ModCast Episode 48: "Lay of the Land"

[DanQ]

Surveying the state of affairs. The forty-eighth episode of ModCast is now netcasting. Entitled "Lay of the Land" with a runtime of 62m63s, features regular co-hosts Kevin "GildedDuke" Bryan and Mark "Hambil" Ford with first-time guest co-host "FramedArchitect" and returning guest, and former regular, co-host Viktor "Thalassicus".

The summary of topics is as follows:

- 02m04s | News
Comparing Civilization V: Brave New World's effects on and oddities impacting modding to the first expansion Gods & Kings including encouragements, disappointments and approaches to changing mods so that they are compatible with this new release.
- 15m27s | Cartography Room
The good and the bad of present-day custom map usage in CivV multiplayer.
- 21m08s | Miscellaneous
Options for continuing to mo for CivV iterations previous to BNW and sustaining any and all such efforts over the long term.
- 31m24s | Mailbag
Following up on the challenges, and rewards, of collaborative modding efforts in response and extension to discussion in Episode 47.
- 40m00s | Modding Spotlight
"Thalassicus" overviews his modding efforts leading to consideration of choices for replayability in such works and how to take when they're subsequently incorporated into the base game. Then, "FramedArchitect" shares his modding background, experience and reflections for encouragement while select past, present and future projects of his are examined (51m40s).

The first spin-off of the Civ strategy-centric PolyCast, this is ModCast's second of six intended episodes to constitute a fifth season following a 1 1/2 year hiatus. Fellow sibling RevCast focuses on Civilization: Revolution, SCivCast on Civ social gaming and TurnCast on Civ multiplay.

 

[JFD]

The thing with the tool-tips is that it is generally easier and faster to interpret straight text, rather than to process icons and numbers and such. This is one of the reasons why I cannot use the Unofficial Patch; text is much more aesthetically pleasing and less of a strain and the changes to the interface just put me off.

But it is frustrating the implementation of Tourism. It makes me tentative to progress with my mods, not knowing if they are going to change it into a yield in a patch.

I've only just started listening to these podcasts and I regret not having begun earlier. They are quite interesting. Thank you to all those involved in its making.

 

[DanQ]

I've only just started listening to these podcasts and I regret not having begun earlier. They are quite interesting. Thank you to all those involved in its making.

You are welcome. Thank you kindly, new listener.

 

[Rob (R8XFT)]

Just about to listen to episode 48 and am delighted that it came out only a month after the last episode (I was expecting a two-month gap). I did notice, however, that if you click on "stream episode" for episodes 47 & 48, they're the wrong way round (i.e. to get episode 48, I needed to click on the "stream episode" for no. 47 and vice-versa).

 

[DanQ]

Just about to listen to episode 48 and am delighted that it came out only a month after the last episode (I was expecting a two-month gap).

I did notice, however, that if you click on "stream episode" for episodes 47 & 48, they're the wrong way round (i.e. to get episode 48, I needed to click on the "stream episode" for no. 47 and vice-versa).

-- corrected.

 

[mitsho]

Interesting episode, not sure I have much to add/comment on.

But you do edit the podcast heavily, right? One does hear the breaks quite well imho (and I prefer it more naturally flowing), but the content is top notch

 

[albie_123]

Saw Thal as a guest and had to listen in. Glad I did, and not just because of him! Going to listen to more now, even the older ones - it'll be interesting to hear about Civ IV modding. I was a lurker back then but wasn't so aware of the modding community.

 

[DanQ]

Interesting episode, not sure I have much to add/comment on.

But you do edit the podcast heavily, right? One does hear the breaks quite well imho (and I prefer it more naturally flowing), but the content is top notch

When you say breaks, are you referring to the 'set' transitions between topics or (more) during the topics themselves? I typically edit heavily for time and clarity while working to ensure as smooth as transitions as feasible in the process. I'm glad you enjoyed the content.

Saw Thal as a guest and had to listen in. Glad I did, and not just because of him! Going to listen to more now, even the older ones - it'll be interesting to hear about Civ IV modding. I was a lurker back then but wasn't so aware of the modding community.

-- welcome, new listener.

 

[mitsho]

When you say breaks, are you referring to the 'set' transitions between topics or (more) during the topics themselves? I typically edit heavily for time and clarity while working to ensure as smooth as transitions as feasible in the process. I'm glad you enjoyed the content.

I'm not sure what the opening "I'm X and this is my voice" is about for example. I prefer dialogue like that you start afterwards at second 30 f.e., but that one is "in media res". Which is okay I guess as I can read in the modding files what the podcast is about. Then - I timed it - after the introduction there's a 20 second musical interlude before the news segment starts. So you have 50 seconds of "dead air" in the first 2:20 minutes. I just jump forward here.

So yeah, it's more about in-between the segments, the other transitions vanish very well. I of course don't want to tell you what to do, and apparently people like it that way, and I don't know how the original file sounds like, but I'm not sure if the amount of work is worth the result. Again, very subjective.

PS: When trying to time the transitions, I think your first break between news and cartography is wrong, it's not 6:49 (copied from the last podcast), but 15:22. , next one 21:24 (not 08), then 31:33, each time 10 to 15 seconds pause, adding up and up...

 

[DanQ]

I'm not sure what the opening "I'm X and this is my voice" is about for example. I prefer dialogue like that you start afterwards at second 30 f.e., but that one is "in media res". Which is okay I guess as I can read in the modding files what the podcast is about. Then - I timed it - after the introduction there's a 20 second musical interlude before the news segment starts. So you have 50 seconds of "dead air" in the first 2:20 minutes. I just jump forward here.

