EV Plugin Development?

Ok, I've only taken a few glances at EVN, I'm not that interested in games anymore. Most of the fun for me is in tinkering with stuff, and I've had several failed attempts at making EV/EVO/Ares plugins in the past. But now, I think I have everything I need between my friends and I to make great plugins. Come next spring, I'd like to start development of plugins for EVN and Ares.

My question here is, how easy is it to create plugins for EVN? As I said I've only taken a few glances at the game, the addons page, and this forum, but from what I've seen it looks like just about anyone can download a program and start mixing ships and weapons.

Do you use resedit, or is there an easier app? If there is, how much does it cost per licence?

How many pictures are needed for a high-quality ship in EV? Such as, the original EV used 36; EVN seems to use a lot more.

Come next spring, I plan on my team having the following skills and tools:

A decent writer and designer (finally)
A beginning 3D artist working on Maya
A half-dozen photoshoppers with a dozen copies of photoshop (w00t!)
A motion graphics artist with flash, director, and after effects for quicktime

I'm thinking of seeking the help of a didgital composer, but EVN doesn't need a great deal of extra music so I'm not so concerned about that.

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"The doctor is full of it."
—spl_cadet
"Lincoln was a murderous bastard."
—Soviet Mikee

(This message has been edited by Madman (edited 12-08-2002).)

(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum;=EV+Developer|APO|s+corner&number;=9&DaysPrune;=20&LastLogin;=")Try Here.(/url)

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<insert witty (url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) link here>
I pity the fool who doesn't know how to (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/ubb/search.cgi?action=intro")search!(/url)
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May contain sarcasm

We use Novatools (a resedit package). It is quite easy to make plugs using the resedit interface, however, it should be noted you can really screw up the game with plugs. I had to do a full reinstall the other day because the app really seemed to hate my Nil'kimas Raven bay plug.
There is a dedicated EVN editor in progress, though I forget what it is called. Try searching in the EV dev corner.
Hope that helps. 😄

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Where to (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/search.cgi?action=intro&default;=26")search(/url), how to post a (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/pilotlog.html")pilotlog(/url), (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=essentials&display;=date&file;=evnova_update.sit")EVN 1.0.2(/url) update, Slagblah's (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/CombinedFixes102.hqx")combined fixes 1.0.2(/url), EVula's EV (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")Survival Guide(/url), where to discern the (url="http://"http://www.zombo.com")meaning of life(/url), mandatory (url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) link.

-deleted- wow, fast response. I'll just edit this into the first post.

(This message has been edited by Madman (edited 12-08-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by Madman:
**How many pictures are needed for a high-quality ship in EV? Such as, the original EV used 36; EVN seems to use a lot more.
**

Many. I believe the most complex ship in Nova is the Javelin, with over a thousand frames (includes applicable masks, etc). There are turning animations, engine glows, weapons frames, running lights....the list goes on.

(edit) just have a play around in Novatools. I learned what I know today from reverse-engineering other people's plugins. Just remember, always keep a backup of Nova files! (/edit)

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Where to (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/search.cgi?action=intro&default;=26")search(/url), how to post a (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/pilotlog.html")pilotlog(/url), (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=essentials&display;=date&file;=evnova_update.sit")EVN 1.0.2(/url) update, Slagblah's (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/CombinedFixes102.hqx")combined fixes 1.0.2(/url), EVula's EV (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")Survival Guide(/url), where to discern the (url="http://"http://www.zombo.com")meaning of life(/url), mandatory (url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) link.

(This message has been edited by solaris150 (edited 12-08-2002).)

Its called EVONE, it will cost 10$ for a copy, but you can try it for 30 days first. its shareware

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Peace, Love, and Chicken Grease
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/007247.html")Event Horizon 2 Sign-Up(/url)
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Quote

Originally posted by Jager:
**Its called EVONE, it will cost 10$ for a copy, but you can try it for 30 days first. its shareware

**

Thanks, I needed to know that.
$10 isn't much for a dedicated Nova editor, I hope it's more visual than resedit (I now dislike the 0S 9 GUI).

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Where to (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/search.cgi?action=intro&default;=26")search(/url), how to post a (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/pilotlog.html")pilotlog(/url), (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=essentials&display;=date&file;=evnova_update.sit")EVN 1.0.2(/url) update, Slagblah's (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/CombinedFixes102.hqx")combined fixes 1.0.2(/url), EVula's EV (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")Survival Guide(/url), where to discern the (url="http://"http://www.zombo.com")meaning of life(/url), mandatory (url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) link.

Quote

Originally posted by solaris150:
**Many. I believe the most complex ship in Nova is the Javelin, with over a thousand frames (includes applicable masks, etc). There are turning animations, engine glows, weapons frames, running lights....the list goes on.

