The Ambrosia add-ons directory is now carrying version 3.3.2 of MissionComputer , which fixes a number of known issues with the previous version; notably, it now generates valid resources even when given invalid input by the user, the oütf editor now edits paint colours correctly, and the resource list is now properly refreshed after creating a new spöb resource. As well, it simplifies the process of creating RLE sprites (which can now be saved directly into the open file), and better handles disambiguation between multiple possibilities when clicking on a system in the galaxy editor.

MissionComputer features editors for a wide range of resources for the Escape Velocity games, including bööm, chär, cölr, crön, dësc, dëqt, DITL, DLOG, düde, flët, gövt, ďntf, jünk, mďsn, nëbu, öops, oütf, përs, PICT, ränk, röid, snd, spďn, spďt, spöb, STR, STR#, s˙st, vers, and yëäŽ. Resource Selector buttons make it easy to link resources without referring to ID tables, and editors offers excerpts from the official developer documentation within their interfaces. Also integrated into the MissionComputer application are an encoder for rlëD/rlë8 sprites, a graphical tool for generating target graphics in the style used by EV Nova , a Resource Copier utility for moving resources between files in bulk, and a convertor that can move EV Nova plug-ins between the Npďf and .rez plug-in formats.

Beyond those for which it offers graphical editors, MissionComputer can, thanks to its RDL template scripting system, provide ResEdit-style editors for every resource used in the Escape Velocity games along with added MissionComputer-style features such as popup menus, automatic flag calculation, and Resource Selector buttons. It supports the Macintosh resource fork-based formats used by all three games, and the .rez format used by the Windows version of EV Nova.

I first released MissionComputer in December of 2001 after several months of development and testing. Originally a simple mission editor for EV Override , it has grown to become a wide-ranging editor covering most aspects of all three Escape Velocity games.

MissionComputer 3.3.2 is available in two separate editions: a Mac OS X version, and a Classic version for Mac OS 9 and earlier (on both PowerPC- and 68K-based computers). The new version is immediately available as a free download linked from my web site at davidarthur.evula.net. Also available from the same site is version 2.0 of my Mac Plug-in Convertor , which converts between the Macintosh and .rez plug-in formats in both directions.

Stellar=-2 is not actually a valid value in the oops resource. I'm guessing this is the "Not associated with a planet" option in the MC oops editor - might want to take that out
Also, any chance of making MC be one of the options available when you right-click on a plug/data file and choose "Open With"?

This post has been edited by Guy : 07 March 2006 - 01:24 AM

Guy, on Mar 7 2006, 01:23 AM, said:

Stellar=-2 is not actually a valid value in the oops resource. I'm guessing this is the "Not associated with a planet" option in the MC oops editor - might want to take that out
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From the Nova Bible:

Stellar      The stellar object this disaster is linked to
             128-1628           ID of a stellar object
             -1                 Any planet or station (use sparingly)
             -2                 Nothing (used for mission-related news)

What do you mean by not valid - are you saying that this option no longer works? It was used extensively in Escape Velocity and EV Override , though it has now largely been superseded by crön resources.

Quote

Also, any chance of making MC be one of the options available when you right-click on a plug/data file and choose "Open With"?

Because of MissionComputer's legacy nature, it seems to be impractical.

David Arthur, on Mar 7 2006, 12:46 PM, said:

What do you mean by not valid - are you saying that this option no longer works? It was used extensively in Escape Velocity and EV Override , though it has now largely been superseded by crön resources.
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Yeah, it's been replaced by crons and no longer works. Someone just neglected to remove that bit in the bible. There's another error in the misn 0x0001 flag description: "Any control bits pointed to by the mission’s CompBitSet field will be automatically set when the mission aborts." - should be "OnAbort".

David Arthur, on Mar 7 2006, 12:46 PM, said:

Because of MissionComputer's legacy nature, it seems to be impractical.
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Ah, nuts.

MC not appearing under Open With isn't that big of a deal - just put it in the Dock and drag the files. Then again, I have a one-button mouse.

Although actually, you could theoretically add a purely Cocoa application that would turn around and send opened files to MC...

Guy, on Mar 7 2006, 10:28 PM, said:

Yeah, it's been replaced by crons and no longer works. Someone just neglected to remove that bit in the bible. There's another error in the misn 0x0001 flag description: "Any control bits pointed to by the mission’s CompBitSet field will be automatically set when the mission aborts." - should be "OnAbort".

Ah, nuts.
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Hmm, it always seemed to me that CompBitSet was a category comprised of onAbort, onSuccess, onShipdone, onFail, and... whatever the other two are. And autoaborting missions execute every bit from every single field. Iirc. That is what the bible means.

Amen.

CompBitSet was what the fields were called in EV/O. From memory only OnAbort gets executed but I could be wrong.

I'm pretty sure the success ones fire too. But you are right, it's legacy documentation.

We really need to hold a Council of Trent to rewrite the bible. Remove the old testament parts, strike out the apocrypha, and add new gospel as necessary.

I like the idea, Qaanol. Really. Let's create a list of inaccuracies, another of unlisted "features", and another of ways to crash Nova...

Excellent, well for starters I already have this little list of changes to be made:

Mention pics in bar descs and ship info
Negative inaccuracy/subtheta
Falloff behaviour for projectiles

shan 0x0004 flag: The second set of frames in the base image are displayed when the ship is carrying any of its KeyCarried type ships onboard.
govt 0x1000 flag: Warships will plunder non-mission, trader-type enemies (inc. player) before destroying them
misn 0x0001 flag: Any control bits pointed to by the mission’s OnAbort field will be automatically set when the mission aborts. -- need to double check this sometime
weap 0x0008 flag: For guided weapons, don't fire at ships with turn rate greater than 30

oops Stellar: -2 is not a valid value
misn ShipStart: -5 through -16 are also valid values for other spobs in the system

David, the "new version available" dialog has a missing end parantheses after the version number, which oddly enough is 3.3 when I was using 3.3.1.

This post has been edited by kitkut : 11 March 2006 - 06:40 AM