Sol Invictus

[uteck]

Here is a working link.
http://theuteck.googlepages.com/home

I checked out the link here and I downloaded one of the character sheets (ex2-solar-v1.5) and I have to ask: why is it that the part where it talks about regaining Essence written in what looks like Latin?

That was just filler that Voidstate put in because he could not remember the exact words and forgot to correct it before he made it available.  The character sheet is not finalized yet, there is a discussion thread at rpg.net over it.  I have the link on my site next to the character sheet downloads.

 

[UrsKR]

Time for some self-quoting:

What problems are there with handling and looks of the program?

Am I right in assuming that part of "looks like shit" in your original post meant "is limited to Metal Look and Feel instead of sporting Apple's Native Aqua L&F"?
This should be relatively easy to fix, if you're willing to do some testing and provide feedback.


Also, I've read some articles about making java apps more appealing to both Windows and Mac audiences, I'll try to make something of those parts of their suggestions that didn't involve C++-Code.

 

[wordman]

Wordman, I assume that ScreenMenuBar means the unique top-of-screen menu in Apple systems

It is supposed to, but doesn't actually work. Haven't figured out why yet.

what doest the additional option "-Xdock:name" do?

When Mac apps launch, their name pops up in the menu bar, with an associated menu of stuff. Anathema launches with the name "net.sf.anathema" or something similar. This is also the label of the icon in the dock. "-Xdock:name" changes this to something more readable.

What problems are there with handling and looks of the program? If there's anything I could do to make it better for Mac users, I'd be happy to help. If you figure out anything let me know and please do submit any code you come up with!

Will do. It handles fine. It just looks exactly like a Java application using Swing. In other words, nothing at all like a Mac application. There are evidently ways to solve this. oXygen, for example, looks Mac native, as does Eclipse (sort of). Once I get the thing built I'll play with it.

 

[Persell]

Here is a working link.
http://theuteck.googlepages.com/home

I checked out the link here and I downloaded one of the character sheets (ex2-solar-v1.5) and I have to ask: why is it that the part where it talks about regaining Essence written in what looks like Latin?

That was just filler that Voidstate put in because he could not remember the exact words and forgot to correct it before he made it available.  The character sheet is not finalized yet, there is a discussion thread at rpg.net over it.  I have the link on my site next to the character sheet downloads.

Oh, okay.  I was just wondering because if it wasn't for my horse, I'd never have spent that year in college.  Very kick ass looking sheet.  Many thanks.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

*Brain implodes like Lewis Black's did hearing that statement*  :lol:  :lol:

 

[UrsKR]

what doest the additional option "-Xdock:name" do?

When Mac apps launch, their name pops up in the menu bar, with an associated menu of stuff. Anathema launches with the name "net.sf.anathema" or something similar. This is also the label of the icon in the dock. "-Xdock:name" changes this to something more readable.

One of the articles I read had something about that. Packaging java applications as ".app" folders complete with icons, so the behave like regular mac programs. Didn't seem too troublesome.

Will do. It handles fine. It just looks exactly like a Java application using Swing. In other words, nothing at all like a Mac application. There are evidently ways to solve this. oXygen, for example, looks Mac native, as does Eclipse (sort of). Once I get the thing built I'll play with it.

Even Java-Applications using swing are "skinnable" (have a look at the screenshots on the website, they look pretty WinXPish), and Apple has created a skin that should address most of the troubles you have with the look and feel.


It's just that we default to the "Swing look" (aka "Metal Look & Feel") for every system save WinXP, since we lack the hardware for proper testing.


I can disable the default mechanism for Macs, too, and you can test the look. If you have trouble building, ask either me or uteck, he has done it recently.


Eclipse can do it, since they don't use Swing at all, they rely on their home-brewn UI Manager called SWT (Standard Widget Toolkit). As the name implies, it uses the native widgets the respective system provides instead of recreating them, as Swing does.


Of oXygen I never heard. What's that?

 

[UrsKR]

Update: I've tried to enable Aqua L&F support. Obviously, I can't say if it works, in addition, the classes for Aqua are in the Mac version of Java only so I might even have made a typo.


Once you get to build the thing, please let me know if anything changed.

 

[uteck]

Wordman, you could try the develpment build at my site if you just want to check it out real quick without building it.  I just compiled the latest version last night.  But if you do want to build it, read this thread at Urs Live Journal to see how to configure Eclipse to build it.  I never did get the subversion plugin for it working, so I just maualy do a svn update.

 

[UrsKR]

Nah, that won't help. The experimental mac-change is in SVN 1359, your current version is built of 1358.


Concerning the plugin, there is an alternative one available from the Subversive project at www.polarion.org

 

[wordman]

But if you do want to build it, read this thread at Urs Live Journal to see how to configure Eclipse to build it.  I never did get the subversion plugin for it working, so I just maualy do a svn update.

So far, Eclipse and Subclipse have been behaving as expected.

 

[wordman]

Of oXygen I never heard. What's that?

One of the worlds better XML editors. If you do anything with XSLT, this is your best bet, on the Mac anyway. Comes with an Eclipse plugin as well. Not sure if it uses SWT or Swing. Since in has an Eclipse plugin, it probably uses SWT.


So... I guess those were bad examples.

 

[UrsKR]

So... I guess those were bad examples.

Actually, they were not.


To my knowledge Apple went down exactly the same route when they created the Aqua look & feel for Swing. That's why Java Apps can be faster on the Mac then elsewhere, and (I guess) part of the reason why the Java Runtime Environment for Mac OS X is only available from Apple, not Sun.