[Explorer-devel] Galaxy Explorer 2.9 enters beta

[<su...@fo...>]

Hi everybody!

I've just moved the latest GE 2.9 into beta phase.

Although there are some bits that would make a hardened C++ expert cry, it 
works just fine. I expect the code to become a stable and be put up for download 
within days from now. This engine will be used for running the upcoming Crescent 
team game. I would advise the prospective Judges to consider using this new 
version for their new games as well, for the following exciting reasons.

Galaxy Explorer has XML report and forecast output now. The format is described 
in the GE XML specs version 1.3. It must be noted that the amount of information 
provided by an XML report exactly corresponds to that provided by the extended 
textual report.

The textual report format had to be rearranged in the options part to match the 
order of the galaxy-game-turn-race specific settings that have different life spans. 
The textual report format is described in the format specs version 1.5.

The following are the changes made to the code:

- Most important of all, this version of the engine uses an incrementally modified 
database format version 1.3 described elsewhere.

- All pertinent output methods were extended to handle the XML as well as textual 
output generation.

- The EditDB has got an extra control to toggle the state of race's output 
formatting (text or XML).

- New commands "O FORMAT TEXT" and "O FORMAT XML" were introduced to allow
players control the format of the reports and forecasts returned to them by the 
engine. Note that the effect of these commands is felt immediately. For example, a 
forecast of orders that contain one of these commands will already be returned in 
the indicated format.

- The N, C, Y, and Z commands have got O equivalents:

        O WORLDNAME oldWorldName newWorldName
        O RACENAME newRaceName
        O PASSWORD newPassword
        O ADDRESS "newAddress"

Apart from this, a couple of nasty bugs of version 2.8.3 was fixed:

- Incorrect partial bombing indication was reversed.

- One syntactically incorrect asteroid inquiry was fixed: note that this might lead to 
a compilation or runtime engine fault in version 2.8.3.

- The "?" sign that means that a planet is inhabited but not known by whom may 
be output now only in the "Other Worlds" section.

- Cargo at asteroids lost its "hypervisibility" - the state of the stockpiles on a 
visited asteroid would be updated and remain visible throughout the game even if 
no player's ships were present there anymore.

- The Makefile was changed to produce the new style engine configuration (global 
mail, partial bombing, and extended report all on) by default.

- All main programs were finally declared int to make the ANSI C minded C++ 
compilers happy.

Best regards.

Alexander