OOG Tools

This article contains information on tools to help players of the game. Developers should refer to Development:Scripts & Tools for developer utilities.

Vegastrike's in-cockpit navigation support (shift-M) is fairly limited. (fixme: link to docs on how to use it, esp. the "nav comp" button if it's actually useful for anything.) Improved in-game tools are one of the many things on the to-do list...

Fortunately, several players have written out-of-game programs that read Vegastrike's data files. The forum has a section for Developer Tools & User Utilities. Some of the programs are old and now don't work with the current VS file formats (0.4.3 and/or latest SVN) (FIXME: make links). Worse, some authors intended to release source code, but disappeared without having done so, and now their programs don't work and can't be updated to work with current versions of Vegastrike by anyone else. Or re-compiled to work on e.g. amd64 GNU/Linux, or with different library versions.

This list includes some tools that are more useful for editing vegastrike data than for viewing, but that's ok. I haven't tried to include any art editing tools, because I don't know what I'm doing with artwork, so I couldn't evaluate them. This page could expand to become a complete index of the available tools for Vegastrike. Except that one sort of already exists: [Development:Scripts & Tools]

General notes

It usually helps to know what information the tools have to work with when you're trying to figure out what they can and can't do. Most tools look at some of these files:

milky_way.xml: The star systems and jump network, including initial system ownership by factions, but not what planets/bases are in which system; that's generated randomly in each game, except for a few pre-defined systems like Cephid-17, or Sol.

units.csv: stats of bases, planets, ships, weapons, and upgrades

master_parts_list.csv: base prices for all ships, weapons, upgrades, and cargo.

your save game: what system you're currently in and systems you've visited. missions you're on. bases and planets in randomly generated systems.

Using these tools while playing vegastrike can be tricky. You can switch away from vegastrike, which might require that you run it windowed, or (on GNU/Linux) you could run another X server and CTRL+ALT+F8 to get to it... Or you need another console (monitor+kbd+mouse), as with a multiseat setup. Or maybe you have an old computer lying around, or a laptop, that can access your vegastrike directory over the network.

Working software

FIXME: this should probably be a feature-comparison table. esp. if the list gets much bigger with multiple map viewers and route finders.

Tool: VSTrade
author: GoldenGnu
version: 0.2.0.0 (2007/10/27)
uses: 2D map display with sectors and system names. Route finding by clicking on two systems on the map.
 cargo price listings at bases and planets (not merchant ships yet).  Searching for most profitable cargo to
 carry between A & B, given cargo volume and cash limitations.  Profit analysis tables you can sort.
info from savegame: no
Free software (GPL) written in Java w/ Swing GUI. Java 1.5 required.
compatibility: 0.4.3 and latest SVN (as of 2007/11/17)
mods: vegastrike (Support for mods, is in the works)
notes: The vegamap can be extremely slow...
It should also be noted that some of this text is written by the author (GoldenGnu)

Tool: vegamap
author: weaselfink
version: 0.1.1 (2005/07/26)
uses: 2D map display with sectors and system names.  Route finding by clicking on two systems on the map.
info from savegame: no
Free software (GPL) written in Java w/ Swing GUI. Java 1.5 required.  
compatibility: 0.4.3 and latest SVN (as of 2k7/2/15)
mods: vegastrike, Privateer Remake, and others?  (FIXME: more info)
notes: integrated into vstrade.

Tool: VSMap3D
author: templer666
version: 1.2-20060502
uses: 3D map display. find systems by sector/name.  path finding by selecting systems by name.
info from savegame: no
Free software (GPL) written in c++ (qt4+openGL). pre-compiled win32 binaries available.
compatibility: 0.4.3 and latest SVN (as of 2k7/2/15)
mods: vegastrike, other? (FIXME: more info)
notes: runs slowly on some systems, esp. with system names on.

Tool: VSnav
author: iqAuto
version: 0.55 (2004/01). Unmaintained, so don't expect it to ever fully work with current save files.
uses: monitor save file to get current system.  2D map display.  Find system by name, or by sector/name.
 Display system faction.  Route finding with variations to show trips almost as short.
info from savegame: yes (but limited with anything newer than 0.4.2...)
freeware (no source) written in perl and compiled to a dynamically linked x86 GNU/Linux binary
 and an x86 win32 .exe.
compatibility: 0.4.3 and latest SVN (as of 2k7/2/15).
mods: vegastrike, others unknown.
notes: With 0.4.2, it could display info about in-system assets (bases and planets), 
and even search for them.  With later save files, it can only get your current location,
not what systems you've visited or any in-system assets.  I thought it froze on me when
reading current save files, but it seems to work now on a Debian unstable system. (for 0.4.3 and SVN).

Tool: vsdataboy
author: JasonStiletto
version: ? (2006/10/26)
uses: units.csv and master_parts_list.csv viewer/editor.
 info laid out in tabs with vegastrike meaning, not just a spreadsheet of string fields.
freeware (no source released yet) written in some form of Pascal, using gtk-1.2.
  An x86 win32 binary and a dynamically linked x86 GNU/Linux binary are available.
compatibility: probably 0.4.3 and latest SVN (as of 2k7/2/15)
mods: vegastrike, probably others.
notes: first thread
 The author planned to release source, but that hasn't happened.  The GNU/Linux binary
 doesn't work properly on an x86 Debian unstable system (segfault).  The author suggests using
 the Windows exe under Wine.

Tool: vs_validator
author: JasonStiletto
version: ? (2006/11/18?)
uses: validates units.csv and master_parts_list.csv using vsdataboy engine.
Free software (no license specified) written in Pascal.  
x86 windows, x86 GNU/Linux, and source archives are available
compatibility: probably 0.4.3 and latest SVN (as of 2k7/2/15)

Tool: [http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7143 csv_editor)
author: GAlex
version: v2.1? (2007/1/13)
uses: general purpose csv editor
Free software (GPL) written in freepascal with the aid of lazarus ide/rad. gtk2.
 x86 win32 binary available, + source that will compile on any system with fpc + lazarus
compatibility: any csv file
notes: first thread
       The linux build linked to in the thread (2k6/7/16) doesn't have the latest bug-fix.

Non-working software

Listed here to document the fact that it's obsolete, or whatever. Otherwise people editting this page would see old stuff in the forums and have to try to see if it still works.

Tool: Vega Strike Trade News
notes: looks like author's link was broken right away and nobody ever got a copy of it.

Tool: vs_cargo
notes: Coffeebot's new server(?) doesn't have vs_cargo, and AFAICT it was a web app.