[Mark Walton]

Implementation;

would the game work correctly if you swapped out all the components files but kept the items in the same order?
I think it would... the game records that a ship has 3 of component type 123, then when it needs to it goes into the component file and looks at entry 123 to see what it does. Am I correct?

I think it might. Then you can set up an out-of-game file manager to randomly copy a new file, or portion of a file, over it.

Think; set up a couple of "dummy fields" in a Fate shrine. Allow this program to overwrite the "Ability x Descr" in the current data file with "Omens indicate a shift in material properties some time within the next 3 cycles".
Players could consult their shrines to get a prediction.

To summarize:

Have a seperate components.txt, facilities.txt and maybe others...
Have copies of the files, with altered stats for each item, but all items kept in the same order. Copies for Low-Materials, High-Magic, etc...
Write a program to randomly determine future changes.
Get this program to write over descriptive text for various facilities and components as forewarning.
When the change occours, between turns, the program over-writes the data files with data from the various copies.

In special particular, the Events file could be changed. Beware multi-turn events though...

I think this would only work in a pbm game, ie the game has to be shut down between turns for it to work (the game reads data files on load, not on the fly, I think... even if not theres a lot that could go wrong)

I was thinking about magic as part of my modding, a while back, and decided that various Spells would best be represented by Intel Operations. Others by technology, which is one reason why I wanted to have one-shot components (but this does not seem to be possible)

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I think I described that badly.

What I meant is this :

Have, for example, a components.txt file.

Copy it as HighMagicComponents.txt

In this file, alter the properties of any components as required... but do not add or subtract any items, nor change their positions within the file, or component sizes.

When the time comes to swtich to High Magic , the program (custom written) will copy HighMagicComponents.txt to Components.txt
Now, when the next turn is played, all the properties of items will change too.

You would also have components.txt files for the other various "states". These would be copied over as described at the appropriate time.

Not just components of course; almost any data file could be affected.


The point about the Fate Shrines (or whatever facilities/components are used) is that players can be given advance warning, by adding a do-nothing ability to those items, and changing the textual description of that ability.


[This message has been edited by Mark Walton (edited 22 November 2001).]