[Beta/Patch] AstroSynthesis 3.01c

[Ed_NBOS]

http://www.nbos.com/nox/index.php?action=1001&id=413

This is the latest beta build of the main Astro3 executable file. This is the main executable file, not an installer. To install, replace your current Astro3.exe with this one.

This is beta software intended primarily to provide those who reported bugs access to fixes.

Changes:
[changed] On 2D export, routes with white lines will be exported as gray in the 'Color, White Background' option
[fixed] Orientation of X/Z and Y/Z 2D Map Exports were not correct
[added] Added a 'Show after creation' check box on the 2D Map Export window
[fixed] Deleted subsectors were not staying deleted.
[fixed] Import Sectors wasnt properly loading sector files.

[EDG]

Looks like that's fixed the coordinate-flipping bug - thanks a lot!
(I like the "show after creation" feature too!)

[Ed_NBOS]

Good to hear.

The next update will have the ability to give the generator a file name to create. This will allow Astro to generate much larger sectors because the generated system data can then be unloaded to the astrodb file to reduce memory usage.

[Ed_NBOS]

Updated on 2/10/12:

http://www.nbos.com/nox/index.php?action=1001&id=413

The patch has been updated to include the following:

[added] In Sector Generation, you can now assign the name of the sector file to create. This allows Astro to cache sector information to that file as it is being generated, greatly reducing the memory requirements when generating very larger sectors.
[fixed] The Sector Report was not outputting surface maps for planets that had them assigned.
[changed] Speed improvements in sector rendering (reduced floating point precision, optimized certain calculations)
[changed] On 2D export, routes with white lines will be exported as gray in the 'Color, White Background' option
[fixed] Orientation of X/Z and Y/Z 2D Map Exports were not correct
[added] Added a 'Show after creation' check box on the 2D Map Export window
[fixed] Deleted subsectors were not staying deleted.
[fixed] Import Sectors wasnt properly loading sector files.

Also, to speed up rendering of large sectors, some optimization was done on the main 3d sector rendering system. To speed things up, floating point resolution was reduced (which in turn cuts down on how much work the processor does). This should not be noticable on the graphics displayed, but if you see any graphics artifacts or behavior you werent seeing before please let me know.

[Ed_NBOS]

The beta has been updated to improve searching speed when searching based on habitabiltiy and population.

Also added is support for Natural Language Search within scripts. The api doc will be updated when the final build is released, but here's an example plugin using this capability.

Code: Select all

#plugin      Natural Language Search example
#author      NBOS
#desc      Example of using the Natural Language Search objects

'finds all root bodies that contain a hospitable
'planet and sets the label color to purple

sector = GetCurrentSector()

srch = CreateAstroSearcher( sector)
srch.Search "systems with hospitable"
n = srch.GetResultCount()
For i = 1 to n
   o = srch.GetResult( i)
   o.LabelColor = RGB( 255, 0, 255)
Next

FreeObject srch
RefreshScene


[EDG]

Can I use this to search for systems that are on a specific Route Type (by searching for the route type, described on pg 103 in the manual)?

e.g. say I have 6 systems on a RouteType called "Arm 1" (as imported from a route csv). I want to find those and label them a certain way.

I've tried RouteType = "Arm 1" and that just says Unknown search term near "routetype"

I can't find any way to search by Route Type though, which makes me wonder why it's present in the CSV import. What's the point of having it there if you can't search for it? I shouldn't have to edit the body data to be able to find this sort of thing - it's a property of the route, not the body.

Is it possible to search for this? If so, I'd like to see an example of how to do this.

[EDG]

*bump* anyone?

[Ed_NBOS]

There is no search option for finding routes - only bodies.

[EDG]

Sigh. This program is great when it actually works, but it's got some really frustrating (and seemingly arbitrary) limitations.

Why on earth do you have a "Route Type" option in the route import CSVs if you can't search for anything using it? It seems like a waste of space to have something there that is inaccessible by the rest of the program. This isn't even really about the routes, it's about finding bodies on the routes. It seems really bizarre that routes and bodies are so poorly integrated.

[Ed_NBOS]

The need for such may be obvious to you, and there's nothing wrong with the idea, but I doubt I've been asked 3 times in the past eight years for that functionality. Its just not something most people use, need, or have really shown interest in having in the program. And since my time isnt unlimited, it hasnt been put in. Astro has a very wide usage pattern compared to most software. Its very different from programs like Fractal Mapper and The Keep, where most users are doing the same things with the programs. In Astro, what one person is doing may be very different from others.

Route types exist, btw, so you can filter them in the display.