Random terrain changes

Random terrain changes

[mskala]

I'd like to be able to do random terrain changes with the terrain-density
table, without using the rest of the fractal terrain generator, so that
the result is basically a constant map I specified, but with a few random
surprises.  One way to implement that (not sure if it's the best) would be
to separate random terrain changes into a separate synthesis method which
can run independently of make-fractal-terrain.  Then it could be run not
only with a designer-specified map, but also with any of the other
synthesis methods.  Actually, that's how I thought it already worked based
on the way the documentation is laid out (each synthesis method in its own
subsection, and random terrain changes in a subsection of its own), but
from the code it's clear that at the moment random changes are actually an
inseperable part of the fractal generator.

I might try to write a patch to do this, but it's not my top priority
right now.  One disadvantage to moving it into a new synthesis method
would be that if someone was currently using terrain-density and also
specifying an explicit synthesis method list, then they'd have to add the
new method to the list.  As far as I can tell, Bellum Aeternum is the only
currently-shipped game that would be affected.  Presumably it would be
part of the default and so not require any changes to games that used the
default list.  A slightly less elegant solution would be to leave random
terrain changes in the fractal-terrain method, but also add a synthesis
method not part of the default to only do the random changes.  Then no
changes to existing games would be needed at all, but the result might be 
confusing to designers because you'd get random terrain changes always 
with fractal terrain, but only when explicitly requested with other
synthesis methods.
-- 
Matthew Skala
mskala@ansuz.sooke.bc.ca                    Embrace and defend.
http://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/

Re: Random terrain changes

[Eric McDonald]

On Mon, 24 May 2004 mskala@ansuz.sooke.bc.ca wrote:

> new method to the list.  As far as I can tell, Bellum Aeternum is the only
> currently-shipped game that would be affected.  Presumably it would be

If the proposed patch makes it into CVS, I will modify Bellum 
accordingly. Not a problem.

Eric

Auto Change-Type?

[Elijah Meeks]

Did anything like an auto change-type get implemented?
 I know this was discussed earlier and I think the
answer's no, but, well, it'd come in handy for
something I wanted to do...




	
		
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Re: Auto Change-Type?

[Eric McDonald]

On Mon, 24 May 2004, Elijah Meeks wrote:

> Did anything like an auto change-type get implemented?
>  I know this was discussed earlier and I think the
> answer's no, but, well, it'd come in handy for
> something I wanted to do...

Actually, the answer is yes, mostly. I implemented it several 
months ago, and it is mentioned in the HTML change log on the 
Xconq Web site. Look at the documentation for the 
'auto-upgrade-to' unit property, also see the 
'change-type-acp-test.g' "game" in the test/manual 
directory (in CVS, not yet in the packages).

It is used in Bellum II. You might also want to look at Lincoln's 
BoloDD games; I don't remember whether it is used there or not, 
but change-type, in general is used there and in Bellum.

Eric

Re: Auto Change-Type?

[Lincoln Peters]

On Mon, 2004-05-24 at 16:23, Eric McDonald wrote:
> Actually, the answer is yes, mostly. I implemented it several 
> months ago, and it is mentioned in the HTML change log on the 
> Xconq Web site. Look at the documentation for the 
> 'auto-upgrade-to' unit property, also see the 
> 'change-type-acp-test.g' "game" in the test/manual 
> directory (in CVS, not yet in the packages).
> 
> It is used in Bellum II. You might also want to look at Lincoln's 
> BoloDD games; I don't remember whether it is used there or not, 
> but change-type, in general is used there and in Bellum.

bolodd3.g does use the automatic change-type mechanism.  Currently, it
causes a base to automatically change to a base of the next level when
it reaches a certain size, although eventually I hope to make it more
sophisticated than that.

---
Lincoln Peters
<sampln@sbcglobal.net>

In Oz, never say "krizzle kroo" to a Woozy.