The X3 Savegame Manager - updated 07/01/2012 - X3: Albion Prelude Version released

[mrbadger]

Sounds good.

I think, a "launch game"-button would be nice

A single launch button wouldn't help much. There's normal X3:TC, Steam X3:TC, then some people have multiple installs, or just the one install in a non standard location, so the app would have to find it, or they'd have to navigate to it, which isn't automatic, and thus less convenient.

I'm getting the impression that more than one install is not unusual for people running mods/scripts and such, so ther would need to be a drop down list of installs to choose from, which they would have to set up themselves.

All very fiddly.

I'm not saying it won't happen, but I need to work out a way of trying to autodetect all installs, then figure out how to present that list in a nice, simple way. Its on the list of things to do, but not near the top.

- MrBadger

[mrbadger]

The beta testing build of the next version of the savegame manager is now available for download. The download link is on the first post of this thread.

This release is for testing only. Please don't use it on your current set of campaigns, or your current active campaign.

Plese refer to entry 8 of the savegame manager FAQ (second post in this thread) for the guidelines before running any testing release. Really, this is important..

This testing release adds a new feature and will update the current campaign info.xml files from version 1.0 to version 1.1, which contains new elements. Version 1.1 cannot be loaded by the current stable release of the savegame manager, so you must not let it update your main campaigns folder.

Well enough of that, on with the actual reason for this testing release...

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This testing release includes a new logfile feature which improves on the original, somewhat basic, campaign descriptive text.

After your initial description on creating the campaign, you can now add decent, incrementally numbered, log file entries.

The default logfile entry format is pretty basic, but you can edit it. There are two tokens available for you to use which will add the log number where you want it, or the current date and time in short format.

The current logfile entry template is

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Log entry: <lognum>
Day: 

Which, when a new logfile entry is made (lets assume its the second logfile entry), becomes

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Log entry: 2
Day: 

If you wanted to go ahead and have the date in there, you could change the template to

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Log entry: <lognum>
Date: <datetime>

Which would become, when a logfile entry was made

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Log entry: 2
Date: 2009-06-06:20-27-14

Updating the logfile of the active campaign is achieved in the same way as it is in the current stable version. Click edit active campaign text . The new logfile manager will appear.

[ external image ]

Clicking 'New Log Entry' will add the logfile entry template to the current logfile text, and you can then add to it as required. To save the new logfile entry, click 'Save'

Altering the logfile template is done by clicking the edit log template button' in the logfile viewer. This brings up the following dialog:

[ external image ]

Using this you can alter the basic template in any way you wish, then either save your changes by clicking 'Save and Exit', revert to to the default version by clicking 'Reset to default', or if you decide not to make any changes, click 'Exit without saving'

I decided to add this because it seems to me, with this DiD thing, and the X3TCsmp idea, that some players may have a use for a log of their gameplaying experience.

Personally I don't need one for X3:TC, but I wish I'd kept one for my exploits in my first Elite game, since my memory of 1984 isn't too clear..

(oh dear, did I type that with my outside voice?...)

[GrahamAtome]

Beta testing build 1.b

Not managed to break it so far.

[mrbadger]

Beta testing build 1.b

Not managed to break it so far.

Ta

I'm waitng for your final result, then I'm going to release the next version.

After that I'll leave the savegame manager as it is for a while. I suppose I really ought to find out whether people start using it before doing anything else.

Besides, my holiday's over as of tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to cram as much coding time in on this as I have been over the last fortnight.

Also, I finally worked out how to set the position of the program and its dialogs on screen, so it won't be all over the place any more.

[GrahamAtome]

OK grabbed the big hammer, tried all of the options, still can't break it.

[mrbadger]

OK grabbed the big hammer, tried all of the options, still can't break it.

Righto, I'll do the release tomorrow evening (or today evening, since its past midnight )

[mrbadger]

The latest version of the savegame manager - 1.b - is now available for download.

This version replaces the old comment text with a log file keeping system that's somewhat more capable.
You can now keep a log file of your game as it progresses, where each log entry is numbered, or dated if you want. The template for a log entry is fully customisable to suit your needs.

The user guide in the first post of this thread has been updated to include a guide to using the log file system.

This release will update your campaign information files (named campaign file.xml) to version 1.1, which allows it to support the new log file system. They will be updated the next time you activate the campaign they manage.

This upgrade does not effect the savegame files themselves, and the savegame manager does not alter those.

[mrbadger]

Hi

I've got some free time this weekend, so I thought I'd spend a little time on the savegame manager.

Does anyone that's used it have any suggestions for features or alterations?

Personally I'm thinking of adding in some checks on savegame files that mean only savegame files that need to be moved to or from storage are moved, so I'm going to add in file difference checking (checksum comparison).

For example: if you want to update the stored savegames in a campaign with contents of the X3:TC savegame folder, and there are twelve savegames in the active campaign, but you have only changed two, the current behavious is that all twelve savegames get copied back, regardless of whether they differ from the files already stored.

