Adventure Extensions? 099a Crashes!

[Periculi]

Just trying to get an adventure extension to work- but the instructions seem to be beyond me.

What is it looking for? The instructions say that <TranscendenceAdventure> must be the Root element, but what does that mean? Do I still use <TranscendenceExtension>? Does it go in the Extension folder? Could you post a **Working** sample of this?

I copied the entire System topology and Adventure desc into an extension file, wrapped it in a <TranscendenceAdventure element and it refuses to load (unknown design element)

I moved the <TranscendenceAdventure> element outside of the <TranscendenceExtension> element and get the error: unable to load extension, incompatible version. (Yes, I updated the extension to 0.99, created and tested a blank extension which loads fine, and don't see the problem)

Removing the extension element also gives an incompatible version error.

This works-

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!DOCTYPE TranscendenceExtension
	[
	<!ENTITY unidExtension				"0xDDDD0001">
	
		
	
]>
<TranscendenceExtension UNID="&unidExtension;" version="0.99">



</TranscendenceExtension>

this doesn't-

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!DOCTYPE TranscendenceExtension
	[
	<!ENTITY unidExtension				"0xDDDD0001">
	
		
	
]>
<TranscendenceExtension UNID="&unidExtension;" version="0.99">
<TranscendenceAdventure>

..the other elements from transcendence.xml are here...
</TranscendenceAdventure>
</TranscendenceExtension>

[george moromisato]

Sorry about that. Try this one:

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" ?>

<TranscendenceAdventure 
		UNID=				"0xA1070000"
		version=			"0.99"
		>

	<AdventureDesc
		    UNID=				"@1"
			name=				"Sample Adventure"
			backgroundID=		""
			>
	</AdventureDesc>

	<SystemTopology>

		<Node ID="SE" rootNode="true">
			<System name="Eridani"				level="1">
				<System UNID="&ssStartonEridani;"/>
			</System>

			<StarGates>
				<StarGate Name="Outbound" DestID="EndGame"/>
			</StarGates>
		</Node>

		<Node ID="EndGame"
				endGame="true"
				endGameReason="escaped"
				epitaph="escaped the Sample Adventure"
				>
		</Node>

	</SystemTopology>

</TranscendenceAdventure>

[Periculi]

Hmm... well, that one worked.

When I used the adventure desc part from your posted sample on a copy of the existing topology <systemtopology> it didn't show up.

When I used two of the samples, only yours showed up.

Yes, I changed the UNID and other parts to distinguish between the two samples.

Do Adventure extensions support more than 1 extension?

EDIT- oh.. what is that unid="@1"? seems to be that- when I use anything else in there the adventure extension has some issues (for instance "@2" didn't show up, but if both samples used "@1" they show. ???)

[Periculi]

They both crash the game when selected.


Thinking that it might be related to the Events in the adventure desc, I added that tag to the sample from transcendence.xml, but unfortunately it still crashes right after being selected.


Addit- The debug file doesn't mention anything, and I don't see any difference between having the events in the adventure desc or not. Even if I place a copy of the transcendence xml version in there the adventure crashes, even though the regular game still works. The crash happens immediately upon choosing the adventure.

[Betelgeuse]

I can confirm the trouble in getting the AdventureDesc to work.
I keep getting an is Corrupt error.

[Periculi]

While I was mowing the lawn I thought of a question-

If the adventure extensions don't load overrides when they aren't in use, does that apply to the reverse- does the adventure extension need all of it's own design types? Do the design types from transcendence.xml and modules transfer to the adventure extension?

For instance, in the above sample the topology calls for system UNID ssStartonEridani. Does that system design type need to be in the extension?

I guess what I am thinking is that maybe the adventure extensions are just a way to fully override the tdb but need to be entirely self contained.

Vista reports this:

Code: Select all

Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:	APPCRASH
  Application Name:	Transcendence.exe
  Application Version:	0.9.90.0
  Application Timestamp:	489008eb
  Fault Module Name:	Transcendence.exe
  Fault Module Version:	0.9.90.0
  Fault Module Timestamp:	489008eb
  Exception Code:	c0000005
  Exception Offset:	0006b1b3
  OS Version:	6.0.6001.2.1.0.768.3
  Locale ID:	1033
  Additional Information 1:	fd00
  Additional Information 2:	ea6f5fe8924aaa756324d57f87834160
  Additional Information 3:	fd00
  Additional Information 4:	ea6f5fe8924aaa756324d57f87834160

[george moromisato]

Oops! OK, I found the crash bug. It was introduced by the random device work that I did.

