System26- new screen shots posted! Full size, large images

[Periculi]

Here at my deep space HQ, Periculi Innovations Corporation, I have been in top secret development of a new and much more powerful way to deal with the StarSystemTopology, and now I am pleased to announce that the upcoming System26 offers everything that I have always wanted, and a whole lot more!



This is more than a pretty picture- it is, in fact, the first screen that you will be seeing when you play with the System26 mod.

From the Configuration Station you will be able to load and customize game maps before you jump into the actual game. What type of customizing will be available? Well, the System26 mod comes with a reproduction of the Classic Topology, and you can add any number of random extra systems with the click of an option! It will also be released with a set of samples and some interesting maps that offer new difficulty- such as 'Hiding Heretic' where the Heretic system is randomly added to the end of a branch on a fairly large branching late game structure.

You did read that right- System26 can add random gates to any map and it allows you to define guidelines for the additional systems which can determine factors such as the number of nodes added, the length of the branches, whether they loop back into the 'main path', and more!

System26 offers an easy way to modify the network structures, and you will never need to worry about writing and validating topology node tags ever again. System26 comes with a user-map validation, which can analyze maps you or others have made and let you know about any errors and where to fix them!

Most importantly of all- you will be able to use the System26 Map Assistant to create maps easier than ever before- it virtually does it for you!

Coming along soon, the System26 Random Map Generator- which does just that- creates a random network structure for you to play! A dream come true, I do believe.

Beyond this, System26 is auto-mapping and provides every network with a Network Map Viewer to use in game which is similar to but far more useful than the prototype Vanilla Mapper sample I recently released.

This mod is so far beyond the StoneSoup topology, I had to disown the SS topo versions and cut them out of my will! In SS topo 90+ systems were used to create some added flavors and gate control- System26 only uses the classic models, and can get more from a single system than the SS topo ever could- in fact, it would take over 600 independent system definitions for SS topo to even come close to what the System26 architecture achieves. How's that for good scripting, my friends!

In SS topo the nodes had to be repeated to use varying gate numbers- over 600 nodes were used to create an elaborate topology- in System26 each single node can be configured to 26 settings (at the moment- a larger set is in rapid development here already!) System26 does use around 600 nodes, but they are all much more dynamic and able to produce literally tens of thousands of maps.

Did you think I would stop there? Don't be ridiculous! System26 is much more than a mere gate switch, because I can control more than simply which gates are used to create the star systems. System26 has the power to fully control the construction of any system in the network! Want to know what Star type was created for every system in the game from Starton Eridani? Well you can now! Want to be sure that certain stations appear along a trade route? System26 harnesses the power of the OnCreate and adds in elements from a pre-built array. This also passes information from remote systems- so you can know from Eridani that the dreaded Far Dark gang is located in the Whatever System and that a 50000 credit bounty was issued on them by the Commonwealth Fleet Admirals.

System26 can not only deliver any space object into any star system that is in a game, but it can tell you about it from any other system in the game.

This mod has such huge potential, and is very near to a first release- so I decided to start this advertising campaign to get everyone ready for the System26 experience.

And here is another screenshot from the Map Loader:



Expected release will be in another week or so, I am taking my time to thoroughly test the functions and maps, and also packing in as many extra features as I can dream up along the way.

Addits-

Just to see if I could, I just got done adding Event Manager v3 to the System26 Core. System26 is now able to track your current and last 5 visited systems! This feature isn't really all that amazing, but combined with features such as Star System flags and the Captain's Log it adds a great deal of usefulness to the Network Mapper service. You can expect many more features like this to help you on your journey to the galactic core from the System26 mod. And even better, I have made it possible to control whether certain aspects of the System26 mod are used- mods like the Event Manager now come with a config panel of their very own that allows you to choose the cycle rate, and even turn the mod off entirely. You can expect many more configurable options from System26 to help you customize the type of game you want to play.

Stellar Cartography has never had it better in Transcendence, and you can look forward to being able to know what needs to be known by finding and purchasing map data banks from vendors and other places- these items contain information about the gate network that you can load into your Cartography Computer and allow you to see the gate links between systems you haven't even visited yet!

[digdug]

[Periculi]

I have gotten the map validation completed!



Here's a bad report-



Validating the main 'massive data array' was an essential step that insures that the map data is synchronized with the real topology nodes. I had to write a set of special functions that checked each link and node ID, and additional in-game spot checking that the gates were really pointed to where they are supposed to be pointed- that part was done manually, but it was worth the time.

Now that I am convinced my node writing tool* for mapping on a grid pattern works without errors, the massive data array can be used to check the user-defined maps that will be the parts that define a game map. It provides a base reference for what is possible.

The total array list contains the potential links for every system, but the networks that get built would typically only use a few links of the potential total.

