Saturday, July 26, 2014

Hard at work!

Ok, quick update, minimal rants.

#1.  I worked on those counters, and worked on them a LOT.  I eventually created like 2500 counters (individual files) probably 100 times.  I am not happy with them, and created a re-design, but haven't implemented yet (these counters will have more symbols/colors, and less letters/numbers).  Then I started working on the map, and made a bit of progress, then remembered this whole path was off track, so I stopped.  However, thanks to one persistent user I did create a pretty darned neato HTML5 Canvas map of the Inner Sphere in 3140.  I can make these very quickly for most eras, and can do a LOT more with it.  This was a proof of concept, feel free to use the code.

#2.  MASSIVE updates to my BattletechEngineer database.  Aside from some infantry and buildings, I can go through all 6500 or so units and generate their alpha strike stats, based on the new rules in the alpha strike companion.  I am still tweaking things, but the database is a lot more consistent now and I have fixed many errors folks had noticed.  Once I make a bit more progress, I'll create a PDF for every record sheet book made real quick and move on.

#3.  Kinda off topic, as this is Robotech, but as a HUGE investor (over 300 regults incoming!) in the project I'm happy to see progress being made.  However, as a big fan of the other generations I didn't want to wait, and am having my own models done.  Take a looksie at my 3D printed prototypes, all in perfect 6mm or 1/285 scale:

#4.  I'm going to GenCon, woot!  I *really* hope I enjoy myself.  Unfortunately while I LOVE Battletech and games with lots of numbers and statistics, I haven't had a lot of fun playing them in the last few years.  Its only ok and hasn't recreated the fun I've had with WW2 and moden micro armor from the early 90s.

#5.  An Alpha Strike Freebie!  Hand-Held Weapons in alpha strike, here is a PDF you should be able to use pretty easily for now, though you'll need to know what mechs have 2 hands as it isn't denoted on cards (yet!).  I envisioned counters for the hand-held weapons, as they can be dropped/moved around easily, though I haven't made any yet.  Download the PDF here.

NEXT:

Next I'll focus on finishing up the Alpha Strike cleanup, updating the point values, and tweaking some values to work.  I'll also finish up and test all the designs with all the "Bad_Syntax Optimizations" turned on (things like RL #/#/# for a 1 strike rocket launcher attack, TUR(#/#/#) for mechs that can flip arms, STR # for fighter strafing, average rounding, and all sorts of other things).  Once this is done I'll hope back into my Alpha Strike Utility as I *really* want to get it working by GenCon.

May you pass your piloting skill rolls!

13 comments:

  1. #1- How're you liking HTML 5? Anything in there take some getting used to?

    #3- It's been a very long time since I watched any Robotech, and I don't recognize that red mech. Which show is it from?

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    1. I'm really new to HTML5. It seems ok, does graphics well. However, like all web based apps that corporations are pushing us to use, they have serious compatibility issues between all the "standard" browsers, that choose to interpret HTML code differently, and far slower than executable applications at that.

      That mech I don't think was ever on screen. Its the REF/Sentinels version of the Raider X/Defender. Here is one of only a few images of it: http://www.rpol.net/display.cgi?gi=47792&ti=21&date=1350197351

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  2. Good job on the Robotech miniatures. They look awesome. I have some old Southern Cross mecha models you can have if you think you can do anything with them. I'm not sure what format they are in but they are very well detailed. There's a VT Tank, Logan fighter, and one of the big spaceships. Email me at drwolf009 at gmail.com if your interested. Keep up the good work.

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  3. woah you HAVE to teach me how to make those maps. though I noticed there are some errors like the clan homeworlds not showing up in 3052, must be with the raw data.
    I'm currently working on pre-2571 faction ownership and it is quite a PITA. reading through the old housebooks to see if there are any indicators of a system's existence/ownership before the star league era.

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    1. Just do a view source on the pages. There is a small header/footer that are pretty easy to figure out. Everything else is just 1 line per system for both circle and name. Should be pretty easy to script the creation of these. I use excel to write each line then copy/paste into the HTML file.

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  4. woah excellent! You get 100 points AGAIN! I've been working on filling the pre-2571 faction ownerships and I really REALLY need HBHK to come out so I can take a peek at what the Terran Hegemony looked like in that period. I'm almost sure this is vaporware already.
    AM I correct in assuming 0,0 is the upper-left section of the screen?

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    1. Yep, upper left is 0,0. I sure hope HBHK comes out soon, though I'm also very anxious for the 2765 Periphery book, as that will list enough of a force list in 2765 for me to recreate a 1st succession war game (I nearly have something usable in Cyberboard for the Taurian Concordat part of the Reunification War, I'll show it soon).

      Course, we also need the other XTRO Primitives, as there are half a dozen or so designs from the Reunification book that we have no data on.

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  5. I made the script but when I tried to view it on my browser it just shows me a white box. I was able to link the system name, faction color, and coordinates from my systems by era.xlsx file, then export to HTML. What I'll try to work on next is use HLOOKUP so I can automate the faction ownership with the selected year so I don't have to manually change the column reference link to the color. also, do the coordinates accept decimals or do i have to round it off?

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    1. That is what happens when there is an error. Ain't HTML5 nice?

      Make sure you don't have any ' marks in any names, that was a big thing that kept throwing me off. Also, decimals don't work, you gotta round all the locations to the nearest integer.

      I could pretty easily throw all our planets into a database, and dynamically create those HTML5 pages. I didn't think it was that useful though and though of it as just another dead end "kinda neat, no use" sorta thing. If it is indeed useful, I can knock something out pretty quick.

      There is a LOT more you can do with HTML5 (draw hexes, borders, unit names, icons, etc) but that started getting into excessive javascript that I wasn't comfortable with.

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    2. aw crap, so I have to remove the ' in Al Na'ir and such?

      that reminds me. you do have a near-complete force list right? any way you can extract what systems they were assigned to on particular eras? I might be able to plug in holes in my database using that.

      personally I prefer your cartography app to HTML5 because that one was searchable, but this is a good quick (once I figure out how it works) means for map generating.

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    3. Yep, gotta remove them. I tried using 2, which usually works, but I think it broke too. Probably some special character if you googled it, but I didn't care that much :)

      I won't say I have a near complete force list, but its considerable. I know 2765, 3145, 3085, 3063, 3025, and 3050 all look pretty darned complete. However, I've entered all that data a few times, and may be able to find more if I looked. What is it you need? I don't think it'll help with who owns what planets, as every time a regiment was listed somewhere in some table there was an associated map.

      Well, if I don't get my ban lifted pretty soon, I'm not sure how much life I'll have left with Battletech. I've spent *huge* amounts of money, but I'm just not having fun with the game as much as I used to. I dunno, we'll see how Gencon goes I guess and maybe it'll relight my battletech fire.

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  6. ugh I give up. I rounded off the coordinates, took out special characters except "-", checked the syntax, still nothing. I'll go back to farming the Star League sourcebook for more pre-2571 data. I was hoping to find out which systems existed or were discovered in each of the five House foundation years (2271, 2317, 2319, 2341 and 2367), since we do not have full IS maps of those years.

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  7. Wuhu thanks for the Maps, I will try to add some Informations for these worlds on the Map :)

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