I've been thinking of plugin ideas (Nova or otherwise) and have some questions. I've never done any programming of anykind and no EV related plugins either so please be forgiving.

Is it possible to make a race of some kind? Like land on planet go to commodity exchange and purchase a race entry for Lower and then race to another planet in the same system and sell it for higher if you beat other ships. I can't think how you'd get the other ships to directly compete.

I'd like to incorperate movies and still images into it. Namely string based movies and still images of captains instead of their ships. Like a Fed Capt hails you you reply and get a generic pic of Fed officer on a bridge with background. When another trader hails show generic trader, when special ships show up special faces could be used. That sound like it might be doable and you could include a small bar next to the person with image of ship in it. Now I'd also like images of bars to appear but that doesn't sound too doable. I know in the Classic the holovid contained some images I was wondering if that could be changed to be a still images of a news anchor and subtitles. Better (but harder yet) could a small movie be made of a show (with or without sound) and have missions picked up here but also include trader info on a stock ticker (stationary or not) like strip at the bottom.
Example: Bigshots (Cowboy Bebop) host and hostess on screen (still or not) with a mission offer for a bounty on Bob Villa VII, for drive by home remodeling (how...). Accept or done
while just below is the disaster news in a little red strip. that would be so cool. Even if it just pops up and you then have to go to the mission computer to find the bounty and accept that would work.

How would people feel about hand drawn images for characters and space ports ect.?
Maybe in an anime style?

that's it for now but I will have more later I'm sure.

------------------
...your amazing.
"No, I am better than that."

Quote

Originally posted by Travesty ofthe JadenBlade:
... snip ...

I don't think you can do this with commodity exchange. However, you can somewhat do this with missions since they can have dialog boxes and thus, you can have movies as well. And then set a time limit in order to "beat" someone. But to have a direct head on head race doesn't seem possible.

Maybe someone clever can think of something.

------------------
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

For info on making racing missions, check (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum9/HTML/003913.html")here(/url).

For info on using movies in Nova, do a search or just look on the board. I belive there have been several threads about it recently.

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

(This message has been edited by Weepul 884 (edited 08-17-2003).)

QT movie use in EVN information here. (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/Forum9/HTML/004494.html")http://www.AmbrosiaS...TML/004494.html(/url)

------------------
My Home:
http://forums.evula.com
/index.php

And a little more info as to what the question is going to be (in your thread title) would be nice. That way people who know the answer can just jump in and help you, but people who don't can ignore the topic, saying everyone's time. Just a thought.

Thanks.

~A~

EDIT: Did the race plug ever get finished? It'd be kinda cool to have a go at... And you could have different degrees of difficulty, where you have less of a chance of making the first place, but more cash rewards... Oh well, I'll go see if it's there...

------------------
"How can I make it go faster?" -Me-

(This message has been edited by Azdara (edited 08-18-2003).)

I left it vaugue because it is in the developers corner (so it must have something to do with developing something for the game) and it's going to cover many questions as they come to me. Like:

Is it possible to put objects of any kind (derelicts, Gates, wormholes, ect...) at the edges of a system rather then in the middle? Would I be able to set up a 'hidden' gate at the boundries of the system?

Is there some simple way to change the gambleing game to something else, or offer more then one type of game. Like have the race, a simplified version of a dice game (i'd really like a card game but that's too complex) you bet one of four ways and roll for a win or loss, or something else. Maybe have several different games and one some are avaible at certain locations. I guess I'm just looking for a way to expand the ground side of the game without altering the game from the EV we love.
Can't you just see landing on a planet that shows a space port full of all types of beings on bussiness, then going to the local establishment and seeing something like a starwars cantina scene (still image). sitting down ad seeing any bounties on the holovid, checking the disasters on certain trade routes. Then betting a thousand on the galactic series, even though your team is a longshot.
Maybe play or watch a game of chess (maybe poker, or sabacc) before heading to your next mission. Maybe have a mission hinge on your ability to win some simple game or solve a puzzle in an amount of time.

