the words in Words.res, and two applets , LETT2TEXT and TEXT2LETT to help with modifying and updating the dictionary.
Words.res is an optional 60000 word dictionary (with words up to 18 letters) for use with the NovaTools EVN dsc editor. To use it, open Words.res with ResEdit and copy/paste the LETT resources to the ResEdit preferences file. The dsc editor with NovaTools v1.0.0a11 or newer will use them when the 'check' button is pressed to highlight misspelled or unknown words.
For more information using LETT2TEXT and TEXT2LETT see the readme in the Words folder.
Using NovaTools ---------------
Once NovaTools are installed correctly in ResEdit, the standard Nova resources, (spn etc) appear in resource files with the Nova plugins icon. To edit the resource just click on it and ResEdit will automaticly open the right kind of editing window.
If you install the TMPL resources that come with Nova in ResEdit too (highly recommended) , you can tell ResEdit to open a resource with the TMPL template instead of the NovaTools editor using the ResEdit Resource Menu item 'Open using templateÉ'. This is very useful if you suspect that a NovaTools editor is filling in a resource incorrectly. (if this happens, please report the bug as soon as you can so we can fix the editor quickly.)
The NovaTools design --------------------
NovaTools is designed to achieve a uniform way of editing a rather heterogeneous set of resources, which have evolved organicly over the years.
Firstly, many fields in Nova resources are resource IDs, which go from 128 and up, (mostly), and many others are resource indexes, which go from 0 and up ,(mostly). In both cases a value of -1 means ignore (mostly). This can get confusing to say the least. NovaTools provides a layer between you and the resources so you can choose to work entirely with resource IDs (default) or with index numbers. NovaTools will convert the entered numbers to the correct internal resource numbers for you.
Importantly, NovaTools is also designed to work on a single file at a time. This is an important reliability and safety design choice. You can open multiple resource/data files at a time and cut/copy/paste between them as usual in ResEdit, but Nova resources that have associated resources, ie shns and their PICTs/rles, can be edited/displayed in one editor window if they are in the same file. For example, the outfit editor will display the 200x200 outf PICT in the outfit editor window if the PICT and the otf are in the same resource file. If they are not then the PICT is not displayed, but you can always open it in an ordinary ResEdit PICT window so you can see it while you edit the otf. This design encourages you to group related resources in files if you are making multi file plugins - put spins and their PICTS/rles in the same file. Group ship shns with all their associated sprite graphics in the same file. Group ships and their target and yard PICTs in the same file.
NovaTools stores its preferences as PREF id =27000 in the ResEdit preferences file. This can be deleted without ill effect.
The NovaTools Menu ------------------
Whenever a NovaTools editor is frontmost in ResEdit, the NovaTools menu appears in the ResEdit menubar. The items are as follows:
About NovaTools: Show copyright and version info.
Use Resource IDS: Causes NovaTools to display all resource ID fields to display and edit as actual resource IDs, even if the field is internally an index number.
Use Index #s: Causes NovaTools to display all resource ID fields to display and edit as indexes (0 based), even if the field is internally an resource ID.
Fields affected by Use Resource IDs and Index #s have a small (RID) or (Idx) next to them in the editor window so the current mode is easily visible at all times. Thes settings are saved in the NovaTools prefs.
Grayscale Interface: uses more cycles to draw the window in a grayscale style. This is not a standard grayscale style, but is a hack to layer a grayscaly style on top of the normal B&W; ResEdit windows. OK on fast machines, a bit slow on older Macs. The Grayscale display works across multiple monitors including B&W; monitors.
BW Interface (faster): Dispenses with the gray look in favour of a faster B&W; look.
These settings are saved in the NovaTools prefs and apply to the front window and any new windows.
The next three menus are merely glossaries, and serve as useful reminders to plugin developers:
Res ID Conventions: displays MENU 126 to show the NovaTools resource numbering conventions for resources that don't start at 128.
Bits Glossary: Shows all the mission string operators (MENU 127)
Bit String Locations: Shows where all the bit strings can be found (MENU 125).
The menus do not cause any editing to occur, they are merely useful reminder lists. A developer is free to edit the MENUs 125-127 to contain any other useful information they desire.
Appendix: Useful Resource Info -------------------------------
Resource ID range index:
ResType Range Formula
descs: spob landing descs 128 - 2175 128 + index outf descs 3000 - 3255 3000 + index misn descs 4000 - 4999 4000 + index ship descs 13000- 13767 13000+ index escape pod desc 13999 13999 ship escort hire descs 14000- 13767 14000+ index other misn descs values in misn fields
misn 128 - 1127 128 + index misn descs 4000 - 4999 4000 + index misn pict value in misn field other misn descs values in misn fields
outfs 128 - 768 128 + index outf descs 3000 - 3511 3000 + index outf 200x200 PICTs 6000 - 6511 6000 + index
ships 128 - 895 128 + index - 895 is escape pod ship shans 128 - 895 128 + index ship Target PICTS 3000 - 3767 3000 + index ship 200x200 PICTS 5000 - 5767 5000 + index ship descs 13000- 13767 13000+ index ship escort hire descs 14000- 13767 14000+ index ship 600x400 PICTS 20128- 20895 20128+ index
spobs 128 - 2175 128 + index spob spins 1000 - 1255 1000 + value in spob type field spob landing descs 128 - 2175 128 + index spob landing PICTS 10000-10063 10000+ spobtye spob Cust. landing PICTS cust pict id field usually 11000+
systs 128 - 2175 128 + index
weaps 128 - 383 128 + index weapon spins 3000 - 3255 3000 + index weapon smoke sets 1000 + value in field in lots of 8 weapon snds 200 + value in field
booms 128 - 191 128 + index explosion snds 300 - 363 300 + index or value in boom field explosion spins 400 - 463 400 + index or value in boom field
other spins: Box spins 500 500 + Small Asteroid spins 800 - 809 800 + type Large Asteroid spins 810 - 819 810 +
Years 128 only!
