[Universe] Help!

[Kilgs]

Just purchased Universe and am a complete zero when it comes to “relational databases” and all that other monkey talk. So can someone point me in the direction of a Tutorial or FAQ. Please be patient as I am NOT a computer person.

Also…

1. After realizing defeat on that end until you people come to my rescue, I decided to try and import some of the H&E sectors that I have created. No can do.

I can get to the Import window, set the parameters and then I go to “Set”. When I open up the file for my HE sectors there is nothing there under the folder in the Traveller Exchange format. The files are there in HES but I can’t see them.

Any ideas?

2. In the process of playing around, I managed to delete some of the sectors in the sample. So now I have these grey areas in the map… (I know I’m an idiot).

-Can I create new sectors in the grey area without importing them from somewhere else?

-I uninstalled and reinstalled the application to get them back and now I have two of all the files (Sample, Sample-1, Personal, Personal-1). WTF? Is this is a problem?

3. I think I have managed to create the new Sector in a different database. It created a Dummy sector at 0,0.

-How do I change the Sector Name?

-How do I add additional Sectors?

-How do I put the sectors at different coordinates (ie. -9,-9)?

4. No J-6 Map? Trying it made my computer freeze because it could not find "object at those ordinals"?

Thanks for your help!

 

[jfetters]

Hi Kilgs,

I can answer some of the questions, having dealt with it myself. Hemdian can probably answer the others...

Just purchased Universe and am a complete zero when it comes to “relational databases” and all that other monkey talk. So can someone point me in the direction of a Tutorial or FAQ. Please be patient as I am NOT a computer person.

Also…

1. After realizing defeat on that end until you people come to my rescue, I decided to try and import some of the H&E sectors that I have created. No can do.

I can get to the Import window, set the parameters and then I go to “Set”. When I open up the file for my HE sectors there is nothing there under the folder in the Traveller Exchange format. The files are there in HES but I can’t see them.

Any ideas?

Yes - you have to use the Universe manager program to allow the Interbase database to know about the other formats for import.

Launch the manager, and click the Register button in the IEL grouping. It should default to the install directory which has IEL files that describe the other formats. For H&E, select the "Heaven&Earth" selection and enter HES in the Extension field. Put whatever you like in the description. Click Register and you should be able to import HES files next time you launch Universe.

-Can I create new sectors in the grey area without importing them from somewhere else?

AFAIK, you have to import first before you do anything with a sector.

-How do I put the sectors at different coordinates (ie. -9,-9)?

If you right click an empty sector square, it forces you to use those coordinates. If you click Import Sector option under Maintenance, you can place the sector anywhere you like.

Once you get the IELs registered, you can import until the cows come home. I don't think you can change the name without a re-import of the sector or directly accessing the database.

 

[Hemdian]

Just purchased Universe and am a complete zero when it comes to “relational databases” and all that other monkey talk. So can someone point me in the direction of a Tutorial or FAQ. Please be patient as I am NOT a computer person.

If everything installed okay then you don't really need to know about relational databases, most of Universe is designed to work assuming you don't. If you have specific problems then I will try to help ...

1. After realizing defeat on that end until you people come to my rescue, I decided to try and import some of the H&E sectors that I have created. No can do.

I can get to the Import window, set the parameters and then I go to “Set”. When I open up the file for my HE sectors there is nothing there under the folder in the Traveller Exchange format. The files are there in HES but I can’t see them.

Any ideas?

Ignore TUX format for the moment. Most sector files have similar layouts. Rather than write several almost identical bits of code the whole thing is controlled by a parameter file called an IEL. Several IEL files are provided and you can even create your own (but I wouldn't recommend that just yet). To make IEL files available you need to run the helper program Traveller Universe Manager (which should have been installed when you installed Universe). Click the IEL register button to show the register window and select one from the list. Enter the file extension you usually get for that file and a brief description. Then click the register button of the register window. Repeat for each IEL you want to use. For example, the IEL file Heaven&Earth world be used on files with a HES extension.

Now when you try and import or export a sector the new types you have registered will be available in the file type dropdown list. So if you want to import a H&E sector, when you have the open file window showing just select the H&E file type and you will see the HES files in the location you are looking at.

2. In the process of playing around, I managed to delete some of the sectors in the sample. So now I have these grey areas in the map… (I know I’m an idiot).

-Can I create new sectors in the grey area without importing them from somewhere else?

Not with this version.

-I uninstalled and reinstalled the application to get them back and now I have two of all the files (Sample, Sample-1, Personal, Personal-1). WTF? Is this is a problem?

