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@dr--trowel, on Jan 4 2008, 01:14 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
Wow -- The unreleased 3.4 welcome screen was beautiful. I would have loved to see that upon opening the app. Did it die because of technical issues with the buttons? Or because you didn't want to use unmodified ATMOS artwork?
No, I just thought that 3.0 needed a greater revision to the Welcome screen than 2.3 (which on its own would have been a fairly minor upgrade). Also, remember that the Rebel IDA Frigate, depicted in the 3.0 Welcome screen, was a brand-new creation at the time. Similarly, the 3.4 screen disappeared except for its revised buttons because 3.3.3 didnt come anywhere near justifying such a dramatic change in the art.
(The absence of buttons or information from some of the unreleased images comes simply from the fact that I posted the art itself rather than a screenshot.)
:laugh:](http://davidarthur.evula.net/beta/ "External link")
Thats a reference to the text that came up if you tried to go to www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/ before the game was released.
You might also want to try typing secret about box (as in System 7.5), handbag, and, for fans of the original SimCity, SimEarth, and SimAnt, fund. And no, I havent given away anywhere near all of the Easter eggs in MissionComputer.
@david-arthur, on Jan 4 2008, 11:39 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
:laugh: the 'fund' easter egg made me laugh out loud! It says 'secret about box' isn't in the current version, or is it suppose to say that?
I tried editing MC using Resfork, but it said that the 'folder' couldn't be opened. I'm confused, is that what you were talking about with getting rid of the welcome screen? Are you going to eventually make it a 'program' instead of whatever it is now?
I've gotten used to the new welcome screen (a little...), but why the sudden change to all lower case, I thought the name was 'MissionComputer', not 'missioncomputer'.
This post has been edited by EV Wolf : 04 January 2008 - 04:21 PM
Minor glitch: Showing the about window while the intro screen is active will hide the image within the intro screen. The buttons and pre-release text are still visible on a grey background.
@david-arthur, on Jan 5 2008, 08:39 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
You might also want to try typing 'secret about box' (as in System 7.5), 'handbag', and, for fans of the original SimCity, SimEarth, and SimAnt, 'fund'. And no, I haven't given away anywhere near all of the Easter eggs in MissionComputer.
Heh heh, I had already discovered these. load,8,1 does the same thing as load "mc",8,1. I'm still wondering about that handbag though :huh:
@EVWolf: MC is an application bundle. Ie, a real application, unlike many RealBasic programs. Just right-click > Show Package Contents to poke around at its insides.
Just for fun I did a comparison between the new export function and the method I previously used to DeRLE sprites. I picked a very large sprite to test with.
Export Sprite procedure 1. Click button and wait Total time taken: 4:37
Alternate procedure 1. Export > QuickTime Movie 2. Show: Mask 3. Export > QuickTime Movie 5. Process sprite movie with orca's SpriteMaker (another RealBasic app) 6. Process mask movie 7. Open mask image in GraphicConverter, invert and save Total time taken: 1:47
Just thought it was interesting, that's all
This post has been edited by Guy : 04 January 2008 - 05:29 PM
@guy, on Jan 4 2008, 05:26 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
I cant reproduce this perhaps its something to do with Rosetta.
I'm still wondering about that handbag though :huh:
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest. Imagine it being said by Edith Evans.
Total time taken: 4:37
What sprite are you exporting that takes that long? I can get the Manticore in just ten seconds.
@david-arthur, on Jan 5 2008, 03:12 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
Hm, probably. Just tried it again and got different results. The image only disappeared in the areas around the text and buttons. Also it seems to only happen when I've just launched MC and not after I've closed all open files and find myself back at the intro screen.
Ah
rEV Confed Cruiser :D. I just tried the Manticore and it took over 40 seconds. Perhaps Rosetta is having an unusually large impact on performance here?
@guy, on Jan 4 2008, 09:39 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
Perhaps Rosetta is having an unusually large impact on performance here?
