[MOD][WARLORDS] ViSa Modpack

[mrgenie]

now this looks promising, disabled now 90% of ViSa codes, and got passed my static CTD turn...let's test another 100turns to be sure if this is it, then i can narrow down options, since the first 50% obviously didnt solve it...so must be something in the other 40%... at least it'll narrowing options

anyway, i think you can wait a little bit for i got this fixed...since CTD is annoying for all of you, and since im unfortunatly the only one who knows what I've done, im the only one able to track down codes i've changed...but i'm sure it'll be(as always) before friday patch to fix this i vow to fix things untill friday, else i stop modding!

 

[mrgenie]

Seady you are

 

[HellBoyz77]

you mean playing radius 2 improves performance or means = no CTD?

sorry was all day offline and not working on the code..i know how hard you guys want this to be fixed...but taking off all the codes one after the other untill i got to the bug isn't an easy thing

I can confirm that disabling 3 square city radius let me to pass the 219th turn, that was my best record, now i'm turn 234. Now i go further and tell you how it works.

 

[mrgenie]

I already found a MAJOT issue with the 3city radius...not sure if this is THE CTD, but damn sure this will cause CTD 100% of this routine is called in civ...because the loops out of the array..fixing this now...damn firaxis!!! they should comment their changes!!! i hate programmers not commenting things...first thing you learn at school when starting to program:"comment your codes so others understand you"

 

[HellBoyz77]

I already found a MAJOT issue with the 3city radius...not sure if this is THE CTD, but damn sure this will cause CTD 100% of this routine is called in civ...because the loops out of the array..fixing this now...damn firaxis!!! they should comment their changes!!! i hate programmers not commenting things...first thing you learn at school when starting to program:"comment your codes so others understand you"

eheh, they made you crazy in this weekend!

Now i'm on turn 259, seems that all work properly and smooth for now

 

[mrgenie]

yeah, im passing all the bugged savegames now and played my own game where i went CTD for 68turns already will test this extensively of course....before i say it's fixed..but looks good so far...

nice sidenote, on the search for this issue, i fixed other pythons and SDK codes some things i fixed before the release of visa 2.00 should make visa run faster actually...i took out some obsolete loops from python routines.and reworked some SDK to fix even some firaxis issues, where they had 3 loops, where i did it all on 1 ....since the routine with these loops was called dozens times every turn by alot of python mods, game should run smootlier now...although it's hard to estimate the impact of it...i can't benchmark such things..

anyway...when i get to 400turns, i consider this fixed, since i got a CTD almost every 1-10turns after turn 150...and then I'll have to do the hell job of enabling all things i disabled the last 2 days for testing, and disable the logs ..made some nice python routines to log every begin turn, end turn, so i could trace things ..in the next patch, I'll add some logging options into the ini, default off...but next time, players can make logs, look for "wierd stuff" themselves, ...will be easier to track down errors

 

[civ4ludo]

Good!

The logging thing is important.

Also the VB code option instead of the current .ini setting, that TAfirehawk mentioned before, should help us in getting what we want, and knowing what we are choosing...

 

[mrgenie]

Good!

The logging thing is important.

Also the VB code option instead of the current .ini setting, that TAfirehawk mentioned before, should help us in getting what we want, and knowing what we are choosing...

yeah, but hold on a second, since im the only one programming python/SDK on the team, and my day is only 24hours long, of which im also 24hours/day busy raising my son, you gotta wait a bit for that alot of mergings are also on the plan...which i promised keldath todo first after we got the mod working properly under the new warlords patch, ....adressing the G Era mod here...and it's ALOT of work to get this thing into our mod incorporated and then testing the whole thing...so...the Visual Basic on the ini will have a to wait a few....

at least the combats and combat odds are now done properly
I think on this patch, firaxis did a good job, better AI, better city planning for the AI, better combat routines, etc..and the AI is even so smart now to walk by my fortified plots(as a human player would)

 

[HellBoyz77]

anyway...when i get to 400turns, i consider this fixed, since i got a CTD almost every 1-10turns after turn 150...and then I'll have to do the hell job of enabling all things i disabled the last 2 days for testing, and disable the logs ..made some nice python routines to log every begin turn, end turn, so i could trace things ..in the next patch, I'll add some logging options into the ini, default off...but next time, players can make logs, look for "wierd stuff" themselves, ...will be easier to track down errors

Very good job mrgenie, i'm sorry that you are the only coder in the team, it's very hard to track alone a lot of things!

So far i reached turn 288 without problem, i really think that the problem is the 3 square radius (that i appreciate a lot, less city, less micromanagement, expecially in large/huge map)

Anyway, i wanna ask you what IDE you use for do the programming job? i've downloaded eclipse with a python and c/c++ plugin. I'm not a programmer, i've just done a one month training session in java. I looked something on python, and ive to adminit that is far simpler than java, seems very close to VB.

