Hi Everyone,

I'm taking a break from the nova project this weekend, to recharge! Thought you might like to know how things are going on the editing and porting tools side of things.

• NovaTools (resedit custom editor plugin set), is now editor-complete, all 23 of them! and has been declared beta 1 - even though Matt says he might make some more resource format changes. The ATMOS guys are the only ones that can beta test NovaTools at the moment tho' - And yes there is an optional spelling checker for descs, inside ResEdit!

• ConText & ResStore - tools for dumping resources to spreadsheet text format and back again, are coming along nicely. ResStore is in development stages, ConText in late alpha.

• PortAuthority is a tools for doing basic, en masse, EVO -> Nova resource conversions. You drop an EVO plugin/datafile, res file on it and it spits out a Nova equivalent of the file. There will remain details that a human will have to fix up (using NovaTools!) but the bulk boring bits will be automatic.

• ShipShape and Mission BitMap II are essentially done, they have stopped in late alpha stages, awaiting final resource formats.

• Some graphics converter tools have been done too.

• I am not planning to do a Nova Map style system editor like Pontus', I'll leave that to him because he'll do a better job than me anyway!

Cheers
Ralph

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(url="http://"http://www.sutherland-studios.com.au/family/evo_software.html")R & R Software(/url)
"EVN? What's that?"

Sounds Good. Keep up the good work!

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"Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."

...and as a member of the R&R; Software Nova Editing Package beta-testing team, let me tell you that they are excellent. I would recommend them to you, but instead I'll say that if you ever develop for EVN you will be nuts not to use them.

Cookie @ ATMOS

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Quote

Originally posted by Ralph:
**
Hi Everyone,

I'm taking a break from the nova project this weekend, to recharge! Thought you might like to know how things are going on the editing and porting tools side of things.
**

Is that why you guys were able to reply to me? Glad to hear you can finally take a break!

Quote

**

• NovaTools (resedit custom editor plugin set), is now editor-complete, all 23 of them! and has been declared beta 1 - even though Matt says he might make some more resource format changes. The ATMOS guys are the only ones that can beta test NovaTools at the moment tho';) - And yes there is an optional spelling checker for descs, inside ResEdit!
  **

Great to hear! Can't wait to get my hands (virtual, at least) on them!

Quote

**

• ConText & ResStore - tools for dumping resources to spreadsheet text format and back again, are coming along nicely. ResStore is in development stages, ConText in late alpha.
  **

This sounds really interesting. Spreadsheets are so much easier to organize data--great idea!

Quote

**

• PortAuthority is a tools for doing basic, en masse, EVO - > Nova resource conversions. You drop an EVO plugin/datafile, res file on it and it spits out a Nova equivalent of the file. There will remain details that a human will have to fix up (using NovaTools!) but the bulk boring bits will be automatic.
  **

This is very, very exciting! Hopefully we'll see most of the great EV:O plugs ported to Nova now (which was obviously your intention...and so people could start making Nova plugs now, I presume?)! This will make my job of porting EV:O (and maybe EV, since it's been "dumb-ported" to EV:O as a plug) much easier!

Quote

**

• ShipShape and Mission BitMap II are essentially done, they have stopped in late alpha stages, awaiting final resource formats.
  **

Again, great to hear. As neat Mission BitMap 1.0.0a1 is now, I can;t wait for an updated version. Another Ship editor! YEAH!!!

Quote

**

• I am not planning to do a Nova Map style system editor like Pontus', I'll leave that to him because he'll do a better job than me anyway!
  **

Do you guys have any idea as to whether Andrew will allow Pontus access to information so he can start before Nova releases?

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From Left Hand Phoenix of the AWL
(url="http://"http://www.awl.cjb.net/")http://www.awl.cjb.net/(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.saturn.spaceports.com/~awl/halo/index.html")Halo(/url), (url="http://"http://www.saturn.spaceports.com/~awl/home.html")Homeworld(/url), (url="http://"http://www.saturn.spaceports.com/~awl/d2/index.html")Diablo II(/url), (url="http://"http://www.saturn.spaceports.com/~awl/terminus/termhome.html")Terminus(/url).

Quote

Originally posted by Phoenix155:
**Do you guys have any idea as to whether Andrew will allow Pontus access to information so he can start before Nova releases?
**

Hmmm, I might bring this to Andrew's attention because the map information has changed ever so slightly...

Cookie @ ATMOS

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About PortAuthority, will it be able to do anything with EV plugs?

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"You want to talk about popularity? I only had 1 assassination attempt, you had 3!" "2!The women in Pheonix doesn't count, she only had a starter pistol!"~My Fellow Americans
~Nick

Quote

Originally posted by Frandall:
**Hmmm, I might bring this to Andrew's attention because the map information has changed ever so slightly...

Cookie @ ATMOS
**

Thanks!

Quote

Originally posted by nwa728:
**About PortAuthority, will it be able to do anything with EV plugs?
**

Well, there is a program called EVOlution that can convert EV plugs into EV:O format, and vice versa. I assume between EVOlution and PortAthority you could convert the great EV plugs (Pale, Clavius, ect.) into great EV:N plugs.

-Andrew

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If God dropped acid, would he see people?

Where can I find EVOlution? I looked on the official EV/EVO add-on file pages and didn't find it...

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If I write a letter to be put in a time capsule to be opened when time travel is possible, and if in my letter I ask for some item to be sent back in time to the point I sealed my time capsule, wouldn't that item appear just as I seal the capsule? Just a thought...

quote:
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• ConText & ResStore - tools for dumping resources to spreadsheet text format and back again, are coming along nicely. >ResStore is in development stages, ConText in late alpha.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

This sounds really interesting. Spreadsheets are so much easier to organize data--great idea!