Probably this is one of those areas where native code is especially valuable.
Awesome, the STR# resources work properly on Intel OS 10.4 now in MC4.0a4. I can also close snd resources by clicking the red button now. On top of that, PICT and RLE thumbnails display properly, never in negative colors!
I couldn't find any bugs in this build at all, in fact. There are a number of typographical inconsistencies in the wëap resource fields. I'll get to those in a minute though. First are some more feature suggestions:
Ability to pick spďn for weapons from a list or thumbnail GUI from the wëap resource. Ability to pick snd for weapons from a list from the wëap resource. Ability to pick resource from any open file whenever picking from a list. Text field by "spin continuously" check-box in Misc Flags section of wëap resource in which to enter BeamWidth (for delay between frames) and have it sync with the "real" BeamWidth field.
On the Star Map when a system is selected I'd like it to show a list of spöbs within that s˙st (much as it currently shows links from it.) The option to color the circles representing systems on the Star Map to match their government's "map border" color (white for uninhabited.)
For STR resources could there be a little text guide describing which ranges reference which STR# fields? A list (partial? complete?) is in the appendices of the Nova Bible, but it would be handy to have when making STR resources.
And finally...I'd like to be able to save files when an editor window is open.
Okay, now on to typography in wëap editor. There's a lot of these, so I'm going to post the name of each field in question, followed by the present text. I'll make the part I want you to look at in bold. Usually it's just a missing space or carriage return. If there's something more I'll write it afterward in italics. A single character in bold is where I think it perhaps could be capitalized. Of course, it's entirely possible that the apparently missing spaces/returns are a local issue on my machine. If that's the case and the text displays fine for you, then just check out my italicized comments:
MassDmg: MassDmg and EnergyDmg tell Nova how much damage to dowhen one of this weapon's shots hits something. Energy damage does damage toshields only, and mass damage does damage to armor only. Further, if a shiphas shields, its armor can't be damaged until its shields are knocked down(unless the weapon is a shield-penetrating weapon).
EnergyDmg: <ditto>
AmmoType: What kind of ammo the weapon uses-1: Ignored (unlimited ammo)0-255: Draws ammo from this type of weapon. (Usually, if your Hector Cannon was of ID 131, you'd set the AmmoType to 3 so it'd use Hector Birdseed Pellets or whatever. However, you could conceivably set it to use ammo from another weapon's supply by setting the AmmoType to something else.)-999: Ship is destroyed when weapon is fired-1000 & below: Weapon uses abs(AmmoType+1000)/10 units of fuel per shot. ( e xample: -1005 = 0.5 units per shot)
Graphic: What graphic set to use for this weapon. 0-63 : Use this graphic set (i.e. spin resources 200-263 ).
Actually is 0-255 for spďn resources 3000-3255
Inaccuracy: The weapon's inaccuracy as it leaves the ship (ignored for guidance-10 point defense beams) -1 and below: Fires to the side by this angle (absolute value in degrees)0: Fires straight1 and up: Fires with up to this amount of inaccuracy (in degrees)
Impact: The magnitude of the impact when the shot hits something0: No impact1 and up: This amount of impact, which is inversely proportional to the ship's mass. (e.g. Missile = 30){For beams: Functions normally, with one exception: if the impact is set to a negative value, the beam acts as a tractor beam. Smaller ships will be pulled towards the firing ship with a strength proportional to the Impact value, while a small ship firing a tractor beam at a larger ship (or asteroid) will "latch on" to it and be dragged along. Note that you cannot enter hyperspace if held by a tractor beam from a ship that's larger than you are. Note also that inertialess ships are not affected by tractor beams.}
ExplodType: What kind of explosion to show when the weapon hits.-1: No explosion0-63: This type of explosion1000-1063: Explosion type 0-63, plus a random number of type-0 explosions around it
ProxRadius: The radius of the weapon's proximity fuse (useful for unguided missiles and bombs)0: Weapon requires direct hit to do damage1 and up: This number of pixels of proximity radius{For beams: ignored.}
BlastRadius: The radius of the weapon's blast effect 0: No blast effect1 and up: This number of pixels of blast radius{For beams: ignored.}
Decay: How fast to decay each shots power-1 or 0: **Ignored1 **and up: Remove one point of mass & energy damage every time this number of frames goes by (1 frame = 1/30 sec.){For beams: If Decay is greater than zero, the beam will "shrink" before it disappears from the screen. The actual time the beam spends on screen will be Count + 16 - CoronaFalloff in this case, so adjust your Reload value accordingly (otherwise you'll get too many beams onscreen at once).}
Falloff: The corona falloff. Higher numbers make the corona fall off faster. This value must be between 2 and 16. ( s ince lightning beams have no corona, this is ignored for lightning beams)
Also note: Positive Falloff makes sprite weapons fade out over time. Negative Falloff makes them fade in. Higher numbers (greater absolute value) make fading happen faster.
