Documentation

WinPlan users: Read the installation section carefully!

Content:

Introduction
Keyboard shortcuts
Mouse usage
Features
Tips and Tricks
Images
JVC Configration
Game Configuration
Addins
Installation

Introduction:
The Java VGA-Planets Client (JVC) is a Java based client for the PBEM Game VGA-Planets by Tim Wisseman.

Keyboard shortcuts:
This list of keyboard short cuts is just for the basic version of JVC. It does not list keyboard shortcuts added or changed by addins:

ESC Reset focus (you may need this occasionally)
F1 General help
F2 Game properties
<ctrl> + F2 JVC properties
F7 Find ship (Enter ID, or start of name)
F8 Find planet (Enter ID, or start of name)
F10 Navigate menu
Space Toggle waypoint/distance
<ctrl> + Enter Sets waypoint for ship, if in distance mode
<shift> + Space Toggle Tag
<alt>+space Clear ship waypoint
<shift> + Enter Set tag, and navigate to next marker of the same type, that has an untagged panel of the same type
left / right Navigate to the previous/next marker of the same type, that has the same type of panel
<shift> + left / right Navigate to the previous/next marker of the same type, that has an untagged panel of the same type
up / down Move to previous/next marker at the same location
<ctrl> + left / right / up / down Scroll starmap
<alt> + left / right / up / down Move selected location 1 ly
PageUp / PageDown Change next/previous panel for the marker
<ctrl> + PageUp Zoom starmap out
<ctrl> + PageDown Zoom starmap in
Home Center marked location
<ctrl> + Home Reset zoom, and center starmap
+ Show newer turn
- Show older turn
Backspace Marker navigation history. Navigates to the marker previously selected
<ctrl>+<alt>+s Toggle autoscroll
<Shift>+F1 - <Shift>+F8 Quick select a user defined view
F12 Toggle markers
<Shift>+F12 Select user defined view
F9 Draw temporary LY circle
<Shift>+F9 Project temporary minefield
<ctrl>+h Draw temporary hyperjump circle
<ctrl>+c Clear temporary markers
F4 Show scoreboard
<ctrl>+s Save game data
<ctrl>+<shift>+s Save game data + game db
<ctrl>+tab Show next open game
<ctrl>+<shift>+tab Show previous open game

Mouse usage:
Left click selects marker nearest pointer
Right click selects point at pointer
When setting waypoint double click sets waypoint
Move mouse to the border of the and held it for half a second to autoscroll (if enabled). Move mouse away to stop autoscroll. Autoscroll zone is marked with blue 'corners'.
Double click on ID panel to show/hide images
While holding <ctrl> down and moving the mouse scrolls starmap

Features:
Minefields
When selecting a waypoint it's possible to hit the edge of a (decayed) minefield. The edge location is calculated by subtracting decay, and add mine sweep range.

Building
JVC allows you to build bases or ships, even if you do not have resources to build them. JVC will then show you (in red) what resources you need, and you can easy figure out to transport resources to the planet. E.g. if you plan to build a base on a planet, just order it, when enough resources is on the planet (a few turns away) JVC will build the base. This makes it easy for you to plan your infrastructure.

Multipanels
Each marker can have more than one information panel. In order to browse these, use PageUp or PageDown. When navigating to a marker, the last viewed panel for that marker is displayed.

Tags
Each panel for a marker has a 'Tag' (the checkmark box next to the panel title). When you are done managing that panel, tag it (<shift>+Space, or <shift>+Enter). When you at some later point, wants to check what items you are missing, use <shift>+left/right to navigate through untagged panels in order to find panels that you have missed.

Ship nick names
Ships have two names - a real name, as you know it, and then a nick thatjvc tracks. When a nick is entered JVC shows the nick name. Otherwise it shows the real name. It is the real name that is sent with the trn's. The idea is that you can use the nick to remember what your ship really is, and the real name to confuse your enemies; just like the ShipSoul tool.

Building structures
The max of structures allowed to build is limited to clans on the planet. But since it is allowed to unload clans, and build to max, and load the clans on board ships, JVC makes it easier for you: JVC calculates maximum structures using clans on both planet and ships in orbit, so you don't have to unload clans first, and reload them afterwards.

Tips and Tricks
Set waypoint to enemy waypoint in open space - 'intercept' cloaking
Select the ship you want to 'intercept' with. Hit space to start set waypoint. Select the ship you want to 'intercept' - it's estimated waypointis now shown. Click on the waypoint for that ship, the ship is deselected, and the waypoint cleared, but the marker location is now at that point, hit <ctrl>+enter to set the waypoint for your ship - voila; the waypoints are now identical for those two ships.

Command line Unpack/Maketurn
JVC supports unpacking/maketurning from the commandline, issue following commmand to unpack or maketurn:

Unpack:
java -cp <path to jvc.jar>\jvc.jar jvc.Unpack <direcory with rst to unpack>

Maketurn:
java -cp <path to jvc.jar>\jvc.jar jvc.Maketurn <direcory to make turn in>

Images
JVC looks in the directory called <planetsdir>\images for images called vplX.gif. These images is the same as the ones from winplan, just gif images instead of bmp's. Unfortunately you will have to convert them from bmp to gif yourself - a good and free tool for batch conversion is IrfanView - www.irfanview.com.

It may be annoying that you have to convert your images, but then again, try use this starbase gif in in your images directory...

...enjoy

JVC Configuration:
<ctrl>-F2 opens the JVC property dialog. Examime the options there to configure JVC generally. Since addins can add their own configuration to that dialog, you need to check the dialog for options.

Game Configuration:
F2 opens the Game property dialog. Examime the options there to configure the current game. Since addins can add their own configuration to that dialog, you need to check the dialog for options.

Addins:
Addins is external modules for JVC that extends the functionality beyond the basics. A list of available, and planned addins is found on JVC's website. You're welcome to suggest addins to be made. For you to use addins, download the .jar file from the website, and place it in the "addin" directory you created during installation. Then restart JVC, and open the game property dialog to activate the addin (on the "Addins" tab).

Installation:
You need to install a JVM for your platform in order to run JVC.

You should put the jvc.jar file in your main planets directory. If you do not, you should tell JVC where your planets directory is, using the command line switch '-masterdir <planets directory>'.

If you use addins you have to create a directory 'addins' in your planets directory. JVC will use the files in the game directory, planets directory , OR files stored in jvc.jar. A minimum JVC installation is:

"<planets dir>"
	"jvc.jar"
	"addin" <directory>
		{"addinX.jar"}
		{"addinY.jar"}
		{"addinZ" <directory>}
	"images" <directory with vplX.gif (used for both dos+winplan>

	"planets.exe" (for detecting dosplan registration)
		or
	"scram21.ole" and "VPH35.DLL" and "reg.key" (for detecting winplan registration)

	{game directory 1}

	{game directory N}

If you have a winplan registration, then it is very important that you put a fizz.bin file from a game you have played in the real winplan, in each of your game directories, in order for JVC to maketurn correctly!

Addin .jar files should be placed in the addin directory. This directory is scanned everytime JVC starts up, in order to detect new addins.

Finally if you have any problems you can use the command line switch '-debug' (or turn debug on in the program in the 'about' dialog) to print out debug messages to the console.