The Universe Web Page indicates that BITS should be carrying their software... the BITS website says nothing about it. Anyone know the status of Universe?
Universe?
- Thread starter theSea
- Start date
Hi
I'm the author of Traveller Universe. I thought I'd just post a quick note here so people know what's going on. A few weeks ago I sent a shipment of disks to BITS and updated the StuffOnline website to say it was now available. As it turned out this was a bit premature on my part ... not only has Andy Lilly just started a new job, but he was also away on holiday. He is now back and the final negotiations are being made for direct sales of Universe (and other BITS items) through an online shop affiliated with Amazon. These delays have been frustrating, but hopefully they will soon be over.
Regards PLST
I'm the author of Traveller Universe. I thought I'd just post a quick note here so people know what's going on. A few weeks ago I sent a shipment of disks to BITS and updated the StuffOnline website to say it was now available. As it turned out this was a bit premature on my part ... not only has Andy Lilly just started a new job, but he was also away on holiday. He is now back and the final negotiations are being made for direct sales of Universe (and other BITS items) through an online shop affiliated with Amazon. These delays have been frustrating, but hopefully they will soon be over.
Regards PLST
Wow! Looks great! Only thing I could see that was missing was subsector lines. I have to wonder, though, is the program limited to showing information only within a selected sector, or can it "stream" the data, kind of like modern online roadmaps? Mapstream.com was the BEST, but unfortunately didn't last long; still, if Universe allows pulling in data from systems on the fly, regardless of whether it's within a sector or not, and draws sector and subsector lines, has multiple data points (1100, 1120GT, 1120HT, 1200, etc) this would be absolutely awesome.
And, of course, does it allow me to enter in my own information, like make a few sectors myself, does it generate stuff.... I've made a preliminary star and world generator from First In (the best world-builder to date) and can format the data into a list-type form easily enough, if the requisite fields are present and manipulable. Typing in a bunch of stuff is a lot of hassle, so having the computer handle the generation of data and automatically generating tables for it (just now learning macros for this!) would alleviate a lot of the work.
It looks like it would do this, although not necessarily RIGHT NOW, but I'd like to know more about this, if you could share or point to where these silly questions have already been answered.
And, of course, does it allow me to enter in my own information, like make a few sectors myself, does it generate stuff.... I've made a preliminary star and world generator from First In (the best world-builder to date) and can format the data into a list-type form easily enough, if the requisite fields are present and manipulable. Typing in a bunch of stuff is a lot of hassle, so having the computer handle the generation of data and automatically generating tables for it (just now learning macros for this!) would alleviate a lot of the work.
It looks like it would do this, although not necessarily RIGHT NOW, but I'd like to know more about this, if you could share or point to where these silly questions have already been answered.
notagoodusername
SOC-13
Great news Peter! I'm looking forward to picking this up.
Shane
TheDS wrote:
If I understand the "stream" data idea then there are currently no plans for that. I admit that it would be cool ... but I have no idea how to code it.
Regards PLST
Release 1.n (in this case 1.5) is designed to be a Windows alternative to Galactic. As such it has a drill down mentality (universe --> sector --> subsector --> system). However, the J6 map has the capability of crossing sector boundaries, and there is an outstanding request from a beta tester for polity-centered maps (to be in Release 2.n probably).
If I understand the "stream" data idea then there are currently no plans for that. I admit that it would be cool ... but I have no idea how to code it.
The program handles multiple database (albeit only connected to one at a time). This gives you the ability to have an 1100 database, an 1120GT universe, etc.
Release 1.n has the ability to import/export data from a variety of sources and has limited tweeking functionality. At the system level both Referees and Players can add their own notes (Referee notes are hidden from players). Full system generation features are planned for Release 2.n (in fact they are the whole reason for Release 2.n). So for now, if you have your own sector you can import it, but system generation stuff will have to wait.
Features and bugs are recorded in bullet form, along with current status, on the development page.
Regards PLST
I too want to know when it is ready. I'll buy a copy just to support further development work in this vein.
It would be very neat to be able to do the kind of map browsing that MapQuest supports - its drill down, but you can move around the focal points, set the limits for your own extents, turn on and off filters for certain things (think in our case, Xboat routes, gas giants, water worlds, bases of various types, etc and trade routes). It would be (in the long long longer term) very neat to be able to drill right into the system diagram and see generated maps for the mainworld too.
I have some ideas on how this might be done, but part of that may depend on how the existing bits are coded (underlying design, chosen language/tools, etc).
I'm hoping to get on my horse and start the work to consolidate the documentation of various data formats for the various software tools sometime over the next quarter. It would probably aide everyone in the computer Traveller community to have this stuff doc'd in one common locale.
Tomb
It would be very neat to be able to do the kind of map browsing that MapQuest supports - its drill down, but you can move around the focal points, set the limits for your own extents, turn on and off filters for certain things (think in our case, Xboat routes, gas giants, water worlds, bases of various types, etc and trade routes). It would be (in the long long longer term) very neat to be able to drill right into the system diagram and see generated maps for the mainworld too.
I have some ideas on how this might be done, but part of that may depend on how the existing bits are coded (underlying design, chosen language/tools, etc).
I'm hoping to get on my horse and start the work to consolidate the documentation of various data formats for the various software tools sometime over the next quarter. It would probably aide everyone in the computer Traveller community to have this stuff doc'd in one common locale.
Tomb
It seems what I was saying about the streaming database was not exactly the right way to describe what I meant. Your J6 map will already do something along these lines, and I imagine your polito-centric view would as well. I'll try to explain better, since last time I did such a piss-poor job of it.
