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1 | RIGHT ON COMMAND-LINE |
2 | Elite tools for the discerning player |
3 | |
4 | 1. Installation |
5 | |
6 | You need a C compiler and a working Tcl/Tk installation. (The |
7 | elite-editor program needs Tk; the rest of the tools don't.) |
8 | The Makefile works on my Debian GNU/Linux box, but I'm not |
9 | making any promises about anyone else's. I've successfully |
10 | built earlier versions of everything under Cygwin, against |
11 | ActiveState's Tcl 8.4, but I've forgotten the Holy Runes. I do |
12 | have the `.def' file I used to build the DLL, though, for |
13 | whatever that's worth. (If you want to hack the Makefile to |
14 | work under Windows, I'll take a patch.) |
15 | |
16 | The theory is that you should edit the Makefile for your system |
17 | and say `make'; then, as some suitably privileged person, say |
18 | `make install' and stand well back. Everything should then be |
19 | installed. |
20 | |
21 | In practice: |
22 | |
23 | * If you can't build `pkgIndex.tcl', run `tclsh' and say |
24 | |
25 | % pkg_mkIndex -verbose -direct . elite.so elite.tcl |
26 | |
27 | to it. (Use `elite.dll' if you're on Windows.) Say |
28 | |
29 | % set tcl_pkgPath |
30 | |
31 | to see a list of suitable places for putting the kit. Pick |
32 | one. The directory `/usr/local/lib' appears in my |
33 | installation, so that's what I use. |
34 | |
35 | * Make a subdirectory in the place you chose, and copy |
36 | `elite.so', `elite.tcl' and `pkgIndex.tcl' into it. All |
37 | should now be hunky-dory. |
38 | |
39 | * Run (say) `elite-describe lave' to check that things are set |
40 | up properly. |
41 | |
42 | |
43 | 2. The command-line tools |
44 | |
45 | A `galaxy-spec' is |
46 | |
47 | * a number, between 1 and 8, for one of the standard eight |
48 | galaxies; |
49 | |
50 | * a `galaxy seed' of 12 hex digits (a 48-bit value), for any |
51 | arbitrary galaxy; or |
52 | |
53 | * a string `SEED:N' where SEED is a galaxy seed and N is a |
54 | number between 1 and 8, for the Nth galaxy in some custom |
55 | universe. |
56 | |
57 | A `planet-spec' is interpreted relative to some parent galaxy. |
58 | It may be |
59 | |
60 | * a number N, for the Nth planet in the galaxy (planets are |
61 | numbered pseudorandomly -- this is not often a helpful |
62 | option); |
63 | |
64 | * a `planet seed' of 12 hex digits (a 48-bit value), for any |
65 | arbitrary planet; |
66 | |
67 | * a pair of numbers `X,Y', for the planet nearest the point X |
68 | decilightyears rightwards and T decilightyears down from the |
69 | top left of the galaxy; |
70 | |
71 | * a glob pattern (a string containing `*' and `?' wildcards, |
72 | matching any substring or any single character, |
73 | respectively), for the first planet whose name matches the |
74 | pattern; or |
75 | |
76 | * a string `GAL:P', where GAL is a galaxy-spec and P is a |
77 | planet-spec, for the planet P in galaxy GAL. |
78 | |
79 | |
80 | elite-describe [-g GAL] PLANET ... |
81 | |
82 | For each PLANET, print the planet data for that PLANET. The |
83 | PLANETs are interpreted relative to GAL, or standard galaxy 1 if |
84 | GAL is not specified. |
85 | |
86 | |
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87 | elite-map [-qv] [-g GALAXY] [-d DIST] [-w WEIGHT] [-W WD,HT] [-a ASP] |
88 | [PLANET ...] |
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89 | |
90 | Prints a map of (part of) a galaxy to the terminal. |
91 | |
92 | If PLANET is specified (which it usually is), a map of the area |
93 | around PLANET in GALAXY (default standard galaxy 1) is printed, |
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94 | showing other planets within a box extending about DIST |
95 | lightyears around the PLANETs. |
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96 | |
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97 | If no PLANETs are not specified, the entire galaxy is printed. |
98 | This is usually unhelpful. |
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99 | |
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100 | The `-w' option plots a route through the listed planets, |
101 | highlighting the waypoints. See `elite-path' for the possible |
102 | weightings. |
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103 | |
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104 | Planets are shown as numbers or letters (or, occasionally a |
105 | sequence of letters). If there is only one PLANET, it is shown |
106 | as a `*'; otherwise, they're labelled `*0', `*1', etc. Planets |
107 | on the path are labelled `+0', `+1', ..., in the order you're |
108 | meant to visit them. (Note that if the path doubles back on |
109 | itself, the planets involved /won't/ be listed twice. Use |
110 | `elite-path' for a full guide on where to go, and `elite-map' to |
111 | visualize the route.) |
112 | |
113 | The `-q' and `-v' options allow optional suppression of the key |
114 | below the map. The defaults are as follows: |
115 | |
116 | * A galactic map shows no key. |
117 | |
