[Religion and Revolution]: Mod Development

[orlanth]

Ok I will download it. I hope its working now for Schmiddie?

So basically these are the things to be checked:

1. Is any unit to cheap or to expensive to buy ?

compared to another (comparable) unit
compared to "real worth" in game
also please check price increases

I think a nice cost balancing feature using the existing XML can be to include a slight <iEuropeCostIncrease> for specialist units too, not just for cannons / ships.

So if there's ever a specialist that's underpriced and the player starts buying a lot of it (for example if his yield is very abundant or richly priced), the price for recruiting that specialist will gradually go up to compensate. This can also give a good incentive to develop Education in the later game, while in the early game you can recruit units at a good price which can later be used for teaching.

I used this mechanism in Colonization 2071 and I think it was quite a fun balancing addition that people enjoyed (though perhaps I set the cost a bit high..)

It could be good to try this out with specialists having iEuropeCostIncrease set somewhere between 10% or 25% of their initial iEuropeCost , and see how it goes. What do you think?

 

[raystuttgart]

I hope its working now for Schmiddie?

Me too.

I think a nice cost balancing feature using the existing XML can be to include a slight <iEuropeCostIncrease> for specialist units too, not just for cannons / ships.
...
It could be good to try this out with specialists having iEuropeCostIncrease set somewhere between 10% or 25% of their initial iEuropeCost , and see how it goes. What do you think?

Why not.

Maybe go with 100 for the cheaper outdoor professions and 200 for the more expensive indoor professions.

@orlanth:
Could you take care of implementing <iEuropeCostIncrease> for Specialists ?

 

[Schmiddie]

Yes, the current version works!

Thank you.

 

[Schmiddie]

We changed one of the required goods of a wagon_train from cloth to sailcloth.

We should change the receipt of goods in the event "2nd colony" (where the player can decide if he wants weapons or all goods which are required to build a wagon train) from cloth to sailcloth as well?! Currently the player gets cloth, but needs sailcloth to build the first wagon train...

 

[raystuttgart]

We changed one of the required goods of a wagon_train from cloth to sailcloth.

We should change the receipt of goods in the event "2nd colony" (where the player can decide if he wants weapons or all goods which are required to build a wagon train) from cloth to sailcloth as well?! Currently the player gets cloth, but needs sailcloth to build the first wagon train...

Maybe it is best (and easiest) to change the required good for wagon trains (and the other land transports affected) back from sailcloth to cloth.
(If there are no objections, I will do so this evening. )

 

[Schmiddie]

Ok.

 

[Robert Surcouf]

Hi everyone,

Yes, the current version works!
Thank you.

Great news!
I've updated the files. I've translated a few texts in French.

@Robert:

You are probably busy with translation into French, but could you eventually take care of checking this package of balancing:

• Prices of Units in Europe
• Yield amounts needed for producing Ships and Cannons
• Yield amounts needed for building Builldings

So basically these are the things to be checked:

1. Is any unit to cheap or to expensive to buy ?

• compared to another (comparable) unit
• compared to "real worth" in game
• also please check price increases

2. Are the amounts of yields needed to build a ship / cannon to high or to low ?

• considering efforts / prices to get those yields
• compared to simply buying it
• compared to another (comparable) unit
• compared to the "real worth" in game

3. Are the amounts of yields needed to build a building to high or to low ?

• considering efforts / prices to get those yields
• compared to another (comparable) building of same level
• compared to lower / higher level of that building
• compared to the "real worth" in game

Thanks.
(Thus I can focus on finding the bug of Schmiddie and eventually other balancing aspects when that is solved.)

Sorry, I may be a little late
But I'll check. I'll also send error logs in the future.

 

[raystuttgart]

I've translated a few texts in French.

Great.

Sorry, I may be a little late
But I'll check.

It is probably a good idea, if all of us keep an eye on balancing.

I'll also send error logs in the future.

Currently I am not checking error logs anymore.
(But I would of course, if an error occurs.)