All righty, take an earth globe (one that's at least a foot in diameter) and using your forefinger and thumb, make a circle, and place this circle on the globe. This circle represents the window that is being displayed on the monitor.
YOUR model would force the window to stay completely within the national borders of whatever country (sector) you happened to rest your hand on. If you want to see another one, you have to lift your hand and set it back down on the new one. You have no idea how the two countries border each other, because you never really see the border.
MY model allows you to keep your hand on the globe at all times, and to look at the border, so that you can see what it looks like. It allows you to EASILY see how many parsecs apart hex 3812 and hex 0217 are in neighboring sectors (5?). You'll NEVER figure it out if the map ends at sector borders.
The streaming part is that you load into memory only what is being displayed in the window. If the view moves, you load in the data for whatever is being displayed. This can save memory if some one is looking only at a small area, and can save time from loading the whole thing at once. If the program detects that the computer is low on memory, it can dump information that is not on the screen, but considering the amount of RAM most people have nowadays, this isn't going to be a big deal. When some one clicks on a system, the system's detailed database is loaded.
The streaming is optional. You COULD load the whole thing at once. (This is the map-display data I'm talking about, not the entire database.) If some one doesn't have the memory for it, well, that's what VM is for. Not your problem. When a system's data is needed, the main database file is accessed, so that only one system at a time is ever needed. (Unless you allow multiple systems to be displayed at once, which could be useful.)
I hope I've done a better job of conveying what I meant, and I hope you see it should actually be easier to code it this way. No need to have 2 or 3 algorithms for where the edges are when 1 will do the job. Even state maps show a little bit beyond the border of the state, so you can get a perspective of what you're looking at.
All righty, take an earth globe (one that's at least a foot in diameter) and using your forefinger and thumb, make a circle, and place this circle on the globe. This circle represents the window that is being displayed on the monitor.
YOUR model would force the window to stay completely within the national borders of whatever country (sector) you happened to rest your hand on. If you want to see another one, you have to lift your hand and set it back down on the new one. You have no idea how the two countries border each other, because you never really see the border.
MY model allows you to keep your hand on the globe at all times, and to look at the border, so that you can see what it looks like. It allows you to EASILY see how many parsecs apart hex 3812 and hex 0217 are in neighboring sectors (5?). You'll NEVER figure it out if the map ends at sector borders.
The streaming part is that you load into memory only what is being displayed in the window. If the view moves, you load in the data for whatever is being displayed. This can save memory if some one is looking only at a small area, and can save time from loading the whole thing at once. If the program detects that the computer is low on memory, it can dump information that is not on the screen, but considering the amount of RAM most people have nowadays, this isn't going to be a big deal. When some one clicks on a system, the system's detailed database is loaded.
The streaming is optional. You COULD load the whole thing at once. (This is the map-display data I'm talking about, not the entire database.) If some one doesn't have the memory for it, well, that's what VM is for. Not your problem. When a system's data is needed, the main database file is accessed, so that only one system at a time is ever needed. (Unless you allow multiple systems to be displayed at once, which could be useful.)
I hope I've done a better job of conveying what I meant, and I hope you see it should actually be easier to code it this way. No need to have 2 or 3 algorithms for where the edges are when 1 will do the job. Even state maps show a little bit beyond the border of the state, so you can get a perspective of what you're looking at.
BeRKA
SOC-13
Just an example of a sector crossing J-6 Map.
http://zho.berka.com/data/foreven/urnian/urnian/FEP0403_J6map.gif
(Copy and paste the address into Your browser.)
You will recognize the systems on the right side of the map.
/BeRKA
http://zho.berka.com/data/foreven/urnian/urnian/FEP0403_J6map.gif
(Copy and paste the address into Your browser.)
You will recognize the systems on the right side of the map.
/BeRKA
E
EvilDrGanymede
Guest
I like the colour-coded worlds, though some are a bit specific (e.g. you don't know if a world's a hothouse world til you place it in the system).
BeRKA
SOC-13
Sorry, I forgot my new anti leach protection. 
Copy and paste the URL into Your browser if You just see the Zhodani Thought Police image. Then You will see the map. Or You can go to:
http://zho.berka.com/data/foreven/urnian/urnian/
and click on the J-6 thumbnail in the lower right corner.
The "HotHouse" icon is used when atm=B-C and hyd=0. Such a planet might not be a hothouse, (although it probably is) but the icon may still be valid, representing this type of world with a not very nice atmosphere and no oceans.
/BeRKA
Copy and paste the URL into Your browser if You just see the Zhodani Thought Police image. Then You will see the map. Or You can go to:
http://zho.berka.com/data/foreven/urnian/urnian/
and click on the J-6 thumbnail in the lower right corner.
The "HotHouse" icon is used when atm=B-C and hyd=0. Such a planet might not be a hothouse, (although it probably is) but the icon may still be valid, representing this type of world with a not very nice atmosphere and no oceans.
/BeRKA
Full system generation features are planned for Release 2.n (in fact they are the whole reason for Release 2.n). So for now, if you have your own sector you can import it, but system generation stuff will have to wait.
Ok, this is probably a dumb question, but have you talked to the Heaven & Earth designer about merging the programs somehow? It would seem to be more efficient that re-inventing the wheel so to speak.
Ok, this is probably a dumb question, but have you talked to the Heaven & Earth designer about merging the programs somehow? It would seem to be more efficient that re-inventing the wheel so to speak.
Yes, but not in depth yet. There will possibly be an "import from H&E DTE" feature (but probably not an "H&E plug-in" feature).
It may seem less efficient re-inventing the wheel but both Stuart and myself have different approches to certain things. (But that doesn't stop us helping out with each others projects.)
Regards PLST