(edit) just have a play around in Novatools. I learned what I know today from reverse-engineering other people's plugins. Just remember, always keep a backup of Nova files! (/edit)

**

Javelin is vary simple, 144 in all frames. The most complex is kinda a toss up between Thunderforge 1152 frames and the Miner 1296 fames for me.
There is base sprite and mask, this can be expanded with one of either Turning animation, Weapon animation, Jumping animation. Then there is the Engine glow and mask. Blinking light glow and mask. Weapon glow and mask. Shield glow and mask. Then the last Alternate spin and mask.

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Ecky- ecky- ecky- ecky- pikang- zoop- boing- goodem- zoo- owli- zhiv'
Now lobbest thou thy keyboard towards thy monitor, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.
(url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/arcangel_c/roguethoughts.html")Rogue Thoughts.(/url)

(This message has been edited by ArcAngel Counterstrike (edited 12-08-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by Madman:
Do you use resedit, or is there an easier app? If there is, how much does it cost per licence?

Currently the only reasonable way to do it is using ResEdit and (url="http://"http://w00tware.ev-nova.net/")w00tWare(/url)'s free NovaTools package, although I'm currently working on a new version of (url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/mc.php")MissionComputer(/url) which will support EV Nova (and, according to current plan, be free), and several others are working on Nova editors.

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David Arthur @ (url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/")davidarthur.evula.net(/url)
(url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/showpic.php?image=beta/mc2progress.gif&width;=480&height;=282&title;=MissionComputer+2.0+Progress+Update")MissionComputer 2.0 Progress Update(/url), 2 December 2002

This is stuff I heard on the boards, though admittedly I forgot about the Thunderforge.

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Where to (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/search.cgi?action=intro&default;=26")search(/url), how to post a (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/pilotlog.html")pilotlog(/url), (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=essentials&display;=date&file;=evnova_update.sit")EVN 1.0.2(/url) update, Slagblah's (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/CombinedFixes102.hqx")combined fixes 1.0.2(/url), EVula's EV (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")Survival Guide(/url), where to discern the (url="http://"http://www.zombo.com")meaning of life(/url), mandatory (url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) link.

Quote

Originally posted by David Arthur:
**according to current plan, be free

**

That's always good to hear. 🙂

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(url="http://"http://www.evula.org/chestnut/index.html")Chestnut's Hut(/url) , a place to talk about things like EV Multiplayer, EV4, EV in 3D, etc.

Quote

Originally posted by David Arthur:
Currently the only reasonable way to do it is using ResEdit and w00tWare's free NovaTools package

As has already been stated. 😄

Some of the new editors look good.

Quote

Originally posted by Chestnut:
**That's always good to hear.:)

**

Indeed!

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Where to (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/search.cgi?action=intro&default;=26")search(/url), how to post a (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/pilotlog.html")pilotlog(/url), (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=essentials&display;=date&file;=evnova_update.sit")EVN 1.0.2(/url) update, Slagblah's (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/CombinedFixes102.hqx")combined fixes 1.0.2(/url), EVula's EV (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")Survival Guide(/url), where to discern the (url="http://"http://www.zombo.com")meaning of life(/url), mandatory (url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) link.

(This message has been edited by solaris150 (edited 12-08-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by solaris150:
**This is stuff I heard on the boards, though admittedly I forgot about the Thunderforge.

**

You may have heard of my Prism Javelin, it had 3528 frames. (url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/arcangel_c/PrismVell.mov")http://homepage.mac....c/PrismVell.mov(/url)

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Ecky- ecky- ecky- ecky- pikang- zoop- boing- goodem- zoo- owli- zhiv'
Now lobbest thou thy keyboard towards thy monitor, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.
(url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/arcangel_c/roguethoughts.html")Rogue Thoughts.(/url)

Don't forget (url="http://"http://www.evula.org/parrypmp/nova/Separated_Nova_Bible.hqx")this(/url).

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My (url="http://"http://www.evula.org/parrypmp")website(/url), hosted by (url="http://"http://www.evula.org")EVula(/url).
"I'm desperately trying to figure out why kamikaze pilots wore helmets." -- David Edison
"A bug in a program is merely an undocumented feature."

This post is better suited on the EV Developer board. Moving there now.

-J

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Being a Mac user is like being a Navy Seal: a small, elite group of people with access to the most sophisticated technology in the world, who everyone calls on to get the really tough jobs done quickly and efficiently.
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(url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number;=30&SUBMIT;=Go")EV Nova FAQ(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/008628.html")Thread Beginnings(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")EV Survival Guide(/url) | (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/novafaq.html")Gameplay FAQ(/url) | (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/evn_fixes.html")Quick Fixes(/url) | (url="http://"http://home.attbi.com/~slagblah/pilotlog.html")How to Make a Pilot Log(/url)