A new core format.

[Your_Persona]

I threw a bone in the dev forum about having cores in an xml format, tiger and dog bit. I appoligize if either of them is offended for the quote.

QUOTE (Tigereye @ Jul 11 2006, 11:08 AM) I know it's always been a pipe dream of everyone to extend the current core format to include other things. Even simple things like the techpath names (Expansion, Supremacy, etc) are hard-coded and are not dynamic based on the core. Of course more complex things can be dreamt up too.

Eventually when we start adding things to the core format, it's going to change significantly and the current binary format will be broken. What'll suck more is after we make the first round of modifications to the cores, future mods will once again break this updated coredef.

Moving to XML should make it extensible allowing a new 2nd gen core to be compatible with a 3rd gen core'd Allegiance. If XML's guidelines are followed, all changes to core formats should be backwards compatible.
Then the hardest move is the first one (from current cores to Xml cores) but after that it'll be smooth sailing.

QUOTE (Dogbones @ Jul 11 2006, 02:32 PM) Regarding making the new cores xml (native) that is a great idea and if you do it correctly it should be backward compatible. I would caution that the xml would have to be designed correctly, it is not sufficient to just stuff everything in xml tags/values. Sort of an obvious statement, but the hard part is not how to represent the core as xml vs text vs binary vs directed graph, etc it is designing it so that it makes sense, supports what we need, and is easily built on.

I havn't had as much experiance with the cores as many of the core devs out there, we at least my experiance is quite dated. I figured it would be a good idea to pull the other core devs out there for any info on what a good extensible, logical core XML schema would be.

I have a very basic (non sutable) schema at http://austin.bluedepot.com/alleg/allegiance_core_v1.xsd and a sample zone core at http://austin.bluedepot.com/alleg/zone_coreXML.zip

Please all you xml and core gurus post your ideas, that we may make our first step in this direction with the correct foot.

Thanks.

[Dogbones]

I support your efforts Y_P but I do not know enough about the cores or the current core format to make any intelligent comments regarding a new design or even extending the current one.

[Tigereye]

I haven't had time to review your schema or sample core yet, but I'm anxious to.

I applaud your effort for this BIG undertaking. Just remember Dog's words that you quoted above /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

--TE