CTP1: Forever Future 1.7 has been released

[quinns]

How does one install this new mod? I tried overwriting my existing folder but that didn't work... And I, also, applaud this massive effort to make CTP1 better!

I got it to work by just copying the "Default" and "English" folders (and their contents) from the "CTP Data" (Forever Future) folder to my existing CTP Data folder. It launches and runs now, but now everytime I "End Turn" it gives me a warning that reads "No name is not a known function". I click on the error and then it continues on until the next time I "End Turn" and I get the same error. If no one else is getting this I must not have fully copied right. Any suggestions?

[Max_Smirnov]

Make sure that you overwrite all the original files (any read-only files in the english and default folders? Is your OS copying all the subdirectories properly?). Make sure that you use no other mods (unless you EXACTLY know what you're doing). If you're using non-english version, overwrite the files from "english" folder over your relevant language folder, or set your game to use english (I'm not sure about that part, because I've never seen a localized CTP version; but there ARE some very important files in the mod's "English" folder, not just descriptions). If it doesn't work, try a new, patched install. That's all what I can think about now.

[quinns]

Make sure that you overwrite all the original files (any read-only files in the english and default folders? Is your OS copying all the subdirectories properly?). Make sure that you use no other mods (unless you EXACTLY know what you're doing). If you're using non-english version, overwrite the files from "english" folder over your relevant language folder, or set your game to use english (I'm not sure about that part, because I've never seen a localized CTP version; but there ARE some very important files in the mod's "English" folder, not just descriptions). If it doesn't work, try a new, patched install. That's all what I can think about now.

Thanks Max. I got it working earlier and was getting ready to post how I did it. I had an old version of CTP so I hadn't yet loaded the cctp 1.2 patch. Once I applied the patch and THEN copied your files over, it worked fine. But thanks for the detailed instructions. People have asked about the cctp 1.2 patch and where to find it. This link works right now "http://download.cnet.com/Civilization-Call-to-Power-Update/3000-18541_4-10029875.html" but who knows for how long.

[quinns]

Hey! I like it! I only played about 50 turns so I only saw a few of the changes. I especially like the concept (and look) of the Scout and Militia units. It's going to take me awhile to get used to the 10 production for woods instead of 20.... but I'll get it! I always liked woods, but now.... I have to... think about it... yah yah... think about it.

[Max_Smirnov]

Hah! I knew that all that hard work couldn't be in vain I feel that the forests are still a bit overpowered and they're still my favourite terrain (jungles give 10 prod, forests 15). The scouts were intended to allow for a "ruin rush" strategy... And generally encourage exploration, which earlier was pretty much a waste of resources.

[quinns]

I still like this game after 100 turns. I believe CTP-FF is a better game than both the original CTP and CTP2. I'll sign up for a multiplayer CTP FF free-for-all (no more than 3 or 4 players is my preference -- or a one vs. one or two vs. two??)

[Solarius Scorch]

Count me in. As much as my job allows anyway.

[quinns]

Alright Solarius. Sounds good. And, yeah, jobs... who needs them?! ... we do. Actually, PBEM doesn't require NEARLY the time devotion as does real time play (i.e. multiplayer). For example, I spend about 15 minutes a day playing -- and I'm in 4 ladder matches. Perfect format for the workin' man!

[Max_Smirnov]

That's great news, quinns! There is no better testing this mod than finally be able to the ultimate test, a MP game! I'd prefer if there was a fourth player - that makes for more interesting diplomacy. So, if anyone else is interested, please step forward
FFA seems like the best option. So, we'll be starting within a few days. I've sketched basic rules, please let me know what do you think about'em. Maybe we should create a new topic as well...?

Map: Huge
Players: 4 cpu + 4 humans. Humans are given random positions from 5. to 8.
Pollution: enabled
Bloodlust: disabled
Difficulty: Deity
Barbs: Raging hordes
Land Mass: 30%
Continent: 60%
Diversity: 60%
Temperature and Humidity: 50%
Goods: 70%

Winning conditions:
Free For All, any rules are open to diplomacy.
A winner is declared when all the other human players concede defeat (or are eliminated).

[quinns]

Looks good, Max. I like the settings. There are some good players on the CTP Challenge Ladder thread they may want to fill in for a fourth. Try pinging there.

