Charon
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Posts posted by Charon
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@Max_Caine well spoken and explained.
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11 hours ago, Solver said:
Ah great... you should then be able to delete the images of your signature, and replace them with smaller ones
The pictures are still reappearing again.
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account settings > signature ( under password)
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Thx, i appreciate it.
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Hey Solver, drages wants to marry you, just say yes please, so we can get this over with and out of my thread.
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50 MEMBERs IN THE STEAM GROUP !
Terror 3 Part 1.flv - removed, its now avaiable on youtube - Charon
I think ill upload all parts to yotube, if the need arises.
@Solver This video has 627mb. Is that alright ? I will take it down if you want to. I was trying out if this is working and how it functions, unfortunately there is not a "view in browser" thing.
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K, good to know, thx solver.
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On 20.7.2016 at 8:35 AM, Solver said:
So while the ticker is below 750, there's a 70%/30% chance of Pistols/Shotguns for the locals, after 750 and for the rest of the game it's 75% for laser rifles and 25% for a scatter laser.
Wait, so this means that the <Ticker> sets the weapons UNTIL that ATP ? I thought it to be the other way around, they start to have those weapons at this point with an degrading chance to value="inf".
Good to know.
So chances dont degrade in any way and are always absolute ?
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X-Division:
New Airgame:
The only item i added was AV.SCATTERTEST in both files in New Airgame
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I´ve also confiremd right now that the items.xml, which is a spreadsheet as well, functions as expected. The new item is available, just not for the aircraft.
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2 minutes ago, Solver said:
Yes, right, X:CE itself isn't a mod, but I was actually referring to the X:CE Balance Mod. It's just a mod, even if it's on by default, and it uses spreadsheet merging.
But not aircraftweaopns.xml spreadsheet merging. We know that spreadsheet merging should function:
23 hours ago, Charon said:Yo, any suggestions how to deal with them ? Because we kind of want to add more, and more mini mods on top of it like the MICHAEL BAY APPROACH MOD. Because the AM_AirSuperiority and CO seems to work fine with everything.
I´ve just confirmed teh bug again:
1. Copy and paste aircaftweapons.xml and items.xml into a new mod
2. C&P a weapon and change it to: AV.TEST in both files. Set the new item to unlimited
3. change the picture for the existing autocannon
Result: the picture gets taken but the new weapon not. No modmerge error anywhere.
Could you try this and report back i would really love to know that the bug is on our side, thank you :):
25 minutes ago, Charon said:You could make 2 mini exemplary mods with only modinfo and aircraftweapons and try to add new weapons in the higher priority mod and see if it works for yourself, and share it if it works. I hope the mistake is on our side.
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22 minutes ago, Solver said:
Modmerge for XML spreadsheets does work, there are enough mods using it. Including X:CE itself to add stuff like incendiary items. But it may fail to work in particular circumstances, maybe there's a problem with mixed insert/update rows in the same file.
look below
9 hours ago, Charon said:For future references its important to keep in mind: XCE is not a mod and doesnt follow the same rules, its the base from wihich the modular system starts to work.
Yes, you are right it works as long the as the xml sheets "update"s existing weapons :). The problem is this:
23 hours ago, Charon said:If another mod changes the aircraftweapons.xml it only "update"s the content but doesnt " insert" or "replace" it.
So what do I have to do in order for other aircraftsweapons.xml to get acknowledged which are ON TOP of x-divison.
You could make 2 mini exemplary mods with only modinfo and aircraftweapons and try to add new weapons in the higher priority mod and see if it works for yourself, and share it if it works. I hope the mistake is on our side.
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4 hours ago, Solver said:
Yeah, to actually do what drages describes, there should be no modmerge commands. Should work as he describes, really, that you can update two weapons (by using just the necessary fields), and add a new weapon (by using all the fields). If this doesn't work, it's a problem.
Jup, thats what i´m saying. Looks like the modmerge system never worked for xml spreadsheets in the first place
!!! Disclamaimer !!! the following evil song is only meant for ENTERTAINMENT and its not meant personal, just an expression on how people and I might feel in some way !!! Disclaimer End !!!
