Topic: Guys, We HAVE to have an easy flatfile ship and DV DB editor...

[Dizzy]

The following is a topic we are currently discussing in SGODevelopment for use in future campaigns and at the request of DH, I have posted it here for all to see. Please put in your $0.02.

What I would like to see done would be to have an easy to use flatfile DB editor that would allow a server admin to add a ship to a player account. Having the ability to do this would emulate an OoB function. We can assign restricted ships to whoever needs them when they need them. This would be a HUGE step forward in server functionality.

Combine that (or have a seperate editor) with the ability to easily edit DB hex DV values and ownership, (possibly even able to place/remove bases) would be another HUGE step forward. I'm talking leaps and bounds here... The implications of this type of admin server control is enormous.

Example1: If a server admin has a 1 or 2x ship-rule fleet cap (for those servers allowing players to fly multiple ships) and the server has 3x ship slots, it would be easy for an admin to add, say a F-BCF or even a K-B10K or whatever to a players account when an OoB assignment calls for it. Sweeping OoB additions to many player accounts can be done in one fell swoop. Edit one player or edit many depending on OoB assignments. Field Marshals would be a thing of the past. The honor system and all those complications would be tossed. Shipyards could be cleaned up... Oh man, all sorts of possibilities here for a more streamlined server.

Example2: With a Map hex editor, small and or significant changes to the map DV and ownership could be accomplished simulating anytype of role-play or otherwise changes to the map an admin would wish to make. If an admin wants to allow expenditure of OoB ships in exchange for hex DV's then that could be done. If an admin wants to elect that a server goal is accomplished, and as a result hexes change allegiance or DV values rise or fall, then this would be possible as well.

In addition, imagine an admin being able to add or remove bases at will. WOW! What an improvement to the game this would be...  [/list]

The possibilities are endless and things like this would add SO much to this game. 

What would it take to make this type of a flatfile DB editor? Is it possible? Don't you think it is worth it?

[NuclearWessels]

Hey Diz,

went to post this over in SGOD but my browser keeps hanging on me.

The flatfile editor I put together has a butt ugly interface and still needs some debugging,  but the mechanics are simple enough - biggest trick is getting a complete decoding of  the flatfile structure dealing with the actual ship description (there were still a couple of bytes that were question marks/guesses the last time I looked)

The flatfile map editing,  political tensions, mission lists, and basic account adjustments  are the simplest parts - there were a bunch of features I meant to add to that but never got around to (the underpinnings are all there, just need to add the interface).  For the most part changes right now are limited to one hex (or one character) at a time, but more complex options can be added pretty easily.

The ship editing and reassignment still needs some work - you can change a player's ship, and it reads the shiplist to create the appropriate new ship record, but it bugs out once in awhile so there's likely a field in the blob somewhere that isn't doing what I thought it was.

I'll dig the beastie out and see if I can still figure out what I was doing

dave

EDIT:  when I get home I'll also re-post the source code for  the last version if anyone wants to play with it or borrow chunks for a more streamlined/specialized editor

[GDA-S'Cipio]

What would it take to make this type of a flatfile DB editor? Is it possible? Don't you think it is worth it?

What would it take to make this type of a flatfile DB editor? Is it possible? Don't you think it is worth it?

I got one from Dave a long time ago.  (I plan on using it on Eco War)  If he hasn't updated it, I'll send you my copy.

If you swap out someone's ship for another, just make sure they buy a ship on their own before you swap out their ship again.  Repeatedly swapping out the ships of the same player without their ever buying one seems to lead to database corruption for some reason.

-S'Cipio

[NuclearWessels]

Here's the editor itself: http://www3.telus.net/NuclearWessels/sfc/downloads/EDDBEDIT.exe
and here's the zipped source: http://www3.telus.net/NuclearWessels/sfc/downloads/dbeditor_sourcecode.zip

Important note: put a copy of the shiplist.txt file in the same folder as the exe (it needs it for building the ship records, and I never got around to including a prompt to ask the user where the shiplist is )  This was originally intended as a prototype prior to building a nice GUI for it, but other projects have always taken priority over that.

I'll be on vacation for 10 days starting Thursday (<happy dance>) but if you want to have a play with it and let me know what you'd like/need in the way of features then I can start tackling them once I get back.

dave

[Dizzy]

HF on that vac. I want pics this time. Make sure you send me only the dirty ones...

Bonk and crew will play with the toys. I'll see if I can bribe S'Cipio into helping out. This is gonna be fun!

Hopefully when u get back, we will have some new ideas and directions to offer.

l8r Dave