I've been busy this past week (that's why I havn't been here. I'm sure everyone missed me, right? 
).
So, as the title of this topic suggests, what is the current status of Nova, mďsn Edit, and EVO 1.0.2?
------------
Genius is 1% insperation and 99% persperation.
- Thomas Alva Edison
(This message has been edited by Musapi (edited 01-30-2000).)
NOVA has one storyline complete, another to be completed within a week, another two in about a month (after that, the plan for the remaining two is a little more specious). The universe is complete excepting perhaps a few outf picts and there're still some problems with some of the outf strings we are currently still being frustrated by. That's it. Just testing and bug fixes after that.
Misn edit is progressing, talk to pipeline for more specific info. He's had a lot of R/L work recently and has also been a little on the off-colour side, so he was forced to slow slightly, but as far as I know he's still at it.
1.0.2? No idea. I wish.
------------------
Frandall wrote:
**Misn edit is progressing, talk to pipeline for more specific info. He's had a lot of R/L work recently and has also been a little on the off-colour side, so he was forced to slow slightly, but as far as I know he's still at it.
**
Yes, I am. It will be completed; on this I swear my first-born. Mind you, if you know me you'll know that's not much of a threat.
**
1.0.2? No idea. I wish.
**
Don't wish. I've been over 1.0.2 with a fine-tooth, and the suck outweighs the cool. andrew is doing right in not releasing it... yet.
------------------
(pipeline)
Regulus wrote:
Really? From what I hear about the new AI, it seems to embody the notion Ass-kicking goodness. In what areas does the new version contain Off-pissing badness, IYHO?
First, it's buggy as all hell. Okay, it's beta, but the bugs Matt was supposed to fixing bear no relation (as far as I can see) to the code problems that have cropped up.
Second, it's a mass memory hog. It's bad, even for a Mac OS app. It takes more than double the amount of memory needed for EVO 1.0.1 to run our plug under 1.0.2.
Third, the biggest fix (the beam weapon) is still flaky as all hell. While the beam now works, it still leaves pixels on screen while you're holding the trigger down (although it does clear all pixels after trigger release).
Fourth, it's badly written. Matt has made EV & EVO brilliantly expandable, but his coding has no kind of rhyme or reason (let alone top-down design). Let's start with an example; his dialog boxes. Some of these boxes are well written, allowing your average scrub to come in, resize a DLOG resource in a resource editor, and then go back into EV and see that the code readjusts on the fly for the new size. Some others, however, seem to use a fixed-size portRect (meaning that resize, while possible, has no effect). Now, I'm not so much whinging about a lack of resizable dialogs. No, I'm whinging about the fact that he didn't do every dialog to a set method! (like programmers are supposed to...?) It smacks of a hack thrown together at the last second.
Another example in that vein would be his data in resources, like s˙sts or spöbs. Some resource IDs start at 128, othes at different numbers. Sometimes he defines -1 as 'nil', other times it's 0 that's 'nil'. Your mileage may vary. Finally, he also has HWRD flags for some things, while other times he has a zero/non-zeron style boolean arrangement... sometimes even in the same damned resource! Very dodgy, pretty sloppy.
(puff, puff)
That's what's bad about it. AI just doesn't matter.
best to ya,
pipeline.
ps. andrew, I'd be more than happy to tear that app apart and put it back together correctly, if you'd like. It'd make my life easier, that's for sure.
(This message has been edited by pipeline (edited 01-30-2000).)
(This message has been edited by pipeline (edited 01-30-2000).)
**
Matt has made EV & EVO brilliantly expandable, but his coding has no kind of rhyme or reason (let alone top-down design).**
Sounds like he codes like I used to script :p. I finally learned my lesson in my final year at Uni, when I wrote a prog in hypercard (which was all I had at the time) to model population dynamics. Scripted away for six weeks solid, burned out and took a break for a fortnight. When I came back to it I found I couldn't understand a single line I'd written - the program was a Gordian knot, absolutely impenetrable. So I threw away six weeks' work :frown: and started over, properly this time.
It also sounds like you've got a copy of the source, and it could do with a ground-up rewrite. Could be a very long job as if it hasn't been already. On the positive side though, we should be grateful that Matt came up with this game at all.
Thanks Matt,
~R~
(This message has been edited by Rooster (edited 01-31-2000).)
It doesn't matter if the code has any ryhme or reason. As long as it works, that's all that matters. From what I have seen, EV and EVO 1.0.1 have the same coding as you're describing and they function just fine, so that's enough for me. Just because its not so uniform that you can't mess around with it easily like you want to is not my problem. Or anyone elses'.
On another note, keep up the good work Matt! Your game designs are great!
------------------
Live long and perspire,
--Marcus B.
The Monkey
yourmonkey wrote:
**It doesn't matter if the code has any ryhme or reason. As long as it works, that's all that matters.
**
No, you're wrong. Bad code makes life difficult for everyone, including anyone who has to come along and update the afore-mentioned bad code. It's not just inconsistent code, either; it's inconsistent interface. That he can't keep things working the same way over an entire project smacks of Microsoftian coding skills.
From what I have seen, EV and EVO 1.0.1 have the same coding as you're describing and they function just fine, so that's enough for me.
No, they don't. EVO 1.0.2 is a desperately needed update for a variety of reasons, it's just that it happens to be worse than the update it's supposed to fix.
Just because its not so uniform that you can't mess around with it easily like you want to is not my problem. Or anyone elses'.
Again, you're wrong. It's so un-uniform that I can't even mess with it with lots of effort, let alone easily. And it's most definitely my problem: my livelyhood and future success depend on being able to use the EVO engine to create and complete a world-class scenario, therefore I'll make my views known, thankyou.
my very best to you, sir,
Dave Williams
ATMOS Software Productions Pty Ltd