Regarding the game... Here are a few things that I noticed while playing (i.e. constructive criticism!)

1. Rankings pop up every 20 or so turns, but they are meaningless ... something like "You are [null value] out of [knil] players ....". All the ranking messages are like that (not a big deal).

2. Grammar -- for example "Paris HAVE just built a Settler." Should be "Paris HAS just built a Setter." (but I think you already know this one - not a big deal.)

3. Catapults are slow... REALLY REALLY slow. They move one tile -- EVEN ON A ROAD! (just a comment, not a criticism.) I guess they may be good in a war of attrition where the enemy is VERY nearby...

4. I like the R-rated sprites (but some folk may not like their "children" looking at the semi-naked women). I hope you leave them in as they really do look good, but... for the prudish ones, maybe a fully clothed PG - rated version?? Ah, don't worry about it!!

5. You're right about how long it takes to advance scientifically... For example, I'm playing deity level against 7 other civs. It's 350 AD (turn 147), I'm the number 1 civ in most things... AND I JUST LEARNED HOW TO MAKE AN AQUADUCT! Actually, in that example, that matches history pretty well.

6. Nice touches throughout -- Militia, Scouts, Rangers -- (and, NO, not just because of the good looking sprites!!) Slowing the Knights down and making them more powerful and a little more expensive was good. I like the rankings if you could make them work.

7. The A/I needs some help, but it is pretty good on defense (stacks, not individuals). It needs a better offensive ability. And I disagree (and always have) with the placement of cities so far apart -- but this is debatable -- and the obsession with the A/I building ALL wonders.

8. I haven't got past Catapults so I can't comment on the rest...

9. Excellent work Solar and Max!

[Max_Smirnov]

Thanks a lot for the criticism - though it's actually more of a praise I'm baffled that the rankings do not work - they work fine for me... And I can't even really guess what's wrong, because I have just incorporated the Power Slics by Thomas P. (only somewhat repairing his grammar and locking the functions I didn't need/like). I couldn't imagine playing without Power Slics now since it introduces the "you have been bombarded" messages and blocks the post-battle messages so they pop up AFTER the battle animation had finished.

"HAVE built a Settler"... I'm pretty sure neither me or Solar changed that message from the vanilla game, had we...?

Militia, Scout and Ranger, Blueo is to be thanked for the sprites. Those French Mine R-rates include Mistress (or Missy) and the chariot, for example. I agree he's a better 3d artist Side note - I can't clothe Blueo's sprites, since I don't have his 3d files, and I wouldn't commit such a barbarity like erasing their nipples in photoshop

But enough about that funny business. Catapults - I did everything I could so they would be really inferior to cannons while retaining some serious firepower. They're invaluable against ships, and they do quickly raze cities. Mind you they're pretty cheap, too.
Slow scientific advancement helps militarist and builder players, they have much more time now to build cities, raise armies, wage wars and so on... I hated how the game just brushed over the antiquity and really started with the renaissance.

The city placement is a very complex issue. I think the computer crowds them a bit, but I've never claimed to be Sun Tzu of CTP I'll say it again, I'm not a genius coder. I won't ever be able to make the AI smarter, I just used Awesome AIP's mod, messed with the AI building priorities, and that's it.

Anyway, I'm eager to hear more from you, when you'll get to the mid-game phase

[John789]

Thanks for this mod, looks great.

However, i have a little bug. When there is a group of units and i try to select just one of them, the game crashes, go back to windows and i get this error message.

i.imgur.com/Sn6yw.jpg

Any idea on how this could be fixed ?

Thanks.

[Max_Smirnov]

Sorry, no idea... I've never heard of, much less encountered, such a bug. Just make sure that you have ALL the files. It seems like a missing file error...

[John789]

Well, i checked twice, i have all the files i don't know what could be missing.

Thanks for the quick support anyway.

[Max_Smirnov]

Hmm... What unit was that? There *could* be just that one graphic file missing And how did you select it, by r-clicking? I've just checked it, no problem there. I know the game had some issues with transported units. Well... I might have did something wrong while packing the mod, but no-one else seems to be experiencing that bug... Maybe the patch is to blame? Make sure it's 1.2, the 1.21 might be incompatible with Forever Future. I'm going to dispense the usual advice: reinstall the game, patch to 1.2 version and install the mod over it.
I wish I could just put my entire game directory on the server, so there would be no room for incompatibility, well, that'd be illegal though

[quinns]

Make sure you completely overwrite the CTP_Data folder with the Default and English folders of the FF mod. I had trouble too until I did this.

