Hey guys,

first post here. Anyway, I've been playing JA2 ever since I bought the original german release in 1999. I also enjoy JA2 1.13 greatly, so I thought, I should try to contribute something.
As the thread title says, I've been working on externalizing airport data. The result is a new, flexible shipping system, with the features listed below.

Features and status: Updated 18/01/08, availlable on SVN
- Externalized shipping locations (DONE):
Shipping locations are defined in TableData\Map\ShippingLocations.xml.
Parameters are name, map x coordinate. map y coordinate, map z coordinate and destination grid number
- Externalized delivery methods: (DONE)
Shipping fee and time can be defined per delivery method->shipping destination. Defined in TableData\Map\DeliveryMethods.xml
- Fully working shipment delivery using the externally defined data (DONE)
- Bobby Ray GUI integration (DONE):
Externally defined destination names are displayed in the drop down list on the order page. Delivery method data is displayed (shipping costs but not method descriptions) and used to calculate the shipping and total cost. The previous shipments list and delivery notification emails are integrated as well.
- Saving and loading shipment data to/from savegames. (DONE)
- Can be used to implement shipping for completely new shops.

Note:
The Pablo/Sal "stealing feature" isn't working yet either, as it was embedded into the old "Bobby R" shipping code. I will try to implement that with the new trigger system, I'm developing, which is discussed a few posts further below.
So far, this feature can be considered beta, that is, I've tested it and didn't encounter any problems in the current revision, though I still need to know if it runs properly on other computers. If you want to try it, check my SVN branch (Thanks to Lalien!).
Any feedback would be apreciated.

Screenshots:


- Dealtar

(sorry for spelling errors or bad grammar)

Bring it on!

kewl, I'd like custom delivery location in exchange of tracers
EDIT: I guess boxes are not mandatory, right?

No, they aren't. The game will drop off shipments on the ground if there is no openable/closable container present at the destination grid no.

WOW!
you can set up camp everywhere now!
No more need to travel back for supplies
Even a custom Base is possible

Very Nice. And i'll sticky this.

The download is now up. Check the first post

Welcome here Dealtar

I guess that your work is very welcome here, since it is the first thing for some time that helps modders to set up their mods (instead of adding sweets that are mostly useful for players)

The player is the customer, Starwarlker. Even modding systems should have the same final aim, the player. Ignoring the real client for all this ussually reside in chaotic install systems like the current one, or unbalanced weapons good only for personal use.

There seems to be quite some changes Dealtar... I'm thinking to wait a bit more, for some testing. It requires a new game, if you changed the saved game format, is that true?

No, it should work with an existing game, as I've also used an existing old savegame file for testing. I've bumped up the savegame version to 104, as the shipment data from my new system is now saved at the end of new savegame files, that's why it's complaining. Just backup your saves to be sure, though I didn't experience any major problems yet while testing.

I see... on the other hand you could wait months till someone will test it... why don't you try to put it on beta 9 Chris was just released, I'm gonna update my minimod to that too and maybe give a try after that.

Sure, I can do that.

SVN is not a game updater, it's a development tool for the 1.13 team.
Whoever updates his game from SVN is a tester by default.

And no, I was not too happy when SVN was opened to the public.

this sounds like a great new feature ;-)

i have a question, did you also externalize the condition for bobby ray's website to become activated?

i wouldn't mind having this separated from the shipment drop location.

great job there, keep it up!

Hm, I missed that one. But that's no problem. I'll add that to my next build.
My idea is to implement this as an optional destination element property in ShippingDestinations.xml (like <fActivatesBobbyR>) and if it's not specified anywhere, Bobby R will be available from the start.

On another note, thanks to all here for the friendly welcome and for your support.

Ok, back to work.

sorry that i insist, it is something i have been thinking about for some time now; what kind of elements can you think of for <fActivatesBobbyR> ?

would it be possible to have a certain progression value or a game trigger work for this?
In analogy to, for example, how the mines are being activated or skyrider and a lot of other things?

or what other means to activate bobby ray's do you have in mind?

Well my original idea was to simply make <fActivatesBobbyR> an optional tag to a shipping destination, that would activate Bobby Ray once the sector specified for that destination is conquered by the player. However your last post gave me an idea.

Something like this:



All conditions within a <TRIGGER> must be true to activate that trigger and so on. This would be a rather simple solution (compared to a scripting interface). I'll look into this next after I have finished work on the shipping system and BobbyR integration. Hopefully RL won't consume too much of my time.

Ps.: I really love JA2 RR, great work there, scorpion!

This is one of the things i've been waiting for for a long time. This will go a long way toward giving modders the ability to make really different maps.


Well done Dealtar!

i agree for once with khor 1255

this might give his and other future mods the chance to actually move drassen to somewhere else (within some limitations thought)

the trigger support would be fantastic to have.

Thank you for your great effort! I think together with Haydents multiplayer support, this is one by far most awaited things to happen for this game.

An option to always have it active and available to ship anywhere through the ini would be great to have. Especially for test playing it should be very handy not requiring to talk to certain people for it to become active.

It would actually be super if it could be made as it works in the multiplayer, where you can outfit your mercs before even going to the first sector. I have always missed that feature.

