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Home » Stars! Clones, Extensions, Modding » Stars! Nova - Open Discussion and Help » Nova Update Feb 2010
Nova Update Feb 2010 Sat, 13 February 2010 04:02 Go to next message
Daniel is currently offline Daniel

 
Chief Warrant Officer 3
Stars! Nova developer
Stars! Nova developer

Messages: 179
Registered: April 2006
Location: Nowra, Australia
G'day Stars! Community,

I noticed a bit of interest lately in where Nova was at so here is a bit of an update.

Ken's last word on Nova was that it was 'playable'. The bad news is that this was much exaggerated. There were significant stability issues and many bugs that would make playing nova intolerable to the average user. Many significant features of Stars! were not implemented. There was no AI and generating turns required a complex procedure of running separate applications is a specific order. Multiplayer play would be crippled by a lack of effective security.

When I first got involved I started with the component editor as it was a good way to learn a bit of C# and the structure of nova without tackling the whole thing at once. That work is 100% functionally complete and about 90% of what I would like for a version 1.0. Importantly nova can now represent all of the Stars! components which required a significant restructure of code. This work was done in the first half of last year, and is included in the current download.

I am now much more familiar with nova and C# and have been working on 3 new priorities:

1. Make the nova file formats human readable to support debugging and third party tools. This is a large job and is about 70% complete.

2. Improve turn generation to make it simpler. This week I finished a Nova Launcher, like the Stars! splash screen. The various parts of Nova now talk to each other properly and there is no need for the user to guess what program to run. All up this goal is about 80% complete.

3. Create a simple AI to aid in testing Nova. Nova now has an AI that submits turns, but doesn't actually play the game. This is important as it forms a stub for others to build an AI from, but only amounts to about 2% of building the AI.

I would like to get the above items wrapped up so I can release a new version for show. This will also include various bug fixes that make the game a bit more stable. I expect to get to that stage in the second half of this year.

Importantly a number of very talented programmers have been attracted by the activity in this project and have begun making significant contributions. A new map generator has been added and significant work has been done on improving the way the production queue operates. I believe that a start is also being made on an improved AI. I feel that work on this project is accelerating and therefore I am hopeful that there will be enough support to get nova finished sometime in the next 2-5 years.

If you would like to help with Nova you don't need to be a programmer. What we need is people to assist in the management of our website, documentation, and testing. That would off load these tasks from the programmers and help us get more work done. If you are interested in helping with nova, drop by the sourceforge and make a post in the open discussion forum: https://sourceforge.net/projects/stars-nova/forums/forum/662 536




Have fun.

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Sat, 13 February 2010 08:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
m.a@stars is currently offline m.a@stars

 
Commander

Messages: 2765
Registered: October 2004
Location: Third star to the left
Daniel wrote on Sat, 13 February 2010 10:02

I noticed a bit of interest lately in where Nova was at so here is a bit of an update.

I'd hazard the interest is always there, but only surfaces from time to time. Deal


Quote:

generating turns required a complex procedure of running separate applications is a specific order.

You mean, worse than a batch processing managed by a script? Fire bounce


Quote:

Multiplayer play would be crippled by a lack of effective security.

You mean, protecting the "master status files" from Player tinkering or from Host tinkering? Pirate


Quote:

A new map generator has been added

I went perusing some files at SourceForge. The planet name list looks like the kind of thing you want to keep in a separate data file, not embedded in the code. Also, I think I found at least one duplicate name. Sherlock

But I wasn't able to find the ring / spiral / blob generators, which are about the only thing my own attempt of years ago managed to do. Confused


Quote:

get nova finished sometime in the next 2-5 years.

Stately progress, indeed. Work at computer



So many Stars, so few Missiles!

In space no one can hear you scheme! Deal

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Sat, 13 February 2010 16:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Daniel is currently offline Daniel

 
Chief Warrant Officer 3
Stars! Nova developer
Stars! Nova developer

Messages: 179
Registered: April 2006
Location: Nowra, Australia
m.a@stars wrote on Sun, 14 February 2010 00:03


Also, I think I found at least one duplicate name. Sherlock


It would be realy helpful if you told me which name. Better yet if you log a Bug on the project Tracker I will remember to fix it.


m.a@stars wrote on Sun, 14 February 2010 00:03


But I wasn't able to find the ring / spiral / blob generators, which are about the only thing my own attempt of years ago managed to do. Confused



Were they put into the nova code? There was no subversion before, just a version Ken put up. If you have some code for ring / spiral / blob I would be very interested in looking at it.



