Celestial Navigation in SH4

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

Don Reed and I got on the telephone. We found the python.exe file. We created a script file. We tried to run the scripts. It did not work, I think. Don Reed had to leave so we did not finish. I am waiting for Reed to email me to follow up. Even if all is correct, I have no idea what to do next. What do I plug into the date and time that pops up when we try to run the script. What changes/entries do I make to Stellarium?

Don't worry about what to do next in regard to input of the numbers for Stellarium. Pyhton needs to work first because doing it manually just doesn't cut it. It's too laboriously to compute the coordinates every time manually. And defeats the purpose of the celestial navigation attempt. Since you allready get to see and write your coordinates before you even make one starfix.

Good to hear Don Reed helped on the phone. I'm in the Netherlands so that wouldn't be much help. I guess it's just a matter of patience before you two can get in contact again and attempt to fix it. I know you feel like getting impatient. Whether the time spend was worth it in the end is something only you can say, afterwards. Celestial navigation is a hardcore technique, so dificulties are to be expected. But this software error should only be temporary.

[don1reed]

'Morning all. Soon as I get the better half off and running--get a slug of java into my bilges, I'll be ready to have another go at it. It's Ante Meridian here at N39 x W90.

Admittedly, instructions presented via this medium can be confusing and easily misunderstood, particularly when arthritic fingers are thrown into the mix. lol. Sometimes the only way is eyeball to eyeball; but, in our case, IGD, the telephone will have to do.

I'm going to build a *.py script file for you this morning, one that I know works, only with your computer's parameters. I'll send it to you. We'll see if that doesn't make the grade.

I suspect the nuance is the fact your system is "Vista". Once we poke at it long enough, and find out what's acceptable to it...the process will be time consuming and tedious. So....

Caveat: If this doesn't work...

You may have to return to the Python.org site and get a different program, one more developed for your system.
Cheers.

[don1reed]

Great news, IGD.

I got Python and Stellarium 10.5 working Brilliantly.

Once all the pieces are put together. . .No problimo.

Later,

Don

[I'm goin' down]

I will be in heaven (in a manner of speaking) when we get it working.

Once it is working, I will need guidance on the folowing:

How do I set it up so SH4 games use Stellarium?

What is a good tutorial or lesson to get started?

When I set it for viewing from my home town, the moon (a few days ago) was in the sky, but it was below the horizon on Stellarium. Thus, I could not compare what I saw in the sky to the program, because the views were not the same. How can I fix that?

Pieces, I appreciate your morale boosting advice. But the instructions in the tutorial simply did not apply to the new version of Stellarium, plus the instructions on how to activate Python were not consumer friendly (I am being most diplomatic re Python.) Don Reed and I have spent considerable time (several hours) over the last 2 days dealing with it via email and telephone, and hopefully will finish it tomorrow since the latest road block was recently surmounted by Admiral Reed.

[don1reed]

Best advice: go to the first post of this thread and download 6SJ7GT's Tutorials and war year (1939-1945) almanacs.

Any questions you have after taking time to read that info...everybody here will gladly help you.

But...

Once we get you up and running with Python and Stellarium 10.5, You need to begin using Stellarium in an actual game, where taking simulated sextant sights will show your progress through the ocean.

[I'm goin' down]

Originally Posted by don1reed

Best advice: go to the first post of this thread and download 6SJ7GT's Tutorials and war year (1939-1945) almanacs.

Any questions you have after taking time to read that info...everybody here will gladly help you.

But...

Once we get you up and running with Python and Stellarium 10.5, You need to begin using Stellarium in an actual game, where taking simulated sextant sights will show your progress through the ocean.

I will give it a shot (I mean a sighting!)

[Munchausen]

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

I will give it a shot (I mean a sighting!)

Actually, "shot" is proper terminology. Navigators "shoot the stars" to get a fix.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

Pieces, I appreciate your morale boosting advice. But the instructions in the tutorial simply did not apply to the new version of Stellarium, plus the instructions on how to activate Python were not consumer friendly (I am being most diplomatic re Python.) Don Reed and I have spent considerable time (several hours) over the last 2 days dealing with it via email and telephone, and hopefully will finish it tomorrow since the latest road block was recently surmounted by Admiral Reed.

Pieces ... (or did you say you were dyslexic, if so then I'm sorry I forgot)

I'm curious about the details of the reasons for Python not working (by itself). I wasn't aware of a new Stellarium version (past 10.2) but that's allways a possibility ofcourse. Still I gathered the problem lied in Python not working at all. Unless my earlier installation of the Python.org release solved some issues for the Active(something) version of Python that was unknown to me, I can't imagine why it went so bad for you, but so easy for me. (Yikes, awfull sentence I wrote there)

[I'm goin' down]

Originally Posted by Pisces

I'm curious about the details of the reasons for Python not working (by itself). I wasn't aware of a new Stellarium version (past 10.2) but that's allways a possibility ofcourse. Still I gathered the problem lied in Python not working at all. Unless my earlier installation of the Python.org release solved some issues for the Active(something) version of Python that was unknown to me, I can't imagine why it went so bad for you, but so easy for me. (Yikes, awfull sentence I wrote there)

I am not touching that with a ten foot pole. Don Reed can if he so chooses. What could be more productive is to issue new instruction dealing with windows vista. That would answer your questions.

[don1reed]

Herein lies the culprit. This very medium, this forum which we use to communicate; and me. Yes, me. I was content to leave well enough alone, using what worked for me, Python 2.6 and Stellarium 0.9.1. Why "upgrade" to something new? In other words, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Old timer me, decided that if my system worked, it should work for IGD's rig as well....lol, not to be.

Once it was determined that IGD and I were using 2 different Stellarium pgms, I got off my duff and DL the newest version. [I] Reworked the SH4toStellarium10.ssc script for my cpu's subdirectory. And yet, all was not well, as the date/time and geo coords continued to stay in Paris with today's date/time. Default? Probably. So, I carefully read the script and discovered that it was supposed to write an sh4.ssc with the game date/time/posit into the SCRIPT directory of the new Stellarium.

My sys os is W/7 and for some reason, due to permissions authority, it was not allowing the Python script to write to Stellarium. It wouldn't let me edit any of the *.ssc files unless I physically drug them from the "My Computer" focus box to the desktop and modified them there.

Since this was preventing the "sh4.ssc" script from being written, I decided to create a blank "sh4.ssc" with Notepad, drag it into the Stellarium\Script directory, to kick-start the deal--Lo and behold, it worked. Opening the Stellarium\Script\sh4.ssc disclosed the proper params for my game.

I see now, this was just a ploy by 6ST7GT to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century. That was a dirty trick, Mike.

And that, Pisces, is how I lost all my remaining hair. (I think I'll start shaving my legs--for balance.)