No one knows what its like
to be a moooooodder
to work with XCE
Behind blue eyes
No one knows what its like
To post threads
to be fated
to telling only thrice
But my dreeeams
they arent as empty
as the answers seems to be
I have hours,
only lonely
spend with files
that never work
No one knows what its like
to feel these feelings
Like i do,
and i thank you
No one asks back as hard
on their dreeeeam
None of my broes
can show through
But my dreeeeeams
they arent as empty
As the answers
seems to be
I have hours,
only lonely
spend with files
that never work
Discover
X.C.E. System (4x)
No one knows
what its like
to be misunderstood
and enlighted
Behind blue eyes
No one knows
what to say
about the merging system
but i dont worry
Im not telling lies
But my dreeeams
they arent as empty
as the answers
seem to be
I have hours,
only lonely
spend with files
that never merge
No one knows
what its like
to be a mooooodder
to work with XCE
Behind blue eyes
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20 minutes ago, Max_Caine said:
I'm sorry Charon, but I can't help you with your original question. I've never had a copy of Excel, and I could never get any of the free Excel-like spreadsheets out there to work with Xenonauts, so when I modded a Excel-to-XML file, I always used a text editor. That's my only experience of editing such files, so I can't advise you how to edit a file in Excel.
@Max_Caine I doesnt matter if you use excel or not im clearly useing a text editor here:
19 hours ago, Charon said:This doesnt screw up the whole file if i put a MODMERGE in front of the identifier column ?
like: <Cell><Data ss:Type="String">MODMERGEATTRIBUTE "Name" MODERGE "insert" AV.HYPERMISSILE</Data></Cell> ?
but its ok, seems like nobody knows something about this :). We are on VIRGIN lands !!! ... Somehow.
Edit: @llunak help ?
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ok back to my original post
X-Division has an file called aircraftweapons.xml.
Another mod with the name "New Airgame" has a aircraftweapons.xml as well. This mod has a higher priority.
Remember what i said earlier ?
15 hours ago, Charon said:Yeh, I found that out. Its "insert" as long as the file, apart from XCE, doesnt exist. Its "update" as soon as the modloader has loaded the same file earlier. That are the auto settings.
This means the aircraftweapons.xml only "updates" the file, but doesnt append (illunak style) or "insert" new items. See the problem ?
If another mod wants to "insert", thus creating a new item, it needs the "insert" command, otherwise non existing "update"ed items will get deleted, just like illunak said. As a side not, this doesnt produce a modmerge error.
So where do i put that "insert" command ?
1 hour ago, Solver said:I think a better question is, what are you trying to accomplish?
I want 2 mods with 2 aircraftweapons.xml to get the higher priority mod to append new items/weapons.
Slowly i could write @llunak but not yet.
This seems such like a basic problem and yet we have so many difficulties to get a proper solution.
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Actually, im just throwing this out there and you are free to argument against but this system seems to be counter intuitive for it is trying to do, that is providing a modular system.
Lets take Khall's Tundra Tileset as an example. The "tundra" tileset doesnt exist previously so he uses "insert" ( writing nothing would have worked the same way, see auto explanation above) in missiontypeprops_gc.xml. "tundra" didnt exist previously but now it does which means i have to use "replace" in my own missiontypeprops_gc.xml to make it working ( i tested this throughly with my own file ). Can you follow me so far ? Easy enough i guess.
For future references its important to keep in mind: XCE is not a mod and doesnt follow the same rules, its the base from wihich the modular system starts to work.
So XCE adds the tile "forest" to the game without any missiontypeprops_gc.xml content. I can no longer write nothing to "forest" because missiontypeprops_gc.xml exists previously loaded in the modloader (khall, see "update" post above), but i have to write "insert". Still with me ?
For instance if khall wants to add a forest line in his missiontypeprops_gc.xml he would naturally have to use "insert" or nothing. This would break my own missiontypeprops_gc.xml because the command "insert" in my file is no longer valid and produces a modmerge error. See where this is going ?
Furthermore, the order of the mods is crucial for it to work.
