ExplorerSource file

Explorer! Source Code!

Hello everyone!

I think it is high time that I share the source code behind Explorer, so that other mods can benefit from some of the new features in Explorer! I have included the most recent source code for the Alpha as well as a past backup from the Demo version. It is highly possible that there are some bugs in the source code that were not present in the released versions - so it will be helpful if you know what you're doing before getting in to this!

What is this?

If you are not familiar with M&B modding, these are basically the files used to create the playable features of the mod. If you are not a modmaker this download will not be of much use to you.

Does this mean Explorer is dead?

Not... necessarily. However, I can no longer dedicate the time it would take to continue the project by myself... But I am hoping it is more simply the end of an era.

What is included?

Inside the ZIP you will find a module system source code for both the Alpha and Demo versions of Explorer. I would recommend using the source from the Alpha as it is the most up to date, however the Demo is maybe a little easier to understand and so it was included just in case someone prefers it.

Is there any documentation?

No. You will mostly have to be able to read and understand the code if you want to make sense of it - I do leave comments on most scripts/triggers but they may not always be entirely helpful. This project started a long time ago as an entirely personal one... I had wanted to clean up the source for a long time now but it is clear that that desire was delaying the release of the source entirely. Thus it is in a pretty raw form.

Most of the interesting code is either in mission_templates or scripts. A lot of the more important mission template triggers are in handy groups at the top of module_mission_templates, such as "player_travel", "spawn_map", "raven_triggers", etc. You can always message me if you need help, I would be happy to clear things up for anyone.

What is not included?

Two rather important things are missing in this download: The shader source, and the lua source. You can find both of these in the regular mod download. In the Explorer mod folder, there is an mb_src file with the shader source code - this is almost identical to the Battle of Europe shaders OSP, with a couple of changes specific to Explorer. There will also be a "lua" folder, this contains the lua information for Oliveran's combat AI - again with small changes for the Explorer module (namely, clearing scripted mode when spotting enemies.) The game calls both the shaders and lua from code in the module system, so make sure to either include those or remove/replace the code in the module system ("lua_call" and "set_shader_param_float" operations.)

Usage

You are free to use any of my code in your own mods/submods etc without limit. The code that was not made by me should be indicated with comments in all cases - either mod names or (typically) names of coders specifically. Since most of the code was written "by hand" for this project permissions shouldn't be a problem - but don't hesitate to ask if you are unsure who made X or Y feature.

If you include code from Explorer, please do give me some credit in your mod details somewhere: "Ruthven" or "Explorer mod" is fine.

Submods

If you wish to make a submod of Explorer itself (rather than simply pillaging features) then please contact me with a link to your project! You don't have to, but I would love to be in the loop and I would also be happy to host/promote the submod here or on the Discord channel.

Thanks

And finally, in case this is my last post here, I want to thank all the supporters, contributors, and players (satisfied or otherwise) who took the time to try the mod. This project was ambitious from the start, and yet things have worked out greater than I could have hoped at its inception. I loved reading all the comments and discussion from around the world excited about the same potential I saw in the project, and I hope that my work can be useful in continuing the legacy of great mods for a uniquely fantastic game!

-Ruthven