Member-Run FAQ

A1: Run your ship into the little asteroid bits that come from blowing up asteroids.
A2: Shift-click on the systems you want to go to.

How would I make it so that when a particular ship is destroyed (aka mothership), the ships belonging to the same gov would stop appearing? (If this isn't possible, tell me that too :mellow: )

This post has been edited by Snaily : 24 July 2007 - 10:51 AM

Erm, that isn't a Frequently Asked Question.

But to answer it anyway, if the 'particular ship' appears via a mission with the goal to destroy it, then OnShipDone you can simply set a bit to make the other ships no longer appear (using the AppearOn field in the ship resource).

(Another question :laugh: )

What is the smallest mission bit number that doesn't interfere with Nova's mission bits?
b**** < ?

Edit: Another question
Where are the desc resources in nova files that gives the descrption for escorts? (When you go into a bar and hire an escort)

This post has been edited by Snaily : 27 July 2007 - 12:36 PM

To answer the bits question, bit 97. The answer to the escort question is 14000 through 14252 (but the Rebel IDA is by itself at 14284)

Q: Which Nova Control Bits are not used at all in the default Nova scenario?

A: Nova Control Bits unused in Nova 1.0.9 and 1.0.A (1.0.10) are as follows:

91-95, 97-122, 150-151, 171-174, 176-177, 238-249, 251-274, 328-329, 336-339, 342-346,

378-414, 416, 418-421, 447-449, 451-466, 468-499, 501, 504-508, 514, 520-599, 614-649,

654-665, 668-676, 678-680, 682-748, 754-799, 820-837, 839-849, 853-994, 996-999,

1001-1099, 1101-1299, 1310-1499, 1503-2999, 3008, 3010-3014, 3016-3024, 3026-3049,

3051-3720, 3722-3788, 3790-3999, 4001-4321, 4323-4443, 4445-5756, 5766-5769, 5771-5998,

6035-6099, 6107-6136, 6138-6199, 6207-6299, 6303-6665, 6667-6722, 6725-7776, 7789-7877,

7881-8337, 8341-8443, 8445-8887, 8912-9010, 9016-9110, 9112-9199, 9209-9214, 9217-9332,

9335-9499, 9502-9665, 9668-9811, 9813-9994, 9996-9997

Q : Can I have a weapon split into two different submunitions?

A : No. It is an Evil Iron Rule in Nova, that you can vary the number of subs, but not the type.

Q: Can I have a weapon submunition into a carried fighter?

A: No. Although if you set it up that way you will hear the fighter launch noise when the weapon tries to submunition.

@bmac, on Nov 26 2007, 02:22 PM, said in Member-Run FAQ:

Q : Can I have a weapon split into two different submunitions?

A : No. It is an Evil Iron Rule in Nova, that you can vary the number of subs, but not the type.

While this is correct, you cannot have a weapon directly sub into two different types, you can have the weapon sub twice, and on one of the sub'ed weapons, you could have it sub into something else, though this is incredibly tricky, and would take quite a bit of tinkering, it can be done.

@jean-luc-picard, on Mar 14 2008, 05:28 PM, said in Member-Run FAQ:

While this is correct, you cannot have a weapon directly sub into two different types, you can have the weapon sub twice, and on one of the sub'ed weapons, you could have it sub into something else, though this is incredibly tricky, and would take quite a bit of tinkering, it can be done.

All of the subs (in a given stage) are of the same sub type. Therefore they all act the same, and you can't have one doing one thing and the other doing something else.
Sure, you can have the weapon sub into multiple things, but each stage is of only one particular type. So the shot will never be two different weapons at once. With the exception of some triggering early by the prox detonator, but that's really a whole different thing.

So I don't see how what you describe is possible.
Can you elaborate, or provide a sample?

I don't really have the time to provide a sample.

To elaborate, though, would require me going through the steps to provide a sample anyways, so it's really kinda pointless, isn't it? Especially since I would have to re-familiarize myself with Mission Computer, and I would have to basically break the engine.

Break the engine? Not sure what you mean here.

Quote

While this is correct, you cannot have a weapon directly sub into two different types, you can have the weapon sub twice, and on one of the sub'ed weapons, you could have it sub into something else, though this is incredibly tricky, and would take quite a bit of tinkering, it can be done.

