Blank unit file/Faction specific units?

[Yitzi]

Ok, I just tested it, and the game works fine until you try to access the involved techs (or any tech with them as a prerequisite) in some way (not sure of the exact details), at which point you get a crash to desktop.  It is indeed due to an infinite loop when trying to find the tech level, so when I start taking requests, if it's requested to enable tech loops, I'm fairly certain I can do it, I'd just need to know how the tech level should be calculated (as "1 more than the highest-level prerequisite" is quite obviously not going to work for a loop.)

[Geo]

..., so when I start taking requests, if it's requested to enable tech loops, I'm fairly certain I can do it, I'd just need to know how the tech level should be calculated (as "1 more than the highest-level prerequisite" is quite obviously not going to work for a loop.)

It is the easiest way I know of making features/units unavailable for some reason, so I'll definitely keep in mind as a request.
But what other way then an up-down/lower-higher relation can you do in the tech tree?

[Yitzi]

..., so when I start taking requests, if it's requested to enable tech loops, I'm fairly certain I can do it, I'd just need to know how the tech level should be calculated (as "1 more than the highest-level prerequisite" is quite obviously not going to work for a loop.)

It is the easiest way I know of making features/units unavailable for some reason

You'd also need to make the tech in question unavailable from trade and pods...

But what other way then an up-down/lower-higher relation can you do in the tech tree?

You mean, how else can you determine the tech level (e.g. industrial base is 1, industrial automation is 3, controlled singularity is 15, etc.)?  You describe how you want it to work for loops, and I can probably implement it, but obviously if tech A requires tech B and tech B requires tech A, you can't have A have a higher level than B and B have a higher level than A.

[Geo]

You'd also need to make the tech in question unavailable from trade and pods...

Yeah...
I seem to remember reading the pods only give first-level techs though, so that can be circumvented.
But trading is indeed a completely other kettle.

You mean, how else can you determine the tech level (e.g. industrial base is 1, industrial automation is 3, controlled singularity is 15, etc.)?  You describe how you want it to work for loops, and I can probably implement it, but obviously if tech A requires tech B and tech B requires tech A, you can't have A have a higher level than B and B have a higher level than A.

So you think it would be possible to have half-isolated techs in the tech tree, for instance needing a prerequisite from the for everybody researchable part, and the other prerequisite linked to say the "ALIEN" or "AQUATIC" parameter flag?

[Yitzi]

You'd also need to make the tech in question unavailable from trade and pods...

Yeah...
I seem to remember reading the pods only give first-level techs though, so that can be circumvented.
But trading is indeed a completely other kettle.

You mean, how else can you determine the tech level (e.g. industrial base is 1, industrial automation is 3, controlled singularity is 15, etc.)?  You describe how you want it to work for loops, and I can probably implement it, but obviously if tech A requires tech B and tech B requires tech A, you can't have A have a higher level than B and B have a higher level than A.

So you think it would be possible to have half-isolated techs in the tech tree, for instance needing a prerequisite from the for everybody researchable part, and the other prerequisite linked to say the "ALIEN" or "AQUATIC" parameter flag?

That's an idea...it could be made possible.  But what I was thinking of was simpler: A first-level tech is any tech with no prereqs.  A second-level tech is a tech with a first-level prereq and nothing higher.  What level is a tech whose prereq is itself (or whose prereq's prereq is itself, etc)?

[Linamints]

Sorry not for responding to any of this, we've had a lot of power outages here lately.
I am confused though why giving higher level techs seems to cause crashing? I made a faction pack for myself at one point where each AI had one of the higher level techs, and played the game through just fine without crashes.

Also How do you disable tech trades? I've never noticed that option in the rules section before and I'd prefer to have it XD. I get irritated pretty fast with AI's harassing me for techs.

I managed to find that Caviar viewer and I'm pretty curious about some of what I've found. Mainly, that certain caviar files cannot be read do to a lack of geometry (according to the error message), are these where the unit sprites are stored?

I'm also curious why the models are all in 3D for what is effectively a 2D scroller style game? And if this might mean the unit sprites might be somewhere else?

[Dio]

Sorry not for responding to any of this, we've had a lot of power outages here lately.
I am confused though why giving higher level techs seems to cause crashing? I made a faction pack for myself at one point where each AI had one of the higher level techs, and played the game through just fine without crashes.

Also How do you disable tech trades? I've never noticed that option in the rules section before and I'd prefer to have it XD. I get irritated pretty fast with AI's harassing me for techs.

I managed to find that Caviar viewer and I'm pretty curious about some of what I've found. Mainly, that certain caviar files cannot be read do to a lack of geometry (according to the error message), are these where the unit sprites are stored?

I'm also curious why the models are all in 3D for what is effectively a 2D scroller style game? And if this might mean the unit sprites might be somewhere else?

Most of the files that contain no geometry are used by the game to determine where the weapons are to be attached to a specific vehicle chassis. In addition, the three dimesional models are used for weapons/equipment, armor, vehicles, reactors, specific special abilities, locusts of chiron, and the isle of the deep. Also, the three dimensional models are used everywhere in the game that the graphic is to be represented. Finally, the only two dimensional grpahics unit graphics in the game are located in the units.pcx file.
Note: The lines in the unit.pcx file that contain the spore launcher, sealurk, mindworm and fungal tower have special coding that allows them to change graphics depending on the morale of said lifeform. In other words, if used for anything else, you might run into problems with graphics.

[gwillybj]

I seem to remember reading the pods only give first-level techs though, so that can be circumvented.

The pods give all levels of techs.

[Yitzi]

Sorry not for responding to any of this, we've had a lot of power outages here lately.
I am confused though why giving higher level techs seems to cause crashing? I made a faction pack for myself at one point where each AI had one of the higher level techs, and played the game through just fine without crashes.

Giving higher-level techs doesn't cause crashes, but stuff like having tech A with tech B as a prerequisite, and tech B having tech A as a prerequisite, does.  Basically, if you can trace down the prerequisite chain and end up where you started, it'll cause a crash.

Also How do you disable tech trades? I've never noticed that option in the rules section before and I'd prefer to have it XD. I get irritated pretty fast with AI's harassing me for techs.

You can't, at least not yet.

[JarlWolf]

Yes, maybe have it where you add more toggled options when creating a custom faction like a "custom unit/tech" where it's a tech or unit attributed and only useable by said faction, sort of how the ALIEN toggle works in a sense.

Might take a fair bit of coding but I could see it working.

[Yitzi]

Yes, maybe have it where you add more toggled options when creating a custom faction like a "custom unit/tech" where it's a tech or unit attributed and only useable by said faction, sort of how the ALIEN toggle works in a sense.

Might take a fair bit of coding but I could see it working.

I think it would be easier and more powerful to just have a faction be usable in place of a tech as a prerequisite.