I've managed to get a applescript working that exports the pilot data (resource 128 only right now) to a text file and have noticed something: the pilot file breakdown I posted is only for EVC, not EVO. I suppose I should have picked up on that immediately, but it wasn't until I started comparing actual numbers with the expected template that I noticed things were off.

I don't know whether Matt is willing to release the EVO pilot file specs, let alone the EVN specs when the time comes, so it might be a matter of guesswork.

As I said, the applescript works (slowly) at exporting the pilot data to a text file in a readable/editable form. There's no "template" saying what each of the values is because there are some I can't guess at. I won't be able to post the script until the end of this week, which should give me time to try and understand the file a bit more.

Of course, if someone at Ambrosia would be willing to post a copy of the EVO pilot file specs, that would make my life easier (and expedite a crude pilot file editor).

Next: the script that will take a text file and convert it to a pilot file.

-STH

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Wow, I'm glad to hear that.
Is this skript available somewhere or do you wait until you finished the second part?

If you have uploaded it somewhere, please post a link or if you like you could mail it to me. Regarding your other post: I'd be interested

- Marko

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Originally posted by Marko:
**Is this skript available somewhere or do you wait until you finished the second part?

If you have uploaded it somewhere, please post a link or if you like you could mail it to me.**

The script isn't posted anywhere yet because I've been playing with it to try and understand why I'm getting more info than the pilot spec sheet says I should. At first I thought it was an EVO/EVC difference, but proved myself wrong by playing with a virgin EVC pilot file. I think I figured it out, using your offset list last night. It's kind of obvious now, much like Andrew's SimpleCrypt. Basically this entire project has made me feel very, very dumb.

The spec sheet lists the various info stored in the pilot file as being either "short" or "long". The script I've written correctly translates the first several variables, listed as short (lastSpob, fuel, date, etc). Then there's a region of unusually large numbers. This is where the extra data is, because things work correctly at the end again.

Thinking the problem was in "short" vs "long" data, I tried to find the long data for starting $, which should have = 10,000. It wasn't there.

Soooo, I looked at your offset list and saw that the cash is stored in 8 hex characters. Things like fuel are stored in 4 hex characters (which is what I set my script to use all the time).

Therefore I think "long"=8 hex characters and "short"=4 hex characters.

Now that I know this I think I can get the script working correctly. The only remaining problem is there are a few things that aren't "long" or "short". They are boolian(?spelling?). I need to crack out my resEdit book and look up what that means, exactly, in relation to making templates.

Regardless of whether I get it working correctly this evening, I'll post it and let you know where to get a copy. Warning: it's painfully slow. But what do you expect from AppleScript? I'm just pleased that there was an osax that let me XOR things.

The text file-->pilot file converter won't be thought about until I get this first script done.

-STH

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Quote

Originally posted by Marko:
Is this skript available somewhere or do you wait until you finished the second part?

Ok. I've posted my lastest script to (url="http://"http://phair.csh.rit.edu/~seant/EV/PilotFileStripper/PFS.sit")http://phair.csh.rit...tripper/PFS.sit(/url)

What it does:
Correctly decrypts OpďL and MpďL pilot files
Tries to make the data into editable form (works for most of MpďL files and maybe 50% OpďL files)
Copies the results to the clipboard. I suggest using the pilotFileTemp.xls I've been using to help me trouble-shoot.

I'm unsure exactly why it doesn't correctly translate MpďL files yet. It's close, but looks like it's off by two characters (the error crops up when it's going through the missionData stuff). Once I work out where the problem is, I'll include the routine that will add a template and save it to a text file.

It's really close to being done, but only for MpďL files. OpďL files have more info present (missionObj and missionData sections I think) and it will take time to figure those out. Then again, much of the missionObj and missionData info doesn't seem to be translating well, so maybe I'll just skip them. I don't know....

Anyway, hope you can get it working on your machine. I know it works on my 8500 running OS9, but I haven't tested it elsewhere.

-STH

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