Spec-Multiplier again

[rigelan]

I know we have already talked SPEC quite a bit. But I had this idea on my mind and wanted to get it out. I was thinking of a the SPEC multiplier. The range of the multiplier seems odd. It goes from 1 to some random large number, maybe 293049594856, I don't know.

I was thinking it makes better sense to have a graphical representation of the SPEC multiplier. It could look like the energy or fuel bars, and it should be logarhythmically set. I already figured out the equation for how much of the bar should appear filled:

log (x) / log (max multiplier, maybe 293049594856).

This way it gives a ratio like this table:

1 10 100 1000 10000 multiplier
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% percent of bar

Of course, then there is the problem of putting it into the gui.

I'd hate to ask one of you programmers out there to put it in for me. I would really like to figure out how to put it in myself, that way i'd practice some of the skillz I learned in college. Can someone point me to file(s) that I might get involved with first? I like to start small

[rigelan]

Looks like I found something I didn't realize. The max multiplier is velocity dependent. It is 30,000,000,000/velocity (unless the velocity is below 100, then it treats the velocity like 100, making a max multiplier of 300,000,000). This must be to allow the player to travel around the system just a bit quicker.

[cracken]

the limit is due to the maximum spec multiplied velocity being limited due to having to fit into a particular number format, or something.

A logarithmic spec value is a good idea. I was just looking around to see if I could make it print out 10^8 or whatever, couldn't find it in cockpit or cockpit_generic.cpp...

[jackS]

There's actually both a max multiplier and a max effective SPEC rate of travel. The two aren't well coordinated, as can be evidenced by reaching max SPEC effective velocity well before max SPEC multiplier. The max effective warp velocity is currently set to ~pi^4 C, as a tradeoff between limiting SPEC as an interstellar option to the possible-but-unpleasant-vs-jumping and letting one run about a given system in reasonable amounts of time. These, like many other aspects of SPEC, are wholly tunable via modifying the config file.

I think adding a graphical (rather than numerical) SPEC multiplier gauge is a fairly nice idea. The particular number displayed really isn't of great use to the player, but a sense of High, Low, and the direction the multiplier is going are.

[klauss]

It's really easy to add such a graphical option, though it needs a bit of engine coding. Very tiny bit. I'll see what I can do, and post the results.