Post by Dave on Oct 22, 2007 4:31:09 GMT
(NOTE: This thread is obsolete. The newest release thread is here)
Hi Folks! I am pleased to announce the availability of my Lone Wolf PC program, which I have dubbed "Seventh Sense". A stand-alone program designed to read the Project Aon editions of the Lone Wolf adventures, it features a self-tracking Action Chart, and plenty of options to suit the various playstyles and preferences of Lone Wolf players. I invite you to download the program and give it a try.
It is still in a beta stage, so there are likely bugs that need fixing. Please keep that in mind.
You can now download either an automated windows installer or, for old-school folks, a regular .zip file. The installer is recommended, as it simplifies future updates for the user.
Current Version: 0.9.4 - Books playable: 1-3
You can download the latest package(s) here :
SSLW.msi - Automated installer with all playable books included.
SSLW.zip - Zip archive with all playable books included.
SSLW-core.msi - Automated installer with no books included. Saves on Project Aon bandwidth if you already have the zipped books.
SSLW-core.zip - Same as immediately above, but in zipped form.
(Coming Soon - Fan Art package)
Installation/Uninstallation Instructions:
Automated installer: Just run the .msi file and follow the prompts on the screen. You can specify your own installation folder, or just accept the defaults. This option will enter registry info, which simplifies future updates of the program. To uninstall, use the Add/Remove Programs feature of the Control Panel.
Zipped files: The files are zipped up in a standard .zip format. Just download and unzip it, maintaining the folder structure. Nothing is installed into the registry - the program is completely self-contained. To uninstall the program, simply delete the folder.
To run the program:
Automated Installer: The installer will place on the desktop a short cut called "Lone Wolf". It also will include a new entry in the start menu programs folder called "Seventh Sense", which also contains a shortcut "Lone Wolf". Either of these may be used to start the program. Alternatively, you may open the installation folder, and run the "LoneWolf.exe" file.
Zipped files: Open the unzipped folder. Double click on the LoneWolf.exe to play the game.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: You no longer need to have the Microsoft Visual C runtimes to run this program. I have removed all MSVC dependencies, which should improve compatibility on various systems. If you had any trouble getting a previous version to work, I encourage you to try this newer version. Please let me know if it does not work, and I will try and figure out why.
Recommended Specs:
RAM: at least 64 - 128 MB of free RAM, maybe more if you run the program in very high resolutions (1600x1200 and up)
Processor: 500MHZ Pentium 3 or better (Though it should still work on slower, but may be a little sluggish)
HDD: at least 10 MB for the program files, and ~3 MB per zipped LoneWolf book.
OS: confirmed on Windows 98, Windows XP (please let me know if it works on other Windows OSes)
- If anyone is interested in trying to get it to work in Linux or Macintosh OSes, please let me know, and I'll share the source with you. I have not used Window-specific functions except in one arbitrary instance, so it should be relatively easy to port.)
(Once I can figure out how to use sourceforge or Google Code, I'll make the source openly available anyway.)
Bug Reports: Please report bugs with as much detail as possible, also indicating what you did before the bug happened, if you can remember.
Feedback/Comments/Suggestions: Please feel free to make suggestions and comments. I originally made this just for myself, but since I am opening it up to interested Lone Wolf fans everywhere, I will entertain feature requests. I can't promise to accomodate them, but if it seems like a lot of people want a feature, I will likely include it.
Gameplay settings: When you start a new adventure, you will see a button called "Choose Gameplay Rules" - This is where you can choose custom gameplay features. You can only do this at the beginning of the adventure! Once you have chosen the "rules" you will be held to them throughout that game. I have tried to accomodate a variety of play styles and "house rules" that I've seen crop up frequently on the forum, like: Dual Wielding, Extended combat Results Table, Stacking Kai/MagnaKai Bonuses, and more. Of utmost importance is the option of "User chooses Save/Restore". If you choose 'yes', you are allowed to save and restore at will. Choosing 'no' will hold you to the results of your choices with no way to re-do them (basically to keep you from cheating). Remember, once you start a game, those rules are in effect until you start a new game.
