Excel format or a database format for the bic file

[Ultraworld]

Wouldn't it be interesting if the rules from the bic file were in the Excel format OR in a widely used database format.
Might be useful for quickly change of parameters.

 

[Nder]

wouldn't it be interesting if you looked here and found that there was such a thing already. Or if you looked here to find another, or here, or here, or even here.

Better yet, before you post another thread how bout looking at the Tutorials, Reference, & Guides Forums and see if its something that has already been covered.

 

[Drift]

I believe an Excel format reference guide isn't what UW is after as he talks about being able to quickly change parameters. However, I have no clue why he would prefer editing an Excel file over the editor.

Or then I got it wrong.

 

[Thrawn]

Neither do I. The editor is fine how it is. Why would you want it in a different format?

 

[Ultraworld]

Originally posted by Nder
wouldn't it be interesting if you looked here and found that there was such a thing already. Or if you looked here to find another, or here, or here, or even here.

Better yet, before you post another thread how bout looking at the Tutorials, Reference, & Guides Forums and see if its something that has already been covered.

I meant something totally different Nder.
AGAIN: Wouldn't it be nice if the game engine could read the game-rules (ADM of units, the science three, general-settings, etc.) from an excel/databes files (TOO).

 

[Ultraworld]

Originally posted by Thrawn
Neither do I. The editor is fine how it is. Why would you want it in a different format?

More universal.
I don't say we should get rid of the editor. We can use the editor to work with that excel/database file as well as Excel/a_database_program.

 

[Thrawn]

But what is the point of the editor being more universal? It only works with civ3, so why would it need to work with anything else?

 

[Ultraworld]

But what is the point of the editor being more universal?

It is about the file format. NOT the editor

 

[pdescobar]

Have you looked at the actual file format istelf? The file format is simple and straightforward and very easy to access from a programming perspective. And I think the editor, from an ease-of-use standpoint, is solid. Trying to extract the necessary data from a format like excel which would be full of extraneous information would be far more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Ultraworld]

Originally posted by pdescobar
Have you looked at the actual file format istelf?

yes. this is how it looked

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[Thrawn]

Originally posted by Ultraworld


It is about the file format. NOT the editor

Yes but if you make the file format more universal, then you're essentially making the editor more universal, as it would have to work with the files. I agree with pdescobar in that it would be more trouble than its worth.

 

[stormbind]

I hate being restricted to the options included in the editor. I want to enable Terraform as a Sea Strategy... I want to edit the files in NOTEPAD.EXE

Thanks

 

[pdescobar]

Originally posted by Ultraworld
yes. this is how it looked [unnecessary noise deleted]

First of all, that's not the file format; that's a cut-and-paste from a text editor, probably on a compressed version of a bic/bix. Look in my sig for a link to the actual format if you're really curious. Additionally, that quote adds nothing to the discussion. That's what an excel file or a jpeg image would look if you opened them in notepad too. It's a *binary* format, and you have to treat it as such and use the proper tool for the job. The point of the file format is to have the necessary data in a compact form which is easily readable and writeable by the game code. That should be the number one priority. The editor turns that into a nicely formatted, easily human readable form, and I find it perfectly "useful for quickly change of parameters."

In a perfect world where everyone gets along and noone goes hungry, and game companies have unlimited resources, it might be nice for the game to read unit stats from Excel files, but I don't live there. I live in the real world where choices have to be made, restrictions have to be imposed, and deadlines have to be met, and I have few complaints about the format used or the implementation of the editor.

Originally posted by stormbind
I hate being restricted to the options included in the editor. I want to enable Terraform as a Sea Strategy... I want to edit the files in NOTEPAD.EXE

There are some very good reasons for the limitations in the editor. It prevents you from doing (some) things the game simply will not use. Too often, people imbue the editor with more power than it actually has. Probably 99% of the restrictions in the editor are simply mirrors of restrictions in the game code. Even if you the editor let you have limitless terrain types, or choose a unit strategy with minimal actions defined, the game wouldn't know how to use them.

 

[stormbind]

I accept that many user alterations made in the binary (I would prefer ASCII) would fail utterly, but that's not guaranteed and common sense should be applied when editing any source.

Removing the freedom to experiment is not appreciated

 

[pdescobar]

Originally posted by stormbind
I accept that many user alterations made in the binary (I would prefer ASCII) would fail utterly, but that's not guaranteed and common sense should be applied when editing any source.

Removing the freedom to experiment is not appreciated

But you still have the freedom to experiment. Just edit the thing in a binary editor; the modding community (in particular, Gramphos) has the file format pretty well nailed down. That level of experimentation has not been removed, but instead has simply been made difficult. And that has been done for sound reasons IMHO: Such alterations will almost certainly fail, and have a good chance of causing a crash.

 

[Ultraworld]

Even if you the editor let you have limitless terrain types, or choose a unit strategy with minimal actions defined, the game wouldn't know how to use them.

so better AI.
eg: if the AI wants to build roads he shouldn't build a worker first but he should look for a unit which has road-building capabilities (this way roman legionares can build roads too)

 

[Madeira]

GAH!
Am I the only one getting tired of seeing one new Ultraworld thread per day? (or almost)

Whats the point in discussing these things in this forum? Ultraworld, why dont you just go to a Civ4 forum or something, the things you're asking or sugesting are impossible to do in Civ3, its a waste of forum space!

 

[Nder]

Originally posted by Madeira
GAH!
Am I the only one getting tired of seeing one new Ultraworld thread per day? (or almost)

Whats the point in discussing these things in this forum? Ultraworld, why dont you just go to a Civ4 forum or something, the things you're asking or sugesting are impossible to do in Civ3, its a waste of forum space!

here! here!

 

[Ultraworld]

Originally posted by Nder

here! here!

that should be "hear, hear".

 

[Nder]

lol, you are correct.