As most of you know I try to make an attempt to be a scripter.
I usually script in Swath.
Due to problems with cable I was offline and I had to use zoc because you cant use Swath offline without getting something from Swath help.
So while I an scripting in zoc, I start to notice the little things I miss about swath
But to make a long story short (too late) Do you other scripters have trouble switching too or is it just me?
That telnet window bites heh.
Thanks for input guys.

Heh. You are not alone. But I'm the exact opposite. I don't ever want to use Swath again. (Not because I hate it, I just have no use for it. It's a good program, and it helped me out while I was re-learning TW)

I've customized the hell out of my ZOC. I get 100 lines of text on screen without having to use the scrollbar. And that's with 5 rows of buttons. That doesn't even count the 1 or 2 key macros I have built in, plus all the key remaps. And the auto macros (A recent addition, now that I know how to turn them all on or off on the fly.) Heh. Swath is still playing catchup to the customization options you have in ZOC. I even have buttons that load in new sets of buttons. And key combos that load in new keymaps. (for red or blue play, combat, etc...) Res had nothing on me.

One more thing ZOC does: I can cut text on the fly with my mouse, and paste it back in with a single mouse click. Don't know if Swath has that yet, but if not, it needs it bad.

EDIT:
Made a pic of my Zoc screen (in Test mode...)
http://www.tw-cabal.com/pics/t-zoc.GIF
Guess it's only 98 lines. heh. If it looks unreadable, thats cause your browser is resizing the image. Click on the zoom icon that shows up when you hover your mouse over the image. Then you will see what I see. Pity I can't easily show the key-maps and stuff. The first four buttons change what buttons show up. Each runs a rexx script that loads in a new Key and Options profile from file. Also have KB shortcuts for them.

When I'm playing in a real game, I modify the ZOC shortcut and have it startup with whichever profile I use the most.
i.e.
zoc /key:blue.zky /o:options\blue.zoc /call:twxport2004
That autoconnects to my TWX proxy (an entry in my host directory), and loads my blue configs, for example.

Ok, I'm done. if you really want to know how to customize ZOC, do a search, or ask Harley [:D]

Traitor, I would like to hear more. I use Zoc as well and am interested in how you have setup of some of the options you listed!
Please drop me a line email when you get some time.

Zoso

How do you deal with the map aspect? The biggest reason I use swath is the mapping... Do you just go without one?

As for remappable keys, I guess you could maintain multiple swath.cfg files and do it that way. Would be cool if you could load a config file at the touch of a key tho.

I've been playing this game long enough that I don't really need a map anymore. There are only a few dozen sectors that I treat differently from all the others. 1-10, Dock, Alpha, Rylos, and the MSL's. The rest of the sectors are ALL potential enemy bases (heh, and even the MSL's if your enemies are totally new). If you learn to think of them that way, then you quickly realize that you don't need a map. You just have to be able to track them all.

That doesn't mean that I'm not working on a TWX windowed map anyway. But I don't need it. I just want one [:D]

Hmm. Guess so. I don't use the map to track enemy bases as that doesn't seem too effective, got a dataminer for that.

The problem I have is mentally keeping track of 19900+ sectors. It's easier if I can just pull up a map and see how it all connects. Suppose years from now I might not have that problem, dunno, just can't imagine going sector by sector in twx. Might be a better player without the crutch, but for now I'm not too comfortable with the idea of giving it up.

Swath can do copy-paste, it's not one click tho... atleast not that I know of. Think it's a double-click on the word then a right-click and paste. Would be nice if there was another dockable buttons panel, the A thru Z is nice but confusing when you have 26 different things on it. Got me thinking tho, maybe the java stuff can change the bitmap of those keys. I'm sure it could be used to change the swath keymap. I really like the idea of having different keymaps. Wonder if there's a way to get it to do 100 lines... hmm. Something to work on atleast.

Cool suff. Very impressive.

whoa guess its time to start playin around with zoc...i didnt know you could do all that...maybe you should write up and article on zoc traitor...as for a map (OMG i started to sing "I'm a map" from dora the explorer) you can use both zoc and swath at the same time

I have never use a "Visual" map of any kind, in fact i don't really see the need for one.

Zoso

I like swath because I can keep track of Info such as how many figs i have left, what sectors I'm trading, holds ect,. When I'm griding all I need to do is look at my fig counter. If there is a big drop. I stop and scroll back and see what I've run into. its all right there. don't have to stop and hit the / key. This isnt a flame on ZOC. Could be its a battleship and all I need is a destroyer.

To copy info from SWATH, you left-click and drag through all the the text you are wanting to copy, after it is all highlighted you click on edit and copy. Then right-click and paste it inside the program you want it to be placed into. Would be nice to incorporate full mouse functions within SWATH as of now when you attempt to right-click your highlight you will only loose it.



On a sort of related subject, I just came across a new way of printing via the mouse, (for a minute I though I just had a new function idea for Windows as it turned out it already did it already though.) Anyways, this is handy if you are wanting to print up several documents within the same directory or just one.

Highlight all the files or just the one file and right-click over them and then click on print. This will send them all to the printer for a batch-job. Maybe this is old news to some? I have always thought the only way to print was to load each program and then print from within the program itself, which is time consuming and tedious.

quote:Originally posted by BlackBeard

whoa guess its time to start playin around with zoc...i didnt know you could do all that...maybe you should write up and article on zoc traitor...<snip>

I've thought about writing a ZOC article. Maybe someday. Of course, my preferred method is to just point out what ZOC is capable of in random posts here and there and get people curious enough that they take a look and see what they can do on their own. Everything I know about ZOC I learned by reading the docs, and then asking myself how can I USE this command to conquer my enemies? Followed by the experiment phase. Then I go re-read the docs again. heh.

i think i might have a zoc right up somewhere.. or else i planned to right one and never did it...
i'm pretty sure res had a little write up on zoc somewhere.
zoc rules.
i've never used a vis map, and really don't understand the need for one either.

quote:Originally posted by Slim Shady

i think i might have a zoc right up somewhere.. or else i planned to right one and never did it...
i'm pretty sure res had a little write up on zoc somewhere.
zoc rules.
i've never used a vis map, and really don't understand the need for one either.


There are a couple of uses for the visual map. Playing solo red I like the ability to view the map and see what kind of sectors are close to me for my next steal location. Yes, I could do a search on port type, but I like to know what all is around it - additional sectors for robbing for instance. The visual map also makes it easy to see what sectors need refigged after extern.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

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

I only have 70 lines in in my ZOC window, but I have a huge scrollback buffer. Does swath allow you to actually do full key remapping yet? I have ctrl+key combos in zoc that send ascii characters that I then catch with a TWX script. As to a visual map, I occasionally think one might be handy, but not enough so that I actually want to use swath. For the most part I am able to visualize the universe in my head, at least the sectors that I care about. Same goes for the little quick stats swath displays. I'm able to keep track of what I have as I use it.

I agree with kemper, but I'd like to point out how nice it is to have a visual map, even the days of twhelp (yes, good ol' dial up zoc and twhelp) you had a visual online or offline map... major props to someone who can make one for TWX maybe impliment it with paint or something... or even convert to html format? I don't know, just tossing ideas out there that someone might be able to use up....

the swath addiction lasted only a few weeks with me, the map was nice, but it reminded me too much of our good ol buddy TWAR (sorry guys, swath is better, just the layout scares me) I don't miss the self destruct button on twar though... seriously, who the hell thought that was a good idea? my ex wife sure as hell liked that one.

graz