Thanks! That's exactly what I had in mind. I'm looking forward to the update.

Never mind... I got it.

It is Wednesday evening and, as promised, the first MoBo beta is ready for testing...

Errr... at least it's Wednesday evening in my part of the world.

I posted it to the regular board thinking it might get more visibility over there. I would very much appreciate your comments, ideas, and bug reports.

Here's the link to the thread with the download:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=113223

Thanks for this aaronblood. Looking forward to trying it out, but having no success in getting it started.

D/L'd it on 2 different computers (both with .NET Framework 2.0 installed), and on one computer I get an instruction to install .NET Framework, and on the other computer I get this message:-

"Cannot continue. The application is improperly formatted. Contact the application vendor for assistance."

If it helps, here is a copy of the Error Details:-

PLATFORM VERSION INFO
Windows : 5.1.2600.131072 (Win32NT)
Common Language Runtime : 2.0.50727.42
System.Deployment.dll : 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
mscorwks.dll : 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
dfdll.dll : 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)
dfshim.dll : 2.0.50727.42 (RTM.050727-4200)

ERROR SUMMARY
Below is a summary of the errors, details of these errors are listed later in the log.
* Activation of MoBo.application resulted in exception. Following failure messages were detected:
+ Exception reading manifest from MoBo.application: the manifest may not be valid or the file could not be opened.
+ Manifest XML signature is not valid.
+ No signature was present in the subject.

COMPONENT STORE TRANSACTION FAILURE SUMMARY
No transaction error was detected.
WARNINGS
There were no warnings during this operation.
OPERATION PROGRESS STATUS
* [26/04/2007 22:36:00] : Activation of MoBo.application has started.
ERROR DETAILS
Following errors were detected during this operation.
* [26/04/2007 22:36:00] System.Deployment.Application.InvalidDeploymentExc eption (ManifestParse)
- Exception reading manifest from MoBo.application: the manifest may not be valid or the file could not be opened.
- Source: System.Deployment
- Stack trace:
at System.Deployment.Application.ManifestReader.FromD ocument(String localPath, ManifestType manifestType, Uri sourceUri)
at System.Deployment.Application.DownloadManager.Down loadDeploymentManifestDirectBypass(SubscriptionSto re subStore, Uri& sourceUri, TempFile& tempFile, SubscriptionState& subState, IDownloadNotification notification, DownloadOptions options, ServerInformation& serverInformation)
at System.Deployment.Application.DownloadManager.Down loadDeploymentManifestBypass(SubscriptionStore subStore, Uri& sourceUri, TempFile& tempFile, SubscriptionState& subState, IDownloadNotification notification, DownloadOptions options)
at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator .PerformDeploymentActivation(Uri activationUri, Boolean isShortcut)
at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator .ActivateDeploymentWorker(Object state)
--- Inner Exception ---
System.Deployment.Application.InvalidDeploymentExc eption (SignatureValidation)
- Manifest XML signature is not valid.
- Source: System.Deployment
- Stack trace:
at System.Deployment.Application.Manifest.AssemblyMan ifest.ValidateSignature(Stream s)
at System.Deployment.Application.ManifestReader.FromD ocument(String localPath, ManifestType manifestType, Uri sourceUri)
--- Inner Exception ---
System.Security.Cryptography.CryptographicExceptio n
- No signature was present in the subject.
- Source: System.Deployment
- Stack trace:
at System.Deployment.Internal.CodeSigning.SignedCmiMa nifest.Verify(CmiManifestVerifyFlags verifyFlags)
at System.Deployment.Application.Manifest.AssemblyMan ifest.ValidateSignature(Stream s)
COMPONENT STORE TRANSACTION DETAILS
No transaction information is available.

Both computers are running Windows XP Home.

Sorry that my first response is to report an apparent problem, but I do like the look of the programme, and am keen to try it out. As the computers are networked, I am planning on running SH4 on one, and viewing on the other (as you suggested to Darkfin). That's the idea anyway, but I'll have to get it started first, and then try it out:D

Cheers
Warspite

Well... that's what betas are for right?