Maybe have a lone shark in one bar and failure to pay sets a bounty on your head. You know things that make it more about the characters then about the ships.

------------------
...your amazing.
"No, I am better than that."

Quote

Originally posted by Travesty ofthe JadenBlade:
**

Is it possible to put objects of any kind (derelicts, Gates, wormholes, ect...) at the edges of a system rather then in the middle? Would I be able to set up a 'hidden' gate at the boundries of the system?

...snip...

**

For sure you can specify where wormholes and hypergates and planets and any other stellar object is. But to specify a specific place where a ship/derelict is seems doubtful.

As for gambling, it is possible but only if you specify which bet is going to win or lose. I doubt that there is a way to make things truly "random" within a mission...shrug, it seems very tricky indeed.

You really should read the Nova Bible if you're going to see what the possibilities are.

------------------
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

(This message has been edited by getcrack4me (edited 08-18-2003).)

You can change everything about the gambling system except the system itself- ie, choose one of 4 for 1000 creds. Which leaves the descriptions and the movies.

You can place space objects (spobs- things like planets and hypergates) anywhere you want. The closest thing you can get to placing ships and derelicts is to make them special ships in a mission, and start at nav defaults 1-4, which could be anywhere.

And time for the gratutitous plug-

One of the guiding principles behind my TC has been moving the emphasis away from the ships and onto the characters. The loanshark in the bar will be there, a Bigshot-style bounty hunting guild/system will be there, on and on and on.

Another interesting thing, just because you mention it, was that originally all the planet-side art (outfits, shipyard, landing shots) were originally planned (at least by me) to be hand-drawn 2D art, probably anime-style. That didn't happen (I guess it's not completely too late, but I don't think it's going to happen), but the thought was there. I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing it- but it would have to be a TC-wide theme- it would look horribly out of place anywhere else.

------------------
~Charlie
Sephil Saga Homepage: (url="http://"http://www.cwssoftware.com")www.cwssoftware.com(/url)

It's just thought right now. I look at the Bible and my mind turns to jelly trying to figure out some of it and and the rest I can only assume I get an okay grasp of. Then I think of the things that are rolling through my head as far as story character and other stuff and realise that this could take forever. I mean I started with an idea for a story that would make a good side adventure which then linked to other adventures and soon I had a rope (a few intermingled strings) that suggested objects and characters that needed history that lead to new strings. Before you knew it I was setting corner stones for a universe and a campaign in it. Then I get visions of neat graphics effects (like the ideas for stuff I've posted above plus many more) ect.
I'm very intrested in doing this in a way that is not munchkin like (rpg term for those that want the best stuff free and never want to lose anything) the charcter will have things happen that make you think 'oooo, that would suck' and other things that are cool but they will only be part of the story not the focus. Like real table top rpgs with good players can be (within the limits of the game of course).

I'm comeing to realise though that while my family thinks I'm a macintosh pro the very thought of disassembling the Nova game and then rewireing it for my idea is something I may not be able to do. I'm not sure I can make myself invest a year or two (or five) in a TC; but half that would be lame and an insult to the great potential. Given some months I could write the whole thing up and have concept scetches to go, but I'm going to need either years to do it (time to walk away so I don't grow to loathe it) along with all my RL stuff taken care of (money, food, sleep... you know the stuff real programmers don't need); or someone who lacks all the above but has the drive and intrest in working to fulfill my dream project. In short if someone can't help me learn how to do it and I can't devote myself to it it may never get done (at least not without someone willing to take up the burden of the grunt work). I'm feeling like a writer/director without a budget or crew of any kind, no sets or anything. It's kind of disheartning.

------------------
...your amazing.
"No, I am better than that."