P.S.
If you need an italian translator for this mod i can do that.

 

[mrgenie]

i consider java alot simpler then python with java you know what you are doing, with python, you must know the c++ routines you are referring too...the thing of python is, you don't need to know what's done behind the scenes when you ..let's say getUnitPromotion...you request some value, then in python you tweak it, and then setUnitPromotion, and done...but you aren't actually programming here, you are just referring to something programmed in c++ in the SDK..so, yes, on a first hand python looks easier as language, untill you get to the point where you should understand what is goind on behind the scenes... anyway..im just using the codeblocks...i normally work on Visual Studio 2005, but that is obviously not compatible with Civ4..different compiler version doesnt work with this game...so, i sticked to codeblocks as advised here in the forums for python, i just use the official python program has some nice features in it ..i like to use just 1 program doing what i need...and not a PACKAGE of which i only need maybe 10%, and the other 90% are disturbing my HDD so i like to stick with small single programs...

btw, don't think coding is the only issue...we're a team and everybody is adding his shares to this mod..but the greatest job, are you! the players! we cant fix things, tweak, balance without the reports of you guys..i wish more people would comment the mod, give ideas, balancing stuff...weÄre a team of 4, we're unable todo what hundrets of players can do...test every single piece of the game and tweak it...so, i hope you all continue playing and report issues... as for the CTD, i add a special post after this, so it's good readable

 

[mrgenie]

CTD ISSUE

the issue has been found, and fixed. it will be included in the next friday patch.

untill then, here's a solution: "do NOT play with extended city radius enabled...

play a non Custom game or in your "Custom game" you must deselect the "Extended City Radius"

 

[HellBoyz77]

i consider java alot simpler then python with java you know what you are doing, with python, you must know the c++ routines you are referring too...the thing of python is, you don't need to know what's done behind the scenes when you ..let's say getUnitPromotion...you request some value, then in python you tweak it, and then setUnitPromotion, and done...but you aren't actually programming here, you are just referring to something programmed in c++ in the SDK..so, yes, on a first hand python looks easier as language, untill you get to the point where you should understand what is goind on behind the scenes

You are right. But for a lazy man right me, this is a wonderful thing! However with this training session i understood (a little) the OOP logic, my problem is that without the right motivation i don't do a software, there's a lot around, and, more, i don't know well the syntax, all the classes that i can use, etc. But, maybe, for civilization i can have the right motivation to do something more deeper with programming.

anyway..im just using the codeblocks...i normally work on Visual Studio 2005, but that is obviously not compatible with Civ4..different compiler version doesnt work with this game...so, i sticked to codeblocks as advised here in the forums for python, i just use the official python program has some nice features in it ..i like to use just 1 program doing what i need...and not a PACKAGE of which i only need maybe 10%, and the other 90% are disturbing my HDD so i like to stick with small single programs...

Eheh. I installed Eclipse because i used it in training session, so is the only one that i know. And i've 500GB of capacity, let me use some of it!

Anyway i will take a look at the forum thread regarding the modding, maybe i can understood something!

I'm going to sleep, i will have to get up in five hours. Goodnight to you mrgenie

 

[Axil]

Well the cause of the CTD being the extended city radius - definitely makes sense as I haven't been seeing any CTD in any of my games but have not been using extended.

For the record I've just finished a game with Blakes new AI as posted on this thread by Civ4ludo, all I can say is Wow it really sets a challenge. I just won a narrow space race victory with all the civ's except one in the running - and that was on Warlord level. I was never fully ahead in either tech nor building wonders and for the first time ever there was a point in building the internet as I got 5 techs from it. I had America Spain Inca Australia Dutch and Portugal and each was doing their own thing. America went all out on getting engneers as kept rush building wonders and trying to get to non-gunpowder needing units as he had none on his part of the world and Portugale had 2 and was guarding them well. Spain and Inca were staying quiet but were building up in different ways - Inca was building a good defensive army whereas Spain when for commence and built both Smith's trading and the fish market before me. I stifle Holland pretty early in the game but was slowed down by them into a p[eace treaty. However I had blocked them in by this point. However I had to keep up with America's tech reasearch and had to neglect my military and almost can a cropper when portugal seeing a weaknes captured one of my cities though i did take it back and as soon i i started diverting my limited forces Holland attempted a breakout. Finally I managed to knockout Holland and forced Portugal to peace though I never managed to attack cities but just manage to stop them attacking mine - Portugal then still having a strong military attacked America who when an easier target and slowed them down to enable me to catach up tech wise.

