SimPlot - SimPlot2

[kmart494]

View File

SimPlot2

---

SimPlot2 (short for simple plotter) provides Harpoon4 paper rules players an opportunity to accurately track the location of units in a graphical environment. Specially made background maps can be used to create a sense of location for the battle. Additional unit graphics can be utilized to enhance game play such as range circles, ESM/Sonar bearing lines, limited unit perception and unit text tags.

Multi-player games are possible using a referee to control the movement of units, and to determine the outcome of detection and combat. Player-oriented files are sent from the referee to the players so they can only see whichever enemy units the H4 detection rules (and the referee) allow. Players can issue orders back to the referee via email, chat, etc.

This release is a Beta version, so everything is not quite ready yet. However, at this stage you can play single and multiplayer games using the existing functionality.

There are two version of SimPlot2 available: Windows 64-bit and MacOS.

Windows users: There is no installer for SimPlot2. Just unzip the downloaded folder into any working directory you desire (the unzip function will attempt to create a folder using the zip file name.  This will result in a duplicated folder, so please do not use the default folder selection). Future updates to the app will have their own main folder (no more replacing files).  Unused app folders can be deleted once the scenario and map files are transferred to the newer folder.

MacOS users: This is a signed and notarized .dmg file.  After downloading, right-click the .dmg file and select "Open".  The file may open as a mounted drive.  You can create a new folder in Applications (SimPlot 2 or whatever you like), and move SimPlot2.app over to it.  A shortcut should also appear in your Launchpad.

Please post comments and feedback in the H4 Paper Rules forum.

---

• Submitter
  kmart494
• Submitted
  03/04/2018
• Category
  Application/Tools/Mods/Docs

 

[kmart494]

I uploaded version 0.3 of SimPlot 2. This is a duplicate topic because I accidentally deleted the existing downloads entry instead of just the files.

 

Anyway, this version fixed some bugs (I can't remember which ones). A known issue remains for now. ESM and Sonar bearings cannot be used with multiplayer turn files as the reference information is wrong. You can still run a multiplayer game, just don't use the bearings.

 

Some improvements made are:

• Colors can be adjusted to your liking. The map colors and some screen colors are not implemented yet, but everything else can be changed and will automatically save and reload.
• If changes are made to the scenario within the program, you will be prompted to save your work when you exit the scenario/program.
• You can now exit the current scenario much more cleanly than previously. Some residual data had hung around that caused problems. There is now an option to exit the scenario in addition to exiting the program.

I am in the process of creating a User Guide from the old readme file. It is included with the zip files, but it is still a work in progress. Still, I hope it is useful at this stage.

 

Kevin

[kmart494]

As a test, I tried to download the Mac version and run it on my MacBook but it crashed with an IOException error. The program works fine in my Xojo Builds folder. Maybe it is a permissions thing. I will work on it while getting 0.4 ready.

 

Kevin

[kmart494]

I think I have found the problem. Because the .app distribution is not "code signed" in a .dmg file, macOS will put the application in a kind of quarantine that prevents writing additional files. The easy way around it is to download and unzip the SimPlot folder, then (using Finder) drag the SimPlot2.app file to a convenient place like the Desktop, then drag it back. You can then drop the SimPlot folder in Applications to have easy access to it. It is important to not execute the .app file until you have moved it around per above.

 

The macOS version is 0.3.1 which sports a few changes (better looking Customization windows, and fixed the ESM/Sonar bearing issue with multiplayer files). I will update the Windows version tonight as well.

 

Kevin

[kmart494]

It seems I broke the map zoom routines in the last update, but I have fixed that and I will issue a new update this weekend.

 

Kevin

[kmart494]

Version 0.3.2 is uploaded.

 

Fixed:

• Map zoom going haywire.
• Unit creation/modification windows not saving the right data.

 

Added:

• You can now change the background map colors. Please note the map is a single layer bitmap, so the color changes are based on the existing color and not any actual layer (color replacement routine). So, if you make the land and ocean colors the same, they become as one. The only way to separate them after that is to delete the colors.txt file and restart SimPlot. This only applies to the Land, Ocean, and Border colors.

