'lo, all.

I've been a EV/EVO plugin maker since waaaay back in '97 or '98... back in the days of
Skyhawk and HellHunter... I've hacked every major EV/EVO plugin, I've been involved in
numerous plugins (none of which were, heh, ever finished... meh.)

So, I get EVN... Ok, read the bible, so, now, gonna test my skills and make a ship, right?

Well, I use a Spin image I've used numerous times before, a simple spin from a certain
SF TV show (Can you guess which one? :-D). The sprite is 64x38, and has 36 images. I KNOW
it works, I took it directly from a working EVO plugin.

First, I try finding a free RESC id. FIrst, because of the new rel8/relD rescs (What the
hell are those, anyway?!?!), I don't know which ones to use. I finally guess, and pick
1050 (sprite) and 1060 (mask). I load EVN, and it crashes. I check all numbers -- x size,
y size, etc. all are correct. I check the debug log, and it says the ship is fine.
I check the spin using NovaTools, and NT says the ship is fine!!!! I try it again, I change the id NUMEROUS times, to just about everything -- 11xx, 12xx, 9xx, finally 999x.
NOTHING. it STILL crashes. I have NO idea what is wrong! The Bible says I can use
sprite images. I thought, "perhaps I need to make spin's from the sprites, then use the
Shan to call, not the sprites, but the spins which point to the sprites...". Nope, EVN
gets confused and spits out all sorts of debug nonsense.

What is wrong? Why won't the Shan load the bloody sprite???? Does anyone know? Help!

I'm quite embarrased. I can't even get a bloody SHIP to friggen load!!!

BTW, I linked the ship to an EVN standard graphic, and it works fine.

Help?

WS

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Suggestion One: Get NovaTools from w00tware. It makes editing Nova (and especially shans) a lot easier.

Ok. You've taken the pict sprite and mask, and copied them into a fresh nova plug. It doesn't matter what resource ids they use, because Nova doesn't use pict sprites anyway. In the shan, you set the resource id of the picts in the "base image" section, and its x and y, etc, just like a spin. Now here's the important thing. You have to set the "Framesperset" to the number of frames it takes for the ship to do one full rotation (ie. 36). And you set the "Basesetcount" to 1, because it only rotates once. Leave the glow, weapon, alternative, light, and shield spots alone, since EVO doesn't have that kind of stuff.

That should be all you need for now.

Take "EnRLE" from w00tware, and drop your plug into it. It'll convert your pict sprites into rle sprites. Rles are formats for sprite data that is much easier for Nova to use. rle8 is for an 8 bit render of a sprite (probably what your ship is), and rleD is a 16 bit render (might as well do both). EnRLE will make new files with the new sprites and new shans that reflect the change. Move them back into your plug, and try it. I think that I listed everything that "should" be done to at least get your ship to work.

Good luck.

Matrix

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

Right, as to NovaTools, that's what I'm using. You're right, it is a big help.

That's what's weird, I DID set the BaseCount to 36, and the # of sets to 1, and
left all the engine/lights/etc fields blank... and it still didn't work...

I have gone over this, EVN Bible in one hand and Fine Comb in the other, and can't
find any bugs...

I used a different graphic (changing related fields) and it still didn't work, so
there has to be something else wrong. maybe I could send you the plug and you could
see what's wrong?

WS

------------------

When you said you left the other fields blank, do you mean blank or -1s and 0s? You should have the fields that refer to a resource ID or ID number to -1 and about all of the other unused ones 0.

------------------
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~Nick

Quote

Originally posted by White Star:
**I've been involved in
numerous plugins (none of which were, heh, ever finished... meh.)
**

Hehe... sounds like me

Welcome back White Star.

------------------
(url="http://"http://www.mazca.com/")Mazca(/url) , Moderator, EV Developer's Corner
The one and only (url="http://"http://www.mazca.com/pr0n/legomazca.jpg")drunken kitchen leprechaun(/url)
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(This message has been edited by Mazca (edited 05-29-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by White Star:
**

I have gone over this, EVN Bible in one hand and Fine Comb in the other, and can't
find any bugs...

**

Sorry. I got this sudden image of White Star looking pensively over documents, in one hand a black laquer hair comb with pearl inlays. The cliche is "Fine TOOTH comb," implying dragging it through sand to pick up objects hidden there.

Nomuse is in writer mode today! ^_^;;

------------------
"I know the stranger's name."
Turandot

Quote

Originally posted by White Star:
**
Right, as to NovaTools, that's what I'm using. You're right, it is a big help.

That's what's weird, I DID set the BaseCount to 36, and the # of sets to 1, and
left all the engine/lights/etc fields blank... and it still didn't work...

I have gone over this, EVN Bible in one hand and Fine Comb in the other, and can't
find any bugs...

I used a different graphic (changing related fields) and it still didn't work, so
there has to be something else wrong. maybe I could send you the plug and you could
see what's wrong?

WS

**

You want "Framesperset" to be 36, and BaseSetCount 1. What you said seems to imply that you've got it backwards. If you want, email me the plug and I'll take a look.

Matrix

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