As you've seen, the normal structure of a message tag is:
<MSG23 = Captain, what shall we do now?>
This presents the text message as a log entry on the screen.
You may also insert into such a message tag another tag for triggering map events and music cues. We call these "Map Tags".
Here are some examples, followed by the dictionary of map events you can trigger.
<MSG36 = Engage.<FLYB=CloudyEarthBG;ByOut>>
This map tag makes your ship fly toward you past the "CloudyEarthBG" artwork.
<MSG01 = Let's get under way. <SWAP=Target;BluePlanet_icon@HEAR=action>>
This map tag makes the Target icon, which is normally an orange bracket, become a Blue Planet. This tag also causes the program to select an "action" style music cue and play it.
<MSG32 = <NSRT=parasites2> Captain! The crew lounge is being infested!>>
This map tag plays the animation named "parasites2", temporarily covering the star map.
This map tag places a new icon, the "romulan" symbol, onto the map at coordinates 754x470. It will stay there until another tag elsewhere in the script is encountered saying <CANC=romulan>.
Notice that you *nest* a map tag inside the MSG tag.
The number of opening brackets and closing brackets must match.
Only one map tag per MSG tag is possible. Use the @ symbol if you want more than one. No extra spaces please.
Like an "insert", star map temporarily switches to animation of your ship flying thru the frame
Replace aBackground with:
DeadMoonBG BluJupiterBG SunBG EarthBG
BluePlntBG CloudyEarthBG SmStarbaseBG HotSunBG
BlueCircNebBG BluCloudBG PinkNebBG StarfieldBG
GreenNebBG orangeNebBG pinkFlowerBG
(If your ship is not at starbase and you have specified smStarbaseBG, the program will atuomatically use the generic StarfieldBG instead.)
Replace aMove with:
#ByOut (ship moves out of the distance toward you, L to R)
#warp (ship moves from the R foreground into the distance)
••-------------------------------------
"SPOT" <SPOT=anIcon;000;000>
Places an icon on the map
Not necessary for your ship, just other icons in the mission
Replace anIcon with one of:
DestMark the standard generic target (its ID is Target)
Federation
XYZ123 a prometheus ship
DeepS9 space station
HotRed planet or star
Earth planet
GasGiant planet (jupiter)
RedPlanet planet (mars)
BluePlanet planet
Romulan these are symbols of the various races
Borg
Bajoran
Cardassian
Dominion
Ferengi
Kazon
Klingon
Maquis
••-------------------------------------
"CANC" <CANC=romulan>
Removes a previously SPOTted icon
••-------------------------------------
"SWAP" <SWAP=aIDname;aState>
Changes the state of an existing Icon
example: Target;XYZ123_icon OR activeShip;icon
1st item aIDname: needs to be an established id name
eg Target, Romulan, activeShip, CTN324
(may use activeShip generically to indicate
whichever shipID is "foreground" at the moment)
("Target" is automatically assigned to the destination
location, and the "DestMark" icon - the orange
bracket - is automatically placed. But you can change it.)
2nd item aState: new art to use, either:
name_type ...selects any given art
eg Romulan_boom
OR type ...selects type version of the IDname art
"icon" resets to base version of IDname art
"scan" shows the scan version of the IDname art (ships only)
if you dont use the "_" character the program will assume you just want to change the version of the current art
-o-
StarShip Mission Language
4.
OVERLAYS
"Headquarters Alerts"
Example:
<MO_HQ_EV3 = What are our orders?,
#otherSpeaks,-,Return to base., #simOver,-,Stay there., #HQCmd3,>
Format:
<MO_HQ_EVn = Text in the alert area,
#aCommand,optionalmessage,Text for the first button, #aCommand,optionalmessage,Text for the second button, #HQCmdn,>
where n is the arbitrary yet sequential number of this tag. Note that it appears in 2 places. (eg: MO_HQ_EV3 and #HQCmdn) You use the #HQCmd3 in the script somewhere to trigger the appearance of this box.
If you want only one button to appear make the "Text for the button" space void, ie, just the two commas. MO_HQ_EV4 in the sample above does this.
"Environments"
The Location Event tag is used to define a set of up to 10 events
that will be triggered by the ship crossing a specific point on the map
Example:
<LEVTMAP = #blackHole,30,50,Black hole in area, #asteroid,80,100,Asteroid field,>
A valid horizCoord is 0 to 2000. A valid vertCoord is 0 to 1000.
This Time Event tag is used to define a set of up to 10 events
that will be triggered at specific times relative to the start of a mission.
Time is expressed in ticks (60 ticks / sec)
Example:
<TEVTMAP = #disengageWarpEng,9999,For some reason we just dropped out of warp!,>
The format for this tag is similar to the Location Event tag, except the numerical value expected here is ticks, not a rectangle in space.
