This post is intended to regroup the various information from the other post and present it in a clearer fashion.
Project Overview
Current Version to use: Beta 6.
Current Version in development: Beta 7 (next release)
Current overall status: Awaiting programming environment
Current work in progress: Comprehensive manual / documentation, bug hunt
Expected next release date: Mid / end march 2006
Developer's short diary
Overall information
I am still waiting for the programming environment, hoping to get it this week. I am also looking to some changes in RL this month, which, I hope, will not impede my coding (if I get my programming environment, finally). During this time I wanted to do something useful, so I started on the manual, which I'll try and bring at least partially into shape for Beta 7.
I am currently trying to see if I can make Beta 7 the final release as initially planned or if it has to stay beta, because I can't code all I want into it and don't have the time for extensive bug hunts. I'll keep you updated.
01.03.2006
Nothing new, really. I sat down to hunt bugs in beta 7, not all of which are in Beta 6.2 (since I re-wrote some major parts of the system), took screen-shots and edited them for the manual. Started to write the manual for the STSC, something which will take me some more time. Bugged Borland to finally send me Delphi faster (I get a student version, it's why it takes so much time). Decided to do this post to clear the project's status up a bit.
Things that need to be done
Follows a list of my plans for the next release. Not everything might make it, but still.
Important for Beta 7
FIXES
- Correctly save last ship on exit to a separate file if user forgets to save it
- Fix option to auto-load last ship on start-up
- Fix "Save Active Ship" button on loader working when no ship is active
- Fix "options dialogue" having IO system issues
- Correctly configure logger to save logs
- Fix printing not saving printed file
- Fix analyser not having a button with which to start it
- Fix analyser not responding correctly to SIF change
- Fix SIF header not appearing fat
- Fix list right-click behaviour if nothing is selected
- Fix list right-click behaviour if not clicking on selected item
- Fix errors appearing on some lists when clicking on them outside of an item
NEW FUNCTIONS
- Ask if unsaved last ship should be loaded on start-up
- Write an auto-conversion tool for pre-Beta 7 saves
-- code associated options
- Add some logger functionality (internal)
- Add double-clicking on lists to select / remove an item
- Add [Ctrl]+[S] as shortcut to save active file
- Add automatic saving + more saving / loading security
- Finish integration of Custom Item System
- Automatic moving of old files into new directories
- Automatic ship size adjustment
ANALYSER UPGRADE
- Analyser gets more size recommendation functionality
- Check for propulsion possibility
- Check for enough crew space
- Check for transport logic
- Automatic repair function
- Include analyser output into printing
- Overview (errors / not logical / recommendations) numbers
Planned for near future
- Race - dependant SU allocation (i.e. bridge for Klingons)
- Ship comparison
- Analyser tells you how balanced your ship is
General plans
- Finish help
- Write an HTML template & finish HTML printing
- Support for list backgrounds & general backgrouns
- Multi - language support
- Skin support
- Simple combat simulation
Things that have been done
Short "Fix" List
- header deletion on some of the lists
- the spread is not showing correctly for torpedoe launchers
- some warp engines show weird names (rounding on names)
- some warping speeds are not shown correctly (rounding)
Full changes.txt
ADDITIONS
- "Duplicane Entry" option for shields & missile weapons
- Details for nearly all menue items
- Text printing is finished (might have worked in beta 6.2 too already)
- Added some icons for new visuals (preliminary)
- Added verification of planetfall & atmospherica capability for ship analysis
- Added hints for all items
- Added some icons to cheer up the visuals a bit
- Added "Clear List" entry for all lists
- SU distrbution Overview (general tab)
- Offensive / Defensive capabilities overview (under general tab)
- Checks for minimum ship size now
- Integrated Parser (UPM Module) into the STSC (for custom items)
- Added option to clear all ship data (an empty sheet you get)
FIXES
- fixed being able to delete header line in: aux vessels, all sensors, SIF, Transport
- some internal codes which could produce weird errors in dev mode
- spread not showing for missile weapons
- weird names, if names were in number format (especially warp engines)
- wrong formatting of warp speeds (falsely rounded)
- fixed Beam Weapon table showing poorly
CHANGES
- Impulse Thrusters can now only be equiped on ships with a size <= 5
- All item data is now rounded to 2 numbers instead of 1 only
- Due to Delphi 2005 changes I had to re-write the entire save / load system
- Removed web interfacing due to it not being needed any more
- Removed Jedi codes since they do not work well with Delphi 2005
- UPM structure and codes have changed minorly
- appendix of save file is now "stsc" and no longer "ini"
- program version, save system version, save date and save time is now also saved in ship file
- options are saved in a special directoy
- some item placements in various tables, to improve looks
KNOWN ISSUES
- if reposition the main form, the small windows do not follow immediately
- old save system is no longer valid in the new version. Sorry
I will try and write a converter, this is not final!
- please put the "powerops.ops" file in the "ops" subdirectory for it to be read
I will try and set the programme to do this automatically.
- power calculation for MVAM ships does not take into account that only 1 module needs to be
online in combined mode, but always takes all modules as active.
- power calculation does not check for redundancy of multiple modules but sets all modules as online.
IF YOU WANT TO HELP
- I need graphics / icons etc. which look nicer than what I have now
- I need an HTML template to print into (contact me for details)
- Would be nice if anyone helped writing the help file
- I need people testing this program, telling me where bugs etc. are
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