3rd party program request

Gandalf Parker · #1 January 27th, 2005, 12:35 PM

OK on the subject of loading races and getting errors...
I started to keep a list of all the ones that needed fixing as I came across them but it got insane. I thought a small program could be written to search/fix what was needed. Then I realized that the errors were repeating, and at the same time realized that I only saw the errors when a race was selected for use in a game I was playing so finding them all would involve alot of test games.

SO... this is what Im thinking..
someone could load a fresh clean install of SEIV Gold from disc into a different directory than they play from. Load tons of races. Get example errors. And write a program to search/fix with default settings.

Preferably something that can run in default windows otherwise I could offer it as a BASIC program that requires downloading/installing something like YABasic to run it. I could also EXE such a program. If someone wants to code something like that in any language (psuedo code, perl, C, java) it would be a starting point.

Suicide Junkie · #2 January 27th, 2005, 03:17 PM

I have a handy set of SE4 functions for VB available.
- Get/Set string/nth values, add/multiply/exponent, trim spaces, etc.
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/...20for%20SE.bas

TurinTurambar · #3 January 27th, 2005, 08:56 PM

I'll be checking this thread often to see if anyone comes up with a solution. It's really gotten very annoying to click [CLOSE] 17-plus times when opening a game turn to play it.

Thanks, oh wise Istari.

Turin, Master of Doom

Gandalf Parker · #4 January 27th, 2005, 10:27 PM

I finally gave up on my early effort. I just requested that someone zip up their "races" directory and send it to me. Im just resurrecting this concept because it seems insane that it hasnt been fixed by someone in all this time.

Fyron · #5 January 27th, 2005, 11:05 PM

Ruatha's SE4 Companion has a plugin designed to update all of your races to Gold compatibility. Unfortunately, it has a few bugs that muck up some of the files, such as AI_Fleets.txt... I forget all of the things it does, but I can dig up the post if anyone is interested. With Ruatha off in military training, a fix for his program is quite a ways off.

You can isolate which shipsets have errors in their AI files by moving all races save 20 from your Pictures\Races folder to a temporary folder, then starting a new game. You should always choose the same race for yourself, one that you know works fine.

Most of what such a program needs to do is outlined in CapnQ's guide to converting AIs to Gold compatibility, since most errors are related to downloading a shipset with pre-Gold AI. *link* This is simply inserting missing lines where they need to be in 3 or 4 files. The rest of what needs to be done is testing that all of the lines that should be in the files are present and inserting missing lines, as well as making sure that you do not declare 5 items and only define 3.

Edit:
Actually... a few changes need to be made in AI_Design_Creation.txt. In one of the early patches, several abilities were changed in name to make them less confusing, primarily related to combat to hit modifiers. There are a couple of shipsets on PBW that have not been updated and still contain AI designed with whatever the old values were. These are listed in SE4's History.txt file somewhere, as well as in that post about Ruatha's companion program... guess I need to dig it up afterall.

edit2:

Also, AI Design Creation needs more work done on it. These abilities need to be updated from:

Combat To Hit Dec
Combat To Hit Add (and Combat Sensors)

To

Combat To Hit Defense Plus
Combat To Hit Offense Plus

Also:

Phased-Shield Generation
to
Phased Shield Generation

These were changed in an early pre-gold Patch of SE4.

Gandalf Parker · #6 January 28th, 2005, 12:52 AM

Good info. Thanks. Between the link and the updates you mentioned it should be possible for someone to write an updater

Fyron · #7 January 28th, 2005, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Imperator Fyron said:
You can isolate which shipsets have errors in their AI files by moving all races save 20 from your Pictures\Races folder to a temporary folder, then starting a new game. You should always choose the same race for yourself, one that you know works fine.

I should add that it helps to alter Data\Settings.txt to always add 20 races to new games, and always choose no neutrals. This will insure that the other 19 races are always added, so as to miminize the number of games you need to start.

EaX · #8 February 6th, 2005, 03:14 AM

well i think i've good news, i've made a program that checks if a race is gold compatible and fix it's files according to CapnQ's guide as Imperator Fyron said, the program is a BETA version, i didn't have much time to debug it, but on my tests it was working fine, ofcourse MAKE A BACKUP of the race before using the program REMEMBER IT'S A BETA VERSION!, i tested the program with the Rage shipset (i downloaded from PBW), by the way you'll need Visual Basic 6 run-times installed.

The UI is very very simple, just choose the race directory and click on Check Compatibility then if the race is not Gold compatible it will ask if you want to update it.

Any problems, suggestions, bugs, etc, you can ask me on the forum send me a PM, or send me a mail to the address on the program...., hope you like it.

Gandalf Parker · #9 February 6th, 2005, 11:03 AM

THANK You Thank you

Gandalf Parker · #10 February 6th, 2005, 11:22 AM

Very nice. But I keep having to tell it where the default AI directory is. I even tried putting it IN that directory and running it. There isnt a config file or something I can edit that into so it will "remember" it?

Also a command-line option for "do all /picture/races/* with YES to all prompts" might be nice for those who have just started off by downloading every interesting race off of the sites. (like I did)

But a VERY nice program. Thank you.