HephMod: a mod combo-pack emphasizing balance, realism, and historical flavor

[Hephaistion]

@Jaybe:

The different great people requirements for the different shrines are a carryover from Sevo's Faces of God. I wanted to try out his version first to see if I liked it or not -- it seemed like a fine idea, since the shrines are now themed (production, growth, military, culture, etc.). On further thought, though, I think that probably all the shrines should require great prophets.

Oh, and please keep in mind that this version of the mod is still in the beta stage, though it is a highly playable beta. Documentation is really my last priority, and I haven't even touched the civilopedia. Please be patient.

@rcspring:

Thanks, I'll take a look at it and see what I can do. I usually seem to be able to fix this problem by deleting a specific civ from the game. I am not a programmer, and I'm a bit at my wit's end on this problem ... my next step is to remove the Revolution mod component from the mod. I hate to do it, 'cause Rev has been a part of HephMod for a long time, though recently I have found myself constantly nerfing the AI's revolution index accumulation anyway, so that AI players aren't crippled by constant revolutions. If the problem is in the Rev 1.63 DLL, then we shouldn't see any more of this kind of crash when I remove it.

A FEW MINUTES LATER ... @rcspring:

Your saved game didn't crash when I booted it up. Your crash is reproducible, that is, it crashes on that turn every time you load your game and end turn? Anyway, I saved a game on the following turn (I just repeat built cities that built units) ... boot it up and see if it crashes again.

 

[Merc]

Maybe this was covered in the thread but when I try to start a game with your mod it just ctd. I'm running bts. I load the mod just fine but when I start a game it just ctd.

 

[Hephaistion]

Maybe this was covered in the thread but when I try to start a game with your mod it just ctd. I'm running bts. I load the mod just fine but when I start a game it just ctd.

Are you running BtS 3.17? If not, you can download version .6 for 3.13. If you are running BtS 3.17, make sure that you've cleared your cache and that you don't have any files in your custom assets folders that HephMod uses. If it still crashes, try deleting, redownloading and reinstalling the mod.

 

[Jaybe]

When running a mod, Custom Assets are ignored, so that couldn't be the problem.

I had an abundance of Custom Asset xml files in use when I started using this mod, expecting problems, but it didn't happen. Same with the Final Frontier mod.

To change the xml values, I back them up and change the mod files.

--
I still haven't gotten that great engineer to build my Jewish shrine, resulting in a relatively frustrating (i.e., rewarding!) game. My usual clear tech lead just ain't there. Playing a blend of Noble & Prince difficulty, with a high max city maintenance (10 compared to Noble's usual 5).

 

[Ninja2]

When running a mod, Custom Assets are ignored, so that couldn't be the problem.

I think there's an option to include or ignore Custom Assets. I have Blue Marble installed in Custom Assets, and that loads fine under my own Merged Mod.

 

[Jaybe]

Thanks, Ninja2. I looked in the Hephmod Beyond.ini and found:
; Custom XML and Python from user folder are not loaded
NoCustomAssets = 0

But this should imply that Custom Assets ARE used. So color me confused.

 

[Hephaistion]

@Jaybe:

I looked at the xml for shrines and am playtesting right now, and all shrines are still built by great prophets. The tag in BuildingInfo "GreatPeopleUnitClass" is for what flavor the great people points produced by the building are. I built the Temple of Solomon with a great prophet, not a great engineer -- the other requirement is that the shrine religion be your state religion.

Now you said that the shrine had been destroyed when someone else conquered the city, and now you're trying to REbuild it? That could be the problem. There may be something coded into the game that wonders cannot be rebuilt. If that's the case, I'll have to look into it or turn off the "NeverCapture" tag so that shrines can be captured (then, if the aggressor doesn't want the shrine, they can inquisition it).

Currently testing games with Revolution component turned off to see if I get this persistent crash that's plaguing the mod. If I don't see it come up after playing a lot of games, we'll just have to turn off Revolution mod until jdog updates his DLL and then try again. For those of you who would like to help me playtest this, go to GameOptions.xml and change the <default> Revolution tag to '0' from '1' or play Custom games with Revolution turned off. Barbarian Civ, TechDiffusion, and DynamicCivNames, etc., still work because they are separate components.

 

[Jaybe]

Thanks Heph. Now I know not to pursue that GE so much -- NO! I have to pursue it MORE, because of corporation potential.
Rather than "NeverCapture", can you make it so you only MIGHT capture it? IF documented, it would really add spice to the game!

This bleepin' game has got me hooked. Until Friday night, I hadn't played exceedingly late in months, but Friday it was one of those one-more-turn-until-5-AM binges. Last night was a bit better (played 8 PM to 2 AM).

WHAT persistent revolution crash?
The only crash I've had is when my vid card had memory allocation problems after playing some 18 hours (which is how I was able to quit playing Saturday morning).

 

[Jaybe]

A note that in BtS 3.17, the Medic1 promotion's prerequisites are Combat1 or Drill1. Just in case you meant to leave it at 3.17 standards.

I believe Drill1 was added to 3.17 to allow siege units to have medic promotions. But since that may have been primarily for machinegun units and not artillery (and you have machinegun as a gunpowder unit), the Drill1 issue may not be relevant.

