CivDip 2.2 and 3.0: Preview

[yaroslav]

Here you can see how the auto-map feature window looks like

[germanos]

Hmmm,

ST informed me about the Beta version...

I have a few issues with that program. Should I post them here or mail you, Yaroslav?

[yaroslav]

The way you prefer it

If you want to be a betatest, only tell me

[germanos]

PM and mail send.

I'm off to bed now

[yaroslav]

PM and mail sent back

See you tomorrow (or the day after)

[yaroslav]

Current status:

Beta phase 2. The second beta is in betatesters' hands and I hope there will be no more problems.

------
Features added while betatesting:

*Great Library effect simulated.
*Barracks are now sold if you get Gundpower or Mobile Warfare.

and some bugs corrected.

[SlowThinker]

Barter window
>And demmands from you Great Leader,
demands - one 'm' only

>an unit: Caravan at <134,56>
I suggest to omit 'an' completely

I propose one blank line between 'offer' and 'demand' sections
and to omit the line with gold if 0 gold

'Next' icon
'Please select your leader name', 'Please select the leader name' sections:
It is hard to enable the 'next' button. If I click the first (default) option again and again, nothing happens. I must click on another option, then reclick the wanted one.

Unit giving
Some explaining text in the window would be good: for example it is not clear if the user is offering or demanding units.

City giving
An unimportant thing:
the program offers too much of info fot the user: the order in which opponent cities were built. The Find City feature of Civ2 lists cities in alphabetical order only.

Documents folder as default
I hate the fact that the Documents folder is the default one. If Java don't allow to change this, can't you allow to use .net and .dat files as parameters? Only .net file (one parameter) - make barter, both .net and .dat files (two parameters) - view barter.

[yaroslav]

Thank you, ST. BTW, I've made a little update, but it doesn't cover your points. Let's see your points one by one

Originally posted by SlowThinker
Barter window
>And demmands from you Great Leader,
demands - one 'm' only

>an unit: Caravan at <134,56>
I suggest to omit 'an' completely

I propose one blank line between 'offer' and 'demand' sections
and to omit the line with gold if 0 gold

Yes. It will be corrected in the next BETA/the release if there is no more BETAs.

'Next' icon
'Please select your leader name', 'Please select the leader name' sections:
It is hard to enable the 'next' button. If I click the first (default) option again and again, nothing happens. I must click on another option, then reclick the wanted one.

That was the interface bug I told you, the betatesters, in the original .txt document. I'm working at solving it

Unit giving
Some explaining text in the window would be good: for example it is not clear if the user is offering or demanding units.

Ok... In fact, there is a label that says "Unit given" but it doesn't display correctly. I'll try to fix it.

City giving
An unimportant thing:
the program offers too much of info fot the user: the order in which opponent cities were built. The Find City feature of Civ2 lists cities in alphabetical order only.

Is that important for any reason? I mean, is that info useful for anything excep hex-editing?

Documents folder as default
I hate the fact that the Documents folder is the default one. If Java don't allow to change this, can't you allow to use .net and .dat files as parameters? Only .net file (one parameter) - make barter, both .net and .dat files (two parameters) - view barter.

I can't change it - it's a JAVA thing... I don't understand your second point though (about the .NET and .DAT files). Could you clarify it, please?

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help and to the others betatesters too

[SlowThinker]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your work on the CivDip.

Originally posted by SlowThinker
the program offers too much of info fot the user: the order in which opponent cities were built. The Find City feature of Civ2 lists cities in alphabetical order only.

Originally posted by yaroslav
Is that important for any reason? I mean, is that info useful for anything excep hex-editing?

It helps you to uncover ACNs (all-inclusive city numbers) - the order in which cities of all civs were founded. With knowledge of ACNs you can determine when cities change supply&demand and which your cities will suffer from additional unhappiness due to number of cities.

I don't understand your second point though (about the .NET and .DAT files). Could you clarify it, please?

I want you allow command-line parameters. If I will run the following command
civ2dip.jar bab_b3090.net Assyriansb3061.dat
then Civ2Dip will know the file to open is bab_b3090.net and the barter to work with is Assyriansb3061.dat (it is supposed bab_b3090.net and Assyriansb3061.dat are in the same folder as civ2dip.jar). This way the user will be allowed to skip two initial windows.

[yaroslav]

@ST

City Numbers

I'm not sure whether it's easy to order the cities alphabetically or not. I'll give it a shot rigth now.

Command Line

Good idea. However, I've just discovered that there is an API in Java to store user preferencies and I'm rigth now checking a way to store the last path used... and use it again

I'll keep you inform.

[yaroslav]

I've made another beta of Civ2Dip, that you can get as usual

New features:

*Civ2Dip now remembers your last path, so if starts from there (no more "My Documents" again).
*English a little polished.
*A new label (units given) added in order to easy the work.
*A little problem with the Repair feature interface (noticed by germanos) fixed.
*Cities ordered by name in the City given window.

The interface problem is hard to solve

[yaroslav]

Yet another beta version

* Little problem with Repair function corrected.
* French translation added.

[SlowThinker]

A small problem, probably for next version:

I must express some doubts to the automap feature and to exchange of a map of a single civ (I would prefer to see exchanging rectangles in place of it). A player get some additional info:
For example, if I get Babylonian map and I see a square on the Babylonian border is at distance 15 from the nearest Babylonian city, then I know there is no city (of any civ) at distance 14 or lower from that square.

[yaroslav]

The thing is that undiscovered cities doesn't have any influence on the map, so the map could be quite inexact... For instance, in a real map World where there are two civs in America, USA and Argentina, Argentinian map will show all America as Argentinian as long as Argentian civ doesn't found Washington or any other American city.

[Shaka Naldur]

the map feature is awesome!!!!