I am in need of someone converting my Arpia plug-in into a fully working one for Windows.
Can anyone help? (I only have EVN for Mac so I can't try it out on a PC)

Here are some problems encountered by Windows users:

- unstuffing the file correctly
- buying the ships (game crashes)
- finishing the "Traitor 1 - 2" missions

Please could the person in question send me a working file so I can submit it?

Thanks for any help.
Of course, if any documents are needed, please send a mail.

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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.

Umm, if all you're trying to do is convert the plug-in to .rez, then grab (url="http://"http://http;//www.ariossoftware.com/products/freeware.php#3")RezConv(/url).

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The programmer's code of entomology: there's always another bug.
There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who have friends.
Windows users: stop asking for plugins. (url="http://"http://www.aznt.com/EVN/EVNEW/")Make one yourself.(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.cwssoftware.com")Sephil Saga Website(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.org/infernostudios/search.html")Add-ons Search Engine(/url)

(This message has been edited by orcaloverbri9 (edited 07-17-2004).)

Thing is, some of the Windows users tried converting it using a converter, but still ended up having problems, so I'd prefer someone who can check out the plug-in conversion so that it doesn't have bugs.

See my point?

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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.

Well, the converters convert it exactly, so if the Mac version doesn't have bugs, the Windows version won't. Any bugs you find that aren't there in the Mac version have to do with Windows Nova. Sometimes it's a bug, and other times it's just more obvious in Windows Nova. Make a debuglog and look for any issues in there.

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The programmer's code of entomology: there's always another bug.
There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who have friends.
Windows users: stop asking for plugins. (url="http://"http://www.aznt.com/EVN/EVNEW/")Make one yourself.(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.cwssoftware.com")Sephil Saga Website(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.org/infernostudios/search.html")Add-ons Search Engine(/url)

I'll try it.

Edit: It could take me a little while to check, though. The plugin expands and converts properly, so the problems that other people have been having in that regard are probably either user errors, or ID-10-T errors.

(This message has been edited by Belthazar (edited 07-17-2004).)

Okay, well then I'll need beta testers because I can't try it out. Here's a link to the plug-in in .rez format.
(url="http://"http://www.trustclip.com/14S7NNI5VUJ2UeEH85OM19ADOFT")Arpia for Windows(/url)

Thanks for your help guys.

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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.

Thanks for your interest in making your plug accessible to Windows players. We determined that the best way to upload a an archive that can be used by both platforms is to:
-.bin encode the actual plug files (i.e. the ones that are edited by a plug editor, not movies nor the intro music), with the .bin extension
-put a readme in RTF, with extension RTF, with install instructions for both platforms (your plug may be the first a person downloads), ask a Windows user for the Windows instructions relevant to your plug.
-then zip everything.

Why this? On Mac Stuffit expander (bundled on all Macs for quite some time) will recursively unstuff everything so you will obtain the original archive, and on PC the people will only need to use a zip expander to obtain the plug already in .bin format that the converter included accepts (tell it clearly that those file with extension .bin are the one to be converted as some PC users are afraid of them as most don't know them, since up to now the files they put to the converter were either extensionless or with the one rsrc.

Also, notice you can save yourself the .bin encoding part by using DropZip in Stuffit Standard, with the option to put files in MacBinary format set to smart (no more, no less). As a rule of thumb, attempt to open your own archive to check if this works for you config at least. And do not even think about using Panther's built-in zip compression.

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The feeling you're a Nova geek - priceless.
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Ok, I just tried to buy an Arpian Starbridge, and the game crashed. The last four lines of the debuglog are as follows:

entering system 769 (Residio)
landing on spob 518 (Culuria)
retiring ship Unrelenting (374)
evaluating ncb set string 'b8888' (purchasing ship Arpian Starbridge (420))

(I cheated, by using an old pilot and the Reset Missions plugin - saves me working up money and a combat rating from scratch again.) I'm suspecting maybe it's the setting of b8888 which is causing this, but I'm at all sure of that, since several ships in the standard scenario set the same bit, but have no such problem. It could be something unrelated.

What is b8888 supposed to do, anyway?

On top of that, there's a couple of spelling mistakes which I've noticed here and there, and some of those outfits feel a bit cheaty - maybe your plugin could do with a bit more work on the balance.

