Realistic Earth map + all leader options?

[The Capo]

That's awesome!!!

You are the man!!!

Now here's a question that you may not want: Is there a way I could add this to my mod, but to work with multiple maps?

 

[The_J]

Yes, sure.
About the multiple maps i'm already speaking here .
If you add a map to the maps folder, the only other thing (besides merging the python) is adding a new startingpoints.xml to XML\CustomXML.
Just copying the XML file for the already present map and renaming it in the same way will work .

To add this to a mod:
In CvEventManager are 2 changes, both labeled with "starting points".
In the second change, there's the name of the mod folder mentioned, which you have to change to your mods name.
The second python file just has to be dropped in the same folder, and you don't need to change anything there.

But i would wait until maybe sunday, because i'll look at it again at the weekend, maybe i'll find some left over bugs until then.

 

[cybrxkhan]

I applaud your guys' efforts.

Probably would nick a 'stabler' version of this for a future version of WoL... with very proper credits given, of course.

 

[The_J]

No problem, you're welcome .

stable version:
Technical: If it doesn't crash upon start, there can't be other bugs.
Design wise: Okay, right, the design is not finished, but i don't know, what else could be done for the basic version.


I think, i could also create an expanded version, with some civs added to cover the empty regions of the earth, like the aboriginies, the inuit, some central asian civ, etc, but this is not the primary goal atm.

 

[Shiggs713]

great job The J

 

[The_J]

Thank you .

But i've been too self confident, there's a bug in it .
If the code detecs multiple invalid civs for a map, only the first one is replaced, all other civs are just kicked (and replaced with the same civ like the first one, but there will be only one copy of the civ ingame).
Haven't found out, what causes this, but i hope, that i can do it tomorrow.

I've also decided not to do the restriction of european civs, because i remembered the available game option thing wrong .

Today, i've filled the coordiantes XML for 5 maps, another earth map, an europe map, an mediterranean map, a middle east map and an old world map. But i still have to ask the map makers, will do that today.
When i have the permission, i'll open the new thread.
Will probably also include some not "mapped" maps in a separate folder, just in case somebody wants to try.

The most problematic region on a map is not, like you would think, central europe, it's the iberian peninsula. If i can't add spain and portugal, the map is out.
And some map sizes just can't be done. I had a tiny map from el_hidalgo here, and there was no way to fill europe in a way, that every civ can found a city. I guess, large size is minimum for a world map, but haven't tried it.
The other maps are easier.
But i'm also not very strict in setting the starting points.
For example, in the europe map i've said persia to eastern turkey and the mongols to eastern russia, just to include more possible civs. Because if the map does not have minimum 18 available civs, the work has been somehow senseless.

Well, will have to see to what this here will lead .

 

[The Capo]

Could you still set civs at close starting points (like Spain and Portugal, or Netherlands-Germany-HRE) but always use custom scenario and make sure you don't choose those overlapping civs? Or does it prevent you from even doing that?

 

[The_J]

I'm not sure, what you're meaning.
In custom scenario you can sure choose, what civs you want to play against.
But if you start with random civs, there's imho no real way to decide, what civ should be kicked out and which not.
What have to hardcode that in the .py files, and if i look at your (and other) mods, where for example the franks and switzerland are in, it would be really difficult to handle.

-> I hesitate to put the civs into positions, where they probably can't found a city.
i'll maybe add one, but not really many more of this mapsize.

 

[The Capo]

I'm not sure, what you're meaning.
In custom scenario you can sure choose, what civs you want to play against.
But if you start with random civs, there's imho no real way to decide, what civ should be kicked out and which not.
What have to hardcode that in the .py files, and if i look at your (and other) mods, where for example the franks and switzerland are in, it would be really difficult to handle.

-> I hesitate to put the civs into positions, where they probably can't found a city.
i'll maybe add one, but not really many more of this mapsize.

Well, if I were to include this in my mod I would definitely NOT set the modular civs to be compatible with these types of maps.

