The brand recommended by actors in white coats

Good evening, everyone -

As I said in the other topic, I originally intended to wait until the wëap editor was ready to release the next alpha of MissionComputer 4.0 'Crusoe', but I've added several new features and fixed a number of bugs in the two months and a bit since I posted a5, so I've decided to post a new alpha now so that the bug fixes can take effect and the new work can be tested.

The main improvements in alpha 6 are as follows:

• MissionComputer is once again Intel-native, and now has some 512x512 icons for Mac OS 10.5.

• The new Document Info command (in the File menu) allows you to change file types, creator codes, and creation/modification dates.

• Beginning to type an ID or name in the document window now scrolls to the appropriate resource, and the document window no longer wastes time refreshing when you close an unmodified resource.

• The shďp editor no longer loses data from the Cost field, and shows the check mark on the Contribute button correctly.

• The starmap editor no longer forgets the deletion of links, suggests IDs for new resources in a more sensible manner, and no longer gives incorrect error messages when creating links.

• The New Resource dialogue box once again warns if the ID is too high.

• A basic text editor will now open any resource type which appears in the least, but does not have its own editor.

There are, of course, various small bug fixes beyond what appears in this list.

MissionComputer 4.0a6 is available from my beta directory; it's a 12.5 MB archive, on account of the added Intel code. As usual, please tell me the details of any problems which occur - and happy plugging!

Wonderful! Thanks for all the hard work David!

I can't tell you how much time being able to type in resource names or IDs is going to save me. What's 5 seconds times a few thousand? :laugh:

Awesome to see MC Intel-native again

Here's a couple of requests I meant to get in earlier but forgot:
- Automatic sizing of DLOG and RLE editor windows. Also, I've noticed I can reduce the width of an RLE window such that the dimensions disappear and the Export Sprite button covers up the Show menu (btw, why is Export Sprite here rather than in the Export menu?).
- Ability to select multiple items in the graphical pickers.

And some about the new document info:
- Can you make the name editable?
- Can you make the fields for type and creator always visible? Have it automatically switch to custom if you change them.
- If you want to get all the types you missed a couple: Nova pilot and Nova movie (why is QT movie included?)
- The time menus look a bit odd. Does RB not have widgets for date/time control? Perhaps it would look better with separators (colons) between the menus.
(edit) Maybe fields (with steppers?) instead of menus would be better.

This post has been edited by Guy : 26 April 2008 - 05:40 AM

AWESOME!!!

Edit -
Bug 1: The help for NCB editing no longer shows up.

This post has been edited by EVWeb : 26 April 2008 - 02:18 AM

@archon, on Apr 25 2008, 11:17 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Wonderful! Thanks for all the hard work David!

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Awesome to see MC Intel-native again

@evweb, on Apr 26 2008, 03:13 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

AWESOME!!!

Glad you like it.

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Automatic sizing of DLOG and RLE editor windows.

Perhaps - the latter will be easier than the former.

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Also, I've noticed I can reduce the width of an RLE window such that the dimensions disappear and the Export Sprite button covers up the Show menu (btw, why is Export Sprite here rather than in the Export menu?).

Fixed, thanks. The Export menu is a bit overcomplicated; I'm still thinking about what form it will take in the eventual MissionComputer 4.0.

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Ability to select multiple items in the graphical pickers.

Unlike the text-based list, which is a standard control, the graphical picker is a custom control called FinderCanvas, which will need a major overhaul before it can handle multiple selections. I haven't yet decided whether this will be happening for 4.0.

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Can you make the name editable?

Doing so would lead to Bad Things happening.

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Can you make the fields for type and creator always visible? Have it automatically switch to custom if you change them.

Yes, I've been thinking of changing it to work this way - behind the scenes, the pop-up menu works by changing the contents of the text fields anyway, so it shouldn't present any problems.

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

If you want to get all the types you missed a couple: Nova pilot and Nova movie (why is QT movie included?)

There's no such thing as a 'Nova movie'; if you look at the movies in the Nova Files folder, you'll see that their codes are MooV/TVOD, just like any other QuickTime movie. Hence the answer to your second question.

As for pilot files, I suppose I can include them, although they aren't really part of MissionComputer's remit at the moment (movie files are, if only because you might want to add 'vers' resource before distributing them).

@guy, on Apr 26 2008, 12:20 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

The time menus look a bit odd. Does RB not have widgets for date/time control? Perhaps it would look better with separators (colons) between the menus.
(edit) Maybe fields (with steppers?) instead of menus would be better.

I thought about various ways to implement this; I settled on the one I chose both because it doesn't allow any possibility of invalid input, and because it allows me to label it for both 12- and 24-hour clocks.

@evweb, on Apr 26 2008, 03:13 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

The help for NCB editing no longer shows up.

Ah, yes. Those are unfortunately based on the old 'mĺnu'-based help system, which I've had to deactivate because it relies on technology that's increasingly unreliable, especially on Intel; for the main help system, I've replaced it with HTML, but I'd forgotten it was still used there. I'm going to have to find a new way of embedding that text.

