Version 2.8 discussion

[munky]

well seeing as this has degraded into an all off topic forum...i'm currently playing spore gal adventures....just thought you should knnow....

cant understand that one: gal adv., Spore however has its moments and then its the type of game when you walk away for a week or two -- like some soap opera like TV drama -- you kind of forget about it rather easily... i think Spore via EA should have made this open and mod-able. i just bought Sins of a Solar Empire and immediately got encouraged when i saw all the mod community support. i bought it cause it had a tech tree map... yeah...

i said tech tree map...

 

[aender]

well gal adv =galaxy adventures....and has far as mods go thats about it cause most of the adventures are user made

 

[zappara]

Crud, you mean I have to wait two weeks to play Version 2.8? Mostly because Zappara has to not upload it to some server besides useless AtomicGamer which I can't download from.

And why wait on RevDCM anyway? BAH! Another reason why I hate Revolutions.

Because it has Better BtS AI 0.80 included (RoM has now 0.78) and some code optimizations that reduce turn times about 15%. There's probably other fixes/updates as well to RevDCM components. I have no rush with releases. Basically the v2.8 would be ready already if I wasn't going to wait for new RevDCM - few things that I'll want to try, I'll postpone to v2.9 as those need some python coding/testing and I don't want to make a mess with v2.8 files now

About progress

Few other changes last week were couple BUG mod bug fixes and component updates to their SVN version, fixed AbandonCity CTD problem (when activated with 1 city), scaled unit ipower values to str^1.3 so that AIs attack weaker opponents more often (I got destroyed in one test game in less than 100 turns), prevented barbarians from building new unit/building types, changed unit upgrade costs (cheaper now) and tested some things that were reported but those were functioning correctly (don't ask what I tested, there's been so many things...). Also I noticed that BUG 4.0 added some new icons to gamefont75 file but I haven't added those to RoM (Project icons) as the file is ordered in RoM differently and I don't know where to put those icons (and it's difficult to edit those files). Missing those icons shouldn't cause any issues.

 

[munky]

Because it has Better BtS AI 0.80 included (RoM has now 0.78) and some code optimizations that reduce turn times about 15%. There's probably other fixes/updates as well to RevDCM components. I have no rush with releases.

About progress

Few other changes last week were couple BUG mod bug fixes and component updates to their SVN version, fixed AbandonCity CTD problem (when activated with 1 city), scaled unit ipower values to str^1.3 so that AIs attack weaker opponents more often (I got destroyed in one test game in less than 100 turns), prevented barbarians from building new unit/building types, changed unit upgrade costs (cheaper now) and tested some things that were reported but those were functioning correctly (don't ask what I tested, there's been so many things...).

thank you, and to celebrate your skills i bought today a Finnish smoke grill package using Alder wood from a company called Savu. i was going to email them to credit you... (savu.fi)

 

[Buck_Nekkid]

I'm sorry if this has already been asked, but has anything been done in 2.8 to optimize performance, some installation options perhaps? I had to quit 2.71 because the turns dragged sooooo long by mid game. Too bad, because it's a brilliantly conceived mod.

 

[Iceciro]

Question: In 2.8 beta I can see OOSLogger is in the python folder but it didn't seem to make any OOS logs for me to try to have a debugging session with - I mainly play Civ4 as a multiplayer game with a group of friends and would love to be able to help clear up OOSes to play RoM with them. What would also help is if I had some sort of output of the Random Number generators and why it's pulling those numbers like Fall Further has.

 

[os79]

Small update, Zappara.

It is actually BBAI 0.81 now with speed improvements plus what you said .

 

[Deon]

Crud, you mean I have to wait two weeks to play Version 2.8? Mostly because Zappara has to not upload it to some server besides useless AtomicGamer which I can't download from.

And why wait on RevDCM anyway? BAH! Another reason why I hate Revolutions.

I don't get it. If Atomic Gamer is not working, why doesn't anybody upload it somewhere else?

 

[generalstaff]

Crud, you mean I have to wait two weeks to play Version 2.8? Mostly because Zappara has to not upload it to some server besides useless AtomicGamer which I can't download from.

And why wait on RevDCM anyway? BAH! Another reason why I hate Revolutions.

I am just glad there is an estimated date for Version 2.8. Now I know I have enough time to balance a few new things planned to release with Modular Civics Buildings.

As for Revolutions, I am happy to wait for the new version. Whatever makes that more stable, the happier I am. I am a fan of that addon, it makes the game more challenging in different ways than simply increasing the difficulty.

