EV: Warts and All is a port of the old classic EV scenario to the EV:N engine. This project is a twofold excercise: firstly, I am using it as a sort of "Hello World" for the EVN format, and secondly, I'm trying to channel all my anal-retentiveness into making this plugin as indistinguishable from the original EV as possible. Thus the title, "EV: Warts and All", because as I make this I'm going to try and deliberatly preserve EV's outstanding bugs and feature paucity. After it's complete, it will serve as a good starting point for an enhanced version of EV, or my perpetually in-planning plugin, "Future's End".

And yes, I am quite aware of Port Authority's impending release. The point is to get my hands dirty.

Anyway, the first nightly (20/19/02) for EVWA is on my iDisk. If you're interested, grab it (url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/suluger/FileSharing.html")here(/url). (Warning: it may be necessary to empty your "Pilots" folder and create a new test pilot prior to playing this. I'm still trying to figure out why.)

Current features:

• All systems implemented and links checked

• All nebulae positioned

• EV-style asteroids re-implemented as close as possible

• Shuttle, Light Freighter, Bulk Freighter, Courier and Argosy partially implemented

Next on the agenda:

• Finish porting EV ship data

• Finish re-implementing turret offsets through shäns

• Add shipyard/target pictures

• Implement weapons

• In a few days: spöbs and oütfs

Implementation concerns:

• I've given asteroids 32767 armor units. It would be nice to figure out how durage classic EV asteroids are - I'll see how long an asteroid can last under a particle beam soon.

• EVNs map drawing and asteroid management systems are generally not as crappy as the original EVs. There's nothing I can do about this.

• Levo, Clotho, Ruby and the pirate systems have düde sets that can be collapsed due to redundancies. This would not alter the in-game experience at all, and would probably be advisable. There's really nothing to be gained by using two düdes where one will suffice.

Outstanding bugs from EV 1.0.5:

• düde probability totals in Sol, Centauri, Tau Ceti, Eridani, Barnard, Vega, Sirius, Rigel, Pollux, Guiron, Zigra, Osiris, Scorpio, Persephone, Orion, Apollom, Olympus, Atropos, Lethe, Virgo, Topaz, and Procyon systems exceed 100%

• Comm string mismatch errors in governments after Psycho Confederates.

Cries for help:

• If anyone catches data entry typos I've made, especially in the düde section of s˙st resources, please let me know.

• Why oh why can I not get my plugin's chär resource to override EVN's?

-reg

(Edit: Fixed link)

(This message has been edited by Regulus (edited 03-20-2002).)

You are too cool

Anatole.

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Not all angels have halos. - QW12

I've uploaded my progress for tonight (3/20/02). I've got shďps and düdes properly populating systems now, so things should begin to look more normal (just ignore those Nova planets and weapons for now )

What's New:

• shďps are fully implemented except for the Alien Cruiser (shields may be innacurate) and the Escape Pod. No armor recharge yet.

• Native düde's (128-130, 132-140, 146) implemented. Mission and defense düdes to come.

• Comm strings implemented

Implementation concerns:

• I havn't the foggiest idea currently how EVN handles negative shield numbers. In the past, a positive shield value got divided by 10 in-game and a negative value divided by 2. Since I don't know if EVN works this way, I re-calculated the Alien cruisers -3000 value to a positive 15000 value. This should be equivalent. but needs to be tested.

• I've compressed düde probabilities where possible, since EVN can deal with only partially full düde resources. This doesn't effect gameplay.

• I have hunches on how to implement EV-style escape pods and hail pics, but I'm holding off until I finish the basic universe port.

• The equation I'm using to convert EV/O shield recharge values to EVN values is ( ( (Shields) ÷ 100 ) ÷ (Recharge) ) * 1000, rounded to the nearest integer.

• I don't know how EV handles armor recharge. While we were working on Project Epsilon, Skyhawk speculated that it used a fixed recharge speed. The odd way in which EV's ShieldRe field is constructed leads me to suspect that all ships rebuild their armor in the same amount of time, regardless of how much armor exists, but I need to test this.

