Download link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yu30wK-beHkaGKVjcwwtoZUHPnzYuQUb/view?usp=sharing
There haven't been any betas for a long time, but I've been working on two features that would benefit from some more testing before an official release, so here we go.
Link/Unlink Units (Hotkey L):
Units on the same tile can be linked, allowing them to be moved together with a single move order. Basically the "escort formation" feature from Civ6, but here you can theoretically link an infinite number of units as VP has no unit-per-tile limits for civilians. Current and maximum movement points of the linked units will be set to that of the slowest unit, which will be reset when they are unliked. Note that this does not consider the shared movement promotions, so the units may not follow the optimal route in multi-turn move orders. This can be improved if anyone can come up with an efficient way.
Group Movement (Hotkey X):
The selected unit and all adjacent eligible combat units will move together and try to keep their relative positions. Movement points of the group is normalized to the lowest value as above. Eligibility is defined as thus: If selected unit is an unembarked land unit, only the adjacent unembarked land units will be moved. If the selected unit is a naval or embarked land unit, adjacent naval and embarked land units are moved. This also includes Great Admiral and Generals. The units sharing the same tile with the selected unit will be linked, even if they are not combat units. Unlike the link feature, grouping here is temporary and the group will be automatically disbanded when move mission is completed.
Let me openly state that this does not provide the perfect results yet. You can see one example in the attached screenshot. I've tried to move 28 units (one naval, one embarked land, one GG, one GA on each tile) by issuing a "group move" order to the central unit, but you can see that two units did not move and need to be ordered again. Still, it sure beats clicking 28 times.
You can find a detailed explanation of what's happening in the background here, and the related code here and here. This was tested with IGE to be working with all VP versions, but doesn't support CP (yet). Not savegame compatible with VP 2.5.
All testing and feedback is appreciated!
PS: I've been meaning to make a video about these features and some recent QoL stuff (waypoints, quick build orders etc.), but I'm no good for videos. Let me know if anyone's willing to do that.
Not so hot fix 8
- Fixed units getting "skip" order automatically.
- Merged beta branch with the main branch, so a lot of backend fixes & improvements are included.
- Also includes another surprise slated for 2.6: new farm resources. Maize & rice are added as farm resources, their placement is taken from Even More Resources, but they are identical to "wheat" yield-wise. I'll make a thread for them after 2.6. If you're using Even More Resource, use the attached version instead.
Not savegame compatible
Hotfix 7
- Linked units check for stacking
Hotfix 6
Special thanks to @4CV for testing&reports!
- Worker units will be set as leaders to allow them ask orders
- Group movement will check for close tiles (ring1, ring2) if the destination plot is not reachable
- Clicking next turn will automatically issue skip mission to linked idle units to prevent them from blocking the turn. Shift clicking on the next turn button will give this order for ALL idle units.
Should be savecompatible back to Hotfix 3.
Hotfix 5 (because I forgot to upload the 4th)
- Some more sanity checks for CanLinkUnits().
Probably compatible with Hotfix 2&3, but this version doesn't include any major fixes, so no need to update in the middle of a game. This will probably be the final version, I don't have see any issues and I'll be out for a few days anyway.
Hotfix 3:
- Fixed link icon not showing up for some combat units
Savegame compatible with Hotfix 2.
Hotfix 2:
- Killed/expended units should properly reset Linked status now.
This version also includes the latest VP database bugfixes, so it may not be savegame compatible.
Hotfix 1:
- "Link Units" icon will not be visible when the other units on the plot are ineligible.
- Aircraft can be rebased by right-clicking on a city.
Savegame compatible
Known Issues:
- Linking with a unit that has no current movement points, or giving a group order while adjacent to one, will set all affected units' movement points to zero. This is not a really a bug rather a expected consequence of the movement point normalization. You can regain movement points by unlinking units, and grouped units will start moving in the next turn.
- If "Quick Movement" is disabled, only one unit will display movement animations when moving linked units, the other will "teleport" to the tile. Not an issue with "Quick Movement", and I consider this a low priority.
- EUI unit panel gets a bit crowded when both link and group move actions are available. I don't see anyway around expect hiding some other icons, like the "move" and "attack" buttons are almost never used, what do you think about hiding them? The nonEUI unit panel has a secondary stack for less used actions so it doesn't suffer from this.
The features may never be 100% polished (well neither is Civ5 or 6 etc.) but the utility they provide far outweighs the downsides.
