A request to the developers: raise the unit limit!

[lch]

Problem is, will this mean that it's a branch of the game? People who don't have that extra pack won't be able to play (extra) games with those people, right? So it's a mandatory update, for practical reasons? Will there have to be separate patches for the normal main game and the extra version? How do you want to do the serial number authentication on the web site? Look at Illwinter's homepage for a comparison of how much care goes into the web sites.

I think your idea is never going to get realized just because there's way too much work involved with not too big a payoff.

[HoneyBadger]

I'm just suggesting a solution to a problem that other people have posted about. If it's a hold-over and can be fixed with a few taps of the keyboard, then by all means.

People with Starcraft who don't also have Broodwar, still play Starcraft, and that's a 10 year old game, so obviously a "branch" as you call it (I'll be referring to it as an "expansion-pack" so as to not confuse this with other, more agricultural, issues.) isn't by itself an automatic game-killer. The big question here is how *many* people?

Ofcourse, I'll have to consult my psychic voodoo 8-ball, but I'm willing to bet the release of Broodwar didn't thrust Blizzard into bankruptsy like a plummeting meteor?

Same thing with patches-this isn't alien technology we're talking about, nobody is sitting in a secret laboratory in Nevada, trying to decypher the complexities of a patch system for games with expansion-packs. The most common process is to, yes, have two separate patches, when a single patch would affect two different versions of a game, adversely.

Finally, Stardock did a fine job of serial number authentication. Hell, *I* could probably write a working, secure-if extremely archaic-serial number authentication program in BASIC, from memory. Not that it's all *that* necessary.

Yes, piracy is upsetting and immoral, but it's a problem that throws people into a panic of somewhat greater proportion-for a great deal less reason-than Communism in the McCarthy era. I personally sought out Dominions based on a half-remembered photograph in, possibly? Dragon Magazine. I not only bought my copy of the game, but I also ended up purchasing a copy of Disciples 2 (another game with like 4 expansion packs), because I thought it *was* Dominions. Spending money on advertizement is way more important than any money thrown away on halting piracy, for a game like Dominions.

And if you don't believe me about the viability of expansion-packs, ask the creators of the Sims.

[Kristoffer O]

Hi modders.

The unit limit in modding is just an oversight I believe. I dont think it is something that causes big memory problems or any such thing.

NTjedi's wishes on increased ingame unit max is (or might be if your comp is old and slow).

So if the issue is placed easily visibible in the shortlist JK might notice it and increase the limit with a few keystrokes
I think it is a fix he's inclined to do if he is aware of it. It might be a big issue for you, but in terms of programming it is just an increase, so it might be overlooked as there are other things that appears as bigger issues from a fixing perspective. You have been quite vocal here, but I'm not sure how active JK is in the mod sub-forum. I believe he takes a look here from time to time when he wants to add some new stuff. Modding means adding new things. Bugfixes are old and boring.

Unless this issue is already in the shortlist, make sure it is, and in red (or some other nice color). Add a little cake icon for JK, he likes cakes ands is probably more likely to adress the issue if there is a cake in the post

[lch]

Here are some cake templates to be used in the bug thread: [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cheese.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cake.gif[/img]

[Kristoffer O]

lol

[Kristoffer O]

Hmm, I've talked to JK and he told me the limit on modded stuff is not intentional and thus not just about increasing a limit, but finding and squashing a bug that has been hidden in the game all along. This makes it a bit less easy to fix.

[Sombre]

Damn. You mean both the description and sprite limits? That's bad news :[

[NTJedi]

Kristoffer O said:
The unit limit in modding is just an oversight I believe. I dont think it is something that causes big memory problems or any such thing.

NTjedi's wishes on increased ingame unit max is (or might be if your comp is old and slow).

From my testing the game uses small amounts of memory and lots of CPU. Currently on a map with only 700 provinces I've encountered the commander limit during an early era game on turn_120. The result causes failed assasination spells, failed summoning spells of commanders, no more mercenaries, etc.

My wish for an increased unit limit and commander limit should ideally be added as an adjustable game setup option. Having an adjustable commander limit and unit limit means Dominions_3 can adjust to any computer being used today, next year, 5 years from now or even 45 years from now.


I definitely recommend including this option which will allow Dominions_3 to be scalable for the computers of today and tomorrow.

[Sombre]

Only 700?

700 is frickin huge.

[Amos]

I never play with less than 1k .