So I downloaded the EV Classic Total Conversion (Feeling a little nostalgic) but after having beaten the Rebel thread, I realized that what made the original EV so much fun was all the awesome plugins my dad got for me, like Angels of Vengeance, Eye of Orion, and Clavius and Beyond. I posted this on the EV boards, and they directed me to a nifty little program called Spaceport, which converts plugs from Classic and Override into Nova format, so I was super-excited about being able to relive my glory days flying with the Amazons and hunting treasure with GAES and fighting the Armageddon, so I downloaded the three plugs I mentioned, Angels of Vengeance, Eye of Orion, and Clavius and Beyond, and ran them through SpacePort, and tried to play and this is what EV told me:

For Eye of Orion and Clavius and Beyond:
Error Loading Spin resource from PICT
Resource ID: 156
Code: Resource not found
Then it told me there was an assertion error and quit. LAME.

For Angels of Vengeance:
Error converting PICT resource to RLE data
Resource ID: 154
Code:-1
Then it hit me with another one, same error, except that
Resource ID: 1000
Code:-1
And once it told me that, Nova FROZE. It didn't quit, it froze. I had to control-command-power button to force-restart.

Now, I'm not a developer, I don't speak ResEdit, so I'd really like to play my plugins again and I'd like to know what I have to tweak manually to make them playable. Help, please?

@xecluriab, on Apr 6 2007, 12:14 PM, said in Classic Plugins:

<snip>tried to play and this is what EV told me:<snip>

I'm assuming you meant EVN. We like to refer to the original EV as Escape Velocity Classic, or EVC, so we don't get confused.

Try making a debug log, running Nova with the said plug-ins, and posting the contents of the debug log in this topic. To make a debug log, create a new text document called "debuglog.txt". On Windows, if you have extensions hidden, you'll want to name the document just "debuglog" to avoid calling it "debuglog.txt.txt" which will mess up Nova. You don't have to worry about this on a Mac. Run Nova with the plug-ins installed (one at a time so things don't get gobbled together) and post the contents of the debug log here, and you're done!

Right now, I'd settle for just Eye of Orion, so here's what the log from SpacePort told me. I'm afraid it's all fairly Greek to me, and while I'm a huge fan of "300," that doesn't help much here.

Converted From Eye of Orion 1.3 on
Friday, April 6, 2007.

Speed was not modified.

Government 130 scans for mission ID 328.
Government 128 scans for mission ID 333.
Government 128 scans for mission ID 326.
Government 154 scans for mission ID 334.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 330.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 332.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 321.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 322.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 350.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 340.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 349.
Government 154 scans for mission ID 325.
Government 154 scans for mission ID 324.
Government 128 scans for mission ID 341.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 323.
Government 128 scans for mission ID 346.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 351.
Government 129 scans for mission ID 348.
Government 154 scans for mission ID 339.
Government 154 scans for mission ID 336.
Government 137 scans for mission ID 355.
Government 137 scans for mission ID 356.
Government 137 scans for mission ID 357.
Government 148 scans for mission ID 358.
Government 131 scans for mission ID 359.
Government 148 scans for mission ID 360.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 347.
Government 130 scans for mission ID 320.
Government 158 scans for mission ID 344.
The missions mentioned directly above make
use of an obsolete feature known as ScanGovt.
In Nova, this was replaced with a superior
feature known as a ScanMask, allowing the
mission to be scanned by more than one
government.

To make the scan mask from the data above,
open the gövt resource, and choose an
unused scanmask checkbox. This box should
be used ONLY for that government type.

Now, open the appropriate mďsn resource,
and select the corresponding checkbox. Be
sure to use a different checkbox for every
government mentioned above.

I'm afraid I don't much understand. Help?

And as for a debug log...gracious, I hope I did this right...

