Dune Wars 1.4.6 feedback

[Ahriman]

I think the desert tiles = ocean work fine in general - what is the gain from removing that and going all land?

I think what this would give you though is generally better AI transport behavior.

Would it also mean that we could allow some units to enter desert waste or deep desert tiles, but still have the AI use transports for long distance travel?
Or is this the gain you would get from going to an all-land model?

 

[keldath]

what would we gain:

better ai usge of land transports - carryalls will be able to have additional unitai - assualt land -

so they will act better on all terrain.


we could make land transports - units that can move infantry around as a compensation to lack of roads.

i think we must have this one.

 

[Ahriman]

AH64b
Perhaps Industrial Complex would work better than Military Complex?

AH65
I think it would be cool if the mentat assassin functioned as a FFH-style marksman (attacking the weakest defender) rather than being invisible.
And then make it a melee unit, rather than an infiltrator.

AH66
Core mine reduces hammer yields over Deep mine (eg on diamonds resource, or on rock hills).

 

[Ahriman]

AH67
The Arrakis Spice civic (ie pro-spice as opposed to pro-terraforming) is supposed to be at Spice industry tech, not Water of life tech.

AH68
Ecaz civ is unable to build the Landing stage building, even in coastal cities.

AH69
Another idea for terrain variation.
Currently rugged/badlands terrain have very limited improvements that can be built on them, so as terrain they are very weak.
However, I understand that you don't want them to be as good as rock (or mesa); terrain variation is a good thing.
So why not just have those terrains have the same range of improvements available, but with longer build times? So it takes 75% longer to build improvement x on rugged terrain than it does on rock. And badlands terrain could be 25% longer than on rock.
So they're still weaker terrain, but that can be overcome with enough workers building.
That way, civs that start in worse terrain will grow slower, but won't have cities that are just useless.

 

[Ahriman]

AH70
For some reason, culture isn't moving over polar terrain properly, which is annoying when you want to capture ice resources.

Take a look at the cities Ghuzz and Semus in the attached save.

 

[davidlallen]

@ koma13:

David, I think you have included some outdated city screen graphics, can you update them? http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ijc3w3qj0z2

I am not quite sure what happened here. I have two versions of CvMainInterface.py. Is it possible that when you gave the updated python for the homeworld screen, it incorporated some older python for the city screen? For example, the python in your rar file above says:

		#Arch Panel Left
		screen.addPanel( "InterfaceCityArchLeft", u"", u"", True, False, 250, yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 33 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3158 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, PanelStyles.PANEL_STYLE_STANDARD)
		screen.addDrawControl( "InterfaceCityArchLeft", "Art/Interface/Screens/City/ArchLeft.dds", 250, yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 33 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3158 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_GENERAL, -1, -1 )
		screen.hide( "InterfaceCityArchLeft" )
		
		#Arch Panel Right
		screen.addPanel( "InterfaceCityArchRight", u"", u"", True, False, xResolution - 250 - (xResolution / 33 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3158 / 100000), yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 33 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3158 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, PanelStyles.PANEL_STYLE_STANDARD)
		screen.addDrawControl( "InterfaceCityArchRight", "Art/Interface/Screens/City/ArchRight.dds", xResolution - 250 - (xResolution / 33 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3158 / 100000), yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 33 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3158 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_GENERAL, -1, -1 )
		screen.hide( "InterfaceCityArchRight" )

But the python in your homeworld screen (my current version) says:

		#Arch Panel Left
		screen.addPanel( "InterfaceCityArchLeft", u"", u"", True, False, 250, yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 29 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3342 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, PanelStyles.PANEL_STYLE_STANDARD)
		screen.addDrawControl( "InterfaceCityArchLeft", "Art/Interface/Screens/City/ArchLeft.dds", 250, yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 29 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3342 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_GENERAL, -1, -1 )
		screen.hide( "InterfaceCityArchLeft" )
		
		#Arch Panel Right
		screen.addPanel( "InterfaceCityArchRight", u"", u"", True, False, xResolution - 250 - (xResolution / 32 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3141 / 100000), yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 29 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3342 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, PanelStyles.PANEL_STYLE_STANDARD)
		screen.addDrawControl( "InterfaceCityArchRight", "Art/Interface/Screens/City/ArchRight.dds", xResolution - 250 - (xResolution / 32 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3141 / 100000), yResolution / 8 + 64, xResolution / 29 + (xResolution - 1024) * 3342 / 100000, yResolution * 7 / 8 - 171, WidgetTypes.WIDGET_GENERAL, -1, -1 )
		screen.hide( "InterfaceCityArchRight" )

It isn't clear to me which is right.