• The clipper lists 2 exit points for turretted shots, but the ship only mounts a single turret at maximum. I need to figure out which of these EV and EVN use, and adjust if there's a discrepancy.

• I'd like to delete the Escort Carrier's hail/shipyard pic, but I don't know if EVN will notice that it's the same as the bulk freighters, since the target pic is different.

• I don't know if the Bootleg Kestrel needs its own target pic. The EVN bible states that it will pick up the regular Kestrel's hail/shipyard pic, but it doesn't specify whether it gets the targetting picture as well.

• I think there might be an issue with top speeds in player ships. They feel slower than usual to me, and I recall that in one of the EVO 1.0.2 public final candidate releases, Matt had removed a 150% top speed boost to player ships. I can fix this for the player without effecting AI ships with some high-ID oütfs, but we'll see if it's necessary.

-reg

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"Oh crap. I'm going to hell - I put the Bible next to Mein Kampf again."
-Her Holiness, Pope Jenne "Kirby" Hubbs

Quote

Originally posted by my dev-buddy Regulus:
Implementation concerns:

• I havn't the foggiest idea currently how EVN handles negative shield numbers. In the past, a positive shield value got divided by 10 in-game and a negative value divided by 2. Since I don't know if EVN works this way, I re-calculated the Alien cruisers -3000 value to a positive 15000 value. This should be equivalent. but needs to be tested.

That's fine, I belive.

Quote

Quote

Originally posted by Regulus:
**EV: Warts and All is a port of the old classic EV scenario to the EV:N engine.
**

Along these lines, I'd like to announce I have a working alpha build of an application that turns EV and EVO pilot files into EVN pilot files. That way, if you want to use the EVNgine to play in the EV or EVO universe, you don't need to start a brand new pilot file.

I've looked at the offsets and things look good. I haven't actually been able to test it yet because I haven't gotten my registration #, so I can't use plugins.

Anyway, those that are interested can get a copy of the alpha at: (url="http://"http://hellskitchen.org/~seant/EV/PilotConvert/")http://hellskitchen....V/PilotConvert/(/url)

Some outstanding issues:
•lack of drag and drop
•painfully slow to encrypt things. Be patient when running it. On my 120mhz machine, it takes 5 minutes to encrypt the resources correctly. This will get better. I promise.

Feedback welcome.

-STH (seant@hellskitchen.org)

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"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

Quote

Originally posted by Regulus:
EV: Warts and All is a port of the old classic EV scenario to the EV:N engine.)

What ever happened to this project? I have a utility that converts EV and EVO pilots into EVN format pilot files for use with EV and EVO total conversions using the Nova engine, but can't fully test it without the necessary TC.

Sigh.

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"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

Going back to that char thing, this will seem painfully obvious, and tell me if I'm being a %*^$^$, but I think there's a flag or in NovaTools there's a button that Makes the selected chär the main one, and then just carry on.

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no_use_for_a_name : n Overcredited Ž†Ľř<pi>.

Quote

Originally posted by no_use_for_a_name:
**and tell me if I'm being a %*^$^$, but I think there's a flag or in NovaTools there's a button that Makes the selected chär the main one, and then just carry on.
**

I can't tell if you are being a %*^$^$ because I don't understand what you are talking about. I've been absent from these boards for several months, so I am sure I have missed a great deal.

Could you explain more, please?

-STH

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"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

On the asteroid issue, asteroids in EV are strong. Very strong. VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY strong. It'll take you minutes, probably, with a particle beam to destroy it. I think it took me around 5 minutes or so to do it with forklifts; in EVGE, a disintegrator burst from the Marauder failed to destroy one in one shot.

As far as weapons go, if I remember correctly, EVN just uses damage to shields and damage to armor, right? (no messy energy/mass damage) If that's the case, you just have to remember that the EV Bible is wrong in the formula; replace the /4's with /2's.

Can you please tell me which dudes in EVC are redundant, btw, please? There's a project I'm working on that could use that information...thanks in advance.