I definitely recommend the new Blake AI - I had no clashes with Visa and other than seeing Portugal make the odd stupid decisions on it's attack of America (twice I saw them get the American city they were attacking down to a single axeman melee unit , though there were jets and boats there but not have enough troops to take the city) it presented a real challenge

 

[maxbjr]

Well I updated the warlords patch, then I downloaded the visa 2.00 patch. when i try to load the mod i get a CTD. I'm going to completely uninstall visa, any idea what i should do now. It doesn't crash ingame, I don't even get to the game, it crashed right before loading visa. the rest of warlords works fine

 

[Donkey Puncher]

they have a full version on the visa mod web page 245mb i think works fine for me

 

[TAfirehawk]

yeah, but hold on a second, since im the only one programming python/SDK on the team, and my day is only 24hours long, of which im also 24hours/day busy raising my son, you gotta wait a bit for that alot of mergings are also on the plan...which i promised keldath todo first after we got the mod working properly under the new warlords patch, ....adressing the G Era mod here...and it's ALOT of work to get this thing into our mod incorporated and then testing the whole thing...so...the Visual Basic on the ini will have a to wait a few....

at least the combats and combat odds are now done properly
I think on this patch, firaxis did a good job, better AI, better city planning for the AI, better combat routines, etc..and the AI is even so smart now to walk by my fortified plots(as a human player would)

Well I didn't commit to anything and all I asked was which option was preferred so mrgenie had direction when he gets to it

Personally I like copying somebody else's work but at the same time we might have to set some things on civ load so the in-game option won't do everything....

 

[TAfirehawk]

Well I updated the warlords patch, then I downloaded the visa 2.00 patch. when i try to load the mod i get a CTD. I'm going to completely uninstall visa, any idea what i should do now. It doesn't crash ingame, I don't even get to the game, it crashed right before loading visa. the rest of warlords works fine

That is an install problem...which has happened alot and either do a second patch install or do the full v2.00 version and it should work.

 

[TAfirehawk]

CTD ISSUE

the issue has been found, and fixed. it will be included in the next friday patch.

untill then, here's a solution: "do NOT play with extended city radius enabled...

play a non Custom game or in your "Custom game" you must deselect the "Extended City Radius"

Updated first post....

And great work mrgenie

 

[TAfirehawk]

Well the cause of the CTD being the extended city radius - definitely makes sense as I haven't been seeing any CTD in any of my games but have not been using extended.

For the record I've just finished a game with Blakes new AI as posted on this thread by Civ4ludo, all I can say is Wow it really sets a challenge. I just won a narrow space race victory with all the civ's except one in the running - and that was on Warlord level. I was never fully ahead in either tech nor building wonders and for the first time ever there was a point in building the internet as I got 5 techs from it. I had America Spain Inca Australia Dutch and Portugal and each was doing their own thing. America went all out on getting engneers as kept rush building wonders and trying to get to non-gunpowder needing units as he had none on his part of the world and Portugale had 2 and was guarding them well. Spain and Inca were staying quiet but were building up in different ways - Inca was building a good defensive army whereas Spain when for commence and built both Smith's trading and the fish market before me. I stifle Holland pretty early in the game but was slowed down by them into a p[eace treaty. However I had blocked them in by this point. However I had to keep up with America's tech reasearch and had to neglect my military and almost can a cropper when portugal seeing a weaknes captured one of my cities though i did take it back and as soon i i started diverting my limited forces Holland attempted a breakout. Finally I managed to knockout Holland and forced Portugal to peace though I never managed to attack cities but just manage to stop them attacking mine - Portugal then still having a strong military attacked America who when an easier target and slowed them down to enable me to catach up tech wise.

I definitely recommend the new Blake AI - I had no clashes with Visa and other than seeing Portugal make the odd stupid decisions on it's attack of America (twice I saw them get the American city they were attacking down to a single axeman melee unit , though there were jets and boats there but not have enough troops to take the city) it presented a real challenge

I would like to hear more feedback from others on this too...but it sounds like something that we may want to include in ViSa even though it can be added on freely.

 

[TAfirehawk]

I tested the Visa 2.0 and i didnt get any CTDs (at least till 0 BC), but the game still freezes on me inbetween turns.. It starts bout 1600 BC and then occurs randomly with increased magnitude (the later the more waits and the longer they are) Its killing my game, 40s + waits inbetween turns i a real pain in the ass, not to mention it makes playing multiplayer impossible.. Does anyone have the same prob ??

P.S. Ive got my civ tuned for performance (no logs etc..), got a decent comp, and none of this happens in any other MOD.. PLEASE HELP !!

cheers

Very few other mods are anywhere near the size and scope of this (TR and FfH not included) ViSa Modpack and while we are always making improvements, we are always adding things too.

My comp plays plain Warlords horribly slow with 18 civs and Huge map....so I either adjust my settings or wait 60+ seconds/turn and I am afraid that is about the best advice I can give at this point (until mrgenie makes this code fly along).