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Auto-Jimmy: A new utility for Traveller referees and players

For the past year and half, I've been working on an open source desktop application to provide some utilities for Traveller players and referees. It's now at the point I'm ready to release it out into the world. What started as a hacked together command line script consisting of a couple of hundred line of python is now a full-blown application with a graphical interface and an integration with Traveller Map (it's been a wild ride). If you're wondering about the weird name, it's named after my Traveller character, notorious space pirate Jimmy Brogan.

Many of the features are generic and should be applicable to different Traveller variants, however some features are specifically aimed at players using Mongoose rules with support for 1e, 2e and the 2022 update rules.

Some of the highlight features are:
  • Rule system agnostic jump route calculation
    • Waypoint worlds the route must pass through
    • Avoid selected worlds and/or worlds based on attributes
    • Optimise routes by number of jumps, parsecs travelled or estimated cost
    • Integration with Traveller Map to display routes
  • Refuelling plan calculation using Mongoose rules
    • Calculation of where to refuel along a jump route and how much fuel to take on in order tominimise costs
    • Most useful for long routes and/or when reliant on star port refuelling
  • Automation of weapon creation using the Mongoose 2e Field Catalogue rules
    • Calculation of weapon attributes based on configuration and loaded ammunition
    • Automatically generated notes listing the more complex rules that apply to a weapon, whenthey apply and what their effect are
    • Export of weapons to PDF "character sheet"
  • Referee aids Mongoose Speculative Trading & Smuggling rules
    • Dice rollers for purchase and sale process
    • Support for local brokers
  • Experimental player aids for Mongoose Speculative Trading & Smuggling rules
    • Options to see how each variable in the trading process would affect a trade
    • Estimation of profits for trading between worlds if the player was to make average, worstand best case dice roles at each point in the trading proces
The project has been released on github under GPLv3. Although I think the project is ready for a wider audiance to start using, I still consider it in beta. It won't be out of beta until I've had some feedback from users. For now at least, I'm not taking requests for new features, I want to concentrate on fixing bugs and improving usability of what is already implemented.

The application is written in Python and should work on Windows, Linux & macOS. There's an installer so Windows users don't have to worry about installing the Python interpreter and libraries. If you use the installer, note that it's not signed so Windows will most likely warn you that it's not trusted.

If you do decide to use the application, I highly recommend that you read the welcome pop-ups that each of the utility windows display the first time it's shown. Documentation is currently very limited, and the text in these windows gives an overview of features. In addition to this, most of the more complicated options have tool tips that will give extra details of what they do.

Project Links
Source and Docs: https://github.com/cthulhustig/autojimmy
Windows Installer: https://github.com/cthulhustig/autojimmy/releases

The Jump Route Planner window showing the route covering the shortest distance from Dudin to Terra at Jump-3, only refuelling at gas giants and avoiding worlds with a Law Level over 6 and/or an Imperial Scout or Navy base.
jump_route_map.png

The Field Catalogue Gunsmith window showing the manifest for Jimmy's rifle
gunsmith_manifest.png

The Field Catalogue Gunsmith window showing the final weapon details for Jimmy's rifle. The notes are automatically generated and give conditional modifiers and other such details
gunsmith_info.png
 
For the past year and half, I've been working on an open source desktop application to provide some utilities for Traveller players and referees. It's now at the point I'm ready to release it out into the world. What started as a hacked together command line script consisting of a couple of hundred line of python is now a full-blown application with a graphical interface and an integration with Traveller Map (it's been a wild ride). If you're wondering about the weird name, it's named after my Traveller character, notorious space pirate Jimmy Brogan.

Many of the features are generic and should be applicable to different Traveller variants, however some features are specifically aimed at players using Mongoose rules with support for 1e, 2e and the 2022 update rules.

