I've recently started messing around with mission writing under Nova and have discovered just how complex a process it is. Are there any recomendations as to useful tools when crafting complex mission threads?

-STH

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"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

The way I am writing mission strings for Retribution (and the way I did it for Fatal Alliance) involves a word processor (for example, MS Word).

When I write I set up the format as following:

1. Mission name: Short briefing text.

Intro : Introduction text.

Accept : Accept text.

Reject : Reject text.

Pick Up Cargo : Text to be displayed when cargo is picked up (if any)

Special Ship Goal : Text to be displayed when special ship goal is fulfilled (if any)

Success : Text displayed when mission is successful

Failure : Failure text.

Notes can then be made as to which mission branches off to which. When it comes time to actually code the process is then a cut-and-paste (although I recommend you make some sort of mission map detailing how your mission strings will unfold).

Hope this was of assistance.

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(This message has been edited by UE_Research & Development (edited 06-22-2004).)

Quote

Originally posted by UE_Research & Development:
**Notes can then be made as to which mission branches off to which. When it comes time to actually code the process is then a cut-and-paste (although I recommend you make some sort of mission map detailing how your mission strings will unfold).

Hope this was of assistance.

**

Yeah. I'm doing somethng similar, but making use of tab delimited spreadsheets and linking to different sheets to make something that the NovaTools txt<->rsrc program could handle.

I guess I was hoping for some crafty tool that would allow the user to 'walk' though missions by forcing either fail or completions. What it cmoes down to is I was hoping for something that would make me stop imagining an tool in my head. The voices in my head paint the following word picture:

An application that reads in existing misn data and presents the user with a simple window. The window has a few buttons. You select a mission and are then displayed the intro text. You can then hit the Accept, Decline or Buttons. The user is displayed the appropriate text. There is another button called Continue which then displays the next mission in the thread. If there are several choices as to what would be the next available mission, the user is offered a choice. IN this way the user could test run missions without actually loading up Nova. The voices also tell me that the user would be able to program/edit missions in the same fashion. So, for example, if the user walks through an entire thread and there are no next available missions, the user is presented with a Make Next button allowing them to define the mission they want.

Just a thought.

-STH

(get out of my head!)

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"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

I would (metaphorically) sell a kidney for a tool like that.

Too bad I have no programming experience whatsoever :frown:.

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I found this in the addons directory its OSX only and I'm not sure it works , give it a try :
(url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evn&category;=utilities&display;=date&file;=EVNMV.dmg")http://www.ambrosias...&file=EVNMV.dmg(/url)

Entarus,

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Quote

Originally posted by Entarus:
**I found this in the addons directory its OSX only and I'm not sure it works , give it
**

Oh, my. Hopes soar. Looking....

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"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson

Don't forget about MissionComputer...
(url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/")http://davidarthur.evula.net/(/url)

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Keep what ye c'n git, an' keep what ye ha'e, for that is the wey t' gettin' rich - Old Scottish Commoner Saying - "Mac users are loyal. PC users are stubborn

is there anything similar that runs on windows?

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My parents died in Roswell incident.