During the install, the installer tries to create a Sample database (pre-loaded from Heaven & Earth data) but if the name "Sample" is already in use on your PC then it tries to create "Sample-1" instead. If "Sample-1" is also in use then it tries "Sample-2" and so on. The same thing happens with the Personal database (an empty universe if you want to create one from scratch).

It sounds like not everything was removed during the uninstall so when you re-installed it thought "Sample" and "Personal" were still being used. Try using the Traveller Universe Manager program to tidy up by using Database Delete on "Sample" and "Personal" (ignore any error messages that appear).

3. I think I have managed to create the new Sector in a different database. It created a Dummy sector at 0,0.

No, the "Dummy" sector is just so there is something in the Personal database. Once one or more other sectors have been loaded into it remove the Dummy.

-How do I change the Sector Name?

A sector's main name is set when it is imported. To change it afterwards requires a bit of that "relational database monkey talk". I guess this is a missing feature. If you still want to do it then let me know and I'll talk you through it.

-How do I add additional Sectors?

If you are logged in to Universe in Referee mode and at the main window then you can right-click an empty cell on the grid and select Import from the popup menu (this imports into the cell you chose) or you can choose Import from the Maintenance menu (this asks you which cell you want to import into). Remember what I said earlier about IELs.

-How do I put the sectors at different coordinates (ie. -9,-9)?

A sector's coordinates are set during import. If you want to move a sector then export it, delete the old one, then re-import it at the new position.

4. No J-6 Map? Trying it made my computer freeze because it could not find "object at those ordinals"?

Not sure how you did that. Can you be specific about the steps leading up to this?



Regards PLST

 

[Kilgs]

Thanks! That helped... unfortunately, it brought forth its own problems. I can now import HE files. But the HE files I imported are missing huge swathes of planets. Some of them show up on the grid but not on the map. Most of them don't show up at all.

I can use a blank HE map to start fiddling as I choose but I was wondering what I might have done wrong.

(Thought: Not sure if the UWP I gave them are "correct". I picked and chose as I wanted the system to be. I remember somewhere that Universe is finicky if there is rule-breaking... could that be it?)

New question: Can I add Remarks (Trade) or modify the ones given? For example, if I want a certain planet to be Agricultural?

Thanks!

 

[Kilgs]

Not sure how you did that. Can you be specific about the steps leading up to this?



Regards PLST

Thanks for the quick response. I managed to figure out some of the basics with the Manager.

As for the J-6 Map, I click on a sector, click on a planet, then go to File>J-6 Map... and the following error appears

"(3265) Item cannot be found in the collection corresponding to the requested name or ordinal."

The error message can not be removed and requires me to shut down Universe through other means and restart it.

EDIT UPDATE:

If I click through the error message about half-dozen times it disappears and J-6 map comes up. Who knows...

 

[jfetters]

Thanks! That helped... unfortunately, it brought forth its own problems. I can now import HE files. But the HE files I imported are missing huge swathes of planets. Some of them show up on the grid but not on the map. Most of them don't show up at all.

I can use a blank HE map to start fiddling as I choose but I was wondering what I might have done wrong.

(Thought: Not sure if the UWP I gave them are "correct". I picked and chose as I wanted the system to be. I remember somewhere that Universe is finicky if there is rule-breaking... could that be it?)

New question: Can I add Remarks (Trade) or modify the ones given? For example, if I want a certain planet to be Agricultural?

Thanks!

Most problems I have encountered like what you described there (and I had an issue that was very similar to what you described) is because of errant formatting on the part of the file. These files are delimited in such a way that the programs reading them expect to see certain data in certain columns, so if you go into a HES file and just start adding trade codes say, you may push back other parts of the line so that the rest of the information doesn't make sense to the reader. After that, who knows what you get....

However, in my experience, Universe won't reject a UWP if it "doesn't make sense" to the rules - for example, I just generated a world, then modified the UWP to be XAFAAFL-L. According to standard rules, it is impossible to have that high a Tech Level, but the program accepted it just fine. WHen you go to edit a world, it does give visual cues to let you know the values are out of range, but it doesn't stop you from setting them.

One nice feature of Universe is that if you have a new trade code within the sector you are importing, it will detect that and add it to the list. I generated a bunch of sectors outside charted space that can have the "Ru" code placed (for ruins). Universe saw it and picked it right up. You can add your own as well from the UWP Maintenance window.

 

[Hemdian]

Thanks! That helped... unfortunately, it brought forth its own problems. I can now import HE files. But the HE files I imported are missing huge swathes of planets. Some of them show up on the grid but not on the map. Most of them don't show up at all.

I can use a blank HE map to start fiddling as I choose but I was wondering what I might have done wrong.

If you email me the HE file you are trying to load that is giving you problems perhaps I can spot the problem when I get home from work. Send it as an attachment to the trisen.com domain ... see if you can guess the mailbox.

