PROJECT: Playtest Thread III

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann
1. I don't know whether it is a very good idea to remove the brief change log altogether by replacing it by the very elobarate change log with details like fixed types and readded comments to the source code. I think a brief change log should only contain things that the user will notice like fixed bugs, added features. So maybe a brief change log in a seperate file that contains all the info contained in the change log part of the readme in the last playtest version.

I wasn't sure whether this was a good idea either, but I thought I'd give it a try and see what people thought. I think I am generally inclined to agree with you.

2. What I definatly know is that appstr.txt has nothing to do in the playtest relase, as this is a file that is language dependent and actual doesn't belong into the executable folder.

Well, you're right that it doesn't belong in the executable folder. I included it in the playtest because I fixed a typo in it (a long time ago), but of course this does introduce a language problem. I had assumed that because it was in the executable folder it wasn't translated into other languages. I guess that there's a half-good reason it's in the executable directory, but we should look into moving it elsewhere.

Another remark about the additional *.dll's you needed to run the last playtest is that you don't neede them as I guess John used VC++ 6.0 to compile the *.exe.

That's correct.

[J Bytheway]

I've removed appstr.txt and put the brief changelog back in the readme to address Martin's concerns. I also added the brief description of the changes to the post with the files listed on it.

To those who are having trouble with .rar archives: would you prefer bzip2 - that does provide rather better compression.

[Flinx]

I wish I had time to play

[Protra3211]

Zip files are great .Downloading is very easy. More changes to diplomacy : great seems the AI is improving
on all fronts. Cant wait to see the reports come in . Once I have the downlode file working again will be involed with the reporting side as well. I feel that the last playtest did a fair job of using transports. But the AI was to easy to snaek up on with a 12 stack to take many cities. Could be bullyed in ot giving its map and I was soon rolling over that AI faction.

[Maquiladora]

I like the new optimize sliders and workers buttons, I assume this is what the AI uses? But i noticed something with them, sometimes when you optimize, the numbers change but no workers are added or no slider moves, so is there some kind of fractional optimizing going on we cant see? I know that the AI can set PW tax to anything, not just increments of 10, so maybe this is a similar thing. Can be frustrating though.

Also wondering when i press optimize (for either workers or sliders) does it stay optimized for all the game if i *never* touch the sliders or workers manually? Or does it only optimize that turn? Or perhaps something else?

The turns to new growth counter is good, the only problem i have with it is that it doesnt update when youre in the city manager, but does update when youre in the empire manger (IIRC).

I still havent figured out what im missing with my goods before either. Do i just have to start a new save? I just assumed that because i could change goods.txt and affect the numbers (but only getting +1 commerce for everything), i assumed i could fix my goods to the new method without starting a new save.

[Peter Triggs]

Originally posted by Maquiladora
Actually im having problems setting the goods values. It always only gives +1 commerce for every good, no matter what values i use for each, food prod and commerce in good.txt.

Am i missing something else in another file?

That's what the original data from goods.txt used to do.

If you mouse over a tile with a good you should see your new values in the infobar.

[Maquiladora]

The original goods.txt did have all 1's for gold but i changed those now, even made a new save and replaced them, so i cant understand why it hasnt changed.

Anyway, as i mentioned in the PM, the values set in goods.txt dont correspond with the good bonuses in a regular game either. For example in the new goods.txt:

# Bear #9
TERRAIN_FOREST_GOOD_TWO {
SpriteID 2
Sound SOUND_ID_BEAR
Gold 5
Food 10
Production 0
Probability 0.25
Icon ICON_GOOD_FOREST_TWO
}

forest is 5f/15p/5c, so bear bonus is actually 20 commerce(gold).

[Ekmek]

Initial test I added this line to the Warrior in Units.txt

CultureOnly CITY_STYLE_ARAB

I started as americans and build my first city and could not build the warrior. I then went into the editor and changed my civ to Arabia and... SUCCESS I could build the unit. Thanks Martin so far so good...

I'll check CityStyleOnly, PreRequisiteBuilding, and RestrictedToGood later...

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Protra3211
Zip files are great .Downloading is very easy.

Well, since zip files are larger, both downloading and uploading are in fact harder... it's just the extraction part that's easier.

[Fromafar]

Originally posted by demon59
Will this new playtest release work correctly with AOM (or other mods)?

Not entirely, but we are getting close.

As Martin remarked, there are some Slic code sequences that will consistently fail to execute with the playtest release, where the Activision release only tends to fail intermittently. And another known issue is the large number of caravans that may be required to start a trade route.

There are also some issues with game data incompatibilities, due to "middle-insertion" of new items (e.g. goods) and relocated text strings, but you can prevent most of these by just not installing the playtest release over the Activision game.

When you have installed both the original game and the AOM mod in e.g. C:\Program Files\Activision\Ctp2, and have activated the AOM mod using ModSwapper or ModManager, you should unpack the playtest release in a different directory, e.g. in C:\Program Files\Activision\Ctp2.playtest.

