Modders Guide to FfH2

[PPQ_Purple]

*facepalm*
I newer used corporations in BTS since I am a FF player and their guilds don't generate resources.

Thank you. I just hope all my problems will be so easy to answer...


BTW. Will that work for mana and the whole mana display and free spell promotions thing?

 

[Tholal]

A couple of questions about digging into the DLL.

So I started by looking at this thread by Kael. However, the first link he has in that post to the developers SDK doesnt work for me (I get an error page when I click on the download link).

I have a registered, professional copy of Visual Studio 2005, and I can download the patch m dll source files from the first post in this thread, and open and edit them.

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to compiling code and most of the threads about it span several years, making them even more confusing. So I guess my questions are as follows:

1) Can I use Visual Studio 2005 (pro edition) to edit and compile the dll?

a) If so, can someone point me towards any settings I might need to change to get it to work?

2) If not, er... well I'm at a loss as to how to proceed..

 

[Tholal]

Edit:

OK. I found a tutorial here on using Visual Studio 2005, and it it's all correct except for the makefile link. I used the one found here - http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=8191788&postcount=323|

Once I made sure the paths were set correctly for my system, the build went off smoothly!

 

[xienwolf]

*facepalm*
I newer used corporations in BTS since I am a FF player and their guilds don't generate resources.

Thank you. I just hope all my problems will be so easy to answer...


BTW. Will that work for mana and the whole mana display and free spell promotions thing?

If it actually changes what resources are available to your civ, it should work. Unless it only changes what is available in that one city, then it'd fail.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

I just tested it... and it does not. Corporations only give the resource to the city in question.

I guess I will have to copy the scions code for the Necropolis and create dummy buildings in my capital that provide the mana.

Is there any way to avoid having to create 1000 dummy buildings for +1, +2, +3 etc. of the new resource?

 

[Tholal]

Now that I'm playing with the DLL, I'll probably have quite a few questions. First one!

How do I get the AI to explore shipwrecks? I'm assuming that they are flagged as goody huts..


EDIT: My bad. They function as lairs, not goody huts. I was looking at the wrong code. But I still don't see where the AI is deciding whether or not to explore lairs.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

My bad

 

[xienwolf]

Base FfH the AI explores lairs if they happen to sit on them at the start of their turn as I recall. Fall Further has them marked to think that the lair is a goody hut, thus it moves toward them. You have to be careful if you try to use this approach though, as it REALLY messes up the AI if you make them think a lair is a goody hut, but they cannot explore the lair (Clan of Embers most notably).

PPQ: Your easiest solution would be to modify the DLL so that either corporations will work civ wide instead of only in local city, or copy what corporations do and make the new mechanic work that way.

 

[Sephi]

EDIT: My bad. They function as lairs, not goody huts. I was looking at the wrong code. But I still don't see where the AI is deciding whether or not to explore lairs.

the python prereq for the explore lairs spell.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

So there is no "no DLL" solution for this?
I don't really want to work with the DLL on my first project ever if it can be avoided for obvious reasons.

 

[Sephi]

in wildmana you can change via python what bonuses a building provides and how many (thanks Snarko). you could basically copy and paste it into the FF dll (still need to set up the IDE to compile the dll).

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Cool.
Does RIFE have that same function in the DLL as well?

 

[Valkrionn]

Cool.
Does RIFE have that same function in the DLL as well?

I have not added it, so not unless FF does which I doubt.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Dam... Is there any non DLL method of doing what I need done?

 

[Valkrionn]

Not that I know of, without lots python. I've been considering merging this, however: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=179993

May go ahead and do that for the next version if it's something you need.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Thanks but I need to do the conversion on a race level.
Guess I shall have to download Wild Mana and break out the old Visual Studio...

 

[Tholal]

I was working on the DLL last night and ran across a few lines of code that had a double semi-colon at the end ;;

This didn't seem to cause any compiler errors, but I went ahead and removed them anyway. I just wondered if the double semi-colon could potentially have an effect on the code or would the extra one just be ignored?

 

[Tholal]

Is there any way to avoid having to create 1000 dummy buildings for +1, +2, +3 etc. of the new resource?

Probably not the best way to do it, but it seems like you could create one building that gives the +1 bonus, and then in python, catch when you want it to upgrade and then alter the value of that bonus on the existing building rather than replacing it?

 

[PPQ_Purple]

That is exactly what I shall do but with the palace since it already exists and thus I don't have to create a new building.

I still have to find (the hard part) the part in the SDK code and copy it. Than compile the thing (the hardest part).

 

[25Hour]

Say, where's the Civ 4 Art Defines schema? It doesn't appear to be with the actual art defines files, and I need it for making my mod modular.