I recently have been wowed by the use of {bxxx "str1" "str2"} in descriptions. What a powerful tool!
While I am not Basho, I present here a few pieces to show my appreciation and in the hopes of wooing support for wider application of {} by the engine
Like a warm spring breeze
the use of {} in descripts
hints of paradise.
Imagine if {} statements could be used in the names of resources. Then one could easily change the name of a system or spob depending on whether a mission bit were set. This would allow for exploration/colonization storylines without having to have replacement resources. Example: a system is called NGC-1066 by people from Earth, but upon contacting an alien race, humans get access to the maps of the aliens and find that NGC-1066 is called Emburch. The resource name for that system would then be something like {b001 "NGC-1066" "NGC-1066"}{b002 "Emburch" "NGC-1066"} where bit 2 is set by a mission giving the player access to the alien maps.
The same would be possible of pers names and any other name data used by the engine.
Ra! Ra! Sis-kum-ba!
Revel in the glorious
power of the {}.
The above change would allow for some pretty amazing plugins/TCs. Now, take the concept of using {} even further and imagine using it in the data fields of each resource. One could alter the aspects of resources by placing {} sttatements in the fields. Want govt 128 to treat govt 129 as an enemy after a certain bit is set? put {bxxx -1 129} in the field defining 128's enemy. Want tech. values on a spob to change? Define the changes with {}.
Stars reflected on
water hint of their power;
much like using {}.
The later idea would require extensive changes to the engine and templates since data fields currently are set up to accept shorts, longs, etc, but the absolute power the plugin maker would have in crafting a plug w/o having to make duplicate resources with subtle changes would be amazing.
So, mburch, I hope my attempts at haiku have pleased you enough to at least consider the former idea of allowing {} in resource names. I hope I have intregued you with the idea of {} within all data fields of all resources as well.
Fellow developers, help me sing the praises of {}. Add your haikus and maybe we can win the hearts of mburch and Ambrosia.
-STH
------------------
"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson
(This message has been edited by seant (edited 07-09-2004).)