PROJECT: Playtest

[Aias]

I just started my first game and here are some random thoughts and observations:

-I like the new ruins types added to the maps. A small tweek, but it does help the visual interest.

-Some diplomatic messages disapperear too quickly. If an AI civ sends me a proposal, a few times I had it flash on the screen and then disappeared before I could respond. Most annoying.

-Once upon a time, there was a Barbarian warrior fortified outside of a city of mine. It kept using the expel command every turn and I kept getting the same sound over and over. Quite annoying. I ended up building a slaver and enslaving the Barbarian.

-Are there plans in the works for putting a unit updater into the game? I'm past gunpowser and stuck with a bunch of Hoplites.

-Is there a way to implement a countdown timer for feats of wonder? I was the first one to discover gunpowder and you get a bonus for 25 turns. It'd be great to have a countdown timer so you know when your bonus is over.

-Is there a way to disable the governors/mayors from building public works for you? I was saving up PW to build some mines and then the turn before I have enough PW I have governors planting fields everywhere.

-Do diplomatic receptions now work? They never seem to do any good, just a loss of gold.

I'm also curious what the guys are working on now. Another progress report would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Aias

Originally posted by Maquiladora
...\Call To Power 2\ctp2_program\ctp

Hmmm, it's not there. I'm running on Windows ME, could this affect the installation somehow?

Thanks

I don'T have it there either. I don't install games into the by default suggested directory, especially if they are so long for me CTP2 instead of Call To Power 2 is enough.

I think the userprofile.txt is generated on the first startup of the game.

Originally posted by Aias
-Some diplomatic messages disapperear too quickly. If an AI civ sends me a proposal, a few times I had it flash on the screen and then disappeared before I could respond. Most annoying.

I never saw this, in the standart game, only with some experimental slic code.

Originally posted by Aias
-Once upon a time, there was a Barbarian warrior fortified outside of a city of mine. It kept using the expel command every turn and I kept getting the same sound over and over. Quite annoying. I ended up building a slaver and enslaving the Barbarian.

The expel command on what? Only civilian units can be expelled. Or do you mean the pirate trade route command or pillage tile command?
How do you enslave a Warrior? You can only enslave settlers urban planers.

Originally posted by Aias
-Is there a way to implement a countdown timer for feats of wonder? I was the first one to discover gunpowder and you get a bonus for 25 turns. It'd be great to have a countdown timer so you know when your bonus is over.

Well of course if it is not already done somewhere. You just need to find someone who does it.

Originally posted by Aias
-Is there a way to disable the governors/mayors from building public works for you? I was saving up PW to build some mines and then the turn before I have enough PW I have governors planting fields everywhere.

Yes the mayors can be disabled, and actual normally they are disabled by default at least in my games this is so. They must be on the city screens. You can also find them on the city tab, over the rush buy button you have a pull down menue. If the mayor is enabled then you see also there a box with a cross in it click on the box and the mayor is disabled. Disabling all the mayors is in general a good idea, because in the current state they don't manage your cities very well.

Originally posted by Aias
-Do diplomatic receptions now work? They never seem to do any good, just a loss of gold.

We didn't tough this so far, therefore you can't expect there a change.

-Martin

[george03]

Hello!
I haven't been tothis site recently I downloaded your playtest executable, read the readme file, and what you did seems great! Unfortunately, I discovered that I cannot try it out, as I need the cd to test it. The problem is that my cd is badly scratched (( Is there anyway around it, and will the cd check be removed in the future? It will be useful, if for instance people could listen to their own music cds when playing the game, but if the game cd is in the drive, it is impossible. Any suggestions?
Thank you.

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by george03
Unfortunately, I discovered that I cannot try it out, as I need the cd to test it. The problem is that my cd is badly scratched (( Is there anyway around it, and will the cd check be removed in the future?

The EULU that came with the source code states clearly that all new game material created here can only be used with the retail version of Call to Power 2, a non CD hack would violate this condition and won't therefore released here. Of course you can compile your own private no CD hack... Otherwise you have to try your CD again, or get a new copy, they should be cheap, if you find one in the stores.

Originally posted by george03
It will be useful, if for instance people could listen to their own music cds when playing the game, but if the game cd is in the drive, it is impossible.

That is not a ptoblem just start the game with the CD, once your are inside the game replace the CD by any CD you, and vola, well except the first track is not played.

