Monthly Mod Jam — May 2016

[digdug]

Stargates:
stargates work by placing an <Orbitals> inside your system in the location you want.

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<Orbitals distance="75" angle="random">
						<Lookup table="StargateOutbound"/>
					</orbitals>

There are 2 main types of stargate you can use: StargateOutbound and StargateInbound
They are essentially the same for the functionality and eventually for this challenge, but in vanilla StargateInbound always points towards Heretic (and towards the center of the galaxy), the stargate has 2 beacons at opposite positions around the stargate. StargateOutbound points away from the center of the galaxy and the 2 beacons around the stargate are at 90 degrees from each other. In vanilla, in a normal linear topology, there is always 1 inbound and 1 outbound.

Topology:
This is the example JohnBWatson, I'm going to describe it:

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<!-- Our system map. Here, we define the two systems in the game, as well as their connection to each other and their placement on the galactic map. 
	A more complex topology, including a more random path from start to end, exists in the main source code. -->

	<SystemMap UNID="&smPBLSystemMap;"
			name=				"Space" 
			backgroundImage=	"&rsWatsonGalaxyMap;"
			initialScale=		"100"
			minScale=			"50"
			maxScale=			"100"
			>
		
		<TopologyCreator>
			<Stargate from="SE:Outbound" to="DL:Inbound"/>
		</TopologyCreator>
		
		<Node ID="SE" x="0" y="0">
			<System UNID=		"&ssWatsonsStar;"
					name=		"Watson's Star"
					level=		"1"
					attributes=	"humanSpace; newBeyond; mainline;"
					/>
		</Node>

		<Node ID="DL" x="100" y="0">
			<System UNID=		"&ssDelirium;"
					name=		"Delirium"
					level=		"3"
					attributes=	"humanSpace; newBeyond; mainline;"
					/>
		</Node>
					
	</SystemMap>

It is essentially a 2 systems topology. Just a universe with 2 systems.
The code starts by declaring the systemmap, in which John places his own background image and name it "Space"
<TopologyCreator> is where the you declare the actual stargate connections, in this case, there is only 2 stargates and 1 connection, from node SE we can travel to node DL.
But what are SE and DL nodes?
This is what we have to declare next: in the <Node> we declare the ID, which at the end is simply a shortened name for the systemnode, X and Y are the coordinates in pixels of the node on the galaxymap.
Then we need the system with its own attributes like name and level.

For this Challenge, your job is to write a <Node> for your own system, I will then assemble all the nodes and systems received from the partecipants in a simple adventure so we can play out all of them

[TheLoneWolf]

Thanks digdug. The becons are seriously giving me head aches. So Inbound adds the system somewhere in the straight chain the leads to Heretic. And Outbound is for closed system chains. I'm going to experiment alot. And prepare yourselves! My godforsakingdamnitheadachingbowelcrushingeyewateringnoseitching PMs are coming

[Xephyr]

outbound/inbound are arbitrary tags, but they're helpful. Inbound stargates are the stargates the player spawns over when they enter the system for the first time, and outbound stargates take them out. If you have more than two stargates in a system though, that's when you'll want to use multiple tags. In Eternity Port, you'd see "coreward" and "edgeward" stargates, which take you either closer to Heretic or closer to edge systems. In my extensions, I'll use stuff like stargate:hub1 after configuring the inbound/outbound.

The important thing is to have a <topologycreator> element that works, after that's done then you can add a lookup to the human space stargates table and the game will place the stargates for you.

[JohnBWatson]

I've finished creating my system - hopefully the code's noted well enough to be of help to others working on similar things. Should I submit to Xelerus, or is there a different procedure here?

[TheLoneWolf]

I haven't participated. Yes, I was super hyped for a MMJ. But star systems didn't turn out as my cup of tea.
Coding a star system is easy. Coding something clever is difficult. And I don't know how to mod something clever.

[AssumedPseudonym]

I've finished creating my system - hopefully the code's noted well enough to be of help to others working on similar things. Should I submit to Xelerus, or is there a different procedure here?

 Send it to me as a PM. I’ll compile all of the entries at the end of the event and upload them as a single mod.

[TheLoneWolf]

So what happened? And no MMJ June?