Rallying call for all interested: Colonisation of the Moon mod!

Well, so why don't people list, using the categories spelled out above, which portions they are interested in working on?

I have...

XML Specifications (General, Civics)
Python Work
SDK Work
Release Manager
Design Manager/Team Lead

On my list...

For the XML specifications, btw, we can break them up by categories as it makes sense (units, buildings, techs, etc.). Terrains, Improvements and Bonuses should all be grouped together. Also, while the version I have up on Yousendit has worked for me so far in 1.61, I get a lot of text_key_val errors (text tags that do not get resolved to normalized strings). Like TXT_KEY_DECLARE_WAR_YES.

Similarly, if I were going to describe Matt's role previously, I would have written something like...

Python Work (Map Scripts)
XML Specifications (Terrain & General)
Graphics: Terrain, Resources, Buildings
Merge Manager

I'll add a breakdown of the XML specifications to the other post.
 
Ok, I thought I'd repost the list here...

  • Intro, Event and Wonder Movies
  • Slideshow/Progress Screen work (and those hints that come out underneath them)
  • Splashscreen work
  • Documentation
  • Civilopedia Entries
  • Foley Work (walk sounds, combat sounds)
  • Background Music
  • Event/Notfication Sounds
  • Graphics/Modeling:
    • Units
    • Buttons
    • Buildings
    • Terrain
    • Improvements
    • Features
    • Resources
  • XML Specifications: (These are almost by folder)
    • Units (incl. Promotions)
    • Buildings
    • Technologies
    • Terrain (incl. Bonuses, Features, Routes)
    • Improvements (incl. Builds)
    • Civilizations
    • GameInfos (That entire folder--although I had Specialists and Civics broken up at some point)
    • Art Thief (Art XML work to import Art from the community)
    • General (GlobalDefines & BasicInfos)
    • Misc (The Misc folder and some of the other cracks which we/I don't know that much about)
    • (Note: Art XML files fall in with the appropriate graphics work, Sound files fall in with their associated Audio work listed above.)
  • Python Work
  • [SDK Work]


Roles:
  • Merge Manager
  • Release Manager
  • Design Manager/Team Lead

I'm thinking at the moment, that we may want to redivide the XML specification work after the initial rebuild. If this breakdown doesn't quite fit with what you wanted to work on, just describe your delineation, and I'll sort it out 8).
 
Some of my time is being tied up with our SMAC project, but I'm more than willing to do what I did last time; XMLing the techs, units, buildings, ect.

Are we using any of the stuff from the old mod? Buttons? Art of any kind?
 
I think we will use all the art we can. As for the buildings, etc., that will depend on what the final design doc looks like, which we still haven't reviewed. I expect that the specific units and buildings will all change, the techs will be supplemented and restructured, the resources will be tweaked, the map script will be modified to adjust terrain and resource placement, and the civics will be reworked, largely along the lines we've already discussed.

The one thing I may well do in the SDK is clone the religion algorithm and tweak it for Ideologies, to allow for the idea of different realms of ideology 8). But that's a bridge I don't intend to burn for quite a while ;).
 
On the diversification list? 't Looks varied. ;)

I might now and then aid/take up on a small task in it, but next week I'm starting on a new job so available time will be limited.
 
JBG said:
Oh, btw - about radiation on the moon.

The hollowing-out, even of existing lava tubes, would be very expensive and a prest-day levels of technology, very hard, too. The consensus at ESA and NASA atm is building heavily-shielded bunkers on the surface, and (later on) establishing artificial, small, magnetic fields to keep radiation away. That last thought could be an excuse for some nifty in-game graphics - as a magnetic field generator would create its own aurorae!

So a potential line would be that, before the city can expand beyond a certain size, a magnetic generator would be needed - or, before the city can establish a biodome, a magnetic generator would be needed. Just a thought.

I spoke with Warsong about this, and what he said is that NASA's current plan is not for a colony but a research station to research how to make a colony, and it does, in fact involve surface bunkers which they are still working on how to reinforce/shield enough to protect them from the day cycle of radiation.

