I need ideas on how to give units "equipment"

[fulano]

I'm looking for ideas on how to give units in the game "equipment"

A random example to give you the idea.
Say I added a few new promotions:
Wooden Sheild, Iron Shield, Steel Shield
Leather armor, Chain Mail, Scale Mail

And these two equipment types added 5, 10, and 15% strength respectively.

Then I added these promotions to existing technologies.

Then I wanted my units to automatically get the best version of this promotion when created. (like how units become obsolete).

My plan was to create X number of versions of each unit (in this example 16) that would use every possible combination of promotion, which might be a lot of work, and I'm not sure if it would do what I want.

Plus that method is rather limited in how many types of equipment I can use because the number of required units gets enormous. (just adding 3 types of helmates would make it 48 combos instead of 16).

Thanks!

 

[topsecret]

I have no idea
I'm posting here because this sounds interesting

 

[The_J]

Sounds like too much.
Not sure what you mean with the different types of units. The differences would be defined by the promotions, wouldn't they?

In general such stuff like equipment can already be done, by abusing the great general mechanic.
Replacing promotions could also be done via Python, but it's a tedious thing to do it for more than one.

 

[Thunderbrd]

I'm about to have this setup (in code at least - the XML side of it will be an ongoing project from there) in the C2C mod It'd make for one example of how you can implement such an idea.

 

[fulano]

I'm thinking the idea of copying multiple units with different combinations of promotions would be way to complex by the time you get enough options to make it interesting.

Interesting Thunderbird, I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens.

What about making promotions unavailable, is there at least a way to make them obsolete so you can only apply the latest version of a promotion that is made available through new technology? Probably through scripting again?

One day I may learn to script, but at the moment I want to avoid it.

 

[topsecret]

I'm thinking the idea of copying multiple units with different combinations of promotions would be way to complex by the time you get enough options to make it interesting.

Interesting Thunderbird, I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens.

What about making promotions unavailable, is there at least a way to make them obsolete so you can only apply the latest version of a promotion that is made available through new technology? Probably through scripting again?

One day I may learn to script, but at the moment I want to avoid it.

Or making a new system, not using promotions

 

[The_J]

Promotions can't be made obsolete, sadly .

 

[cpt.tripps.2012]

I would just make them Promotions.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Promotions can't be made obsolete, sadly .

However the buildings that give the promotions as free can be. No more buildings means no more of that promotion. If that is the way you are going with this.

 

[cpt.tripps.2012]

One thing you can do in XML is make promotions available to only certain types of units. So in away you could make promotions specific to certain unit types. If you make different combat types for say the melee unit, the archer, and the gunfighter, you could make the shields only available to the melee unit and not the archer or gun fighter. likewise, you could make different bows and arrows for your archers, and different equips for your gun fighters such as scopes or magazines.

This is actually a really good Idea you have here.

 

[The_J]

But sounds like a hell lot of work.

However the buildings that give the promotions as free can be. No more buildings means no more of that promotion. If that is the way you are going with this.

Oh, that's an idea.

But needs a unit not be able to get the promotion in a normal way to make the free promotion from buildings work?

 

[Thunderbrd]

The way I'm doing it in C2C, promos can and do obsolete, not so much on tech achievement (they do obsolete based on tech and can't be further assigned thereafter, but don't get removed from units that have them when obsoleted) but on upgrade.

I've established the ability to add multiple combat classes to one unit so combat class definitions can include weapon and armor bracket sets such as 'Shielded Type'. Buildings give out equipment promos for free, both when the unit is built and when a unit moves into a city that offers an equipment they qualify for that is better than the equipment they have along the same line.

Equipments can obsolete and they can also be outdated on upgrades as the unit's combat class definitions can change. If the current code won't update these in this manner, a quick patch in the dll will make it so.

Also, a promo can give an extra combat class definition as well, thus flaming arrows gives the unit the Fire Wielding combat class and by extension, access to further promos, both equipment and skill based, that only the Fire Wielding combat class has access to.

