Confused

I have recently created my first plug for EVN on a windows with the program EVNEW. I thought everything was done correctly but when i put it in the plug in folder and start nova (with no other plugs in the folder) Nova will not start and i get error messages such as

Resource ID: An error occured
Code: 500
Resource not found

And

Resource ID: Error loading sprite from CICN resource
Code: 10000
Resource not found

And

Nova will now quit. The failure occured file: Sprite.c, line 838

I have 6 of the first error messages from 500-506 and one of each of the others for a total of 8 messeges. I will post my plug here in a .zip folder and if anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

Attached File(s)

• Bag_Bang_Plug.zip (385bytes)
  Number of downloads: 9

I deleted the spin resource and changed the graphic to ID # 63 and it works for me. cool plug

Bird of War

Attached File(s)

• Bang.zip (538bytes)
  Number of downloads: 8

This post has been edited by Bird of War : 29 May 2005 - 12:07 PM

Thanks but the plug still doesnt work for me. Maybe its because i dont have a resource.map file if anyone know how to get or make one please help. (cause i have seen .map files for some windows plugs.

First things first, you don't need a resource.map file. In fact, that will cause Nova to do weird things occasionally, so you should actually delete it.

Now, onto your plug itself...

In the weapon resource, tell it to use spin 33. This will tell it to use the spin that you included in your plug. I would also suggest using a higher spin id, unless no other weapons use id 3033. Also, while the sprites id is the wormhole, I think the masks are usually 1+ the number of the sprite id, not 100+...so change it to 2301.

Your outfit should have a description and a picture for the outfit, but these won't cause Nova to crash, instead they simply cause an error output in the debuglog.

I would say to make these changes, then come back here if you're still having difficulties. The only thing I could find that would cause the plug to crash Nova is the graphic bug in the weapon resource, possibly the masks problem in OS9 or OSX, but it appears that you're using WinNova, so that shouldn't matter too much, since it played for me without the mask being changed.

As one final check, make sure you don't have any other plugs in the Plug-ins folder when testing this one, because they could be the ones causing the problems and you wouldn't really know. Make sure, too, to check your debuglog, since it can often find simple errors (such as the lack of descs and pics for the outfit), and it will tell you which plugin was last loaded...which can tell you which one caused it to choke up since it loads them in alphabetical order.

In the weapon resource, tell it to use spin 33. This will tell it to use the spin that you included in your plug. I would also suggest using a higher spin id, unless no other weapons use id 3033. Also, while the sprites id is the wormhole, I think the masks are usually 1+ the number of the sprite id, not 100+...so change it to 2301.

First of all thanks. And i didnt make a .map file and i did make a desc. but im not quite sure what you mean by the spin and sprite id and where they are because i can not find them. If you cant explain it maybe you could change it and post it here, i could download it and look at what you changed and compare the two so i know what to do next time.

Thanks alot

Here you go, this works.

Bird of War

Attached File(s)

• Big_Bang.zip (35.16K)
  Number of downloads: 9

I have recently downloaded the revised plug that works on mac comps. But when i load it on a win comp i get another error message.

it goes like this

Resource ID: Error loading sp(insert black dot here(I think it is supposed to be an i))n resource from PICT

Code: 3040

Resource not found

Nova will now quit. The failure occured file: Sprite.c, line 838

then nova quits. here i will upload both a .rez and a mac binary version of the plug. if anyone can help me with this so that it works on a windows comp please say or change the plug and let me know and post it. P.S. i did what you said Gutlesswonder and that made the plug work an macs. So if anyone can help please do so. P.P.S. Please dont take my idea and claim it as you own or post it for others without my permission (not that i think anyone would take it i just think it is a precaution or a good idea to ask)

Attached File(s)

• Big_Bang.zip (69.56K)
  Number of downloads: 7

I've attached the version I used, this works on my version of Nova. Let me reiterate, however, the need to test this plugin without any others in your plugins folder.

This version is still lacking a desc and a pict.

Edit: On second thought, it's not letting me do that. I'll try to email it to you, if you will tell me your address (you can use a PM if you don't want the rest of the board to see it...I just don't have a way to compress the file and I can't upload the .rez one to the boards)

(quote name='GutlessWonder' date='May 30 2005, 04:11 AM')
I've attached the version I used, this works on my version of Nova. Let me reiterate, however, the need to test this plugin without any others in your plugins folder.

This version is still lacking a desc and a pict.

