| From: | abortion_engine abortion_engine@*******.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Shadowrun Car Show |
| Date: | Wed, 22 Sep 1999 09:41:40 -0400 |
> > ... For one
> > thing, The Shop doesn't allow you to add in things like
> > cyberarm options
> > (you can implant into a mechanical arm anything you can implant into a
> > cyberarm at a fraction of the cost.); something which was
> > integral to my
>
> Err, yeah - cyberarm options. *sigh* While it's not written in
> directly, you *could* add your own Modifications and include them
> that way. The Shop wasn't meant to do *everything* under the sun,
> but it *will* do a lot.
>
> > puppy drone :) Secondly, I don't trust the shop entirely
>
> Don't *trust* it? Uh, the math or something else? If you find a math
> problem, *please* bring it to my attention!
>
> > (Sorry James if
> > your lurking :) ... particularly, the Engine Customization is a bit
>
> I always lurk. Threads about rigging, cars and The Shop particularly
> interest me... :-)
>
> > difficult to deal with. :/ Additionally, on page 122, at the
>
> Hm? It *could* be easier I suppose, but I don't find it difficult -
> just select however many levels of EC you want, and then choose
> where to put them. *shrug* I did have to make some usability
> tradeoffs in order to get the flexibility I wanted.
>
> > end of the
> > description of Turbocharging it says the Aircraft (except electrically
> > powered aircraft) cannot be turbocharged because it is
> > already factored
> > in, yet The Shop allows it. I know James consulted Jon Szeto a great
>
> No it doesn't. Or rather, it lets you select it, but turns the Level
> monitor red (well, rose actually ;-) ) to let you know that it's an
> illegal modification.
>
> > deal during the programing of The Shop but without the R2
> > errata, this is
> > officially an error.
>
> Later you wrote:
>
> > The Shop is not perfect (Are people still having problems getting all of
>
> Not perfect!? Sheesh! What land of milk and software do you live in?
;-)
>
> > it on the screen with lower resolutions? If so, then requiring the shop
> > prevents those prosepective contestants from participating.).
>
> Even if the window won't fit on the screen all at once, you can still
> use it. Trust me, I've done it. :-)
> Aside from which, the file format is absurdly simple - take a look at
> the contents of a .shp file and you'll see what I mean. So, there are
> at least 3 solutions to this problem:
> 1) Get enough people to bug me to convince me it's worth my time to
> change it
> 2) Move the window around as required
> 3) Use something else (notepad, say) to create the appropriate datafile
> (this requires that the names be entered exactly as in The Shop,
> however - it's not forgiving of typos)
>
> > Additionally, the Shop is a Windows only program ... is this a Windows
> > only contest? (Hey, maybe M$ will sponsor it ...)
>
> Well, it's written in VB4, but *most* of the code is actually just an
> interpreter for the *real* code in the .dat files. The source is on
> the web page along with the program... :-)
> Writing a perl interface to output stats, say, wouldn't be hard. It
> *would* be work, though.
>
> > I like the Shop but I'll like it more when it works better. :) I still
> > think the best bet is to have a competent, trustworthy person review the
> > designs.
>
> Oh, definitely - the thing is that math has to be checked and all. If
> the vehicle is submitted as a .shp file, you only have to trust The
> Shop's math - assuming that the vehicle competition is to be limited
> to designs that are legal by R2 rules.
>
> If we want to allow any customization whatsoever, people could also submit
> .dat files with their custom chasses/mods/etc. It'd save me the work of
> typing them up after the fact in any case... :-)
>
> James Ojaste
> The Shop can be found at http://ojastej.dhs.org/~ojastej/SR/
>
>
With these details in mind, I think The Shop will be more effective as a
tool, and option, than a required parameter. [Far be it from me to limit my
Mac brothers.] Further details will have to be ironed out between myself and
the Project Head Programmer. More details to come.