PICTs: Display Panel 128 StartupPICT 131 Main Menu 8000
IntroPICT value in char field, (usually 8200??)
misn pict value in misn field spob landing PICTS value in spob field (typically 10000+) ship 200x200 PICTS 5000 - 5767 5000 + index Nebula picts 9500 - 9511 9500 + index * lots of 3 ship 600x400 PICTS 20128-20895 20128+ index
STR and STR#s:
IntroText value in char field, (usually 20000)
Mission Bit String Locations and Types: ---------------------------------------
Resource Name Type
'chr' 'OnStart' Set
'crn' 'EnableOn' Test 'OnStart' Set 'OnEnd' Set
'dsc' '{inside}' Test
'flt' 'ActivateOn' Test
'jnk' 'BuyOn' Test 'SellOn' Test
'msn' 'AvailBits' Test 'OnAccept' Set 'OnRefuse' Set 'OnSuccess' Set 'OnFailure' Set 'OnAbort' Set 'OnShipDone' Set
'nbu' 'ActiveOn' Test 'OnExplore' Set
'otf' 'Availability' Test 'OnPurchase' Set 'OnSell' Set
'ops' 'ActivateOn' Test
'prs' 'ActivateOn' Test
'shp' 'Availability' Test 'AppearOn' Test 'OnPurchase' Set 'OnCapture' Set 'OnRetire' Set
'spb' 'OnDominate' Set 'OnRelease' Set 'OnDestroy' Set 'OnRegen' Set
'sŘst' 'Visiblility' Test
------------------ (url="http://"http://www.sutherland-studios.com/~family/sgg.html") w00tWare (/url) : NovaTools are coming.
A question: when you say requires ResEdit 2.1.3, do you really mean it? So far I've been using 2.1.1 for....reasons I've forgotten, something like I heard about some stability problems with 2.1.3 or some such thing like that.
So, does is require 2.1.3, and if so, is my reluctance to upgrade unfounded?
------------------
This may have been answered, but can PortAuthority convert to and from EV and EVO to EVN? (EV->EVN, EVO->EVN, EVN->EV, EVN->EVO....or bonus EV->EVO, EVO->EV)
Quote
Originally posted by Starfish: This may have been answered, but can PortAuthority convert to and from EV and EVO to EVN? (EV->EVN, EVO->EVN, EVN->EV, EVN->EVO....or bonus EV->EVO, EVO->EV)
I would imagine that it is only one way.. Ralph talks about running an EVO environment in the Nova engine, so I imagine that this tool simply changes a few id#'s in the plug. Don't count on EVN->EV and EVN->EVO support..(if I had to postulate, that is..)
Originally posted by Weepul 884: A question: when you say requires ResEdit 2.1.3, do you really mean it? So far I've been using 2.1.1 for....reasons I've forgotten, something like I heard about some stability problems with 2.1.3 or some such thing like that.
Offhand, I'd assume that it runs fine in the older versions; But your reasons for staying in the older version of ResEdit is, as you put it, 'Unfounded'.
Anatole.
------------------ I have no reaason to suppose that he, who would take away my liberty, would not when he had me in his power, take away every thing else. John Locke, "Two Treatises On Government."
Originally posted by Weepul 884: **A question: when you say requires ResEdit 2.1.3, do you really mean it? So far I've been using 2.1.1 for....reasons I've forgotten, something like I heard about some stability problems with 2.1.3 or some such thing like that.
**
Just to back Anatole up, I have used 2.1.3 for years and have never had any problems with it at all.
------------------ Tom (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/news/upcoming/novabible.html")Nova Bible(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum18/HTML/000007.html")Progress Log(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number;=30&SUBMIT;=Go")FAQ(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/news/upcoming/ev3_betashots.html")Screenshots(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/001841.html#")Info Thread(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.sutherland-studios.com.au/family/sgg.html")w00tWare's (previously R&R;)(/url) Nova (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/custom/imagedisplay.pl?image=evn_editors.jpg")Editors(/url) (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/001659.html") Beta Info(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/evn/preambles.html")Preambles(/url) | (url="http://"http://berserkir.ambrosia.net/~pipeline/")ATMOS Site(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.insidemacgames.com/previews/view.php?ID=40&Page;=1")IMG Nova Preview(/url)
PortAuthority does EV > EVN and EVO > EVN. It would be quite impossible to do EVN > EVO or EVN > EVO as the Nova scneario makes extensive use of engine features not in previous versions.
Would it be possible for you to also post a link to where one might find simply the .txt files themselves? In terms of archiving, the .txt file is much easier than saving a web board thread and screwing around with the formatting.
------------------ Modo Numerus Nemo Vir Est. Sic Semper Omnibus!
Originally posted by SD: Would it be possible for you to also post a link to where one might find simply the .txt files themselves? In terms of archiving, the .txt file is much easier than saving a web board thread and screwing around with the formatting.
This is just a teaser. When NovaTools (et al) are released, you will get the readme as a part of the download, and yes it will be a text file...
Cookie @ ATMOS
Yep I really mean 2.1.3. The plugin interface requires it.
Stability has never been ResEdit''s strong suit anyway, but there were some minor chnges from 2.1.1 to 2.1.3 and I can't guarantee it will work in anything else, but you are welcome to try it and let me know.
Cheer DrR
Although arbitrary, this is a fairly good point. Though I myself would just like to download it all as a package...
-Lequis
------------------ Lequis Design lequis.netfirms.com PhantoM_63ff@hotmail.com