[MODCOMP] Interface Upgrade (No gameplay changes)

[Grey Fox]

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Fall from Heaven 2: Interface Upgrade

Includes the following modules:
- Better Popups
- Better Pedia

Version 1.0L - Started 04/17/2008
Requires Fall from Heaven 2 0.32l
Updated to 0.32l 08/05/2008
Download Interface Upgrade
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What is Interface Upgrade?

This mod's mission is to enhance the interface of FfH2 at as many levels possible. To enhance information gathering and make it easier for new players and veterans alike to play this vast mod.

It includes updates to several of the Civilopedia pages. Mostly its about sorting the information and presenting it in a more easily read format.

The Better Popup part only improves one popup so far, the Production Popup. Sorting by type with header categories.
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How to Install

Just copy the Assets folder inside the Interface Upgrade folder from the zipfile into the Fall From Heaven 032 folder. You should probably copy the folder beforehand to either make a backup or rename it to FfH2 Interface Upgrade and copy to that mod instead. Overwrite when it asks.

WARNING - Breaks save games from regular 0.32
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Changelog

Spoiler :

Version 1.0L - 08/05/2008
Updated to FfH2 0.32l
Version 1.0 - Started 04/17/2008

Additions:
1. Added Separator Headers to the Production Popup for recommended, units, recon, archer, mounted,
melee, siege, arcane, disciple, animal, naval and beast units. For military, religious, industry,
economy, science, culture and growth buildings. As well as for rituals and processes.
2. Added the USE_BETTER_POPUPS define. It can be used to turn off the "Better Popups" module.
3. Started work on the Civilopedia, Units, Heroes, and Promotions Pedia Categories are complete so far.
4. Added the USE_BETTER_PEDIA define. It can be used to turn off the "Better Pedia" module.
5. Exposed getHero() to Python from CvCivilizationInfo
6. Exposed getBonusConvert() to Python from CvImprovementInfo
7. Exposed isGlobal() to Python from CvSpellInfo
8. Exposed getCivilizationPrereq() to Python from CvSpellInfo
9. Exposed getAlignment() to Python from CvLeaderHeadInfo
10. Added the Image tag to CIV4CivilizationInfos.xml and exposed getImage() to Python from CvCivilizationInfo.
11. Added the code for Staggered Effects
12. Added the USE_STAGGERED_EFFECTS define. It can be used to turn off the "Staggered Effects" module.
13. Added a Fireworks function in onUpdate for the staggered effects.
14. Added the effect; EFFECT_CREATION_MEDIUM_FAST.

Changes:
1. The Production Popup now sorts units by unitcombat, starting with no unit combat units.
2. The Production Popup now sorts buildings by flavor, in the order flavors are defined, starting with military.
3. The Units Pedia Category now sorts units by Unit Combat, as well as separating Great People, Golems and Summons.
4. The Heroes Pedia Category now sorts heroes by Civ Heroes, Religious Heros, and Generic Heroes, with appropriate headers.
5. The Promotions Pedia Category now sorts promotions by Regular Promotions, Equipment, Arcane Promotions, Races, and Misc.
6. The Buildings Pedia Category now sorts buildings by Flavor, with appropriate headers.
7. The Wonders Pedia Category now sorts buildings by Flavor, as well as separating Shrines and the Tower of Mastery wonders.
8. The Resource Pedia Category now sorts resources by type.
9. The Improvements Pedia Category now sorts resources by type.
10. The Spells Pedia Category now sorts spells by sphere and world spells have been separated.
11. The Leaders Pedia Category now sorts leaders by Alignment.
12. The Civics Pedia Category now sorts civics by Civic Option Type.
13. The Civics Pedia Page has been redesigned.
14. The Civilizations Pedia Page has been redesigned.
15. Turned on USE_ON_UPDATE_CALLBACK in PythonCallbackDefines.xml - for Broader Alignments and Staggered Effects
16. spellArcaneLacuna() now has a staggered effect.
17. spellDivineRetribution() now has a staggered effect.
18. spellForTheHorde() now has a staggered effect.
19. spellGiftsOfNantosuelta() now has a staggered effect.
20. spellIntoTheMist() now has a staggered effect.
21. spellLegends() now has a staggered effect.
22. spellMarchOfTheTrees() now has a staggered effect.
23. spellMotherlode() now has a staggered effect.
24. spellReligiousFervor() now has a staggered effect.
25. spellRiverOfBlood() now has a staggered effect.
26. spellWarcry() now has a staggered effect.
27. spellWildHunt() now has a staggered effect.
28. spellWorldbreak() now has a staggered effect.
29. The Civilizations Pedia page now correctly shows all unique buildings for all civs.