[John789]

Hmm i just tried CTP 1 without any mod, just a fresh install on W7 64 bits complete edition and i encounter the same problem. So your mod is perfectly fine, should have done this test before posting in this thread. Still don't know how to fix that though.

Again, thanks for the help you provided.

[Fonzo]

Ive just downloaded your mod and it seems great (even though I am only just reaching oligarchy). I just want to alert you about a little bug. When I try to read the Gameplay text about Autowar I get the following "They adapt and can 1:6,48>settle any....". I ibelieve there is something missing there. I hope it will not produce effects later on in the game.

[Solarius Scorch]

Ive just downloaded your mod and it seems great (even though I am only just reaching oligarchy). I just want to alert you about a little bug. When I try to read the Gameplay text about Autowar I get the following "They adapt and can 1:6,48>settle any....". I ibelieve there is something missing there. I hope it will not produce effects later on in the game.

Many thanks for bringing this to us. I admit there are such mistakes, since this is in fact more like a beta than a finished product, despite it being fully playable. In this case it is a broken link, which will in no way affect the game.

A new version of the mod is currently being produced, with several new units and an overhaul of late game dynamics... And hopefully with Great Library mistakes corrected. Further reports on such bugs will be appreciated.

[Fonzo]

*bump*

[Fonzo]

Many thanks for bringing this to us. I admit there are such mistakes, since this is in fact more like a beta than a finished product, despite it being fully playable. In this case it is a broken link, which will in no way affect the game.

A new version of the mod is currently being produced, with several new units and an overhaul of late game dynamics... And hopefully with Great Library mistakes corrected. Further reports on such bugs will be appreciated.

Thanks for taking such a work on this. It looks great and I will continue to post bugs as I find them. See you in the year 2300

Okej, here comes more error messages:

1. When I get the message of ranking I get the following "We are currently the leading civilisation in this category (out of [numo.value] civilized competitors)

2. When I get the message "Global Ranking" its just a load of gibberish.

[Max_Smirnov]

This is really strange. I guess there is some vital file missing in the download package, because the feature works perfectly for me and our testers... sorry for the inconvenience. I'll make sure this won't happen again in the update (which should be finished when our 4 players FFE game will give us more insights into the balance of the mod). My only consolation is that this isn't a part of the mod that was created by us.
Thanks for the feedback!

[Fonzo]

This is really strange. I guess there is some vital file missing in the download package, because the feature works perfectly for me and our testers... sorry for the inconvenience. I'll make sure this won't happen again in the update (which should be finished when our 4 players FFE game will give us more insights into the balance of the mod). My only consolation is that this isn't a part of the mod that was created by us.
Thanks for the feedback!

A couple of other things:
1. Some troop transports (especially the Zeppelin) are hell to load/unload. Is it possible to incorporate a load/unload button for specific troops?
2. The Hovercraft doesnt look nice (just a personal opinion, no critic) Would be nice to change its colours.
3. The ICBM. Real cool unit, but it behaves strangely. I used it (without nukes onboard) and launched it at another unit. It behaved like a normal long distance nuke and it didnt blow up afterwartds. I can still reuse it. Is this the meaning of this unit?
4. I havent seen it yet so I dont think you have it, but it would be wonderful with some cruise missiles :-)

[Fonzo]

This is really strange. I guess there is some vital file missing in the download package, because the feature works perfectly for me and our testers... sorry for the inconvenience. I'll make sure this won't happen again in the update (which should be finished when our 4 players FFE game will give us more insights into the balance of the mod). My only consolation is that this isn't a part of the mod that was created by us.
Thanks for the feedback!

Another thing, do you have a tech tree for this mod?
Another thing I would like to see is more governemnt types between 100-200 cities. As of now I got stuck with the environmentalists nuts until I got to Technocracy, just because I had problems with the number of citys I had under my control.

[Cuaich]

When I start the game with FF mod in place (all ctp_data removed and replaced) it freezes and I get the following error:

Paths Error: "civ3.ldl not found in asset tree"

Might this because I do not have it installed in the default folder, but rather "C:\Games\Call To Power"?