"Other Event Tags"
Unrecoverable failures. The System Failure tag is triggered by the simulator when it senses that the engineering staff is unable to repair anything. Typically used to trigger an alert box...
<MO_CO_SYSFAIL = #HQCmd3,-,>
The Shields Malfunction response tag is triggered by the simulator when it senses that the shields are no longer able to protect the ship from externally-inflicted damage. This usually happens during a conflict. This example assumes that. If you have a script with no enemies, it is advisable to leave out the "fightEnemy" command in here!
<MO_CO_SMF = #otherSpeaks,The shields are going down. Keep fighting anyway.,#fightEnemy,-,>
"Scans and Probes"
When you send a command to launch a probe or try a scan, such commands include parameters that specify points in space. These overlays "catch" those points and determine what if any feedback is given.
The command symbol #something will cause a positive result to be fed back. If you place a #nothing command there then the feedback is false. You may also use #debris, #interstellarDust, or #distortion to partially obscure the signal (debris has the least interfering effect distortion the most).
Example of that:
<MO_SN_LR = 0400,0600,0500,0700,#interstellarDust,A cloud of microparticles is obscuring the signal.; 0400,0600,0500,0700,#something,Long range scan picks up a possible stellar fragment.;>
If the ship's installed equipment is sensitive enough it will read "through" the layer of dust to see "something". Notice how the rectangles are identical.
The format for an scan-environment tag is:
<MO_SN_aa = L1,T1,R1,B1,cmd1,"dsp text1";L2,T2,R2,B2,cmd2,"dsp text 2;....;Ln,Tn,Rn,Bn,cmdn,"dsp testn>
where L=Left, T=Top, R=Right, B=Bottom which define a rectangle target
Only the tags that will be triggered by a scan request cmd that you have
included within the main script need to be defined with specific data.
For the ones that you are not using just place a null Rect (0,0,0,0) with #nothing cmd and blank message data.
"Conflict Resolution"
or How to Pick a Fight...
If your starship encounters an alien ship during the execution of a mission (which you trigger with an #encounterAlien command) it will make use of a set of tags associated with conflict resolution. You will need to define these tags so that the starship will "know" how to conduct itself durring a conflict.
These tags may be omitted if your ship will never encounter an alien ship.
The following is a set of suggested commands for each of the Mission Overlay Conflict Resolution tags. This set will produce a battle between the star ship and the enemy ship. (The MSGxx's are here as examples.)
Notice how each group of tags is read by the simulator in response to a particular command. Depending on conditions, one of the group of tags is selected by the simulator for execution.
#encounterAlien evokes one of 3 possible response tags:
// 1 Enemy is Friendly
<MO_CR_FC = #executeGoal,MSG39,>
// 2 Enemy is Hostile-- use the #hostile command to trigger #fightEnemy
<MO_CR_HC = #otherSpeaks,MSG40,#hostile,-,>
// 3 Enemy Attacks you-- use the #attacked command to trigger #enemyFire
<MO_CR_AC = #otherSpeaks,MSG41,#attacked,-,>
#enemyFire causes the enemy to be classified as either
Strong, Weak, or Damaged.
// if the enemy is Strong, you probably want to continue fighting:
<MO_CR_SNG = #fightEnemy,MSG46,>
// if the enemy is Weak you can declare them destroyed
The core of a battle sequence is the exchange of #enemyFire and #fightEnemy commands. That happens automatically when the conflict resolution tags are written this way.
StarShip Mission Language
5.
IMPORTING YOUR MISSION
An importable mission script needs to start with a Mission Profile, which looks like this...
NAME=Take Position in Sector 8
LEVEL=x
ERA=x
TYPE=Sample
KEYS=Basic Equipment
DESC=
Fly to Sector 8 and request further instructions. Your mission will be successful if you can make it there.
@
The labels in capitals, followed by the =, must be in the file just as shown, as lines of their own. The Level and Era lines need to be in there, but are ignored. It is helpful to others who may see your Mission to describe in "Keys" what critical systems will be use during the mission.
Please do not use the @ character anywhere in your document except as the separator symbol, as described next.
Note how, in the "Sector8.txt" sample file in the Import folder, the mission profile text preceeds the actual script, separated by a lone @ on a line by itself (that is, type a <return>, then type @, then type another <return>).
Also, double check that if you have a comment line (one that starts with //) at the end of your script, there is a <return> following it.
The program expects to read a Plain Text document. Be sure you have saved it this way.
We recommended that the file be put in the Import folder that is in the same folder (ShipMain) as Starship Creator. (That is not essential however as a dialog box will prompt for the file's location.) Once imported, the file is not needed by the program, so you can remove it from the Import folder, but keep it somewhere as a backup.
Adding the new script to your list of available missions happens on the FLEET screen. Use the Import Mission button.
