Need testers for new editor

[Steph]

For the moment I'm still trying to read the whole file. After I'm finished, and I can make it save, we can try some creative testing, like see what happens if we try such flags...

But I can just allow setting optios in the editor, there is no guarantee it has any effect in game.

For instance, I could give a wonder effect to improvment, but I don't know if the game would take it into account, or just ignore it because it checks first if it's a wonder.

So such attempt will require some heavy testing.

In the same way... What happens if I extend the range of combat strength to let say 9999 instaead of 1000?

Will it make any real difference in game?

 

[Steph]

I have almost finished to read the whole file. I did the reading of the map yesterday at Warsaw airport, waiting for my flight to Francfort .
Today, I should do the reading of the game info (nb of turns, plagues, alliances, etc) and the players options.

Next, I need to put it nicely in the user interface.

When reading the file, I've noticed a few intersting things, but I don't know if they can work...

For instance, the owner of a city can be a civilization, a player, or a barbarian tribe... I don't know what happns in game then

 

[Keroro]

This is really interesting Steph, I'll try it out today when I get home (or tomorrow if I end up going out tonight). You're a programming maestro, and I admire you tremendously.

Future possibilities - I'm not sure whether it could work, but could Embryodead's work on adding extra landmark terrains be incorporated? He was using a hex editor to get his results I think.

 

[Steph]

Well, so far I'm mostly using the doc from Gramphos, just adding the user interface. All the hard part was done previously.

It will start to get interesting when I'll save!

Which I should start today...

Yesterday, my flight was delayed for 5 hours (the pilot missed the plane from Stutgart to Francfort, and had to come by train ), and so I had plenty of time... and I finish reading all the info from the biq!

 

[general-jcl]

The pilot was a civ3 player...
He wanted to let you time to do this editor

 

[Keroro]

Good luck with the saving Steph! I hope that you manage to get it all to work. I realised that this might be a chance to improve the help documentation too - perhaps Oz could convert some of the stuff from his FUBAR editor thread or Bluemofia from the Da Rules explained thread.

I did some fairly random testing. Generally I agree that it could do with being in a scroll pane. On the units and buildings pages it would be useful to be able to order the items in different ways - for instance I'd somtimes like to be able to order units by name rather than by their default order. In the resources page would it be possible to display the resources in banks of 32 like in the spoiler? It would assist in avoiding the ghost resource bug.

Spoiler :

1....33...65
2....34...66
3....35...67
4....36...etc
5....37
6....38
7....39
8....40
9....41
10..42
11..43
12..44
13..45
14..46
15..47
16..48
17..49
18..50
19..51
20..52
21..53
22..54
23..55
24..56
25..57
26..58
27..59
28..60
29..61
30..62
31..63
32..64

You asked about any missing items. It's only in the cracked version of the editor, but could you include the teleport abilities on the unit and buildings pages?

A possible bug on the eras page - there are 5 possible names for researchers, the mod I opened only had two already there (which is correct). When I check the box to attempt to add another the box to the right doesn't open up to allow me to type another name in. There is the same problem on the governments page when I want to add a ruler's title.

I note that the resources page doesn't show the thumbnails from resources.pcx. I expect that the graphics interface is yet to be added to do this, but it did make me realise that there doesn't appear to be space for the thumbnails on the buildings page.

 

[Steph]

Good luck with the saving Steph! I hope that you manage to get it all to work. I realised that this might be a chance to improve the help documentation too - perhaps Oz could convert some of the stuff from his FUBAR editor thread or Bluemofia from the Da Rules explained thread.

Actually, after it works, I plan to add tool tips and a complete help.

I did some fairly random testing. Generally I agree that it could do with being in a scroll pane.

I'm trying to have everything fit in a 1024x768 windows, so it should not be needed.

On the units and buildings pages it would be useful to be able to order the items in different ways - for instance I'd somtimes like to be able to order units by name rather than by their default order.

I plan to add sortign and filtering once everything loads and saves.

In the resources page would it be possible to display the resources in banks of 32 like in the spoiler? It would assist in avoiding the ghost resource bug.

I can at least add a number, like I did for the units.

You asked about any missing items. It's only in the cracked version of the editor, but could you include the teleport abilities on the unit and buildings pages?

After the standard editor loads and saves, I'll add other stuffs. But I don't know teleports and charms well, so I'm not sure how to test it works.

A possible bug on the eras page - there are 5 possible names for researchers, the mod I opened only had two already there (which is correct). When I check the box to attempt to add another the box to the right doesn't open up to allow me to type another name in. There is the same problem on the governments page when I want to add a ruler's title.

That's not really a bug. For the moment, I only load and display the info, but the editor is NOT functionning : if you change something, it's not saved anywhere, and the interface doesn't update yet.
Next step is just to add save, without any changes (just to see that you load can be saved back, and I don't miss anything in the save). When that is working, I'll make the interface functionning.

I note that the resources page doesn't show the thumbnails from resources.pcx. I expect that the graphics interface is yet to be added to do this, but it did make me realise that there doesn't appear to be space for the thumbnails on the buildings page.

Unfortunatley, I can't load pcx yet . We'll do later!

 

[Moosezilla]

 

[Steph]

I have done about half of the saving.

I'm using an "auto controlling" method.

When I save, I save the file up to a certain section (ex Building, Citizens, and stop there), then I open it again, load the same section, and compare the saved and loaded sections to check they are identical.

So I know that the save is OK. Well, at least I know I'm not introducing an offset somewhere that would screw everything...

However, there still may be an error with an exchange of two parameters with the same value (so I couldn't see it's inverted).

So when the save will be finished, in a day or two, I'll need some testers to:

- Open a biq
- save with a different name, without changing anything
- Open the saved biq, and check it is exactly as it was initially, and nothing has been forgotten.

Next step, take the change in the editor into account!

 

[Steph]

The saving is done.

For the moment, it's limited to opening a biq, and save it back as it was.

I've releaded version 0.2.0 in the OP.

What to test:
- Open a biq with my editor
- Don't change anything.
- Save as with a different name.

The editor creates a new file "C:\Debug.txt", it lists the different section is has compared, and if it detects a difference between the file as it is loaded and as it is saved, it should list it here.

Then, open the file with the new name in the vanilla editor, and check if they parameters are OK.

Try with different biq, different configuration (with or without custom rules, custom maps, etc).

Next step for me: connect the pages so you can change something and not only display.

Important
I've move to Visual C# express 2008 this week, so you may need to download the latest framework if you don't already have it.

 

[Steph]

I just did a quick test.

I modified a biq by code, so it contains 32000 identical units, with default attributes, all using the same PRTO.

I then loaded the biq in the regular editor, and in game.

Both the editor and the civpedia in game properly list 32000 units.

Now, I'm wondering what I should do next.

I have several options.
- I can finish the different pages of the editor, so it can properly display everything.
- I can connect the existing pages, so when you change a value it is actually store in the file at the end.
- I can add some management tools, to add / delete / reorganize some of the already list items, such as the units.

Beside, whatever the option, I will have to start by something...

I think the best would be to make one page complete, namely the units page, with editable attributes, then add, save, copy, reorder, etc. to give a good feeling of what the editor will allow, and then from that movre progressively to other pages.

What do you think?

 

[Ozymandias]

Now, I'm wondering what I should do next.

I think the best would be to make one page complete, namely the units page, with editable attributes, then add, save, copy, reorder, etc. to give a good feeling of what the editor will allow, and then from that movre progressively to other pages.

What do you think?

I think that's probably the best methodology, especially from a fault-isolation POV.

Best,

Oz

 

[Steph]

I've started to work on the unit page, and I have added a little new tool.

In the unit page, right clicking on the combo with the possible Units for upgrade shows a contextual menu, and using it you can display this.



Oops... of course, the title is "Unit Upgrade Path"...

For the "Upgrade from", it means that
- Br_07S upgrades directly to Br_08S (level 1)
- Br_05S upgrades to Br_07S, and so indirectly to Br_08S (level 2)
- Barbarian and Br_01S both upgrades to Br_05S (level 3)
- 01S upgrades to Br_01S (level 4).

 

[Ozymandias]

Looing good

Best,

Oz

 

[Steph]

I've almost finished the connection between the interface and the save for the units.

I've tried a new idea, that seems very promising.

If you select one unit in the left list, you see all the attributes in the right, and you can change all of them, they are immediately saved in memory.

If you select more than one unit in the left list, the attributes in the right list are reset to "empty"...
But if you change one attribute, it's applied to ALL the selected units.

So imagine you have 20 aircafts, and you want to make 10 of them carrier based, and the others land based.

Select the 10 aircrafts that will be land based. Then set the Load capacity to 1, and check the "transport only foot" and "transport only tactical missile".

Done, for all the aircrafts at once.

 

[Virote_Considon]

Awesome!

This would have made the recent work I've done on my Ancient Greek scenario so much easier!

 

[WildWeazel]

The upgrade path looks useful, but I don't quite understand the numbers. Is that the number of upgrades from that unit to the selected unit?

If you select more than one unit in the left list, the attributes in the right list are reset to "empty"...
But if you change one attribute, it's applied to ALL the selected units.

Yay!

 

[Steph]

The upgrade path looks useful, but I don't quite understand the numbers. Is that the number of upgrades from that unit to the selected unit?

Upgrade to is easy, as a unit can upgrade to only one other unit directly.
But from upgrade from, it's more difficult, as several units can upgrade to the same units.
In my example, I have
Barbarian -> Br_05S -> Br_07S -> Br_08S
01S -> Br_01S -> Br_05S -> Br_07S -> Br_08S

So barbarian is 3 upgrades to the current unit, as well as Br_01S, and 01S is 4 upgrades away.

 

[againsttheflow]

Yay!

. . . .
. .

 

[Steph]

Screenshots of the day