Thanks
Bruce

[Max_Smirnov]

This is strange, the mod worked for other people. Please try re-installing and patching the game to 1.2 version, and then overwriting it with the mod. And no, the folder name/location is completely irrelevant (myself I have like 3 working copies of CTP in separate folders, running various versions of the mod). Sorry that I can't help you more.

[Cuaich]

Thanks for the response, Max.

I have patched up to 1.21...might that be the issue?

Bruce

[Max_Smirnov]

@Bruce
Yup. The mod is compatible with 1.2, NOT 1.21. Sorry for that, but we learned about 1.21 after most of the mod had already been coded.
@Fonzo
To get the tech tree (.xls) please just email me (GSDioxine@gmail.com); I'll remember to include it into the update. As for the governments, the update will adress those issues; the large number of cities was meant as a special advantage to ecotopia which is sub-par in many areas anyway. The happiness penalty for large governments (60 or more cities limit) is 0.5 per extra city now, we might consider dropping it to 0.3 for 90+ city governments, so it would be less drastic.
Sadly, we can't do anything for easier loading aerial units; you need to use the sleep command for the units you want to load (building those airfields helps a lot, you know ). Hovercraft has a new, neat sprite already, much more real-looking, it will be supplied in the update. We cannot disable re-using of ICBMs for now, just treat their 2-tile non-orbital movement as them being transported by trucks or sth . Aside from that, I didn't quite understand your problem. When launched at the enemy, it blows up properly like a normal nuke. Cruise missiles (non-nuclear) won't really work in CTP, in my opinion.
Whoa, it was a long post. Cheers, everyone.

[Cuaich]

Thanks, Max. I'll create a second install and only patch to 1.2

Cheers
Bruce

[Fonzo]

@Fonzo
To get the tech tree (.xls) please just email me (GSDioxine@gmail.com); I'll remember to include it into the update. As for the governments, the update will adress those issues; the large number of cities was meant as a special advantage to ecotopia which is sub-par in many areas anyway. The happiness penalty for large governments (60 or more cities limit) is 0.5 per extra city now, we might consider dropping it to 0.3 for 90+ city governments, so it would be less drastic.
Sadly, we can't do anything for easier loading aerial units; you need to use the sleep command for the units you want to load (building those airfields helps a lot, you know ). Hovercraft has a new, neat sprite already, much more real-looking, it will be supplied in the update. We cannot disable re-using of ICBMs for now, just treat their 2-tile non-orbital movement as them being transported by trucks or sth . Aside from that, I didn't quite understand your problem. When launched at the enemy, it blows up properly like a normal nuke. Cruise missiles (non-nuclear) won't really work in CTP, in my opinion.
Whoa, it was a long post. Cheers, everyone.

Thanks a lot for those answers, I long to see the update.

When it comes to the ICBM it doesnt blow up in my version. Yes, it blows like a nuke and kills a lot of units, but the ICBM dosnt disappear. I can actually just fly it back to my city and use it time and time again. When playing the mod the first time (I didnt care about pollution) I just had one ICBM and nuked the hell out of everything whit the same unit, time and again. Would be great to find someway to have them self destruct, like the normal nuke.

Another thing I have a problem with is global warming. This time (the second time playing through the mod) I really do my outmost not to get any global catastrophe, but because of all the new techs, the Gaia controller wonder is far of on the tech tree. I dont use any Oil destilleries to avoid getting extra pollution, but my fellow 7 computer players produce enough pollution so that now I have only 10 rounds left until the first global catastrophe. Is there some way to clean up the computers pollutions, like some sort of city improvement (like the Aqua purifier) that can cactually make the global catastrophe counter move backwards?

Some other comments. How about some new tile improvements? I was thinking about a bridge to buil over water, like something 1-2 squares. Is that possible to implement? Also some sort of sentry guns emplacements that are totally non movable, standing in the same place and just shoots at everything that comes close.

Another thing that I would like is to see the airport tile improvement actually generate some gold, like the roads do.

Finally, I must say I love the new city improvments you have made for the underwater and space cities. Now they actually can start producing before you win the game

PS I will send you an email for the tech tree. Thanks a lot and thanks for making a fun game even better.