[C4:AC][Programming] Tech Tree

[Rubin]

The game reads the technology civilopedia entries from: CIV4GameText_Civilopedia_Techs.xml

Here's an example from some early work I did late November 2005:

[TEXT]
[Tag]TXT_KEY_TECH_CENTAURI_ECOLOGY_PEDIA[/Tag]
[English][TAB]Finding adequate sources of nutrients, energy, and minerals is the most immediate problem facing the colonists after Planetfall. An understanding of the basics of -Centauri Ecology- provides the new arrivals with the tools they need to begin shaping the world around them-how plants grow, what geological structures exist, and how natural energy sources may be exploited on Planet.[/English]
[French][TAB]...[/French]
[German][TAB]...[/German]
[Italian][TAB]...[/Italian]
[Spanish][TAB]...[/Spanish]
[/TEXT]

This should work just fine and be ready for implementation of translations. I suggest we add entries to the file, instead of replacing the existing entries.

The SMAC/X technology text is found in the file: techlongs.txt

(Note that this was before any patches were released and we may need to add interactive links and text formatting to the entries, but I haven't looked into how to doing that yet.)

The only issue when adding entries is getting the [Tag]TXT_KEY_TECH_CENTAURI_ECOLOGY_PEDIA[/Tag] correct. I'll see if I can post a list of all the technology names corresponding to how I named them in the TechInfo file.

---

ForesterSOF, does this answer your question?

Edit: Here's a list of all the technology names for use with the references:

CIV4TechInfos_type_reference

[ForesterSOF]

It will make it longer but will add the entries.

[Maniac]

Originally posted by PJayTycy
In smacx we don't have OR relations.

In the civ4 tech tree, lines are drawn for both OR and AND relations.

The problem with civ4's approach was: the smacx techtree didn't have any lines because all relations were AND.

If, for example for a C4:AC-Smaniac mod, you want to include OR relations, just tell me how you want them to be represented.

Ah yes I was indeed worried that if anyone wanted to further mod C4:AC after it's finished, making use of the Civ4 improvements, this change would make it harder. If that's not the case, no problem of course.

[ForesterSOF]

Here you go Rubin

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by ForesterSOF
Here you go Rubin

No file attached?

[ForesterSOF]

I deleated it after he got it.

[ForesterSOF]

here is the stratagy one

[Rubin]

Test version 01

Here's a test version of the work in progress:

Edit: File deleted.

The MOD includes:

1) All SMACX technologies
2) All prerequisite technologies set.
3) All build/conquer/discover/explore flavors set.
4) Entries for quotes to be added.
5) New technology descriptions.
5) New civilopedia text.
6) New "Sid's Tips" text.
7) 4 new colored sets of arrows/lines corresponding to the technology flavors.
8) Technology box colors derived from the technology flaver tags.
9) New background to the F6 screen.
10) An attempt at repositioning the technology boxes (not complete).

Note: This is not intended for actual gameplay, but you may browse the civilopedia, the F6 screen, mouse-over new technologies to research, etc.

Feedback is very welcome.

[mdbill]

Goes without saying... nice work Rubin, but I figured I better say it before I complain about it. I'm not sure how everyone feels in the C4AC project about how exact we copy the original SMAC. I'm in the camp that thinks it should be the same game, but with an updated interface. "SMAC 2007" Maybe I'm alone my camp? Anyway, my first impression of the new Tech tree is that is looks "dated". Yes, I know SMAC had a black background, but my camp believes we should have certain creative freedom. Not only does some kind of background image look fancier, much more importantly, the black ruins the shadows around the boxes. Simply making it anything-but-black will improve the look tremendously.

Oh, and there seems to be gap after Centauri Meditation.

[Rubin]

Originally posted by mdbill
Oh, and there seems to be gap after Centauri Meditation.

Haha, that is where I finally gave up on positioning the tech boxes. The gap is definitely not intentional; but I needed space on the grid to be able to move the boxes around without having to move the whole tree.

But all the technologies show up on the F6 screen, right?

[mdbill]

Originally posted by Rubin

But all the technologies show up on the F6 screen, right?

They all seem to be there. Even the SMAX ones (my camp also thinks we should have all of Alien Crossfire in the first release).

Another comment: When you click on the tech boxes, the color changes drasticly. It'd be nice to maintain the Conquer=red, etc. Just a different shade of red for selected boxes.

[Rubin]

mdbill, I am aware of the drastic color changes when you click on a technology. This can be modified; no problem, but I saw no point in tweaking this part until we would somehow come to an agreement as to what color scheme to apply. The current work simply uses the default SMAC/X colors.

(And check you PM box...)

[GeoModder]

Looking good. It seems like this mod has it's basics in version 1.52 according to the "txt_key_..." tags I find. Is it normal that the headers of the techquotes are displayed as "txt_key_..." tags? the explanation shows fine, it's just the header.

I don't know if the arrow-pointing from tech to tech (F6 screen) is automatic or can be done "by hand", but some of the lines overlap one another and make it eventually quite unreadable.

Also, if there's a way to let the technames be shown in two lines instead of a single line that would be better, as now they offen overlap the icon spots on the end of a technology window. AC technames are obviously too long.

[Rubin]

Ok, I ripped an image from the Command Nexus movie; scaled and cropped it to fit the 512x512 background graphics dimensions and had a quick look:

Edit: Image deleted.

The image looks awful, but this is just showing a non-SMACX-interlaced background. So, any suggestions for some kind of background image to the F6 screen?

(Also noticed that the explore arrows use an early graphics version; I need fix that.)

GeoModder, I used an early version of the TechInfo file (late 2005). The TXT_KEY_ tags displaying where the quotes should go is ok; I do not yet have the quotes implemented, so those displaying tags are placeholders.

And yes, the positioning needs work. The arrows are drawn automatically by the game and I think I've spent more than 20 hours trying to untangle the mess---and still... it is a mess.

[PJayTycy]

mdbill : the colouring of tech boxes currently works like this:
=> first I check which flavor has the biggest value and based on that I set 3 integers : iRed, iGreen and iBlue
=> in the code to colour the boxes, there are 3 possibillities:
--> tech already researched
--> tech on current research path
--> other techs
Based on this, vanilla civ4 calls code like: panel.setColor(123, 157, 178) with different values for the 3 possibillities.
I changed all of them to something like panel.setColor(128 + iRed, 128 + iGreen, 128 + iBlue) , still with different values for the 3 possibillities (ie: changed the 128 to 75 for researched techs, changed to 175 for techs on current research paths). So, it should still be a shade of the same colour, but lighter / darker.

geo: don't know about the missing txt_key tags. They are probably misspelled tags somewhere, normally all necessary text files are included in this mod.

geo : the lines are drawn automaticly in a very simple algorithm in python. It could be changed to suit or needs, but it's always difficult to create a clean looking smacx tech tree.

geo : don't know about technames on two lines. I'll remove the icons at the end of the window though, as they are used in civ to add pre-reqs techs that don't have the lines drawn.