This strikes me as a bit of a waste, especially for people who might be keeping the savegame manager and their campaigns on a USB stick. You might end up copying 160Mb when you only changed one or two 12Mb files.

Therefore the new behaviour will be that the savegame manager checks the save files in the X3:TC savegame folder against those in storage, and only updates the savegame files that have been changed.

Also, has anyone used the pilots log feature? Is it basically any use at all? I'm going to add in the option to export the log to a text file, so you won't have to be editing the campaign file to extract the log.

I'll be starting making the changes on saturday, submit any suggestions before then please

- MrBadger

[Alan Phipps]

Hi mrbadger: Just a question that might lead to a feature suggestion. Is there a way in the manager to mark or make a save invulnerable to overwrite?

Say I had a game where I had just done something huge, like finished the hub say, and was not sure which way I wanted to go next. I might want to try out different forks (I am aware of your forked campaigns) from that point but whatever I do, I don't want to risk contaminating that root save in case I want to start from there again with yet another fork. Can I in a way archive that save with a 'do not overwrite' flag and message?

[mrbadger]

Hi mrbadger: Just a question that might lead to a feature suggestion. Is there a way in the manager to mark or make a save invulnerable to overwrite?

Say I had a game where I had just done something huge, like finished the hub say, and was not sure which way I wanted to go next. I might want to try out different forks (I am aware of your forked campaigns) from that point but whatever I do, I don't want to risk contaminating that root save in case I want to start from there again with yet another fork. Can I in a way archive that save with a 'do not overwrite' flag and message?

I see what you mean. This sounds a lot like the restore point feature I decided to drop initially (not because of difficulty, I didn't think there would be a need, seems this was wrong). That feature if implemented, would make a copy of your savegames at a point you specify, then that restore point could not itself be over-written, but you could 'revert' to it at any time.

Well that sort of covers what you ask. I shall give this some thought.

Thanks for the suggestion Alan.

[Alan Phipps]

Sounds good, although if you don't need the whole restore point issue then call it a 'firesafe' folder and just let us put single saves in there (now with your excellent description facility) rather than complete campaigns.

[mrbadger]

Sounds good, although if you don't need the whole restore point issue then call it a 'firesafe' folder and just let us put single saves in there (now with your excellent description facility) rather than complete campaigns.

I've had some thought (well just took a shower, which more or less ends up as the same thing, only I smell better). Rather than restore points I shall add a 'vault' into which copies of campaigns can be sent (perhaps as you say single savegames too, but that brings in the possibility someone might pick the wrong one to send to the vault, which would be tragedaic, I'll work on this, there should be a way of making mistakes unlikely).

The way the vault will work is you have to pick a unique name for the campaign you place in the vault, and from then on the folder that gets created will not be allowed to be overwritten by anything else sent to the vault. All you will be able to do is create a new campaign from a campaign stored in the vault.

I think that covers everything. I will use the same dialog for preparing a campaign to be placed in the vault as I do when a new campaignh is created, which will provide the nessesary means to add some descriptive text.

That gives what you want, and avoids the problems with the restore point feature that I was trying to avoid (this being ever escalating numbers of savegame copies).

[GrahamAtome]

making the files in the vault read only is fine however you will need to provide an unlock feature, as at some point someone is going to want to delete them.

Nothing is forever.

[mrbadger]

making the files in the vault read only is fine however you will need to provide an unlock feature, as at some point someone is going to want to delete them.

Nothing is forever.

Very true..

It looks like its time to add a more complex campaign management system. Rather than add such a feature to the main interface I'll add a campaign/vault management panel to the file menu. That way it's available, but not something a player might accidentally click whilst using the primary interface.

As per normal I'll be releasing a beta test version first, I assume you will be willing to do some testing before I declare the new version as stable?

- MrBadger

[GrahamAtome]

Your assumption is correct

[Spaceweed Adict]

Hay nice piece of kit mrbadger been trying it out today and the beta version seems fine to me.
Just wish I would of had this baby a few weeks ago before I had that bloody system crash would of saved my last game from oblivian.

Anyways mate brilliant little tool will be using it in future not having that happen to me again

Hay just a little point mrbadger it might be worth enforcising a bit more to make sure you have Java Runtime installed before trying to run the program.

I didn't and my winrar program keeped unpacking it till I read your instructions properly and realized I didn't have Java runtime installed

No problem with the program the problem was me being a thicko and should of realized a Jar is a java script

[mrbadger]

Hi

Glad you like it. The current version is actually stable, the beta of the next version is what I'm working on right now.

I added a mention of the java runtime requirement in the installation section of the guide.

- MrBadger

[draffutt]

small request:

would it be possible to change the backround and font colors? i understand if you are not able to. but it never hurts to ask.

[mrbadger]

small request:

would it be possible to change the backround and font colors? i understand if you are not able to. but it never hurts to ask.

To what though?

If I have time I'll make it an option in the config file.

[GrahamAtome]

looking at the program at the moment and black on white and black on beige seems to be a pretty good contrast.

what do you want pink on burple?