Cool Star Hero Software!

[Derek Hiemforth]

Check out the sector designing software!

http://www.herogames.com/FreeStuff/Other%20Software/index.htm

[ShadowRaptor]

thanks for the quick link or else I wouldn't have even noticed it.

[Steve Long]

We just got an updated version of the software that I forwarded to Ben, which should be available soon.

[Syberdwarf2]

thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.........
I just checked out the software, and I LOVED it. What used to take me a week or two now only takes me about 1 minute or less. Too bad I'm out of ink...:(
After all my efforts in keeping my FLGS on the ball to order my copy of SH, the only thing really keeping me from getting my game up and running was sector design.
Any chance the updated version has an adjustment for Hard SF versus Space Opera/ Rubber Science settings?

[Grymlynn]

Is it up yet?! Huh, huh?! Izit???

[EvilGM]

I've played around with the program, and I am in love! It was so easy, and when I've finished the current campaign I'm running, I'm seriously thinking of doing something using Star Hero. I haven't decided yet exactly what. There's enough info generated that I can use Fractal Terrains from ProFantasy to generate maps of the planets, and then I can import them into Campaign Cartographer 2 to detail them as needed.

Hee hee hee... This is going to be a lot of fun...

[Steve Long]

And just wait until they release Campaign Cartographer: Space. That will also be a big help for SH mapping. We came along a bit too late for ProFantasy to do what Richard Frey did -- build in a random sector generator using the SH rules -- but the CC: Space should complement SH nicely.

[EvilGM]

Originally posted by Steve Long
And just wait until they release Campaign Cartographer: Space. That will also be a big help for SH mapping. We came along a bit too late for ProFantasy to do what Richard Frey did -- build in a random sector generator using the SH rules -- but the CC: Space should complement SH nicely.

Yup. That program/add-on is definitely on my list of stuff to buy when it comes out.

[Grymlynn]

CC: Space?! When did this happen? What will it do?!

[EvilGM]

Originally posted by Grymlynn
CC: Space?! When did this happen? What will it do?!

New thing they're working on at PF. Here's a quote I've found from the CC2 mailing lst:

"CC2 Space (which is currently called "Cosmographer") is progressing well. Ian's part is now a very sophisticated star and planetary mapper, and the rest (deckplan mapping etc) is on its way. I suspect that Perspectives will be out first. We are hoping for a week of solid programming from Peter
Olsson towards the end of March, so expect a flurry of activity then."

And this:

"We are discussing the transfer of data from CC-Space to FT in such a way as the CC-Space parameters will produce the same results in FT every time. This still presents the problem of what to do with worlds that have already been mapped in Traveller publications - some form of editor will be put together to allow this, but I can foresee problems occurring
where the final output/map will not always match the Traveller-source map. When editing a map, CC-Space will have to do a lot of intermediary calculations to "fill in the gaps" that FT will require... Experimental, is the best I can say."

And here's the link to a screen shot:

http://www.farfuture.net/n0003.html

Apparently the program has evolved significantly enough that this screen shot is considered "old".

There's a lot more info about the program scattered through the mailing list.

[Kevin Scrivner]

Software! I was expecting wetware. What tech level is this?

[EvilGM]

Originally posted by Kevin Scrivner
Software! I was expecting wetware. What tech level is this?

Ummmm..... This is not a game construct. ProFantasy is a company that makes mapping software. Here's their web site: www.profantasy.com

They haven't given out a whole heck of a lot in the way of details, but I suspect that the program will be able to accomodate just about any level of tech that a GM desires to have in his or her game.

[BasilDrag]

Originally posted by Steve Long
We just got an updated version of the software that I forwarded to Ben, which should be available soon.

Will it make links from the index page to the individual pages with BACK SLASHES NOT FORWARD SLASHES?!!??

It's real irritating to hit a link in a on-disc page and have nothing happens, simply because someone forgot the way paths are written out. :( :rolleyes:

[Derek Hiemforth]

Originally posted by BasilDrag
Will it make links from the index page to the individual pages with BACK SLASHES NOT FORWARD SLASHES?!!??

It's real irritating to hit a link in a on-disc page and have nothing happens, simply because someone forgot the way paths are written out. :( :rolleyes: There must be something misconfigured on your system. It works fine for me.

[BasilDrag]

Originally posted by Derek Hiemforth
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by BasilDrag
Will it make links from the index page to the individual pages with BACK SLASHES NOT FORWARD SLASHES?!!??