Customization: The program is highly customizable, as indicated in the screenshots below this announcement. Some, but not all, of the customization is available via in-game menus. *Everything* is available via the options.txt file which resides in the main program folder. Another file called customize.txt gives directions on how to do other customizations than those that are in the in-game menus, e.g. displaying book cover art while loading a game, displaying fan-made art in the book sections, and changing the color and style of paper, buttons, and text. (I will try and make the file and instructions a bit more readable in future versions)
To install more books: In the 'data' folder is one called 'books'. Inside 'books' are the various individual folders that seperate the books (book1, book2, etc.) Simply place a downloaded .zip in the corresponding book folder in order to play it in-game. If you don't see the folder for a particular book, then that one is not ready yet, and will be released sequentially as I have time to do it. (And yes, it must be done by hand... there is no way to automate interpretation of the, at times, very complex instructions in the section text. If only there were!)
NOTE: the beta package contains a few placeholder images scanned from the original books that I own. Eventually (soon, I hope!) this art will be replaced with new art in the style of the original, as Project Aon has not been granted the rights to use those images.
Screenshots:
Version/Release history:
Feb 2008 - 0.9.4
Dec 2007 - 0.9.3
So that the immediately following posts still make sense, I will leave the original post unaltered below.
Hi folks,
Here are some screenshots of a little project I've been working on for the last couple of years. It's basically a reader for the books, and it will keep track of stats, action chart, choices you make, places visited, and so forth...
I basically made it because I love the Lone Wolf books, but don't have the discipline to actually not cheat (I often "hold my place" to see if one choice is better than another, or re-select random numbers, or just ignore combat altogether - "I know I'd win, so why bother?".) Ironically, of course, I've spent far more time making this program than I ever would spend just reading the books. But, it's just for fun, and I thought some of you might be interested as well.
The program is still beta, and possibly will be indefinitely, but I've got it running pretty well. Currently only runs on Windows, but ought to be able to run on Mac or Linux, if enough people are interested in those platforms for me to bother with learning how to compile it for those operating systems.
Currently, one can play through the first 2 books completely. It has some pretty cool animations for the random number table and combat, which can't be really captured in a screenshot. But anyway, here are the pics I mentioned: (highly compressed jpg, pay no attention to blurriness, artifacts, etc.)
The program reads from the .zip files that you can download from projectaon.org, so I won't be treading on any license toes. All the same, I'd like to speak with someone "in charge" before I release any sort of a download. So, if anyone "up there" sees this message, please PM or email me, so I can make sure I don't do anything illegal!
Thanks! (And hope you enjoy the pics...)
Hi Folks! I am pleased to announce the availability of my Lone Wolf PC program, which I have dubbed "Seventh Sense". A stand-alone program designed to read the Project Aon editions of the Lone Wolf adventures, it features a self-tracking Action Chart, and plenty of options to suit the various playstyles and preferences of Lone Wolf players. I invite you to download the program and give it a try.
It is still in a beta stage, so there are likely bugs that need fixing. Please keep that in mind.
You can now download either an automated windows installer or, for old-school folks, a regular .zip file. The installer is recommended, as it simplifies future updates for the user.
Current Version: 0.9.4 - Books playable: 1-3
You can download the latest package(s) here :
SSLW.msi - Automated installer with all playable books included.
SSLW.zip - Zip archive with all playable books included.
SSLW-core.msi - Automated installer with no books included. Saves on Project Aon bandwidth if you already have the zipped books.
SSLW-core.zip - Same as immediately above, but in zipped form.
(Coming Soon - Fan Art package)
Installation/Uninstallation Instructions:
Automated installer: Just run the .msi file and follow the prompts on the screen. You can specify your own installation folder, or just accept the defaults. This option will enter registry info, which simplifies future updates of the program. To uninstall, use the Add/Remove Programs feature of the Control Panel.
Zipped files: The files are zipped up in a standard .zip format. Just download and unzip it, maintaining the folder structure. Nothing is installed into the registry - the program is completely self-contained. To uninstall the program, simply delete the folder.
To run the program:
Automated Installer: The installer will place on the desktop a short cut called "Lone Wolf". It also will include a new entry in the start menu programs folder called "Seventh Sense", which also contains a shortcut "Lone Wolf". Either of these may be used to start the program. Alternatively, you may open the installation folder, and run the "LoneWolf.exe" file.
Zipped files: Open the unzipped folder. Double click on the LoneWolf.exe to play the game.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: You no longer need to have the Microsoft Visual C runtimes to run this program. I have removed all MSVC dependencies, which should improve compatibility on various systems. If you had any trouble getting a previous version to work, I encourage you to try this newer version. Please let me know if it does not work, and I will try and figure out why.
