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Is there anywhere I can go to learn about mission bits? I've tried the pre-released bible, but it doesn't say anything useful. I even tried the EV Bible at EVula's site, but 1) it's not very clear and 2) I don't know if that follows the same standards as Nova.
Thanks.
------------------ Keep what ye c'n git, an' keep what ye ha'e, for that is the wey t' gettin' rich - Old Scottish Commoner Saying - "Mac users are loyal. PC users are stubborn
What exactly do you want to know? Try the Nova Bible which is in the Documentation folder of your Nova folder - they're explained pretty clearly there. It's up near the top.
Well, everything. I just don't understand. I'm sure that if I understood what the numbers of the bits meant, I could understand the functions.
Let's start with the numbers. What are b0 to b9999? They are in reference to the missions, correct? Well, how do I know which missions they refer to?
I mainly just want to know how to make a string. I only have one mission right now, because I don't know how to link to the second mission, then third, and so on. That is my main goal for this topic.
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Originally posted by The Space Between: Let's start with the numbers. What are b0 to b9999? They are in reference to the missions, correct? Well, how do I know which missions they refer to?
You don't - the mission bits don't refer to missions, it's the missions which refer to the bits. There's probably a list around somewhere of all the bits which are used by the default scenario so that you can avoid using them in your plugin. Basically, the ATMOSians designated some bits to perform some function before they started (such as b6666, the single-day holdoff crรถn bit, or b511, the string lockout bit) and used those bits in that function. The rest of the bits are usually just consecutive as the storyline goes along.
Ok, basically the mission bits prevent you from getting a mission until you've completed the one before, and also prevents you from getting the same mission twice, if set up correctly. Have a look at the walkthroughs on ev-nova.net for a bit of help here, but I'll just run through the first few missions of the Wild Geese string and how the mission bits work.
Mission Bits for WG1: **AvailBits: !(b800 | b801) & !((b511 | b515) | b6666) OnAccept: b511 OnRefuse: b801 b6666 OnSuccess: b800 b515 b518 OnFailure: b801 !b511 OnAbort: b801 !b511 OnShipDone: **
Ok, in this case, b800 is the bit when you successfully complete the mission, and b801 is the bit which is set when you refuse, abort or fail. Both of these mission bits prevent you from getting the mission a second time, since they both must not be set in order for you to get the mission. b511 is set when you accept the mission, which prevents you from getting any other storyline (since that is how b511 was used) and b515 and b518 are set when you complete it, which have similar functions. b6666 is the one-day holdoff crรถn bit - it is used several times in Nova to make the player wait for a day before recieving the next mission. It is cleared every day. Now, once we complete this mission, we now have the following bits set: b511, b515, b518 and b800.
Mission Bits for WG2: **AvailBits: b800 & !(b802 | b803) OnAccept: OnRefuse: b803 !b511 OnSuccess: b802 R(b804 b805) OnFailure: OnAbort: b803 OnShipDone: **
This one is a bit simpler. We have b800 set from the previous mission, which allows us now to do this mission. The !(b802 | b803) in the AvailBits field is to prevent the mission from being recieved twice - b803 is set on refusal or aborting, and b802 is set on success. Also when refusing, b511 is cleared, leaving the player free to enter another storyline, but since b800 is still set, along with b803, the WG string is locked out. And when succeeding, R(b804 b805) happens - this means that either b804 or b805 is set, depending on a random probability, leading to random branches in the storyline.
Mission Bits from WG3a: **AvailBits: b804 & !(b806 | b803) OnAccept: OnRefuse: OnSuccess: b806 OnFailure: OnAbort: b803 OnShipDone: **
This is simpler again. The b804 in the AvailBits means that I can get this mission if b804 was set in the previous mission, and the !(b806 | b803) means that I cannot do this mission a second time (b806) and I cannot do this mission if I have aborted it (b803). There is no penalty for refusing or failing the mission, which means no mission bits are changed in those cases, and I am free to take this mission again. Et cetera.
Now, I hope this is making sense, and I'm not just spouting gibberish. Essentially, the mission bits force the missions to happen in order, and prevents them from repeating. Usually, sequential bits are used for sequential missions, but it doesn't matter what the numbers are, so long as they are not used twice for different functions. One must be careful with mission bits to prevent unpredictable things from happening. For example, in the first two Fed missions, the mission bits are
Mission Bits for Fed 1: AvailBits: !(b511 | b515) & !(b50 | b6666) OnAccept: b511 OnRefuse: b6666 OnSuccess: b50 b512 b515 b518 OnFailure: b50 !b511 OnAbort: b50 !b511 OnShipDone:
Mission Bits for Fed 2: (b)AvailBits: b50 & !b51 OnAccept: OnRefuse: OnSuccess: b51 OnFailure: OnAbort: OnShipDone:
Originally posted by The Space Between: Well, everything. I just don't understand. I'm sure that if I understood what the numbers of the bits meant, I could understand the functions. Let's start with the numbers. What are b0 to b9999? <snip>
Let me add something even more basic.
