Fixing SMACX Bugs

[vyeh]

This is similar to Darsnan's bug in #295 above.

SMAniaC gives conventional payloads psi attack. When these conventional missiles attack a 0-3-6 transport, they attack at 1-3 odds instead of at 1-1 odds. In other words armor is taken into account in a psi attack.

See this post for a little bit more info.

If you go down this path, I can create a save to illustrate this.

[scient]

This is similar to Darsnan's bug in #295 above.

SMAniaC gives conventional payloads psi attack. When these conventional missiles attack a 0-3-6 transport, they attack at 1-3 odds instead of at 1-1 odds. In other words armor is taken into account in a psi attack.

See this post for a little bit more info.

If you go down this path, I can create a save to illustrate this.

If you can setup a saved game in default SMAX that would be cool. It looks like I'm going to have to have a once over "attack/defend" code like I did with probe stuff.

Again, normal weapon and defense strengths are completely irrelevant to psi combat—a tiny Unity rover of Hardened status would be more likely to survive than a singularity cruiser of Disciplined status.

So there is definitely something wrong there.

The Neural Amplifier Secret Project gives its faction a +50% psi defense bonus. The Dream Twister Secret Project grants a +50% psi attack bonus.

This should make tracking down section of code easier since all secret projects have hardcoded offsets that store which faction controls it.

[vyeh]

If you can setup a saved game in default SMAX that would be cool.

I tried a psi needlejet against armor and it behaved correctly.

I took default SMAX and edited the alphax.txt file to produce a conventional payload that used psi attack.

#WEAPONS
...
Conventional Payload, Conventional, -1, 0,12, -1, Orbital,
...

I made a save of a Gaian conventional missile (with the psi attack) attacking a Cybernetic plasma coastal. If you look at the screenshot, you'll see that the strength of the cybernetic plasma coastal is psi (1) times the plasma armor (3) instead of just psi (1).

Let me know if I can set up any other saves for you.

This was Darsnan's bug:

A Gaian <12>/?/6 interceptor was defending a base. Darsnan's 13/1/12*3 attacked the base.

Because of the ? armor, it forced psi combat, where Darsnan's 13 attack and 3 reactor was ignored. So Darsnan's shard penetrator attacked at strength 1 modified by morale (+37%) and planet (+10%) for a total attack strength of 1.51, so the ? psi armor of the defending unit forced psi combat, which is what you expect (psi combat is forced if the attacker has ? attack or the defender has ? armor).

The Gaian interceptor defended with psi (1) multiplied by morale (+50%) multiplied by its attack strength (12) to get 18! In a situation where an attack plane attacks a plane in a base, you would expect one of two situations:

(1) The plane is on the ground so it defends with its armor (this would certainly have been the case if a ground unit had attacked it), in which case there shouldn't have been a multiplier for attack strength; or

(2) The plane in the base and the attacking plane fight comparing each plane's attack strength. But since this was psi combat, the attack strength of the <12>/?/6 should have been 1 multiplied by morale (+50%).

[vyeh]

Note this post and response regarding negative resource icons.

[scient]

Note this post and response regarding negative resource icons.

Oh nice, if I had modified version I could then tinker around to get it working.

Also, will have a look at saved game thanks.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

No refunds.

Took almost as long to find the file as do the work.

I hope this is the right one. Note that I had to move two boxes, the column immediately to the right, to make room for the new icons. I hope that doesn't mess anything up.

...I figure you guys now owe me some faction graphics comments in the creation forum. Especially you, vyeh.

[Updated zip moved downthread. Keep reading..]

[Darsnan]

I hope this is the right one. Note that I had to move two boxes, the column immediately to the right, to make room for the new icons.

Thank you for doing this for the community. I'll see about posting some feedback on your graphics here in the next few days.


Bug: When a naval ship equipped with Marine Detachment captures another ship, the voiceover says "Pod Recovered". I'm not sure there is a voiceover for a succesful Marine Detachment operation, so we may be stuck with this.

D

[scient]

Thanks will have a look at icons tomorrow and see if I can get them working.

Bug: When a naval ship equipped with Marine Detachment captures another ship, the voiceover says "Pod Recovered". I'm not sure there is a voiceover for a succesful Marine Detachment operation, so we may be stuck with this.

There isn't. In fx folder, all the wav files starting with "CPU" are messages in game. If someone could exactly emulate CPU voice, I wouldn't be against adding it in.

