PROJECT: Playtest

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by J Bytheway
Would you like me to take over the compiling and posting of playtest versions? I didn't have enough free time before, but I should now.

Yes, I would be happy if you could to it, I just did it because noone else had done it. You can also include the map plugin *.dll's, as these *.dll's ouldn't bouce the game to the desktop just to make sure that the user confirms the disclaimer.

Everything you need should be in the source files pack except the playtest readme.

Another think I like to ask you is to look into the rush build bug issure to check if every file that was altered for it is indeed in the source files pack, as you did the fix and therefore you are the best person to find out if something is missing.

Originally posted by drulius
It loaded into a completely black map, I assume it was the location of the "second" civ but I couldn't see the settler. When I hit end turn, my view jumped back to the "first" civ but the AI was still controlling it, it built a city and it got all the "free" ai bonuses. After the beginning of the turn phase, I could browse the city screens and change things, but when ending turns, the ai would take over and "run" the civ again. I can only assume that the settler of the civ I chose through the scenario editor was just standing there waiting for orders...

I expected something like this, in the lasted playtest version the view is correct, that has to do something that I removed some code that I thought was needless, because the stuff was already done. But the rest happens also with the current playtest version.

Originally posted by drulius
Another thing, while in the scenario editor I turned off fog of war, so when I made the second save the whole map was visible to me. But after the reload I was back in the dark, except for where the settler of the "first" civ had started the game.

I don't know how it is handled in Activisions patch. Therefore no idea if it should be fixed. At least so fast. But maybe, as the view is already correct this is already fixed.

Originally posted by Dale
Hey guys.

How are things looking for CTP2? Any timeline for a non-testing release?

If you would help us we could be much faster in setting up a timeline for releasing CTP2 v.1.2.

-Martin

[Flinx]

Originally posted by Dale
Hey guys.
How are things looking for CTP2? Any timeline for a non-testing release?

The playtest is very playable , just as playable as the 1.11 game
Pathfinding is MUCH improved in the latest version
Try a few games with the latest playtest and if you have any crashes or problems pass them along because that is the only way people will know they exist and how to fix them

[Maquiladora]

Heres a MP game that me and EPW couldnt complete.

Everytime i scrolled or clicked on the minimap to look at EPW's border (blue) i would crash to desktop. When i opened it in SP after the game i couldnt even save it without CTD.

The installation we used was,

ctp2
official patch 1.1
ctp2_playtest2003121401.zip (first playtest).

As i said, i couldnt save it manually, so heres the autosave.

[EPW]

Here's my saved game incase Maq's doesn't work. First time I have uploaded a file so I don't know if it will work.

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann
Yes, I would be happy if you could to it, I just did it because noone else had done it. You can also include the map plugin *.dll's, as these *.dll's ouldn't bouce the game to the desktop just to make sure that the user confirms the disclaimer.

Everything you need should be in the source files pack except the playtest readme.

OK, I'll do my best.

Another think I like to ask you is to look into the rush build bug issure to check if every file that was altered for it is indeed in the source files pack, as you did the fix and therefore you are the best person to find out if something is missing.

I've checked and all the changes I made are still present (although they don't conform to the new ACTIVISION_ORIGINALing standard). Other changes made since might have invalidated them, I suppose (I remember noting somewhere that someone had made further changes in this section...).

Maq has listed some other things that were previously fixed and aren't any more which should be looked into. See:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=111885

[J Bytheway]

I did a quick test and as far as I can tell the rush buy bug is fixed. Maq: Were you noting its existence in an SP game or an MP game? In either case, could you please give details of what you observed, thanks.

[Locutus]

John,
The current playtest setup is a bit confusing: first download Martin's (buggy) file, then yours, etc. Do you suppose you could release a new version of the playtest build when you have the time? A complete one with all the dll files, etc? I'd like to make a news item about this but it would be nice to have a simple working install process.

[J Bytheway]

Indeed, I'm one step ahead of you - I'm in the process of compiling it now (thought it would be best to recompile since I've just installed the new service pack, and I can include the last few days' changes).

My copy of VC++ is being extremely unstable (I was hoping the service pack would fix it, but no such luck...), so I don't think I can contribute much to the coding side until and unless I get that fixed, but compiling seems to be OK.

[Maquiladora]

I did a quick test and as far as I can tell the rush buy bug is fixed. Maq: Were you noting its existence in an SP game or an MP game? In either case, could you please give details of what you observed, thanks.

In MP it was still present, using Martin's, then your alternate exe. Not much to say other than it still works to do the rushbuy, you rush something on someone elses turn, then you rush it again on their next turn, then you get the next item in the build queue rushed for free, and you keep rushbuying for "0" everytime on someone elses turn and get the second item in the build queue for free.

If you can go ahead with this new build ill try and get a MP game with the new one, see how that goes. I can write a better observation then.

[J Bytheway]

OK, I've uploaded a new, complete, version. I tested two turns of play, and a save and a load.

If you do a clean install to use this, then please don't install the official v1.11 patch (or any of the other zips lying around) first, because you shouldn't need to, and I'd like to see if it works without it.

This is compiled with the new service pack installed, so it might have new compiler optimisations and so forth. Also, it probably works better under Windows XP, but that's just a wild guess.

[Edit: This version removed]

Edit: This version now obsolete, the next version is available here.

[J Bytheway]

Maq: That's a different rush buy bug from the one I fixed (which had to so with rush buying on different screens in the same turn) - are you sure that the one you describe was really fixed in the older playtests? If so, it was probably a side effect of some other change, so it will be difficult to track down...

[Edit: The following paragraph no longer applies (I've removed the offending file)]

I just read a comment by Martin which means this may slightly mess up non-english versions of the game, because I included one file (appstr.txt) I shouldn't have (since it varies with language), so you might not install the version I just posted on a non-English version of the game. I'll replace the zip with one excluding this file ASAP.

[Locutus]

Excellent I'm at work now so can't test but will do so ASAP.

[J Bytheway]

I've removed appstr.txt (use same link above), so you can feel free to install over non-English versions now.

[Maquiladora]

Maq: That's a different rush buy bug from the one I fixed (which had to so with rush buying on different screens in the same turn) - are you sure that the one you describe was really fixed in the older playtests? If so, it was probably a side effect of some other change, so it will be difficult to track down...

The rushbuy button i used to test with your "alternate exe" playtest was only the one on main interface when you select a city.

The method with the main interface one has never been fixed then AFAIK.

When me and EPW played recently (using 1st playtest) the rushbuy bug on the main interface was still working using the method i described, rushing on the other players turn.

Personally i think ALL rushbuy buttons should be disabled when its not your turn anyway, firstly because of the rushbuy bug its an easy fix, and secondly, if youre the last player in the play order, when you rushbuy something on someone elses turn, it takes 2 turns for it be ready anyway, so when you rush on their turn you dont get the rushed item on your next turn.

Turn 300 - Player A's turn - Player B rushes a Cavalry.
Turn 300 - Player B's turn - No Cavalry yet.
Turn 301 - Player A's Turn - /
Turn 301 - Player B's Turn - Player B gets the rushed Cavalry.

The only advantage of having the rushbuy buttons enabled on someone elses turn is so that the first player in the order can do the rushbuying on the other players turn to save time. Id rather have them all disabled if it meant a fix.

[J Bytheway]

I think I agree with you, but I'm not sufficiently familiar with the MP aspects to do that easily. Can you suggest some other button which is disabled when it's not your turn which I could copy code from?