Screen Tests

Post by **Marvin** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:45 am

Originally posted by Vice

...80 characters per line....

Wow. Reminds me of the good ol' days of word processing on the C-64. Thanks again, Vice.

Post by **Marvin** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:38 pm

Vice,

Are the first numbers in each of the system descriptions unique? 'Cause, comparing them with the ReputationID numbers in the "universedata" file, it seems to me that, otherwise, the game has no way of telling which description to display. For example, the "systemdata" number for the Sapphire system not only must match the "universedata" ReputationID number for the Sapphire system ... but, also, no other system can have that same number.

Correct?

Post by **Vice** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 4:39 pm

Yes, they need to be unique for the game to display a unique description for that system. However, if you need to subdivide sections within a system for different reputation levels, you should be able to use the same value and the game will still display the same description.

Post by **Marvin** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 6:22 pm

Amazing. Yessir, this game is amazing. Too bad understanding how some of it works doesn't help make me a better pilot. (Maybe if I can find where you put that "Yoda Moment" subroutine ....)

Post by **Marvin** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 3:27 pm

Vice,

How specific is the formatting for the systemdata file? The way you have it set up, there are three sections, double spaced between the sections. The first line in each section is highlighted.

If I added another section, using double spacing to offset it, would it register such that the first line of section four was highlighted? Or would systemdata even recognize a fourth section?

Either way, I also noticed that each of your descriptions fits on one page. If the text ran long, would it scroll? If not, what's the maximum number of lines per page?

Post by **Vice** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 5:14 pm

Not sure about the highlighting, it should just render each line as 'normal'. Yes, you should be able to add a 4th section, as long as the total number of lines doesn't exceed the space on the console. The text will not scroll if you have a lone that's too long, you'll want to stay around the same limit of 80 characters per line.

Post by **Marvin** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:32 am

Interesting. Using the default game, I decided to do a quick test on what works ... by adding a few lines to the Sapphire description in the systemdata file. Here's what it looked like ...

I also made a couple other tests, moving text around, to see if it made any difference. Evidently, to get the highlighted titles, you need to put a colon at the end of the line ... then the text will be in white. That is, unless you add more text after the colon ... at which time the entire text will be green. (Unfortunately, I didn't test to see if the title could be more than two words long.)

And definitely no scrolling. Which means, I've got some editing to do on my mod.

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:39 am

Interesting Marvin.

Post by **Marvin** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 5:48 am

Hmmmmmmm ... I just noticed that Emerald has 23 lines in its description. But, from th tests, it looks like only 22 lines can be displayed without possibly overshadowing one or more of the buttons in the lower right corner.

Luckily, that last entry (Miners) is a short one.

Post by **Marvin** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:34 am

Vice,

After comparing "ReputationID" numbers in the default "universedata" file with actual player reputations, I get the feeling that the ID number is really just a system/sector ID number ... and that it doesn't really define the player's reputation in the system.

The real line for defining player rep is (as you explain in the Customizing Kit "ReadMe" file) is "Reputation=" ... correct?

If so, that means I can use any unused value in "ReputationID=" without messing up the reputation value (good, fair, moderate, or hostile) I assign to the sector via "Reputation=" ... right?

Edit:

I guess I can take that as a confirmative.

[Edited on 10-23-2009 by Marvin]

warsign · Post by **warsign** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 2:05 pm

@Marvin, do you plan to release a "universe mod" to us? Any finished work about this?

Thanks.

Post by **Marvin** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:41 pm

Right now I'm working on the "systemdata" file ... so far, I've finished 23 of the 29 sectors. Still need to run the whole thing thu MS Word to check for spelling errors (and then do any necessary reformatting to the text).

Once that's done, I can go back to working on the "universedata" file ... I had to halt work, there, because I couldn't be sure that any of the file's graphics problems weren't due to disassociated "ReputationID" numbers. (Does that make sense?)

