Colonization of the Moon -- The Code Extensions Thread

[Belizan]

Hrmm... Well, this doesn't exactly answer my questions, though, JBG. Can you switch from one mega-improvement to the other? I.e. Can I switch from a bunker base to a biodome colony? Or vice versa? Is it more expensive to switch over or the same price as building it in the first place? And most important, understanding that we will have to code the decision process for the AI ourselves, what criteria would you like to use for the AI to decide which to build? Or should we make it random for the moment, and develop our criteria after we've played the mod more?

What I have gotten from this, so far, is that a colony can be built without either mega-improvement, and said mega-improvements are built after founding.

I also read a lot about graphics issues, which I'd love to say are not my purview, except that I've read just enough of the Python code in the bowels of the system to know that there is, in fact, some arcane code that deals with city displays. I have no idea how it works, other then it seemed confusing when I glanced at it. Sufficiently that I'm not even sure that's what it really does 8). I haven't looked at modifying it for any purpose, and therein, of all the things we've talked about doing, tweaking that code is sort of the last thing I'd want to do. I know of only one person, I think it's C. Roland, whose played with city graphics to date. Maybe we can get his help on this aspect of the problem. Barring that, I would leave questions about the physical display characteristics of the feature for a later time, after the functionality is in place. It's a question that is relatively unbounded for me :/. I'm not saying I can't figure it out . I'm just saying it would be "hard". And more significantly a high work to return ratio item. So I'd rather put it off, and do the easier pieces first.

 

[JBG]

Fine. To be honest I'd not thought about switching. Probably not - or make it extremely expensive. I'd say not, though. Either/or. But... should we make it possible (or desireable) to sell the improvements? I think not. It should be permanent (at least for now).

The criteria the AI should consider would be how it would alter the city's income and growth, how it would improve the city's usefulness, &c. Random would be nice, but having a militaristic AI have large numbers of biodomes would seem odd.

The mega-improvements are built in the manner of normal improvements, yes. The city walls graphic stretches all the way around a city, so there ought not to be a problem with size, but I agree the lack of modelling is frustrating. Would it not be possible to proggram the game to just slap a flat image over

So I think that we should definitely include the two, but leave the massive graphical alterations until later. The two should have the relavent militaristic/not flags, but there should be some way of preventing the AI from having *all* bunkers... I think random, for the sake of simplicity, would be best as a placeholder.

 

[Belizan]

Aye, aye, Cap'n.

 

[JBG]

On the subject of random events, I think that mines should have a 1% chance of triggering a moonquake, and boreholes should have a 5% chance. The moonquake destroys terrain improvements in a nine-square area centred on the mine/borehole in question. It could also cause minor damage to colonies.

The dust storm I think we can drop. There's no atmoshpere on the moon and such storms would only be triggered by impacts or by spaceships landing.

Solar storms are much better. Random deaths of foot units would be good, and perhaps a drain on all players' economies to represent disrupted communications?

Stuff falling from the sky is also a must. Put simply, for minor stuff, random minor damage on any unit or colonies. Once the Electroplasma Shield (or equivalent) has been researched, this can be nullified for the player in question. For rather larger stuff, again, a nine-square area of effect, and this time an ICBM effect minus radiation. The impact square/ground zero/whatever should be turned into a one-square crater rim square, turning into a small crater. If possible a mask to reduce this happening to colonies would be good.

On a side note, would it be possible to have catastrophic consequences if either of the two mega-improvements is destroyed by bombardment or combat? Imagine the consequences if the biodome was punctured too many times (there would be at least some capacity for damage control). I think we touched on that on the main thread...

 

[GeoModder]

Sorry to jump in like that, but wouldn't it be better to distinguish between tile improvements and base improvements in names?

ie, instead of 2 times biodome, call the improvement agrodome and the base structure "habitation dome" or "base dome" or something. Same for the bunkers. "Outpost (Bunker)" and "Perimeter Bunker" come to mind.

 

[woodelf]

Sorry to jump in like that, but wouldn't it be better to distinguish between tile improvements and base improvements in names?

ie, instead of 2 times biodome, call the improvement agrodome and the base structure "habitation dome" or "base dome" or something. Same for the bunkers. "Outpost (Bunker)" and "Perimeter Bunker" come to mind.

Don't be sorry. That's a good idea. Keep posting anything that comes to mind.

 

[JBG]

That is a very good idea.

Okay:
Tile biodome = Agrodome.
City improvement remains Biodome.

Tile improvement = outpost. I wasn't aware of it ever being called bunker.
City improvement remains Bunkers. PLURAL.

Okay? Thanks, btw, GeoModder.