[Darsnan]

There isn't. In fx folder, all the wav files starting with "CPU" are messages in game. If someone could exactly emulate CPU voice, I wouldn't be against adding it in.

Maybe just change it to the "Combat Report" message instead? That would at least be more acccurate.

D

Edit: btw thats so cool about the Believers music: great catch and fix!

[scient]

Took almost as long to find the file as do the work.

I hope this is the right one. Note that I had to move two boxes, the column immediately to the right, to make room for the new icons. I hope that doesn't mess anything up.

...I figure you guys now owe me some faction graphics comments in the creation forum. Especially you, vyeh.

Buster, a few changes. Sorry I should have been clearer about specifics. None of the original colors should be altered. Whatever program you saved the output with is altering the background. That pink color is important and usually used in programming as invis background in images that don't natively support transparency. Also, I doubt it's important but I'd leave the turquoise color for grid. I did a test with Photoshop CS4 and it saves the pcx format correctly. I imagine CS2/3 do as well.

I really need to have all the nutrient/mineral/energy icons in a horizontal row from negative to positive. So, -8+ at far left (begining) and 8+ at far right (end). Also, you can increase the images size that isn't a problem. You just need to keep the icons in 40x40 boxes. I'd recommend expanding image size on right hand side then shifting the "vehicle" / "tool", "gaian"/"keepers" sets and those numbers over. Perserving the spaces between them makes editing the starting x coord easy. Don't worry about creating "dead" space.

Good job with icons, it will be a nice addition to the game.

Maybe just change it to the "Combat Report" message instead? That would at least be more acccurate.

Good point, I'll look into it.

Edit: btw thats so cool about the Believers music: great catch and fix!

[scient]

Bug: in an artillery dual ships in shallow water can get an altitude bonus over ships in deep water.

I found the code that toggles this. I can add a check that would negate any kind of altitude bonus if both squares are ocean regardless of level (trench, ocean, shelf). Would this be the correct behavior?

It looks like this function handles all the combat/defensive bonuses so are there any others that I should look at?

Cosmetic bug: if a unit equipped with nerve gas pods attacks a city but the defender wins, the pop-up blurb states that there are massive casualties in the city. However because the defender won the battle there are no "massive casualties".

Fixed.

Darsnan's bug also occurs when an amphibious unit on a transport in a ship in deep water attacks a base in shallow water (in this case the defender gets a bonus) in SMAniaC where land units get bonuses if there is an attitude difference.

What is modded to toggle this behavior?

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Buster, a few changes. Sorry I should have been clearer about specifics. None of the original colors should be altered.

You don't mean un-darken the icons, do you?

Whatever program you saved the output with is altering the background. That pink color is important and usually used in programming as invis background in images that don't natively support transparency. Also, I doubt it's important but I'd leave the turquoise color for grid. I did a test with Photoshop CS4 and it saves the pcx format correctly. I imagine CS2/3 do as well.

You're not just assuming this because the background is bluish-purple now, are you? PhotoShop 5 does that automatically when I load the pallette- it's the SMACX default background, and it's easier on my retinas, too. I checked, and my copy of SMAC doesn't have a problem with it.

But I did darken the icons more than once, and could have missed a background change.


-So it's rearrange the boxes and put the pink back, right? Doesn't sound too tough. I should have something for you before I go to bed if the server here stops acting up.

[scient]

You don't mean un-darken the icons, do you?

No, darken icons are fine.

You're not just assuming this because the background is bluish-purple now, are you? PhotoShop 5 does that automatically when I load the pallette- it's the SMACX default background, and it's easier on my retinas, too. I checked, and my copy of SMAC doesn't have a problem with it.

But I did darken the icons more than once, and could have missed a background change.


-So it's rearrange the boxes and put the pink back, right? Doesn't sound too tough. I should have something for you before I go to bed if the server here stops acting up.

Well, it really should be pink. But ya, lining them up would be cool then it's just a matter of extending loop to parse them into memory.

[vyeh]

Re SMAniaC altitude bonuses:

The original values in alphax.txt were 0

#RULES
...
25, ; Combat % -> for attacking from higher elevation
10, ; Combat penalty % -> attacking from lower elevation

[scient]

Re SMAniaC altitude bonuses:

The original values in alphax.txt were 0

#RULES
...
25, ; Combat % -> for attacking from higher elevation
10, ; Combat penalty % -> attacking from lower elevation

Ok, got it. Downhill/Uphill bonuses, right? And I'm correct in negating these bonuses if both squares are ocean? I'll skim through this bonus code and see if I can find any others.