Then, after I get all the bugs worked out of those two files, I need to go back thru all my original notes and figure out what kind of scenario I'd planned ... backstory, current situation, etc. After which, I'll need to start placing buoys in strategic locations ... another trial-and-error learning process since I've yet to place a buoy on a planet or inside an asteroid (or inside anything else, for that matter).

I figure that, by the time I'm done, Vice will have released the next version of Evochron ... with all the new eye candy. Which means, I then try to convert everything over to the new game (a technique I'm getting better at ... considering how the star coordinates I'm using now came from a DOS game I originally wrote for the Commodore 64).

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:02 am

Vice,

For the "universedata" file, are civilian and Vonari ships the only ships you can specify in the "Local Ship Types" section?

According to instructions in the Customizing Kit, "ShipsTypeMin" and "ShipsTypeMax" must be between 1 and 10 ... I assume that corresponds to ships between Talon (1) and Leviathan (10)? But, after examining the default "universedata" file, it looks like Vonari ships can be defined using values of 11 and 12.

So, what happens if you mix the two together ... like this?

ShipsTypeMin=7
ShipsTypeMax=11

And is it possible to define or specify military ships?

Post by **Vice** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:04 am

You can mix and match and include military ships. A max value of 11 will provide Vonari only. A max value of 12 will specify a war zone type scenario, with Alliance military and Vonari (along with some civilian ships in single player).

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:33 pm

Great news. Thanks, Vice ... I doubt I would've ever figured that one out.

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:04 pm

Vice ... a couple more questions, please.

Q: How many levels of "inbeddedness" can you have in the universedata file? For example, in the following set of definitions, the Messaline sub-sector is set inside the Arneb sector; the whole thing is then set inside the galactic perimeter of the Milky Way.

' ************************ The Milky Way

-Local Nebula Backdrop And Reputation
NebBackXLow=-46400
NebBackXHigh=44700
NebBackYLow=-16300
NebBackYHigh=34100
NebBackZLow=-51300
NebBackZHigh=63200
NebBackText=environment\\milkywayUB.bmp
ReputationID=0
Reputation=0
-EndNebBack

-Local Ship Types
ShipsXLow=-46400
ShipsXHigh=44700
ShipsYLow=-16300
ShipsYHigh=34100
ShipsZLow=-51300
ShipsZHigh=63200
ShipsTypeMin=0
ShipsTypeMax=0
ShipsGunMin=0
ShipsGunMax=0
-EndShips

' ****************** Arneb Sector

-Local Nebula Backdrop And Reputation
NebBackXLow=0
NebBackXHigh=44700
NebBackYLow=-16300
NebBackYHigh=34100
NebBackZLow=30000
NebBackZHigh=50000
NebBackText=environment\\milkywayUB.bmp
ReputationID=3
Reputation=3
-EndNebBack

-Local Ship Types
ShipsXLow=0
ShipsXHigh=44700
ShipsYLow=-16300
ShipsYHigh=34100
ShipsZLow=30000
ShipsZHigh=50000
ShipsTypeMin=8
ShipsTypeMax=11
ShipsGunMin=10
ShipsGunMax=15
-EndShips

' ****************** Messaline Sub-Sector

-Local Nebula Backdrop And Reputation
NebBackXLow=11868
NebBackXHigh=11968
NebBackYLow=13169
NebBackYHigh=13269
NebBackZLow=32957
NebBackZHigh=33057
NebBackText=environment\\milkywayUB.bmp
ReputationID=4
Reputation=0
-EndNebBack

-Local Ship Types
ShipsXLow=11868
ShipsXHigh=11968
ShipsYLow=13169
ShipsYHigh=13269
ShipsZLow=32957
ShipsZHigh=33057
ShipsTypeMin=1
ShipsTypeMax=8
ShipsGunMin=1
ShipsGunMax=10
-EndShips

Q: Assuming I can imbed a sub-sector inside a sector inside an all-encompassing sector ... can I use a ReputationID of zero (0) or is "1" the lowest ID number possible?