Lets say someone added a new weapon and uses "insert". If you want to replace that weapon you have to use "replace". What now if the original author deletes this weapon ? Right the second mod produces a modmerge error.
All in all this makes i fairly fragile, because if one author changes something in one mod it can break things above and below its priority regarding inserted items. Utmost care and prudence is necessary.
All of this makes every modloader configuration unique and every little change needs to be checked if it works. Still looks like an improvement over the old overwriting style.
I can start to see that a lot of people tried to make it as good as possible :).
Back to my original question: where do i write those modmerge commands in an excel spreadsheet ?
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2 minutes ago, Solver said:
You are right about the tags. Most of the mysterious ones are probably from the vanilla game though and not X:CE. We cannot write explanations for all those, but again, ask if you have specific questions.
Wait, let me intervene right here. You still dont get what Drages tries to say. So let me explain: There are codes AND commands which are nowhere written, except in mods which used them and deep down in some XCE changelog version thread.
For example: Function.Chance(AdvABTChanceName,1,40)
This command is nowhere written excep buried in some XCE changelog thread. So what do you do if you dont know about this command and encounter it nowhere ? Right ! You dont use it because you dont know it ... exists.
Your offer to ask about lines of code we can actually see is very generous, even the email, but we cant ask questions about things we dont even know they exist and are nowhere written down. And there could be more of those and we cant ask about them either because we dont know ... they exist. Puff Magic.
Picking you up on your offer do you know how the <MissionType name="Common">, <FriendlyAI> and <Ticker> in missiontypeprops_gc.xml work and how they behave and in what ways i can change them ? You can answer here if you want so we distract from this thread too much:
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This doesnt screw up the whole file if i put a MODMERGE in front of the identifier column ?
like: <Cell><Data ss:Type="String">MODMERGEATTRIBUTE "Name" MODERGE "insert" AV.HYPERMISSILE</Data></Cell> ?
does this now insert the whole item ?
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1 minute ago, Solver said:
Excel XML files are horrible...
Yo, any suggestions how to deal with them ? Because we kind of want to add more, and more mini mods on top of it like the MICHAEL BAY APPROACH MOD. Because the AM_AirSuperiority and CO seems to work fine with everything.
1 minute ago, Solver said:If you're changing an aircraft weapon that already exists in XDivision, then the new mod primarily needs to have the same name (first column) as the weapon in XDivision. "Update" is the default I think,
Yeh, I found that out. Its "insert" as long as the file, apart from XCE, doesnt exist. Its "update" as soon as the modloader has loaded the same file earlier. That are the auto settings.
I dont know where i have to write MODMERGE "***" MODMERGENAME "***", can you give me an example ?
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@Max_Caine and @Solver
So how does this whole modmerge thing work ?
X-Divison has an aircrafts.xml and aircraftweapons.xml. Both work fine. I guess this is because there is no other same named file (aircrafts.xml or aircraftweapons.xml) loaded before before that.
If another mod changes the aircraftweapons.xml it only "update"s the content but doesnt " insert" or "replace" it.
So what do I have to do in order for other aircraftsweapons.xml to get acknowledged which are ON TOP of x-divison.
And yes i´ve read the illunak thread :). I guess i cant figure out where to put that MODMERGE in excel sheets.
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11 minutes ago, Jean-Luc said:
XCE does have an exhausting change log but it can be daunting for a new played to find and make sense of it. Pointing out major changes is useful.
Explosives not always doing over-damage and slower interceptor patrol speed (and lower fuel consumption) are among the significant yet probably overlooked changes imo.
I just stumbled upon those things in an accident.
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14 minutes ago, Solver said:
I think the change notes in each individual release announcement do a pretty good job of summarizing the changes. Every significant change is in those. A full, exhaustive changelog cannot be published - there have been about 1700 commits in the code.
This is EXACTLY why i say NOBODY knows ANYTHING about XCE. Who is going to read through about 34 changelogs which are god knows where. MAKE a summary to tell people what XCE IS about. Than people will start to CARE again.
At the very least make a link summary, although i dont think ANYBODY without a full dedication attitude is going to read it or search for the things he(she wants to know.