Here's what you do Travesty: Go away for a second, and summarise what you want to do, coming up with a basic storyline and governments, basic ideas of the themes etc, and everything, and then as you get more specific, write it all up, start up a recruitment thread, and see who's interested in helping you do it... If no one, then start on the basics yourself, asking people here when you need it, but figuring it out as you go (you'll learn damn quickly) and just getting some done. Then later maybe ask again, telling everyone what you've done so far, and you'll be more likely to get people working for you. You also might want to dig up a thread called the "Master plug recruitment list" or something like that, or "People of this board" which have everyone here (mostly) and what they specialise in (Missions, graphics etc).

All in all, just keep at it, and have determination. Anyone can make a plug, only those with detemination can see one through... (TDC, if you're reading this, send me the next damn ship concept).

You can do it Travesty!

Good luck.

~A~

------------------
"How can I make it go faster?" -Me-

Quote

Originally posted by Masamune:
**The closest thing you can get to placing ships and derelicts is to make them special ships in a mission, and start at nav defaults 1-4, which could be anywhere.
**

Not entirely true -- remember, there are fields in the s˙sts where you can place përs ships and their probability. You can very easily set it up so that specific derelicts or ships show up in specific systems. Look at the Nova scenario -- that mysterious derelict in the Kont system, for instance.

------------------
Starfleet Adventures: A Star Trek TC for EVN (url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=145") Discussion Board (/url)
Starfleet Adventures (url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=71")Progress Log(/url)
denki's Starfleet Adventures (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/starfleet_adventures/")FAQ page(/url)
It is better to feed the goat than it is today.

Okay I've decided that since I'm already writing this stuff down in a journeal I'll just plot it out and finish that part of it, while I scrounge enough to buy the nova game (and maybe a lotto ticket... "I cou do alotta things if I had some muny" H.J. Simpson) . In the mean time I'll tinker with ideas for a simpler plug to test some ideas that might help the expand the potential of the one I really wanna do.

Anyway back to the questions.

Is it possible to set up 'walls' in space. I'm looking for something that ships would have to go around, but which are not moveing and don't have any other function then to be obstacles. Maybe a tiny something with constant beams that touch eachother set at right angles, but I'm looking for something to do the job.

How many of each of the following could I put in a single system:
Planets, moons, stations, wormholes, jump gates... anything you can land on.
It seems to imply a limit of 4 but does that mean I couldn't have a wormhole at the edge of a system that leads to a planet with a moon and a jump gate before going to a second wormhole at the other end of the system. The idea if it doesn't spoil it too much is to have a way to travel from say earth to mars (two seperate systems) without jumping. So you leave earth and travel for a long distance toward a beacon (wormhole) that keeps you going in the right direction and then through the beacon to travel more space as you approach mars (new system) and them when you get to mars you could land on the moons or mars or jump gate or continue on to the beacon that leads to the asteroid belt or jupiter. But can it be done? Do two wormholes in a system count towards the limit of landing zones? Is it possible to have two WHs in a system and have them lead only to the next planet in that direction?

And what about backgrounds (or is it nebulae) can I put a big picture as a background in a system? So if I wanted to do something star wars like (which I don't) I could do an exploded Alderaan as a cloud of boulder with a distant pale sun, then add real asteroids and maybe some mineables. This way I can make the whole system seem like a three dimensional gravel pit without being limited by the number of real asteroids allowed in a system?

------------------
...your amazing.
"No, I am better than that."

Quote

Originally posted by Travesty ofthe JadenBlade:
**Is it possible to set up 'walls' in space. I'm looking for something that ships would have to go around, but which are not moveing and don't have any other function then to be obstacles. Maybe a tiny something with constant beams that touch eachother set at right angles, but I'm looking for something to do the job.
**

For circular obstacles, that's good. But nothing else. Except maybe with big non moving ships.
You can use the deadly spob feature, too.

Quote

**
How many of each of the following could I put in a single system:
Planets, moons, stations, wormholes, jump gates... anything you can land on.
**

The max is 16, but four which can be selected with the keys 1 - 4.