Q: Uhmm (make that three questions) ... while Previewing this post, I noticed zeros in gun definitions too. Will that work?

Post by **Vice** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:12 pm

Q: How many levels of "inbeddedness" can you have in the universedata file? For example, in the following set of definitions, the Messaline sub-sector is set inside the Arneb sector; the whole thing is then set inside the galactic perimeter of the Milky Way.

You should be able to include as many as you want. However, always keep the sub-sectors listed below the primaries. The game loads the data 'procedurally' from top to bottom, so keep them in the order that you want the game to process them. With primaries at the top, the game will default to those if there are no sub-sectors listed below them. Sub-sectors that are listed below can then be processed after primaries. As long as they are in proper sequence as the game reads the data from top to bottom, there can be numerous levels of code blocks.

Q: Assuming I can imbed a sub-sector inside a sector inside an all-encompassing sector ... can I use a ReputationID of zero (0) or is "1" the lowest ID number possible?

Zero should be a valid value, but the game will still use that as an ID to track reputation levels. So if you want unique values to be tracked for each sub-sector, make sure to give them a unique ID number.

Q: Uhmm (make that three questions) ... while Previewing this post, I noticed zeros in gun definitions too. Will that work?

The game would likely just default to the minimum gun. Best to keep them in value ranges of 1 to 15.

Post by **Marvin** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 11:28 pm

Roger that ... all weapons will be in the 1 - 15 range. Thanks again, Vice.

Post by **Vice** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 3:57 am

Can multiple areas be given the same ID numbers to achieve a reputation linking (what you do in one sector directly effecting reputation in another sector)?

Yes.

Also, is it possible to create a reputation inverse where your reputation would be directly opposite in different places (such as an improved reputation in Thuban would result in a deteriorated reputation in Cerulean)?

No, not unless you manually updated the universe data file externally for such changes.

Post by **Marvin** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:50 pm

Originally posted by Vice
Can multiple areas be given the same ID numbers to achieve a reputation linking (what you do in one sector directly effecting reputation in another sector)?
Yes.

But then the description in the "systemdata" file would be the same ... so it would need to cover both/all areas. Right?

Post by **Vice** » Sat Nov 21, 2009 8:47 pm

But then the description in the "systemdata" file would be the same ... so it would need to cover both/all areas. Right?

Yes, exactly.

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:02 am

After doing the beacon quest, I thought about that one beacon on the surface of some planet that shall remain nameless (namely because I canâ€™t remember the name) and figured, â€œHey, it would be a great idea to put a few of those inside a city and use them as buildings where you could get information.â€� So I went about adding a beacon to Trevize City, on the planet Gaia. The final product looked cool but it sure was a pain trying to get it to stand upright (relative to the city) when the city platform is on the side of the planet.

Once I had the one beacon in position, though, I figured I might as well take advantage of all that work and add a couple more â€¦ assuming that the same degree of x-y-z rotation would work for any other beacons â€¦ as long as they were close enough to the first.

Anyway, it works. It looks cool and the messages pop up when you get close to the â€œbuildings.â€� I just wish there was some easier method of calculating x-y-z rotation â€¦ especially since the location of cities changes with each planet.

I like the effect so much Iâ€™m adding a couple more screen shots. Another panorama of Trevize City â€¦

And one you probably canâ€™t really see unless youâ€™re viewing it in a dark room. I call it â€œSunrise Over Some Secondary City on the Planet Gaia.â€� (Btw, that's the Milky Way running across the sky.)

Maarschalk · Post by **Maarschalk** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:09 am

Awsome Marvin, looks great. Nice job.

warsign · Post by **warsign** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:56 am

Last one is awesome!!!

Post by **Marvin** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 11:24 pm

Yuppers ... another question (getting ready to transfer applicable parts to Mercenary): What happens if you fly outside the maximum parameters you've set up for the galaxy/universe ... do you find yourself in a void, empty of stars and AI and nebula and anything else you'd expect to find in otherwise defined space?