[Modding] Creating my first scenario

[Cablenexus]

- As you can see I have plenty of resources at start. The select tech screen I use don't give me any prompt to select research speed.

- I can see in the tooltip that it is set to complete in 5 turns automatically.

- I notice in history display that all flags (also the ones I don't have connection with) are visible. (sorry for double reporting I want to make this a good test so you have everything what happened in the scenario what is not correct in one view).

- This is my taskmanager at start game (multiple other apps open, Firefox, Office, Firefox, Notepad++, Paint.net).

[Cablenexus]

- Please note that in previous games I was using the Crtl - Q command often. Also I sometimes watched enemy turns and sometimes I skipped them with ESC.
I plan to do the same in this test.

- I have unit size set to 1 btw the last few days. Don't ask me why, but I think I also report it.

[Cablenexus]

- I notice that while I set my keysettings to default [space] next unit and End turn to Return that the space for next unit immediatly start to work.

- But when I run out of actions and want to end my turn, spacebar is still assigned to end turn (in text only) in real it's the Return key that is working now.

EDIT

This is corrected in next turn.

[Cablenexus]

- Turn 6 I get the prompt for a new tech. No choice to set speed, set automatically to 7 turns this time.

[Cablenexus]

Passed the 40 turns mark, steady game, no issues, no freezes, no CTD's no errors.

[Cablenexus]

I decide to start a game with animals again, but deleted the cow.

I set all animal percentage on all default tiles to 20. It's a populated world I don't have any performance issues. CTD directly after "updating map" after first turn:

Naam van toepassing met fout: Aggressors.exe, versie: 0.9.8.11, tijdstempel: 0x5b2159e7
Naam van module met fout: MSVCR100.dll, versie: 10.0.40219.325, tijdstempel: 0x4df2be1e
Uitzonderingscode: 0xc0000005
Foutmarge: 0x00001ed7
Id van proces met fout: 0xe74
Starttijd van toepassing met fout: 0x01d406a3044f30de
Pad naar toepassing met fout: D:\Program Files (x86)\Kubat Software\Aggressors Ancient Rome\Aggressors.exe
Pad naar module met fout: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\MSVCR100.dll
Rapport-id: 1ff4073c-1dd1-4753-b93e-a2e9bba7c33b
Volledige pakketnaam met fout:
Relatieve toepassings-id van pakket met fout:

Application: Aggressors.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.AccessViolationException
at Mogre.ManualObject.Position(Mogre.Vector3)
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.SetVertexProperties(Mogre.ManualObject, Mogre.Vector3, Mogre.Vector3, Int32, Int32, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Aggressors.UI.TileHelper, Mogre.Vector2, Single, Single, Mogre.Vector4)
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.RenderVertices(Mogre.ManualObject, Int32, UInt32, Int32, Int32, Int32, Int32, Int32, Int32, System.Nullable`1<UInt32>[,], Boolean)
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.CreateTerrain(Int32, Int32, Int32, Int32, Int32, System.String, Boolean)
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.RecreateTerrainsForLod(Int32)
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.StabilizeTerrain()
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.UpdateChartSquareChanges(Aggressors.StateClasses.ChartSquareChangedCollection, Boolean, Boolean)
at Aggressors.UI.RunMethodChartSquareChangedCollectionEffect.RunEffect()
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.TryRunEffect()
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect(Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect)
at Aggressors.UI.UnitEffect.ExecuteEffect()
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.RunEffects(Boolean)
at Aggressors.UI.AggressorsForm.FrameRenderingQueued(Mogre.FrameEvent)
at Mogre.Root.raise_FrameRenderingQueued(Mogre.FrameEvent)
at Mogre.Root.OnFrameRenderingQueued(Mogre.FrameEvent)
at <Module>.Mogre.FrameListener_Director.frameRenderingQueued(Mogre.FrameListener_Director*, Ogre.FrameEvent*)
at <Module>.Ogre.Root.renderOneFrame(Ogre.Root*)
at Aggressors.UI.MogreForm.Go()
at Aggressors.UI.MogreForm.Run(System.String[])
at Aggressors.UI.Program.Main(System.String[])

[Cablenexus]

I now did the opposite, I set all percentage of animals to 1 or less.

I reach the 30 turn mark without issues.

It's safe to say the amount of animals cause the msvcr100 error and too many trees cause the kernel32 error. Reducing the trees solve out of memory issues for me. Reducing the animals also solves the msvcr100 error clearly.

