Converted BUG elements

[Falc]

Well, after being stifled for about a week by a single stupid missing comma I finally managed to get the BUG's Great People Bar functioning in FfH.

Now comes the question of how I should release this. I know enough Python and XML to get everything working in my own files, but I have little to no clue how this modular loading thing works.

A release would consist of:
- 1 stand-alone python file
- modifications to CvMainInterface.py
- one extra <TEXT> tag for Civ4GameText.xml

What are my options if I want people to be able to remove this and/or upgrade their FfH version as easily as possible?

What I know now leads me to believe I can keep the python and xml files 'modular' but my CvMainInterface.py would have to overwrite the standard FfH one. Correct?

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Civ IV supports only Modular XML, not Modular Python.

(From what I've heard, it was originally going to include modular python and not modular xml, but Kael convinced them that most modders would find modular xml more useful. They thought that modular xml was too hard to do, but some other modder did most of the work for them. It is aparently too hard to have both modular, however.)

This cannot be released as a modular modmod, but it wouldn't be hard to just include these 3 files and have people copy them into the main mod folder and proper sub-folders (or better yet into a copy of the main mod instead). It would probably be quite simple to use a compare tool to update the latter 2 files with each patch (either for you to release a new version quickly or for a player with a modicum of programming skill to do it himself)

 

[xienwolf]

Try running FfH using your new CvMainInterface.py and none of the other changes. See if it causes problems. If it does not, then you can make your lone XML change into a Module pretty easily and release that as a modular change since that particular file will get overwritten with every patch, but the Python will not likely suffer the same fate.

You'll have to keep an eye on the patches to see if any ever changes the interface python, but otherwise if you make your text change modular it will not often need updated for the new patches. (though I doubt it would be hard to make the updates for each patch without messing around with modularity)

Fortunately the Text file is really easy to set up modular. Just enable modular loading in the .ini and then place that text file in the Assets/Modules folder, renamed as *_CIV4GameText.xml (* = Anything you want). It should contain ONLY the text tag that you added.


So... how long till you do Sevopedia too?

 

[Falc]

I'm probably going to try the options screen next, since the rest of the code uses that for configuration. Getting that working would make the rest a lot simpler.

Now, the standalone python file I mentioned, where can I put it so it gets loaded? Would putting it as

<FfH>/Assets/Modules/<modulename>/python/GPUtil.py

work?

 

[xienwolf]

No, it has to be in Assets/Python. From there I do not know the filestructure heirarchy.

Only XML and art files can be placed in Assets/Modules/.... so far. And you are somewhat limited on precisely which XML you can put in there.

 

[Falc]

After getting distracted by Guild Wars, I picked this up again and managed to go quite far. Almost everything is working, not always 100% but it's certainly usable.

Alpha release: Download here

Release Notes

Great People Bar
This uses certain in-game graphics to display the bar. I've fudged this a bit, using the 'Great Spy' settings from normal BtS for both the Great General and the Adventurer. Some help with this would be appreciated. See Assets/Python/GPUtil.py for the defines.

Scoreboard
Not implemented yet. I need to dig deeper into how this works to convert it.

Sevopedia
No 'Spells and Abilities' page yet.

Not Yet Another Game Clock
Has some era-based features which aren't very useful for FfH. I might cut them some day.

Combat XP Counter
Used for Great Generals in BtS. Pointless in FfH but it's an oft-requested feature, so I've commented most of it out. You still get the option to turn it on or off in the options panel but it won't show either way.

Autologger
FfH does not provide a correct research rate while in anarchy. Choosing a new tech to research while in anarchy will be logged with '999 turns left'.

Options
Options are saved separately from regular BUG options, so if you also sometimes play normal BtS your options won't be overwritten.

Unit Naming
I haven't studied this in depth, I know the default works but the advanced stuff might need some tinkering.

Installation Instructions

Extract the archive to your "Fall from Heaven 2 030" folder, overwriting all files. You might want to make a copy of this folder beforehand, so you can easily uninstall, but you can also turn off all of the BUG elements in-game (except the larger city bar).