FYI, Over the next week or so, I'll be posting the Readme files for the NovaTools and the other developers tools. Comments/Questions? Post away.
To Start with the NovaTools themselves, next up will be ConText and ResStore....
NovaTools - EVN editor plugins for ResEdit 2.1.3
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v1.0.0fc5
2002 Ralph & Rodger Sutherland. All rights reserved.
A set of EV Nova game resource editing tools.
Requirements:
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Software:
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- ResEdit 2.1.3
Available free at:
(url="http://"http://www.apple.devworld.com/")http://www.apple.devworld.com/(/url)
- System Software 7.0 or newer
Hardware:
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-
A colour capable mac (SE/30 or newer except PB 100), PowerPC or G3/4 recommended.
-
4 or more MB avaialble, up to 40 or more MB RAM if very large PICT based sprites are being edited.
Installation:
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If ResEdit is not already installed, copy it onto your hard disk and start it up.
Then locate the ResEdit preferences file (in preferences in the system folder. Open the NovaTools.res file and copy/paste the resouces in it into the ResEdit preferences file.
Quit ResEdit and get info on it and allocate at least 6MB (much, much more if you are going to work on large sprite animation).
Run ResEdit again, and start editing Nova resources.
De-installation:
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Totally: trash the ResEdit preferences file.
Disable one or more editors: remove the RSSC resource from the ResEdit preferences file with the name coresponding to the resource you want to stop editing. This is useful if you get a new TMPL template for a changed resource and no-longer want to edit with the NovaTools editor.
About NovaTools:
----------------
What Is It?
NovaTools is a set of 23 editor plugins for editing the "EV Nova" game by Ambrosia Software Inc.
NovaTools is 'free-ware'. You are welcome to use it indefinitely for free, there are no registration codes or obligations. However, it may not be sold, resold or bundled with other software without the authour's permission.
Who Did It?
-----------
Ralph and Rodger Sutherland developed NovaTools, independently but with technical advice from Matt Burch and Ambrosia Software.
Bug Reports To
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Other Related Nova Editing Tools:
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ConText & ResStore - exports and imports Nova resources to and from Excel spreadsheets.
Mish & Mash - Exports and Imports descs to and from a tagged text format, especially descs associated with misn storylines.
DeRLE/EnRLE - convert between PICT based and rl8 and rlD sprite
formats
Duped - locates duplicate resources across multiple files
BlitZen - Processes and Renders PICT Resources, to optimize display and compression for 32, 16 or 8 bits.
Port Authority - Converts EVO plugins to work in an EVO compatible environment with the Nova engine.
p2s, m2s, px2s - produce 8 and 16 bit PICT sprite layouts and masks from collections of PICTs (or any graphic format), from PICS files or from QuickTime movies. Useful for EV and EVO as well.
NovaTools EVN dsc Spelling Checker Dictionary:
-----------------------------------------------
The Words folder contians the optional spelling checker for the dsc editor. It consists of the words in Words.res, and two applets , LETT2TEXT and TEXT2LETT to help with modifying and updating the dictionary.
Words.res is an optional 60000 word dictionary (with words up to 18 letters) for use with the NovaTools EVN dsc editor. To use it, open Words.res with ResEdit and copy/paste the LETT resources to the ResEdit preferences file. The dsc editor with NovaTools v1.0.0a11 or newer will use them when the 'check' button is pressed to highlight misspelled or unknown words.
For more information using LETT2TEXT and TEXT2LETT see the readme in the Words folder.
Using NovaTools
---------------
Once NovaTools are installed correctly in ResEdit, the standard Nova resources, (spn etc) appear in resource files with the Nova plugins icon. To edit the resource just click on it and ResEdit will automaticly open the right kind of editing window.
If you install the TMPL resources that come with Nova in ResEdit too (highly recommended) , you can tell ResEdit to open a resource with the TMPL template instead of the NovaTools editor using the ResEdit Resource Menu item 'Open using templateÉ'. This is very useful if you suspect that a NovaTools editor is filling in a resource incorrectly. (if this happens, please report the bug as soon as you can so we can fix the editor quickly.)
The NovaTools design
--------------------
NovaTools is designed to achieve a uniform way of editing a rather heterogeneous set of resources, which have evolved organicly over the years.
Firstly, many fields in Nova resources are resource IDs, which go from 128 and up, (mostly), and many others are resource indexes, which go from 0 and up ,(mostly). In both cases a value of -1 means ignore (mostly). This can get confusing to say the least. NovaTools provides a layer between you and the resources so you can choose to work entirely with resource IDs (default) or with index numbers. NovaTools will convert the entered numbers to the correct internal resource numbers for you.
Importantly, NovaTools is also designed to work on a single file at a time. This is an important reliability and safety design choice. You can open multiple resource/data files at a time and cut/copy/paste between them as usual in ResEdit, but Nova resources that have associated resources, ie shns and their PICTs/rles, can be edited/displayed in one editor window if they are in the same file. For example, the outfit editor will display the 200x200 outf PICT in the outfit editor window if the PICT and the otf are in the same resource file. If they are not then the PICT is not displayed, but you can always open it in an ordinary ResEdit PICT window so you can see it while you edit the otf. This design encourages you to group related resources in files if you are making multi file plugins - put spins and their PICTS/rles in the same file. Group ship shns with all their associated sprite graphics in the same file. Group ships and their target and yard PICTs in the same file.