EV Nova debug log

Output on 4/6/2007 at 9:02 PM

game engine was compiled Apr 24 2006
game engine version is 1.0.A Carbon

opening data files & loading prefs
initializing monitor
getting available window positioning bounds
opening RezLib
main display at startup was 1024x768 / 32 bits / 0 Hz
switching to 16 bits
system software version is 1039
initializing QuickTime
building trig table
opening platform tool
opening file tool
opening draw tool
opening interface tool
opening registration tool
initializing arrays
opening data files
opening files in Nova Files folder:
EV Data
EV Graphics
EV Ships
EV Sounds
EV Titles
Nova Essentials
Nova Music
opening files in Nova Plug-Ins folder:
Eye of Orion 1.3 (Nova)
loading sounds
creating window
main window rect: (5368, 302, -1824, -16385)
initializing sprite world
creating scratch frames
creating offscreen buffers
starting music
initializing strings
initializing status bar
initializing objects
initializing buttons
loading object data
warning: Particle Beam (166) lacks outfit picture
warning: Cloaking Device (167) lacks outfit picture
warning: Fighter Bay (170) lacks outfit picture
warning: Fighter Bay (170) lacks description
warning: Rear Laser Turret (171) lacks outfit picture
warning: Rear Laser Turret (171) lacks description
warning: Swivel Laser Cannon (172) lacks outfit picture
warning: Swivel Laser Cannon (172) lacks description
warning: Tractor Beam (173) lacks outfit picture
warning: Tractor Beam (173) lacks description
warning: Fighter Bay (177) lacks outfit picture
warning: Fighter Bay (177) lacks description
warning: Fighter Bay (178) lacks outfit picture
warning: Fighter Bay (178) lacks description
warning: Fighter Bay (179) lacks outfit picture
warning: Fighter Bay (179) lacks description
warning: Eye of Orion (183) lacks outfit picture
warning: Eye of Orion (183) lacks description
warning: Solar Sail (184) lacks outfit picture
warning: Solar Sail (184) lacks description
warning: Cosmic Awareness (185) lacks outfit picture
warning: Cosmic Awareness (185) lacks description
warning: Alien Tech Fusion Beam (186) lacks outfit picture
warning: Alien Tech Fusion Beam (186) lacks description
warning: Croquet Beam (216) lacks outfit picture
warning: Croquet Beam (216) lacks description
warning: Triple Star Cluster Medal (218) lacks outfit picture
warning: Triple Star Cluster Medal (218) lacks description
warning: Confed Gunboat (147) lacks hiring description
warning: Deathshade (154) lacks purchase description
warning: weapon ID 153 on ship type 154 lacks corresponding oütf resource
warning: Deathshade (154) lacks hiring description
warning: Comet (156) lacks purchase description
warning: weapon ID 176 on ship type 156 lacks corresponding oütf resource
warning: Comet (156) lacks hiring description
warning: Sanguine Moon (157) lacks purchase description
warning: weapon ID 153 on ship type 157 lacks corresponding oütf resource
warning: Sanguine Moon (157) lacks hiring description
warning: Flying Dutchman (158) has a trade-in value of 183000 but costs only 0
warning: Flying Dutchman (158) lacks purchase description
warning: Flying Dutchman (158) lacks hiring description
warning: Ursus (159) has a trade-in value of 1100500 but costs only 0
warning: Ursus (159) lacks purchase description
warning: Ursus (159) lacks hiring description
warning: Spyder (175) lacks purchase description
warning: Spyder (175) lacks hiring description
warning: Hercules Cruiser (176) has 23 turreted weapons but its maximum is 3
warning: Hercules Cruiser (176) has a trade-in value of 167000 but costs only 0
warning: disaster 144 (A large fire on a distant world) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 145 (An enormous party) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 154 (A rockslide) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 156 (Extreme crew boredom) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 161 (The banderfrog breeding season) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 164 (Decreased demand) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 173 (A dome pressurization accident) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 174 (A special sale) has an unusually small price delta
warning: disaster 175 (A new warship constuction order) has an unusually small price delta
loading mission data
warning: mission 333 makes reference to nonexistent düde resource -1
propagating mission bit effects
showing splash screen
loading sprites
checking memory
loading ship sprites
warning: Deathshade (154) lacks shipyard picture
error loading ship base sprite from PICT, shän ID 156

So what does it all mean? It seems like an awful lot gone wrong. And I'm sorry for posting the same stuff in multiple boards on multiple sites, but it's my philosophy that you never know where a helpful, creative person might be lurking, and that's exactly what I'm looking for. What do I need to do to play the plugins of my youth?

Yes, it is an awful lot gone wrong. I'd suggest rebooting in OS9 (if you still can), Installing EVC, and playing them there.

I'm afraid that SpacePort, while awesome, is not really able to be used by end users to convert EV plugs to be used in the Nova engine. Practically always it needs to be used by a plug-in designer so that he can tweak the output a bit so that it can actually work (the reason is that some things are implemented differently in EVC/EVO and in EVN, and need to be reimplemented or sometimes even rebalanced by hand).

@zacha-pedro, on Apr 7 2007, 05:41 PM, said in Classic Plugins:

I'm afraid that SpacePort, while awesome, is not really able to be used by end users to convert EV plugs to be used in the Nova engine. Practically always it needs to be used by a plug-in designer so that he can tweak the output a bit so that it can actually work (the reason is that some things are implemented differently in EVC/EVO and in EVN, and need to be reimplemented or sometimes even rebalanced by hand).

Yep. I can vouch for that.

Oh? Tell us....Martin.