Don't know why and how, but I'm scptical to believe that this is something modern hardware can't handle.

Isn't it an issue with too many animals that they cannot have free places to move? some graphic effects together on one tile, too many animals on one tile etc etc?

I ask this because even a map full animals doesn't ask much system resources, not before the turn is executed at least.

However I will see what the turn mark is that I can reach now, and then slowly add cows with a little percentage and test again.

[Cablenexus]

- I notice that for the first time since researching around 5 techs with a major amount of resoucres the speed slider magically shows up. It happens on the military duty tech. All previous techs did not show the slider for me.

[Cablenexus]

Second day I reached the 20 hour mark of testing. It was struggling for me to migrate from beta 3 to beta 4. Not really because of issues are added to the game, there where just a few minor so far, but because the Holland project is getting pretty big and me and the scenario are somewhat demanding to the game.

The map is really huge. Pavel warned me for this since the beginning. But I wanted to continue at my own risk and the result is a really great map, with many nations but also a map that needs some finetuning to be stable.

For example, over 7000 tiles with so many trees are just too many vertices to handle. Isn't it on my mediocore system, then it will be at someone else.

But I want to try out things and push the engine (and probably the dev) to the max, that is not always good. There was slowly added more to the game. More features, twenty tribes now, a map bigger then what Pavel recommends is good (max 80 x 80 while mine is 89 x 89) is over 7000 tiles, hundreds of units on the map and now also new added models for animals. It's just getting to much.

Also I all the time play and edit in the highest possible settings. Better for me that it crash there, then in a lower setting. I can always compare what is the limit to my system with lower settings afterwards.

Well all those things are good learning moments. I lowered the amount of trees drastically on certain tiles without the map is getting boring to look at. There are still many forests etc.

I also choose now to reduce the amount of animals and I got direct result till turn 40 now in my current game without issues.

Seems everything is really getting back on track for me. I will thank Pavel again very much for the support given so far.
I will continue to work with the lowered objects ingame and will see if it stays stable.

Now it's ZZzzzzzzzzzzz

[Cablenexus]

And the North was just sand/water anyway

[Cablenexus]

ONE MORE TURN!

[Cablenexus]

Really last turn, implemented cows back. They appear on swamp tiles as well now. Animals and trees both reduced in screenshot with 3/4

[Cablenexus]

- I continue the game with the altered trees and animal settings, still on highest system settings + 16 x AA

- Find that a second time a speedslider for tech shows up. This time for the Galley tech. There were previous techs I researched I not get the prompt.

- I made it to turn 50 now.

This is what I changed in animals and trees so far:

cow:

<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="1" percentage="1.7" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="2" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="10" percentage="4" />

Seagull:

<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="1" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="2" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="3" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="4" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="5" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="6" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="7" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="8" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="9" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="10" percentage="1" />

Raven:

<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="1" percentage="2" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="2" percentage="2" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="3" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="4" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="5" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="6" percentage="2" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="7" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="8" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="9" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="10" percentage="4" />

Eagle:

<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="1" percentage="0.7" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="2" percentage="0.7" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="3" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="4" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="5" percentage="0.5" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="6" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="7" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="8" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="9" percentage="0" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="10" percentage="1.7" />


Deer:

<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="1" percentage="0.5" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="2" percentage="0.5" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="6" percentage="2" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="8" percentage="2" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="9" percentage="4" />

Boar:

<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="1" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="2" percentage="1" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="6" percentage="4" />
<AmbientModelTerrainPresenceMemento terrainId="9" percentage="1" />



GRASS

<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="1" bitmapIndex="136" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="80" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="2" bitmapIndex="137" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="70" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="3" bitmapIndex="138" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="90" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="4" bitmapIndex="139" percentageProbability="20" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="98" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="5" bitmapIndex="140" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="60" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="6" bitmapIndex="141" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="50" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="7" bitmapIndex="142" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="40" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="8" bitmapIndex="143" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="50" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="40" />

PLAIN

<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="1" bitmapIndex="136" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="80" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="2" bitmapIndex="137" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="70" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="3" bitmapIndex="138" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="90" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="4" bitmapIndex="139" percentageProbability="20" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="98" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="5" bitmapIndex="140" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="60" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="6" bitmapIndex="141" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="50" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="7" bitmapIndex="142" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="40" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="8" bitmapIndex="143" percentageProbability="10" minNumberOfModels="25" maxNumberOfModels="65" noGapConnectionsPercentageProbability="40" />