I've fixed it in 0.99a, which I will upload today or tomorrow.

[Periculi]

today or tomorrow... *sigh*






just kidding, glad you found the solution!

[Betelgeuse]

hmm but now that you have said that I will have to try making a random equipment starting ship

[george moromisato]

hmm but now that you have said that I will have to try making a random equipment starting ship

Please do, but set your expectations low because I haven't tried that yet. It should work, but you never know...

[Betelgeuse]

works great
the ship picking screen is wrong but that is a good thing.
Can devices work with lookup or randomItem? (say you wanted to start with a random level one weapon that can handle new modded weapons being added easily)

[Periculi]

Betelgeuse, did I owe you a hijacked thread?


George, I copied the adventure extension as you have it posted here into 099a and it crashed the same as before.

If it is the code you posted, could you make a sample for us that worked for you with 099a that we can look at, otherwise, is it going to have to be "wait for 099b"?

[Periculi]

Wow! It works in the unpacked version George. What's the difference between the compiled and decompiled game, I wonder.

I actually like using the unpacked version of the game to make mods, and have never seen a difference in the game, except that the mods work better and can do more when the game has been unpacked and the alterations are close to the source (or actually the source). All this hubbaloo about using the extension system has never proven to me to be worth the effort it seems to take to make the system work.

Why hide all the modules and xml in the first place? It seems counter productive! In order to learn to mod the game, I have needed to use the xml from transcendence source. The main site and the forums constantly refer to the xml for samples, but the new players (I was one) have to go through a huge learning curve just to get to an understanding that the game as packaged needs to be unpacked, and that certain things can't be made into extensions, and then, once you got all that- you still need the unpacked xml to see how things are being done.

You have to use a special tool to access the primary source of understanding how to even use the extensions and what can be done with the xml.

Even the handy samples on xelerus don't go far enough to make the xml as a source of understanding no longer necessary.

The previous bugs with overrides don't do much to improve my confidence that the adventure extensions format is going to be a working system, or if it finally works, will it really ever be as simple and straight forward as changing transcendence.xml? How many hours of wondering if mod script is broken will people be going through only to discover they were dealing with a previously unmentioned limitation in the extension system that could have been avoided by simply dealing with the source xml in the first place?

So, answer me this (anyone)- why use extensions at all, except as a place to put xml files whose content is less permanent than a module? To create a really smooth and functional mod system, why handicap the process with all these layers that seem to serve only to add complexity and bugs to the entire game?

You can claim that mods corrupt or break the original game and that that is why it is useful to use the extension format, but that's not even realistic. Ever hear of backups? Of course we run the risk of breaking the game- but that happens with extensions all the time. And at least when I use the unpacked xml, I don't have to try to remember some esoteric over-ride rules and guidelines that no one has been able to fully work the bugs out of. I can recall hours and hours spent trying to get a screen override to work or a system over ride to work when in actuality they never worked due to the extension system not my code- and who explained the limitations? Nobody. Was it posted in the release notes, bug threads or anywhere else? No.

Do you sense that I might have a little frustration?

George, did you test the adventure extensions in the game in a compiled vrersion? This seems like a major addition- far beyond a font issue, or a few typo fixes, or some extra functions- this is a fundamental change to the method that the topology is implemented- and it doesn't work in the out-of-the-zip and into the extension folder format that it was (I thought) designed for.

If it's designed to be used as part of the unpacked version, why bother? We were doing just fine creating networks in the existing format.

(thanks for the node attributes and functions, at any rate. Hope to test them soon.)

Don't let me get you down George- I just don't understand the purpose and usefulness of the extensions format and the compiled tdb version of the game.

[Bobby]

why use extensions at all

for ease of distributing mods, and so they can coexist without tediuos merging, and so when a new version is released we don't have to completly redo all the mods.

or does the question pertain only to adventure extensions? if so maybe to have multiple simultanious options.

[Betelgeuse]

Betelgeuse, did I owe you a hijacked thread?

Yes please hijack as much as you like. (at worse all we have is a split thread)

but anyway I can confirm that TranscendenceAdventure still gives me the is Corrupt error. I didn't try the unpacked version because that is a bit pointless.