[MD Tool] MD Control (Scripts can send vars to MD) v1.13a - 20Jan2010

[h2o.Ava]

Introduction
. . Currently Mission Director(MD) can start a script and pass arguments into the script while it is impossible for a Script Engine/Editor(SE) to directly start or pass arguments to MD. This means that MD to SE communication is a one way transaction.
. . However, MD does have the ability to monitor for changes in the game and some of those changes can be manipulated by SE. MD Control(MDC) has been created to allow you to use SE to manipulate: start, stop, and send variables, your MDs by simply passing a key and any variables to MDC.
. . MDC accomplishes this by creating a logic circuit consisting of control ships and stations in an isolated sector. The SE then utilizes the logic circuit to communicate with the MD. Game performance should not be affected, since there is very little processing required and the ships/stations race logic is turned off.


Downloads

Installation

Everyone:

• Change the directory name from "director Vanilla" or "director XTC" to "director" based on which map you are using Vanilla or XTC.
  
• Reinit script cache, then follow the instruction messages.
  v1.13a (zip)
  Contents:
  MD_Control_Sector.xml -- (MD: Control sector/ships/stations creator)
  MD_variable.xml -- (MD: MDC's Variable handler)
  setup.md.control.xml -- (SE: MDC Setup)
  md.control.create.xml -- (SE: Initial setup of stations/ships)
  md.control.key.xml -- (SE: processes your key and sends it to main)
  md.control.main.xml -- (SE: activates MD)
  md.control.reset.xml -- (SE: resets ships and stations)
  9876-L044.xml -- (T: Contains control sector's name: MD Control)
  
  
  Developers:
  Note: The sector MD Control only appears on flat maps. If you are using the vanilla map style, then press 'm' until it is displayed in the description box, typically two times.
  
  dev1.11a (7z)
  Contents:
  MD_template.xml -- (MD: Template to follow to use MDC)
  MD_Example_Test.xml -- (MD: Example/Test MD)
  md.control.example.test.xml -- (SE: Used to activate MD_Example_Test
  
  
  
  
  Example v1.1 - Testing Procedure
  [list=1]
• Place all files in respective folders (MD in /director, SE in /scripts, T in /t)
  
• Load a save or create a new game
  
• Wait for pause and two messages:
  
  1. MDC-SE: script delay
     
  2. MDC-MD: control sector creation

Reinit script cache

Wait for pause and message, MDC-SE: Ready

Open script editor

Run: -md.control.example.test-


_________________


-|Organic Notoriety|- -|Dynamic Colored Sector Names|-

Last edited by h2o.Ava on Fri, 21. Jan 11, 02:30; edited 29 times in total

[h2o.Ava]

What does MDC allow you to do?

MDs conditionals are not flexible.
SE is extremely flexible.
Using SE you can determine exactly when and why a MD is run.
Use a script to change backgrounds, add suns, give rewards, start missions.
(If you have more ideas on how this can work. Please post them.)



How MDC works

---Activation---
-Script Engine-
After assigning each of your MDs a unique 6 digit key. Have your script send that key to MD Control, which will activate the MD assigned to that key.

[h2o.Ava]

Todo for MD Control - 1.2
(25% done)

Script:
10% - Pass complex variables to MD
-- 25% - Strings
-- 25% - Complex Variables
-- 25% - Negative Numbers
(doesn't seem like we can pass anything but strings and numbers)
(An object library might need to be created in MD so SE can pass MD a number and MD will translate it into classes and types)


MD:
10% - Receive strings from SE and convert them to numbers/classes/types



-----------------------------
Tutorial/Instructions:
50% - Standardization
50% - Example

[apricotslice]

What your doing is less important here than how your doing it.

So please explain the object of the exercise, and then how each part of it interacts with each other.

The object as I see it here, is to explain to us step by step, how to get MD and script to interact. So the what is just a means to an end to explain the how.

So far you have simply demonstrated that creating in MD can be used by a script. Its the interaction and the mechanism for doing so, back and forth, that needs detailed explaining.

Its encouraging to see you get this far, but so far, I'm not really sure how, or if the method is reproducable for varying situations.

[enenra]

I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to do, h2o.AvA.

MD and scripts can communicate, it just isn't as easy as forwarding a variable for the SE to MD side. But MD and SE can work together and they have been used in conjunction before - see for example the New Home Plot (the Sudoku Part).

[h2o.Ava]

Do you mean that I can already start a MD from a script?
What is the name of New Home's director file?

edit: CSV, I'll read those and see.

[enenra]

[apricotslice]

Actually enenra, what we really need is the ability to start an MD from a script and the ability for an MD to call a script.

There are things which both do better than the other and it would be good to be able to start or stop the other from the other, and run each other from the other.

For example, missions that trigger from the variables in a script. You only want the mission to trigger becoming available when the script has determined it should.

Likewise, during a mission, an MD could call a specific script to allow for specific ship movements to happen. The MD can create the ships, but a script can make them do things.

The situation with game starts where too big a start file conflicts with too many setup scripts. We get around it by setting a gloabl variable so that the setup scripts get run only on the second game load, but it would be very useful for modding for that same script to also call an MD to delay the start or to remove a complicate start into its own MD file, so keeping start.xml simple. The code for my AMS start almost doubles the size of start.xml for example, and it would be useful if that code could be executed out of a script after the second game load when the rest of the mod is set up.

Edit :
I see direct interaction between script and MD as a major oversight in the creation of the MD.

[enenra]

There is a command to run a script in the MD.

[apricotslice]

When is the MD going to get some decent documentation ?

Seems like it has many things no one knows anything about.

And besides, that example made no sense whatsoever.

Not being critical, but it just makes no sense to someone who only has a basic understanding of MD.

Theres a lot the MD does that makes no sense to me at all.

And even though I can read the code, without a decent manual for using the MD, I cant write it.

[h2o.Ava]

[Ketraar]

[h2o.Ava]

Now that's a good idea.
Use the ships stats and cargo to pass information.
Can MD pull exact data off an object and store it in a variable?
Like if it has 512 ecells, its hull is at 1000035, anything else that might be able to pass information?

[Ketraar]

Pretty much anything, yes.

Look at the {object.* variables in the MD html (pretty much at the bottom) you should find lots that read info from objects, being it internal (cargo) or external values.

MFG

Ketraar

[enenra]

@aprictoslice

Currently, the only way to effectively learn MD coding is to study the existing files extensively and then writing your own code, starting with, for example, a simple mission, later a first generic mission, then a next one etc.
During learning you'll need someone who knows the MD well to work with you, answer your questions quickly and look through your code.

That's the way I've learned it - only took me around 4 months of working with the MD every day around 6 hours.

There is an existing documentation pdf, which is horribly outdated but still useful to understand the general structure. There's also the html file Ketraar mentioned which I recommend strongly. No better place to learn of the MD's cspabilities. Finally you might want to take a look at the first mission I wrote and documented extensively - the Rescue the Boron Princess-mission.