Try playing an NONCONVERTED PC Scenario/ModPack

[MacUser]

Yesterday I discovered that THE DEITY's Gwani scenario (modpack by ACS convention) plays WITHOUT conversion on my iMac! I was trying to perform the conversion using the Convert Scenario AppleScript, and I wasn't sure that it worked as the sound files were still .wav files and the text files appeared unmodified. So I took the folder, tossed it into the MPG Scenario folder and it WORKED!

Now, I wondered what would happen if the "unconverted" original PC files (including BMP, WAV and TEXT) were placed straight away into the Scenario folder...IT WORKED TOO! What's up with that?

I queried THE DEITY to see if he did anything special to allow this. He wrote back that he thought that in general, PC scenarios should be Mac compatible. (a nod to THE DEITY, he told me that a couple of months ago and I didn't try it! Shame on me! ).

Unfortunately, I have not been able to access the ACS DB to try other files to confirm this ability. So, please give a PC download a try and tell us what happens!

Caveat: I am using Civ II MPG ver. 1.1.1 on an iMac running OS 8.6 and QuickTime 4 Pro. The ability to easily read PC file types may be dependent on the OS and QT version that you are using.

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Different is GOOD!

AOL IM--JacSamDad


[This message has been edited by MacUser (edited March 14, 2000).]

[Smash]

I have 8.5.1 and Quick 3.0 with no problems

[finbar]

I downloaded the 20thcent.scn from the database to see what would happen. Finished up with 2 files (.scn and .txt) and when I tried to open them was offered QT as a means. QT didn't want to know them. And Civ didn't even acknowledge their existence.

So I dropped them into my Civ2MacFilter2 and got what I wanted ... a perfect working scenario.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591

[MacUser]

So am I the only one amazed by this? Anyone else tried playing "nonconverted" scenarios and "modpacks"? If this pans out, it would seem that there is little need to post "conversions" for MPG!

(Note: this was written in response to Smash, prior to reading Finbar's report.)

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Different is GOOD!

AOL IM--JacSamDad


[This message has been edited by MacUser (edited March 15, 2000).]

[finbar]

Oh, and I'm running 8.5 and QT 4.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591

[MacUser]

I downloaded "The 20th Century" scenario by Kryptocub from the DB and placed the expanded folder (two files: 20thcent.scn and 20thcent.txt) into the MPG Scenarios folder following the path: Civilization II Files/Scenarios/20thCentury. I then launched the Civ app and began a scenario, selecting the 20thcent.scn file. The scenario opened and played as one would expect. I selected the Brits, broke an alliance with the Americans and pissed off Hitler.

Finbar, was this the same scenario that you tried?

This really doesn't surprise me as much as the Gwani scenario/modpack. The 20th century scenario is really just a saved game, and loading should be similar to loading a saved single or MP game from a PC. I do that all the time in the Play By E-Mail game with Kengel et al. What makes the Gwani unique is that it contains game and events files along with .wav and .bmp files (sound, units cities etc). I thought that this was where the conversions were critical.

I would like to try this with a "ModPack", but I can never access the DB server! Everytime I try, the download progress bar just sits and waits until something times out or I give up. Any suggestions as to what time of day is best to attempt a DB download? The scenario went quickly with no problems. I assume that the modpacks are more popular and thus the server is constantly busy.

Note: I also successfully played the 20th Century scenario in the original singleplayer Civ II this morning. I made no modifications, just dropped the uncompressed folder in the Scenario folder following the path:
Civilization II Files/Scenarios/20thCentury.
I opened the scenario through the opened CivII application rather than by double clicking the scenario file.

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Different is GOOD!

AOL IM--JacSamDad


[This message has been edited by MacUser (edited March 15, 2000).]

[Wulf]

WHEN CONVERT?
It is true that "unconverted" scenarios will work on the Mac. All text files ".txt", map files ".mp", and scenario files ".scn" will work right of the bat.
(Scenario files?)
Image files ".bmp" and sound files ".wav" are another thing.
Personally I play with sounds off, so converting is only neccessary if there are image files.
so....
WHY CONVERT? (unless it is an image file)?

If you do use one of the conversion utilities to convert the file, it will change the type of file to a type that Finder and the Civ 2 application identifies. This means these files will have the right icon in Finder, and not some generic dog-ear document.
Also if double-clicking map ".mp" files in Finder will open the map-editor, but not open the map file, a limitation with the editor.
Double clicking scenario files ".scn" will open the scenario in Civ 2.