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The changed SDK files are in a folder in the zip.

Check the Attachments for screenshots:

 

[Grey Fox]

Here are some more screens:

 

[loocas]

Exciting!

At quick glance I noticed that luxury was spelled luxary. (And now they both look misspelled--that's lingruistics for you.)

 

[Grey Fox]

Yeah it's misspelled alright. Well it's an easy fix, but might not qualify for an upload right now, I'm a bit tired.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Hmm....It looks nice, but I'm not sure how well it would work together with a lot of what I plan for my modmod (cross-sphere spells, etc). Hence, I probably won't use it.

 

[Grey Fox]

You would need to customize it for your mods. A lot of my code is automatic, but for the spacing in the pedia, and for some of the categories there are some hard coding in the python.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Yeah...I don't think I'd want to go doing all that. I'm usually too lazy to even set up the txt_keys

Shouldn't you be focused on converting Broader Alignments to 0.32? I know I'd find that much more useful. Other modmoders (like Vehem) would probably want to use it too.

Any chance that the .32 Broader Alignment could get show the exact numerical alignment of each player when you mouseover its alignment? I'd find this very useful. I wouldn't see any need to keep the alignment bar in that case, and it would help you know which rivals can be corrupted/redeemed most easily. (Vehem included a numerical display in the last Fall Further (which includes Broader Alignments), but his is always displayed. I think that it would look much nicer if it only showed up in a mouseover)

 

[MrPopov]

I would love to see this implemented in the official release. Only thing I wonder though, is if it would be a problem for low-resolution monitors. I will test this as soon as I can.

 

[Grey Fox]

No, the pedia is always in the lowest resolution.

 

[xienwolf]

Very nice work Grey Fox. Pretty sure I had talked with you about my religion idea before, so hopefully this can one day include that as well (and if it wasn't you... we should talk ).

You can feel free to use the animated cursors which I placed in my MODCOMP if you'd like, they aren't quite in line with the specific Interface changes you have made, but they are meant for interface enhancement. This could become sort of the BUG mod of FfH


I would say that it is nice to have the SevoPedia style setup, where you have 2 sidebars (one for each Heirarchy of Selection). And I'd love to have such a setup as that with more options to segment the pedia sections (Units split into Heroes, Equipment, Buildable and Non-Buildable, or otherwise subdivided. Promotions split into those you can purchase with Level/XP, those which are Malignant, and then all the rest).


I'll have to check out what you have hardcoded and see what can be done with it sometime though, after I have completely caught up with .32 that is.

 

[MrPopov]

I was more worried about the city producition pop-up

 

[Grey Fox]

No need to worry its the same size it always was.

File Updated for 0.32a.

 

[Nicopol]

awesome

thx


edit:
this mod should be included in the original ffh2!
i'm kind of new with the mod and i was always disapointed in the civilopedia. as a new player you can't find information very quick, it's frustrating like hell. i always have to use a manual (for example yours or the one from xienwolf) because the civilopedia sux.

but with this interface upgrade the whole mod makes more fun!!!

 

[Falc]

Looks a bit like a future improvement for FFHBUG I was thinking of.

The basic setup was SevoPedia. However, at the top of the second list (the one listing all the Spells/Units/etc.) I was going to place a dropdown menu that allowed you to filter that list, showing only Fire Spells or Recon Units and so forth.

The advantages of filtering over sorting, IMO, are:

• you need less screen estate instead of more
• any object that falls into more than one category will just work, instead of requiring double entries or dropping one category
• you can add as many filters as you want, even going as far as a search function

Unfortunately, I lost the first pieces of code I wrote for this and now I'm a bit reluctant to get going again

 

[Lutefisk Mafia]

Very, very nice, Grey Fox! You do great work!

 

[Vehem]

Amazing work. Very nicely done.

I guess my next question is obvious

Can I plunder it for Fall Further related uses?

 

[Grey Fox]

No need to ask

 

[Vehem]

No need to ask

Thought you might say that - but I always do anyway wherever possible

I've spent the last 10 minutes or so looking at what you've actually done codewise - some very nice work in there. Might be a while before I get chance to fully port it over, but I'm very impressed.

Thanks.

 

[Marksman77]

Looks promising, I'm gonna try it definitely!

 

[JDexter]

Please get this into FfH2 very soon! It's so good!