There haven't been any betas for a long time, but I've been working on two features that would benefit from some more testing before an official release, so here we go.
Link/Unlink Units (Hotkey L):
Units on the same tile can be linked, allowing them to be moved together with a single move order. Basically the "escort formation" feature from Civ6, but here you can theoretically link an infinite number of units as VP has no unit-per-tile limits for civilians. Current and maximum movement points of the linked units will be set to that of the slowest unit, which will be reset when they are unliked. Note that this does not consider the shared movement promotions, so the units may not follow the optimal route in multi-turn move orders. This can be improved if anyone can come up with an efficient way.
Group Movement (Hotkey X):
The selected unit and all adjacent eligible combat units will move together and try to keep their relative positions. Movement points of the group is normalized to the lowest value as above. Eligibility is defined as thus: If selected unit is an unembarked land unit, only the adjacent unembarked land units will be moved. If the selected unit is a naval or embarked land unit, adjacent naval and embarked land units are moved. This also includes Great Admiral and Generals. The units sharing the same tile with the selected unit will be linked, even if they are not combat units. Unlike the link feature, grouping here is temporary and the group will be automatically disbanded when move mission is completed.
Let me openly state that this does not provide the perfect results yet. You can see one example in the attached screenshot. I've tried to move 28 units (one naval, one embarked land, one GG, one GA on each tile) by issuing a "group move" order to the central unit, but you can see that two units did not move and need to be ordered again. Still, it sure beats clicking 28 times.
You can find a detailed explanation of what's happening in the background here, and the related code here and here. This was tested with IGE to be working with all VP versions, but doesn't support CP (yet). Not savegame compatible with VP 2.5.
All testing and feedback is appreciated!
PS: I've been meaning to make a video about these features and some recent QoL stuff (waypoints, quick build orders etc.), but I'm no good for videos. Let me know if anyone's willing to do that.
Not so hot fix 8
- Fixed units getting "skip" order automatically.
- Merged beta branch with the main branch, so a lot of backend fixes & improvements are included.
- Also includes another surprise slated for 2.6: new farm resources. Maize & rice are added as farm resources, their placement is taken from Even More Resources, but they are identical to "wheat" yield-wise. I'll make a thread for them after 2.6. If you're using Even More Resource, use the attached version instead.
Not savegame compatible
Hotfix 7
- Linked units check for stacking
Hotfix 6
Special thanks to @4CV for testing&reports!
- Worker units will be set as leaders to allow them ask orders
- Group movement will check for close tiles (ring1, ring2) if the destination plot is not reachable
- Clicking next turn will automatically issue skip mission to linked idle units to prevent them from blocking the turn. Shift clicking on the next turn button will give this order for ALL idle units.
Should be savecompatible back to Hotfix 3.
Hotfix 5 (because I forgot to upload the 4th)
- Some more sanity checks for CanLinkUnits().
Probably compatible with Hotfix 2&3, but this version doesn't include any major fixes, so no need to update in the middle of a game. This will probably be the final version, I don't have see any issues and I'll be out for a few days anyway.
Hotfix 3:
- Fixed link icon not showing up for some combat units
Savegame compatible with Hotfix 2.
Hotfix 2:
- Killed/expended units should properly reset Linked status now.
This version also includes the latest VP database bugfixes, so it may not be savegame compatible.
Hotfix 1:
- "Link Units" icon will not be visible when the other units on the plot are ineligible.
- Aircraft can be rebased by right-clicking on a city.
Savegame compatible
Known Issues:
- Linking with a unit that has no current movement points, or giving a group order while adjacent to one, will set all affected units' movement points to zero. This is not a really a bug rather a expected consequence of the movement point normalization. You can regain movement points by unlinking units, and grouped units will start moving in the next turn.
- If "Quick Movement" is disabled, only one unit will display movement animations when moving linked units, the other will "teleport" to the tile. Not an issue with "Quick Movement", and I consider this a low priority.
- EUI unit panel gets a bit crowded when both link and group move actions are available. I don't see anyway around expect hiding some other icons, like the "move" and "attack" buttons are almost never used, what do you think about hiding them? The nonEUI unit panel has a secondary stack for less used actions so it doesn't suffer from this.
The features may never be 100% polished (well neither is Civ5 or 6 etc.) but the utility they provide far outweighs the downsides.
Attachments
Last edited:
