[X] My Assistant

[Nebular]

A few quirks I've seen:

• Incompetent quality should grey out the controls on the skills tab instead of just preventing user from raising the skill, because it is still possible to pick a specialization for it and gain 2 points in that skill. IMHO, the character sheet should display a "-" instead of not having the skill present at all so that people don't think it is a mistake and remember it is linked to the quality. Having that, one can do pretty much anything on the character sheet to make it clearer as long as it is different than 0 or not even there.
• Specialization for language skills seem to be untranslated.
• Could all knowledge skills and their specialization be sorted alphabetically in the translated language before being displayed?

As usual, thanks.

Well, I see the problem in fr_data.xml with the Knowledge Skill Specializations... there aren't any! The translate attribute is blank and you've put the translated values in where the English ones should be! (well, for Languages at lesat, the rest look right) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[deurk]

Well, I see the problem in fr_data.xml with the Knowledge Skill Specializations... there aren't any! The translate attribute is blank and you've put the translated values in where the English ones should be! (well, for Languages at lesat, the rest look right) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Let me fix that before your release (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
Or maybe it is simpler if you do it? Since you got the French in there anyway (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[deurk]

Let me fix that before your release (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
Or maybe it is simpler if you do it? Since you got the French in there anyway (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Nevermind, it's done and pushed to the repository. You can update from my sig (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Nebular]

Let me fix that before your release (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)
Or maybe it is simpler if you do it? Since you got the French in there anyway (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Done and uploaded! Find/replace is much easier than trying to understand it! I can piece bits of it together but those juniour high French classes are long forgotten.
Edit: whoops. Looks like we both did it at the same time. At least we came up with the same results! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I uploaded your version to replace mine just to be safe.

[Nebular]

A few quirks I've seen:

• Incompetent quality should grey out the controls on the skills tab instead of just preventing user from raising the skill, because it is still possible to pick a specialization for it and gain 2 points in that skill. IMHO, the character sheet should display a "-" instead of not having the skill present at all so that people don't think it is a mistake and remember it is linked to the quality. Having that, one can do pretty much anything on the character sheet to make it clearer as long as it is different than 0 or not even there.
• Specialization for language skills seem to be untranslated.
• Could all knowledge skills and their specialization be sorted alphabetically in the translated language before being displayed?

As usual, thanks.

To address the other items now that the Language Specialization one is taken care of...

I'm going to leave Incompetent Skills the way they are since they behave in the same manner as other Active Skills that you cannot default in. I'd prefer to only disable skills that are a part of a Skill Group so that you don't end up confusing grouped Skills with Incompetent Skills. What I should change, however, is disabling the Specialization field for a Skill unless you have at least a Rating 1 in it since you cannot specialise in something if you're not trained in it.

Knowledge Skills and their Specializations are already sorted by their translated value. Sorting them once they're added to the character is a more complicated matter and is only done when a save file is loaded.

[deurk]

Knowledge Skills and their Specializations are already sorted by their translated value. Sorting them once they're added to the character is a more complicated matter and is only done when a save file is loaded.

I just meant the lists you can choose from, not the actual skills.

[deurk]

I'm going to leave Incompetent Skills the way they are since they behave in the same manner as other Active Skills that you cannot default in. I'd prefer to only disable skills that are a part of a Skill Group so that you don't end up confusing grouped Skills with Incompetent Skills. What I should change, however, is disabling the Specialization field for a Skill unless you have at least a Rating 1 in it since you cannot specialise in something if you're not trained in it.

Can't we get something in the character XML to work with on the sheet? Pretty please? The rest sounds good enough.

[Nebular]

I just meant the lists you can choose from, not the actual skills.

The list of choices for both the Knowledge Skill and its Specializations are already sorted alphabetically by the translated name (it's just a property that's set on the control). Is there something that's appearing out-of-order?

[Nebular]

Can't we get something in the character XML to work with on the sheet? Pretty please? The rest sounds good enough.

You should be able to determine that by checking the <extra /> tag for the Incompetent Quality. <extra /> will match the name of an Active Skill. A Skill really doesn't know that it's Incompetent - the only thing it knows is that its maximum Rating is 0. Would it help to output the maximum Rating for Skills? Most of them will always show as 6 or higher since those are the actual limits of Skills (Critters like Dragons tend to go over these limits), but Incompetent Skills will always show their maximum Rating as 0.

[ShadowWalker]

Covert Ops should have it. Looks like the addon category for it wasn't defined. It will be in the next update.

The are a number of Matrix Program that should not have the free plugins - namely those that simply cannot have Program Options attached to them like Agent, IC, Firewall, Pilot, and System. Only Common Use, Hacking, Autosoft, and Simsense programs can have Program Options attached to them.

What's funny is that Unwired does say that agents, IC, Pilot, System and Firewall should have them.
Page 94 has a table for Cracking Copy Protection that includes all of those.
Also page 108 of unwired says the following

In game-terms, legal registered software is equipped with both the Copy Protection and the Registration program options (see p. 115). Note that all Common programs (Analyze, Browse, Command, Edit, Encrypt, Purge, Reality Filter, and Scan), agents, autosofts, skillsofts, and commercial operating systems acquired by the basic software rules and prices (see pp. 225–228 and 320–322, SR4) are considered legal software that include these options by default.

Operating Systems are System and Firewall bundled together.
The rules for software is crazy. The time it takes to hack it is long enough that you would spend most of your time hacking it and not actually running, and the rules for using non-hacked make it so easy to trace the user of non-hacked that you would be crazy to use non-hacked. It's like a catch-22. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Both Copy Protectino and Registration don't take up any Capacity and are allows on things that don't normally allow program options.

[deurk]

You should be able to determine that by checking the <extra /> tag for the Incompetent Quality. <extra /> will match the name of an Active Skill. A Skill really doesn't know that it's Incompetent - the only thing it knows is that its maximum Rating is 0. Would it help to output the maximum Rating for Skills? Most of them will always show as 6 or higher since those are the actual limits of Skills (Critters like Dragons tend to go over these limits), but Incompetent Skills will always show their maximum Rating as 0.

Would be nice! Could do some graphical bars or something with a value and its maximum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Nebular]

What's funny is that Unwired does say that agents, IC, Pilot, System and Firewall should have them.
Page 94 has a table for Cracking Copy Protection that includes all of those.
Also page 108 of unwired says the following


Operating Systems are System and Firewall bundled together.
The rules for software is crazy. The time it takes to hack it is long enough that you would spend most of your time hacking it and not actually running, and the rules for using non-hacked make it so easy to trace the user of non-hacked that you would be crazy to use non-hacked. It's like a catch-22. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Both Copy Protectino and Registration don't take up any Capacity and are allows on things that don't normally allow program options.

That is really messed up, 'cause UN 114 says only certain types can have them. Seems like the book is contradicting itself. You'd think things like Agents and IC should have access to options, especially Copy Protection and Registration since the corps would be purchasing them from somewhere! So the question is should all Matrix Programs come with those options, even if they're not typically allowed to have Program Options, or should those wacky items just be given access to Program Options in general and let people sort out what can and cannot receive them?

[Nebular]

Would be nice! Could do some graphical bars or something with a value and its maximum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Easy enough. Skills will have a <ratingmax /> tag in the next update then.

[Diabolos]

Have a great vacation!

Here's a little something for you to work on when you get back:

Adding a Firewall Commlink Operating System Upgrade to a Commlink OS on a Commlink does not update the Firewall rating of the Commlink itself, instead the Firewall rating for the Commlink shows as 0. Adding a System Commlink Operating System Upgrade appears to work as expected.

[ShadowWalker]

That is really messed up, 'cause UN 114 says only certain types can have them. Seems like the book is contradicting itself. You'd think things like Agents and IC should have access to options, especially Copy Protection and Registration since the corps would be purchasing them from somewhere! So the question is should all Matrix Programs come with those options, even if they're not typically allowed to have Program Options, or should those wacky items just be given access to Program Options in general and let people sort out what can and cannot receive them?