You will be able to view the entire node structure from the Mod Tools section of the configuration station, and the All Systems Viewer also allows you to Jump directly to any node in the set. You could even play a game with every link activated, if you wanted to!

I will leave the validation tools available, so that any changes to the array can be checked for errors in the future by anyone using System26.

*Topology Node Writer is not going to be generally released as it uses other software and is specifically designed for creating System26 massiveGrid maps.


Addits-

You might be interested in knowing how it is that I am creating Lists and displaying them in dock screens so easily-

George sent me an example of the Corporate Contract Board, which hasn't been added to the game yet. The sample demonstrated a different way to use the dock screen itemPicker- It's called the customPicker, and it allows us to display lists in the usual item picker format- any list, of anything! The list format for the screen takes 3 items - Title, Image, Description.

I have yet to figure out how to get the images to be a direct call to the resource, and so for the images for the list have been using a function called (itmGetImageDesc (itmCreate [itemStruct] 1)) which George used in the sample file. (which leaves me only the option of making an item for each image I want to use There must be a way to just call up an image for the list somehow!)

You can see the customPicker in action in the Vanilla Map Viewer, and I am making extensive use of it with System26.


Creating your own maps:

There will be 3 basic methods for creating new networks:

Use the Map Assistant in the Config Station to help you plan and design the network- you can then distribute a network as the .sav game!

For a more permanent map, you can use the Map Assistant to help you, and a piece of notepaper and pencil to jot down the nodes you used and the links they want to have activated- this will enable you to quickly put together a user-map data set in the notepad, which can then be saved as a map format for System26 in your extension folder (more on this later!)

I will also be including a graphic representation of the entire topology structure to use as a tool to plot the network on, outside of transcendence- this will allow you to see the entire network and each node address on a large grid, which will allow you to easily plot a large complex network. I am using this tool to prepare most of the included samples and it works once you get the system figured out.

User-maps will be easily created by your preferred method from the above variations, and a full set of samples will be included to give you plenty of hints as to what is possible from System26.

Even if you don't know the first thing about writing scripts or designing topologies you will be able to use the Map Assistant to create as intricate and complex a map as you can dream up, and you will be able to share the map with the rest of us easily!

Check out the new controls:

I am about to jump directly to a system to inspect it.

And here I am actually inspecting Rigel to make sure no sneaky gates got in the Arena again:


I had a fun time checking out the Flags and putting custom descriptions on them down at the icon lab:


That sure is a fun part of the mapper, custom flags with custom descriptions to jog the memory.. I like to switch flags around just to push the buttons.

[Psycholis]

I should just stop modding now because nothing I ever create will ever be as awesome as this..

[Periculi]

I should just stop modding now because nothing I ever create will ever be as awesome as this..

No, you should come to Periculi Innovations College Of Dangerous and Confusing Modding. (kama'aina specials, year round)


System26 is a map mod. That is all it does. Once in it's final glorious form, it will require everyone's mod ideas to fill up the content gaps.

I was already thinking that your paper fleets would make an interesting addition, so keep on modding.

It's not a competition, except when Betel makes up a new challenge.

[Psycholis]

I already have something in mind. I just need to figure out how to make organized fleets. Then the Alcurean home system is just around the corner.

[F50]

O_o!

No more work need be done in the area of SS topos (except using this tool to create intricate star systems that are not god-moddable without going into the XML).

Working on the pirate mod (and the binary-tractor device which I should have all Sunday to do)...

[Periculi]

I have decided to push the release back a little in order to build in more error catching and some extended features.

While I could release the System26 Core right now, and it does work well, I think that I want to give it some better quality assurance tests before letting you all attempt to find ways to break it.

One of the tricky parts is getting the "Launch Classic Game" option to deliver a topology exactly like the classic game- in order to do this I am having to add in all kinds of map pre-processing, which I didn't realize would be necessary to get the default topology running in System26. However, it is one of the features I really want, and being able to reproduce the classic linear topo with the same random nodes and random names is going to enable System26 to produce better and better maps- I am writing a whole set of map conditional operators that can be used to define how a map gets processed and how dynamic the decisions are made can be.

Even if it takes me another couple of weeks you can expect that the end result from this project will be the definitive topology mod.


Addits-

Here is an example from the user maps to look at:

Code: Select all

	(setq mapSimpleA (lambda Nil
	  (block (mapData startPoint result)

	;mark the starting location first
		(setq startPoint "SE")
	;then a simple array to define a map
		(setq mapData (list
		(list "SE" "Node47" "Node14")
		(list "Node14" "SE")
		(list "Node47" "SE" "Node48" "Node78")
		(list "Node48" "Node47")
		(list "Node78" "Node47" "Node79")
		(list "Node79" "Node78")

		;obviously this map is very small! 
		
