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Originally posted by Azratax2:
I might even classify this as a bug
I wouldn't. I agree that it is annoying, but it's a logical result of being able to actually kill and remove pers from play. If the data files or a plugin defines a pers and a pilot is made, the bits for those pers are set to 1. If, in the course of the game, those pers die, the bit is set to 0. So, any pers resources not actually used by the data files or plugins when that pilot was made are set to 0. The logical result is, any plugin added later that tries to use those pers resources will be seen as dead (because they are set to 0 by default).
The only solution I can see for this would be to use something than a binary 0/1 flag for pers status. 0 would be unused. 1 would be active. 2 would be dead. The engine would have to be able to scan the data files and plugins for pers resources, compare the ones it finds with pers that are used in the game (1 or 2). If the data says there's a pers, but the pilot file has a 0 for that bit, the engine would then have to set that pers bit in the pilot file to 1.
Make sense?
Data would have to be written to the part of the pilot file that records how each pers feels about the player as well.
In theory, a similar method could be used to provide new planets with defense fleets (where -1 is what the defense count would be for an unused spob). I think this would fall under the "no new features" rule, however.
-STH
(edit) it just occurred to me that the engine could set all the pers bits to 1 by default upon making the pilot. I don't know if the engine would gracefully deal with that situation, however.(/edit)
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Mac<-->PC pilot file Conversions: (url="http://"http://phair.csh.rit.edu/~seant/EV/PilotConvert/")http://phair.csh.rit...V/PilotConvert/(/url)
"Create enigmas, not explanations." -Robert Smithson
(This message has been edited by seant (edited 09-09-2003).)