I just started mine two weeks ago. I wasn't going to tell anyone about it until I thought I was actually going to finish.

I'm using all the old graphics, recycling most outfits (really, why should I make practically identical new ones?) and settling for a small "Galaxy." (The first half of the game takes place within the Sol system, but I make each planet and major asteroid it's own system, to actually give justice to the little place we call home.) The second half of the game takes place in a parallel dimension, but most of the planets are hostile and will never let you land, so I don't have to actually do all that much work.

Overall, I think it's doable. In the two weeks I've been working, I've done two hours a day or so, and I've made considerable progress. (The systs and spobs of the Solar System are almost done, outfits/ships are coming along and I've started the mission string.)

Only two major plotlines. I'm not bothering with all the little side ones that everyone always asks for but never really likes.

Is it the next Nova? No. Will I finish? Probably.

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I think it's incredible how easily ambitions spiral out of control. I am responsible for a couple of TC's that reached various stages of unfinished-ness. The first one was entitled "Brink of Chaos", and never really got past concept. I sure had fun making the promotional website for it, though. The second, "Cold Blood", has gone through a variety of forms, simply chronicled:
1996 -Started as a smaller, alternative idea after discovering "Chaos" was going to be too daunting. Intended to be a gladiatorial combat simulator with two systems and a variety of ships, missions were simply to win the next round.
1997 - Re-vamped as a full-on TC of same name, having nothing to do with original idea. Made up some acronyms for governments that sounded cool, made up what they stood for, and set up a loose political network. Given no real story ideas are concieved, I sped all my time making ships and building a rudimentary galaxy.
1999 - Series of "Cold Blood" alpha versions released to test combat balance and in-game graphics. Things looked promising from here. Storyline given a little more meat, still made little overall sense.

Somewhere in here, a few major things happened: Acquired first girlfriends, EV-Nova released, much retrospective self-criticism of original story.

Present - "Cold Blood" exists mostly as pages of notes and an ongoing mental exercise. Original, completed set of graphics are now my shipyard as linked in my sig. A few ships have been re-made to my current perfectionist standards and for re-insertion in Nova's engine. The story has been through several write-ups and now hardly resembles the first draft. I've talked occasionally about releasing the last Alpha version, as it was a fun battle simulator if nothing else. If I could reasonably remain unemployed and out of school, I might someday finish a version of "Cold Blood" for Nova that I would be happy with. For now, it exists in "stasis".

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(url="http://"http://mailto:mk381@stu.aii.edu") - () () / }{ - (/url)
(url="http://"http://www.pacifier.com/~kkey/shipyard/index.html")Onyx's EV Shipyard(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by Raemon:
Only two major plotlines. I'm not bothering with all the little side ones that everyone always asks for but never really likes.

Raemon, they ask for those minor mission strings because they love them. It's just a matter of doing them right.

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I was working on a b5 conversion for nova, found someone to do the graphics, and started work on the missions. Unfortunately, about 2 weeks ago i had to reformat my hard drive and did not back this up. Will be hopefully starting again soon. (AP Physics is not the easiest of classes homework-wise)

Wait anywhere from several weeks to several years, as i cannot find people living near me who know resedit and novatools like i do.

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YYURYYUBICURYY4ME!

Oh. Well I never particularly liked the side missions. They give the universe more depth, and if you have the time, go for it. But I'd much rather have one solid, epic, interesting storyline that a multitude of smaller ones that don't end up affecting anything all that much.

If I finish my two main strings, I might add some smaller ones. But I'm not worrying about it till the rest is done.

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I have just completed the smallest TC ever.

It has one planet, one syst, one ship, one mission, one outfit and one character. Unfortunately it also has one bug, which means that the mission is not achievable.

Sorry.

On another note, yes, my TC is alive and (as far as I am aware) people are still playing it. Version 2 is 90% complete as far as resources, graphics etc are concerned, which, by previous experience, suggests to me that it is 25% complete in terms of developer time. Then there's beta testing.

So don't hold your breath.

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M A R T I N • T U R N E R
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evo&category;=plugins&display;=downloads&file;=FrozenHeart104.sit.bin")Frozen Heart(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evo&category;=plugins&display;=downloads&file;=FemmeFatale.sea.bin")Femme Fatale(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/dl-redirect.pl?path=evo/plugins&file;=Frozen Heart - the No.hqx")Frozen Heart - the Novel(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by Martin Turner:
**I have just completed the smallest TC ever.

It has one planet, one syst, one ship, one mission, one outfit and one character.
**

I'm not sure that's smaller than my first TC, "The Amazing and Strange Adventures of Harold the Green Cube."

It had a real pressure-cooker of a plot... will Harold go this way? Or maybe he'll go that way? What will Harold do?

Yep, I played that one for a whole 38 seconds.

Peace,
Luck

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It is nice to be amongst mac users again...

Anyway, all the plugs I was working on seem to have died. I announce to try to get workers, and nobody helps. It is so hard to make graphics for this game...

For those who have been around lately, how have the Windoz users been doing?

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I am ME hear me roar!
Meeoowwwww

POOORLLLLYYYY! Chars bug, and there is no development programs for Windows Right now.

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stifles laughter

Heh, that's an interesting TC...question: how on...uh...SOME PLANET did you get it to only have that? Or was the TC part a joke? Or was the whole thing a joke?

People have ruined jokes for me...