Edit: On second thought, it's not letting me do that. I'll try to email it to you, if you will tell me your address (you can use a PM if you don't want the rest of the board to see it...I just don't have a way to compress the file and I can't upload the .rez one to the boards)
View Post
(/quote

Thanks for the help gutless but early this morning i happned to get the plug working. But there is one thing. When i try to shoot ships like the arachnid etc. they will not get disabled. I will post the plug here and if you could help with this it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry but i can only put up the windows version. Sorry.

Attached File(s)

• .zip (35.03K)
  Number of downloads: 8

Eragon, on May 30 2005, 01:25 PM, said:

Thanks for the help gutless but early this morning i happned to get the plug working. But there is one thing. When i try to shoot ships like the arachnid etc. they will not get disabled. I will post the plug here and if you could help with this it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry but i can only put up the windows version. Sorry.
View Post

Your weapon is set to do negative damage to both shields and armor. This is probably because you tried to enter values that were too large and EVNEW could only interpret them as negative values for some reason. (I have a theory as to what exactly happened, but I'm not up to snuff on computer theory and it doesn't matter anyways)

Regardless, use positive number values and after saving the plug, re-open it to make certain that the values you've entered are still there. Weapons set to negative damage don't do any damage whatsoever.

GutlessWonder, on May 30 2005, 12:07 PM, said:

Your weapon is set to do negative damage to both shields and armor. This is probably because you tried to enter values that were too large and EVNEW could only interpret them as negative values for some reason. (I have a theory as to what exactly happened, but I'm not up to snuff on computer theory and it doesn't matter anyways)

Regardless, use positive number values and after saving the plug, re-open it to make certain that the values you've entered are still there. Weapons set to negative damage don't do any damage whatsoever.
View Post

By the way the arachnids were part of a planetary fleet and my plug could also attack and disable other ships but thanks for the damage info. Il change it.

Ahh, I know what happened. It's the same thing that happens when you try to take out a defense fleet ship with an ion cannon- defense fleet ships don't disable. Their fighters do, but not the ships themselves.

GutlessWonder, on May 29 2005, 02:29 PM, said:

Also, while the sprites id is the wormhole, I think the masks are usually 1+ the number of the sprite id, not 100+...so change it to 2301.

Purely by convention. In this case, namely that of RLEs, the mask ID supplied is completely ignored. If I chose to use PICTs instead, I could make a sprite ID of 142 and make the mask 827. It doesn't matter.

Yeah, it's to stop you from filling up the system with disabled ships. If you manage to fill up the system then the planet will be forced to surrender early.

Thanks for your help but now i have a question regarding another plug i made. It is supposed to create a splitting beam designed to wipe out large amounts of ships but when i shoot it it doesnt really work at all. Il post the plug here and if anyone could help that would be great.

Attached File(s)

• Beam_Splitter.zip (615bytes)
  Number of downloads: 5

orcaloverbri9, on May 31 2005, 03:22 AM, said:

Purely by convention. In this case, namely that of RLEs, the mask ID supplied is completely ignored. If I chose to use PICTs instead, I could make a sprite ID of 142 and make the mask 827. It doesn't matter.
View Post

Quite interesting, thank you for pointing that out.

Eragon: Beam weapons don't use submunitions. The closest effect you could get would be to use multiple beams with a certain inaccuracy that spread out from your ship, but your ship will always be the focal point of the beams.*

*Unless you change the beam exit points for a particular ship's shan so that the beam starts somewhere else, like out in front of the ship, similar to the Raven and the Arachnid. This means, however, that unless you did it for every ship you would have to fly a particular ship to get the effect you wanted. Also note that in the weap resource your beam weapon must be set to use the beam exit points.

You could create a weapon graphic that looked like a beam, and then you could make it any shape you wanted to, just so long as the base of the beam was the rotation point.

This spin could be used as a weapon graphic with no speed, and a life of one frame. You would have a pick-shaped beam, useful for point defense, and buffeting away fighters.

This post has been edited by Hamster : 31 May 2005 - 10:17 AM

GutlessWonder, on May 31 2005, 10:32 AM, said:

Also note that in the weap resource your beam weapon must be set to use the beam exit points.
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No, any weapon can use any exit points. Its just a convention to leave weapons in their like-named exit ports, it has no bearing on anything.

NebuchadnezzaR, on May 31 2005, 11:45 AM, said:

No, any weapon can use any exit points. Its just a convention to leave weapons in their like-named exit ports, it has no bearing on anything.
View Post

Quite, but my point in saying that was related directly to this:

"*Unless you change the beam exit points for a particular ship's shan so that the beam starts somewhere else, like out in front of the ship, similar to the Raven and the Arachnid."

In which case one would want the beam to exit from that point, necessitating that it use the beam exit points.

..

This post has been edited by Eragon : 31 May 2005 - 02:41 PM