[REQ] rev976 [DAG Editor][GUI] polish

[TheGrayMouser]

The game needs some polish, its still looks like its in permanent debug mode

*DAG purchase screen
A) where are the unit graphics when one mouses over a unit?
B) army list is a neon white, the allies list(s), which used to be NAMED and openable as a tree are now simpy a continuing list in neon green without any reference (if multiple allies) to what allied nation they are in.

*In game:
A) What happend to the unit graphics for mouse overs in the bottom window? Not needed I suppose but a nice touch
B) a unit name should display as the unit name "Feudal Knights", not "[BG 1] Feudal Knights"
C) The enemy army and BP's is clipped and not viewable in game, unless the game is processing something

*Modding
Where are all the units graphics? FOGVB was highly moddable, you could take the individual figures and create custom BG's
Tough waiting so long to have a game less moddable that the original...

[cothyso]

DAG Editor:
1) towards the bottom of the low priority to do list
2) the not active allied units are displayed in dark green, and even if there's no separator in-between them, all units of the same ally are starting with that ally nation's name (Armenian, Bythinian, Dacian, etc.). when an ally leader is bought, then that ally leader's nations units are displayed in light grey, an even clearer indicator of the active ally rooster. an ally lists separator is on the low priority to do list (again towards the bottom of it).

In-Game:
1) more detailed BGs' characteristics panels are more util than a picture. the GUI is already too clustered to squeeze that on it too. still nice to eventually have, and right at the end of the low priority to do list
2) this was needed for development, and now needs to be get rid of (and it will)
3) the current application status bar will disappear, and the gameplay status bar will cover the whole top of the screen (from edge to edge)

Modding:
1) if anything, FoG(RB) was completely closed to modding. I remember only a single mod, which was a LSC book, and which was blocked pretty fast (it was replacing other books army templates, if I remember well). Please point me towards a single mod which is not directly replacing an old image (and even of these I only remember a naval mod (replacing elephants images with ships) and some painted color shields), but is making a custom formation and uses it in BGs. FoG(U) has a working mode in which all the files are unpacked and accessible, but its only developer only atm. Also, I am already talking with one of the users about doing some (units) modding with it

[TheGrayMouser]

Modding:
1) if anything, FoG(RB) was completely closed to modding. I remember only a single mod, which was a LSC book, and which was blocked pretty fast (it was replacing other books army templates, if I remember well). Please point me towards a single mod which is not directly replacing an old image (and even of these I only remember a naval mod (replacing elephants images with ships) and some painted color shields), but is making a custom formation and uses it in BGs. FoG(U) has a working mode in which all the files are unpacked and accessible, but its only developer only atm. Also, I am already talking with one of the users about doing some (units) modding with it

Well, your talking about a MOD that would have directly competed with the DAG books sold as DLC, so yeah, makes sense they shut it down.
BUt my point is even a simpleton modder like me could ( and did) make my own BG''s out the existing graphics, as did others. Now that ability is gone
There were other things one could mod as well, for example you could mod the movement rate of BG's...
For my own single player games I modded light foot to only move 3 hexes so they wenrt so over the top slippery
I suppose once the editor is up perhaps there are fun things that can be change directly from it? (like movement rates for user scenarios!)
Cheers!

[fogman]

wait, are you saying it's not possible to select a unit graphic in the editor then change its name, weapons, and other attributes like we can now? that would be the death for scenario making.

[cothyso]

BUt my point is even a simpleton modder like me could ( and did) make my own BG''s out the existing graphics, as did others. Now that ability is gone

Making your own BGs out of existing graphics was not modding, but using the game's editor. You can still do that in FoG(U), and even more than only that. You can alter ALL BG's properties, including the temporary ones (like current turn's (the starting turn's actually) ones.

There were other things one could mod as well, for example you could mod the movement rate of BG's...
For my own single player games I modded light foot to only move 3 hexes so they wenrt so over the top slippery
I suppose once the editor is up perhaps there are fun things that can be change directly from it? (like movement rates for user scenarios!)
Cheers!

This was modding, as it actually required you to edit and modify game's files using 3rd party tools. FoG(RB) was allowing you to alter unit classes capabilities via game-fixed.xml <utypes> editing (and you could also edit the <hexterrains> and the <hexsideterrains> sections to alter terrain classes capabilities), FoG(U) lets you do that at the level of individual BGs (so you can have some LF BGs moving with 3 hexes, while other moving with 4, etc.). That hardly looks like unmoddable to me..

Also, I do plan to have the scenario file and the army list file loaders also accept FoG(U) unit classes and terrain classes capabilities modification, but it is not critical at this point of game's development.

[stockwellpete]

Also, I do plan to have the scenario file and the army list file loaders also accept FoG(U) unit classes and terrain classes capabilities modification, but it is not critical at this point of game's development.

That sounds interesting. It means that I can eventually add "early arquebusiers" to my Renaissance scenarios (one of the existing graphics for handgunners is actually depicting arquebusiers) and also artillery can be rated "poor" to simulate their performance in rainy weather.

[cothyso]

FoG(U) engine has already included basic support for dynamic weather (wind, precipitations, etc) altering terrain's properties (like the movement costs) and/or unit capabilities (like for example the movement (though this could already be achieved by modifying terrain types movement costs), the AOC and AORC, the combat results, and so on). Which can be relatively easily expanded to fully support for the dynamic weather system.

And please note the dynamic word, meaning that the said weather conditions can dynamically change during a game.

[stockwellpete]

Superb!