UE (R&D;), how the hell did you get the mission texts done so freakin' quickly? Oh, yeah, you have proof-readers (should I get back to work on that?) and I keep going back and fixing choppy stuff, stuff that goes too fast (or at least faster than it is already. One species REALLY wants your help), stuff that makes no sense, stuff I don't like, stuff noone gives a damn about, etc. by myself. Seriously, I've done all of 13 mission's worth of texts, and mostly coming up with the mission plots off the top of my head (I have about 4 sheets of paper full of missions to use if I can't come up with any), AND the next time I open up ResEdit, I'll probably fix 'em up some more. I think even a year for these dëscs was too ambitious...oh well. They'll get done when they get done.

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The programmer's code of etemology: "There's always another bug."
(Etemology is defined as the study of insects.) (Or was it just bugs in general?)

My plug is in stasis until possibly next summer. I will probably do small work on it on and off but I have to concentrate on my school work for now, and preparing for a possible future in a grad school (GREs and all that other applying nonsense).

Progress so far: (url="http://"http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/~gethigh/projects.html")http://www.ece.ucdav...h/projects.html(/url) .

(EDIT) BTW, I'm currently using the graphics from the B5Plug for EVO as placeholders (if no one minds) for a future "half-release," which basically entails that "everything is done 'cept missions, graphics, and special spöbs/s˙sts/outfits/weapons to be attain thru missions." (/EDIT)

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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 10-06-2003).)

I've been sitting on an idea since EVO came out. It wouldn't be quite a TC, but it'd be a major addon to the EVO universe. The idea would be to have it divided up into 5 "chapters" and span something like 500 years. It'd take advantage of the pilot file info I know to allow an external application to activate plugins and make changes to a pilot file so the game could be played from start to finish.

The biggest problem is that, in order to work, the game needs to correctly read a pilot's seenIntro flag (see (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/000604.html")http://www.ambrosias...TML/000604.html(/url) ).

Even if that flag did work, I'm not sure I'd have time to work on the idea, really. Between (url="http://"http://phair.csh.rit.edu/~seant/gallery/album02")renovating(/url) a home built in 1840, taking (url="http://"http://phair.csh.rit.edu/~seant/schedule.html")classes(/url) and doing research toward my PhD and trying to not let my soul die, I don't have a lot of time to finish the computer related (url="http://"http://phair.csh.rit.edu/~seant/EV/PilotConvert/")projects(/url) I have going, let alone start a new one.

On the upside, I have extensive notes relating to missions if I ever decide to try and make this idea happen.

-STH

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Mac<-->PC pilot file Conversions: (url="http://"http://phair.csh.rit.edu/~seant/EV/PilotConvert/")http://phair.csh.rit...V/PilotConvert/(/url)
"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

SWN. SWN, SWN, SWN. Not EV Nova SW, not SWEVN. SWN.

As Denb said, we're still alive. I'm pondering making a submission to EVula's upcoming plugs page, but I'm not sure I want to add that to my schedule also.

Our official website, made and maintained by Echoboom, can be seen (url="http://"http://www.evula.org/macunderground/SWN/")here(/url).

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"Who will help me up?
Where's the helping hand?
Will you turn on me?
Is this my final stand?" - Megadeth - Addicted to Chaos

Quote

Originally posted by Admiral Benden:
**SWN. SWN, SWN, SWN. Not EV Nova SW, not SWEVN. SWN.

As Denb said, we're still alive. I'm pondering making a submission to EVula's upcoming plugs page, but I'm not sure I want to add that to my schedule also.

Our official website, made and maintained by Echoboom, can be seen here.

**

Thats good news.

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"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."-Albert Einstein

You can find details of my TC Factions here (url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2018")http://www.ev-nova.n...opic.php?t=2018(/url)

Want more details or maybe some pics?

Well tough luck. You'll just have to wait until the Public Non-Storyline Beta.

-Starbridge42

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Hey! If I want cheesey poofs, I'll get cheesey poofs!
-Eric Cartman Law Enforcer
"Respect my Authorita!"

What, may I ask, is a Non-Storyline Beta?

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(url="http://"http://www.mazca.com/")Mazca(/url) , Moderator, (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/ubb/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&number;=9&SUBMIT;=Go&urgaylol;=yes")EV Developer's Corner(/url)
japanese woman, you broke my heart, now you must play the part, where you come running back to me, don't be so surprised, I cried for you while you were sleeping

In my case, I was planning on releasing a fully-functional, feature-complete version of Starfleet Adventures without any of the storyline missions included, which would have been a public release until someone got ahold of the first alpha build and has yet to apologize for (if I ever do get an apology, I may still release this version as a public beta). I can only assume that Starbridge42 is going to do something similar.

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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.

Yeah, you always have that one thing holding you back Twitchy... It doesn't piss me off so much as wanting to know who it was. Sure you're never going to publicly shame them? It'd be pretty cool. Or maybe just a mention in the credits, a la: "No thanks to: _____" or something.

Glad to hear that progress is happening all around. I'm inspired to go work on graphics... UER&D; will be glad to hear that.

Keep it up guys.

~A~

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

Quote

Originally posted by Mazca:
**What, may I ask, is a Non-Storyline Beta?

**

Okh, I thought you'd know. It is a fully funcitoning version of the plug with all the storyline missions (ie. Republic, Pirate, Alliance, Neutral Zone, the five mega Corporations etc.) removed. Simple. It gives people an idea of the universe, the graphics, the weapons and ships etc without revealing any of the story.

That explenation is a little jumbled but I hope its understandable.

-Starbridge42

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Hey! If I want cheesey poofs, I'll get cheesey poofs!
-Eric Cartman Law Enforcer
"Respect my Authorita!"

Sounds like a plan, Starbridge, but aren't most bugs bound to occur in the mission encoding area, not in other parts? You should include basic trading missions that are always there so people can at least have a purpose for moving around, exploring, and basically testing for bugs, it would entertain longer than a no mission package...

Just a suggestion. I like the idea though, non-story beta.

~A~

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