Linking Outfit Descriptions?

I've been searching through the forums, and online, and I can't seem to find an answer.

I'm working with Mission Computer on a Mac. When you create an outfit, how does it link to the resource id for the description?

Under the the oütf property section, in the bottom right corner, there's an "Edit Description" option. You can enter a description there and I suppose it generates a new dësc, but how does it work the other way around?

If you look at the data files included with the game, most of the outfits link to a dësc resource id in another file, but there's no field in the "Edit Description" box linking the two...

The id resource number is listed in the title bar, usually named in the same file I have opened, even though the dësc resource doesn't even reside in that file. I'm not understanding how they make the connection. A lot of other fields have text boxes where you can enter an id, this does not.

It makes sense to me when I make a small plug-in with only one outfit and one description that it could automatically link the two, but I don't understand how you would link up multiples and across different files...

Which game are you asking about? Nova, Override, or Classic?

Override or Classic I might be able to help you. But I never dabbled in any kind of Nova development.

@u-e--admiral, on 20 November 2013 - 01:13 PM, said in Linking Outfit Descriptions?:

Which game are you asking about? Nova, Override, or Classic?

Override or Classic I might be able to help you. But I never dabbled in any kind of Nova development.

Nova.

All 3 games use static resource IDs for each mission, ship, and outfit in regards to their dëscs and images. When you click Edit Description in an outfit that does not have a dësc in the same file, it brings up a window to make a dësc with. The ID at the top of the window is the ID the dësc will have. It is also the ID of any dëscs it may have in another file. You can't change those numbers at all.

Edit: Same goes for spöbs, actually, and intro dëscs for missions. The only dëscs you can pick are the ones for the rest of a mission; brief, success, fail, etc. Intros are hardcoded for some reason.

This post has been edited by DarthKev : 20 November 2013 - 05:14 PM

@darthkev, on 20 November 2013 - 05:12 PM, said in Linking Outfit Descriptions?:

All 3 games use static resource IDs for each mission, ship, and outfit in regards to their dëscs and images. When you click Edit Description in an outfit that does not have a dësc in the same file, it brings up a window to make a dësc with. The ID at the top of the window is the ID the dësc will have. It is also the ID of any dëscs it may have in another file. You can't change those numbers at all.

Edit: Same goes for spöbs, actually, and intro dëscs for missions. The only dëscs you can pick are the ones for the rest of a mission; brief, success, fail, etc. Intros are hardcoded for some reason.

Okay, thanks. That makes a bit more sense. I guess the thing that is really confusing me is that you can make a dësc resource on it's own and I didn't know how they match up.

I recently made my own disable weapon. The ones I downloaded from the plug-ins page were buggy as hell. When I looked inside, I discovered they were overlapping other resources. So I rebuilt my own plug-in using some of the same properties, but used resource id's at the very end of their ranges, so they didn't overlap any original Nova Files or Arpia2 data. And so far, no problems! :laugh:

I honestly can't be sure, but I thought I made a dësc resource first, then it paired it to the outfit without using the "Edit Description" button, but I'm not 100% positive. It seems to makes sense, since there's only one outfit, one weapon, one description, and now one picture in the file, but I was curious to know what would happen if there were multiples of each.

As a matter of practice, I suppose creating the description in their respective resources is a better idea than making them on their own?

I guess it just seems a bit confusing, because when you click the "Edit Description" button, if the resource already has a matching dësc resource, it doesn't actually display the text in the text box, nor does it usually properly display the correct file it's located in. It usually displays the correct ID#, but it always seems to say the file name as the one I'm currently working in, even though that's not where the descriptions are located.

I know the game wasn't built using Mission Computer. I'm guessing it may have been handled differently and maybe pairing descriptions to their resources was done differently.

Mission Computer can't see resources in another file. If the dësc and its oütf are in the same file, then clicking Edit Description will bring up the proper dësc.

@darthkev, on 20 November 2013 - 06:43 PM, said in Linking Outfit Descriptions?:

Mission Computer can't see resources in another file. If the dësc and its oütf are in the same file, then clicking Edit Description will bring up the proper dësc.

See, this where it really confuses me, because it seems to be inconsistent. In certain areas, it does see other files. Like in the "Nova Control Bits" section, if you click the magnifying glass icon it brings up an option window, there's a drop down list of resource types to choose from, and with the exception of STR# and SND (possibly some others) it pulls up a list of resources from the correct file.

So I don't understand how Mission Computer can't see some resources in other files, but can see others, unless it's just an oversight or something in Mission Computer, or perhaps there's a specific reason why... :wacko: