World History Mod development thread

[kevinman4404]

Thanks for dropping by, sorry there hasn't been much accomplished. I get home tommorow, and work on this will resume the day after. I will have something, anything, released at the end of the summer, and I will keep going after that.

I have followed the saddening events in Libya from the start, and taken a personal interest in it. And the World History Mod recognizes only one valid interlocutor:

Spoiler :

EDIT: I have successfully stripped down the RFCE code somewhat. Everything (very simple) is working fairly well. Will plan and code the new rise and fall system now.

 

[kevinman4404]

Some updates on how combat will work:

Stack attack has been integrated. And I'm not going to lie I just spent my evening watching Zulu Dawn and Zulu, and to represent the Zuli Impi, I think I will make it so when you train it, you end up with two or three units: the chest and the horns. Using stack attack's battle system, one will charge and one will flank. It would either cost double, or I would half the power of each.

Also, every unit now has a (high) withdraw chance. Without it, your stack of units would either completely kill or completely vanish, in an instant. So now, in most battles, the losing side will suffer some losses and the remainder will retreat. Of course, withdraw chance is greater for cavalry etc., and is lowered if the enemy has ambushing bonuses.

One thing I need to fix is that I need the AI to recognize stack attack and build/use logical regiments. Like in EU3. I would also like to implement a chance of a complete military loss (ie the entire army dies) if there is a big difference in power.


@Grishnash: I'm afraid I don't understand the difference between Ibutho and Impi, if that even matters. I also don't get how Zulu units should be organized. They are mostly just regiments with different standardized weapons (throwing spear, stabber or mace). And I think more work needs to be done on planning how African units in general work. Clearly they are not compatible with the old civ4 unit types.

Just purchased unesco general history of africa vol.s II-VIII (aroung $8 ea. from the same store), so I will have some good reading to do. I was looking for a relatively unbiased and detailed viewpoint that does not downplay Islam.

 

[kevinman4404]

I've been having an unidentifiable crash. Sometimes I also get a crash when I play RFCE. I realized that the DLL I had been using (which originated from the aforementioned RFCE) was not for BTS 3.19, so hopefully now it is fixed

I have a climate system well under way. It is very simple. There is [Tropical, Arid, Continental, Temperate, Tundra]. It is a scale from left to right. The farther across the scale you go, the worse the effects will be on your units or cities in that area. So a civ that prefers a temperate climate like the Iroquois will suffer major growth and unit penalties in a tropical forest setting in Colombia.

This will (hopefully) be combined with a reinforcements system (unit distance limitations), maintenance (city distance limitations), snow (unit and city limitations) and "primitive" civs will also have to deal with terrain preferences. For example, a civ that prefers highlands will do best in the highlands. Likewise with coasts and forests.

Though it really isn't important and one wouldn't need to get bogged down in details. Simply it means it will be harder to fight or settle places away from home.

Also, the importance of food and production resources won't be as high as originally planned. Fertile land will be more important.


I have just downloaded The Sword of Islam- I really highly reccomend it. Possibly the nicest, most polished mod out there. TONS of stuff for me in there.

 

[BeardedWonder]

Any life here? Seems a shame after 3 years in development if nothing comes from it!

 

[kevinman4404]

I'm really sorry- I have been unable to get the code to work.

All I can really hope for is that someone with programming knowledge will help out (it's not a specific problem, I just can't do what I'm trying to do), or that maybe if I keep periodically trying I will find a solution.

I do really want it to be successful. Once/if someone helps me through this it will be very easy, and other people can start to work on it.

Best
Kevin
(Ps the affairs in Libya are always interesting to follow in the meantime!)

 

[Voyhkah]

I:

a. Have some programming knowledge, and

b. Don't have much better to do (Waiting for some people helping me to come through),

so fire away! I might be able to push you in the right direction. And by the way, do you know anything about map scripting?

 

[Baldyr]

kevinman4404, I don't know what kind of programming experience you have, but studying the subject would probably be a better use of your time than trying to get your design off the ground by trial-and-error. Just a suggestion.

 

[kevinman4404]

@voyhkah: your help is appreciated, though you are brave- it probably would take good C++ knowledge to get it working.

I am trying to get the rise and fall system, in the simplest way possible, from a certain version of RFC Europe into my mod. Right now, I am stuck using the RFC Europe DLL in its entirety. This prevents me from doing much of anything. I just want a very basic rise and fall system in place, and then I can build from there.

If you're willing to give it a try, I can upload the neccessary SDK's.

~~~

I would like to learn C++, but it is easy to say and hard to do. I'd imagine it takes most people years.

I can read and fix the compiling errors, and just sort of understand what is going on.

I made a debug DLL for the mod, and it gives me the error message, but I don't know what to do with it. I have no clue how to understand them.

Kevin

 

[Baldyr]

@voyhkah: your help is appreciated, though you are brave- it probably would take good C++ knowledge to get it working.

I've seen him pull of more advanced stuff than this, so I wouldn't worry.

I would like to learn C++, but it is easy to say and hard to do. I'd imagine it takes most people years.

All it takes is some effort and of course time. But I bet you already wasted more time on trying to do C++ than it would have taken to learn the basics by studying the subject. So obviously you got the time...

I made a debug DLL for the mod, and it gives me the error message, but I don't know what to do with it. I have no clue how to understand them.

Well, it helps if you can understand the error messages. And if you post them perhaps others would be able to help you out with them.

 

[Voyhkah]

I recommend starting with Head First Java (Java is similar to C++.)

 

[kevinman4404]

@Baldyr: well, I'm not gonna lie, I haven't done much of anything on this lately. But I know you're right. I just worry that I might still have trouble even if I do learn it. And I have no reason to learn it other than for this, so I worry that I might be spending a lot of time on something I shouldn't be doing when I'm relatively busy lately.

@Voyhkah: okay, I uploaded the SDK for the RFCE version I am borrowing from:

http://www.mediafire.com/?z0qgv2d6jxicu9x

I actually made a mistake in my last post. I am actually trying to get the settler map system, in its most basic form, from this version of RFCE into my mod. This basically tells each civ where it likes to settle, and what areas it will fight over, etc. I do not want much else from RFCE (at least not now)- I want to start simple and have a choice in what I add and don't add. I'd like the borrowings to be inserted into the latest BTS sdk.

I have downloaded Head First Java and will start reading tommorow.

~~~

I will post a thread on the debug error message. Though I am most worried about understanding error messages- I don't see how anything useful could be gathered from the error message I got. I will edit in the link.

thanks for any help
Kevin

 

[Voyhkah]

I have to admit, I know nothing about this error. This error happened before it even started reading the files, I think. Therefore, it is not a coding error of any sort, and I still don't understand some of the Visual Studio settings. I looked at your Properties, but couldn't find anything different from mine, except that yours was a Final Release and had no debugging information. I'm going to ask my friend who's better with this stuff about this.

 

[kevinman4404]

Hey,
I will check everything over tonight, though you probably don't have to compile it, just there to borrow from.
I will get back to you soon,
Kevin

 

[Baldyr]

This idea of yours to simply hijack the RFC Europe DLL for your own mod, and then try to disable all the mod specific part of it... just sounds like a very, very bad idea to me. The proper way would probably have been to identify the parts that you need, and add those into a DLL of your own. But hey, I never even looked at the SDK stuff, so what do I know...

 

[kevinman4404]

@Baldyr: ha, that is actually exactly what I am trying to do. The RFCE dll is just to steal from

 

[kevinman4404]

Sorry about the long absence (my motherboard was actually dead).

@Voyhkah- have you had any luck? You only need to be able to compile the BTS sdk.

If someone can get this working, things would progress really quickly.

I now have everything installed for the Java and am starting to read it. But I have very little time to invest in learning programming, so it may or may not help get things working.

Kevin

 

[kevinman4404]

I have a feeling our latest helper is no longer able to do as he had planned...

In any case, I am confident I will soon, or someday, get things working. I am running some tests and taking things slowly. I am sure someday I will get past the current issues, only downside being it will take longer.

And of course we have history going on right now in Northern Africa: right now, the alleged arrest of Saif and Mohammed Ghaffadi, the alleged capture of Tripoli, and the dropping of thousands of leaflets and media interference by NATO.

Kevin

 

[Grishnash]

Hey Kevinman, sorry I am unavailable to help right now, or for the past while. The situation in Libya has taken all by attention away from side things like civ.
Now with the fall of the Libyan Government, we will have to work even harder then ever to restore freedom and prosperity and protect Gadhafi's legacy. The American-backed terrorists may have won the battle but they won't win the war, for good always prevail in the end (Or at least so I've heard&#8230

Spoiler :

You know, when NATO started bombing Libya, it was the police (SWAT) in Libya who were hunting down the terrorists there, just like any modern western nation. Imagine if there were radical terrorists with guns shooting up America on 9/11, would have Russia invaded America to stop the government from fighting them? And then lead the terrorists to overthrow America? I Think Not.
It deeply saddens me that in todays world such inhumanities can go so rampant without resistance… Where is our Churchill? where is our Roosevelt? where is our Stalin? Who will stop America?
Long live Colonel Gadhafi! Long Live the Libyan Jamahiriya.

I will wait to see when you release a beta or something, then see what I can do in terms of African info, till then, best of luck. I hope you don't give up on this, I still can't wait to play it


(PS: I'm not a radical extremist, merely an educated individual who actually knows what went down in libya )

 

[rightfuture]

Ever thought of teaming up with the cavemen to cosmos (c2c) team? They are very active in incorporating ideas and working on filling things out. I would love to see your idea come to light. I would keep an eye out on their project.

 

[kevinman4404]

@Grishnash: I think it is too soon to talk of rebuilding. I find it too peculiar that Ghaddafi's forces pretty much let the rebels have Tripoli, and that many were seen heading East before the "fight" for Tripoli even began. It was like they were just feining resistance, and I believe that it was a tactical move and that something is planned.

You are no radical extremist. Rather, you are extremely smart, and one of the few brave enough to share that view (and not be joking). While few people know as much as you about African history/politics, you are not the only one who is disturbed by what is going on right now in Libya.

And just like Libya Jamahiriya and everything else, NATO will pass one day. And that will be a day to celebrate.

Will get things working, someday soon, and will make sure you're a part of it!

@rightfuture: who knows I guess I can inquire. But I do need coding help. Everything else is just sooo easy to me.

For the next couple weeks, I will run some tests, and maybe try to do a couple lines of code and start a thread on here if I need help. OK so there's a plan!


UPDATE: the map format that RFC Europe uses (and I used up until now) is tied very closely to the DLL- the DLL allows that exact format. When I change the DLL, the map causes a crash. So, I now have the map compatible with normal BTS, and that will hopefully make things easier or even be the solution I was looking for. Will try some simple changes to the DLL now.