Recommended Specs:
RAM: at least 64 - 128 MB of free RAM, maybe more if you run the program in very high resolutions (1600x1200 and up)
Processor: 500MHZ Pentium 3 or better (Though it should still work on slower, but may be a little sluggish)
HDD: at least 10 MB for the program files, and ~3 MB per zipped LoneWolf book.
OS: confirmed on Windows 98, Windows XP (please let me know if it works on other Windows OSes)
- If anyone is interested in trying to get it to work in Linux or Macintosh OSes, please let me know, and I'll share the source with you. I have not used Window-specific functions except in one arbitrary instance, so it should be relatively easy to port.)
(Once I can figure out how to use sourceforge or Google Code, I'll make the source openly available anyway.)
Bug Reports: Please report bugs with as much detail as possible, also indicating what you did before the bug happened, if you can remember.
Feedback/Comments/Suggestions: Please feel free to make suggestions and comments. I originally made this just for myself, but since I am opening it up to interested Lone Wolf fans everywhere, I will entertain feature requests. I can't promise to accomodate them, but if it seems like a lot of people want a feature, I will likely include it.
Gameplay settings: When you start a new adventure, you will see a button called "Choose Gameplay Rules" - This is where you can choose custom gameplay features. You can only do this at the beginning of the adventure! Once you have chosen the "rules" you will be held to them throughout that game. I have tried to accomodate a variety of play styles and "house rules" that I've seen crop up frequently on the forum, like: Dual Wielding, Extended combat Results Table, Stacking Kai/MagnaKai Bonuses, and more. Of utmost importance is the option of "User chooses Save/Restore". If you choose 'yes', you are allowed to save and restore at will. Choosing 'no' will hold you to the results of your choices with no way to re-do them (basically to keep you from cheating). Remember, once you start a game, those rules are in effect until you start a new game.
Customization: The program is highly customizable, as indicated in the screenshots below this announcement. Some, but not all, of the customization is available via in-game menus. *Everything* is available via the options.txt file which resides in the main program folder. Another file called customize.txt gives directions on how to do other customizations than those that are in the in-game menus, e.g. displaying book cover art while loading a game, displaying fan-made art in the book sections, and changing the color and style of paper, buttons, and text. (I will try and make the file and instructions a bit more readable in future versions)
To install more books: In the 'data' folder is one called 'books'. Inside 'books' are the various individual folders that seperate the books (book1, book2, etc.) Simply place a downloaded .zip in the corresponding book folder in order to play it in-game. If you don't see the folder for a particular book, then that one is not ready yet, and will be released sequentially as I have time to do it. (And yes, it must be done by hand... there is no way to automate interpretation of the, at times, very complex instructions in the section text. If only there were!)
NOTE: the beta package contains a few placeholder images scanned from the original books that I own. Eventually (soon, I hope!) this art will be replaced with new art in the style of the original, as Project Aon has not been granted the rights to use those images.
Screenshots:
Version/Release history:
Feb 2008 - 0.9.4
Dec 2007 - 0.9.3
So that the immediately following posts still make sense, I will leave the original post unaltered below.
Hi folks,
Here are some screenshots of a little project I've been working on for the last couple of years. It's basically a reader for the books, and it will keep track of stats, action chart, choices you make, places visited, and so forth...
I basically made it because I love the Lone Wolf books, but don't have the discipline to actually not cheat (I often "hold my place" to see if one choice is better than another, or re-select random numbers, or just ignore combat altogether - "I know I'd win, so why bother?".) Ironically, of course, I've spent far more time making this program than I ever would spend just reading the books. But, it's just for fun, and I thought some of you might be interested as well.
The program is still beta, and possibly will be indefinitely, but I've got it running pretty well. Currently only runs on Windows, but ought to be able to run on Mac or Linux, if enough people are interested in those platforms for me to bother with learning how to compile it for those operating systems.
Currently, one can play through the first 2 books completely. It has some pretty cool animations for the random number table and combat, which can't be really captured in a screenshot. But anyway, here are the pics I mentioned: (highly compressed jpg, pay no attention to blurriness, artifacts, etc.)
The program reads from the .zip files that you can download from projectaon.org, so I won't be treading on any license toes. All the same, I'd like to speak with someone "in charge" before I release any sort of a download. So, if anyone "up there" sees this message, please PM or email me, so I can make sure I don't do anything illegal!
Thanks! (And hope you enjoy the pics...)