Forgive me my aggressive tone and dont take it personally, i appreciate what you and the XCE team is doing :).
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3 minutes ago, Jean-Luc said:
There've been changes to psi too, right?
It's nice to have this clearly listed.
I want to point this out again: a FULL list, EASILY accessible would do XCE very good. People dont even know what you were doing. I dont either, nobody actually knows what the XCE is all about.
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6 minutes ago, Solver said:
Incendiary items
Incendiary ammo (grenades, rockets) is available in X:CE. In the Balance Mod, fire also serves a purpose against Sebillians. They can see through smoke, rendering smoke grenades useless against them. In the Balance Mod, fire has the same effect on Sebillians that smoke has against other aliens, making incendiary grenades effective defensive tools.
Never knew and good to know.
You guys seriously need a place where everybody can read the full changelog.
Xenonauts 2 July Update
in Monthly Development Updates
Posted · Edited by Charon
Although this is exactly why its hard to to further develope a game into the ultra best state. It simply costs too much zots, with too much risk at hand. You cant make the best game possible if you have to think on how you will feed your family. You have to make predictable steps to with a certain amount of ressources and a predictable goal which leads to predictable game with an predictable income. The outcome is is somewhat predictable, but mods dont give you any predictable money/none at all.
A good example is Rome 2. Why did the developers make it ? They were game developers and needed to feed their family. Thats their job. So they decided to make a modern game which will net them a predictable income.
On the other hand we have Roma surrectum 2 the best Roman Total war mod/game ever created. Roma surrectum 2 is infinitely better than Rome 2, as a game you want to play and inverse yourself in, comparing to a game which delivers you a mostly hollow experience with fancy graphics. They almost made every single feature worse than it was before. Why ? Because it needs some serious work to deliver the same experience on a new platform. Some ballons became just what they are now because better versions need too much air and it was not deemed cost efficient to pump more into that balloon which other ballons needed to ship the whole product.
A few words on Roma Surrectum 2. Its an incredible game on a dying platoform with no support in the future. The engine can only use single core which limits all future plans to zilch. Just like the settlers 4, it calls on specific hardware components which might not be available in the furture and have to be emulated to keep the game properly running.
Is it the better game ? Undoubtly. Is it the better financial choice ? No, it would be a horrible choice for a game developer who needs to think how to feed himself and the people under his care. It would be like putting money on a sinking ship. You know its going to sink, you just dont know when.
But i wouldnt even buy Rome 2 if someone would give me the money for it, its not worth my time.
This is the outcome of the system game developing is in today. Sometimes i think games are just there to feed a money cycle to further our technological advances. Software and Hardware have an incredible short half-life period. Take a look on emulateing older hardware components will tell you why. To accurately emulate a 300 mghz hardware you need more than 3 ghz, and even that is not enough.
Emulators explained.odt
This is the reason why i support inconditional basic income and paying money on things you are actually playing, not buying and never touch it again. Thats a long walk until we are there.
So do i understand that Xenonauts 2 is the better financial choice as a game developer who needs money to live and eat ? Undoubtly, but because the system of game developing forces developers to it. Playing X-Com in a MSDOS box doesnt put money ijn a cycle where people can actually feed themselve. This is true to most free software programs out there. They are developed by people who think that software is something useful but are ditched by a developer team that have to think about an predictable income source.
All software needs adjustements over time and even redevelopment to stay on top of changing soft and hardware components. If no money is put into it they will be forgotten quicker than myspace accounts.
Do i think that mods will undoubtly produce better games ? Yes, because they can inflate balloons with air they provide themselve and polish them to a degree which a team which has to think about a budget can not.
This is ultiamtely also the main problem. No money gain from mods = no future for the mod. No redevelopment. No nothing. Good games are rotting on the software graveyard because they are not believed to produce a positive money evaluation. And the software and harware windmill presses on and on, new and changed things everyday, and the guinea pig runs and runs a bit more in the treadmill.
Game developing is like riding a wave. You have to enjoy it while it lasts, take care of bigger waves from behind, and there are also times without waves.
But maybe we can change that attitude of thinking.