SWAMP


<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="1" bitmapIndex="136" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="15" maxNumberOfModels="25" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="2" bitmapIndex="137" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="17" maxNumberOfModels="27" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="3" bitmapIndex="138" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="12" maxNumberOfModels="22" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="4" bitmapIndex="139" percentageProbability="16" minNumberOfModels="10" maxNumberOfModels="20" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="5" bitmapIndex="140" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="30" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="6" bitmapIndex="141" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="20" maxNumberOfModels="30" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="7" bitmapIndex="142" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="0" maxNumberOfModels="30" />
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="8" bitmapIndex="143" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="0" maxNumberOfModels="30" />

[Cablenexus]

You send me previous lists with ID codes for Terrain, tribes, units and techs.

I wonder if you have them avialable for the DDS index for the bitmap, pattern etc as well. (Only if it does not cost you extra time!!!).

[pavelk]

You send me previous lists with ID codes for Terrain, tribes, units and techs.

I wonder if you have them avialable for the DDS index for the bitmap, pattern etc as well. (Only if it does not cost you extra time!!!).

YOu mean if I have a list of terrain with the actual bitmapIndex in the bitmap file? I am not sure if this is what you ask for...

[Cablenexus]

You send me previous lists with ID codes for Terrain, tribes, units and techs.

I wonder if you have them avialable for the DDS index for the bitmap, pattern etc as well. (Only if it does not cost you extra time!!!).

YOu mean if I have a list of terrain with the actual bitmapIndex in the bitmap file? I am not sure if this is what you ask for...

Actually: HOw to determine what is bitmap 143? (for example)

<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="8" bitmapIndex="143" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="0" maxNumberOfModels="30" />

[Cablenexus]

Turn 50!

Don't look at my stats, I mostly just click end turn to advance turns and watch AI.

[pavelk]

Actually: HOw to determine what is bitmap 143? (for example)
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="8" bitmapIndex="143" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="0" maxNumberOfModels="30" />

Imagine these files (bitmaps.dds, patterns, skeletonSmall.png) as grids. The first line has bitmap indexes 0 - 15, the second 16 - 31, etc..
This way you find out that where it is. The only thing you need to know is to which file you should look at. It is pretty simple - all the real bitmaps are in the bitmaps.dds, all the patterns are in the patterns.dds and skeleton (basically let's call it vertical vertices changer AND static geometry groups list) are in skeletonSmall.png.

This way you find out that bitmapIndex=143 is the last square in the 8th row in skeletonSmall.png. There is located a static geometry group - basically a small island of trees...

[Cablenexus]

Actually: HOw to determine what is bitmap 143? (for example)
<StaticGeometryPatternMemento id="8" bitmapIndex="143" percentageProbability="12" minNumberOfModels="0" maxNumberOfModels="30" />

Imagine these files (bitmaps.dds, patterns, skeletonSmall.png) as grids. The first line has bitmap indexes 0 - 15, the second 16 - 31, etc..
This way you find out that where it is. The only thing you need to know is to which file you should look at. It is pretty simple - all the real bitmaps are in the bitmaps.dds, all the patterns are in the patterns.dds and skeleton (basically let's call it vertical vertices changer AND static geometry groups list) are in skeletonSmall.png.

This way you find out that bitmapIndex=143 is the last square in the 8th row in skeletonSmall.png. There is located a static geometry group - basically a small island of trees...

Even better! Thank you. Learned something again.

[Cablenexus]

- I wonder if you have a good view yourself atm of what of the system settings has the most influence on the game and memory.

I wonder if you have some kind of PRIO list for this. For myself it's pretty hard to determine atm which of the stats are the most demanding. And for which part of the PC.

I think it's good for us testers (at least I speak for myself) and modders of course, which of the settings has the most significant impact. And more important HOW can I check this myself.

Just with the FPS counter? Is that sufficient to check differences in bitmap file used, shadow settings used etc etc

Sorry if this is cost you extra work, but I think I have too less of knowledge of those stats atm.

For example there aren't even real shadows in the game, what exactly is the shadow setting doing? What is the difference in terrain/texture setting? What is the influence if using a 4096 x 4096 tile or a 1024 x 1024 tile, the AA settings and how is eventually impact the Advance techniques the game (Doesn't that need to be AdvanceD tech. instead of Advance tech? btw).