Pace (haldora),

I've just done a quick analysis of all the shďps in your plug and your problem may be with any shďp equipped with the "Arpian Cloak" oütf(446). Your oütf(446) implementation uses ModType 17 four times in the same oütf, each ModType with a different ModVal. The correct way to do this is to sum all of the wanted cloak attributes in a single ModVal. I don't have time to test this possible problem right now, but oütf(446) is the only thing that looked strange.

In addition to what Arturo posted above ,you may want to look into the outfits you put on the Arpian Starbridge. You have outf 198 & 200 listed more than once, this may cause Nova to choke.

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Okay, I've dealt with everything except that ship purchasing problem. That one I have no idea how to deal with, because it works perfectly for me, and seems to do the same for other Mac users. Are those encountering the crash also using other plug-ins at the same time, because some said they'd had problems because of that?
Oh, and, Belthazar, could you tell me what those spelling mistakes are? But don't bother if it's organise instead of organize: I'm a Brit, and therefore use "s", except in those parts taken from the original storylines (some missions, like receive training, )

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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.

That's because the Windows version of Nova is more sensitive than the Mac one. Just because it works on a mac, doesn't mean it'll work on Windows. The shïps should have 2 198's and 2 200's, not 1 198, 1 200, 1 198, and 1 200.

And that cloaking device is all f*cked up. Aside from the fact that you used all four ModType/Val fields, you repeated 8 and 1. I fixed those two problems (the cloaking device wasn't pretty to fix), and maybe I'll upload them later.

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The programmer's code of entomology: there's always another bug.
There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who have friends.
Windows users: stop asking for plugins. (url="http://"http://www.aznt.com/EVN/EVNEW/")Make one yourself.(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.cwssoftware.com")Sephil Saga Website(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.org/infernostudios/search.html")Add-ons Search Engine(/url)

Quote

Originally posted by Pace (haldora):
Oh, and, Belthazar, could you tell me what those spelling mistakes are? But don't bother if it's organise instead of organize: I'm a Brit, and therefore use "s", except in those parts taken from the original storylines (some missions, like receive training, )

Oh, nonono. I'm in Australia, so we spell words like "organise" and "colour" correctly as well. I meant you spelt "come" as "some" in dësc 6793. Also, the Rocket Launcher doesn't actually seem to do anything - I was granted the outfit, but it doesn't appear in my secondary weapons list. The Arpia cloak works fine, though.

I'm not running any other plugins. I just checked the loading sequence in my debuglog, and it doesn't complain about anything serious - just a whole series of outfits which lack outfit pictures and descriptions, and all of your links going to Residio are one-way, so the game assumed a reciprocal link.

I tried buying a normal Starbridge, just to see if it worked, and it did - but it also made me realise something. The sidebar changes as I hit the "Buy Ship" button. So perhaps it's a problem not with the ships but with the ďntf resource. Don't know what that problem might be, though...

Edit: I'm lost. I think I just completed the mission called "Heal to Nil'ar Kemorya", but I was actually told to head to Rebel II, and when I landed, I got the completion dialogue box from a previous mission, and I was summarily dumped into the Pirate string. Was that supposed to happen?

(This message has been edited by Belthazar (edited 07-17-2004).)

I would assume not. The "multiple" outfits sound suspicious, however, as it would be unlikely to surface in debugging. As for the interface... it an interface. I dislike the cloaking device. Combining all those fields is painful. I will comment on the balance, however. Being given non-persistent items is irritating, as you lose them when you advance. The storyline is extremely quick, as you are given access to extremely powerful ships. Regardless, it is a new storyline, so my congratulations. Perhaps we will gain more add-ons in future. Fear the (url="http://"http://evula.org/aftermath")Aftermath(/url)!

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One wonders just HOW the "Engine Upgrade" increases the ship's speed by 150 AU/hr in the original EV....

Quote

Edit: I'm lost. I think I just completed the mission called "Heal to Nil'ar Kemorya", but I was actually told to head to Rebel II, and when I landed, I got the completion dialogue box from a previous mission, and I was summarily dumped into the Pirate string. Was that supposed to happen?

