# The chär resource

The chär resource is used to allow multiple entry points into the scenario's storyline, by letting the player pick a 'character template' from a list when a new pilot is started. The player is presented with a list of all available chär resources when a new pilot is created, and must choose one (but only one). This allows different character types to have different ships, legal records, etc. at the start of the game, and also allows for the setting-up of mission stuff by way of a control bit set string that is evaluated when a new pilot is started.
The game's standard scenario has only one character, but you can create several in your plug-in, to allow the player to choose a storyline, offer different levels of difficulty, or achieve any other effect that occurs to you.

1 | Default | One of your characters should have this flag set, so that the game knows which to offer as the default.
2 | Cash | The amount of money a player gets when starting out with this character type.
3 | ShipType | The ID number of the ship type in which the player starts the game - conventionally this is some sort of shuttle, but you could make it something more powerful in order to make the story start more quickly.
4 | OnStart | A control bit set string that is called when the player starts out with a new pilot of this type. You can use this to arrange the galaxy differently for different characters, or set the bits that cause a storyline to begin immediately.
5 | Kills | The combat rating given to the player at the beginning of the game. By setting this above zero, you can cause the player to be taken seriously sooner in the game.
6 | Systems | The ID numbers of up to four systems in which the player starts the game; EV Nova will randomly pick one of these. If you want to to choose from fewer than four systems, you can set some of these fields to -1.
7 | Government & status | This allows you to have the player begin the game already aligned with a given faction. For each of the governments whose ID is entered in a Government field, the player's legal status in systems owned by that government and its allies is set to the value in the corresponding Status field (which can be positive or negative). For systems owned by an enemy of the govt identified in the Govt field, the player's legal status is set to the negative value of the number in the corresponding Status field. Set unused Government fields to -1.
8 | Starting date | This controls the date on which the player begins the game, and allows you to specify a prefix or suffix (just as the standard game uses NC, you could invent your own calendar system).
9 | IntroPict | A series of up to four PICT resources (usually used to introduce the game's plot) which are shown when the player creates a new pilot with this character type. Set unused fields to -1.
10 | IntroText | The ID of the dësc resource to show when the player starts out with a new pilot of this type. Along with the IntroPictID field, this allow you to have different opening sequences for each pilot type (useful to show different sides of the same issue, for example). Using the dësc resource's MovieFile field here lets you have an introduction movie. The intro text (and any associated movie) is displayed after the above PICT resources are shown.

Based upon the EV Nova Resource Bible by Matt Burch, ©1995-2006 by Ambrosia Software, Inc.