MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Here's the MissionComputer 4.0.1 update, which adds the following simple fixes to the recent version 4.0:

• For easier access, the graphical resource picker can now be turned on and off using the Resource menu.

• The Copy command no longer loses the final byte of the selected resources (thanks, EV Wolf).

• When encountering a non-fatal error, MissionComputer no longer incorrectly attempts to quit.

MissionComputer 4.0.1 is available from davidarthur.evula.net and the official Ambrosia add-ons directory.

And if you're eligible, remember to vote tomorrow. If you're a citizen and 18 years old, you don't even need to be pre-registered: just show up at your local polling station with your ID and an official-looking piece of mail that shows your current address. See www.elections.ca for more details.

@david-arthur, on Oct 13 2008, 02:41 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

And if you're eligible, remember to vote tomorrow. If you're a citizen and 18 years old, you don't even need to be pre-registered: just show up at your local polling station with your ID and an official-looking piece of mail that shows your current address. See www.elections.ca for more details.

Hear, Hear!

Also, good work on the update.

There seems to be a bug in the galaxy editor. It occurs when adding a govt to a syst that doesn't have a spob (because the spob has not yet been created), and then upon leaving the galaxy map, then returning, the govt has been lost. I would expect for it to have been saved?

Also, I suppose that it's difficult to implement the OSX spelling check as you type system in descs or you would have already done it?

This post has been edited by rmx256 : 22 October 2008 - 08:29 AM

@rmx256, on Oct 22 2008, 08:51 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

There seems to be a bug in the galaxy editor. It occurs when adding a govt to a syst that doesn't have a spob (because the spob has not yet been created), and then upon leaving the galaxy map, then returning, the govt has been lost. I would expect for it to have been saved?

Hmm... I think I know why this would be happening. I'll take a look at it, but I'm not sure all of the causes are things that can be fixed without breaking something else worse.

@rmx256, on Oct 22 2008, 08:51 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

Also, I suppose that it's difficult to implement the OSX spelling check as you type system in descs or you would have already done it?

Correct. If it should become practical to enable spell-check, I will do so.

@david-arthur, on Oct 22 2008, 12:20 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

Correct. If it should become practical to enable spell-check, I will do so.

If I might suggest a kludge....

• Button next to text box in desc window says "Check Spelling."
• Click on button copies all desc text into new new window (or sheet?) with OSX spell-checking enabled.
• Long button across bottom of new window says "Re-insert Text into Desc." Does what it says.

Would that let you work around whatever technical limitation you're facing?

@rmx256, on Oct 22 2008, 08:51 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

There seems to be a bug in the galaxy editor. It occurs when adding a govt to a syst that doesn't have a spob (because the spob has not yet been created), and then upon leaving the galaxy map, then returning, the govt has been lost. I would expect for it to have been saved?

Fixed, thanks. It proved not to run so deep as I feared it might.

@dr--trowel, on Oct 22 2008, 02:25 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

Would that let you work around whatever technical limitation you're facing?

Afraid not — if I could create a separate window that supported spell-checking, it would be just as easy to use that same code in the dësc editor itself.

Well, because no one is reporting anymore bugs, I'm assuming that means we're gonna get a really cool new feature with all your free time? :laugh:

(secretly hopes... )

@ev-wolf, on Oct 29 2008, 11:30 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

Well, because no one is reporting anymore bugs, I'm assuming that means we're gonna get a really cool new feature with all your free time? :laugh:

I've already opened up the next version and started work. It will probably be version 4.1, but as the successor to Crusoe, it is inevitably called Friday.

How is the cicn editor coming along?

Will there be a means to pict resources in the graphics picker without turning it off first?

The way I do it right now, I turn on the graphics picker to look at the pict 'files' then turn it off to select multiple graphics.

@vast-deathmaster, on Nov 1 2008, 12:52 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

The way I do it right now, I turn on the graphics picker to look at the pict 'files' then turn it off to select multiple graphics.

By 'files' you mean PICT resources? I do plan to upgrade the graphical picker to support multiple selections, but it isn't clear yet whether that will be ready for 4.1. Likewise for a cicn editor, though the switch to Intel has made such lost ResEdit features a higher priority than they used to be.

yep, PICT resources = 'files' not a big deal. As I see it, it is more of a convenience than anything else. I think the community is just glad money is not involved in this project (as in out of their wallets) Just imagine what all the non Classic able Macs would do right now? Thanks

Are you aware that the "Fires at a fixed angle" field in the weapons editor doesn't work? Because this new field eliminates the - from -90, the game incorrectly thinks my guns have a huge inaccuracy instead of firing sideways.

@gray-shirt-ninja, on Nov 3 2008, 10:38 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

Are you aware that the "Fires at a fixed angle" field in the weapons editor doesn't work? Because this new field eliminates the - from -90, the game incorrectly thinks my guns have a huge inaccuracy instead of firing sideways.

I do not confirm this.

Using the MC 4.0.1 and setting a weapon to "Fires at fixed angle:" of 90, when the weapon's exit points have non-zero x-coordinates EV: Nova makes the weapon's shots come out the side of the ship on which the exit point being fired from is located, exactly as it should.

Furthermore, opening the file thereafter with Rezilla Custom shows the Inaccuracy field of the weapon resource to hold the value -90.

Wait, the shots have to be from an exit point with a non-zero x-coordinate? My guns were firing from the ship's center. That's easy to fix.

@gray-shirt-ninja, on Nov 3 2008, 10:38 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

Are you aware that the "Fires at a fixed angle" field in the weapons editor doesn't work? Because this new field eliminates the - from -90, the game incorrectly thinks my guns have a huge inaccuracy instead of firing sideways.

One of MissionComputer's basic design principles is that it eliminates all the hidden 'tricks' of the format, such as negative inaccuracy, and replaces them with clearly visible user-interface elements. The idea is to make as much of the format apparent from the editor itself as possible, rather than require the user to memorise arbitrary conventions. It's for the same reason that Flags fields are represented by check boxes rather than requiring you to do hexadecimal math with the Nova Bible's table of values open at the side.

'Fires at a fixed angle' is MissionComputer's equivalent of what's represented as a negative value in editors that represent the contents of the data file more literally. In other words, 'Inaccurate up to' 90° is saved to the file as 90, while 'Fires at a fixed angle' 90° is saved as -90.

Also, I can now confirm that the next version of MissionComputer supports multiple selections in the graphical picker.

Ah, it works now. I was unaware that firing at a fixed angle was related to the weapon exit point. I just moved the gun exit points 1 pixel over and my weapons started firing in the proper directions (forwards, right, left, and backwards). I had to rotate the sprites for the side guns, but I now have a functioning Spinning Factory Boss from Sketchfighter.

Spelling Error in Crons

@it-000, on Nov 8 2008, 07:01 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0.1 update now available:

Spelling Error in Crons

Fixed, thanks. I think it was actually a residual text-encoding issue that was eating the 'i'; the conversion to Unicode produced a lot of these, though I fixed most of them some time ago.