The directory should include:
MoBo.application
MoBo.exe
MoBo.exe.config
MoBo.pdb
MoBo.xml
ReadMe.txt

I can only duplicate your error in one of two ways:

1) If I try to launch the application by double-clicking: "MoBo.application"

2) If I delete the "MoBo.xml " file and try to run the MoBo.exe


SO... first suggestion: Make sure you have all the above files in the same directory as the MoBo.exe, and secondly... Make sure you're launching the MoBo.exe file and not the ".application" file.

Thanks aaronblood, that fixed it.

As frequently the case, it was "user error"...I must have been clicking the "application" and not the "exe".

Only excuse is that it was midnight down here, and I'd nearly finished the bottle of Red before turning in.

Now to give it a whirl.

Cheers,
Warspite

Glad to hear it's working... A decent icon for the exe would probably have made a difference. I too find myself drawn to the one that says "application". I'll start workin up an icon.

Any news on the next verison ???

The next version will be the actual 1.0 release.

All of the work on the plotter engine has been completed.
It now supports...
- Map scale tools that allow precise pixel-by-pixel adjustments
- Distance Measurements (both imperial and metric)
- TSD calculations (lets you figure out speed given time/distance plot)
- Loads any type of saved bitmap image as a background
- Application Opacity Slider (you can see right thru the thing!, like looking thru a glass panel)
- Various analog compasses and gadgets
- Straight intercept plots or more complex relative position intercepts

As far as the tools go... I'm at the point where I can't think of anything else to add to it. It does everthing I could want cept launch torpedos.

I've got a little work left to do on the User Options, an icon here and there, and then (sigh... :roll: ) I have to write a manual or at least some sort of HowTo guide. The program itself will be done in a day or two, not sure how long it will take the 'team' to write the manual.

Will it do true TMA, i.e. course / speed / posit based on bearing only plots ???

Yes... but there's a limit to what you can do with bearing-only information.

Two requirements for using the TMA tool...
1. The bearings have to be taken at equal time intervals, although it doesn't matter what time interval you choose.
2. The sub has to be stationary.

...and of course, we're assuming the target is moving at constant speed and heading.

With the above, you can definitely determine target heading. Once you have the heading there are an infinite number of parallel line solutions for distance depending on the speed of the target. If you know the distance, you can determine speed, if you know the speed (or want to make a guess or approximation) you can determine distance.

I'd probably recommend taking at least 5 bearings at maybe 1 min intervals or more. It's an intereactive TMA ladder tool, you position it such that the rungs of the ladders are equi-distant.

If you're looking for a more advanced TMA tool that would also take into consideration relative motion of your sub... I'll have to noodle on that one a little more.

A user by the name of Mittelwaechter wrote up his own tutorial for doing manual TMA via hydrophone only. Here's the thread if you're interested

By the way, I haven't had a lot of time to play SilentHunter lately but from the little experience I had with your maneuvering board I can say I dig it a lot. Looking forward to the next version.

thanks for the info

Thanks for the link... I will try to review it in futher detail as well as some of the other links on that thread perhaps tomorrow. I think you'll be happy to know that my TMA tool is a lot easier to use than what's presented in that thread.

I'm working on the MoBo documentation now and I can provide this snippet from the TMA intro info, keep in mind some of my deductions are theorhetical as I haven't yet play tested it, but still I think it's all fairly sound:

The TMA tool is used to determine target heading given bearings taken at equal time intervals. In its simplest usage, you can take multiple bearings over a set period of time and use those bearings to determine target heading. With the target heading, you can then pinpoint the target location if you happen to already know the speed or distance.



If you don’t know the speed or distance, you have two choices. You can take the less sophisticated approach of guesstimating; or you can use the TMA tool to predict future target bearings along the projected TMA heading. Assume for instance that you plot the bearing line of the target for 5 minutes into the future. If you know the bearing for a time in the future, you can change the position of your ship and take another bearing on the target at the same future time. The intersection of your predicted bearing and your new position bearing should pinpoint the target. You’re effectively triangulating on the target without the aid of a second ship!

If any of you have messed around at all with the TMA tools in Sub Command you should be able to pick this right up and run with it. I use a TMA line tool similar to the "ladder line" in the Sub Command TMA station. Unfortunately, we're not cruising around on a nuke sub so we have to take our bearings manually... but same basic concept: we're looking for a line such that the bearings bisect the TMA heading line into segments of equal length.

http://www.xl-logic.com/SH/MoBo_TMA.png

Simply awesome!