 

[PsiCorps]

This is the kind of thing I have been looking for to add to the Babylon 5 mod we have been working on.

It woud be used specifically for the starships. At the moment the promotions we have are a combination of Crew Quality/Experience and Equipment. Both are purchased in the standard way for Civ IV. The only change/addition I would want to make to your idea would be for there to be a Gold cost for an equipment promotion. Nobody in any armed force gets a new piece of equipment without it having to be purchased somewhere along the line.

If Thunderbrd could make his C2C feature a separate ModComp we would be able to incorporate it with the B5 mod and eternally grateful too.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Oh, that's an idea.

But needs a unit not be able to get the promotion in a normal way to make the free promotion from buildings work?

Yes, I was assuming that equipment would not be gained by experience so those promotions would not be available in the normal way.

Somewhere along the line RoM:AND got a tag that lets a building give a promotion to any unit entering the city. C2C also has that function. I recently "rediscovered" that feature works. Since it is a new tag it must be implemented in the SDK which I refuse to work with (very bad work experience, say nor more). Now that I am retired I can safely make that sort or choice. I still need to work with Thundrbrd on what we are going to go for in C2C.

 

[ls612]

This is the kind of thing I have been looking for to add to the Babylon 5 mod we have been working on.

It woud be used specifically for the starships. At the moment the promotions we have are a combination of Crew Quality/Experience and Equipment. Both are purchased in the standard way for Civ IV. The only change/addition I would want to make to your idea would be for there to be a Gold cost for an equipment promotion. Nobody in any armed force gets a new piece of equipment without it having to be purchased somewhere along the line.

If Thunderbrd could make his C2C feature a separate ModComp we would be able to incorporate it with the B5 mod and eternally grateful too.

If you talk to him I'll bet he could isolate certain functions for the Equipment promotions. Making the entire thing a modcomp would be an effort equivalent to making a new DCM, that's how big this is.

 

[Thunderbrd]

I might be persuaded to help you get such a system established in another mod but you'd need to be very patient with me as C2C takes up most of my focus outside of work already.

If you can get a copy of our sourcecodes after I've pushed the changes and smoothed out any potential issues you'll probably be able to follow my mod notes in the code to see what I've done.

 

[PsiCorps]

If you talk to him I'll bet he could isolate certain functions for the Equipment promotions. Making the entire thing a modcomp would be an effort equivalent to making a new DCM, that's how big this is.

I might be persuaded to help you get such a system established in another mod but you'd need to be very patient with me as C2C takes up most of my focus outside of work already.

If you can get a copy of our sourcecodes after I've pushed the changes and smoothed out any potential issues you'll probably be able to follow my mod notes in the code to see what I've done.

I have been keeping up to date with the C2C Mod and Update it at least once a week. I'll take a more in depth look at what you've been doing there to see how much I can identify/isolate as your work progresses. I'm soso with Python and OK with XML merging but any C++ work I'd need help with. Either way we have a starting point.

Thanks for your response, it has been helpful to say the least.

 

[TrentonC]

The idea is great but would their be a way to change the units appearance.

 

[fulano]

I do like the building giving promotions idea a lot! Thanks for the idea, that might help me get my plans done if I ever get past my planning stage.

If Thunderbrd helps make a mod that we can all use it would be epic!

I think it would help civilization be a lot more diverse if you can give or customize equipment in units, it would be a great addition to many mods I think.

 

[Thunderbrd]

The idea is great but would their be a way to change the units appearance.

There IS a way to do that but its something I'm not game to undergo myself as it requires a fairly high level of proficiency in the unit graphics programs which I haven't earned yet. It probably also takes a lot of patience. But I have been thinking it'd be pretty darned cool if we had someone on C2C who'd be willing to work on that.

I've seen a thread on how to go about it in the tutorial sections.