Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

Funny you should mention that. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Take a look at the basic tech mod, which is still in the old downloads section. I started it quite a while ago, but came to the conclusion that it would be too time consuming to complete by hand. The research structure was three-dimensional. For missiles, you could research launchers to reduce reload time, missiles to increase seeker speed and range, and warheads to increase damage and seeker dmg resistance. Most armors have a similar setup with 10 or even 15 levels per dimension. Most research only gives incremental benefits; I didn't think a DUC LXXXVI needed to have 5280 damage. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Recently, I've been working on developing a program to automate the generation of components, from 1-dimensional research to x-dimensional research. You input tech reqs, a base level for things like tonnage space and structure, cost, supply usage, ability values, etc., and give a rate of increase (or decrease) applied to the component at level up based on the levels of each technology. I'm currently working on making it a Windows-based program instead of crummy text, http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif which is an interesting task since I've never Windows programmed before. Actually, I've never even attempted a program of this scale before, so it's been...challenging. When completed, it will allow anyone to quickly create as many levels of Component X as you could possibly want in the time it would take to create two or three levels by hand. If anyone's interested, let me know; this is definitely in progress, and isn't going to be completed in the next day or two (suicide_junkie, I don't know how you do it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif ), but I'll keep plugging away until it's done. Then, I just might get that Basic Tech Mod done.

[ 19 January 2002: Message edited by: Krsqk ]</p>

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

MOO2 does have infinite tech levels, but as you might expect the benefits (except for final score) stop eventually. Components do reach a minimum size which I think is more than just 1 of whatever unit of measure the game uses. I tried playing MOO2 again a few weeks ago and just couldn't get into it. It seemed so limited and boring; I guess SEIV has spoiled me.

Eric

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

Ack! So you can keep researching but you get nothing for it? LOL. That would be easy to mod. Just add a tech area of "General Research" to the research areas text file. Give it what ever the maximum allowable number for Maximum Level is. I am not sure what that is exactly. Should be able to work it out by trial and error. My guess is 255.

Then no components that need that as a prereq. You would get no tech from the research,but you would get a small bump in your score every time you reached another level since tech levels are factored into yoru score. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Geo

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>(suicide_junkie, I don't know how you do it!)<hr></blockquote>I do what is easy, and make the user do the rest http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif Hehe. In general it works quite well, since you make the computer to the boring repetitions, and the user does the complicated thinking.
The result isn't commercial grade, but it is just a tool, and it works. "Build the axe, not the Tinman" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

"When completed, it will allow anyone to quickly create as many levels of Component X as you could possibly want in the time it would take to create two or three levels by hand."

Niice. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Phoenix-D

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

that sounds good.

PBEM game I play in we streched out cloaking to 10 levels, ships to 20 levels.

If cloaking could be streched out to 100 levels that would be great.

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

Thought I'd mention that the beta-Version of the Component Creator is almost complete. It would be done sooner, if not for all the work on my graduate recital and projects. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif I have two options to debate, given the guiding philosophy of "ax not the tinman". I can either generate the component data into a window to be cut/pasted into Components.txt by the user; or I can save the data as a text file in a subdirectory, to be later cut-pasted into Components.txt. (The "final" Version will include the option to save the raw data (not SEIV-ready) to files to be loaded and edited later.) Which would be the better option?

Also, given the same philosophy, I am assuming that most Users will wish to generate SEIV-friendly files. Therefore, I am not idiot-proofing the program. You can't enter alpha family numbers or damage amounts, for example, but you're not prevented from crashing the game with extravagantly large values. This is a tool for responsible individuals who aren't looking for excuses to file lawsuits. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated. Once I finish comp generation, I'll post a beta Version to get comments.

Krsqk

P.S. I'm programming this in Python with the wxPython extension (a Python-enabled port of the wxWindows GUI). Anyone with experience in it? Any thoughts on it? Then again, I guess that's a bit OT for this thread. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: Krsqk ]</p>

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

"You can't enter alpha family numbers or damage amounts, for example, but you're not prevented from crashing the game with extravagantly large values."

Why not? IIRC the value that kills SE4 is pretty well-defined. I'm having a hard time figuring out why Users wanting to have SE4 friendly files precludes preventing values that crash SE4 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Values that don't DO anything are another story, since they can have usefullness in their own way..

Phoenix-D

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Krsqk:
P.S. I'm programming this in Python with the wxPython extension...<hr></blockquote>Wow, Python, I programmed some little things in Python for a game called Blade whose 3D engine interface was in that language. But why Python here? I think Delphi or VB would be easier (But not free http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif ) I had very good experience with that language.

BTW, I'm very interested in your program http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Open-Ended Tech Levels?
 

If writing text to a file in that language is reasonably simple, then do both.
Since you have the "save raw data" thing, AND the display SE4-readable code on the screen as the other option, I'm assuming you can do it fairly easily.

If you want, you could create a separate compiler program, which would turn a raw data file into a components.txt.

[ 05 February 2002: Message edited by: suicide_junkie ]</p>