Author Information:
Vikram Madan, P.O.Box 95594, Seattle WA 98145-2594, USAInternet: http://www.eskimo.com/~vikram
E-mail: vmadan@bigfoot.com , vikram@eskimo.com , v_madan@msn.com
Version 1.1 - September 1997
- Ability to create eggs using Grendel as parent
- Updated dialog for choosing directories
- Fixed crashing bug with 0 length .exp files
- Updated egg dialog UI
Version 1.0 - August 1997
- Released
Q. What is the Norn Ancestral Viewer (NornHist.exe) ?
A. If you are like me, then in the process of breeding your Norns you have literally exported dozens and dozens (or even hundreds) of Norns from your Creatures world into "*.exp" creatures files and have forgotten which Norn is descended from which other Norn. (This obviously makes selective breeding really really hard).
The Norn Ancestral Viewer scans all your exported Norns and creates a family tree for each Norn that it can link to other Norns in your exported .exp files. You can then view all known ancestors and descendants of each Norn on your machine.
In addition to viewing the Ascendants and Descendants of each Norn, the Norn Ancestral Viewer will also let you create new Hatchery eggs from existing Norns on your machine. You can pick who the parents of that egg will be and you can select the gender of the egg from this program. No more chaperoning and running after your Norns to get them to breed children.
Q. How do I use the Norn Ancestral Viewer ?
A. When you start the Norn Ancestral Viewer, the program automatically detects the directory in which you have installed the Creatures World. The program then looks for files with the extension "*.exp" in the Creatures directory and in all sub-directories under the creatures directory.
Each "*.exp" file contains full information about an exported Norn - this information includes the Norn's name, the Norn's Moniker, and the Norn's Parent's Moniker. The program then goes through all the "*.exp" files and cross-tabulates Moniker information about each Norn and its ascendants and descendants. This information is then presented to you in a meaningful manner.
A. Start the Norn Ancestral Viewer and click the Browse button. A dialog comes up that will let you select a starting directory in which this program will look for information. You only need to select the top level directory and the program will automatically scan sub-directories. (For example if you selected "C:\" the program will go through your whole C drive and scan every *.exp file on that drive).
Q. How do I create new eggs in the hatchery ?
A. Start the Norn Ancestral Viewer. Click the button labeled "Eggs". A dialog comes up that lets you select up to 6 eggs to lay in the hatchery.
If you have an older version of Creatures that uses an egg-floppy-disk, the above method will probably not work.
A. Having a Norn in a .exp file is not enough for breeding. Before a Norn can breed, the Creatures program has to create a .gen file that contains the genetic material for the Norn. To create a genetic .gen file for your new Norn, all you need to do is Import the new Norn into your creatures world and then export it back out again. Once you have done this simple procedure, the Norn will show up in the breeding lists in the Norn Ancestral Viewer Egg dialog.
A. All Norns hatched from Hatchery eggs always have Mothers and Fathers labeled mumX and dadX .. all other information is lost when they come out of the hatchery. Creatures only retains parent information for Naturally bred-and-born Norns only.
Q. I keep seeing duplicates in my Norn Family Trees?
A. You probably exported/copied the same Norn into more than 1 file. Each .exp file is treated as a separate Norn.
A. This program is a full fledged shareware program. It is not crippled in any way. You may use it as long as you like but a $5.00 U.S. contribution would be appreciated. You can pass this program around freely and host it on your website as long as you do not charge money for accessing or distributing or downloading or using this program.
Mail your $5.00 contribution to:
Vikram Madan P.O.Box 95594 Seattle WA 98145-2594, USA
For other issues or problems you may be having, send me an e-mail. Support is strictly limited unless you plan to mail in a contribution :-)
Disclaimer: This program is provided as-is with no warranty expressed or implied. Please use this program entirely at your own risk. I cannot be help responsible for any damages arising from direct or indirect use of this program or from any event, incident, or occurrence connected to this program.