Development Thread

[EmperorFool]

Your quote: If installed as a mod, you want the ini files in "My Docs". Would be better to see them in the mod directory when installed as a mod.

We want the user settings stored in a folder outside the mod's folder so that people upgrading BUG know that they can keep and use them with the new version. This is a common practice in software development (it's the whole reason for the My Games folder).

Note that BUG will look for the folder in many places, so you are free to move the folder to the mod's folder. We are deciding what to do for the 99% of users who may not be as savvy when it comes to upgrading BUG.

 

[ruff_hi]

We are deciding what to do for the 99% of users who may not be as savvy when it comes to upgrading BUG.

Ahh - so 99 days out of 100, I have to accept where BUG put things but on the 100th day - I can move it around - good to know. Does this mean that on the 101st day, I have to move it back again? Bummer!

 

[EmperorFool]

Ahh - so 99 days out of 100, I have to accept where BUG put things but on the 100th day - I can move it around - good to know. Does this mean that on the 101st day, I have to move it back again? Bummer!

Well I put in special code that detects when you're playing and deletes the user settings at random, so you can move them wherever you like.

 

[ruff_hi]

Well I put in special code that detects when you're playing and deletes the user settings at random, so you can move them wherever you like.

I caught that code and changed it to recognize your poor play only

 

[The Doc]

Is it possible to somehow align the dropdown menus of the options screen like at the Civ4 options screen (I'm referring to the "Graphics" tab)?
I know: Eye-candy ftw.

 

[EmperorFool]

Is it possible to somehow align the dropdown menus of the options screen like at the Civ4 options screen (I'm referring to the "Graphics" tab)?

Absolutely. Just pass in two different panel names into BugOptionsTab.add<Type>Dropdown(). The reason I didn't do this for the BUG options screen is that some of the labels are very wide and so are some of the dropdowns, but not always together. If you can fit them nicely on-screen, I'm all for rearranging them to be aligned.

 

[Caesium]

In one of your latest additions/changes in CIV4ArtDefines_Interface.xml you added

		<InterfaceArtInfo>
			<Type>QUESTION_MARK</Type>
			<Path>Art/BUG/QuestionMark.dds</Path>
		</InterfaceArtInfo>

But you forgot to add the QuestionMark.dds

 

[EmperorFool]

I would like to push the release back a couple weeks and wanted some feedback. I think there are still a few issues to fully nail down before we release, and WoodElf just posted the front page info about WoC so we've got some time before the next cycle.

I'd really like to get these things done:

• I've redone the logging (it's done, just need to test a little more) so there are now several logging levels.
• I added logging levels to a new options tab so we can change the logging during a game.
• I added (but it's not complete) the SVN checking. We need to split apart the repos before releasing this.
• I want to finalize the directory layout and where files go.
• I want to improve the Config tab (becomes System and has the above stuff plus the search directories).

This is other stuff I would like to have done (no real reason to split these, but oh well):

• MA Sit-Rep Strat. Adv. columns taking resources into consideration (I'm working on that now actually).
• Raw Yields 4th tile selection icon plus new icons for 3 existing tile buttons.
• BUG splash screen(s) -- at least while loading a game.

There are probably others, but I wanted to get feedback. I hate pushing back a release, but I'm feeling this one is going to be majorly rushed out and that's worse than slipping.

 

[ruff_hi]

I don't mind pushing it back.

 

[The Doc]

Absolutely. Just pass in two different panel names into BugOptionsTab.add<Type>Dropdown(). The reason I didn't do this for the BUG options screen is that some of the labels are very wide and so are some of the dropdowns, but not always together. If you can fit them nicely on-screen, I'm all for rearranging them to be aligned.

Could you give me an example? Then I could start playing around with the dropdowns and the different languages.

 

[EmperorFool]

Could you give me an example? Then I could start playing around with the dropdowns and the different languages.

Hmm, I just tried it out, and it doesn't work very well. All of the labels scrunch up vertically because they are smaller in height than the dropdowns. I'll have to dig into the Civ4 options screen code to see how they did it.

Unfortunately, the UI layer we're using is totally undocumented.

 

[The Doc]

Hmm, I just tried it out, and it doesn't work very well. All of the labels scrunch up vertically because they are smaller in height than the dropdowns. I'll have to dig into the Civ4 options screen code to see how they did it.

Unfortunately, the UI layer we're using is totally undocumented.

Seems as if the label and the dropdown are separated into two different "vboxes". Probably not very helpful, isn't it?

 

[EmperorFool]

I got the sizing right and added the ability to specify the alignment ("left", "right", "center", etc) when creating a dropdown. Update and take a look at the Scoreboard tab.

With some more work, I can probably get them to be the same width. if you want to give it a go, check out "HPREFERRED_EXPANDING" or something similar in the BugOptionsTab module.

 

[The Doc]

Works great.
Used it on Advisors, Clock and Alerts tab but the PLE tab is giving me a hard time. The sucker just isn't doing what I want.

 

[EmperorFool]

The sucker just isn't doing what I want.

Glad the others worked out. Is the PLE tab having a technical issue, or is it simply hard to find a good layout for it?

 

[The Doc]

Glad the others worked out. Is the PLE tab having a technical issue, or is it simply hard to find a good layout for it?

It's more of a technical issue. Currently, it looks like this:



Have to fiddle with it a bit more.

 

[Cammagno]

I got the sizing right and added the ability to specify the alignment ("left", "right", "center", etc) when creating a dropdown. Update and take a look at the Scoreboard tab.

Good, if The Doc will suceed in finding a good layout for all 3 languages, I'll be more than happy

But about the new scoreboard tab, I have to say that I don't like that now the column order textbox is too short, and the last part of the code is hidden... is it possible to have it double high, so that the text is 'divided' in two rows? It's ok also if to make it go to the second row I have to insert a space.

 

[EmperorFool]

It's more of a technical issue. Currently, it looks like this:

Sorry, I meant to post about this limitation. I don't know of any way to to have an hbox span two vboxes or simply allow it to go outside its own vbox. Thus, labels that separate options will not allow the dropdowns above and below them to line up with each other.

I have to say that I don't like that now the column order textbox is too short, and the last part of the code is hidden.

One solution is to shift things around again:

General     | New Columns   Espionage
x             | x                x
Dead Civs  | x                x
----------------------------
Advanced
x

This would allow the Advanced Layout section to span the entire window which could give the Display Order box plenty of room.

 

[The Doc]

Sorry, I meant to post about this limitation. I don't know of any way to to have an hbox span two vboxes or simply allow it to go outside its own vbox. Thus, labels that separate options will not allow the dropdowns above and below them to line up with each other.

[...]

That's no problem. I found a workaround for that. I simply added a spacer for the right side of the table and kept the label on the left side of it.
The problem is that normal spacers get blown up to four times the actual size if there is a dropdown-table in the lines above them. The above mentioned solution doesn't work here. But I'll keep trying to get it right.

 

[EmperorFool]

But what happens when the label is really long? Doesn't it push the dropdowns over to the right so they have to line up after it? That's what I meant by it couldn't go outside its vbox, the one containing the shorter labels next to the dropdowns.

For the spacer, try finding a flag that makes the vertical space not expanding. Search for the equivalent H one and change it to V.