I would say yes, have those two be on everything, and let all other only be on the ones specifically stated as being allowed.
In reality all purchased software would have both those built in. That's the way it is now, I expect it will be the same 60 years from now.

[ShadowWalker]

bah, double post

[Nebular]

Have a great vacation!

Here's a little something for you to work on when you get back:

Adding a Firewall Commlink Operating System Upgrade to a Commlink OS on a Commlink does not update the Firewall rating of the Commlink itself, instead the Firewall rating for the Commlink shows as 0. Adding a System Commlink Operating System Upgrade appears to work as expected.

Whoops. Turns out it was trying to use the System Rating of the Firewall which will always be 0. I'll have this fixed in the next update.

[Nebular]

I would say yes, have those two be on everything, and let all other only be on the ones specifically stated as being allowed.
In reality all purchased software would have both those built in. That's the way it is now, I expect it will be the same 60 years from now.

k. So all non-Suite, non-Hacked Matrix Programs (and Autosofts, etc.) will come with Copy Protection and Registration pre-equipped, regardless of them usually have access to Program Options or not. I'll have this in the next update.

[Nebular]

Turns out there was enough small, quick stuff to justify doing another quick update before I head off, so here it is!

Build 247

• character Alias is now shown in the prompt to save a character when exiting the application to make identifying which characters to save easier
• Quality names are now translated in the error message when trying to change your Metatype
• Add Sprite button now reads from the translation file
• required and forbidden items are now translated in the Select Quality and Select Metamagic/Echo windows
• Adept Powers now have their Ratings properly reduced if a character's MAG is reduced
• Adept Powers can now go above Rating 6 based on the character's MAG Attribute
• added <ratingmax /> to the printout XML for Skills to show the maximum Rating the character would be able to acquire for the Skill
• Firewall and System Ratings are now properly restricted when adding a Commlink Operating System Upgrade to a Commlink Operating System
• fixed an issue where adding a Firewall Commlink Operating System Upgrade to a Commlink Operating System would cause a Commlink to believe its new Firewall Rating to be 0
• all non-Suite, non-Hacked Matrix Programs now come with Copy Protection and Registration

Modified Strings

• Message_UnsavedChanges

New Strings

• Button_AddSprite

[Diabolos]

At this rate, you'll never leave! And I'm not helping!

Audio Enhancements to audio sensors/enhancers have a capacity cost of 1 per rating, per SR4a p333. Current functionality has it at a capacity cost of 1 per enhancement, regardless of rating.

[ShadowWalker]

At this rate, you'll never leave! And I'm not helping!

Audio Enhancements to audio sensors/enhancers have a capacity cost of 1 per rating, per SR4a p333. Current functionality has it at a capacity cost of 1 per enhancement, regardless of rating.

what heading paragraph? I can't find that on page 333.

[deurk]

what heading paragraph? I can't find that on page 333.

Don't find it either

[deurk]

The list of choices for both the Knowledge Skill and its Specializations are already sorted alphabetically by the translated name (it's just a property that's set on the control). Is there something that's appearing out-of-order?

The list of knowledge quality types is not sorted by translated terms.

[deurk]

<removed>

[deurk]

There are a couple of Weapons like this that are really screwy. The base Weapon itself has a distinct Category (like Assault Rifles). The Weapon itself just has different modes it can be put together; they're not different version and don't require a separate purchase for any of them (which is why the other entries for them are all 0¥). The additional entries are there so that you can add them to the character to see how each configuration works and can be loaded with ammo properly. Since they're all listed under the same Category as the parent item in the book, it made sense to keep them that way in the data file, rather than forcing someone to hunt down all of the various configurations across multiple Categories or discover some neat free item just laying around. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Except that ammunition are linked to the category if I'm not mistaking, so buying the shotgun version with shotgun ammo won't let you reload. I think it's better to have accurate information (even though even with changed categories it won't require you to buy the base of the weapon to get the shotgun piece for example) than ease the hunt like you said, hunt that can pretty quickly return everything by just inputting weapon name in the search box (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)