Open debug logs

[WraithLord]

Hi, I would like to ask if its possible to get a debug log output related to a given turn. Specifically, If its possible to see the logs of battles that have taken place.
I assume that if I look in the manual/documentation and maybe experiment a bit I will find the answer but I'd be really happy to save that time if someone already knows the answer.

The reason I'm asking is b/c recently I have had some really large battles with 40+ mages on each side and trying watch them in order to follow up is very time consuming (and slow on my old machine).

Also, is there a difference in how to get such logs and their content between SP and MP games?

TIA!

[thejeff]

You can get debug output for battles, but I think you have to actually let the battles play to do it.
Of course, you don't have to watch them, you could go do something else.

Start dominions with "-d" (or more d's for more detail). I'm not sure where it puts it on a Windows machine.

I also don't know what it logs when running on the server (SP or hosting a MP game.) You might get battle logs then.

It's also probably faster and easier to watch the battles, slow as they might be, than to try to decipher the debug output.

[WraithLord]

Wow this works like a charm

Thank you!

About watching the battles, in very large battles I find it easier and faster to do different queries on the debug log to easily get the information I need about what happened in the battle.

[WraithLord]

Oh I have a further question but was one may be more complicated.

So I script a mage to communion slave and then mind burnX4.
In first round he casts C.S. alright but in second round he casts body ethereal instead of mind burn and this is the debug section:
com Test1 cast spell (favspell Mind Burn) (mayusegems 0)
est. choices 27
best spell so far Twist Fate (score52)
best spell so far Healing Light (score113)
best spell so far Barkskin (score131)
best spell so far Personal Luck (score209)
best spell so far Protection (score227)
best spell so far Body Ethereal (score421)
castspell: cnr117 spl355 (Body Ethereal) vis0 x10 y23 spldmg134217728

Any idea why overrides script?

[thejeff]

The short answer is, because it got a better score, but that doesn't actually mean anything.

As I understand it, and I was just looking at this for the Astral Shield nonsense, a scripted spell -- favspell, gets a 100000 bonus to its score. That should have been enough to override Body Ethereal. The only reason I can think of is that it had some huge penalty, or simply couldn't be cast.

Did Mind Burn show up in the log at all?
Take a look with more levels of debug. -ddd gives a lot.

[WraithLord]

you're right, mind burn wasn't cast at all, not even once.
I think the game engine categorized it as non applicable for some unknown reason. I base it on the following line:
comp_castspell: eval Mind Burn result -1

Now since the foe in this battle wasn't mindless I don't understand why but I think I'll give it a rest at that. Its enough for me to know that for some reason the engine dislikes mind burn in this situation so I'll avoid scripting it.

[thejeff]

Oh, obvious question? They were S2 slaves, right?

result -1 seemed to come up for spells I didn't have the paths for.

[WraithLord]

They were part of communion of 30 or so shamans. The slaves should have been at astral 5 or something, at least according to the communion guide by Baalz, or maybe I got it all backwards

[thejeff]

No, only the communion masters actually get levels for casting spells of their own. Slaves get pseudo levels, that are only used for absorbing the master's fatigue.

Slaves do get the benefit of the master's caster effect spells, so having a master cast Power of the Spheres is a cheap way to boost all the slaves up one level in everything.

[WraithLord]

Oh, I understand. Thank you for your patience thejeff.