I'm reading this as: The weapon subs into two parts, one of those parts then subs into something, while the other part subs into something different. Effectively making the weapon produce two different weapons at the same time.
This is what you meant, yes?

If so, then you're claiming the impossible and not backing it up.
(Not trying to be rude, just sayin'...)

If you want to maintain that when a weapon subs into two parts, you can have one sub doing one thing, and the other sub doing something different, no one is going to believe you unless you can, at the very least, give a hint on how this can be accomplished.

I understand if you don't have time for a mountain of code, but even if it is as little as something like, "use of the 'only one shot on-screen at once' flag causes one part to sub and the other to fail to sub." would go a long way in this regard. (That example doesn't work, by the way)

I can make two submunitions from the same weapon appear to be different weapons with different characteristics and different damages.

First you fire a weapon. Call it Magic Missile. It expires or otherwise is caused to submunition. It submunitions into two Extra Special Bombs (ESB) with 180 subtheta.

Now the ESB has only two frames in its sprite. The first frame is a small ball, perhaps 16 pixels across. The second is a large ball, perhaps 64 pixels or more across. The important thing here is that the masks are grossly disproportionate to each other.

ESB has proximity radius between 16 and 64, say, 32, so direct contact by a ship to its mask is needed for detonation of the large version, but not the small version. ESB has some damage, and it submunitions into another weapon, maybe something with a big blast, or whatever you want.

If the ESB is to have guided behavior then it must cycle its graphic continuously, with beamwidth large enough to prevent the next frame from appearing before the shot expires.

The result is that the larger version deals some damage, but the smaller version deals the same damage plus submunitions. Not really two different weapons, but two different effects.

This post has been edited by Qaanol : 01 December 2008 - 01:31 PM

Interesting idea.
And yes, if the shot actually impacts the target it doesn't sub. Prox radius is measured from the center of the sprite, so it won't vary even if the mask does.
You could reverse the theory, give prox radius just under the radius of the larger ball. This way the smaller can sub, but the larger can't.

Working this into something useful is another story.

Hmmm. Maybe there is an use based on prox radius - no special graphic needed though.

You could make the target ship take a certain amount of damage, while others take a different amount.
Make a weapon burst into parts. The parts that are going to hit the target use prox radius to sub just before impact into a different weap. Other ships wouldn't trigger the prox and get hit by the un-subbed weapon.
Incidentally, this is how you can make a weapon hit both missiles and ships (ships that aren't vulnerable to PD).

This discussion probably doesn't belong in the FAQ thread, though.

Q: Where would I find the sprite grid for the civilian Viper? (which data file?)

A: You won't find it as a grid. It's in Nova Ships 4 as an Rle8 or RleD. However, if you use the Mission Computer 4 beta, you can export the sprite and mask grids from either file as Jpegs or copy & paste them into another application.

Q: If an AI ship has a weapon and/or ammo, and the outfit for that item has additional ModTypes that the AI would normally use, will the AI use them?

A: No. For example, if the outfit for a weapon has a second ModType of jamming, and an AI ship has that weapon, the AI will not get that jamming.

Q: If an AI ship has a weapon that uses no ammo, but the ship has ammo for it, what happens?

A: The ammo is not used when the weapon is fired. The ship can fire the weapon endlessly. Any other ModTypes on the ammo are ignored by the AI as above. When the player boards the AI ship, that type of ammo will not be available for plunder even if the player has the same weapon.

Q: I know what a pilotlog is, but is there a way to get even more information about a pilot file?
A: Use my Pilot Reader
caveat: the textual form of a pilot file is much larger than the binary form.

If your using a pc I recommend Anim8or for making ship sprites it's free, easy to use, and has a simple interface. The only downsides are it has a very hard to use uv texture mapping tool and everything you model looks like trash until you render it

@jacabyte, on 28 January 2007 - 04:33 PM, said in Member-Run FAQ:

Ooo, that's a tricky question. If I were too start a TC I'd start with either Edward's Tea Cup TC or Absolute Minimum and build upwards by adding/replacing data via plug-ins, then when I had the basic frame work put in (system, planets, ships, crons, descs, and a few missions here and there) I'd merge the plug-ins into data files that at most were 15 MB in size. Rinse and repeat until you've got the finished product.

where would i find these tc's?