Recoil: The amount of recoil force to apply to the firing ship when this weapon is used:0 or -1: No recoilPositive values: Thrust the ship (b)backwardsNegative** values: Thrust the ship (b)forwards(note** that the resulting change to the ship's velocity is inversely proportional to its mass)
Feel free as well to ignore my suggestions. You've made an excellent program, David Arthur, and I'm highly impressed. It works wonderfully! If you really want to credit alpha testers, call me Nevin "Qaanol" Brackett-Rozinsky
Thanks for all your time, work, and dedication. You're truly an example.
@qaanol, on Jan 6 2008, 05:39 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
I strongly suspect that all of these problems were caused by the Intel-native code; alpha 4 is back to running through Rosetta only. I probably wont try the Intel version again until I have a computer to test it on.
Ability to pick spďn for weapons from a list or thumbnail GUI from the wëap resource. Ability to pick snd for weapons from a list from the wëap resource. Text field by "spin continuously" check-box in Misc Flags section of wëap resource in which to enter BeamWidth (for delay between frames) and have it sync with the "real" BeamWidth field.
All of these will be addressed when I write a real editor for the wëap resource at the moment its one of the few types still dependent on an RDL script, which is roughly equivalent to ResEdits templates.
Ability to pick resource from any open file whenever picking from a list.
I suppose this should be possible, though it would mean some awkward cross-referencing; Ill keep it in mind when Im working on the file system, though.
(1) On the Star Map when a system is selected I'd like it to show a list of spöbs within that s˙st (much as it currently shows links from it.) (2) The option to color the circles representing systems on the Star Map to match their government's "map border" color (white for uninhabited.)
(1) I can probably do, though only as an informational note (you wouldnt be able to actually edit the planets from the starmap editor). (2) is something Ive thought about at various times (Pontus's EV Developer's Map could do it) and just never got do, but Ill keep in mind that someone else wants it too.
Im planning to introduce much more extensive help content in future alphas and betas, including more or less all the information from the Nova Bible.
This has been on my list of things to do ever since I implemented multiple editors open at once; its architecturally rather awkward, because I need to make sure the editor knows to write its changes, but Ill probably get to it reasonably soon.
@david-arthur, on Jan 7 2008, 03:14 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
Feel free to use any information from here, such as the more complete 'STR ' reference.
@david-arthur, on Jan 6 2008, 06:14 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
(2) is something Ive thought about at various times (Pontus's EV Developer's Map could do it) and just never got do, but Ill keep in mind that someone else wants it too.
Oh, me too! I've wished for it to be able to show the government colors for a while, but never got around to asking. It would make editing systems a LOT easier and faster.
@ev-wolf, on Jan 7 2008, 12:49 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
I'll third this idea (or is it fourth by now?). It would make editing vastly easier, and when one has a team of contributors it would make it easier to create a map they can use for reference without delving into resources.
I seem to be having a problem creating new systems. It is fine if I'm not in the galaxy mode, however when I am in the galaxy mode I get this window saying there is already a s˙st with that id number even though there isn't. I have gone through 20 random s˙st numbers and I always get the same pop up.
@sp3cies, on Jan 9 2008, 07:47 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
I have the same problem. Also, when using the resource copier to select and delete all, it deletes everything EXCEPT the first resource. Although, either a) the resource was actually deleted and I have to close the resource copier and re-open the plug for it to disappear from the list, or ****I have to delete the resource a second time in order to delete it once and for all. (if I remember right, I'm at school right now so can't be sure)
Hmm, yeah I had that problem as well but forgot to report it. I had to delete the remaining one again and then close the window for it to disappear. Also I created two spöb resources with id number 1125 and 1126... If I put them in a system the only way to remove it is by deleting the system. Not having that problem with any of my other spöbs.
This post has been edited by Sp3cies : 09 January 2008 - 11:50 AM
Sp3cies said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
I seem to be having a problem creating new systems. It is fine if I'm not in the galaxy mode, however when I am in the galaxy mode I get this window saying there is already a s˙st with that id number even though there isn't.
Fixed, thanks. This button was still using code left over from the pre-4.0 model for the starmap editor, causing it to think that all possible IDs were already used and in fixing it, I also found and fixed a minor bug in a new feature Ive implemented for the next alpha.
EV Wolf said:
Also, when using the resource copier to select and delete all, it deletes everything EXCEPT the first resource.
Fixed, thanks. This must have been present since the very first version with a Resource Copier, and yet no one has ever reported it before! (It only happened, incidentally, if you clicked Yes to All).
@sp3cies, on Jan 9 2008, 11:48 AM, said:
Also I created two spöb resources with id number 1125 and 1126... If I put them in a system the only way to remove it is by deleting the system. Not having that problem with any of my other spöbs.
I cant reproduce this. Can you give me more details of how youre trying to remove them, and how it goes wrong?
Finally, Ive attached below a small screenshot of the starmap editor as it will appear in the next alpha: Starmap_with_govts.png (12.67K) Number of downloads: 23
@david-arthur, on Jan 9 2008, 09:42 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
Fixed, thanks. This must have been present since the very first version with a Resource Copier, and yet no one has ever reported it before!
Yeah I think it was always there, although before I think that when you selected 'delete all' and it left the resource behind, you were able to then delete that last remaining resource no problem. But for some reason in the current versions, it was now pulling up error messages and sometimes it wouldn't delete, there were just too many seemingly random occurences and errors happening that I gave up trying to document all of them so you could fix it. :rolleyes: But oh well, it's fixed now so that's all that matters.
(I finally put my own welcome screen on the current version, so now I'm happy and will stop bothering you :laugh:)
Finally, Ive attached below a small screenshot of the starmap editor as it will appear in the next alpha: Starmap_with_govts.png
Dies Happy
Well when I want to remove the spöb from the system I hit Remove Planet and then Remove from System. The dialog box then shows up saying, Are you sure you want to do this blablabla, the planet will be removed from the system but stay in your files. So I click "remove". The spöb name then shows up in italics and I close the window. When I re open the window later the spöb is right back where it was before. So next I tried the Delete Planet Entirely option and the dialog box shows up again, Do you wish to do this... Planet will be removed from any other system it might be in as well. Again I click remove and the spöb shows up underlined. Close window and open it again and hoppa! It's right back there.
EDIT: That new map looks sweeeet!
This post has been edited by Sp3cies : 09 January 2008 - 03:42 PM
@sp3cies, on Jan 9 2008, 12:39 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
I believe I reported this to him back when ev-nova.net was around, he wasen't able to fix it then either. Maybe some weird intel problem?
@sp3cies, on Jan 9 2008, 03:39 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a4 now available:
This is exactly what I tried, and it worked perfectly on my computer. Can you check whether this happens to all planets of those resource IDs, or only the particular resources in question?