So yeah, it's more about in-between the segments, the other transitions vanish very well. I of course don't want to tell you what to do, and apparently people like it that way, and I don't know how the original file sounds like, but I'm not sure if the amount of work is worth the result. Again, very subjective.

The purpose of the "I'm X and this is my voice" is to better ensure that when listeners hear a given panelist speak afterwards, they'll be able to identify them. Though I see you put "dead air" in quotations like this, on one hand I find the characterization peculiar -- given there is no extended silence -- but I do believe I understand what you're getting at: you regard it as filler to the degree of being pointless.

Yes, what you are getting at is very subjective just as is any other such feedback including my editing choices. That said I did not before nor do I now regard your comments as intending to tell me what to do, but perhaps what you'd like me to do should I concur. While I don't share your view on this portion of my editing regiment of the show, I appreciate your candor and willingness to constructively explain yours. (Were it not constructive, I wouldn't be engaging in such a dialogue.)

PS: When trying to time the transitions, I think your first break between news and cartography is wrong, it's not 6:49 (copied from the last podcast), but 15:22. , next one 21:24 (not 08), then 31:33, each time 10 to 15 seconds pause, adding up and up...

The timestamp on the break between News and Cartography room was incorrect -- alluding to as you noted, a copy error -- but fortunately this did not create a cumulative 'effect' for the remainder of this episode's runtime index.

 

[S3rgeus]

Just listened to this ModCast, very interesting! There were a lot of things I would've liked to chime in with and then one of the cast mentioned it, which was pretty cool. I haven't listened to the previous ModCasts yet (I'll see if I can go back and listen to the recent ones at least), but do you ever have problems with people covering the same ground from previous episodes? I imagine overarching issues like the lack of modularity in the policy screen and the inconsistent use of yields would come up quite often.

 

[Jatta Pake]

I enjoyed this podcast! First time listener. I was wondering if you could answer a question for the next episode:

A year ago I remember folks complaining that modders couldn't mod tile graphics or sound files in Civ 5. Is this still the case with BNW? Are any areas of the game still inaccessible to modders or has the proverbial hood been thrown open for complete and unrestricted modding?

 

[Putmalk]

I enjoyed this podcast! First time listener. I was wondering if you could answer a question for the next episode:

A year ago I remember folks complaining that modders couldn't mod tile graphics or sound files in Civ 5. Is this still the case with BNW? Are any areas of the game still inaccessible to modders or has the proverbial hood been thrown open for complete and unrestricted modding?

Yes.

Terraforming is still impossible, but the Fall Patch promises to bring us the ability to mod in sound files. If that's true or not remains to be seen.

 

[DanQ]

I enjoyed this podcast! First time listener.

Welcome, new listener.

Just listened to this ModCast, very interesting! There were a lot of things I would've liked to chime in with and then one of the cast mentioned it, which was pretty cool.

I haven't listened to the previous ModCasts yet (I'll see if I can go back and listen to the recent ones at least)

All previous episodes of the show are accessible from its website.

do you ever have problems with people covering the same ground from previous episodes? I imagine overarching issues like the lack of modularity in the policy screen and the inconsistent use of yields would come up quite often.

With as much change as there has been with the show's regular panel, where one of them has and continues to be responsible for setting topics for a given episode, there is no doubt overlap on such general points of conversation. If we're talking about a new perspective, a new/revised issue or even a "new Civ title (expansion or otherwise), same issue" consideration , I believe that works out well.

That said, there hasn't been any duplication of specific content (e.g. covering same given MOD in the same fashion) and that remains an active effort to avoid. With so little of Civilization V covered to date given ModCast's ~18 month hiatus, this is unlikely to be an issue for some time but we work to remain ever vigilant of it nonetheless.

 

[mitsho]

The purpose of the "I'm X and this is my voice" is to better ensure that when listeners hear a given panelist speak afterwards, they'll be able to identify them. Though I see you put "dead air" in quotations like this, on one hand I find the characterization peculiar -- given there is no extended silence -- but I do believe I understand what you're getting at: you regard it as filler to the degree of being pointless.

Yes, that was my idea. I guess I just prefer when the host introduces people and they say hello instead of the mechanical way. I prefer the more moderated podcasts or the "expert<->straight question asker" to the open discussion rounds the civcasts seem to be But hey, I will keep listening

 

[Hambil]

Yes.

Terraforming is still impossible, but the Fall Patch promises to bring us the ability to mod in sound files. If that's true or not remains to be seen.

One of the developers talked about this on the latest polycast and plans are definitely to make sound file moddable in the fall patch.

 

[ls612]

One of the developers talked about this on the latest polycast and plans are definitely to make sound file moddable in the fall patch.

Dennis said it on the beginning of Polycast 178, along with talking about the fixing of the Farm Crash. No news about terraforming (or more accurately, fixing the engine to work properly with CvPlot::setTerrainType).

 

[S3rgeus]

Dennis said it on the beginning of Polycast 178, along with talking about the fixing of the Farm Crash. No news about terraforming (or more accurately, fixing the engine to work properly with CvPlot::setTerrainType).

Terraforming would be awesome. It opens up some great creative uses for future eras/ powerful magic/ unique scenario events that would add a lot of flavor to those mods. I really hope they fix the graphics engine for this, because the gameplay stuff all updates correctly already.

 

[DanQ]

I guess I just prefer when the host introduces people and they say hello instead of the mechanical way.

One of the panelists still makes introductions, regular and guest hosts alike.

But hey, I will keep listening