I was playing through EVO again and I come across the New Calcutta plague missions, so I'm going to Igazdra to do their little mission and I find the strange asteroid. Well, for one thing, it's a shuttle craft(unless my plug-ins are screwing it up) and the second thing, how many people can recommend a few good plug-ins that explain it because I know i've seen them

------------------
All hell that ends well -Me
Are you accusing me of planting the bomb in that building that I put a bomb in??? -Me
(url="http://"http://www.weebl.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/b3ta/pie.html")Weebl and Bob(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.liquid2k.com/ethan_sucks/quiz6/pumpkin.jpg") Pumpkin Puke(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.magleague.com")MaG League- Overrider(/url)
The Underdogs Smiles:(url="http://"http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/gallery.htm")Underdog Smiles(/url)

What you want is David Arthur's plugin "Strange Asteroid." You can get it right off his website (the link's in his sig, just find a post by him).

------------------

Quote

Originally posted by Peter Cartwright:
Chris, my graphics designer, had a design for a coke machine he wanted me to use somewhere in my scenario; I explained that there wasn't really any obvious (or useful) place for it to be used - but then had this random idea for a mission involving a mysterious coke machine drifting through space which the player would have to investigate for some bemused aliens. This became the Strange Asteroid mission which you may be aware of. Unfortunately, I got the model for the coke machine, but not the image with 'Coca-Cola' on which was rather vital for the graphic to be useful. So I put in a temporary place-holder graphic, left the mission in, and waited for the image to turn up... I'm still waiting. I think he's lost it himself actually. Anyway, if anyone can put their own coca-cola graphic on the design, and put the whole thing into a plug, I'd be thrilled to see that mission make sense at last (or at least, for it to make as little sense as it was meant to make).

The plug-in UE Crusader mentioned can be found (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/dl-redirect.pl?path=evo/plugins&file;=StrangeAsteroid.sit.hqx")here(/url).

------------------
Beware the substance '(url="http://"http://www.EVula.com/")e(/url)'
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=utilities&display;=date&file;=ID.formulas.sit")EVN ID formulas(/url)

(This message has been edited by Blackdog (edited 08-03-2002).)

I downloaded that Strange Asteroid patch. The problem was that the shďp resource was altered as well as some of the ID's of others that pertained to it and it wasn't in the proper slots as it was supposed to be. This interfered with compatibilities of other plug-ins. Lucky for me, I had the tools to 'fix' this problem. If you're interested in having the 'fixed' version that I have, let me know, k?

prefectural@yahoo.com

------------------
Nosumus Fortiolis Quad Volimus

(edit)I knew if I posted it would show up(/edit)

(This message has been edited by Overrider720 (edited 08-04-2002).)

You can also buy it in almost all the ship-related cheat plugs, though they don't explain its existense.

------------------
Formerely Mac Emu.
Vote for your favorite quote/joke in posts or by e-mail
1. Yes, we understand you're an atheist but is it the Catholic god or the Protestant god you don't believe in?
2.God made me an atheist. Who are you to question that?

Quote

Originally posted by Coraxus:
I downloaded that Strange Asteroid patch. The problem was that the shďp resource was altered as well as some of the ID's of others that pertained to it and it wasn't in the proper slots as it was supposed to be. This interfered with compatibilities of other plug-ins. Lucky for me, I had the tools to 'fix' this problem. If you're interested in having the 'fixed' version that I have, let me know, k?

Can you explain what you mean by 'wasn't in the proper slots'? Strange Asteroid leave the shďp ID unchanged, and has the appropriate spďn ID to avoid conflicts. The only resources that could potentially conflict with a well-designed plug-in are the PICTs, and there isn't much I can do about that, since there aren't any standards for sprite PICT resource IDs.

------------------
David Arthur
(url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/")davidarthur.evula.net(/url): MissionComputer and the Talon plug-in
(url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/")EV-Nova.net(/url): Now with added forum-y goodness! | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/")EVula's Lair(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")EV Nova Survival Guide(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by David Arthur:
**Can you explain what you mean by 'wasn't in the proper slots'? Strange Asteroid leave the shďp ID unchanged, and has the appropriate spďn ID to avoid conflicts. The only resources that could potentially conflict with a well-designed plug-in are the PICTs, and there isn't much I can do about that, since there aren't any standards for sprite PICT resource IDs.

**

Okay, well, I have some plug-ins that I created myself but aren't released. These plugs have ships that uses ID's in the "expansion" range. Well, when I downloaded the patch for the Strange Asteroid fix, I noticed that some of the ships I created (which was in the expansion area of the resource ID's) were using Sprites of the coke machine and I was like WTF?
(I think that the sprite of the Coke machine overrided the ones for the Igadzra fighter, but I'm not sure)

I was cross referencing the original spďn resource and the ST landed between the Zachit fighter (Sprite & Mask ID-1076,1077) and the lazira (Sprite & Mask ID-1080,1081) this meant that the Sprite & Mask ID-1078,1079 was not available in the Override Graphics document, and it was the most logical place to put the coke machine sprite and mask picts there. Instead it was somewhere in the expansion area (I could be wrong though, but I'm sure it had to be otherwise one of my expansion ships wouldn't had have the coke machine's sprite). I think that may have been one example of what I was trying to explain. But I guess this was what I meant by not having stuff in their proper slots like the sprites and mask. I hope this explains better.