This is awesome. I haven't tried out an MC4 alpha for a while, but I'm very impressed. Plus it finally has the Shipyard/Target pic fields in the Ship files that I always wanted. Excellent work!

@david-arthur, on Apr 27 2008, 01:36 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

There's no such thing as a 'Nova movie'; if you look at the movies in the Nova Files folder, you'll see that their codes are MooV/TVOD, just like any other QuickTime movie. Hence the answer to your second question.
As for pilot files, I suppose I can include them, although they aren't really part of MissionComputer's remit at the moment (movie files are, if only because you might want to add 'vers' resource before distributing them).

My movies say Növä. Oh wait, perhaps I set that myself some time ago :rolleyes:. In any case, the type does exist in the Nova app, complete with icon. However, I would argue that neither the MPEG nor the MooV types should be included as adding resources to these files may break the way .bin.zip is supposed to work (actually, mpeg music shouldn't even be used at all).

@david-arthur, on Apr 27 2008, 01:36 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

I thought about various ways to implement this; I settled on the one I chose both because it doesn't allow any possibility of invalid input, and because it allows me to label it for both 12- and 24-hour clocks.

Can't you add formatting rules to text fields to prevent invalid input?

iLike

Sweetness, the PICT resources load fast even when there are lots of them. I can put all my outfit PICTs in one file now. :wub:

EDIT: Also i'm not sure how much work it is but I will suggest it anyways... You know when you copy a resource from one plug in to another but there is already a resource of that ID in the plug you are copying to. Well when you choose Unique ID it just puts the image down to the lowest possible ID above 128.
Now for the question: Is there any way to make it so that when you click on Unique ID you can choose the new ID strait away? (Instead of having to scroll all the way to the top to rename it)

This post has been edited by Sp3cies : 30 April 2008 - 08:44 AM

@sp3cies, on Apr 30 2008, 09:06 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

I can put all my outfit PICTs in one file now.

Make sure you don't hit any file-size limits - the loss of data often happens silently and without warning.

@sp3cies, on Apr 30 2008, 09:06 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Now for the question: Is there any way to make it so that when you click on Unique ID you can choose the new ID strait away? (Instead of having to scroll all the way to the top to rename it)

It should be doable - I'll take a look at it the next time I have the document window opened up.

Heh yeah, as of now it's only 4 megs though.

Oh wow, cool I thought that it might be to complex, that would be great news if it's possible.

Another thing you may want to include is a "file locked" error message for when some bonehead (namely, me) tries to edit a plugin that's currently in use by a running copy of Nova, since all the changes are discarded.

Edit : It seems that multiple resources cannot be simultaneously copied (or maybe pasted). While trying to paste ships between plugs, it would only send the first resource by ID# each time.

This post has been edited by Archon : 01 May 2008 - 08:23 PM

@archon, on May 1 2008, 06:57 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Another thing you may want to include is a "file locked" error message for when some bonehead (namely, me) tries to edit a plugin that's currently in use by a running copy of Nova, since all the changes are discarded.

If the file is actually locked, MissionComputer marks it as such in the title bar and behaves accordingly, but in a case like this, MissionComputer doesn't get any more useful warning than you do. The best I can suggest is not to use MissionComputer and EV Nova with the same files at once — would it help if it displayed a warning dialogue whenever the game is running at the same time?

@archon, on May 1 2008, 06:57 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

It seems that multiple resources cannot be simultaneously copied (or maybe pasted). While trying to paste ships between plugs, it would only send the first resource by ID# each time.

A new copy/paste system that can carry arrays of multiple resources at once is on the list of yet-to-be-implemented features for MissionComputer 4.

@david-arthur, on May 7 2008, 04:21 AM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

would it help if it displayed a warning dialogue whenever the game is running at the same time?

I don't think so, it could equally well be open by some other app. Could it display a warning when it comes to save and finds it can't?

This post has been edited by Guy : 06 May 2008 - 07:44 PM

@guy, on May 6 2008, 08:41 PM, said in MissionComputer 4.0a6 - latest alpha now available:

Could it display a warning when it comes to save and finds it can't?

It actually does this in various circumstances - and even suggests that the file may be open by another application. The problem is that even here, MissionComputer doesn't get much notification; the only way to reliably tell whether the data has been saved or not is to read back the resource and compare it against what the programme was trying to write, which can be surprisingly time-consuming.

I don't suppose there's a version of this that's for PPC as well?

Er, it's universal

And this version is actually better than 3.3.3 even though it's an alpha?

It has more functions, but my version mixed up the availability of a few outfits. It depends on how you define better. But I'd say yes.

Perhaps I should just use the known stable version for now. In light of EVNEW's issues, Mission Computer is my only choice unless I use ResEdit and Nova Tools if I want to complete Clavius rEVisited.