(Thought: Not sure if the UWP I gave them are "correct". I picked and chose as I wanted the system to be. I remember somewhere that Universe is finicky if there is rule-breaking... could that be it?)

There are 2 types of rule regarding UWPs.

First the code must be known to Universe. There are different sets of codes for each stat. For example Hydrospere codes have been set up for '0' to 'A'. Universe wont allow you to enter a world with a Hydrosphere code of 'E'. And as the exact position of the stat tells Universe what stat it is, that's why, as Jim said, errant formatting can cause problems. When you import, Notepad should fire up containing a list of errors found.

Then there are rules regarding combinations. A world size '0' should not have a hydro code of 'A'. Universe will allow these to be entered but if you look at the Maintain UWP window for that world it will highlight the errors.

New question: Can I add Remarks (Trade) or modify the ones given? For example, if I want a certain planet to be Agricultural?

There are 2 types of codes and they act differently.

Trade Codes are the standard set of Ag, Na, In, Ni, Ri, Po, Wa, Va ... etc. They are tied to the UWP stats and thus can't be changed except by changing the relevant stats. Any specified on an import file are ignored and Univese re-evaluates the UWP.

Then there are Remarks: codes like Cp, RsB, ... or even your own. Each system can have upto 3 remarks associated with it. They can be port of the import process or changed manually on a case-by case basis: Log on in Referee mode and drill down to the desired system. Select Maintain UWP from the Maintenance menu and a new window will appear. Here you can change all sorts of things, including Remarks.



Regards PLST

 

[Andrew Boulton]

One trick I discovered when having import problems is to *export* an existing sector first, then you can check the headers/formats match.

 

[Kilgs]

Roger all that folks. I'm guessing my missing HE planets were complete code breakers for some reason. Since I've been messing around with Universe for the past couple weeks, I think I can bypass the HE stuff I had created before and simply use it for system details.

Thanks for all your help guys! I'm loving this program and currently trying to get things ready for an IMTU for RPOL.

 

[Kilgs]

All right, so with the above problem with HE I started doing things by hand. After a while, I decided to go back and monkey with HE just to fill in some border sectors on IMTU map.

The "Rules" for HE are set to CT. I created a completely random sector by using "Random Subsector" with varying system percentages. Then I tried to bring it into Universe. Again, the file seems to be fine but I get the following report.

[quote Text File]
A0108 (aka 0108): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0105 (aka 0115): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0106 (aka 0116): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0110 (aka 0120): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0104 (aka 0124): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0105 (aka 0125): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0106 (aka 0126): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0106 (aka 0126): Warning = Autocorrected star data ... [M4 IV] assumed to mean [M4 V]
I0107 (aka 0127): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0109 (aka 0129): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0110 (aka 0130): Missing value for ruleset_code
A0204 (aka 0204): Missing value for ruleset_code
A0305 (aka 0305): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0304 (aka 0314): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0309 (aka 0319): Missing value for ruleset_code

etc ad nauseam.

Can anyone let me know what/if could be the problem?

FYI: Using HE 1.4 due to crash issues with the latest product.

 

[Valarian]

At a glance, it looks like the file you are trying to import doesn't quite match with the positions for a particular field in the import file, located in the Traveller Universe directory. Unfortunately I've not got my laptop with me, so I can't give more helpful comments at the moment as I can't remember the exact file or positions.

 

[jfetters]

All right, so with the above problem with HE I started doing things by hand. After a while, I decided to go back and monkey with HE just to fill in some border sectors on IMTU map.

The "Rules" for HE are set to CT. I created a completely random sector by using "Random Subsector" with varying system percentages. Then I tried to bring it into Universe. Again, the file seems to be fine but I get the following report.

[quote Text File]
A0108 (aka 0108): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0105 (aka 0115): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0106 (aka 0116): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0110 (aka 0120): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0104 (aka 0124): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0105 (aka 0125): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0106 (aka 0126): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0106 (aka 0126): Warning = Autocorrected star data ... [M4 IV] assumed to mean [M4 V]
I0107 (aka 0127): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0109 (aka 0129): Missing value for ruleset_code
I0110 (aka 0130): Missing value for ruleset_code
A0204 (aka 0204): Missing value for ruleset_code
A0305 (aka 0305): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0304 (aka 0314): Missing value for ruleset_code
E0309 (aka 0319): Missing value for ruleset_code

etc ad nauseam.

Can anyone let me know what/if could be the problem?

FYI: Using HE 1.4 due to crash issues with the latest product.

Can you post the sector file? Not the whole thing, but at least the header and the first few worlds (namely the ones that are called out in your example above)?

