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EDG's General questions

EDGEEDG
edited December 2011 in AstroSynthesis General
If it's OK with everyone, I'm just going to post my general questions as I think of them here on this thread, rather than clutter up the board (I guess if I ask enough then I could make an index in the first post or something...)

Comments

  • EDGEEDG
    1) is there a way to disable the text label display for all stars (not just individual ones), so they're not visible from any distance (unless they're clicked on)?

    2) is there a way to disable the system name generation? I'd just like to have catalogue numbers (e.g. S 01 01 01) rather than names, but it seems to only have the one option for name generation (the default ipt file).
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    EDG wrote:
    1) is there a way to disable the text label display for all stars (not just individual ones), so they're not visible from any distance (unless they're clicked on)?

    You can filter out (hide) all systems, and set the Filter display to 'Hide Labels Only'. I think that will do what you describe.
    2) is there a way to disable the system name generation? I'd just like to have catalogue numbers (e.g. S 01 01 01) rather than names, but it seems to only have the one option for name generation (the default ipt file).

    Yes, place this IPP file into the \LangData, and select it when you generate a sector. You can also make your own .ipt file - thats just an Inspiration Pad Pro file - to customize name generation.
  • EDGEEDG
    Ooo. That seems useful! Thanks, I'll check that out.
  • Warped1701WWarped1701
    I've been trying to get Astro to generate unique names for a system only using the .ipt file. I'd like the planets to share the same name but be labeled as I, II, III, etc. but can't seem to get the script right. Any ideas?
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    You cant use inspiration pad pro to generate names that are guaranteed to be unique across the sector. You'd have to compare the name to the names of all the other stars, and thats not possible within a generator. You'd need to use a script for unique naming.
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    Actually, scratch that - you can make sector-wide unique names, so long as you use the coordinates as part of the name.
  • EDGEEDG
    edited December 2011
    Another question - I've imported my stars and routes, but the routes seem to drop from visibility as I zoom in and out - how can I keep them permanently visible. regardless of how far I view the area from? There doesn't seem to be a filter option for that.

    - is it possible to modify the Proximity Routes routine so that (a) the number of routes depends on the star mass (lower mass stars have less routes) and (b) it links to the nearest systems (that have a mass greater than a minimum star mass), regardless of how far they are?
  • EDGEEDG
    edited December 2011
    OK... I've found a way to edit all the Display Distances for the labels and routes at once (via Mass Edit), but I can't find a way to select all the stars so that I can apply the changes (and there's no way I'm clicking on 15,551 stars)!

    Is there really no way to select all the stars at once to make changes?
  • EDGEEDG
    anyone?
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    EDG wrote:
    Is there really no way to select all the stars at once to make changes?

    Not to select all of them. You can use the Search window to select multiple bodies. To get all the root bodies (or at least, the first 1000), search for "root only".
  • EDGEEDG
    Yeah... that wouldn't work here, given I have 15,551 star systems.

    Still, I found a way to set all the Label/Route Display Distances anyway, by modifying the code in the Mass Label Distance Change Plugin ( http://www.nbos.com/nox/index.php?action=1001&id=101 ).

    Maybe it's possible to make a plugin that can be run that selects all the stars for you?
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    You still should be able to select all of them. Search for "First 20000, root only". That will increase the results that can be returned.
  • EDGEEDG
    On page 104 of the manual (2.10, after the Importing star Data and Route data sections), there's a cryptic hint about how "The Scripting API provides other means of importing data into Astrosynthesis".

    Does this mean that other data (e.g. planets?) can be imported in csv format somehow? Or does it just mean "if you want to import other stuff, make a plugin"?
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    The only import that Astro supports as a feature in the program is the csv import. If you want to import data in another format - a different csv schema, xml, json, etc - there's two options:

    - write a script to open those files, parse them, and add the objects to the sector map
    - directly write to the .astrodb file, which is an sqlite database
  • EDGEEDG
    OK, thanks. I figured that was probably what it meant!

    Next question: When adding bodies, I'd like to have a bigger choice of pregens. e.g. Right now if I got to Insert Body/Planet-Moon, the only options I have are Blank, Earthlike, Large/Barren, Large/Thick Atmosphere and Small/Rocky.

    Is it possible to define custom types of body with its own set of randomised parameters (e.g. Venuslike, Panthalassic, Subgiant etc) and add them to this list?


    Also, when setting the orbital info I think it'd be really useful to have a built-in randomiser that can be used to set properties like the ascending node, periapsis etc that aren't usually terribly important - at least that way planets will be starting at different points on their orbits.

    It'd also be nice to have the option to enter AU for planet orbital distance, and km for moon orbital distance, rather than km for both.

    Also, when discussing tidelocking on page 33, the manual states that one side of Mercury always faces the Sun - this is incorrect! Mercury is in a 3:2 spin-orbit resonance, which means it does rotate relative to the sun (it completes 3 rotations around its axis in 2 orbits around the sun).
  • EDGEEDG
    *bump*

    anyone?
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    EDG wrote:
    Is it possible to define custom types of body with its own set of randomised parameters (e.g. Venuslike, Panthalassic, Subgiant etc) and add them to this list?

    No, the list cant be configured. A plugin can put an entry on the pop-up itself, but you cant add anything to that submenu.

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