Designing a plug-in is a tough job, and a lot of planning is required to ensure its success. That is why this page has been set up. It includes answers to many of the questions that an EScape Velocity plug-in developer will ask him- or herself.

In addition, submission guidelines have been noted at the bottom of this page, to make sure your plug-in will find its way into this site's archives.

If you have a question that hasn't been answered on this page, post a message on the Discussion Board, or contact the webmaster if you feel the question should be noted on this page as well.

 

How do I create plug-ins for Escape Velocity?
The most valuable resources you require for creating an Escape Velocity plug-in is ResEdit and the EV Bible. You must have some basic knowledge of how to use ResEdit, though.

Special plug-in editors, like EV-Edit, Schmelta-V and EEEV, offer an easier interface than ResEdit. However, they are not always as stable.

What should my plug-ins contain for content?
This matter is entirely up to you, of course. However, to ensure your plug-ins success, take the following tips into consideration:

New graphics and new missions are your virtual key to success. If your plug-in does not add these, don't expect a large following.

A fair level of difficulty is also preferred by most people. If your plug-in makes things too easy by lowering the price of ships and/or weapons, it will soon be discarded.

Make your plot exciting and involving! If the missions don't feel "real", there won't be a very thrilling playing experience..

Be careful when basing your plug-in on a movie or TV-series, as legal actions may be taken against you for unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted material. This doesn't always happen -- Star Wars and Babylon 5 plug-ins exist, for example -- but think twice anyway.

May I combine existing plug-ins?
If you wish to distribute a plug-in which contains data from another plug-in, you must first obtain the respective author's written permission. If you are unable to contact the author or if permission is refused, you may not proceed.

How do I distribute my plug-ins?
All new files should be mailed to ev@escape-velocity.com, with the following guidelines taken into account:

There is no limit to the initial size of the submission, but a new version of an existing plug-in must come with a seperate updator, unless the respective plug-in is under the 1,000k mark.

All submissions must be compressed with Stuffit (.sit), Compact Pro (.cpt). Self-extracting archives (.sea) are permitted. All files must also be encoded in BinHex (.hqx) or MacBinaryII (.bin) format.

Include the following information in the email:

The name of the file you attached, its version number, the name(s) of its author(s), a short description and a declaration that the plug-in consists of original work. (If you are using material from other plug-ins, written permission from their respective authors must be included.)

You have the option of including a custom graphic for your submission. Send a 32x32 GIF image along with your file.