------------------
Nosumus Fortiolis Quad Volimus

Quote

Originally posted by Coraxus:
I was cross referencing the original spďn resource and the ST landed between the Zachit fighter (Sprite & Mask ID-1076,1077) and the lazira (Sprite & Mask ID-1080,1081) this meant that the Sprite & Mask ID-1078,1079 was not available in the Override Graphics document, and it was the most logical place to put the coke machine sprite and mask picts there. Instead it was somewhere in the expansion area (I could be wrong though, but I'm sure it had to be otherwise one of my expansion ships wouldn't had have the coke machine's sprite). I think that may have been one example of what I was trying to explain. But I guess this was what I meant by not having stuff in their proper slots like the sprites and mask. I hope this explains better.

There isn't any standard for sprite and mask PICTs, so I chose IDs out of the normal progression, the reasoning being that most plug-ins that I've seen use the normal progression, and therefore are less likely to conflict this way. Ultimately, there's little you can do to make a plug-in which adds graphics compatible with everything out there.

------------------
David Arthur
(url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/")davidarthur.evula.net(/url): MissionComputer and the Talon plug-in
(url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/")EV-Nova.net(/url): Now with added forum-y goodness! | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/")EVula's Lair(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")EV Nova Survival Guide(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by David Arthur:
**There isn't any standard for sprite and mask PICTs, so I chose IDs out of the normal progression, the reasoning being that most plug-ins that I've seen use the normal progression, and therefore are less likely to conflict this way. Ultimately, there's little you can do to make a plug-in which adds graphics compatible with everything out there.

**

Yeah I know there isn't any reserve pict ID's for sprites and masks, but I made it work nonetheless when I moved the ID's in the what you called "normal progression". I found the gaps that would correspond to the shďps resource ID (which is that of the strange asteroid's shďp's and spďn's resource IDs), and stuck it there so it wouldn't have to use any expansion slots, and of course change the strange asteroid's spďn resource ID numbers.

If you look into the Override Graphics data, in the sprite and mask section, you will see the gap that I indicated earlier. It's obviously that the gap is there because the coke machine pics were meant to be there in the first place but didn't get plugged in because the Coca Cola image was lost, so they just left the gap there and altered the coke machine's spďn to read from the shuttle's sprite and mask IDs.

If you were to take a look at all the Override data files, you will plainly see all kinds of gaps throughout various resource types. While some ID's are from those that are meant to be in reserves, there are others that are just up for grabs. These gaps are there because some things were never meant to be accessed by players like the dreadnaught. The dreadnaught wouldn't have a shipyard pic or a desc etc. And another reason would be that they may have had something they wanted to put but changed their mind and so left it there.

I always said to myself that they should of filled in the gaps regardless just in case someone wanted to develop a cheat plug-in to access stuff or something. Well, at least they took in consideration to do that when they created EVN.

------------------
Nosumus Fortiolis Quad Volimus

(This message has been edited by Coraxus (edited 08-08-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by Coraxus:
Yeah I know there isn't any reserve pict ID's for sprites and masks, but I made it work nonetheless when I moved the ID's in the what you called "normal progression". I found the gaps that would correspond to the shďps resource ID (which is that of the strange asteroid's shďp's and spďn's resource IDs), and stuck it there so it wouldn't have to use any expansion slots, and of course change the strange asteroid's spďn resource ID numbers.

This means that the individual plug-ins you had a conflict with happen to have chosen the same rationale for ID numbering. I avoided the normal progression because other people do not. There is nothing I can do to guarantee compatibility with every plug-in. Changing it so that it does not conflict with one individual plug-in is of little use, since it quite likely becomes in conflict with another plug-in due to the 'fix'.

------------------
David Arthur
(url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/")davidarthur.evula.net(/url): MissionComputer and the Talon plug-in
(url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/")EV-Nova.net(/url): Now with added forum-y goodness! | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/")EVula's Lair(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")EV Nova Survival Guide(/url)

I know that there are people that uses certain slots in the normal range that causes conflicts from their own plug-ins to others. This happens because sometimes they don't know what they're doing. What I did, I really did know what I was doing. Basically in conclusion, I just stuck the "fix" in it's proper place, that's all, and therefore it does not conflict with any plug-ins that involve using expansion slots. If there is a conflict problem, it's because the plug-in is using some slots in the normal range.

So, try not to think that I am complaining about the compatibility. I can always change it to my preferences, I at least know ResEdit to do it. If you are curious at all on how I did my fix version of the strange asteroid, let me know, via E-mail or this post and I will send you my modified plug-in fix version.

------------------
Nosumus Fortiolis Quad Volimus