-Martin

[george03]

I finally managed to get it loading. But there is one bug: when I build the city, in the build manager, if I click "buildings" button, program crashes to desktop. Even if I don't do that, and play a few turns, it still crashes, when its computer's trun. My conclusion was that it crashes when someone either human or computer tries to add a building to the building que of a city. I'm using Windows XP Pro. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[Aias]

Martin,

Is it possible to run the source code with C:CTP? Since it's basically the same code. Or am I way off?

[Tamerlin]

As far as I know the CtP2 source code is effectively similar to the C: CtP one but whole parts of the C: CtP code were suppressed while new parts were added in between.

[Aias]

The expel command on what? Only civilian units can be expelled. Or do you mean the pirate trade route command or pillage tile command?
How do you enslave a Warrior? You can only enslave settlers urban planers.

I stacked a warrior and an archer. I put a Slaver in the stack and vola! A new slave

[Aias]

I'm still not good at replying with other's quotes!

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Aias
Martin,

Is it possible to run the source code with C:CTP? Since it's basically the same code. Or am I way off?

It is based on the CTP1 code but that is an huge difference in comparision to it is basicly the same code. You have huge parts that are from CTP1 and huge parts that are new, and you have a lot of parts that are simply missing. So CTP1 is in somehow, but that's all you cannot build a civctp.exe from it.

Originally posted by george03
I finally managed to get it loading. But there is one bug: when I build the city, in the build manager, if I click "buildings" button, program crashes to desktop. Even if I don't do that, and play a few turns, it still crashes, when its computer's trun. My conclusion was that it crashes when someone either human or computer tries to add a building to the building que of a city.

If I understood it correctly you opened the build manager and added a building or unit or wonder to the build queue. Or did you try to open the list that you offeres a list of buildtable building. Well I think rather the last one, the best thing would be to run a debug *.exe on your computer to see if this throws any assertions before it crashes. Well of course there is the final access violation assertion, but any before would be interesting.

-Martin

[epeterson]

Can we fix the problem with transports not unloading when in a fleet with other non-transport ships?

Can we also fix the problem of artillery not bombarding if they are in an army with non-bombarding units.

To do either one of these tasks I have to seperate the applicable units from the rest of the stack.

And why doesn't a troop ship deploy all 5 of the units when you hit the unload button? Sometimes I have to hit unload a couple of times because they come out 4 and then 1 last one on the second unload attempt--weird. This happens quite a bit when I have two fully loaded troop ships! 8 come out and then 2 more on the second attempt, (unloading to the same square btw).

How come you can't adjust the sound effects/music volume? It acts like you can adjust it through the game menu but it doesn't seem to have any affect.

[george03]

Hi Martin!
Thank you for replying. Well, its actually the second one. I don't even get to the point where I can add building or wonders to que. The units work fine, but building and wonders cannot be added, as I cannot even get to the point of selecting them - when I click on either "buildings" button or "wonders" button it immediately crashes to desktop.
Furthermore, I just discovered that it also crashes to desktop when I click "Great Library" button in the build manager. Does it have to do with great library tweak that yopu guys applied just recently?
Thanks.

[Martin Gühmann]

Well george you could try the prevous version:

Edit: Removed link. The latest version of the Apolyton Edition can be found here.

To see if we added the bugs you found since the last release, you could also try the version from last year. Otherwise we could give you the debug version, that generates some valuable information about crashes, memory leaks, etc...

Unfortuatly it is late here, tonight, and I am not sure if I am online at my own computer with this file on, tommorow.

But feel free to ask anybody else to get that debug *.exe.

-Martin

[Fromafar]

Originally posted by george03
I don't even get to the point where I can add building or wonders to que. The units work fine, but building and wonders cannot be added, as I cannot even get to the point of selecting them - when I click on either "buildings" button or "wonders" button it immediately crashes to desktop.
Furthermore, I just discovered that it also crashes to desktop when I click "Great Library" button in the build manager.

My guess is that your installation is incomplete, and you are missing some graphics. Most probably the pictures of buildings and wonders.

[Maquiladora]

And why doesn't a troop ship deploy all 5 of the units when you hit the unload button? Sometimes I have to hit unload a couple of times because they come out 4 and then 1 last one on the second unload attempt--weird. This happens quite a bit when I have two fully loaded troop ships! 8 come out and then 2 more on the second attempt, (unloading to the same square btw).

You need to group the units before you load them onto the ship, then they will unload in their grouped form.