Master of Orion Save Game Editor
By C.k.
December 11, 1993
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Well all, here we are in another editor...  seems like only yesterday... NAHHH

This is a pre-release of my Master of Orion Editor.  This editor is somewhat
functional to an extent that you may edit most of the data for your own player
as in the planetary data, and money and some tech info and ship designs.

I have another version of this editor that I am currently working on but I
will not have the time that I've been allocating to this project in the near
future and thus, am releasing this to circumvent the millions of posts on
csig and elsewhere about where a good moo editor is.

I was able to figure out how the game stores it's tech advances, but the
actual mask is a whole different story.  It's REAL simple, but real tricky
at the same time.  Because of not having this done 100%, I am releasing this
with JUST the allowance to edit what technology you are currently studying.

Some forewarning.  BACK UP YOUR SAVE GAMES.   There are a myriad number of
possibilities of things that could happen if you don't.  Tech advances are
a bit tricky.

The only number I have allowed change in that regard is which one you are
studying [as I have already stated].  Here is what you can do to get those
other future techs.  Start a game or whatever.  Go into tech and study
something in the arena you want to change.  If you already into the advanced
tech in that realm, then I have NO clue if this will work for you.

Once studying, save game, quit and run editor.  Choose a specific technology
that you wish to study within your game.  Some odd situations can arise out
of doing this.  First of all, you can study some techs that you are normally
blocked from learning because of race you are playing.  This in itself I have
found no problems with.  The other thing though, is a nuisance.  If you were
to start off the game and = the techs and start to learn one thing in each
category, then save, edit, and learn the highest tech possible in each
category, then when you eventually learn it, you will only have as many
options as there are on one screen at a time.  There are no scroll bars/arrows
within the learn technology menu in MOO.  So, beware, I played my first game
similarly to this and I got my butt whipped by all of the computer players
cause I had to research so much to get these higher techs [was doing it with
one orion type planet [4xtech] and maxed out to pop=300.  Was REALLY
embarrasing to be so high on tech but to get kicked ass upon so god-allmighty
like. :}

Other than that, I have included some help screens on various menus, etc...

I have color coordinated some of the help/menu options, etc... so that you may
conclude that there is some symbiosis within those organizations and thus
realize that when reading the help for it.

I am not gonna go overboard and explain every little detail with this editor
this time.  I am trying to get this out so I can actually PLAY a few games
and get some of my other crap done.  Expect within a month or so, the real
release which will allow you to edit all of the players, described as to who
each is, modify all players designs and money, etc.. and some other oddities
I cooked up.  It is not done and this version is a version I finished off about
5 days ago.

A warning.  I have found that the re-playability of MOO does NOT compete even
closely to Civ or dune2...  maybe dune 2, but not civ.  With this editor, I
feel that it even WORSENS the re-playability and makes it too easy to win.
The way I see it, you can use this editor to do 'slight' improvements to get
an edge [and with later version of editor, give opponent(s) edge].  But for
now, this editor is used solely for the purpose of revenge upon the silicoids
and it's ilk that have kicked our butts in some impossible games.

Side note:  I have left a portion of the planet editor intact even though
you cannot edit this data.  It shows you what your planet's percentages are
set at.  Notice that during some games you will find out that the computer
cannot add for it seems they've got their percentages totalling MORE than
100%.  Gee, I'd like to be able to do math that way myself. :}

Forewarn:  This program reads in alot of data from the original exe files
and research.lbx file also.  If you try to run this program without those
accompanying files within the same dir OR no save games, it WILL halt.

Increasing Hit points on a ship makes it WAY more expensive, beware.  You
may not be able to afford the upkeep of these ships [sorta like kept women
in l.a. :} ]

hitting 0-9 and shift-0-9 in the planet menu change your factory number
accoding to how many real population you have and the number defined.
Example:
300 people in the current planet.
You hit 1, factories will be 300.  Hit 2, they will be 600.
Hit shift-2 and it will do this figuring out for every one of your planets.

Other than all that, the normal
  
  What you see is what you get
  ... and ...
  if you paid for this, you are a complete idiot
  ... and ...
  I'm not just a client, I'm the president....
  ... and ...
  if you shoot me, I will kill you...
  ... and ...
  the bandersnatch went snicker snack...
  ... and ...
  Boo! There's a spider on your shoulder...
  ... and ...
  Gamera is really neat, gamera is full of meat, we are eating gamera......

type of warnings DO exist, so beware.  :}

L8r all
Happy cheating
C.k. (wolvy)

p.s. And PLEASE, keep the bandwidth to a minimum in regards to stupid questions
     if you can.... :}

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Discerations..............
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Who likes the new 4dos?  I think it's INTENSE! The best yet. <clap> <clap> :}
Send all your money to amnesty international.
Who misses joel?  Think the bots will totally regret this decision.
Anyone find any smeg lying around?  I swear I lost some sometime last week.
Any bug reports send em to /dev/null or whitehouse.gov.root (hillary)

#ifdef BRAIN && CONSCIENCE
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C.k.'s FAQ and Soap box, don't read if you have problems coping with reality.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Q.  Why do you write editors?
A.  Because it allows me to go through a game that would normally take me
    eons to complete and find out that the game sux anyways.  With an editor
    I can accomplish the same results that I would have normally fullfilled
    if I had played it through, but in less time, therefore, I can go on to
    bigger and better things and not waste all of my precocious time 
    [mispelling on porpoise].  Also I get a kick out of pissing people off
    that think cheating is immoral.  
Q.  What offends you most?
A.  Ignorance.
Q.  What offends you secondly?
A.  Stupidity.
Q.  What offends you thirdly?
A.  Not having a job. :}
Q.  What offends you forthly?
A.  Having a C++ brain in a world that is ruled by people using z80 chips 
    for enemas and atari 2600s for a morality.
Q.  Overall, what is your opinion of this century?
A.  No sir, didn't like it at all.

Remember.... Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, lack of
power brings the people into the streets to steal it from the people that
have it.  Remember that and realize that THIS is the sole reason that there
is so much crime and hate in this world.  Give us a little power back into
our hot little hands and make us feel that we are PART of this world, and
you will find peoples opinions and actions changing for the better.  I 
think Oliver Stone isn't so paranoid anymore after I've watched this world
form for the past 28 some odd years of my life.  Once you've felt fate's
icy touch first hand, it's hard not to realize just how gullible the human
race really is.  Supposedly one of our biggest traits is the ability to
bounce back.  What happened to that?  Have we lost the ability to realize
our surroundings and fight for what we want?  When everything comes down
to moola, then nothing can seem correct anymore.  We are destroying our 
planet, and it in turn is destroying us, piece by piece.  Once we have
nothing left, what are we gonna do?  Look back upon it and think, gee,
wish I had done something about that.  Well, there are no second chances
in real life.  I've learned that lesson the hard way throughout my life
and come upon this thought.  Learn from your mistakes.  Grow from them.
Mistakes are often, more educational then your successes.  The key word
is LEARN, not discard.  We have learned many amazing things throughout 
humanities history, but at the same time, there have been many re-creations
of stuff that has happened more than once.  Otherwise there would'nt have
been 2 world wars and perhaps a 3rd to come.  This kind of linear thinking
and not progressing forwards is what keeps us from continuing on and makes
us stagnant in our own time.  Our children have nothing to look forward to
if we don't do something now.  Realize humanity and see what you can.
Experience life and do what you can to stop the injustices.  Without
people such as that, this world would have experienced a complete and 
utter heart attack eons ago.

--- Insert we are the world song or puff the magic dragon here ---

#endif

