Perking up the AI

[VedalkenBear]

Ich: The only reason I didn't suggest Java more strongly is because it is highly adapted to OOP, and VB (to my knowledge) is... not.

If someone could explain the underlying logic of SemiRandom, I could try programming it in Java.

[Ballbarian]

Originally Posted by VedalkenBear

If someone could explain the underlying logic of SemiRandom, I could try programming it in Java.

I would have great sympathy for anyone trying to follow SemiRandom's code. I am usually a very disciplined programmer and a stickler for meaningful variable names and verbose documentation, but when it came to this project I really just started typing until it worked. Then I added some more spaghetti on top of that lumpy mound. What a mess.

The RanDom front-end is not so bad on the code side, but I left out a ton of much needed error checking and the like. That is what happens when you don't know where you are going until you get there.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally Posted by VedalkenBear

If someone could explain the underlying logic of SemiRandom, I could try programming it in Java.

Here is the original page from the old Dom2Minions site.
http://www.dom3minions.com/~minion/SemiRandom.shtml

The program is based on the fact that map commands allow much more management than most maps use. Some, such as Faerun, have programmed provinces with logical population choices, defenders, magic sites, name, etc. Those are great (and way too few) but the pro and con is that there is some loss to replayability. My totally chaoticized maps are called "interesting" but they can be irritating in the total lack of logic in what it throws into the map.

This projects concept is allowing all players to design a province. Such as: "The Shire" with a population of hoburgs, magic sites boosting supplies, and some interesting defenders. These are converted to Dom3 map commands and placed in a file where the name of the file includes codes to specify something such as "farmland" to control its placement.

So the SemiRandom program reads a map file and randomly places these planned provinces. You can tell it the percentage you want as designed vs being left to the games randomizer. As SemiRandom reads the map file, if it finds a farmland province then it chooses a farmland file and inserts it there. When it writes out the modified version of the .map file there will be special provinces included.

Thats the basic of it (pun intended). Of course Ballbarian has added wonderful extensions. The @ sign allowing for a small list so something like the guards equipment or name can be randomly selected from a short group of logical choices. And recognition of special provinces such as island, lake, peninsula, volcano, cave, etc. And lately the ability to add pre-designed logical gods/scales for AIs

The effectiveness of the program depends on having many pre-designed provinces and god files. Enough that we dont seem to keep running into the same things over and over. I think we are getting close to that but Id love to see more people turn in some so we can get more variety.

Gandalf Parker
--
The Socializing Soloist, the Mad Mapper and the Minimalist Modder, the Lord of Chaos, the Prophet for Random, Experimenter of Extremes, He Who Will Not Normalize Standardize Specialize (or Finalize), He Who Public Domains All.

[JimMorrison]

I think what SemiRand really needs (borrowing from the rest of the winding journey of this thread), is a browser based designer. So for example, a page on the dom3minions server might have the same dialogues that are currently found in the downloadable exe, but the overt ease of creation and submission could likely spark a deluge of submissions - I am thinking that many people don't want to bother with it all for 1-2 provinces, but if all of those 1-2 province people were cajoled into submitting through the webservice, it would hugely magnify the number of available provinces.

[Ballbarian]

Originally Posted by JimMorrison

I think what SemiRand really needs (borrowing from the rest of the winding journey of this thread), is a browser based designer. So for example, a page on the dom3minions server might have the same dialogues that are currently found in the downloadable exe, but the overt ease of creation and submission could likely spark a deluge of submissions - I am thinking that many people don't want to bother with it all for 1-2 provinces, but if all of those 1-2 province people were cajoled into submitting through the webservice, it would hugely magnify the number of available provinces.

Jack_Trowell was going to try his hand at adding support for semirand to his online tool a couple of years ago, but I haven't heard anymore about it. I think an online version of the Province & God Editors with a repository of the creations would be a great resource.

[Jack_Trowell]

Originally Posted by Ballbarian

Jack_Trowell was going to try his hand at adding support for semirand to his online tool a couple of years ago, but I haven't heard anymore about it. I think an online version of the Province & God Editors with a repository of the creations would be a great resource.

I have been away from DOM3 for a while, and my previous server had suffered a disk failure.

I have recently installed a new server and restored my backups.

There were some Perl modules not yet installed on the server, but it is done now, and my map randomizer is working again.

I suppose that adding suppord for semirand files (and a form to submit new provinces as was initially planned) should not be very hard, I will see what I can do.

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally Posted by JimMorrison

I think what SemiRand really needs (borrowing from the rest of the winding journey of this thread), is a browser based designer. So for example, a page on the dom3minions server might have the same dialogues that are currently found in the downloadable exe, but the overt ease of creation and submission could likely spark a deluge of submissions - I am thinking that many people don't want to bother with it all for 1-2 provinces, but if all of those 1-2 province people were cajoled into submitting through the webservice, it would hugely magnify the number of available provinces.

I would be very interested in hosting this. Well actually in Ballbarians account on my server since all his projects are there already.

Anyone who knows any programming language might want to check and see if there are some available modules for accessing an Open Office spreadsheet. And code for tga2jpg or gif or png (I do have imagemagick on the server which can do that quite nicely). That way a web interface could be written to directly use Edi's database, the library of dom3 sprite images, and Ballbarians source files. Updating would be simple when those libraries are updated.

As a lazy alternative, there are a few people who have volunteered to convert loose ideas into turn-in code. If anyone has an idea for a province or god build (we seem to particularly need early and late era gods) then feel free to PM them to me. I might eventually get them done.

[Jack_Trowell]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Parker

I would be very interested in hosting this. Well actually in Ballbarians account on my server since all his projects are there already.

Anyone who knows any programming language might want to check and see if there are some available modules for accessing an Open Office spreadsheet. And code for tga2jpg or gif or png (I do have imagemagick on the server which can do that quite nicely). That way a web interface could be written to directly use Edi's database, the library of dom3 sprite images, and Ballbarians source files. Updating would be simple when those libraries are updated.

As a lazy alternative, there are a few people who have volunteered to convert loose ideas into turn-in code. If anyone has an idea for a province or god build (we seem to particularly need early and late era gods) then feel free to PM them to me. I might eventually get them done.

There are Perl modules for both OO parsing and image convertion.

I was planning to use them to expend my map editor by using Edi database, maybe I should start the project again.

[Gandalf Parker]

That would be great. Id love to see an interactive province builder. And Im still willing to host anything you want to at Dom3Minions.com