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Last Updated on 02/19/99 04:50:28 PM

2/5/99 - Look for feature updates here!
GEL Features to be added (Note Yellow means I have already implemented this feature)

• Improved Genome Browsing: Each Gene List window will now have tabs for Loci View, Biochemistry View, Genome View, and Genome Properties. Brain Layout will also be available as a tab.

• Faster: I plan to make improvements to the genome saving routines (Which I was able to salvage from the wreckage), and all views will be populated automatically.

• Improvements to genome index handling: Instead of holding an index within the genome, GEL will now assign a unique key to the Each gene. What does this mean for GEL? When you delete genes, the lists will not have to refresh, but will only have to remove that gene from the list. This eliminates the bug currently being reported by GEL.

• Gene Editing windows will display which genome the currently open gene is associated with.

• Attachments and Body Sprite editing: Yes, GEL will have the ability to modify attachments and body sprites. The body sprite editor will be similar to BMP2S16, by LummoxJR. This means that GEL will be a complete solution to building new breeds.

• Each Gene window will have a notes field inside of it, eliminating the clumbsy notes window. If no notes are available for that gene, GEL will determine the gene's basic function, depending on the gene.

• Gene Edit windows will be more intuitive, with OK, Apply, and Cancel buttons at the bottom of the screen. When a new gene is added, a caption will automatically be generated.
  
  Example of captions:

• Emitter:Hunger
• Receptor:Glycogen
• Reaction:1 Hunger + 1 Starch >> 1 Fullness + 6 Glycogen
• Organ:Organ #22
• Lobe:Lobe #10
• The Genome List, and Gene Editor window will allow easier editing of captions. One will be generated, if you don't enter a caption.
• When Adding a gene: GEL will no longer follow Type/Subtype listings, as this can lead to some confusion, instead, choose an item from a bullet list, and GEL will add the gene, and present you with the Gene Editor window. New Genes will be saved at the proper length.
• Drag and drop editing of genomes. With GEL 2.0, you can splice a gene, or a group of genes into another genome using Drag and Drop!
• Appearance, and poses tabs: Edit the appearance, and pose genes without having to actually open gene windows.

1/20/99 - New version of GEL due out
Due to a recent computer catastrophy, I have lost most of the source code to GEL. Only a few parts remain.

What does this mean to the loyal GEL users out there?

The Bad: No more updates to GEL 1.x

The Good: GEL 2.0 will be coming out.

Because I'm starting GEL fresh, I plan to add some new stuff to it, and change the user interface slightly for easier navigation:

Features I plan to add to GEL 2.0:

• Improved Genome Browsing: Each Gene List window will now have tabs for Loci View, Biochemistry View, Genome View, and Genome Properties. Brain Layout will also be available as a tab.

• Faster: I plan to make improvements to the genome saving routines (Which I was able to salvage from the wreckage), and all views will be populated automatically.

• Improvements to genome index handling: Instead of holding an index within the genome, GEL will now assign a unique key to the Each gene. What does this mean for GEL? When you delete genes, the lists will not have to refresh, but will only have to remove that gene from the list. This eliminates the bug currently being reported by GEL.

• Gene Editing windows will display which genome the currently open gene is associated with.

• Attachments and Body Sprite editing: Yes, GEL will have the ability to modify attachments and body sprites. The body sprite editor will be similar to BMP2S16, by LummoxJR. This means that GEL will be a complete solution to building new breeds.

• Each Gene window will have a notes field inside of it, eliminating the clumbsy notes window. If no notes are available for that gene, GEL will determine the gene's basic function, depending on the gene.

• Gene Edit windows will be more intuitive, with OK, Apply, and Cancel buttons at the bottom of the screen. When a new gene is added, a caption will automatically be generated.
  
  Example of captions:

• Emitter:Hunger
• Receptor:Glycogen
• Reaction:1 Hunger + 1 Starch >> 1 Fullness + 6 Glycogen
• Organ:Organ #22
• Lobe:Lobe #10
• The Genome List, and Gene Editor window will allow easier editing of captions. One will be generated, if you don't enter a caption.
• When Adding a gene: GEL will no longer follow Type/Subtype listings, as this can lead to some confusion, instead, choose an item from a bullet list, and GEL will add the gene, and present you with the Gene Editor window. New Genes will be saved at the proper length.
• Drag and drop editing of genomes. With GEL 2.0, you can splice a gene, or a group of genes into another genome using Drag and Drop!

As you can see, this is already a pretty extensive list. Don't expect GEL 2.0 to be out in a week, it may take more than several weeks before GEL is ready again, but I want to make the wait worth it. If you have something you would like to see in GEL, send me an email, and I'll let you know if it will be in GEL 2.0

Fixes
-----
* Corrected problems with prompting to save Gene, some changes would
not mark the gene as changed. 

* Corrected saving in the notes.

* Discovered an error in displaying sprites. I have fixed this error.
Creature sprites now display cleanly. 

* Added support for systems using the 5-6-5 sprite format. This should
Eliminate any display problems on these systems. 

New Elements
------------
* Added Gene menu to the menu bar for Gene Editing windows. 
Gene menu contains choices for saving, viewing notes, and 
tracing genes.

* Added Accellerator keys. 

* Added Preview window to the Appearance Gene. 
Note: Preview for the apperance gene shows the norn based on the
genome. You still have to select an individual gene to change a
norn's appearance. Also, Multiple genes for the same body part
do not always produce consistent results. 

* Added a Genome Injector to GEL (Yes, you can now use GEL to inject
your GenEngineered Norns!)

Known Errors
------------
* GEL Does not appear to get the correct path for Creatures 2 
when running on Windows NT

* Problems have been reported with using GEL on International 
versions of Windows 95

Fixes
-----
* Corrected the "Cancel Was pressed" error, when a user clicked
cancel on the Save As dialog

* Corrected "Invalid Procedure Call" error when a user clicked 
the cancel button on the Add Gene window. 

* Added some additional validtation to the gene saving routines

* Corrected references to some missing variables. This may cause all
problems with saving certain genes go away. 

New Elements
------------
* Added the About Dialog to GEL.