BUT, basically here is what I was saying; as far as I can tell you are saying that on certain size maps civs that are close to eachother (I'll use Spain and Portugal as an example) would basically "conflict" when setting the start points so that it messes everything up. So if I started a game and just had random civs selected and Spain and Portugal were two of the civs they would "conflict" and then break the whole thing. What I am asking is could you still set it up so that Spain and Portugal have their real starting points, but so long as you select custom game and make sure that Spain and Portugal wouldn't be in the same game (i.e. you choose either Spain, Portugal, or neither to play with/against), could you still run the map?

 

[Shiggs713]

isn't there some XML tag for min distance between civs for game start? I don't understand what else could effect having two civs start within a few tiles of each other.

 

[The_J]

Well, if I were to include this in my mod I would definitely NOT set the modular civs to be compatible with these types of maps.

Good decission, i think.

BUT, basically here is what I was saying; as far as I can tell you are saying that on certain size maps civs that are close to eachother (I'll use Spain and Portugal as an example) would basically "conflict" when setting the start points so that it messes everything up. So if I started a game and just had random civs selected and Spain and Portugal were two of the civs they would "conflict" and then break the whole thing. What I am asking is could you still set it up so that Spain and Portugal have their real starting points, but so long as you select custom game and make sure that Spain and Portugal wouldn't be in the same game (i.e. you choose either Spain, Portugal, or neither to play with/against), could you still run the map?

There's no real conflict, besides the thing mentioned by Shiggs.
You can also start a game on a tiny world map with all european civs in, this will work, for sure.
But some of the civs might get pushed to other places, because they would be in the culture of another civ, after this civ has found there first city. Or the civ could immediatly be killed, when there's no other known free tile.

But there's no problem with this mod and setting starting positions to the right place.

isn't there some XML tag for min distance between civs for game start? I don't understand what else could effect having two civs start within a few tiles of each other.

Yes, this is one of the things, which influence the starting points.
In a europe an a small map, not every civ could found a city because of this.
And also, think of the culture pressure, then you're then in europe and a creative civ is in.

 

[The_J]

Bugs, bugs, bugs .

I've fixed today the bug, that not enough civs come in the game for invalid civs, now all are replaced .
Had even more bugs here: The civ, which came in for an invalid one, didn't start with
a) their starting techs
b) the additional starting techs from difficulty level
c) the additional units from the difficulty level

a+b is fixed now, all information is automatically read from the XML files, also for new civs, new techs, etc.
c is also fixed, but had to hardcode some things.
In HandicapInfos.xml iAIStartingUnitMultiplier, iAIStartingDefenseUnits, iAIStartingWorkerUnits and iAIStartingExploreUnits are mentioned. But nowhere is mentioned, which units these are.
They seeme to be settler, archer, worker and scout, but i have no idea, where this is defined. So i had to add these unit names to the .py file. I hope, this will not result in problems for mods here :/.
UUs are automatically detected, also for new civs, so that e.g. the babylonians start with bowmen, not with archers.

I hope, i did not forget anything there.


Another bug is left: Accidential contact.
At one point, i startet as the arabians, and had immediatly contact with bismarck. Seems, that his units by default startet in the area, where the arabians where moved to. This does not seem to happen very often, minimum not very often to the human player (didn't check for AI), but is something, which has to be fixed.
I can't just remove a contact which has been established, there's no command for this .
This means, that i have to be careful, to where i move the units. I should check first, if there are other units around, and then maybe move the units later to this point, after they've been removed. But this will sure cause some problems in areas with high civ population, like europe or mesopotamia. Could lead to an infinite loop at some points. So this is something, which has to be tested carefully, and i didn't have the time to do it today. I'll definetly do it next weekend.

I also haven't got the permission from all mapmakers (-sr is missing), so there are 2 arguments for waiting another week. This will also give me the chance to add 1 or 2 more maps to the mod.

-> Release will probably be next week .

 

[The Capo]

Sounds good to me.

 

[The_J]

All problems fixed , download is here, thread is here, will later also add it to my thread.


Strange solution for the accidential contacts: Units can exist off the map. When i move all the units from every civ to the plot -1,-1, they can exist there, and the civs will not get in contact. Not sure, what i'm doing there, but it works .
Also interesting: The unit there still exists, but i can't kill it there .
But like said, works fine .