Strange events - possible reason? (SDK)

c.fe · Jan 24, 2008

Some people were complaining, that events always choose the same unit. This is some code from the unmodded BtS-SDK, form CvPlayer.cpp (I suppose that Kael didn't change this):

Code:

CvUnit* CvPlayer::pickTriggerUnit(EventTriggerTypes eTrigger, CvPlot* pPlot, bool bPickPlot) const
{
	CvUnit* pUnit = NULL;
	std::vector<CvUnit*> apUnits;
	int iLoop;
	int iBestValue = MIN_INT;
	for (CvUnit* pLoopUnit = firstUnit(&iLoop); pLoopUnit != NULL; pLoopUnit = nextUnit(&iLoop))
	{
		int iValue = pLoopUnit->getTriggerValue(eTrigger, pPlot, bPickPlot);

		if (iValue > iBestValue)
		{
			if (NULL != pUnit)
			{
				apUnits.push_back(pUnit);
			}

			iBestValue = iValue;
			pUnit = pLoopUnit;
		}
		else if (MIN_INT != iValue)
		{
			apUnits.push_back(pLoopUnit);
		}
	}

	if (NULL == pUnit && apUnits.size() > 0)
	{
		int iChosen = GC.getGameINLINE().getSorenRandNum(apUnits.size(), "Event pick unit");
		pUnit = apUnits[iChosen];
	}

	return pUnit;
}

If you can read C++-code try to simulate this code an suppose that getTriggerValue always returns 0 (or always the same number). If I'm not mistaken the result will be that pUnit will point to the first unit and apUnits will contain all the others. So the last if-statement wont get executed and pUnit (= the first unit) will be picked.
That seems to be consistent with what some people have reported.

The whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I suppose that they want to put all units that get the same value in the array and then pick one.
I think it should look like this:

Code:

CvUnit* CvPlayer::pickTriggerUnit(EventTriggerTypes eTrigger, CvPlot* pPlot, bool bPickPlot) const
{
	CvUnit* pUnit = NULL;
	std::vector<CvUnit*> apUnits;
	int iLoop;
	int iBestValue = MIN_INT;
	for (CvUnit* pLoopUnit = firstUnit(&iLoop); pLoopUnit != NULL; pLoopUnit = nextUnit(&iLoop))
	{
		int iValue = pLoopUnit->getTriggerValue(eTrigger, pPlot, bPickPlot);
		
		if (iValue != MIN_INT)
		{
			
			if (iValue > iBestValue)
			{
				apUnits.clear;
				iBestValue = iValue;
				pUnit = pLoopUnit;
			}
			else if (iValue == iBestValue)
			{
				if (pUnit != NULL)
				{
					apUnits.push_back(pUnit);
					pUnit = NULL;
				}
				apUnits.push_back(pLoopUnit);
			}
		}
	}

	if (NULL == pUnit && apUnits.size() > 0)
	{
		int iChosen = GC.getGameINLINE().getSorenRandNum(apUnits.size(), "Event pick unit");
		pUnit = apUnits[iChosen];
	}

	return pUnit;
}

By the way: The same applies to pickTriggerCity.

Mu-Dog · Jan 24, 2008

I think that if getTriggerValue always returns the same number, and it's always greater than MIN_INT (since that's what bestValue is initialized to) then the LAST unit will be pUnit.

Of course if it adds units by pushing then that means the first unit you created (or first one built still left alive) will always be the one picked.

I'm gonna go look at the code and see what getTrigger actually does, if it's just returning a value set for each unit then I could see that being the case.

As far as what to replace, I would say it should be completely random, but needing a way to make sure a unit doesn't get an event it shouldn't get (not sure if there are any events where that would be the case off the top of my head)

EDIT: Yes, looks like getTriggerValue should return 0 if there are no factors involved in the event(factors that can weigh in include health,xp,distance it looks like, but I think there are a lot of events which should just be completely random). Which means it would always pick the first unit built in those cases.

And I think your code would fix it too.

xienwolf · Jan 24, 2008

First unit off the top of my head that actually needs a specific condition for an event is the Healing Salve only goes to an injured unit. I think there is also an event where people shelter an injured unit, so that one too.

But the cities and improvements are where there are lots of "must fit the condition" issues. Having a collapsed mine event in your Hamlet doesn't work so well, nor having Farm Bandits in your Quarry.

Mu-Dog · Jan 25, 2008

Well, I bet you can add some code to the getTriggerValue in cvCity to return the same number based on whether there's a mine/cottage/farm in the city's radius (MAX_INT to make sure it's the bestValue?), then have the event pick the right plot in the city's radius. Also saw a function that looked like it returned whether the city was applicable to the event or not I thought, that may get rid of the problem of having events happening on wrong plots/cities (I'll admint I haven't looked into that as much though). You would still need to change the code to have it randomly pick from among a list of valid objects though I believe.

I think the problem is that in BTS I can't think of any events that just randomly picked a city/unit, can anyone else? Think they were all ones like the rioting, where it would basically just pick the city with the lowest happiness, which is fine because you wouldn't necessarily have one city always having the lowest happiness. However there are a bunch of events in FFH where it should work more like "get a list of all the applicable units/cities" -> "pick a random one from the list" rather than pick the "best" one.

Goodgimp · Jan 25, 2008

I notice in BTS that when I have bandits in a farm, it's always the same farm. So you might be right

Arwon · Jan 25, 2008

BTS had the mine collapse events which I think weren't very random either.

Mewtarthio · Jan 27, 2008

This explains why I got the "Calabim refugee" event five times in my capital city, even when it was already starving.

Mu-Dog · Jan 27, 2008

I actually put the code in my version of ffh and it does seem to work. The only time it didn't is when I had two cities and I got events in the same city five or so times. I guess it could have been coincidence, but seems like a lot for that. After I expanded more though I was definitely getting the events in all of my cities instead of just one.

Grillick · Jan 28, 2008

Could someone post a modded file of Civplayer.cpp, please? I don't have a C++ compiler, but I would really like to implement this change in my game...Can I do it in a text editor?

Even if I can, I don't know enough C++ to mod the city section myself, and that's the one I'm most interested in. If someone who's added BOTH changes in could post the file, I would greatly appreciate it.

Monkeyfinger · Jan 28, 2008

You can indeed do it in notepad.

Mu-Dog · Jan 29, 2008

But notepad doesn't compile for you

Check these two for ways to compile, one's using visual studio 2005 express, one's using codeblocks:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=166933 (Codeblocks)

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=196283 (Visual Studio)

Kael has a thread in this forum that you can grab the FFH code from and mod to your heart's desire.

Grillick · Jan 29, 2008

No help for the modificationally challenged?

Mu-Dog has the modded file, so I know it's out there...Can't someone please just post it for me to download?

Mu-Dog · Jan 29, 2008

I can give you the cpp I edited but you would still need to compile it to get the dll. The dll I have after I compile is 6 mbs, so I can't post that here. Plus it has some other modifications in it as well (just other fixes though). If you want it though, pm me and we can work something out.

xienwolf · Feb 9, 2008

Mu-Dog: Looking to try this out, attempting to set things up so I can compile on my own using the links you provided. But wanted to say that you COULD upload the DLL here. Instead of attaching it to a message you click on the UPLOAD portion of the menu bar at the top (Same bar as My Account). The limit there is 10MB per file.

Mu-Dog · Feb 10, 2008

ah, didn't know that. The other reason I didn't necessarily want to do it though was that I had some other code changes as well that people may not have wanted. Here's a dll with it for patch H though, it does have one other change in it, it lets resources appear closer together with the double resources option enabled (to fix the no reagents bug from happening). And actually it didnt let me upload the dll straight up had to zip, still over a mb though.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/134977/CvGameCoreDLL.zip

xienwolf · Feb 10, 2008

Bah! I just now finally finished setting things up so I can compile my own DLL ;p Shoulda mentioned that earlier I suppose.

Mu-Dog · Feb 10, 2008

lol, well you can still tinker with the code yourself now at least

xienwolf · Feb 10, 2008

That is true

And I must say that this fix worked like a charm

Nice to finally have a chance for events outside the capitol city.

c.fe · Feb 10, 2008

xienwolf said:
That is true And I must say that this fix worked like a charm Nice to finally have a chance for events outside the capitol city.

Good to hear that! Strange that nobody noticed it in the original BtS.

Strange events - possible reason? (SDK)

c.fe

Warlord

Mu-Dog

Chieftain

xienwolf

Deity

Mu-Dog

Chieftain

Goodgimp

Warlord

Arwon

stop being water

Mewtarthio

Emperor

Mu-Dog

Chieftain

Grillick

Prince

Monkeyfinger

Deity

Mu-Dog

Chieftain

Grillick

Prince

Mu-Dog

Chieftain

xienwolf

Deity

Mu-Dog

Chieftain

xienwolf

Deity

Mu-Dog

Chieftain

xienwolf

Deity

c.fe

Warlord

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