Managing Stuff

De-obfuscating the app in my earlier post.

When I was building Orca, I had to keep track of all the various components a and blueprints and minerals. In the end I've made a spreadsheet that could automatically calculate what blueprints I had, how much minerals I needed to build stuff from those I got etc. That was a success and Baldachine proves it.

On the other hand some of the data I had to put in myself before I could actually use the sheet. It was also closely tied to Orcas and everything else would require some changes.

That's when the idea of specialized app had first emerged.

The design was simple at first: 4 lists – what you have to buy, what you are going to build, what you already got and what you what to have in the end. There are ways to transfer stuff between first 3 lists triggering various events: if you move some of your Capital Cargo Bays from "to buy" to "to build", you'll get tons of minerals and blueprints in your "to buy" list. When those are in "acquired" list, you have an option to "manufacture" those bays.

Later 5th list appeared – "Spent" – which contains whatever you have spent to get what you currently have in "Acquired".

Currently I'm working on saving and loading projects, as well as exporting them to external files. Short-term plans also include adding more options for moving records around and fixing few bugs (anyone else can't see Capital Ship Maintenance Bay Blueprint in the "To buy" list? That kind of bugs).

And, of course, making it all sexier is high-priority as well. Such as replacing the red bar with a nice-looking arrow pointing up – it's used to collapse the upper part to see more in the rest of lists. Maybe images of items in the list.

Orca's Ready

While it was quite a time to cook it in the end, I was too air-headed to think a name for it in advance. The idea was to name it after something that is slow and huge but still moves even if lubberly.

The image appearing in my mind was of something like a flying elephant. Not an agile little elephant who can flap its ears and do nifty air tricks. Something that can hardly control its movement.

The name is Baldachine. Ask me if you don't know who is that.

Waving Around

I'd say wave is really a good tool for both communication and organizing stuff. While its communication format isn't something I've never seen before, the organizing part is really good. Until now I had options of either keeping my notes and papers and docs in a single place, or putting it to online access but spread between different service providers. Now, using wave gadgets, I can keep my notes both online, in one place and nicely arranged between waves. That's good.

So what would I use waves for? That's easy – I need some feedback on my app during early design stages. It's better to have opinions gathered before I finalized everything.

Speaking of design: I've got a concept and UI design and now I got to program the transitions between states. It's going to be like 3 states and 4 possible transitions. 2 of those are done. Also crucial is save/load feature. For now I can feed the app some hard-coded test data and play around with it making nice screenshots and posting them to wave for feedback.

You say I've obfuscated the part on my app, I say – not just it.

Manufacturing, Research and Planetside Data

Browsing through online libraries looking for the specification of the interface which is required for all real-time operating systems used on all flying stuff. Yeah, it's a lot more complex with neural stuff in our pod-fitted ships, somewhat simpler for other spacecraft, but I'm interested in basics – the stuff that works on simple aerial craft.

Now that I think of it, it could be also in Drones and Fighters and Fighter-Bombers section, yeah.
And if I manage to get some data on drones... Gotta check CreoDron bases, maybe I'll find some clues to build those Ogres II.

Anyway, I'm really not much online lately, managing some manufacturing jobs in the factory next door, then going back to my apartments. Memory implant is slowly digesting theory on remote mining equipment management (this is said to be requirement to pilot an Orca even if I don't know if I can afford one). Perception implant is producing a mellow music humming in my brain (gotta visit some live show, I wonder if smooth jazz bands ever come to Amarr space). Willpower implant is forcing me to stay awake.

Few push-ups, a shower, a cup of strong tea and back to terminal.

Should I order a full-surround audio system from Gallente space? Or a smooth jazz band? Or just few chicks?

Hail Jacus

Jacus Roden is the new federation president. Not that it concerns me much but it's nice to see fellow scientist taking a lead of a society. Even if he's old fogey.

Should we expect fed navy ships being specialized in missiles now?

Lots of Things

While I might seem to be somewhere else, I'm not yet totally lost. Currently it's all planet side bussines and learning some gunnery. Large projectile guns. Gotta love them on my battleships.

The latest CONCORD statement about changing 0.0 systems status seems interesting. The new way of claiming territory leads to control tower and fuels going down in prices. Which could be good if we'd to recover Alamut. Yes, it's not taken down but is offline now as the lab there was used only for copying and that was pretty expensive copier.

But still zeroes. Considering current alliances might free up some unused space, I'm looking forward to venturing to null-sec myself. Again. But this time not as a courier-newbie working for angels.

Speaking of angels – I've got news about them looking for a person to do some speed-run jobs for them. Might be interesting as well to try.

One last thing. I've stumbled upon an ad about some specialized training courses in Deepari academy. Something about advanced warfare and something about exploration. First seems to be fun to learn. Second one .. what if they can tell me somethign I didn't yet know? Still I'm not into those amarrian guys and might look at gallente or minmatar courses.

If only I had more spare time.

Grandmaster Carebear

Even more planetside time spent. This time it was quite fruitful – I have finally managed acquiring skills to use exhumers. Right now I'm flying my hulk mining stuff and looking awesome.

I'll add a sexy girl picture later. For now it's just sexy mining lasers.