Quote

**
It seems to imply a limit of 4 but does that mean I couldn't have a wormhole at the edge of a system that leads to a planet with a moon and a jump gate before going to a second wormhole at the other end of the system. The idea if it doesn't spoil it too much is to have a way to travel from say earth to mars (two seperate systems) without jumping. So you leave earth and travel for a long distance toward a beacon (wormhole) that keeps you going in the right direction and then through the beacon to travel more space as you approach mars (new system) and them when you get to mars you could land on the moons or mars or jump gate or continue on to the beacon that leads to the asteroid belt or jupiter. But can it be done? Do two wormholes in a system count towards the limit of landing zones? Is it possible to have two WHs in a system and have them lead only to the next planet in that direction?
**

Doable. Very easy.

Quote

**
And what about backgrounds (or is it nebulae) can I put a big picture as a background in a system? So if I wanted to do something star wars like (which I don't) I could do an exploded Alderaan as a cloud of boulder with a distant pale sun, then add real asteroids and maybe some mineables. This way I can make the whole system seem like a three dimensional gravel pit without being limited by the number of real asteroids allowed in a system?

**

Well, you can put nebulae beind the system, on the system map, but whithin the system (where you see the ship fly), you can only make a colored background (yellow, green, red, blue, ...)

------------------
(url="http://"http://www.evula.com")EVula(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.Evula.com/survival_guide")EVula's survival guide(/url) | (url="http://"http://pftn.evula.net")Pilot File Trade Network(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net")EV-Nova(/url) | (url="http://"http://home.comcast.net/~slagblah/")Slagblah's home page(/url) | (url="http://"http://home.comcast.net/~slagblah/pilotlog.html")pilotlog(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.resexcellence.com/support_files/resedit.shtml")ResEdit(/url) | (url="http://"http://w00tware.ev-nova.net/")W00tWare(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.ariossoftware.com/programs/evone/")EVONE(/url) | (url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/mc.php")Mission Computer(/url) | (url="http://"http://home.comcast.net/~slagblah/PilotlogAnalyzer.hqx")Slagblah's pilotlog analyzer(/url)
Visit my (url="http://"http://perso.wanadoo.fr/straven")home page(/url) !
My plugins: (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=plugins&display;=date&file;=outfits_enabler_v1.1.sit")Outfit Enabler(/url) and (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=guides&display;=date&file;=ResUsedList_v1.0.6.txt.sit")ResUsedList(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by Travesty ofthe JadenBlade:
**

And what about backgrounds (or is it nebulae) can I put a big picture as a background in a system? So if I wanted to do something star wars like (which I don't) I could do an exploded Alderaan as a cloud of boulder with a distant pale sun, then add real asteroids and maybe some mineables. This way I can make the whole system seem like a three dimensional gravel pit without being limited by the number of real asteroids allowed in a system?

**

I toyed with variation of this question for making multiple moons or a single banded asteroid belt. The only answer I came up with was to dedicate one or more spob types to the task, and make them monstrous; aka a really big black spob with little fixed rocks on it. There are obvious difficulties (no motion, a giant square when selected by nav buttons, big and slow...)

Hmm. It occurs to me that since spobs can be placed by hand, one could take a page from classic games and tile this; aka butt up four of these monsters to cover more ground.

The other thought for a "swarm" of asteroids is to borrow from Martin Turner and use ships...which have larger max-in-system, and can also be interacted with. Need to find the appropriate AI -- and deal with the fact that they will turn hostile if you crash into one. Perhaps setting their turn radius to something ridiculously low would help?

------------------
"As a weapon of war it leaves much to be desired; but as a spectacle it takes much beating." -- a General observing the disastrous test of the JATO-assisted "jumping" tank.

Quote

Originally posted by Commander Arashi:
**The other thought for a "swarm" of asteroids is to borrow from Martin Turner and use ships...which have larger max-in-system, and can also be interacted with. Need to find the appropriate AI -- and deal with the fact that they will turn hostile if you crash into one. Perhaps setting their turn radius to something ridiculously low would help?

