Reconstruction

[Whilyam]

Shorah

I've just realized my Uru folder is a complete mess. A year or two of bumping around fan Ages has added a lot of files and the installation's got ULM code, Plasmashop code, Ages and code from Drizzle and who knows what else. I haven't dealt with the Offline KI, so at least that isn't included in the list but still. I'm going to be re-doing my Uru installation in a couple of months and I'd like to be able to streamline things a bit. What should I install?

[ddb174]

The Offline-KI and Drizzle should be all you need. There are instructions on how to install them here: http://alcugs.almlys.org/Drizzle

The Offline-KI has a lot of features that are handy for debugging an Age you're working on. E.g. you can just use "/link Fens" to link to Fens at anytime (You don't need to edit any config files, just export your Age and go.) There are also commands for getting and setting sdl vars, executing Python code, etc.

[Whilyam]

Do they serve the same purpose as the ULM (downloading fan ages)? And I'll still need Plasmashop to create sdl and .py files, etc. right?

[ddb174]

Yes, it has all the ULM Ages and many more not on ULM.

Sorry, yes: Plasmashop is still used for SDL and Python files, but it's just like Blender, Pyprp, TheGimp, Audacity, etc. because those tools do not integrate with Uru; you're using them for the actual Age creation process. LibPlasma also has many useful features that some Writers use. I thought you meant tools that are part of your Uru installation.

I hope that helps!

[GPNMilano]

Whilyam, the way I have my set up is that in my documents folder I have a folder called Age Creation. In this folder is a have folders for misc Tools ( PlasmaShop, and other Uru related tools like libPlasma and Drizzle, a hex editor if I need it, and PyScripter, a python creation tool that I use rather than PlasmaShop has it allows for many more options) a folder called UruCC (Which contains the game itself, within its main folder (the Myst Uru: Complete Chronicles folder) are PRPExplorer, and UruFun. In the age creation folder there are also folders for things like Misc stuff (old hacking stuff thats outdated) There's a folder for sounds, and one for Textures (Both Cyan textures and my personal textures have their own unique folders within it) then i have a folder for my personal sounds.

Basically my AgeCreation folder is a one stop shop for everything I need, and I can do all of my work out of one folder without having to go back and forth through the program files, and my documents, and blender etc. The plus side of this is that I always leave PlasmaShop running in the background, and various programs, since they're in the Uru complete chronicles folder (UruFun, PrpExplorer etc) show up as executables in PlasmaShop, so if I need them I don't have to go through the tools folder for them.

Hope it helps.

[Chacal]

I have a "Games" hard disk, with a "Uru" subtree, which contains the game and all tools related to Uru, as shown in this picture. The "ABM" folder is in fact POTS, with all fan Ages, imported MOUL and MystV Ages, and other hacked game files.

Uru subtree Show Spoiler

Games_tree.jpg (31.96 KiB) Viewed 3709 times

Also, and this is crucial, I have a backup of the original freshly installed POTS (from 2004) on another disk. I use that to roll back files I've messed up with, without going through the pain of reinstalling from CD (I'm not even sure if i could find the CD again).

Finally, I have a "Data" disk with a "Uru" subtree, with all kinds of Uru-related data (pictures, hacking projects, .blend files, etc). The whole "Data" disk is backed up on a regular schedule on an external drive.

So I'd say you need to reinstall POTS, back it up, install Drizzle, PlasmaShop 3.0, PrpExplorer 0.8, and libPlasma.

[greendragoon]

On a related note, if your running Vista or Windows 7 Beta, having your Uru folder NOT installed in the Program Files directory helps with an annoyance where all the sav files end up in an obscure directory.

I like your idea of GPNMilano's idea of keeping your Uru folder in the same place you work on ages. I bet that makes things easier.

[GPNMilano]

Greendragon, it does. After losing many of my MOUL data files because I copied files to the wrong folder. I separated much of my stuff to separate disks. (The remaining MOUL files are on a separate hard drive) while like chacal, in the Age Creation folder I have a original copy of Until Uru in its own folder, since converting POTS to Until Uru backsup all the files for POTS before converting the needed ones for Until Uru, the folder serves as my rollback folder for POTS as well as my folder for any Until Uru files I may need.

[Erik]

Last week I did a fresh install of Uru, because just like on your pc, it was a complete mess. Furthermore, not all of the Ages were functioning properly due to various hacks interfering with each other. Fortunately, by installing Drizzle that won't happen any more, because Drizzle keeps your Uru install really clean. You can download (and remove) fan ages from Drizzle and you can also download and install the Offline KI from there. The Offline KI is a real must by the way! Accessing Ages from the Nexus is a great function and it places the Ages from MOUL on logical places like the Museum and the Library. And as I said it doesn't make a mess of your Uru folder, I would say that thanks to the Offline KI things stay organised.
And you don't need the ULM any more when you have Drizzle.