January, 1999
Fleet Evaluator version 0.9.7b released:
- New: Fleet Evaluator searches for and read settings from an INI file;
- New: password checking has been enabled by users' request. Passwords can be feeded to the program both by command line switch "/P" and/or INI file;
- New: you can exclude a given race data from being read (skipping of RSTs of which you don't have the password) or displayed on reports (pass to your allies only the minimum of information needed);
- New: /(A)ction log feature added, to record FE operations on your ships database;
- New: two report types added, "List by ship name" and "List by race then ship name";
- Modified: data sorting (and hence report generation) is now faster, due to the implementing of a generic QSort routine instead of the original bobblesort algorithm;
- Modified: database management has been completely rewritten from scratch to gave it more consistency;
- Modified: the on-screen display of data processing has been made more readable, all FE messages on a single program running should be shorter than a screenful;
What I'm working onto:
- Reading enemy weapons from battle VCRs for greater database reliability;
- Making reports more customizable;
- Catching a little report bug I've spotted on "Summary" report;
- Adding... tell me at cassa@oocities.com what you would like to see in next version.
Important note: databases created with ver 0.8/0.9.2/0.9.5 are NOT compatible with this version! I suggest that you start using this latest version of FE only in new games. Or, if you still have all the RSTs, that you rebuild your database from scratch for this version. See SUGGEST.TXT for the better way to do this. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but being FE still in beta I'm in need of changing data formats here and there. From version 1.0 on, all data format updates will be fully supported with conversion utilities and such.
August, 1998I'm currently envolved in creating a new utility, named "Fleet Evaluator", able to track all ship slots. "Isnt'this done by VPA already?" I can hear you say. Well, while this utility will create lots of different VPA-style reports, it will do it using information cumulated since the very first turn.
Fleet Evaluator will create a table with all 500 ship slots, and turn by turn it will do its best to make this table similar to the current situation of the slots. Obviously, Fleet Evaluator cannot create data it doesn't own, that is, it only uses what comes with your .RST.
But, it will make any effort to squeeze those .RST of all data they contain, and to keep it updated by every new turn it receives.
This is particularly useful when playing cloaking races (Birds, Privateers, Fascists, Lizards), that can send spies everywhere through the enemy space, to evaluate the strength of the fleet before an attack or before deciding to go another way ;)
Version 0.9.5b of Fleet Evaluator is in beta testing, these are the features already working:
- Own and Enemy ship slot recording, and creation of a table of the 500 ship slots with all ships ever built (own/allied) or seen (enemy);
- Winplan-specific target data extraction: the conventional host program (also called THost) generates turn for WinPlan which contain much more data about enemy ships than turns generated for Dos Planets.exe or VPA; this doesn't apply to PHost due to the added UTILX.dat file;
- Blank-scored games support;
- Batch mode operation: once unpacked your turn, just launch FE over your data and you're done (hint for Winplan users: put it in your UNPROC2.BAT);
- Full team support: Fleet Evaluator can accept data from up to 11 different races at once;
- Stale turn watchdog: to avoid possible errors in feeding data to Fleet Evaluator;
- Report generation: Fleet Evaluator will generate four different reports, others may come in future;
- Command line switch support: to activate/deactivate specific parts of Fleet Evaluator, like the report generation in case you only wanted to register turn data into FE database;
Here are other programmed features that will be implemented in future:
- Message parsing: to find out info on mine hits, or surrendering;
- Enemy ship weapon recording: when a combat takes place, Fleet Evaluator will scan for the weapon type of the (surviving) enemy ship, so even after 50 turns Fleet Evaluator will recall to you what that Victorious #310 has on board, if x-ray or heavy phasers (don't try this on Feds :));
- Different race names support;
- Log of turns inserted in database: to keep track of info feeded to Fleet Evaluator, will be more useful when support for stale turns will be added;
- Add-Ons support: RacePlus with Chameleon device (warning on ship mass?), TKF with alternative VCR (after the standard VCR part will be completed, and only if TKF VCR data format will be made public);
- Phost support: remotely controlled ships and such;
- Other reports type: tailored to players' needs, just let me know what type of report (over the built-in ones) you think would be useful;
If you would like to try out Fleet Evaluator download it from the link below:
(Download)
(View docs)Cassa's
"Fleet Evaluator 0.9.7 beta"
Small utility to keep track of 500 ship slots situation, with both own and enemy sightings data. Generates VPA-style reports. Freeware.
Current known bugs I'm working on:
- Summary report: sometimes the last ship of the last race is doubled, while the "list" type reports shows the correct ship list for that race;
E-mail: cassa@oocities.com
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23/Jan/99
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