		))
        ;end user edit section
	;this stores the map into sys26 when the map is loaded
	(sysSetData "Sys26" "startingPos" startPoint)
	(sysSetData "Sys26" "userMap" mapData)
	;kindly return a comment for getting this far
	(setq result "Success")
	  )
	))

This is the future of network design. Each (list "NodeNN" is a star system on the map. This is a user-defined style that simply tells the map builder which nodes to activate and which links to activate. You can design very complex structures this way, and even if you mess it up, the map validator will help you to correct the map when it is loaded.

Using this system, I have so far been unable to cause a crash in transcendence with any bad node ids or links- just an added benefit, but it sure makes map building easier when you can just deal in nodes that already exist and aren't going to cause any loading problems.

As you can see, the map is a script function. So, anything that you write that outputs the mapData and startingPos correctly for the map builder is going to work. You could have any amount of code you wanted to define the map in there, which makes the map system very flexible.

Once you understand the naming conventions and how to calculate which nodes go where (yes, you can calculate links and positions with simple math now!) you can write a user map easily.

You can use your own functions in there to define random choices, but this system goes much further into being able to create maps dynamically, which is an explanation for future posts.

[F50]

What does System26 re-define? If it re-defines something other than SS topos, can you show me how to make a check for the presence of the system26?

I was thinking something like this

Code: Select all

[Events]
   (if (eq (System26 Nil) 1)
      ; use the system26 code
   )
[/Events]

[Periculi]

I don't think that code works at all.


System 26 is the topology, and alters lots of other star system building features.

It is a complete redesign of how a star network is handled in the game.

It uses:

A custom built topology node set
System 26 star system definitions
New stargate versions

To be manipulated by a set of functions that can: turn gates on and off, prepare a game map from a data set, alter the map at launch time with random node injections, simulate the classic topology, create over 1 million other network structures, map itself when done, prepare a game map viewer and filter it by known, visited, flagged or other factors, walk through the gate system, and even tell the difference between a gate you found and one you haven't located yet.

On top of that, it can pre-determine the Star type of every active system in a map network and includes that in the map viewer, so you know what kind of a star will be in a system before you visited it.



What do you mean by check for the existence?

To find out if the mod is there, you can just look for the special system it uses-

Code: Select all

(block (checkSys26)
  (if  (sysSetData "Sys26" "doesItExist" "well, does it?") 
    (setq checkSys26 "System Exists so the mod is here")
    (setq checkSys26 "Not Here")
  )
)

Or you could look for one of the persistent error data holders

Code: Select all

(block (checkSys26)
   (if (eq (sysGetData "Sys26" "initSysReport") "Success")
     (setq checkSys26 "Mod Exists and initialized successfully!")
    (setq checkSys26 "Nothing seems to be there, sorry.")
  ) 
)

If you would like, I can set up some specific data on a classic system - such as SE where you could look up things like "sys26status" "eventManagerStatus" or similar for any mod. Which would allow you to construct mods that catered to or altered themselves to use the found mods.

[F50]

Code: Select all

(if (eq (sysGetData "Sys26" "initSysReport") "Success") 

This is good enough to determine whether the mod is present. Thanks.


What does the mod re-define? Does it redefine standard ships and stations? Does it redefine St. K? Point Juno? Dantalion? Heretic?

[Periculi]

ok, I'll try to ask it and see.

..............

It redefines every in-game system, and has serious plans for the other departments.

[digdug]

System26 accepting feature requests! Post map dreams here..

Well, a branch with Sol and Alpha Centauri, at least

[Periculi]

Actually, knowing that so much interest lies in a Sol or Terran system, I am adding a set just for that- a level 3, level 6, and level 8 system- so we get a decent spread.

Alpha Centauri... I suppose, but what would make it different from the other systems?

[F50]

First of all, Alpha Centauri has three stars, two big (sol-sized) ones and a little one.

wikipedia also has this to say:

Computer models of planetary formation predict terrestrial planets around both Alpha Centauri A and B[6][7][8], but suggest that gas giant planets similar to our Jupiter and Saturn would not be able to form because of the binary stars' gravitational effects.[9] Given the similarities in star type, age and stability of the orbits it has been suggested that this stellar system may hold one of the best possibilities for extraterrestrial life.[10]

However, from the history of transcendence, Terra (and likely Alpha Centauri as well) is pretty much destroyed. The CSC names suggest that the galaxy thinks of Terra as a legendary paradise, lost to humanity.

Is it possible to make mainly Solarites and possibly Sung appear in the Sol branch even though its level suggests Ares and Ranx? This would be useful for making a Xenophobe or Urak branch.

I have an idea to prevent the in-depth Ares and Ranx from showing up, but not make pre-depth or out-of-depth sovereigns appear.