What were called mission bits in EV and EVO and are now called Nova control bits (NCB for short) in Nova and they are nothing more than a very basic memory system consisting of 10,000 "memory" cells (bits). Each NCB can have either a logical one value called "true" or a logical zero value called "false". The setting of an NCB to a true-state is done with a "bxxx" statement, where the "b" means "set this bit" and the "xxx" stands for any one of the 10,000 NCBs. The clearing of an NCB to a false-state is accomplished with the "!bxxx" statement where the "!b" means "clear this bit" and "xxx" once again stands for any one of the 10,000 NCBs.
As Belthazar demonstrated, each NCB can be used for whatever purpose you decide, as long as you don't use one for conflicting purposes. Once you use an NCB for something it's purpose has effectively been defined. Now the creators (ATMOS et al) of the Nova scenario have used some 550 of the 10,000 NCBs available, which leaves a whole bunch left over for plug developers to use. If you accidently use one of the Nova scenario's NCBs you're going to screw up the functionality of Nova, guaranteed. There is a listing of all of the NCBs used in the default Nova scenario listed in (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=guides&display;=rating&file;=ResUsedList_v1.0.6.txt.sit")this guide(/url), so that you can avoid using any of the NCBs that are already in use.
Hope this helps...
Originally posted by Arturo: they are nothing more than a very basic memory system consisting of 10,000 "memory" cells (bits).
That's not entirely true. In Nova, NCBs can now be used for more complex operations like starting and aborting or failing secondary missions, granting and removing outfits and ships, checking if the player has a certain outfit, changing systems, checking if the player is registered or not (and how long they have left in the evaluation period), checking if they've explored a certain system, checking the character's gender, granting and removing ranks, destroying and regenerating stellars, booting players from a stellar, changing the title of the player's ship, and causing systems to become explored. Whew, what a list. Anyway, as I said above, it's all listed in the Nova Bible.
And remember something: the mission bits have no "magical" meaning, only the ones you (or the scenario you're starting from, in this case the Nova one) give to them. Before you use it, b5321 or b8643 are the exact same - they will remain unset all along, and you can use either, and it won't have any consequence. Now, once you've put one in one mission OnSuccess, for instance, you can say "this bit means :"Mission yaddayadda has been completed"". Then you can put it in another mission "AvailBits" and say, and the another mission will only start if the mission yaddayadda has been completed.
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Originally posted by Belthazar: That's not entirely true. In Nova, NCBs can now be used for more complex operations like starting and aborting or failing secondary missions, granting and removing outfits and ships, checking if the player has a certain outfit, changing systems, checking if the player is registered or not (and how long they have left in the evaluation period), checking if they've explored a certain system, checking the character's gender, granting and removing ranks, destroying and regenerating stellars, booting players from a stellar, changing the title of the player's ship, and causing systems to become explored. Whew, what a list. Anyway, as I said above, it's all listed in the Nova Bible.
I think you're confusing test and set operators with ncb's. The control bits are just the numbers thermselves, and the various letters used in expressions (like b, g, d, h, etc.) are the operators. Test and set operators can reference more than just ncb's.
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Raising the dead...
I still don't understand bits. Isn't there an easier way to make a string for Nova. Back in my EV-plugging days, EV-Edit did all that for me. IIRC, there was a drop-down menu asking me what I'd like to do with the mission. I just want to create a string of missions that never repeat - unless aborted or failed - and maybe add a few special ships...
There's no easy way to do that, is there?
Originally posted by The Space Between: **Raising the dead...
**
There is once you know how. There was a (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/ubb/postdisplay.cgi?forum=Forum9&topic;=005474")recent topic(/url) which gives a thorough explanation of mission bits.
To make a mission string you would have you start by making MissionA set bit 1 on completion (put "b1" in the OnSuccess field). To prevent MissionA from occuring again you make it available only if bit 1 is clear (put !b1 in the AvailBits field). To have MissionB only available if MissionA has already been done make it only available if bit 1 is set (put "b1" in the AvailBits field). Repeat by adding "b2" to the OnSuccess field of MissionB and "!b2" to the AvailBits field. Of course, you'll have to use some different bits if you don't want to conflict with the default scenario.
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Now that makes sense. Thanks a bunch... Guy.
What, no thanks for me?
Sorry if this has been answered in another topic but can anyone easily tell me which mission bits are used in the EVN game? Mainly so I can add a major storyline and not accidentaly write over the ones used by Nova.
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See above. At least read the topic...
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Damn I am an idiot!
Sorry, but yet another question. Which mission bit is used to stop a major storyline from being entered when another is being done. (e.g. stoping the player from starting the Polaris storyline if the player is in the Rebel string)
I have been looking throught the Data files and I can't seem to find a corelation between the bits being set at the start of the major storylines.
In the data files, try to track down the bits 511 and 515. You can easily find them by exporting the data files to text (feature of EVNEW and ConText, from the NovaTools package) and running a search for b511 or b515 (think to tell to ignore case).
Thanks