CONCLUSION
It's a question of hazzle. Do you want the hazzle all at once, by bits and pieces?

As for image files, and some of the text files, the image files need to be converted, and the whole package needs to be tested. The amount of times when a badly converted image file would ruin your whole experience dropped a lot with the 1.1 patch, but is still there.

[finbar]

Yeah, MU, the 20thCentury scenario was the same one I tried. After download, I had a zipped file. Unzipped, I had two white "dogeared" (to quote Wulf, above) files.

Civ didn't recognise them in any way, shape or form either inside the Civ Files Scenarios folder or outside it. Only after I used Civ2MacFilter2 could I run the scenario.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591

[finbar]

MacUser, I downloaded the Cuba Modpack (the one on top of the Modpack list) without a problem. Took about 10 seconds.

As with the Scenario download, after unzipping, I ended up with "dogeared" documents unrecognisable to Civ or anything else. Except for some which appeared as QT files.

Lumped everything (all 15 files) into a folder and dumped it into the Civ2MacFilter2, and, as with the Scenario, everything was appropriately converted.

I tried to play it twice. Playing didn't seem to be a problem, but when I tried to quit, the computer froze. Both times.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591


[This message has been edited by finbar (edited March 15, 2000).]

[Wulf]

Finbar wrote
>I tried to play it twice. Playing didn't seem to be a problem, but when I tried to quit, the computer froze. Both times.

Did it freeze at the "Do you want to quit?"-dialog?
If so replace the quit dialog text, and the retire dialog text in the (whats that file... game.txt?) relevant text file with what is in the original, shipped with the game text file.

[MacUser]

That sounds similar to the Amandeep Jawa instructions for changes to the Game.txt file. I'll wager it is those type of changes that the "Convert Scenario" AppleScript performs.

Now about the 10 second download: "WAAA! That's not fair! MOM! I want a cable access TOO! Finnie's Mom let HIM have one!"

I STILL can't get the ACS DB to start a ModPack download! What time of day did you get access? I've tried at least 4 times to download the Cuba modpack.

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Different is GOOD!

AOL IM--JacSamDad

[finbar]

Cable, MacUser? You gotta be joking. I've considered it, but there's only one provider in this country offering it for Macs and they're charging the earth with tough download limits. So I'm waiting for the other thing - D-something or other - to happen here later this year. Meantime, it's the good old dedicated modem phone line.

I downloaded about 10 minutes before I posted, which would be about 6.30pm East Coast time. It downloaded just as simply as the Scenario did. No problems at all. Must say it's nice to be able to download from this site now, too.

Wulf - thanks for the tip. I've been hearing about the freeze on quit problem in the normal Civ game, but never actually experienced it.

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finbar
Mono Rules!
#33984591


[This message has been edited by finbar (edited March 16, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by finbar (edited March 16, 2000).]

[MacUser]

Ah, I stand corrected! Chris, I didn't know/recognize your ACS UserName until just now! For those of us patient enough (or lazy enough ) to wait a while for an AppleScript to do everything, how hard would it be to write? Also, what were you referring to when you said that the "flavour" text would be lost?

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Different is GOOD!

AOL IM--JacSamDad

[Wulf]

>That sounds similar to the Amandeep Jawa instructions for changes to the Game.txt file. I'll wager it is those type of changes that the "Convert Scenario" AppleScript performs.

The "Convert Scenario" Applescript does NOT perform these changes, the Read Me only informs that this is a common problem when using PC scenarios.
Trust me, I wrote the script.
Losing myself in technicalities...
While it is possible to do this with the script...
1) Any flavour text would be lost.
2) Applescript is just to slow for it to be done. Noone wants to wait minutes for something to complete.

[Wulf]

>Chris, I didn't know/recognize your ACS UserName until just now!

It's a twist on my middle name. Use it for aliases.

>For those of us patient enough (or lazy enough ) to wait a while for an AppleScript to do everything, how hard would it be to write?

Hmm, dont know. Have not tried.

>Also, what were you referring to when you said that the "flavour" text would be lost?

For instance if the quit dialog says
"Sure you want to stop being almighty warlord of the whatshamacallems? Yes. NO"
then a generic change would remove the text specific to the scenario "almighty warlord" "whatshamacallem"