What was the previous mission? Because I really don't see any mission near that one where you're told to go to Rebel II And I have now idea about that Pirate string link Is it a new pilot or an old one, with "Reset Missions" used? Because if so, maybe there's a problem in the conversion of the plug-in.
Normally, the "Head to Nil'Ar Kemorya" mission is between "Receive Training From Karlaekaar" and "Return to Culuria".

As for the missing links between systems, I totally forgot about that one (sorry lads). But it's fixed, no worries.

And did any of you guys have problems finishing the "Traitor 1-2" missions? Because I've also had people telling me they had problems there

In the meanwhile, I'm trying out a more balanced version of the game. Anyway, this was my first plug-in, and didn't think 550 people would already have downloaded it :-s
I can therefore assure you that I will wait a while before releasing a newer, de-bugged version. At least, I hope we'll be able to, thanks to you guys.

Edit: I also dealt with that spelling mistake

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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.

(This message has been edited by Pace (haldora) (edited 07-18-2004).)

I realised that the last mission which I know I completed was "Meet Eamon Flannigan" (Arpia 19), so I headed back to New Ireland, and managed to get the next mission in the string.

I don't know what it was which sent me to Rebel II, although it could possibly have been something left over from before the Reset Missions plugin. The mission was probably the Wild Geese to Pirate link from the Wild Geese string, although I'm quite certain the mission name was "Head to (some polaris system)". Perhaps you need to use more of the string-blocker bits, like b515 and b518.

Incidentally, something which I forgot to mention in my last post was that you haven't set the game to remove the T-rating outfits when a higher rating is granted, so now I have all of the Rating outfits from T5 to T1. Also, you repeatedly refer to the player going to a tent on Rebel II. A tent? On a space station? It'd take quite a whack to get those pegs through the deck plating.

(Anyway, I'm going away for a week from tomorrow, so I won't be able to do much more.)

Edit: Ok, I just finished the string. No troubles from the Traitor mission, except for the fact that my QLBTs kept destroying the smaller ships. Oh, and while their government was "Fed", they were uniformly using non-fed ships.

Also, "miss" is an odd think to call a high-ranked female person. Ma'am, perhaps, would be better.

(This message has been edited by Belthazar (edited 07-18-2004).)

Here's a newer version of the plug-in, with more than a couple of changes. It's got more balanced outfits (for Belthazar), the Starbridge's outfits have been changed (just 1 198 and 1 200), the systems are all linked to each other (both ways), the tent has been replaced by a building, the weapons have been changed too (energy draining for almost all of them).

To answer Belthazar's question about the Rocket Launcher, if you read the desc for the outfit, you'll start to realise why you've got that problem, and it's a primary weapon, so have a look at your target instead
Sorry though, haven't yet changed the "Miss/Ma'am" thing (though I admit I hesitated a long time before putting "Miss" because I thought Ma'am to be a little questionable (poor language, )).

I still can't help you with the ship purchasing problem though

Anyway, here's the new link (the old one was taken down).

(url="http://"http://www.trustclip.com/C4PM6LO4KISLKe5Q4JE3DKU6H34")Arpia for windows, updated(/url)

And while we're at it, do you think a graphic like this could do for the Dragon? (I've decided I might create ones for Arpia)

In the game, I thought of a reddish glow (as opposed to the blueish one).

Edit: I know it's now perfect, so don't bother mentioning that Hey, after all, I am a beginner
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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.

(This message has been edited by Pace (haldora) (edited 07-18-2004).)

Here's something new from Mysterie:

Quote

i don't know of it has anything to do with this but after i put in the plug the first time everything went wel but the second time the whole thing blokked when i was willing to close nova. Perhaps this is of some assistans

greetings Mysterie

Any help to anyone?

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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.

Quote

Originally posted by Pace (haldora):
**In the meanwhile, I'm trying out a more balanced version of the game. Anyway, this was my first plug-in, and didn't think 550 people would already have downloaded it :-s

**

It's a plug-in, it's reasonable, it adds/alters stuff, it's not a cheat. Fairly simple checklist.

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One wonders just HOW the "Engine Upgrade" increases the ship's speed by 150 AU/hr in the original EV....

Yeah, but more than 600 in 6 days?żż? Sounds like a lot to me
Anyway let's get back on top of things. I'll check all the ship resources, compare them with normal ones. Maybe I'll see something there

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Pace
(haldora)
M.D.U.