**

Unfortunately, the roids in Frozenheart never worked all that well: during an "asteroid storm", they all pursued the player. And last time I checked, we haven't seen any asteroids following our GPS satellites. But, without the advantage of being able to adjust the max number of roids in a system, it's probably the best shot.

Travesty, you got some great ideas -- I especially like that one about a loan shark. That one's really easy to do with a series of missions. Changing the gambling isn't bad either. I agree with Azdara on the Bible. As you've found out, it's not easy to get a handle on at first, but you'll get used to it eventually and learn how to work it. Also, as to things at the edges of systems, it's done regulary in-game. Here's an example. Go to the Sol system, and head directly to the right of the gamescreen. Keep going, and, if you don't run into a lost and irritated Manticore first, you'll eventually find something interesting... I've also given thought to having some drug-running or other contraband missions. Very profitable, but also very dangerous. You must have a fast ship with afterburner and lots of energy.

I almost forgot -- with the idea of creating an expanded Sol system, with one system for each planet, your best shot would be to use hypergates. In a plug I was working on, we were going to set it up so that Earth (Sol 3) would be the only system connected to the outside world. The other systems -- The Sun (Sol 0), Mercury (Sol 1), Venus (Sol 2), Mars and moons (Sol 4), Asteroid Belt (Belt 1-10), Jupiter and moons (Sol 5), and so on out to the Oort Cloud (lots of comets -- Cloud 1-10 (Yes, there IS a Cloud 9 -- and the biggest comet/spöb was to be named Nirvana)) would be connected to adjacent systems by "SolGates" -- these would only connect within the greater Sol System, and not to the outside. Do this with one or two other systems as well, and you can nearly double the size of your universe. Hypergates are wonderful things.

Good luck, and I'm looking forward to seeing your work,
-- spacecowboy

------------------
Suddenly, the little scoutship disappeared and then reappeared right behind the alien warfleet. The gravitic ship's captain hailed the armada. "You are going to be destroyed, but I will give you a choice as to how you want to spend eternity: big pieces, little pieces, or quarks?"
Dead silence.
"Quarks it is, then."

(This message has been edited by spacecowboy (edited 08-19-2003).)

Quote

Originally posted by spacecowboy:
Unfortunately, the roids in Frozenheart never worked all that well: during an "asteroid storm", they all pursued the player. And last time I checked, we haven't seen any asteroids following our GPS satellites. But, without the advantage of being able to adjust the max number of roids in a system, it's probably the best shot.

I've thought about this, actually -- to simulate the infamous "ion storms" of the original Star Trek -- and what I came up with was a ship that has a point defense weapon (you need to have all ships be affected by point defense weapons, but that wasn't a problem for me as I needed it for some other similar effects as well, like the Giant Squealing Tootsie Roll from ST IV: Save the Whales), no maneuverability, and the accompanying weapon having no range. It works fairly well, actually.

------------------
Starfleet Adventures: A Star Trek TC for EVN (url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=145") Discussion Board (/url)
Starfleet Adventures (url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=71")Progress Log(/url)
denki's Starfleet Adventures (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/starfleet_adventures/")FAQ page(/url)
It is better to feed the goat than it is today.

I don't suppose it's possible to make little asteroid looking missles, torpedoes, bombs ect. all launched from larger asteroids in the system (stationary ships). Their supply is replenished some way when enetring the system. maybe they can only fire one of each until it explodes, with small leets of these in places and the real asteroids swinging by the system would be a deathtrap of no homeing but stil obnoxious projectiles.
Actually I think I have the Femme fatal (which is the sequel right?) which I remember stopping because the bloody roids wouldn't stop chasing me (and I absolutely knew you couldn't destroy them, just like regular asteroids :rolleyes: )

------------------
...your amazing.
"No, I am better than that."