The presumption is by the point the moon mod starts, these sorts of experiments have already been done. For long-term habitation with sizeable populations (enough people to rate a pop of 1 on the civ scale), the plans involve underground bunkers/excavations and lava tubes. At least so I'm told.

Personly, though if you have links to the articles about NASA's plans, I'd love to read them.
 
I think we have to assume a good portion of our colonies are underground. Too bad we need to work the tiles at all.
 
We don't have to, really. I'm not sure to what extent Warsong is charting out the use of specialists over working tiles directly, but I've been espousing such a methodology to an ever increasing extent 8).

Woodelf, where are things with TF, JBG and thread ownership? Kael has put up our latest version of the mod for us, but I can't post about it on our thread. We need to get that thread moved over.
 
By the by, if someone felt like getting in touch with the Warhammer FB mod crew, they have a similar CTD bug to our old one. How they solve it might be an answer for us as well. Personally, I think it's some flaw permutation of the 3D model data formats or animations therein, since both our mods have heavy custom artwork.

Also, btw, I was checking out The Ancient Mediterranean mod (which I think is really good--my personal favorite mod currently released) and they've overridden the entire background of the map generation progress screen. If someone wanted to look into how to do that, that might be cool. Replace the background with flyby shots of the moon or some such. By line facts about the moon in captions. Or details about our mod in specific ;). Similarly, if anyone wanted to look into how to replace the default imagery for unexplored terrain (the black masking which covers the map before you explore anywhere), that would be cool to know about.

So, vis a vis the CTD bug version of our mod, given we're thinking to rebuild it for the new design anyway, I'm inclined to use the current working version as a base and just experiment from it, and leave the bugged version on ice indefinitely. I may put together a best guess debugged version for 12monkeys to look at though. Forgot about that until this moment. Hrmm...
 
Belizan said:
We don't have to, really. I'm not sure to what extent Warsong is charting out the use of specialists over working tiles directly, but I've been espousing such a methodology to an ever increasing extent 8).

Woodelf, where are things with TF, JBG and thread ownership? Kael has put up our latest version of the mod for us, but I can't post about it on our thread. We need to get that thread moved over.

I haven't spoken with anyone. I assume JBG simply needs to chime in. If he doesn't maybe you can PM TF and get it done since it has been mentioned that it was OK with all parties.
 
well, even though I know nothing about SDK, Python, and XML, I can certainly help with ideas and in testing it out since I really like this mod :)

although, with my finals coming up in a month (on June 5th), I could learn how to do something with the coding during summer vacation.
 
smjjames said:
well, even though I know nothing about SDK, Python, and XML, I can certainly help with ideas and in testing it out since I really like this mod :)

although, with my finals coming up in a month (on June 5th), I could learn how to do something with the coding during summer vacation.

XML is easy, just grunt work. The rest is Greek to me as well. Testing and ideas are always welcome.
 
IMO we need to do something about those emergeny civics thing because its kinda imbalancing when the AI keeps the rush research button pressed so to speak and those civics were only meant to be used once in a while.

Maybe give the unhappyness some time to wear off instead of it bieng instantly wiped when the civic is changed to normalcy so that it can't be used several times in a row. It might wreak havoc with the AI, but right now that thing is bieng misused.

I know it was an idea that JBG did, but since we are going in a whole new direction, we should consider removing or changing that thing. The other civics are probably ok.
 
Whenever Belizan chimes back in with his new Bible or gameplan we'll have an idea of which direction we're going.

Hopefully we can pick up some more volunteers to help like you smjjames. ;)
 
yea, I'm waiting for that as well. Just thought I'd mention about that because even though the human player knows that the emergency civics are only meant to be temporary, I think the AI is programmed to choose the best one, or the one that helps research the most, but doesn't know that its not meant to be used 50 times in a row and I'm forced to use that civic just to keep up with the AI. which in my opinion, is unbalanced.

that and fix the getting stuck on crater rims bug (which is annoying, but at least I can do something about it)

also, when summer vacation begins, we should be seeing more volunteers because right now is when classes start cramming and then the finals (college class finals for me), so ppl would be busy until June at least.
 
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