 

[dsquared]

I see you had been playing a little OUTPOST there JBG, great game and ahead of its time. we are having issues taking a flat NIF model and plopping a picture on top of it, see the ugly collector model, we can TRY to do this but like Belizan said, the code that places buildings in a city is weird, I dont know if there is a way to turn it off completely and replace it with one model.

 

[woodelf]

Belizan - Can you code this....

1 - Make is so there is no research for the first 25 turns and also give everyone a free colonist at the 25th turn?

 

[GeoModder]

How about attracting colonists by doing trade with Earth? Say from a given number of "commerce" with the homeplanet, your colony (faction) is looked upon more favourable by the public and more people eager to join your operation, so a colonist arrives (spawns) at your spaceport. And, as with Great Person Points, you could increase the next limit at which point a new colonist comes over.

It would give more intencive to use those solar power improvement I (rushed) readed about.

 

[woodelf]

How about attracting colonists by doing trade with Earth? Say from a given number of "commerce" with the homeplanet, your colony (faction) is looked upon more favourable by the public and more people eager to join your operation, so a colonist arrives (spawns) at your spaceport. And, as with Great Person Points, you could increase the next limit at which point a new colonist comes over.

It would give more intencive to use those solar power improvement I (rushed) readed about.

More great ideas! Could a Great Person be a colonist? That would be so cool!

 

[GeoModder]

What I meant was a "script" that let a colonist spawn when a certain amount of commerce was gathered, and then increase that limit for the next one. Easy to regulate the amount of (potential) colonists and it doesn't interfere with the other Great Beings.

Fundamentalism
Medium upkeep
Can train state religion units in any city
-50% state religion buildings upkeep
State religion units +2 experience
No spread of non-state religion
Double effectiveness of state religion buildings
Inverse effect for non-state religion buildings
Once de-selected, cannot declare fundamentalism again for 50 turns

Do you guys plan on bringing upkeep back in this mod? Civ4 vanilla has got rid of this concept.

National Alert
Medium upkeep
Foreign units may not come within 1 square of major cities
All units +1 LOS
+1 movement for non-military units
+2 happiness for prisons and courthouses
-1 happiness in all cities after 5th turn
+1 upkeep for military units
Once de-selected, cannot declare fundamentalism again for 20 turns

And I gather that this is an error in the bible? "Cannot declare Nationalism for 20 turns" instead?

LOL, did someone play Nexus - The Jupiter Incident here? Orbital Limited and OSEC as civs.

 

[woodelf]

Are you volunteering to script it?

It sounds good. Can it be cut off when we get cut off from the Earth?

 

[GeoModder]

Are you volunteering to script it?

It sounds good. Can it be cut off when we get cut off from the Earth?

Me scripting? If you can wait a few months I might come up with an error-prone version (unusable thus). Ideas enough, ability not.

But I suppose it's easy enough to put an override on this if a cut off happens.


Btw, you guys are planning to let unworked plots (tiles) have food output? On the Moon? What's the reasoning behind that? (reading the Bible as I speak so...)

 

[woodelf]

Btw, you guys are planning to let unworked plots (tiles) have food output? On the Moon? What's the reasoning behind that? (reading the Bible as I speak so...)

Nononono. If you check the main thread that's what I've been doing today...getting rid of the food.

 

[GeoModder]

Will do.

I think I brushed over a section where there was a discussion on how to implement Lagrange stations and stuff.

I wonder if, with the SDK, it wouldn't be possible to put (program) things like that on the zoomed out worldview. This sounds difficult tho, but in Alpha Centauri there is a sortlike thing.

 

[matthewv]

5.10 (Confirmed|Pending Feedback) Tech-based Global Unit strength modifiers

I am all for certain techs increasing the strength of certain units. what I think should not be implimented at all is having the tech leader get bonus strength as it will give the tech leader to much of an advantage. He would have more advanced units plus a bonus strength on top of that.

 

[Belizan]

Belizan - Can you code this....

1 - Make is so there is no research for the first 25 turns and also give everyone a free colonist at the 25th turn?

I think so. We can put it in a tech or a civic the no research thing, and then force people to use it until we don't want them to. The unit is trivial.

 

[Belizan]

How about attracting colonists by doing trade with Earth? Say from a given number of "commerce" with the homeplanet, your colony (faction) is looked upon more favourable by the public and more people eager to join your operation, so a colonist arrives (spawns) at your spaceport. And, as with Great Person Points, you could increase the next limit at which point a new colonist comes over.

It would give more intencive to use those solar power improvement I (rushed) readed about.

More great ideas! Could a Great Person be a colonist? That would be so cool!

Both of these are possible.

 

[matthewv]

I think so. We can put it in a tech or a civic the no research thing, and then force people to use it until we don't want them to. The unit is trivial.

I think a better way to do this is for the firsit 25 turns have python check the research production and then subtract this number from this.