 

[Deon]

If the problem was the unability of Zappara to upload it somewhere else (upload limit or something), ehn you could ask anyone to make a mirror.

Here's a filefront mirror I've made in 2 hours:
http://www.filefront.com/14582749/undefined

Zappara, if possible, add this as a mirror for 2.8beta for those who can't use AtomicGamer.

 

[Carwyn]

I will have to say that there is a uniform experience within our play group and the results of battles... If your displayed odds are above 95%, you seem to have a 95% chance or so of winning. If they are below that and above 20%, you seem to have about a 30% chance of winning. However, if they are lower than 20%, you will win about a third of the time! Now, perhaps this is all in my head, but because I know how that works, we have been paying attention and the affect is rather marked... Who knows? We are playing at Monarch, the AI at Noble (MP play). Don't know if that affects the outcomes.

I wondered if there is a random seed at the beginning of the game that affects battle outcomes throughout the game? Some games battles go well, others you just plain might as well stay home with a hot water bottle!

 

[Afforess]

I will have to say that there is a uniform experience within our play group and the results of battles... If your displayed odds are above 95%, you seem to have a 95% chance or so of winning. If they are below that and above 20%, you seem to have about a 30% chance of winning. However, if they are lower than 20%, you will win about a third of the time! Now, perhaps this is all in my head, but because I know how that works, we have been paying attention and the affect is rather marked... Who knows? We are playing at Monarch, the AI at Noble (MP play). Don't know if that affects the outcomes.

Difficulties lower than Noble twist combat slightly in the players favor. Difficulties above Noble are completely fair in respect to combat odds.

I wondered if there is a random seed at the beginning of the game that affects battle outcomes throughout the game? Some games battles go well, others you just plain might as well stay home with a hot water bottle!

Random seeds do effect combats. If you don't have random seed checked, and reload a save from before the combat, exactly the same battle will occur again, with the same result. If you have randoms seeds checked, a completely different battle will occur.

 

[Meister Maggi]

first - great mod, I am playing the 2.8 version and it is really well done (some crashes to desktop appear from time to time and it is getting slower over the years but the forthcoming updates shall improve it...), anyway, one thing still puzzles me ( I guess am not the first to discuss it, though): spearmen without ressources completely destroy the use of chariots and alike at least on higher levels.

I had one game on immortal with persia and though I had horses with the second city, I got attacked before round 90 (marathon) by one opponents force including a spearman. Of course the javeleneer got rid of him but then my immortals got killed later on by barbarian spearmen. In other words, unless you are really lucky, even the most easy accessable chariot (the immortal) is basically useless - it is all the more important to go for axes.

What I would propose is requiring obsidian, copper, iron (or even stone) for building spearmen - otherwise one has to defend himself with bows and javeleneers...which properly promoted is still strong enough to defend certain key positions with defender boni

 

[munky]

Question: In 2.8 beta I can see OOSLogger is in the python folder but it didn't seem to make any OOS logs for me to try to have a debugging session with - I mainly play Civ4 as a multiplayer game with a group of friends and would love to be able to help clear up OOSes to play RoM with them. What would also help is if I had some sort of output of the Random Number generators and why it's pulling those numbers like Fall Further has.

similarly we are for the first time getting a lot of OOSs, i will move this to the 2.7 bug report thread. but the only thing to have changed is that i had reinstalled the game after tweaking the ini. OOS logging would be of great help...

 

[Afforess]

Zappara, I'm just noticed that you changed the improvement unhappiness text, it's much better. I found the Text_Key for the unhappiness from Civics (Largest City Unhappiness), and changed it to something much more sensible than "We long for the open country." Here's my change. Just put into the Text folder in the Assets.

View attachment 228871

 

[MrAdam]

So that's what "we long for the open country" means :s

 

[Bezhukov]

Actually, I think "We long for the open country" means you're getting too far ahead of the AI. 90% of the time, I'm in an unhappiness-causing civic, and "We long" messages are rare.

 

[DavidB1111]

Actually I do believe it has to do with the size of the city. Too big city - angry people.

Ah, and thank you so much, Deon! Thank you. A late birthday present for me.

 

[Afforess]

Actually, I think "We long for the open country" means you're getting too far ahead of the AI. 90% of the time, I'm in an unhappiness-causing civic, and "We long" messages are rare.

Download the file. You'll see the text_key references "<Tag>TXT_KEY_ANGER_BIG_CITY</Tag>"

Its from the largest city modifiers in the civics.

 

[zappara]

Nothing to see here.. move along...