[c4:AC] Civcore.dll status

[Gavin Berchler]

I have looked for a changelog or status update from the sdk. Does anyone know what changes have been made.

All I get so far is that as soon as you found a city, the borders grow, instantly and that you have more than one of the same faction on any map.

Please can someone let me know whats up.. and if its still being developed.

[Peter Triggs]

I don't know what's been done but here's something to add to it.

A bloke at CFC asked "I think its a lot more realistic, if you can airlift only to cities with Airports (plus it is a requirement for the psi-gate for our mod). Can anyone help me work out how to do this?"

I think that this should do it:

bool CvUnit::canAirliftAt(const CvPlot* pPlot, int iX, int iY) const
{
	CvPlot* pTargetPlot;
	CvCity* pTargetCity;

	if (!canAirlift(pPlot))
	{
		return false;
	}

	pTargetPlot = GC.getMapINLINE().plotINLINE(iX, iY);

	if (!canMoveInto(pTargetPlot))
	{
		return false;
	}

	pTargetCity = pTargetPlot->getPlotCity();

	if (pTargetCity == NULL)
	{
		return false;
	}

	if (pTargetCity->isAirliftTargeted())
	{
		return false;
	}

	if (pTargetCity->getTeam() != getTeam() && !GET_TEAM(pTargetCity->getTeam()).isVassal(getTeam()))
	{
		return false;
	}

	//destination city must have airport
	if (pTargetCity->getMaxAirlift() == 0)
	{
		return false;
	}

	return true;
}

[Gavin Berchler]

Thanks, Peter. My flatmate TD was the one who asked that. Hopefully one of the guys managing the coding will add it in.

[N35t0r]

Do we want the instant border expansion? I think that gradual expansion works better...

[Gavin Berchler]

I assumed the instat border expansion was an error. i f not the civilzation 4 method is a lot better gameplay method..imho

[ForesterSOF]

Gradual expansion

[Impaler[WrG]]

Well theirs two methods for Borders, the Civ4 way by use of the "culture fountain" as I call it. This system is good with gameplay and has the advantage of being already implemented and coded. The downside is that it realy dosn't make much sense in the SMAC-verse.

In SMAC your landing on a hostile planet with an only semi-breathable atmosphere. The population lives Entirly in Airtight "Bases" and venture out only to gather resorces or to fight. Thus their is no real rural population, its 100% urban. The concept of "culture" when applied to the countryside is thus meaningless as the population is transitory. In Civ4 the plot culture could represent who the rural population is loyal too and trades with, but in the SMAC-verse all that matters is pysical control of territory. Thus the Civ4 model isn't realy logical.

On the other hand the SMAC style of imediatly expanding the border out to some pre-determined level and then squeezing in in when bases are close isn't very good as it can lead to a land grab strategy (though the Distance Maintance costs in Ci4 would help to counteract it). It also dosn't make much sense, why do you automaticaly loose that land just cause some other guy built a base, what if I dont want to give it to him?

I'm not shure adsactly how the model should work but I think it should have some of the following elements.

- Culture in quantity becomes a city concept, the open territory has a simpler "owner" rather then % for each player. This could be done by giving 1 point of culture to the owner and when ownership is transfered just removing the current point and giving a new point for the new owner.

- Ownership of land should be able to be transfered with military forces. At a minimum having your soldiars parked on land should give you ownership of it atleast temporarily.

- Some alternative method of border expantion should be involved, probably something linked with Improvment creation. Maybe you control all land adjacent to roads you build out to a particular number of movment points away from any Base. The growth would be more organic and be an interesting bit of strategy.

[Gavin Berchler]

in terms of culture, I was thinking that since most or the people will live in bases... there will still be some smaller self contained communities... eg farms etc which rely on the major cities for resources etc.

I like point 3 of impalers ideas:
Perhaps if we were to change the term culture to influence it will make more sense.. Influence will gradually grow after a newly formed base due to more farms being built... and other such improvements.

I think the existing civ4 version is great and I think that trying to change it for the sake of changing it is unnecessary.

Each base will still have an influence on the local area, even though there is no improvements there the base will still have control of the land.

I think we should keep the civ 4 until a later stage when we need to look at alternatives. I think its fun and its working!