Ambrosia Garden Archive
    • Getting Started


      OK, I have ResEdit, NovaTools, the templates, the Bible.
      I have done the stuff to start, and managed to put a do-nothing
      plug into my plug files. I have searched and checked out the
      FAQ. Now I want to try to create. I don't want to make new
      ships or planets, I just want to create a new string.
      What do I run now? I tried running ResEdit and got that
      silly jack-in-the-box, but what now? If you can't tell,
      I've never tried this before.
      Thank-you for any guidance.

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      Oh, I'm being followed by a moonshadow. Moonshadow,
      moonshadow!
      - Cat Stevens -

    • Open up your plug in ResEdit and create the resources you want. (If you need any help with this, post something a bit more specific about what you are trying to accomplish.)

      Oh, and good luck with your plug! May the Force be with you!

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      Kalos.
      (url="http://"http://www.wheenit.com/monkey-robot/")Monkey-Robot(/url)

    • String? By that do you mean make some missions? String? You want to change some descriptions? String? You want to change the names of the ships in the game? String? You want to weave some cotton or other fiberous material into a long cylinder-like thing that is good for tying stuff together?

      The first three I can help you with. I could help you with the last, but I know that you don't need ResEdit, nor NovaTools. All you need is something to tie the fibers too, and then you start twisting them like mad. It helps if you have an electric drill that has been modified to twist multiple fibers. When they're nice and twisty, you basically take them off the drill, and let them wind around each other into a nice piece of string....

      Missions: use the mďsn resource primarily, but it also refers to many others like the gövt, the düde, spöb, and s˙st. For a basic go here-go there mission. You basically specify a starting point and an ending point.... what the heck. All you really need to do is go through the resource description in the bible and fill in the information. It helps greatly if you outline what you want to happen on paper, detailing where to go, what bits to set, what the player will encounter, how this mission will connect to the next, etc. And then when that's nice and good, then put it into the computer. It lowers the chances that you'll make a mistake.

      Descriptions: use the dësc resource. This is extrememly straightforeward. Open the dësc that corresponds to whatever (planet descriptions, ship descriptions, ship hiring descriptions, weapons, mission stuff. pretty much in that order. The bible specifies specific resource numbers). Open and start writing.

      Changing the in-game names of the ships: Uses the STR resource. Really easy to figure out. NovaTools makes this easier by editing the weapon strings in the wëap resource, and the ship strings in the shďp resource, etc.

      Please be more specific than just: What do I do? There's plenty that you could do. Be like the rest of us "vets" and experiment. That's the best way to figure stuff out. See what works and what doesn't. I've found that sometimes if you ask for help, you reduce your creativity by limiting yourself to what someone else has already tried. If in the process of figuring out how stuff works, you come up with some really cool trick with say the missions, more power to you. If you really are stuck with some trick with the missions (or whatever), then ask, and chances are that 50 people will give you 50 different solutions to the same problem. If it's really out there, you might get a "you can't do that" for an answer, but don't worry. Save the concept because the next version of EV might make it possible to do whatever you wanted (EVN did that for me 🙂 ). I'd like to help you, but you're going to have to be more specific on what you want. Incidentally, I think there's another topic somewhere on the board where someone asked that same question that you did...

      Matrix

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      "Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."

    • Quote

      Originally posted by 2nd dan:
      **
      OK, I have ResEdit, NovaTools, the templates, the Bible.
      I have done the stuff to start, and managed to put a do-nothing
      plug into my plug files. I have searched and checked out the
      FAQ. Now I want to try to create. I don't want to make new
      ships or planets, I just want to create a new string.
      What do I run now? I tried running ResEdit and got that
      silly jack-in-the-box, but what now? If you can't tell,
      I've never tried this before.
      Thank-you for any guidance.

      **

      A good course of action would be to download (url="http://"http://homepage.mac.com/cafall/FileSharing2.html")my plug-in development guide(/url), which so far covers outfits and weapons (a new revision will be out VERY soon). My guide also includes a link to a ResEdit tutorial, if you need it.
      As for making a string, I would suggest you try something more simple before you make a new mssion string. Missions are by far the most complicated and time-consuming part of a plug-in.

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      The greatest of harm can result from the best of intentions — Wizard's Second Rule, Stone of Tears.
      — Cafall

    • Quote

      Originally posted by Cafall:
      **AAs for making a string, I would suggest you try something more simple before you make a new mssion string. Missions are by far the most complicated and time-consuming part of a plug-in.

      **

      I agree. So-called "cheater" plugins are by far the easiest to make and are good introductions into the universe of editing EVN. Start simple with outfits, weapons, and ships, and move up to other stuff. Missions should be the last things that you work on anyway, because you need to have all the other resources made before you make your missions. Also, start on easy missions. Don't try to make anything difficult, just simple missions to demonstrate that you know what you're doing, and then move up to the complicated missions.

      Matrix

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      "Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."