It's real irritating to hit a link in a on-disc page and have nothing happens, simply because someone forgot the way paths are written out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There must be something misconfigured on your system. It works fine for me.

Hmmm... Odd; it's working now. Must have been my browser being picky or something.

{mode: Emily Latela}
Never mind
{/mode}

--
A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain. -- Mark Twain

[Grymlynn]

Well, this is entirely too cool!



Originally posted by EvilGM
New thing they're working on at PF. Here's a quote I've found from the CC2 mailing lst:

"CC2 Space (which is currently called "Cosmographer") is progressing well. Ian's part is now a very sophisticated star and planetary mapper, and the rest (deckplan mapping etc) is on its way. I suspect that Perspectives will be out first. We are hoping for a week of solid programming from Peter
Olsson towards the end of March, so expect a flurry of activity then."

And this:

"We are discussing the transfer of data from CC-Space to FT in such a way as the CC-Space parameters will produce the same results in FT every time. This still presents the problem of what to do with worlds that have already been mapped in Traveller publications - some form of editor will be put together to allow this, but I can foresee problems occurring
where the final output/map will not always match the Traveller-source map. When editing a map, CC-Space will have to do a lot of intermediary calculations to "fill in the gaps" that FT will require... Experimental, is the best I can say."

And here's the link to a screen shot:

http://www.farfuture.net/n0003.html

Apparently the program has evolved significantly enough that this screen shot is considered "old".

There's a lot more info about the program scattered through the mailing list.

[Robert Frey]

I am very glad that you all like the SectorGenerator software. If there is anything you would me to alter, let me know. I am going to upload the latest version which fixes the slashes problem.

[Lord Liaden]

I heartily recommend to every Hero gamer that they peruse the selection under the "Free Stuff" link thoroughly - there's a trove of little treasures like this one there just waiting to be discovered. :)

[Ben Seeman]

The latest version of this software has been uploaded. Enjoy!

[Citizen Keen]

When I run the program, it doesn't create the folder. It creates the index.html, with links, but no systems folder. Something weird?

-cK

[Robert Frey]

You must unzip the entire SectorGenerator.zip file. The program does not create the systems folder, the systems folder already exists in the zip file. When you extract, select extract all.

You can also create the systems folder by yourself if it doesn't extract from the zip file

[Citizen Keen]

Thanks. Man, this program is awesome!

[Citizen Keen]

Is it just me, or does this program make a lot of binary stars with a lot of tidally locked planets?

[Le Schtroumpf]

huh huh huh. You said Binary. huh huh huh.,

heh ehe heh ehe heh yeah. binary. heh ehe heh.

[Robert Frey]

Is it just me, or does this program make a lot of binary stars with a lot of tidally locked planets?

Statisticly, around 50% of the systems will be binary. All moons closer than 10 planetary radii to its respective planet are tidally locked, and any planet closer than 0.3 AU to its respective star is tidally locked. And of course, any planet that gets the random rotational anomoly "Tidally Locked" will be titally locked.

[shadowcat1313]

if you want a lot of detail, and dont mind extrapolating
there a couple of nice programs for Traveller that could be adapted

Heaven and Earth, and Galactic,
Heaven and Earth can be set to give a whole metric ton of data from system to sector level, along with basic system and planetary maps, Galactic is a more basic program.

I dont have the URLS handy. but they are linked from www.freelancetraveller.com

[Heroman]

H&E, a really great piece of software, is actually undergoing a code rewrite as Heaven And Earth II. While the key focus is Traveller, with it being in this early phase perhaps kind words may allow for some more flexibility to use the same application for us Heroes...

Mailing List
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEMailingList/

Generic-o website
http://www.heavenandearth2.com/

[Robert Frey]

Due to a request from Ben, the latest version of the sector generator software now allows you to choose between a three dimensional sector and a two dimensional sector. I do accept requests.

BTW, I hear that CC is coming out with sector mapping software. I don't have a lot of experience with CC, but I had a pretty good idea if CC accepts file input for mapping sectors. I could program the sector generator to output to a file that CC could read, and then if you wanted to map a sector generated by the sector generator in CC, you could just tell CC to get its info from the file. I know that you can export CC2 files from Fractal Terrains, so I have a suspicion that CC accepts file input. If this is so, using a file instead of manually mapping everything would save a lot of time.

Just a thought.

[Starwolf]

I think being able to export to CC would rock! I hope you do it....:)

[Ben Seeman]

Originally posted by Starwolf
I think being able to export to CC would rock! I hope you do it....:)
I second that. It beats having to plot them all out in photoshop... :)