The Sea Kings!

[Gagliaudo]

one word: G-R-E-A-T !!!

To tell more: great idea (very original!), great map, great units choice (Fairline's...) :-)

keep on, guy, with every blessing!!!

[Boco]

Xls to assist hexing of ToT maps

EZRhino, I've been using this file to guide my terrain hexing efforts. It exploits the hard work done by Catfish, Mercator, Allard, and others to decipher the SAV file. It's not well-organized or intuitive, but it gets the job done. There are better hex-whizzes around, who should keep me from giving you any eroneous advice.

Basically, you enter the full coordinates and terrain characteristics for a square on any map, and the xls calculates the hex string that you should enter and where you should enter it. In this version you can then switch to AXE 2.0 and move to the corresponding location in the file. Enter the string (overwrite mode)), save the SAV file in AXE, then check the results by loading into ToT. Use lots of backups in this endeavor.

To start, open the file in Excel and click "Interface".


Before you begin to edit, you must enter the height and width of your map. I do this by using the coordinates of the bottom right square as it is found in ToT. Width = (x+1) / 2, and Height = y+1. Then find the transporter count by going to the offset in the SAV file (click "Find", which is a button found in the dialog but not on this screenie ). With these data entered correctly, you can use the "Jump to Offset" button to make your hex editor go to any specified square (map number, x and y coordinate). It helps to set AXE to a column width of 6 to view the structure easily.

By adjusting the remaining controls, you can determine the hex string that goes into the SAV file at the offset. To understand these better, check Catfish's Hex Guide.

Here's an example with pics below. On the left I've shown TileByter's calculations for square 99,109 on map0 in EAv2. On the right you can see what is already found in the file by AXE. The string "05 82 40 05 05 00" indicates that this is a mountain square with a transporter within the city radius of a Turkish city (Jiddah) on continent #5. The square is owned by the Barbarians (this may be a key to aggressive Barb behavior), and visible only to Turks and Barbs. The discrepancy between the Excel and AXE strings reflects a difference in visibility to the Allies. In Excel, the string indicates that the square is visible to the Allies, but not so in the AXE screenie.


One of these days *cough*, I'll update this with a better interface and swipe some hex writing code from Mercator.

It's actually easier to use than describe. If you want to post a SAV file with a terrain or visibility problem that you want to fix, then I'll work up a tutorial using that example.

[curtsibling]

Boco, you are a real CIV2 wonder!



I wish you and Merc would team up and create a full ToT scenario tech-tree/rules design suite!

[Boco]

Merc has already offered code, which I have lazily declined. His skill is substantially greater than mine.

I'm currently working on an Excel file that will write a complete Rules.txt. Theoretically, it shouldn't be too hard to call Merc's Tech Checker utility from this file. Occasionally, however, my RL experiences cause substantial deviations from theory.

Master Merc are you loaded with free time for designing Curt's dream?

Oh and by the way, here is the Excel file. Somehow I forgot to post it.

[EZRhino]

Sorry about not replying a bit sooner, I've just finished moving and havent really had time to visit the forums

Gagliaudo: Thanks for the compliments
Boco: Wow! I was experimenting alot with the frhed free hexeditor a while ago but I couldn't find the specific bytes for the tiles I wanted to cover up. But this is really imformative, I would really like to learn how to master hexediting savegames. I will post a save a soon as I get internet access at my new house(soon hopefully).

[EZRhino]

I get a script framework error when I hit the "interface" button. Probably because I'm running openoffice and not excel.

Here is a save anyway.

[EZRhino]

I recently exchanged a pm with Exile about the role of random barbarians in his scenario. It might make for interesting discussion.

"In your Age of Crusades scenario, I noticed that the turkmen hordes only seem to crop up in historical areas (e.g. Iran but not North Africa or Portugal). How did that happen!? I'm trying to work raging hordes into my late bronze age scenario, and Shosu bedu or hapiru are doable in Libya or the Levant, for instance, but don't really work in mainland greece. Did it take some trick to manage that, or is it just a happy coincidence? Anyway, thanks in advance. Love to hear back from ya. -Erin"

The various guides on Civ2 make it clear that barbarians will only be generated in areas that are free of cities. The real question is, "How BIG an area" does one need to generate them? The way things worked in AoC was a happy coincidence, but achieved with a purpose and the limitations in mind. Trial and error had its place as well. Historically, Western Iran during the medieval period was an entry point for steppe nomads from beyond the oxus, so it worked out well. Although I complain about the inflexibility of the game, it really does do well with a historical situation if one plans and places correctly. You should consider starting these kind of discussions in the forum. I bet some of the others would chime in.

I read Kull's barbarian papers and I've planned out the unit slots with this in mind. One question I'm left with is whether barbarians will appear in areas behind frontier barbarian cities? Or just near player cities? In Syria for instance, the barbarians start with control of a line of cities representing desert nomads and mittani hurrians, since they are relatively close to the Canaanite and Egyptian cities will they form a buffer that absorbs random barbarian uprisings?

Another thing I was wondering was whether barbarians will spawn on tiles that are impassible to them? Perhaps they will, and then move to available passable terrain with their first move? What if vast sections of the map are uniformly impassible?

Besides placing cities is there a way to contain or displace barbarian uprisings in certain places? denominator=1 moveto event maybe?

Food for thought

[techumseh]

Originally posted by EZRhino


Another thing I was wondering was whether barbarians will spawn on tiles that are impassible to them? Perhaps they will, and then move to available passable terrain with their first move? What if vast sections of the map are uniformly impassible?

Definitely not. If vast sections are impassible, then they will not appear there.

Besides placing cities is there a way to contain or displace barbarian uprisings in certain places? denominator=1 moveto event maybe?

From my experience with Warlords of China, I can tell you that barbarians seem unaffected by moveto events. However, barbarians can be created by events, which is the surest way to get them to appear exactly where you want them.

[EZRhino]

A question for the civilization magusoi: How does one place player civ units in a barbarian occupied cities?

[techumseh]

Just use the cheat menu. Hit "Create Unit", then down at the bottom, "Foreign". Select the civ (including barbarians) that you want.

[EZRhino]

Yea, I just was noticing that I couldn't see the units I was placing. Doesn't mean they aren't there

[techumseh]

Right! When it's their turn they will move, and promptly attack the city they just came from....unless you hex edit an alliance with the barbs. In which case, you should talk to AGRICOLA.

[EZRhino]

Does anyone know if Leonardo Davinci's functions properly for the barbarians? Do givetech events work for barbarians?

[EZRhino]

Yet another question. Do barbarian trireme flagged ships ever flounder? Even randomly generated pirates?

[Patine]

First, barbs lose a tech they're given the following turn. Whether this disables effective Leonardo, I don't know. Second, I've followed barb triremes before with the map revealed and NEVER seen them sink.