AsteroidSeeker Utility V 1.0.3.0 for any ver. of X2 / X3 - spoiler. UPDATE 3rd Jun 07

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 06:57

AsteroidSeeker Utility Ver 1.0.3.0 (for any version of X2 or X3)
(works with X3 2.0.02, and with all mods tested so far)

Here is a util to help locating places to build those factory complexes:

download 862 KBytes at :
http://www.Exogenesis.co.uk/AsteroidSee ... .0.3.0.exe

At first glance this might look like just another sector-map or asteroid-list,
but it's actually an interactive 'asteroid set' finder, with simple graphic animated roid visualisation.

Main reason I made this was:
1 difficult to remember where all those juicy big asteroids are (they should be etched on my brain by now).
2 need to spread future factories around, I've got too many sectors (each with only a few complexes),
that are 'no go' due to low framerate (high memory/cpu use).
3 needed to visually gauge the relative positions of silicon & ore asteroids, this is difficult with just top & side view in-game.
4 wanted to sneak view the maps for some mods I might start playing soon.

Screenshots:
Click on the below thumbnails to get the larger images

The main universe screen:

[ external image ]

After selecting and zooming a sector:
[ external image ]...[ external image ]

Also there's a complete asteroid list, this is sortable by asteroid size, type etc :
[ external image ]

The instructions are on the screen, so I didn't write a help document.

The main point (for me) is to find eg a size 20-30 silicon roid, within connecting range of a size 20-30 ore roid,
this would allow me to put up a medium sized complex, then move on to the next combination in another sector.

So... the main screen lets you overview the Universe roid clustering (if you look closely, while tilting the sectors),
then you zoom in to a sector, and select a particular roid, which the highlights other roids within a definable distance.
This distance is initially set to 20.5km, which is the max dist between 2 roids such that they can be connected
with one hub. (Not that I'm suggesting you build your complexes that way, but it gives an indication of proximity).

You can also see the exact sector coords of each object, in the bottom status bar when, you put the mouse over it
(including gates), which is helpful.

You also get to see the sector/roid maps for any mods you may have in your mod directory.

Simple idea, works for me, so I thought I'd tart it up a bit and share.

There are few options at the moment, any ideas welcome.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a footnote to say that if you are starting the game & are an ardent explorer,
you may find this lays the universe a bit too open too early, hence the word spoiler in the title.

.

DarkWrath · Post by **DarkWrath** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 07:56

I keep getting a "an invalid argument was encountered" when I'm trying to run it.

Coshy · Post by **Coshy** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 07:58

Got an error message after install:

"AsteroidSeeker_1.0.1.0.exe - Unable to locate Component

This application has failed to start because MFC71.DLL was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem."

Installed 3 times to different directories (including the default one) and got the same message each time.

On the installer window there was a button marked "Show Details". Clicking this buttone brought up a window showing what was extracted.

The list of extracted files:
AsteroidSeeker_1.0.1.0.exe
x2fd.dll
msvcr.dll
zlib1.dll

I re-downloaded the installer 3 times, tried installing each one 3 times (once to default location, once to my X3 folder, and once to desktop). None of the downloads or installations worked.

Hope its an easy fix, this looks like a useful tool. I know myself I've wanted to know if the asteroids I'm thinking of using are close to one another, or if I'll have to drag one half way across a sector.

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 08:12

MFC71.DLL is the Microsoft Foundation Classes library, and you should be able to download it from Microsoft--I think this is the link you would need.

Coshy · Post by **Coshy** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 08:21

I downloaded and installed the file from Microsoft, still getting the same error message. I'll try rebooting, see if that clears up the problem. Thanks for the info.

bob hope · Post by **bob hope** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 11:55

shouldnt this be in the scripts forum? just wondering thats all, here this might go walkies and get losyt in the spindrift

esd · Post by **esd** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 12:03

bob hope wrote:shouldnt this be in the scripts forum?

Why would it? It's not a script, and it's not a mod. It's an external utility akin to Sector Planner, a ship-stats excel document or a universe map.

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 12:05

Updated the installer :
added mfc71.dll, increased the size by 500 KByte but that's not too bad,
and changed the default install location from 'ProgramFiles' to 'Program Files' (doh)

Coshy

If you downloaded the dll yourself, did you put it in the same directory as the
program ? (default C:\ProgramFiles\AsteroidSeeker, in the version you downloaded))

DarkWrath

I keep getting a "an invalid argument was encountered" when I'm trying to run it.

Do you have many mod cat files in your mod directory?,
maybe one of these has something I'm not coping with,
I've tested it OK with the below:
CreaTive FX-Mod 0.6, DDRS ShipStation Mod V2.3.6a, fortress_ship11,
meh_M6_upgrade, Xtended PB0.5, ITS_ARG_CP_MOD_V1c, XFP_V03 (and X2) [although a lot of these don't have custom universes]

bob hope

spindrift

First time I've heard this forum called that

,
should be OK here, if Mods are OK with that.
Given feedback & suggestions it'll stay alive long
enough to be useful, if not then it deserves to go south anyway.

esd · Post by **esd** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 12:07

Well if it proves popular/useful/reasonably bug-free, I'm sure TSM can be convinced to put it in his sticky Guides thread

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Sun, 15. Oct 06, 23:36

Well, hopefully there won't be too many bugs (for long anyway

),
I already know it's useful (at least to me), but it's popularity remains to be seen.

It's all gone a bit quiet, or is it just a slow day on the forum?

I'd appreciate it if anyone who tries this could tell me if it's working OK,
or if there are lots of problems like Coshy & DarkWrath had.

