I have a little hobby. I am trying to make the Argosy more and more Starbridge like.

(I tend to do things the hard way. I am sure I could just replace the starbridge picture with the Argosy picture ........umm that's possible right?)

First I created an outfit that is only available when the Sigma upgrades are available.

Now I want to make more space available for weapons. I want to add some realism (I know it's just a game) to the situation. I want it to take a great deal of time to "install" the changes.

(The way I think it is the Aurorans use big and clunky parts while the feds use small and efficient parts. I know that isn't right when you compare the medium blaster to the FPC, but this is my story and I am sticking to it! )

I have tried to read through the Nova Bible, in the Cron section, but I cannot decipher how to make an outfit install take time.

I know it won't make a real difference, because most things you do in the game don't matter time-wise.
But it might be interesting to see what a character does while his ship is being worked on. Does he take a mission? Go with the Terraformers to help them setup, for example?

It might open the way for people to create missions that don't involve combat at all.
Then again, would you trust someone else's combat skills to get you to Thraine or someplace just as littered with pirates?

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Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20

Check out the misn resource DatePostInc field. I think it should help you do what you want.
.
mcb

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"If it's not on fire, it's a software problem."

Quote

Originally posted by mburch:
**Check out the misn resource DatePostInc field. I think it should help you do what you want.
.
mcb

**

This does not seem to be what I am looking for. What I want to do is to be able to select my outfit (Argosy Refit) and have 6 months added to the game time.

This looks like I create a Cron for my plugin and have it test for a specific bit.
If I am understanding this correctly, the Cron file will see a specific bit is active and then advance the date 180 days.

If this is the way to do it, I need to know what bit the Cron should be looking for.

Unfortunately I do not know what these bits are and how they associate between an outfit and a Cron.

I have tried reading through the Nova Bible (more or less) and have not cleared things up.

I have tried searching and reading the postings here, and things come close, but do not address the issue I am looking for.

I see that there must be some association between say a mission file and a description file, but I am not seeing the connection.

Am I missing something here. It seems that lots of people understand the relationship but I don't. :frown:

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

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Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20

Couldn't you just set it to activate an OnPurchase ncb that activates an invisible mďsn which occurs 100% of the time and advances the date by six months and then deactivate?

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It is better to feed the goat than it is today.

Quote

Originally posted by UncleTwitchy:
**Couldn't you just set it to activate an OnPurchase ncb that activates an invisible mďsn which occurs 100% of the time and advances the date by six months and then deactivate?
**

Indeed, that's what I was getting at. A cron can't advance the date by itself, but a mission can.

mcb

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"If it's not on fire, it's a software problem."

Sounds easy enough.

Create an auto-aborting mission that you recieve automatically everytime you buy or sell that outfit. The one tag that goes along is a jump in time by however long you want...

As for mission bits...as far as I know they are just an abstract way to organize threads...

example...its like a bridge between islands. You want the islands to connect, you set a bridge there...

Make mission one activate all the time...

once finishing the mission you automatically "Set" B1

Mission two CAN ONLY be available if B1 is set...

get mission Two

Ending mission two SETS b2 and resets b1 (read the bible to find out how...its simple boolean logic. I learned in about ten mins, its easy...)

The reason you want to reset the first bit to nothing is so that you don't repeat a mission and do it AFTER the fact (so...continuity in a string of events.)

I once had a failure somewhere in the pirates mission. NO MATTER WHAT I did Olaf always greeted me as though he never say me on Viking...I just said "no", disappointed him, and hit OK...AFTER that the string would continue...

it got annoying...

hope that helps

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Thanks for the help. I am beginning to understand things.
(I never did like the boolean stuff when it was learning it. To think, I thought I would never be using Nand and Or gates (electronics classes) again!)

I ran into another pitfall about how to have this mission come up only for the Argosy.

I was in the plugin Guides section when I ran across one called Shipbits. It has the bit number for all the ships in the game. Worrys no more have I

------------------
Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20