A free tool for sysops to use to generate TWX 2.0 XML files of the sectors of their universe (and warps) is available at:

http://www.holodeckone.com/tools/index.html

The tool is free to use and is the beginning of my involvement in generating tools and add-ons for the sysops of the TWGS game community.

Feel free to email me with any suggestions on what tools you'd like to see next at: drakmir@holodeckone.com.

Drakmir
Sysop of Holodeck One
telnet://bbs.holodeckone.com:5000
http://www.holodeckone.com/

Someone asked me what a TWX 2.0 file is for. It's to import into SWATH / ATTAC (or other helpers that support the import file format) and allow your users to have the entire universe mapped without spending hours doing a ZTM.

Sorry for the lack of clarification earlier.

i'm not sure how easy your tool is to use, but another easy method is:
using twx, log into an observer account, CIM the warps, then export the warpsec.txt and you have a 100% map available to post on the net or whatever.

SWATH can't import a warpsec.txt as far as I know. That makes the .twx file superior.

If you use twx to connect to the server as an observer, and run the CIM warps, you can xport the .twx file like slim said, rather then just the cim file. That does give you the full ZTM, doesn't it? then you have it in Swath for your map/nearest port/fig or whatever else you want to use it for in swath, as well as import it into twx.

The tool runs by taking in 2 params:

AccurateZTM <game dir> <twx filename>

Other than that input, it needs nothing else and runs in under a second for a 20,000 sector universe.

I could extend the tool to allow export of much more information (ports, etc), but decided that I wanted to give my users just the "lay of the land" without them spending 3-5 hours.

The other side of this is that I'm working on a library of code to allow direct manipulation of the tradewars data files. The code I use for AccurateZTM can read and write (with proper file locking) the TWSECT.DAT file. As such, I can start to write more interesting applications and add-ons as well.

I'm working with John to get the data structures for the .dat files in order to extend the library/code base to cover more of the data files.

Consider AccurateZTM just a proof of concept.

Hey LetsDrinkCoke -

Not sure what you mean by TWX. Is that another helper program? The file I'm writing is in a format that both ATTAC and SWATH read (TWX 2.0). It's an xml format with data they can both import and export.

If I should support another helper (TWX?) as well, I'm all for it. Just never heard of that helper before.

quote:Originally posted by Drakmir

Hey LetsDrinkCoke -

Not sure what you mean by TWX. Is that another helper program? The file I'm writing is in a format that both ATTAC and SWATH read (TWX 2.0). It's an xml format with data they can both import and export.

If I should support another helper (TWX?) as well, I'm all for it. Just never heard of that helper before.



Surely you are joking about TWX and not knowing about it, but if not... TWX is a proxy that most players use with Swath, Attac, or ZOC. It was written by Xide and has been out for quite some time.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

Interesting. I hadn't heard of TWXProxy until now. Didn't know that people used that with programs like swath/attac.

Is it used just because it is better scripting wise?

quote:Originally posted by Drakmir

Interesting. I hadn't heard of TWXProxy until now. Didn't know that people used that with programs like swath/attac.

Is it used just because it is better scripting wise?


Risking a rebuttal from someone like The Reverand, TWX is better for scripting than something like REXX. It is easier to write in due to being designed for the game and having a game database to draw information from (specific to the game being played, i.e., warps, densities and more).

TWX also provides information that does not require scripts to obtain such as upgraded ports, densities, anomalies and bubbles for instance.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

Nice to know. Thanks!

Is there an import format for TWXProxy? (I'll check it out more today when I get home from work).

Would it be helpful for AccurateZTM to export into a format that TWXProxy can read in as well?

quote:Originally posted by Slim Shady

i'm not sure how easy your tool is to use, but another easy method is:
using twx, log into an observer account, CIM the warps, then export the warpsec.txt and you have a 100% map available to post on the net or whatever.


Actually TWX v1.0, and v2.0, is better for exporting and importing of game data. And it is the superior to v1 and should used above all others when available. And TWX Proxy does not support TWX v2.0 specs. Not yet anyways.

Harley Nuss correctly (see below) wrote that my original post was not appropriate to this area. I apologise to all and have deleted it.

Drakmir, TWX Proxy v2.3 currently imports and exports TWX v1.0 files.

+EP+

Thanks for the information. If there are requests, I can look into exporting the data into TWX 1.0 format as well with a 3rd parameter.