Okay here is the idea. I was thinking about doing the entire solar system has been colnised, through the help of a gate system (done with a gate in each planetary system that leads to a shortened two to three system hyperspace tunnel with exit ramps for each orbital track) the only other way to get from system to system is to travel between planets (done by traveling to the edge of a orbit to a beacon that covers a invisible wormhole that leads to the next space which will be empty eccept for a wormhole at the other side which leads to another empty which leads to the next orbital track) so the end result looks like Mercury to empty to empty to Venus. occasinal missions may lead through empties. The idea is that you can pay to make it to Earth in a pattern of Mercury Hyperspace Earth, or you can get there by going Mercury empty empty Venus empty empty Earth. Sounds like an intricate and somewaht realistic idea but here is the problem, what's to prevent the bored player from just hitting jump between empties and bypassing the go to the edge of the system step? The point is to make it known how difficult planet to planet is and to place adventures through the route. Okay so yeah makeing six jumps is more inconveniant then two but I want the idea of the great distances and the potential adventure to be there as well as the illusion of continuous travel without getting boreing but also without inconsistanceis (like appearing in the middle of a system like you came from the beacon two feet away but haveing lots of extra space behind the beacon (that didn't make any sense, how about i want spheres touching and you travel through where they touch not rings that over lap so you unused and unexplainable space while you just go short distances between jumps)) at anyrate the idea is long bussy (other ship go this route ans their are adventures to be had here) trip between systems which means no hitting J. But at the same time the fuel can be used for boosters and weapons ect., so it has to be an option the player has. How do I reconcile the two? reducing the fuel to half a jump might work but at the same time it make tiny boosts (or none) and other systems useing it are almost useless. Reduceing the fuel costs of these outfits seems either impossible or difficult beyond belief, refuel rates by other outfits would probly be fast as heck but still not good enough. What do I do to remove J from the equation without tripping up the rest of the game? Can I keep each and every system seperate (no jump path eccept wormholes or hyperspace? This looks to me like the best option but will the game allow it, or do the systems need to form a chain?

------------------
...your amazing.
"No, I am better than that."

I made racing missions in the NewMissions plug-in of the PlugPack...

------------------
Hey, check out my plug-in on the EV:N add-ons page. It`s called PlugPackV15.
Or download it(url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/dl-redirect.pl/PlugPackV15.sit?path=evn/plugins&file;=PlugPackV15.sit") here(/url)
The PlugPackV15 patch can be found(url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/dl-redirect.pl/PlugPackV15PatchV1.sit?path=evn/plugins&file;=PlugPackV15PatchV1.sit") here(/url)
(Recommended to all ExtraOutfitV15 users)

What kind of race and how did you do it. I've been thinking of another route, actually a couple others. One is a maze or labrynth with a derelict inside that the character has to find and loot (but has to weave around obstacles and walls, someone suggested giant Spob, and I thought that if the can be made to be impassable then I could make one with a webwork of thin arms and they would be like interconnecting walls joined at the center). Once the ship is boarded the player finds a 'junk' that s/he can trade for a higher value at a nearby planet, all the while a NPC ship will be trying to get to the derelict ship (make it like a mission, you go to the planet they offer you the mission to compete in the labrynth and then it both are trying to recover the cargo of a derelict in a weblike spob. Maybe even thrown in a monster (minitaur). The other idea is... um classified.

I guess nobody read or at least understood the last question I posted. I'm looking for a way to take the jumping with the J key out of the game (at least until halfway through when a new technology of jumping between systems arrives) so they can only use either jump gates or worm holes (the latter diquised as beacons or just darkspots). I never got to a point where I encountered either; at least that I remember; and I'm getting together some money to buy the registration so I can play with it more and understand a little more.

Is it possible to make it so you can't Jkey jump without removeing fuel which has other uses? Can You make it so that you have twentyseven systems all floating sepreate in space without the connecting routes but each has two wormholes leading to the next system and a Jump gate leading to a hyperspace system? Would this romove the Jkey problem? Then later on I can add a new system at the end of the chain that offers jkey access to other systemsand maybe do the system change trick by making new systems appear were the old ones were and have them interconnected for Jkey use. Or won't that work?

------------------
...your amazing.
"No, I am better than that."