Hi Loki, thanks for the input. Yes, it's all on svn. All I need to find is the svn release number that corresponds with the 0.5.1 release... I still have not found that one.
That's probably due to the fact that I
do have to do a lot of looking up to do right now. I understand the basic data structure of Vega Strike now (config file wise) but there are way more nooks and crannies than I thought there would be.
Just an update on what I have been doing recently. I said I would open the new thread and necromise the db thread. I shoved all that on the stack for now as I don't think that - right now - I am really all that desperate for any input from the developer crowd (as I've found most of my questions answered as far as they seem to be known to anyone as it looks). Rather, I need to keep my head down and actually look at those files, join up relationships and most importantly document the whole thing (or rather try and improve the documentation that's already there).
Ok, I found the documentation on the wiki of course. If anyone reads this and thinks I need a hint I would be most grateful, as always! But I think I've got the lead now and as it is, it just takes some more thinking, looking, writing down, double checking, thinking again, finding new leads, looking some more, triple checking, deleting what I've written before, writing everything new from scratch, quadruple check... etc. You know the process... nothing new for an old DBA like me.
just takes some time.
The other thing is: I had a look at the existing database on the wiki... My impression of what's there right now is - as inconsistent as it may appear - there are a lot of ideas that don't seem to come from- or to be implemented in the game (yet). People have been writing things they were probably thinking of implementing but never came around doing it. But a wiki is a great tool for developing new ideas. So I think that's what has been happening there. I know a bit about that because I used to have one locally on my box at home just for that purpose.
The long and short of it is, I wouldn't want to overwrite any of that with a bloody script! It's still a mess though that probably needs cleaning and is hardly suitable as a reference for new users or aspiring potential developers! There should be two more data sets that are actually generated from the configuration of the game in both states, i.e. development and release (ok, and as far as I am concerned I'll consider these as an established requirement in the scope of my project now). Furthermore those two 'robotic editons' should guarantee you that their data set represents what you have in the game. And at the same time we may want to retain an edition (basically the existing one) that may be a potential greenhouse for new artistic and conceptual ideas to grow in.
By the way, having said all that I don't think I will manage on the first release but maybe on the second or third. I'll just have to go and cut at one point the 'looking around' business and actually start doing something (as in implementing some code). Possibly I'll have to install a new wiki here on one of my own computers - just for testing.
So, again and back to the point, in short and in other words (
edit: yukk what a sentence!!!): On the wiki I think we should have:
- One area to develop, expand, dream up ideas. Some restructuring of the existing data set wouldn't hurt though, as some thoughts seem to have been abandoned.
- One with an automatised exact copy of the current release (as in 0.5.1 at the time of writing this).
- One with an automatised exact copy of the current data set on svn HEAD, done just the same way as for the point above.
And, as if that wasn't enough yet, I've got yet another thing to add. I don't seem to be able to create namespaces on the wiki. And what I thought I've seen there about existing namespaces for the 'database' was just not there (see post above). So if someone who is wiki-wise could drop me a note so I know who you are. I don't know yet exactly what and how the entire thing should be done, but once I've played around with it locally I don't expect it's going to be a lot of hassle for you to set up (providing your access rights are sorted of course).
And ... yet ... a last one. If any moderator should read this - would you be so kind moving the part of the thread from the point where maze started his (or
her AFAIK) post "The other day I was looking..." to a new thread called "automating the wiki game database" or something like that.
Thank you very much indeed!