118 | * A route map (with the `-w' option) shows the waypoints |
119 | (named PLANETs) and the planets on the path. |
120 | |
121 | * An area map (around named planets) shows the names of all |
122 | planets shown. |
123 | |
124 | The key can be made more verbose by giving the `-v' option, or |
125 | less verbose by `-q'. Note that the options parser is currently |
126 | really shoddy, and won't let you say things like `-qqq'. |
127 | |
128 | The size of the map may be controlled by the -W option -- set WD |
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129 | to the maximum allowable width, and HT to the maximum allowable |
130 | height (in columns and rows, respectively). The map will be |
131 | scaled so as to fit. The -a option sets the aspect ratio of |
132 | your characters, height to width (the default is about 2, and |
133 | seems right for viewing in an xterm with the standard fixed |
134 | font). |
135 | |
136 | |
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137 | |
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138 | elite-path [-g GALAXY] [-w WEIGHT] PLANET PLANET ... |
139 | |
140 | Computes a route through a GALAXY (default is standard galaxy |
141 | 1), starting at the first PLANET listed, via the second, via the |
142 | third, etc., and ending at the last. For each planet you're |
143 | meant to stop at on the way, a summary line is printed giving |
144 | the planet's name, position, government type, economy type and |
145 | tech level. |
146 | |
147 | You can affect how elite-path selects its routes using the `-w' |
148 | option. The default is to minimize the number of hops. Other |
149 | possibilities are: |
150 | |
151 | hops Minimize number of hops. This is the default. |
152 | |
153 | safety Maximize stability of the planets in the route, |
154 | to attempt to improve safety. Useful during the |
155 | early stages of the game. |
156 | |
157 | encounters The opposite of `safety' -- minimizes stability |
158 | of planets in the route. Useful if you want to |
159 | maximize kills. |
160 | |
161 | trading Maximize the difference in economy type between |
162 | successive planets in the route. This should |
163 | give you an opportunity to make a good profit as |
164 | you go. |
165 | |
166 | fuel Minimize absolute distance. For those on a |
167 | tight budget. |
168 | |
169 | |
170 | elite-reach [-d DIST] [GALAXY ...] |
171 | |
172 | For each GALAXY (default is the 8 standard ones), print summary |
173 | information for each planet, with blank lines separating |
174 | disconnected groups of planets, i.e., groups where a ship |
175 | capable of travelling DIST lightyears (default 7) can't get from |
176 | one to the other. |
177 | |
178 | |
179 | elite-find [-g GALAXY] [EXPR] |
180 | |
181 | Without EXPR, simply prints summary information for each planet |
182 | in GALAXY (default standard 1). |
183 | |
184 | If EXPR is specified, it must be a Tcl expression (as for the |
185 | `expr' command). Information is printed for each planet for |
186 | which EXPR returns nonzero. The EXPR may use the following |
187 | variables: |
188 | |
189 | name The planet name, with initial capital letter. |
190 | |
191 | x, y X and Y coordinates, from top left, in |
192 | decilightyears. |
193 | |
194 | economy From 0 (rich industrial) to 7 (poor |
195 | agricultural). |
196 | |
197 | government From 0 (anarchy) to 7 (corporate state). |
198 | |
199 | techlevel From 1 to 15. |
200 | |
201 | radius In kilometres. |
202 | |
203 | productivity In millions of credits. |
204 | |
205 | population In hundreds of millions. |
206 | |
207 | inhabitants A Tcl list of words describing the inhabitants. |
208 | |
209 | description As a Tcl list of words. |
210 | |
211 | |
212 | elite-pairs [-g GALAXY] [-d DIST] AEXPR BEXPR |
213 | |
214 | Prints the names of pairs of planets A and B in GALAXY (default |
215 | standard 1), no further than DIST (default 7) lightyears apart, |
216 | such that AEXPR returns nonzero for planet A and BEXPR returns |
217 | nonzero for planet B. |
218 | |
219 | The expressions AEXPR and BEXPR may use the same variables as |
220 | for elite-find. In addition, BEXPR may use |
221 | |
222 | d The distance between planets A and B. |
223 | |
224 | a An array containing the information about planet |
225 | A. The indices have the same names and meanings |
226 | as the variables described above. |
227 | |
228 | |
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229 | elite-prices [-g GALAXY] [-s SORT] [FROM TO] |
230 | |
231 | Shows minimum, average and maximum profit (in that order, in |
232 | credits per unit) for the various commodities, starting at one |
233 | kind of world and ending at another. |
234 | |
235 | By default, the commodities are listed in standard order, and |
236 | the profits are computed going from a poor agricultural world to |
237 | a rich industrial one. |
238 | |
239 | You can change the worlds under consideration by typing a pair |
240 | of planet-specs or economy types (as printed by `elite-find'). |
241 | Any planet-specs are obviously taken relative to GALAXY. |
