Vanilla Summon Costs

[silhouette]

Ok, maybe not the place to suggest it, but here's one thing I think would be great, and could make life easier for both the developers and the folks to who do the work to figure out the 'delta' in all the new patches. It's kind of a self-documenting patch feature also.

The developers could write some build targets to automatically generate "null" mods for all the defined game spells, items, creatures, nations, spells, etc, from the original source code base at the time they build the patches. Then deliver these full-content and authoritative null mod files as part of the patch. Once setup, it's easy for the developers since they never have to do more extra work per release to detail what has changed and what is current. And it's super easy for us users, since we always have the ability to check these 'database' parts of the content directly, and nobody needs to do has extra work to create big (and error prone) null mods every time a patch is out (no string searching executables, finding new unit numbers, weapon slots, and trying to decompose *trs files, etc.) As a bonus, it becomes a great modding tutorial in itself, so you can see exactly how the modding commands correspond to the creatures, items, etc, that already exist and use them.

It would also make it easier for us to do larger scale or longer-term projects like a total conversion mod. If I start a lot of work to mod changes into 3.14, and it takes a year to finish, I want it to be easy to propagate those changes into the current 3.xx without having to research the changes in each version between .14 and .xx and manually update things.

Sill

[Saulot]

While your idea has merit, most things cannot be changed through modding, and so this couldn't happen without significant alterations to Dominions. Most likely, the effort required would be too great, and better spent actually creating content, and not just showing us what is already there.

[Twan]

Dedas said:
I think Illwinter should forget an updated manual, at least for the moment.

I think a good in between idea would be to release the spell list part of the manual* in an editable format to some dedicated players. Then a printable version with all the changes can be made by them, keeping the good presentation, for both vanilla game as it evolves and CBM or other spell changing mods.

* The game mechanics part of the manual would stay on paper only of course to avoid to encourage piracy.

[B0rsuk]

I think that NOT including a proper electronic manual is silly. Piracy concerns ? Security through obscurity ?
If it was up to me, there would be either no paper manual or it would only contain general stuff not dependant on patches. I may be strange, but I think listing all summons on inconvenient to use paper pages is waste of time, money, and trees.

[Niarg]

B0rsuk said:
I think that NOT including a proper electronic manual is silly. Piracy concerns ? Security through obscurity ?
If it was up to me, there would be either no paper manual or it would only contain general stuff not dependant on patches. I may be strange, but I think listing all summons on inconvenient to use paper pages is waste of time, money, and trees.

The problem is that this game is more of a project by someone that finds it fun than it is a commercial release. That tag comes with a lot of advantages and disadvantages, one of the disadvantages seems to be that he's very touchy about piracy and he'll make the game worse to try and prevent it.

[kasnavada]

Even though, the suggestion of letting a few dedicated players update the manual and proposing their time to make updated version of it stays good for me.

It is a lot confusing to have whole nations that are not included in the manual.

[Zeldor]

You could find .pdf version of the manual on net soon after game release anyway.

[llamabeast]

I may be strange, but I think listing all summons on inconvenient to use paper pages is waste of time, money, and trees.

I would just like to mention that I personally find a paper manual vastly easier and more pleasant to use than a pdf, and am very grateful for its existence.

[Zeldor]

There is no 'search' option in paper one

[vfb]

llamabeast said:
I would just like to mention that I personally find a paper manual vastly easier and more pleasant to use than a pdf, and am very grateful for its existence.

Yes! And I can bring it with me in the car when I've got to pick up the wife, 'cause I know I'll have to wait. And read it in the bath, without fear of electrocution.