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Mike Lee (Firebird)
Visit Cymltaneous Solutions: (url="http://"http://cs.paching.com/")http://cs.paching.com/(/url)
(hosted by (url="http://"http://www.evula.org")evula.org(/url))

I didn't even know that you could destroy asteroids before EVN.

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Why are you all looking at me like that?
9 out of 10 voices in my head agree that I'm not insane!
12000 posts as of 07.19.38, 1:23 PM (5:23 ASW time).

Quote

Originally posted by Sheer_falacy:
**I didn't even know that you could destroy asteroids before EVN.

**

Yeah, but it is VERY hard (as stated above), although you couldn't mine them...

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Eww! Troll bogies!
Let the fun begin!

Quote

Originally posted by parrypmp:
**Yeah, but it is VERY hard (as stated above), although you couldn't mine them...;)

**

Is there some sort of code patch that could be used in an EV plugin so that you COULD?

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THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!
(Lies are in your head.)
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Ia! Ia! (url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) fthagn! | (url="http://"http://users.adelphia.net/~cyberger/Ben/")Mostly-functional link(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by Entropy:
**Is there some sort of code patch that could be used in an EV plugin so that you COULD?

**

I suppose you could make ships that are disabled and look like astroids, but what's the point? In nova one can mine astroids. Make the transition to nova and take advantage of the new features, I say.

Which brings us back on topic (i.e. a port of EV so we can keep playing in our universe of choice)

-STH

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"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

Quote

Originally posted by seant:
**Which brings us back on topic (i.e. a port of EV so we can keep playing in our universe of choice)
**

TomWoozle and assorted others are working on such a port and are fairly close to completion.

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(url="http://"http://fumbling.com/phloem/writing/full-internet.html")go away - the internet is full(/url)

Wow, I was surprised to see this thread resurrected.

My project became "Mercenaries", and I started a thread for it (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/Forum9/HTML/002550.html")here(/url). I gave up on it for the most part in late April, since nobody seemed particularly interested. I have the last version lying around in my nova folder from 7/26. It's pretty close to playable, although the physics are a little odd.

If people are still interested, I could get back to work on it after I finish my college apps this winter, or hand off my completed work and notes to somebody else.

-reg

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"Oh crap. I'm going to hell - I put the Bible next to Mein Kampf again."
-Her Holiness, Pope Jenne "Kirby" Hubbs

(This message has been edited by Regulus (edited 11-01-2002).)

For some reason, I think if you do end up completing this project, you'll give it a slightly more graceful name..

_bomb

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"And to all the enemies of humanity, seek not to bar our way, for we shall win through....
....No matter the cost."

Quote

Originally posted by Bomb:
**For some reason, I think if you do end up completing this project, you'll give it a slightly more graceful name..

_bomb

**

Well, he said that he changed it to "Mercenaries," the name Matt Burch initially had for EV. What's so disgraceful about that? (or I take it you just didn't read the post above yours carefully enough to catch it)

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Mike Lee (Firebird)
Visit Cymltaneous Solutions: (url="http://"http://cs.paching.com/")http://cs.paching.com/(/url)
(hosted by (url="http://"http://www.evula.org")evula.org(/url))

Quote

Originally posted by Firebird:
**Well, he said that he changed it to "Mercenaries," the name Matt Burch initially had for EV. What's so disgraceful about that? (or I take it you just didn't read the post above yours carefully enough to catch it)

**

I didn't read the last few posts. I took it to mean it was still entitled "EV: Warts and All." Mercenaries is a far cooler name.

_bomb

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"And to all the enemies of humanity, seek not to bar our way, for we shall win through....
....No matter the cost."

I know that in the first couple of versions of Escape Velocity asteroids were fairly easy to destroy. It took a little time, but wasn't a big ask for normal weapon (like proton cannons or what ever the blue ones were called). Then they changed it so they were impossible to destroy (or so I though. Apparentley I wasn't dedicated enough :)).

Anyway, back to the point.

I'd be keen to see this plug finished. I know that an app for converting EV and EV/O to Nova is coming soon, but it's been coming soon for a very long time...

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PCs have users, Macs have fanatics.