It sounds like it is certainly parsing SOMETHING, due to the stellar correction above. At a last resort, (if you are feeling adventurous ) you can try to gen up something in my worldgen program and port the HES or SEC file over to Universe....

 

[Kilgs]

Can you post the sector file? Not the whole thing, but at least the header and the first few worlds (namely the ones that are called out in your example above)?

What is the header? You want a link to the file? Sorry... I'm decent with a computer but this is getting beyond me.

 

[jfetters]

No worries! Just do a copy and paste of the sector file from the very top to the first ten or so worlds into a reply here, just like you did when you posted the import results.

And just so you know, the header in the file is what contains the field definitions like this:

HES File Format (V1.0.0)
------------------------

SECTOR X345

Hex Location    = 00 - 03
World Name      = 06 - 19
UWP Code        = 22 - 30
Trade Code      = 33 - 43
PBG Code        = 47 - 49
Base Code       = 52
Allegiance Code = 55 - 56
Travel Zone     = 59
Satellite Code  = 62
Stellar Details = 65 - 84

00000000001111111111222222222233333333334444444444555555555566666666667777777777888888
01234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345

 

[Valarian]

Hmm .... curious. I've got home and had a look at the software on my laptop. The ruleset code being referred to is the indication of the race that is presumably used (or planned to be used) in generation somewhere. The thing is ... it's not imported in the file according to the .iel file for Heaven and Earth. As far as I can see, the default value should be STD You could try putting a translation line in the Heaven&Earth.iel file

 Translation=ruleset_code,"","STD"

 

[Hemdian]

The ruleset code specifies the rules applied to th UWP ... 'STD' are the standard LBB rules, other codes represent the CT alien books. At present it is used in the UWP Maintenance window (that's how it knows if a UWP is correct).

When importing the ruleset code of each system is set to the default of that system's allegiance, if the allegiance is unknown then it is added to the allegiance table with a default ruleset code of 'STD'. A system's ruleset code can be changed after import on the UWP Maintenance screen.

So far I can't see why these errors are occuring. I really need the data to investigate properly.

Regards PLST

 

[Kilgs]

Again, pardon the computer illiteracy...

1. So where would I go to find the data (header etc)?
-I tried to open the HE file and it didn't work without booting HE. There seems no command in HE to show me the rules.

2. Would I be looking in the Universe program with the imported file or in HE with the original file?

Sorry, guys.

 

[Valarian]

Try checking in Universe for an alignment (Sector level menu option I think) which does not have a ruleset code (STD/SOL/ASL etc.)

 

[jfetters]

Again, pardon the computer illiteracy...

1. So where would I go to find the data (header etc)?
-I tried to open the HE file and it didn't work without booting HE. There seems no command in HE to show me the rules.

2. Would I be looking in the Universe program with the imported file or in HE with the original file?

Sorry, guys.

The data itself would be the HES file that HE generates when you save the sector. You can open this up by starting up Notepad or WordPad and then clicking File | Open, then browse to the file and open - you should see the header and the sector information below.

The HES file is what Heaven & Earth generates. The IEL files are for Universe and allow it to read the different formats like HES.

So for Valarian's response, you would launch Notepad or Wordpad as described above, navigate to the Universe install directory and insert the Translation line along with the others in the file.

I want to say Hemdian & Valarian are on the right track here, and if I recall, I had the same experience with Heaven & Earth files a couple years ago. Hemdian was able to tell me exactly what to do and it worked great, but unfortunately that conversation was on PM (I think) and all the old PMs got purged when CotI was rebuilt with the new software. As I recall, though, the problem did revolve around the world allegiances either being set to something unrecognizeable or not being set at all, and a slight IEL mod did the trick.

 

[Hemdian]

I want to say Hemdian & Valarian are on the right track here, and if I recall, I had the same experience with Heaven & Earth files a couple years ago. Hemdian was able to tell me exactly what to do and it worked great, but unfortunately that conversation was on PM (I think) and all the old PMs got purged when CotI was rebuilt with the new software. As I recall, though, the problem did revolve around the world allegiances either being set to something unrecognizeable or not being set at all, and a slight IEL mod did the trick.

Bingo! Thanks Jim, now I remember. The published HES files have allegiance codes in column 55/56 ... but randomly generated HES files don't. I've just tryed it and it causes Universe to try and write a system to the database with a blank allegiance and a blank ruleset code. InterBase intercepts this, rejects the addition, and reports the first error it found (which is the invalid ruleset error).

To fix this go to the Universe install directory (by default this is "C:\Program Files\Universe") and open the Heaven&Earth.iel file in Notepad. Near the end of the file there are several lines that start with the word "Translation" ... you need to add another:

Translation=allegiance,"","Na"

(With no spaces.)

Now you should be able to import the file!

Regards PLST