-------------------

@team:

I have implemented / corrected these 2 aspects:
(new revision in SVN available)

• iEuropeCostIncrease for Specialists
• Wagon Train and Trek requiring Cloth instead Sailcloth

At the weekend I will take care of the maps (from Sanotra and TAC).

 

[raystuttgart]

@Sanotra:

Could you please put the newest versions of your maps into /transfer of our SVN ?
(If nothing changed recently, I will simply use your download-links again to create RaR-versions.)

 

[raystuttgart]

@team:

I have uploaded new versions of the 12 maps we currently contain.

• 3 maps from Sanotra as RaR-versions
• 4 Vanilla maps as RaR-versions
• 5 TAC maps as RaR-versions

Basically I have tried to ensure

1. general compatibility with RaR
2. random players
3. correct native placement by regions (new with TAC and RaR)
4. correct latitude settings (almost all maps had wrong settings here)
5. correct mapsize settings (several TAC maps had lower mapsizes than necessary for us)
6. random resources
7. random goodies (new in RaR)
8. placement of terrain savannah (new in RaR)
9. placement of terrain feature taiga (new in RaR)
10. winds and storms available from start (new in RaR)

It would be great, if somebody else could also have a short look at the maps to ensure that everything is ok.

-------------------

Now all that stands between our first release is:

1. Testing, Testing, Testing
2. Improving English Texts
3. Finishing Translations (German and English)

A few more events would be great, too of course.
It would also be great, if we had at least one map with our new mapsize "Gigantic".

 

[Schmiddie]

It would be fantastic if we could have a map of America with our new size "gigantic"....

 

[raystuttgart]

It would be fantastic if we could have a map of America with our new size "gigantic"....

Absolutely.

Maybe Sanotra or one of the modders we have offered partnership and access to our SVN might be interested to create such a map.

 

[thadian]

I am in the process of examining texts and writing texts for achievements and other english texts.

 

[raystuttgart]

I am in the process of examining texts and writing texts for achievements and other english texts.

Great.

About improving English texts:
Please contact colonialfan with a private message.
(He is also working on English texts and you could discuss how to share the work and organize yourselves.)

About texts for new achievements:
Could you give us a short overview in this thread about the achievements you want to create ?
(This might also help to organzie the graphics needed.)

 

[thadian]

I have contacted him successfully, and i will be taking the text for the buildings off his hands - because we are both versed in academic writing, we will be able to review each others work and keep a consistency on style, and format. For now, i will use his style and format with my model of writing. I will work on the achievements first and all other texts second. Once the achievements reaches a perfected state, i will also look to do any other texts and definitely a few maps.

How do you feel about the basic model of the "Colonize the World" map? I have made some fun self-play maps with it already even though they are currently "horrible" on terms of accuracy. One step at a time, though. Achievements first. Then buildings. Then as we all get different things done, i can make some maps that get the most fun and best use out of the features in this mod.

 

[raystuttgart]

Just take your time and get to know the mod.
(There is no need to hurry.)

Achievements and improving texts is a really good start.
(But if you are having fun creating a map, why not.)

Testing (by playing a longer game) and giving feedback would also be valuable.

 

[Schmiddie]

Playing some games to study the mod is a good idea. You can study already implemented features to get to know what extent and quality we need for the new achievements.

 

[thadian]

i will provide feedback once my games consist of more than 10-turn excursions and examining worldbuilder content - i already have some, but im sure everyone else has noticed the same things i have.


One more small observation. First i built a Village Hall, and told my city to build a church. The first turn of actual production on the church, i got the reward popup for having built my first church, despite it has not been completed.

 

[raystuttgart]

One more small observation. First i built a Village Hall, and told my city to build a church. The first turn of actual production on the church, i got the reward popup for having built my first church, despite it has not been completed.

Strange.
(The Achievement itself seems to be correct.)

Is this reproducable ?

 

[raystuttgart]

Hi guys,

I just dowloaded melcher's Iso Mod.
(Graphical ModMod for TAC.)

I will take a look and eventually identify aspects that are interesting for us, too.
I will then present screenshots with and without theses modified aspects.