After unpacking, go to the directory C:\Program Files\Activision\Ctp2.playtest\ctp2_program\ctp and run the game (ctp2.exe) once.
Next, edit C:\Program Files\Activision\Ctp2.playtest\ctp2_program\ctp\us erprofile.txt. Change the last line (RuleSets=) to

RuleSets=..\..\..\Ctp2\ctp2_data

and also set the EnableLogs setting to Yes - to help us out with crash.txt reports when something still does not work with the game .

This should give you maximum compatibility with the original game. However, this does mean that you will be missing some new features (e.g. the specialist tab), and you should refrain from selecting some blank "middle-inserted" options (e.g. the Uranus world shape) to prevent problems with the user interface. Otherwise, starting an AOM game should be no problem.

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Fromafar
And another known issue is the large number of caravans that may be required to start a trade route.

I thought I fixed this by moving the devision factor from the const.txt inside the executable.

Originally posted by Maquiladora
I like the new optimize sliders and workers buttons, I assume this is what the AI uses? But i noticed something with them, sometimes when you optimize, the numbers change but no workers are added or no slider moves, so is there some kind of fractional optimizing going on we cant see?

I think this is a bug, you can also try to optimize your cities by hand and then you see this bug as well if you add and remove your speacilsts.

But you are these buttons or better the routines under them are used by the AIs. And if you test them more intensive then you will notice that they don't work as supposed. At least I got the optimize city speacalists button to do some sensefull optimization but also this is far away from being perfect. But at least the AI can feed its people and make them then happy if there are still some entertainers left.

I added these buttons mainly for debug purposes and decided to leave them in so that you have something to play with. But I still recommend to do the optimization per hand.

Originally posted by Maquiladora
I know that the AI can set PW tax to anything, not just increments of 10, so maybe this is a similar thing. Can be frustrating though.

Actual only in therory, the PW tax settings AI uses are in the strategies.txt.

Originally posted by Maquiladora
Also wondering when i press optimize (for either workers or sliders) does it stay optimized for all the game if i *never* touch the sliders or workers manually? Or does it only optimize that turn? Or perhaps something else?

As I added them for debugging purposes there is no such automization, yet. Except you you enable the governors of your cities. Then you have at least the speacialist part.

Originally posted by Maquiladora
The turns to new growth counter is good, the only problem i have with it is that it doesnt update when youre in the city manager, but does update when youre in the empire manger (IIRC).

Well I had this problem as well, and I tried something, but not really successfull. Therefore you have this different behaviour.

For the goods, I can confirm that this problem exists and I am working to fix it. It shouldn't take to long to finish it.

-Martin

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Martin Gühmann
I think this is a bug, you can also try to optimize your cities by hand and then you see this bug as well if you add and remove your speacilsts.

As I added them for debugging purposes there is no such automization, yet. Except you you enable the governors of your cities. Then you have at least the speacialist part.

I noticed the AI would give a small city an entertainer but it would allow the city starve and it didnt notice this. As you said it isnt complete anyway.

For the goods, I can confirm that this problem exists and I am working to fix it. It shouldn't take to long to finish it.

Thankyou

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Maquiladora
I noticed the AI would give a small city an entertainer but it would allow the city starve and it didnt notice this. As you said it isnt complete anyway.

Well that it isn't the way I supposed it, actual it should be the way around. Food first and then happiness. Obviously I don't check the minimum number of needed food tile workers.

-Martin

[Fugi the Great]

Playtest 5-17 was working fine up to the year 1756 then a "thunk" and CTD. Reloaded autosave, seemed to work okay after that, but computer speed took a nosedive. Had to reset the computer to get the speed back. Went to bed shortly thereafter. Maybe try it later tonight.

Finally saw the AI move 12 unit armies toward my border - cool. Strange that it "attacked" my city with a single Artillery unit escorting a Settler - stupid, and why is it constantly moving settlers that take tons of turns to build and moving them into territory that they are currently at war with, what sense is that in just throwing a unit away like that.
AI had a lot more artillery in the citys, chewed up a bunch of my units. Captured a size 14 city, AI had sliders set so that 9 of them were farmers - no real reason for this since this was in the middle of plains/grassland.
Would like to see the bombardment range color changed to a darker color, artillery looked like it was out of fuel with the white color.

Could someone please tell me the answer as to why the PW that I have last turn, plus the PW that I should get extra next turn, does not equal anything close to what I actually got next turn. Is this a level issue or math errors in the last couple of versions? Or has no one even looked? Gold seems to add up okay.

Last computer player seems to take forever to complete it's turn. Colored bar that shows who is up sometimes goes backwards or jumps ahead, why is that?

Someone going to start a PLAYTEST IV soon so we can keep the new bugs seperated from the old bugs?

[Fromafar]

Do you have a crash.txt for the CTD?

The color bar jumps occur when revolting new civilisations have been created. These get to move right after the civilisation they broke away from, but the indication is appended at the right (end) of the color bar.