242 | |
243 | The SORT parameter may be one of `min', `max', or `avg' to sort |
244 | by minimum, maximum or average profit (highest at the top). |
245 | |
246 | |
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247 | 3. The graphical editor |
248 | |
249 | elite-editor [GALAXY | FILE] |
250 | |
251 | Starts the RIGHT ON COMMAND-LINE Commander Editor and Map. This |
252 | is a Tk program -- you'll need that installed to run it. |
253 | |
254 | I'll not go into excruciating detail about how to work the |
255 | program. It's fairly simple, really. |
256 | |
257 | The map view lets you colour-code planets according to |
258 | techlevel, government or economy. The colours ought to be as |
259 | follows: |
260 | |
261 | Colour Government Economy Techlevel |
262 | |
263 | Red Anarchy Poor agri 1 |
264 | Orange Feudal Average agri 2 or 3 |
265 | Yellow Multi-gov Rich agri 4 or 5 |
266 | Green Dictatorship Mainly agri 6 or 7 |
267 | Blue Communist Mainly indust 8 or 9 |
268 | Magenta Confederacy Poor indust 10 or 11 |
269 | Violet Democracy Average indust 12 or 13 |
270 | White Corporate Rich indust 14 or 15 |
271 | |
272 | The connectivity map shows how you can get around the galaxy |
273 | using hops of up to 7 light years. |
274 | |
275 | Planet names are unhelpful except at small scales. The |
276 | placement algorithm could do with a lot of work. |
277 | |
278 | Clicking on the map with button 1 (usually the left one) sets |
279 | the destination world, marked with an orange cross. Clicking |
280 | with button 3 (usually the right one) sets the home world, |
281 | marked with a red cross, and with a green hyperspace-range |
282 | circle around it. (The circle doesn't actually correspond |
283 | exactly with hyperspace reachability, because there are rounding |
284 | errors in the distance computation. ROCL correctly emulates the |
285 | rounding errors from the original game.) |
286 | |
287 | Double-clicking opens a window showing information about a |
288 | planet. Two info windows can be open at any time, one for the |
289 | home world and one for the destination. |
290 | |
291 | The bar along the bottom of the map window shows the names of |
292 | the home and destination worlds, and the distance between them. |
293 | You can type new names (or any old planet spec) into either to |
294 | select different planets. The change will take place when you |
295 | press return or when the input focus moves. |
296 | |
297 | The `Compute path' lets you do the same kinds of computations as |
298 | the elite-path tool. It plots a route from the home to the |
299 | destination. The path is shown in orange on the map. |
300 | |
301 | The commander editor should be self-explanatory, but maybe a few |
302 | pointers might be helpful. |
303 | |
304 | The entry fields for items with pop-up menus are disabled when |
305 | the menus show values other than `Custom', so you must first |
306 | choose `Custom' from the menu if you want a fancy value. |
307 | |
308 | The `Show galaxy map' button opens a map which will be tied to |
309 | the commander window. When you select a home world (button 3), |
310 | this will set the world where the commander will start. Note |
311 | that the market prices (in the `Cargo' window) update |
312 | automatically as you move about the universe. It is quite |
313 | possible to travel about entirely new universes by turning off |
314 | the `Standard galaxy' button and typing some hex number into the |
315 | `Galaxy seed' box. All of the ROCL tools work in these custom |
316 | universes. Note that your docked planet is recorded as an x, y |
317 | coordinate pair, so Elite can't tell which of two coincident |
318 | planets you're docked at (yes, there are such pairs). ROCL |
319 | won't cope with this at the moment. |
320 | |
321 | Lasers are a bit odd. Bit 7 is a `rapid-fire' bit. It doesn't |
322 | affect the strength of the laser, but means that there's no |
323 | delay between shots. The low 7 bits control the strength, but |
324 | without the rapid-fire bit, powerful lasers will tend to fire |
325 | more slowly than weak ones. Some comparisons in the program are |
326 | for exact laser power: you can't damage the Constrictor or |
327 | Cougar ships unless you have military (or 0x17 slow-firing) |
328 | lasers; and you can't fragment asteroids unless you have mining |
329 | or 0xb2 rapid-fire lasers. (The 0xb2's pack a serious punch. I |
330 | recommend them as an upgrade for commanders who don't wish to |
331 | cheat completely.) |
332 | |
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333 | One suggestion I've heard of, if Elite is too easy, is to start |
334 | at Lave (as usual), with no money, lasers, missiles, or fuel. |
335 | You can get your first money by ramming asteroids (easy but |
336 | unrewarding) or pirates (risky and tedious), and start trading |
337 | food and other cheap items. |
338 | |
339 | $Id: README,v 1.3 2003/02/26 01:12:30 mdw Exp $ |
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340 | \f |
341 | Local variables: |
342 | mode: text |
343 | End: |