I got the idea from a suggestion on the boards by Martin Turner, thank him.

quote:
------------------------------------------------------------------------

• ShipShape and Mission BitMap II are essentially done, they have stopped in late alpha stages, awaiting final resource >formats.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again, great to hear. As neat Mission BitMap 1.0.0a1 is now, I can;t wait for an updated version. Another Ship editor! >YEAH!!!

These are validators, not editors. You'll see

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(url="http://"http://www.sutherland-studios.com.au/family/evo_software.html")R & R Software(/url)
"EVN? What's that?"

So no fix of Mission Control to look forward to? Its dead? Abbandoned? Sleeping on a magical isle?

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Evolution: 200 billion amphibians can't be wrong. **
(url="http://"http://www.drippingchipmunk.com")DrippingChipmunk.com(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.downwithbush.net")DOWNWITHBUSH.NET(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.jonpearse.f2s.com/ev3/ev3_quotes.php")#EV3 QUOTE ARCHIVE (/url)**

Quote

Originally posted by Ralph:
**These are validators, not editors. You'll see:) **

Dang! I feel kinda dumb now!

(This message has been edited by Phoenix155 (edited 02-18-2001).)

Quote

Originally posted by OctoberFost:
**So no fix of Mission Control to look forward to? Its dead? Abbandoned? Sleeping on a magical isle?
**

There is a mďsn resource editor in the NovaTools package. Very cool.

Cookie @ ATMOS

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Quote

Originally posted by OctoberFost:
**So no fix of Mission Control to look forward to? Its dead? Abbandoned? Sleeping on a magical isle?

**

Mission Control is not dead, although for Nova the NovaTools turned out to be so useful that there is less need for Mission Control II. It is sleeping at the moment

I want to look at mission planning tools, ways of mapping out story lines and so on. So mission control may evolve away from just resource editing.

Cheers
Ralph

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(url="http://"http://www.sutherland-studios.com.au/family/evo_software.html")R & R Software(/url)
"EVN? What's that?"

Quote

Originally posted by Frandall:
**There is a mďsn resource editor in the NovaTools package. Very cool.

Cookie @ ATMOS
**

Yes, but Mission Control for EVO is very buggy. And us normal people can't make EVN scenarios yet, so R&R;'s EVN stuff is of no intrest to us. We want a working, bug-free Mission Control.

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Evolution: 200 billion amphibians can't be wrong. **
(url="http://"http://www.drippingchipmunk.com")DrippingChipmunk.com(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.downwithbush.net")DOWNWITHBUSH.NET(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.jonpearse.f2s.com/ev3/ev3_quotes.php")#EV3 QUOTE ARCHIVE (/url)**

Quote

Originally posted by Ralph:
**> * ConText & ResStore - tools for dumping resources to spreadsheet text format and back again, are coming along nicely. >ResStore is in development stages, ConText in late alpha.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
This sounds really interesting. Spreadsheets are so much easier to organize data--great idea!

I got the idea from a suggestion on the boards by Martin Turner, thank him.
**

<ego tag>
If I'm not mistaken, he got the idea from trying some AppleScripts that I wrote that were supposed to export resource data to spreadsheets and back again. The scripts worked only about 90% of the time, and I was too busy with other projects to perfect them.
</ego tag>

-STH

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Quote

Originally posted by OctoberFost:
**Yes, but Mission Control for EVO is very buggy. And us normal people can't make EVN scenarios yet, so R &R;'s EVN stuff is of no intrest to us. We want a working, bug-free Mission Control.

**

The man has a point. While I am certainly impressed by the new tools for EVN, they don't help those of us who are trying to finish up their projects for EVO. Mission Control has been excellent to use, until you go back into ResEdit and find out that it's messed up the travel or return stels with it's odd numbering system. That, and no STR editing, etc. That said, it still kicks Schemelta-V's ass clear across the planet.

_bomb

Quote

Originally posted by rathon:
**Where can I find EVOlution? I looked on the official EV/EVO add-on file pages and didn't find it...
**

It comes with EV-Edit. But converting from EV to EVO, you can just copy and phaste all the resources from the EV plug into a blank EVO plug. But I think it would be more complicated with Nova.

But I'm glad to hear about these conversion tools. I thought I was going to take awhile to port (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/destiny_plugs/Dark_Destiny/index.html")Dark Destiny(/url)(when it's finished) to EVN.

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Cuz I'm a 21st Century Digital Boy
I don't know the Monty Python but I've got a lotta toys
My daddy is a Renegade, his name is Hellcat Helian
Wait a second...

(This message has been edited by 21st Century Digital Boy (edited 02-19-2001).)

Hey guys... what ever happened to using good old EV-Edit? I meen, according to Ben Chess, he's going to make a new version compatible with EVN. Yes, all the new stuff sounds great, but can't you do most of that in EV-Edit? Well, I just can't wait until the relese of EVN beta, so I can help work out the bugs... and find out what all of these tools will do.

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No-Da!!!
~Tasuki:)
General Tasuki Ashkevron
Rebel Manta-ray class Destroyer,

cough EV-Edit? I'd rather be anally raped by a gang of former webboard admins. It's NOT a happy program to use.

-reg

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"Oh crap. I'm going to hell - I put the Bible next to Mein Kampf again."
-Her Holiness, Pope Jenne "Kirby" Hubbs