Hi,

thanks again for your friendly comments. Just as an update, all of the shipping features are implemented now. I still got to do some testing but I haven't encountered any major problems yet. I have only found one minor bug in the current rev, though I've already got a bugfix for that which I'll comit to my SVN branch tonight. When I'm satisfied with my current rev, I'll start doing some r&d on the trigger system.

- Dealtar

I can't find the link to download... I've checked the SVN also, but still can't find anything :S

Status? What ever happened with this?
Last commit to SVN from Dealtar was 1-17
Have outstanding bugs?
Need help merging with the latest trunk?

And what happened to your spreadpatterns zilpin?
I'm still waiting

Well, they got merged. Yesterday.
Posted today. Go have a look.

I was REALLY looking foreward to these externalisations. Finally something of substance for the project and not just cosmetic concerns and fixing what isn't even broken.

I hope he hasn't dissapeared.

If we don't hear from Dealtar by the end of the week, I'll pull the last code he posted to SVN and merge it with trunk this weekend.

Merged with trunk revision 1981 (the latest, as of now).
Builds, and is ready for testing.

Available in SVN at:
https://81.169.133.124/source/ja2/branches/zilpin/AirportsXML

Zilpin's spread shot pattern mod and Dealtar's flexible shipping system, needs to be looked at seriously, and implemented in the next official release in my opinion anyway. I have been waiting for them to be added, but some things get over looked sometimes. So let's get cracking and test these a little more heavily, and get these added.

yup, amen to that.

This weekend I merge both with latest trunk.
Will post when done.

[Edit]
Done. In SVN.
Merged with trunk r2046.

hey guys, how do you download this mod?

yeah , a little more information please marlman , is it in latest 1.13 ?
after reading these posts , I dont see where it is either ..... has it been tested , any word from dealtor , etc.........

Dealtar disappeared.
It's not in the trunk source code as of r2114. Not sure if anyone more important than myself is merging into trunk. The core team is very busy, so maybe this was forgotten.

A month ago I copied it in SVN into my branch, merged with NewInv and all updates up to revision 2046.
I will be merging trunk revision 2114 into it this weekend.
Source code and test data can be found here:
https://81.169.133.124/source/ja2/branches/zilpin/AirportsXML

I have only done basic testing, trusting Dealtar's code. I have not done any testing with changing Dealtar's new XML files.

No clue what anyone else has done or is doing.

It's not merged, but we do know about it. MM has been testing it and I know several others want it in, but this thread doesn't seem to be going anywhere anymore aside from Ziplin posting merges. In fact, if just by reading this thread I had to guess how many people were actively testing this, I'd guess it's just Ziplin and MM.

wasn't the mantra that things that are in SVN/ public release get tested by all the community etc etc.?

personally, at some point i didn't see dealtar writing neither postings nor PM's anymore, and the other guys supposedly working on scripting with him... well, they are very busy too it appears.

Unfortunately I have not had enough time lately to test much of anything. But I do hope some others will at least give this and Zilpins spread shot mod the proper look see that they both deserve.

And I also know Zilpin was working on a claymore explosion type mod based on his spread shot mod, that also looks very promising.

@Scorp, that's true, the 2085 release is out, and a patched EXE is even available for it, so new features could be merged in now. I beleive we will have to wait for MP to be merged first, and since it messes with Bobby Rays, the externalized drop point code will likely have to be altered some.

I just wrote lalien a mail that he can merge the multiplayer code in the main source code. Should be done in a few days.

wow, great, can't wait for that bullet effect!

you guys want to merge multiplayer?

personally, i would have opted to develop the MP independantly. But then i haven't yet really had a chance to really look at the MP mode so... no real judgement here, just a feeling

i wanted to install and test MP but neve rgot around to


well bullet effect, some peops like it, some hate it --> optional

Single player runs safe side by side with multiplayer code. The earlier we merge mutliplayer we can get rid of applying bugfixes to different source code projects. Also if multiplayer is merged in, I bet lots of people will play + test multiplayer. So I think it is good to have it in the offical svn source code.

of course optional, but i cant wait, when you try it, you cant imagine game without it. I'm playing JA2 since it came out, and i didnt mind of pixel bullets. After i tried Badass mod with dynamic bullet effect, i have problem to play without it...

If it runs safely side by side, then what's the reason it hasn't been merged. MP is the future of Ja2 anyway :

edit: no JMX. we don't stand a chance so i don't want to force myself to suffer

a little offtopic... sorry for that: Hey Majek, are you watching Ice Hockey? Slovakia vs Slovenia 1:0 (so far)

sure. i was just thinking that multiplayer might need special treatment and maybe things that don't mix well with singleplayer and vice-versa, not loading stuff from singleP to MP that MP doesn't really benefit.

but i have to test MP in a serious way if i ever i get the time to do so anyway, so forget what i wrote for the moment, i'll revise or back up my uneducated guess later on anyway.

in case MP needs special multiplayer versions of ja2 maps, it'd be damn good if the editor ran smoothly again. i'll be testing that as well, chrisL is working on that.

oh, and for MP purposes, i also highly recommend to be able to do much more stuff in the editor, especially triggers action of different kinds as they are commonly known in almost every multiplayer game (also fun maps)

Sounds like airports got lost in the shuffle. Another thread derailment.

Not lost at all. Just has not been implemented yet. I usually wait on Rowa21 and the other team dudes to hash things over, before it goes in.

as long as it will be sometime

Edit:
wow since when did i get a special icon?