What are the hardware requirements for StarLogo TNG?
StarLogo TNG requires a 1ghz or better processor and a graphics card that supports OpenGL. We recommend 512mb of RAM or more, but it may run with less. For Windows computers we recommend a Pentium 4/Celeron/Athlon 1.8GHz or better or Pentium M 1.4GHz or better for a processor and a nVidia (GeForce 5200 or better) or ATI (Radeon 7000 or better) graphics card. For MacOS computers any "newish" 1 ghz or better iMac, eMac, Powerbook, or iBook will do, though it must run Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later. We have tested StarLogo succesfully on the low end using a 1.4ghz Pentium 4 with a GeForce 5200 and 1.4 ghz iBooks. StarLogo TNG is a universal binary that runs on the new Intel Macs as well.
What are the software requirements of StarLogo TNG?
StarLogo TNG requires Java 5 (a.k.a Java 1.5). If you are on a MacOS computer you will need to download Java 5 release 4 or later from Apple (available via Software Update or directly from Apple for PPC or Intel machines). Java 5 release 4 requires MacOS X 10.4.6 or better. If you are using MacOS X 10.5 or higher, please use the default Java installation. On Windows our installer includes Java 5, but DirectX is required, which is usually already installed by Windows. Linux support is provisional and requires Java 1.5.
When I load StarLogo TNG on my computer it fails or I get a blank window where Spaceland should be. What is wrong?
It is likely that your graphics card does not support the OpenGL commands that we use. Some "integrated"graphics chipsets don't work at all with OpenGL. You can first try to upgrade your graphics drivers from your computer or video card manufacturer (see tutorial to find the name of your graphics card in Windows Vista). If that doesn't work, you can upgrade your graphics card. We have had reasonable success with GeForce 5200 graphics cards that sell for less than $50.
You can also try running starlogotng-debug.exe, which will open up a console window (black with text) in the background that will display lots of messages about what is going on. If you see GL_EXCEPTION in one of the messages (it will keep saying it a few times), you will know for sure it's the graphics driver issue.
On the latest version of StarLogo TNG StarLogo starts to launch and crashes even before the blocks load. What is wrong?
The latest version of StarLogo TNG includes sound libraries. If these sound libraries are not compatible with your computer, StarLogo TNG will fail to load. This should only affect Windows computers. If this happens to you, navigate to the directory where StarLogo TNG is installed (usually c:\Program Files\starlogo-tng) and launch the file called starlogotng-mastercontrol.bat). This application will bring up a dialog allowing you to disable sound. Try disabling the sound and relaunching StarLogo TNG.
StarLogo TNG loads on my computer but it is really slow. How can I make it go faster?
Most older "integrated"graphics chipsets don't work very well with OpenGL. You can first try to upgrade your graphics drivers from your computer or video card manufacturer. If that doesn't work, you can upgrade your graphics card. We have had reasonable success with GeForce 5200 graphics cards that sell for less than $50.
What version of Java is required?
The Windows version of StarLogo TNG ships with the appropriate version of Java. On the Mac, please update to the latest version of Java which is at least J2SE 5 Release 4 (available via Software Update or directly from Apple for PPC or Intel machines) which requires Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later. You can check what version of Java you are running by typing "/usr/bin/java -version" on the command line in a Terminal on your Mac. It should report version 1.5.0_06 or higher.
Can I import new shapes into StarLogo TNG?
The shapes in StarLogo are based on two formats - OBJ and PK3/MD3 (i.e. Quake 3). We have been using an internal shape importer for this version that we will clean up and make available in the 2.0 release. In the interim you can follow the shape importer tutorial , which requires some knowledge of 3D tools.
Can I import models from StarLogo 2 or display models in pure 2D like StarLogo 2?
This version of StarLogo is a total rewrite and has several features that make it a significant change from StarLogo 2 (including the way turtles move, execute instructions and interact with each other). Therefore, you cannot import models from StarLogo 2 at this time. StarLogo 2 will still live on (and was updated in October 2005) so it may fill your needs. We do not offer a pure 2D view in StarLogo TNG, but we do offer a 3D orthogonal view that offers a similar perspective.
Does StarLogo TNG support multiplayer or networked games?
Not currently. We are working on this for future versions of StarLogo TNG.
Does StarLogo TNG do x, y, or z that is not documented?
We are continually improving the performance and features, and we may consider other features in the future. Please let us know what you are thinking by emailing starlogo-request@media.mit.edu and stay tuned as new features are rolled out.
Why aren't my agents "colliding" with each other even though they look like they're going through each other?
The current collision model in StarLogo TNG only works consistently when agents are moving a maximum of one space at a time. For now you should scale movement so that the maximum movement is one space. This may change in the next release.
Why can't I see the world? I was zooming out or changing the camera angle and all of a sudden it disappeared. How do I get it back?
This bug no longer exists but just in case you want to return to the default camera angle view, click on the button on the upper right hand corner of the Spaceland window.
How do I know what version of the software I am using?
In the Help menu, click on About StarLogo TNG and look on the buttom left corner of the pop-up window to see the version number.
Is StarLogo TNG open source? Can StarLogo TNG be open source?
StarLogo TNG is free for educational use, but it is not currently open source. The interface (blocks) will be released as a separate open source component soon so that other projects can use the blocks in connection with various programming enviornments. The previous version of StarLogo has been released under an open source license as OpenStarLogo .
We are considering updating the Adventures in Modeling curriculum for StarLogo TNG. See Learn page for tutorials and curricula that will be added regularly throughout the year.
What is the difference between Scratch and StarLogo TNG?
Both Scratch and StarLogo TNG share a common heritage with LogoBlocks , a tool to create programs for Crickets. The two tools are written from entirely separate code, but we do share ideas. The audiences are different for the two products as well. Scratch is primarily designed as a tool to make computational multimedia projects for kids, targeted at Computer Clubhouses. StarLogo TNG is designed for more formal education environments such as introductory programming classes, or subjects (such as biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) where modeling is an important part of the curriculum.
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