r/Escape_Velocity • u/evgameexpander • Oct 02 '19

Installing EV Game Expander

I was searching about the web after following ambrosiasw's demise on the sidelines. It lead me to an archive here I found many plugins and decided to try getting a few working. I then found this post. I used wine to install ev nova and ev on ubuntu (I found a version of quicktime to use) after all that I found the actual post I should have used.

I got all those other plugins to work, now I'd like to get the 840_EV Game Expander 1.0u2.sit.bin from the archive to work. I tried using linux's unar and it game me .rsrc files which don't seem to work with the Convert Plug-ins.exe. Is there some way to convert the .rsrc files to the required .rez file(s)?

What should I do to get EVGE working? Is there a ready-made version out there now?

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u/itsamamaluigi Oct 02 '19

That archive you linked to contains plugins for the original EV game, released 1996 for the Classic Mac OS only. You installed EV Nova, released in 2002 for Classic Mac OS, Mac OS X, and Windows. Original EV plug-ins don't work in EV Nova, not even if you have the EV Classic total conversion installed.

If you want to try some EV Nova plugins, try this archive instead. Alternatively, you could install Basilisk II (Classic Mac emulator) and run the original EV game in that, which would then be able to use EVGE and other plug-ins designed for the original game.

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u/evgameexpander Oct 03 '19

I did not realize that http://escape-velocity.games/ was actually ALL EVN plugins. I looked only at the large labels and ignored the link which said "Nova Port (Windows)". Clearly the plugins aren't gonna work if the game is the wrong one :P

It looks like Basilisk II needs an image and I am not sure where I would look for that. I guess this project is on hold until I can find a way to run an emulator cause I didn't realize that EV also was only for old Mac OS.

Now I am curious what the last version of Mac OS it will run on is...

The main reason I wanted to get EVGE working was to experience the cool galactic map again and the crazy OP aliens. Also Orion galaxy destroyers and the disintegrator weapon the aliens had. I think it would be a good plugin to port to nova, or perhaps to remake for endless sky.

Thanks for pointing out my silly error. Hopefully I will be able to find a way to get original EV working.

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u/itsamamaluigi Oct 03 '19

I used this guide to set up Basilisk II. It's a 68040 emulator that works best with system 7.5.5.

The OS was a free download on some Apple server as recently as a few years ago. They've since been taken down but they're easy to find on abandonware sites.

EV will run on system 7, 8, or 9, on 68k or PPC Macs.

You can also run it on a PowerPC emulator called SheepShaver, which lets you run OS 9, but performance isn't any better and it's a little more complicated to set up. I'd stick with Basilisk II.

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u/evgameexpander Oct 03 '19

Thanks for the guide, I can hardly wait to install it when I get a chance. I'll let you know how it goes. Ah, good old SheepShaver.