Have fun.

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Sat, 13 February 2010 23:13 Go to previous messageGo to next message
m.a@stars is currently offline m.a@stars

 
Commander

Messages: 2765
Registered: October 2004
Location: Third star to the left
Daniel wrote on Sat, 13 February 2010 22:25

It would be realy helpful if you told me which name.

After a sort and diff, turns out there's more than one:
Asellus,
Betelgeuse,
Deneb,
Garnet,
Gienah,
Kaitos,
Media,
Rigil,
Vega,


Quote:

Better yet if you log a Bug on the project Tracker I will remember to fix it.

I'm a caveman. I'd have to learn how to use the modern tools 1st. Whip


Quote:

Were they put into the nova code?

I have no idea. I looked for them, but didn't find them. Maybe I did't look in the right place. Deal


Quote:

If you have some code for ring / spiral / blob I would be very interested in looking at it.

I have C code for those. Almost independent of the rest of my code, even. The code for spirals is a bit kludgey, tho. Hit over head



So many Stars, so few Missiles!

In space no one can hear you scheme! Deal

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Sun, 14 February 2010 03:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Daniel is currently offline Daniel

 
Chief Warrant Officer 3
Stars! Nova developer
Stars! Nova developer

Messages: 179
Registered: April 2006
Location: Nowra, Australia
Thanks, nice work. I have taken out the duplicates in my version (will be a little while until it goes back in subversion).

Is there a place I can get a look at your spirals code? If not you could email the code to djvale at gmail dot com (as long as it's less than 10 Mb).



Have fun.

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Sun, 14 February 2010 06:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
m.a@stars is currently offline m.a@stars

 
Commander

Messages: 2765
Registered: October 2004
Location: Third star to the left
Daniel wrote on Sun, 14 February 2010 09:56

Is there a place I can get a look at your spirals code? If not you could email the code to djvale at gmail dot com (as long as it's less than 10 Mb).

Done. Beware of ugliness / kludgeosity! Twisted Evil

I gather then you have your own code for "globular clusters" and "rings"? Cool



So many Stars, so few Missiles!

In space no one can hear you scheme! Deal

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Mon, 15 February 2010 02:51 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Daniel is currently offline Daniel

 
Chief Warrant Officer 3
Stars! Nova developer
Stars! Nova developer

Messages: 179
Registered: April 2006
Location: Nowra, Australia
no, I meant all of it

please



Have fun.

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Mon, 15 February 2010 12:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
m.a@stars is currently offline m.a@stars

 
Commander

Messages: 2765
Registered: October 2004
Location: Third star to the left
Daniel wrote on Mon, 15 February 2010 08:51

no, I meant all of it

Done, O greedy one. Twisted Evil

By the way, all of these galaxies reach their fullest glory when larger than 1000 stars. Rolling Eyes



So many Stars, so few Missiles!

In space no one can hear you scheme! Deal

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Mon, 08 March 2010 17:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
theancientone55

 
Civilian

Messages: 1
Registered: March 2010
Location: Lansing, MI USA
If you want (or need) help, I'm available... I am using either Visual Studio 2008/2010...

Randy

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Re: Nova Update Feb 2010 Tue, 09 March 2010 05:03 Go to previous message
Daniel is currently offline Daniel

 
Chief Warrant Officer 3
Stars! Nova developer
Stars! Nova developer

Messages: 179
Registered: April 2006
Location: Nowra, Australia
theancientone55 wrote on Tue, 09 March 2010 09:03

If you want (or need) help, I'm available... I am using either Visual Studio 2008/2010...

Randy



G'day Randy,

Come join us on sourceforge: https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/stars-nova/index.php? title=Main_Page

Read the dev primer: https://sourceforge.net/projects/stars-nova/forums/forum/662 536/topic/3552947

Then let us know how far you got with that and we will help you get up to speed with the project.



Have fun.

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