 

[Hephaistion]

Thanks Heph. Now I know not to pursue that GE so much -- NO! I have to pursue it MORE, because of corporation potential.
Rather than "NeverCapture", can you make it so you only MIGHT capture it? IF documented, it would really add spice to the game!

Good idea. If shrines are permanently destroyed, then I'd want the chance to be fairly small, but it certainly would add some dramatic tension to the game if you're going after the holy city of your own religion!

This bleepin' game has got me hooked. Until Friday night, I hadn't played exceedingly late in months, but Friday it was one of those one-more-turn-until-5-AM binges. Last night was a bit better (played 8 PM to 2 AM).

WHAT persistent revolution crash?
The only crash I've had is when my vid card had memory allocation problems after playing some 18 hours (which is how I was able to quit playing Saturday morning).

Good to know! I've only had the crash in one of my own games, but enough people have reported it that I consider it a serious problem.

 

[KingArthur666]

Please don't get rid of revolution. I can't stand to play with out it anymore. I'm a bit addicted.

 

[Jaybe]

Please don't get rid of revolution. I can't stand to play with out it anymore. I'm a bit addicted.

Yah, more of that dramatic tension.

 

[Jaybe]

AAARRRGGGGH! My (land based) fighters don't seem to be able to strike enemy naval units (a destroyer). Explanation requested.

EDIT: Just Never Mind ... I just discovered the destroyer was under half strength.

 

[Hephaistion]

Please don't get rid of revolution. I can't stand to play with out it anymore. I'm a bit addicted.

I know how you feel! I'm not even positive that the problem is with revolution -- it just seems the most likely suspect at this point. The investigation is ongoing, and if the problem is with Rev, I can always keep Rev in the mod for people who want to turn it back on at the potential price of stability.

 

[rcspring]

Sorry, Hephaistion I posted the wrong save file. Here is (hopefully) the correct file with the next turn CTD. I hope it helps.

 

[Jaybe]

Hephaistion, in the F4 there is a "CHANGES" screen to the right of GLANCE. CHANGES is often the same as GLANCE, but not necessarily (particularly in the early game).

Can you give any info as to what it's all about? Been meaning to ask since I started with this.

--
Regarding religious shrines being captured (or not):
I would say 1/5 to 1/3 chance of it being razed, regardless of your own religion status. As much as 1/2, though that would DEFINITELY be a bit scary! Complete with documentation what the odds are, and it not being rebuildable.

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Submarine strength (24 vs. destroyer's 20):
Ideally, a sub should have its pick of what to attack in a stack of ships. Giving the sub a UnitCombatTarget (a'la Ballista Elephant) of transport would work except that would go counter to Japan's doctrine of targeting military shipping in WWII.

I presume you will end up giving sub & destroyer equal strength & rely on the sub's withdrawal potential.

--
OMFG, the fighter vs. fighter dynamics are AWESOME (THANK YOU, Solver)!!
Particularly when the hero promotions are considered. (I'm in my first game EVER of an intense air war.)
I just wish there was some mechanic using air units to strike air units on the ground.

 

[Ninja2]

OMFG, the fighter vs. fighter dynamics are AWESOME (THANK YOU, Solver)!!
Particularly when the hero promotions are considered. (I'm in my first game EVER of an intense air war.)
I just wish there was some mechanic using air units to strike air units on the ground.

What is this you are talking about? Did Solver make a new fighter vs. fighter routine?

 

[Jaybe]

What is this you are talking about? Did Solver make a new fighter vs. fighter routine?

Do you remember a time when air units didn't have promotions available? That was so BS (as in "Before Solver"); he's the one that developed the present air-combat system.

So yes, you can blame everything on him; but he also gets the credit for it improving as much as it did.

 

[Jaybe]

GLOBAL_WARMING_FOREST is missing from GlobalDefines.xml. Does this imply forest/jungle do not mitigate global warming in this iteration, as they do in BtS v3.17???

Ohh, the DRUDGERY of manually inserting all one's modifications into each new version of a game (or mod) release!
Though it may be less error prone than trying to find all the (poorly documented) changes in the game (or mod) and melding them into your (or my) version.

-----
My 2nd game of HB is still in progress (some 65+ hours worth over 3 weeks). Great loads of experience in a long similar-tech naval & air war vs Carthage which is in the same hemisphere, but different continent (separated by archipelago). GREAT Hemispheres map! The Heroes mod, along with the brutality of air combat, really makes for great dynamics (e.g., an avatar-promoted fighter intercepting & killing everything in sight ... until it doesn't).

Doh! Just noticed how my game description is just a repetition of mine from Sept. 24th. Just goes to show I feel the same way about it.

 

[Jaybe]

AI destroyers not attacking my submarines -- must be the unfavorable strength ratio!

What I intend to do with Destroyer/Submarine strengths for my next game (I'm still in my 2nd, at >100 hours in the 1970's), is leave the strengths as they are (20/24), but give the destroyer a 50% attack bonus vs. sub, but only a 20% defense bonus. [EDIT] This would simplify preserving destroyer & sub strength relationships with other unit types while correcting it with each other.

These would also apply against attack subs.