 

[Ahriman]

AH71
Currently reading Paul of Dune: they mention a suspensor-field jammer, used as a weapon to make suspensor vehicles crash.

I think this should be the name of the anti-suspensor class promotion, when you get to promotions. (Like shock could be anti-melee, AA guns could be anti-thopter and aircraft, improved shields could be anti-guardsmen, etc.)

 

[koma13]

Homeworld's CvMainInterface.py is based on old city screen graphics. You have to join it with new pixel settings. If that is too confusing you can wait, I will update CvMainInterface.py in next homeworld screen version anyway.

 

[zeodeicasia]

I wanted to try this mod out, so I took the original release of 1.4 and installed the 1.4.6 patch over it since that is what you said to do in the OP. Civ4 can't even load the mod. It gets to loading XML and crashes to desktop every time. Am I missing something?

 

[Ahriman]

Are you updated to Civ 3.19?
Does the original 1.4 release work?

 

[davidlallen]

Purchased worm riders and fedaykin didn't start with the Sandrider promotion (they should), and nothing starts with the promotion from Aggressive trait.

AH56e. Figure out a way to get default promotions from traits, like Aggressive or Protective, onto purchased units.

I thought about this a little more and discussed how to do it in a separate sdk/python thread. Promotions and experience of new units can come from many places: civics (add XP), buildings (add XP, can add promotion), traits (can add promotion).

If you are bringing units from your own homeworld, there is a good argument that your traits should apply. Probably we would agree that buildings should *not* apply -- if there is a barracks in the city the unit lands in, why does it suddenly get more experience? It makes sense for a unit which is trained in that city. How about civics? I am undecided on that one. Just because you are governing one way on this planet does not mean you governed that way on your homeplanet.

So if we add the trait promotions but *not* buildings and civics, will there be a followup bug report?

 

[Ahriman]

I agree that traits but not buildings or civics should apply.
An easy solution for wormriders and Fedaykin seems to be to just attach the sandrider promotion to the unit directly. There will never be a case where there is a wormrider unit who should NOT have the sandrider promotion.
So why not just make the wormrider unit start with the sandrider promotion, like how a Reverend Mother starts with the +visual range promotion?

 

[davidlallen]

Sorry for the confusion. I have already fixed the custom DW promotions. The unfixed part is the promotions from traits. Several people discussed possible solutions in the other thread. There is a function available inside the sdk which adds all the promotions and experience, including buildings and civics, and xienwolf suggested to use that. I think that won't quite work here, and it looks like you agree.

Either koma13 or I can add the python suggested by koma13 to loop the traits and add the required promotions.

 

[zeodeicasia]

I am at BTS 3.19. I am on 64 bit Vista, if that helps. I tried unpatched 1.4 and got an error saying it failed to load dunewarstext.xml [.\FXml.cpp:133]
Error parsing XML File -
File: xml\text\dunewarstext.xml
Reason: End tag 'English' does not match the start tag 'TEXT'.
Line: 9151, 3
Source: </English>

Oddly enough, I was able to start and run a game as the Harkonnen anyway after clicking ok on that error.

I then tried copying the 1.4.6 patch over unpatched 1.4 and get the unexplained CTD again.

 

[davidlallen]

That particular xml error from 1.4 is fixed as described in this post. However, I am surprised that you are getting a crash with 1.4.6. Do you have python logging enabled in your civilizationiv.ini file? Is there any text in the PythonErr.log file?

 

[zeodeicasia]

Python logging is enabled. PythonErr is empty and PythonErr2 is attached as a text file. As I said, 1.4.6 can't even load the mod at all. It gets to loading XML and crashes to desktop every time.

 

[davidlallen]

Thanks for sending PythonErr2.log, but it does not contain any useful information. A few weeks ago, another new player was getting crashes with obscure messages from one of the subcomponents called "BUG". It turned out that uninstalling the mod and reinstalling fixed their problem. Have you run other downloaded mods successfully?

I am not sure it will help, but you could also try uninstalling the mod, installing 1.4, and then installing 1.4.4 from this link. That has fewer changes compared to 1.4.6.

 

[zeodeicasia]

The 1.4.4 link appears to be down as I can't get any file from it. BUG, BAT, Planetfall, Fall from Heaven, and History of Three Kingdoms mods all work for me, this is the only Civ4 mod I've tried that has this problem. BUG has a method of installing as a mod or as a component of BTS and I'm using the mod only version specifically to avoid the kind of compatibility problems you mentioned.

 

[keldath]

zeodeicasia,

did you install bug mod separately by any chance? bug 4?

 

[Deliverator]

I think there might be an issue installing 1.4.6 over 1.4 without installing any of the interim patches.