 

Known Issues:

• Many! Including deleting units, which does not yet work as intended (I don't get rid of them completely, as I want it to form the basis of a turn replay feature).

[kmart494]

Version 0.4 is uploaded.

 

Fixed:

• Now all display customization controls are saved.
• Deleted units are no longer "cloaked" but still selectable.
• All references to deleted units are eliminated from the remaining units. That will prevent Nil Object errors.

 

Added:

• Navigation Targets. Selecting a Nav Target for a unit will cause it to follow the target. The following unit will stay as close to the target as possible upon reaching it.

 

NOTE: Any scenario created before v0.4 will not work with v0.4. However, if you are playing a scenario and don't want to scrap it, then try the following:

• In the Player Data and Referee files, delete any line that begins with "DISPLAY=". For all movable unit types (air, surface, sub) add the following to the end of the "UNIT=" line: "|-1|None". Depending on which version you are using, the "-1" or other integer representing the unit range may be there. If so, then just add "|None".

[darthvader170]

Downloaded, and anything texted workedfine forme.

 

I would like to add a visual item:

 

Retain the speed leader to know where the unit movement will end, But add a course leader in the same color as the unit, so that even if I change the turn time, the course leader mantain it's leght.

 

When I check 15sec the speed leader is very short, and need a lot of zoom in to check it,so a course/direction leader I think is good

 

Obviously the speedleader should be over the course/direction leader.

[kmart494]

I thought that changing the turn time should automatically change the speed leaders. I found myself doing it manually, so maybe others did, too? I do like your suggestion, though.

 

For now, I recommend using F9 (Customize Display) to change the speed leader to a longer time while using a 15 second turn. The leader will change back when you change the turn time, but if you don't change the time often then the leader should stay put.

[darthvader170]

Ok Thanks.

 

Another issue, Selecting a units in the navigation Target do not change automatically the movement heading of the selected unit. Am I missing something?

 

 

 

 

[darthvader170]

Humm!! solved..I missed that the heading is recalculated when you hit the do movement button.

[kmart494]

Yes, there is a delay in the speed leader/heading change when selecting a nav target. I ran out of time for the last update since I wanted it done before the next Naval Sitrep is published (I have an article in it announcing SimPlot 2). I will add changing that to the ToDo list.

[darthvader170]

I tried to play a full scen, and this are the issues find so far:

 

1.-Saved scenarios (single player) while range circles are visible, are unable to re-open. Solution: remember to deselect range circle with F9 menu, or open the scenario with an editor and change "true" values to "false".

 

2.- I cannot select range circles with decimal nautical miles, neither with coma "16,2", or with dots "16.2"

 

3.- the big one: The attached scenario is loaded, do a few 15 sec turn (press next movement and Next turn) and saved the game (single player). When reopened with simplot units are not in the place where the scenario says they sould be. It's like if the program cannot read the numbers behind the comas.

 

in the attached image polnocny#1 is at "Polnocny #1|Warship|0,698|0,975" but in the map it is 0,= position, same for kiev, and others ships.

 

Attached image, initial scenario position, and saved game.

 

Thank you

Bear in the Island 01034000,00.txt

REF_turn_010301,25 prueba.txt

[JimSB]

I have had some trouble installing SImplot 2 in Windows 10. I put it in its own directory and clicked non SimPlot2.exe. At that point I get a series of errors all of the type:

Runtime Error:

Common\plugin.cpp:990

Failure Condition: pluginEntryTable.GetEntry(entrypointName, out)

can't find plugin method BevelButton.DeleteAllRows

 

I am somewhat familiar with Xojo (in fact I have it loaded and have done some development with it) and this error, and it looks as if there is a library or folder ("Common\"?) that it needs to run. Should I be doing something other than just dumping the files into their own folder?

[JimSB]

Aha - found it. All the .dlls need to be in a folder Simplot2 Libs. It is now working.