(Can't sort out any probs if no-one tells me

)

R.Styles · Post by **R.Styles** » Mon, 16. Oct 06, 00:03

Dave Toome wrote:(Can't sort out any probs if no-one tells me )

True, I'll let you know.

R.Styles · Post by **R.Styles** » Mon, 16. Oct 06, 00:13

Dave Toome wrote:DarkWrath
I keep getting a "an invalid argument was encountered" when I'm trying to run it.
Do you have many mod cat files in your mod directory?, maybe one of these has something I'm not coping with,
I've tested it OK with the below:
CreaTive FX-Mod 0.6, DDRS ShipStation Mod V2.3.6a, fortress_ship11,
meh_M6_upgrade, Xtended PB0.5, ITS_ARG_CP_MOD_V1c, XFP_V03 (and X2) [although a lot of these don't have custom universes]

I don't have mods installed, only a few scripts here & there at the moment & the bonus pack.
Yet, I'v just installed it & have got the invalid argument too.?
noticed that:

In the About section wrote:& for x2bc.dll used by this program to read game files

Could this be causing it, as I'm trying to use it with X3 (1.4.03)
any ideas on whats causing this?

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Mon, 16. Oct 06, 00:36

Ok thank for helping out,
so to try to find out how far it gets before the problem:

1st : when you ran the prog, did it ask you to browse to your game directory?
This would happen if you no longer have the dir named as it was just after installing
(f you're like me & have several X3 directories, none in the place the X3 installer thinks it's at). Could you tell me what your X3 install directory name is.

2nd : what did the screen look like when the error message came up,
was it just a black window or had it drawn anything?

3rd : I assume you're running XP?

(The x2bc.dll library works fine for X2 or X3 any version, it is well proven, I've used it in other progs OK)

thanks for the feedback

Coshy · Post by **Coshy** » Mon, 16. Oct 06, 07:55

Sorry for the late reply ... work can be such a nusiance!

I redownloaded it. Download went fine, install went fine. However when I tried to run the program I encountered the "An invalid argument was encountered" problem.

To answer your questions:

1. No, it did not as me to browse my game directory. X3 is in the default location.

2. The window has AsteroidSeeker in the top left of the title bar, File, View and Help below that, an eye and a yellow question mark below that.

3. I'm running XP.

I have the bonus pack installed, as well as Cycrows BBS extras and Xenon Migration scripts, a tractor beam factory recreator by Xylaan, and Klaatu's Cargo Delivery Service. All of these are scripts, I haven't done any Mods yet.

Hope this helps.

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Mon, 16. Oct 06, 08:47

Thanks,
I'm thinking that the 'Invalid Argument' is an array-indexing problem,
why I don't get it is a bit of a mystery, but that's the nature of bugs.

What I'll do is make a version with a load of internal diagnostic checking,
that should allow pinpointing of where the problem lies.

I'll get something sorted out this evening,
as you say having to go to work is such an interference

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Tue, 17. Oct 06, 00:17

Could some kind betatester

try this out for me ?

EDIT: link removed, no need now, it works!

If you have downloaded & installed the prog from the link in the original post,
copy the above file to the place you installed to (default C:\Program Files\AsteroidSeeker),
and then run it (e.g. double click it in Explorer).

If an error occurs it should put up a message box with the place where it occurred
(readable text, not a load of debug numbers), then if you could post the message
in this thread (or PM me) it'll be a great help.

Thanks for your help

Also has anyone got it working without the errors ?

R.Styles · Post by **R.Styles** » Tue, 17. Oct 06, 06:52

Ran the diagnostic this morning. (god it's early)
this is the output I got:
Image here
Still haven't managed to get it to run, the Invalid argument appears.

Hope this helps you work out where the programs trips-up-faster-than-a-no-win-no-fee-lawyer.

Styles

Coshy · Post by **Coshy** » Tue, 17. Oct 06, 08:09

Ok, downloaded the diagnostic, here is what happened.

The window for Asteroid Seeker came up. Two additionial dialog boxes immediately popped up.

One is labeled "Load Progress Dialog", and it states:
Status: Started
Operation: Finding sector names in Universe File
File: (no text here)
Sub File: (no text here either)
Data set: 0

The other dialog box is labeled "AsteroidSeeker", it has an "OK" Button, and it reads:

Reading X universe file in dataset0:
Error index 0 is out of range for arrStrUniverse size 0

Clicking "OK" brings up the "An invalid argument was encountered" dialog box.

Hope this helps! Feel free to PM me if you need further details (system specs, etc) or want me to try something different. Reply may be delayed due to work (yes, I know its a 4 letter word, hopefully it wont get me banned).

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Tue, 17. Oct 06, 09:13

R.Styles and Coshy

Great, thanks for the feedback and screenshots

,
you both get exactly the same result:

It's looks like it falling at the very first post,
which probably makes it an easy fix once I've spotted the problem.

Work beckons

,
I will attempt a fix & update this evening.

Cheers

Deleted User · Post by **Deleted User** » Tue, 17. Oct 06, 21:15

OK, here's a version (1.01.1) that I think should work OK,

could somebody could please try this out, and tell me if it works....?

EDIT: link removed, no need now, it works

If it's OK I'll then update the original post

thanks

egosoft.com

egosoft.com

AsteroidSeeker Utility V 1.0.3.0 for any ver. of X2 / X3 - spoiler. UPDATE 3rd Jun 07

AsteroidSeeker Utility V 1.0.3.0 for any ver. of X2 / X3 - spoiler. UPDATE 3rd Jun 07