Using Excel as a design tool

[Cyrion]

Re: Re: Re: A little progress...

Originally posted by Boco

My ToT computer isn't available. Does this file load? If not, could you send or post the error message? Thanks.

No, it doesn't!

The message is

Civ II - Fatal Error

Error "-5" in module "3" data: 0 0

[Boco]

Doesn't that mean the 1st entry in @IMPROVE?

NNothing, 01, 0, nil; 00/Nothing

Perhaps the "01". If you substitute "1" for it, does it give the same error message?

[Edit]I'm hoping to get my ToT PC back on line tomorrow, so that I can do my own debugging. Not fair to dump it on you.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Originally posted by N35t0r


Are you still working on that SW scen?

Over the summer yes.

[Cyrion]

Originally posted by Boco
Doesn't that mean the 1st entry in @IMPROVE?
Perhaps the "01". If you substitute "1" for it, does it give the same error message?

No change!

[Edit]I'm hoping to get my ToT PC back on line tomorrow, so that I can do my own debugging. Not fair to dump it on you.

Don't worry about that: as I intend to make full use of the finished tool, it's just fair that I provide a little help!

And it's not as if you were asking much...

[Boco]

Still no ToT.


How about adding a comma after "nil" before the semicolon? If that works, does "01" or "1" make a difference?

Thanks!

[Boco]

This file contains the comma edits. Let's see where the next error occurs.

[Cyrion]

Originally posted by Boco
This file contains the comma edits. Let's see where the next error occurs.

Sorry about the delay!

The error message changed to:

Civ II - Fatal Error

Error "-6" in module "3" data: 0 0

Not sure it counts as an improvement, but still...

[Boco]

No problem! I've got ToT running, now!

AFAIK, the error message indicates a problem in @UNITS. I've found a few, but haven't solved the problem, yet. Still working on it.

[Boco]

Okay, this at least loads on my PC. We're on to a new stage of debugging. So, here's both the Rules.txt file...

[Boco]

...I'll email you the file or post it in SL Wiki. Even zipped, it's too big here.

[Edit]Can you get it from here? [/Edit]

[Mercator]

I was error-checking the earlier rules file before you posted the last update... You fixed the @UNITS section already, but I found some more errors (though none of them fatal, as you noted):

• You shouldn't add anything, including commas or comments, at the end of a line in @DIFFICULTY, @ATTITUDES and @GOVERNMENTS. It'll show up in the Foreign Minister screen, or the Hall of Fame after retiring for the difficulty level. You could add comments on separate lines in between if you want to.
• You should add a comma at the end of each line in @RIVERS. Without it the spaces up to the semi-colon show up in the game

[Mercator]

The Excel file downloads okay from the wiki. It actually seems to mostly work on OpenOffice too (with macros switched on). It looks a bit screwed up in places, though. But only the saving doesn't work, I think, but you can copy-paste the Rules_Txt sheet into Notepad and save.

Are you going to add any value checking? E.g. prevent people from entering text in number fields, or illegal values like 0 hit points etc.?

Nice work, by the way.

[Boco]

Thanks for the feedback. I can start on that today.

There are already many cells with value checking (or "data validation" using MS jargon). Does that show in OpenOffice? For example, when you select the cell for "Road Movement Multiplier" on the "Cosmic" tab. You should see a list of allowable values (0-25). If you enter something outside of this range, you should get an error message.

There are many cells without data validation, because I don't know the ranges acceptable to Civ2 (e.g. modifiers for AI's desire to acquire an Advance).

[Edit]What's the max hp and fp values?

[Mercator]

Ah yes, I see the cosmic values get checked.

The maximum "normal" HP rules.txt value is 12, but values above that can still be interesting, because they can be used for "fractional" HP (i.e. hit points that aren't multiples of 10).

Civ2 calculates the real number of hit points by multiplying the rules HP value by 10 and casting it to a signed byte value (i.e. if it's >= 128, subtract 256 till it's < 128, or if it's < -128, add 256 till it's >= -128). That can result only in even numbers in the range -128 to +127 (so a maximum of 126). Negative numbers pretty much equate to 0 in that you die instantly if the opponent gets a shot, but they don't crash the game.

The easiest is to allow HP values 1 to 115. That covers the "normal" numbers as well as all possible positive fractional numbers. It covers some negative numbers too, but they're essentially harmless. If you want to exclude those too I can send you a detailed list.


Firepower can also be any value, and values higher than 127 also get reduced like hit points. But because HP values are multiplied by 10, entering an "out of range" number can actually get you a value you can't get otherwise. Since firepower isn't multiplied by 10, entering an "out of range" number simply gets you an in-range number you could've just typed in straight away.

Negative firepower seems to equate to large positive firepower.

Since 126 is the max hit points, any firepower values higher than that are useless, because 126 is all you can ever need to take out an opponent in one shot.

So the firepower range is 0 to 126.

[Boco]

Originally posted by Mercator
If you want to exclude those too I can send you a detailed list.

That'd be good!

Did Marick ever make a list of other values that could be manipulated? Movement is the only one that I've examined.