Some of the highlight features are:
  • Rule system agnostic jump route calculation
    • Waypoint worlds the route must pass through
    • Avoid selected worlds and/or worlds based on attributes
    • Optimise routes by number of jumps, parsecs travelled or estimated cost
    • Integration with Traveller Map to display routes
  • Refuelling plan calculation using Mongoose rules
    • Calculation of where to refuel along a jump route and how much fuel to take on in order tominimise costs
    • Most useful for long routes and/or when reliant on star port refuelling
  • Automation of weapon creation using the Mongoose 2e Field Catalogue rules
    • Calculation of weapon attributes based on configuration and loaded ammunition
    • Automatically generated notes listing the more complex rules that apply to a weapon, whenthey apply and what their effect are
    • Export of weapons to PDF "character sheet"
  • Referee aids Mongoose Speculative Trading & Smuggling rules
    • Dice rollers for purchase and sale process
    • Support for local brokers
  • Experimental player aids for Mongoose Speculative Trading & Smuggling rules
    • Options to see how each variable in the trading process would affect a trade
    • Estimation of profits for trading between worlds if the player was to make average, worstand best case dice roles at each point in the trading proces
The project has been released on github under GPLv3. Although I think the project is ready for a wider audiance to start using, I still consider it in beta. It won't be out of beta until I've had some feedback from users. For now at least, I'm not taking requests for new features, I want to concentrate on fixing bugs and improving usability of what is already implemented.

The application is written in Python and should work on Windows, Linux & macOS. There's an installer so Windows users don't have to worry about installing the Python interpreter and libraries. If you use the installer, note that it's not signed so Windows will most likely warn you that it's not trusted.

If you do decide to use the application, I highly recommend that you read the welcome pop-ups that each of the utility windows display the first time it's shown. Documentation is currently very limited, and the text in these windows gives an overview of features. In addition to this, most of the more complicated options have tool tips that will give extra details of what they do.

Project Links
Source and Docs: https://github.com/cthulhustig/autojimmy
Windows Installer: https://github.com/cthulhustig/autojimmy/releases

The Jump Route Planner window showing the route covering the shortest distance from Dudin to Terra at Jump-3, only refuelling at gas giants and avoiding worlds with a Law Level over 6 and/or an Imperial Scout or Navy base.
View attachment 3840

The Field Catalogue Gunsmith window showing the manifest for Jimmy's rifle
View attachment 3841

The Field Catalogue Gunsmith window showing the final weapon details for Jimmy's rifle. The notes are automatically generated and give conditional modifiers and other such details
View attachment 3842
Tried to install it. Windows Defender didn't like that. Then I tried running it as an Administrator. It said "You must be logged in as an Administrator to run this." Then it made my mouse cursor do the 'busy circle' for a while and then nothing. Sadly needs work on the installer.
 
When
I saw 'Auto-Jimmy' I thought you posted something about a Robot or a Digital Friend.

Or the RonCoTM simple "point-and-click" hardware-device that uplinks to your personal comm that lets you spring any lock, portal, window, or other door or entryway, whether mechanical, electronic, computer, or biometrically sealed . . . ;)

(Reminds me of Gary Seven from Star Trek TOS . . . )
 
Here's another Route Finder Feature Request™ for you to try and implement.
XBoat Routing.

Define routes that can only go to star systems that are on map noted networks for things like XBoats (regardless of polity). Pick the J# for use on the route, pick the start/end points ... and find out how many jumps it takes to travel that network. Needless to say, outputs would not necessarily "follow" the lines on the map exactly (J4 from Efate/Regina directly to Roup/Regina, skipping over Boughene/Regina and Feri/Regina along the way, for example), but the limitation is that each node along the journey would have to be on the network.

That way, we could finally answer the question ... how many XBoat jumps does it take to get from Capital/Core to various subsector capitals in the Spinward Marches?
How long at J4 on the XBoat Network?
How long at J6 by drop tank equipped XBoats on the network (as was planned prior to the Fifth Frontier War)?

The answers to these kinds of (traveling salesman) logistical questions can give rise to some rather surprising answers which then have some pretty far reaching implications in various MTUs.
 
I did wonder if the name was going to confuse people, but it felt like it would be the same as renaming your dog after you've had it for the best part of 2 years and I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

@Spinward Flow That's an intereasting idea. I'd have to look into where XBoat route information comes from. I know Traveller Map can display it but I'm not sure it comes from the primary sector data.

@Petersen That happens because the installer isn't digitally signed. Unfortunaly the certificate I would need to sign it costs more than I'm willing to spend at the moment. Does the message box that Windows shows you when you don't run it as admin look like this? If so then "More info" is actually a button (well done Microsoft). If you click it, then the message box will change and you'll be able to click "Run anyway".
smartscreen.png
 
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