NovaTools stores its preferences as PREF id =27000 in the ResEdit preferences file. This can be deleted without ill effect.
The NovaTools Menu
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Whenever a NovaTools editor is frontmost in ResEdit, the NovaTools menu appears in the ResEdit menubar. The items are as follows:
About NovaTools: Show copyright and version info.
Use Resource IDS: Causes NovaTools to display all resource ID fields to display and edit as actual resource IDs, even if the field is internally an index number.
Use Index #s: Causes NovaTools to display all resource ID fields to display and edit as indexes (0 based), even if the field is internally an resource ID.
Fields affected by Use Resource IDs and Index #s have a small (RID) or (Idx) next to them in the editor window so the current mode is easily visible at all times.
Thes settings are saved in the NovaTools prefs.
Grayscale Interface: uses more cycles to draw the window in a grayscale style. This is not a standard grayscale style, but is a hack to layer a grayscaly style on top of the normal B&W; ResEdit windows. OK on fast machines, a bit slow on older Macs. The Grayscale display works across multiple monitors including B&W; monitors.
BW Interface (faster): Dispenses with the gray look in favour of a faster B&W; look.
These settings are saved in the NovaTools prefs and apply to the front window and any new windows.
The next three menus are merely glossaries, and serve as useful reminders to plugin developers:
Res ID Conventions: displays MENU 126 to show the NovaTools resource numbering conventions for resources that don't start at 128.
Bits Glossary: Shows all the mission string operators (MENU 127)
Bit String Locations: Shows where all the bit strings can be found (MENU 125).
The menus do not cause any editing to occur, they are merely useful reminder lists. A developer is free to edit the MENUs 125-127 to contain any other useful information they desire.
Appendix: Useful Resource Info
-------------------------------
Resource ID range index:
ResType Range Formula
descs:
spob landing descs 128 - 2175 128 + index
outf descs 3000 - 3255 3000 + index
misn descs 4000 - 4999 4000 + index
ship descs 13000- 13767 13000+ index
escape pod desc 13999 13999
ship escort hire descs 14000- 13767 14000+ index
other misn descs values in misn fields
misn 128 - 1127 128 + index
misn descs 4000 - 4999 4000 + index
misn pict value in misn field
other misn descs values in misn fields
outfs 128 - 768 128 + index
outf descs 3000 - 3511 3000 + index
outf 200x200 PICTs 6000 - 6511 6000 + index
ships 128 - 895 128 + index - 895 is escape pod
ship shans 128 - 895 128 + index
ship Target PICTS 3000 - 3767 3000 + index
ship 200x200 PICTS 5000 - 5767 5000 + index
ship descs 13000- 13767 13000+ index
ship escort hire descs 14000- 13767 14000+ index
ship 600x400 PICTS 20128- 20895 20128+ index
spobs 128 - 2175 128 + index
spob spins 1000 - 1255 1000 + value in spob type field
spob landing descs 128 - 2175 128 + index
spob landing PICTS 10000-10063 10000+ spobtye
spob Cust. landing PICTS cust pict id field usually 11000+
systs 128 - 2175 128 + index
weaps 128 - 383 128 + index
weapon spins 3000 - 3255 3000 + index
weapon smoke sets 1000 + value in field in lots of 8
weapon snds 200 + value in field
booms 128 - 191 128 + index
explosion snds 300 - 363 300 + index or value in boom field
explosion spins 400 - 463 400 + index or value in boom field
other spins:
Box spins 500 500 +
Small Asteroid spins 800 - 809 800 + type
Large Asteroid spins 810 - 819 810 +
Years 128 only!
PICTs:
Display Panel 128
StartupPICT 131
Main Menu 8000
IntroPICT value in char field, (usually 8200??)
misn pict value in misn field
spob landing PICTS value in spob field (typically 10000+)
ship 200x200 PICTS 5000 - 5767 5000 + index
Nebula picts 9500 - 9511 9500 + index * lots of 3
ship 600x400 PICTS 20128-20895 20128+ index
STR and STR#s:
IntroText value in char field, (usually 20000)
Mission Bit String Locations and Types:
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Resource Name Type
'chr'
'OnStart' Set
'crn'
'EnableOn' Test
'OnStart' Set
'OnEnd' Set
'dsc'
'{inside}' Test
'flt'
'ActivateOn' Test
'jnk'
'BuyOn' Test
'SellOn' Test
'msn'
'AvailBits' Test
'OnAccept' Set
'OnRefuse' Set
'OnSuccess' Set
'OnFailure' Set
'OnAbort' Set
'OnShipDone' Set
'nbu'
'ActiveOn' Test
'OnExplore' Set
'otf'
'Availability' Test
'OnPurchase' Set
'OnSell' Set
'ops'
'ActivateOn' Test
'prs'
'ActivateOn' Test
'shp'
'Availability' Test
'AppearOn' Test
'OnPurchase' Set
'OnCapture' Set
'OnRetire' Set
'spb'
'OnDominate' Set
'OnRelease' Set
'OnDestroy' Set
'OnRegen' Set
'sŘst'
'Visiblility' Test
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(url="http://"http://www.sutherland-studios.com/~family/sgg.html") w00tWare (/url) : NovaTools are coming.
