Conquest Minus

Discussion of all aspects of multiplayer development: unit balancing, map development, server development, and so forth.

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SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Pre-made Conquest Minus games

Post by SlowThinker »

Pre-made Games

Overview:
Terminology:
Pre-made Game: a game that started by loading a Starting Savefile.
Starting Savefile: a savefile of the very beginning of a Conquest Minus game (version 3.1 and above), when a militia is ready to jump in a pool.
You can load Starting Savefile and start a game. If you don't know how to reload a savefile then read How to play a pre-made Conquest Minus game (you can skip point (1) if the game is in your disk already)
Game Start Data: a part of Starting Savefile; it includes data that control the starting settings: game mode (capitol, all-villages ...), both human spawns and spawn of Neutrals, starting gold, etc.

Notes:
  • If you reload a Starting Savefile then you will play a game with identical settings, including an identical spawn of units like in the original game.
  • Game Start Data are included in any savefile and its content doesn't change during the game. Also it is identical for any Conquest Minus version (3.1+). Therefore it may be useful to copy Game Start Data (or its portions) from any savefile into Starting Savefile (read next paragraph 'How to create Starting Savefile from an ordinary savefile').
    This way you copy game settings from one game into another, even between different versions of Conquest Minus.
  • Game Start Data is a text and may be edited quite easily, and so you can get a game with modified starting settings: a modified spawn, a modified starting gold, or even a different game mode.
  • 'Game Saves' and 'Game Replays' must be distinguished. 'Game Replays' are missing Game Start Data.
  • interesting Starting Savefiles may be published here: Database of Conquest Minus game starts
  • (obsolete) Savefiles of versions 3.0.14-3.0.20 may be converted to Starting Savefiles (of versions 3.1+)
How to play Pre-made Games
  1. Step 1 - create a Starting Savefile
  2. Step 2 (optional) - edit the Starting Savefile
  3. Step 3 - start a new game from the Starting Savefile
Details about the three steps follow:
How to create a Starting Savefile
a) during a regular play
  1. start your regular Conquest Minus game.
  2. save your game in the very beginning of turn of side 1, when a militia is ready to jump in a pool: this is a Starting Savefile.
  3. You can continue playing, and if the game is interesting and balanced, the Starting Savefile may be used later
b) artificially
  1. start Wesnoth in the debug mode, i.e. with a switch '-d' (for example under Windows you may run "C:\Program Files\Battle for Wesnoth 1.10.7\wesnoth.exe -d")
  2. start a Multiplayer/Local Game with your desired map, set teams, (colors), Conquest mode...
  3. save your game in the very beginning of turn of side 1, when a militia is ready to jump in a pool: this is a Starting Savefile.
    How to find out whether the game start is interesting / balanced? You can follow next steps:
  4. end turns and go to turn 2 of side 1 (so that Neutral units spawn)
  5. type ':debug' (without the quotation marks), then ':fog'
    now you see all the map with spawns: you can estimate how much interesting the game would be.
c) from an ordinary savefile
  1. Have any Conquest Minus savefile (next 'original savefile') which settings you want to put into a Starting Savefile.
  2. Start a new Conquest Minus game, the map and the number of players must match the original game. Other lobby settings are arbitrary and will have effect to the game. 'Income' has no effect to the game.
  3. You can choose any Conquest settings in the beginning of turn 1, they will have no effect and will be overwritten.
  4. Proceed until you get a map with a pool in turn 1. Save the game, you get 'new savefile'.
  5. Copy Game Start Data from the 'original savefile' into the 'new savefile': just copy [game_start]...[/game_start] from the 'original savefile' and put in the appropriate place of the a 'new savefile'.
  6. Now the 'new savefile' is your Starting Savefile
How to edit a Starting Savefile
If the savefile is compressed then first you need to unpack it by a gzip-archiver (under Windows you can use an open source archiver 7-zip). You will get a file without an extension.
Then open it in any texteditor, edit it, and save.

Details about Game Start Data data (for the version 3.1+):
How to locate it: It is located between '[game_start]' and '[/game_start]' (without quotes); so you can search the file for [game_start]
it contains all starting settings that are not set in the game lobby (with one exception: 'Income', which affects starting gold, is set in the game lobby). The content is self-explaining, but still here are details:
  • game mode and its details (starting distances for the capitol mode)
    how to locate it: it is between [mode] and [/mode] . You can also search for "Game mode is specified here"
  • starting gold and default starting gold of individual sides
    how to locate it: search for [starting_gold] or "Real starting gold of individual sides"
  • unit spawns (including future spawns if the save is made before the spawn takes effect)
    how to locate it: search for [unit_spawns] or "Definitions of unit spawns"
    how to locate individual spawns: search for [spawn]
How to balance the game
If you think the game is not well balanced then you can
  • suggest a starting gold shift for some sides
  • change the Neutral spawn: find a text "Neutral spawn definition" (without the quotes) and edit the values of individual units
    an example: the values to edit are between [unit] and [/unit]; you can edit type, x, y

    Code: Select all

    [unit]
    	type="Sergeant"
    	x=100
    	y=52
    [/unit] 
    
  • change the human spawns: find a text "Human spawn definition" (without the quotes) and edit the position of individual units
    an example: the values to edit are between [unit] and [/unit]; you can edit side, x, y

    Code: Select all

    [unit]
    	side=1
    	x=100
    	y=52
    [/unit] 
    
How to start a new game from the Starting Savefile
You can do it like with any other savefile:
In the game lobby just click on Create Game / Load Game (the "Load Game..." button is above the list of maps/scenarios) then choose your savefile)
_______________________________________________
Where is the directory of Wesnoth saves located?
It is the directory Wesnoth1.10/saves/
Where to find the "Wesnoth1.10" folder? Read this article:Where is my user data directory? (this article explains where a default user data directory is located)
_________________________________________________
Mostly obsolete texts:
relationships between 3.0.14-3.0.20 and 3.1+:
various, mostly obsolete text:
Last edited by SlowThinker on January 27th, 2014, 2:14 am, edited 12 times in total.
I work on Conquest Minus • I use DFoolWide, Retro Terrain Package and the add-on 'High Contrast Water'
I moved to Nosebane's corner (Doc Paterson's signature); I am spending my time there, so PM me if I don't answer your post in forums
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Conquest Minus 3.0.15

Post by SlowThinker »

Conquest Minus 3.0.15 - for both Wesnoth 1.8 and 1.9/1.10

warning: the variant for Wesnoth 1.8 contains a bug that corrupts savefiles of maps with teleports
they can be repaired though:
how to repair the save
(you may need to unpack it first)
  • Search for "[-" (without quotes)
  • delete all (usually 1-2) blocks of the code that contains "[-"
  • after the deletion nothing should be left between next 2 lines

    Code: Select all

    [/capitol_distances]
    [CrUnSid_temp_unit]
    and between next 2 lines

    Code: Select all

    [/CrUnSid_temp_unit]
    [starting_gold_definitions]
Changes that affect the game mechanics:
  • none
Changes that don't affect the game mechanics: New map:
  • Gabrithia (beta) by AlaskanAvenger
---------------------------------------
the new tiny version of Ageless era (Ageless_Era_for_Conquest - v.2) works also with Wesnoth 1.9 / 1.10 and supports units in the map of Gabrithia.
Last edited by SlowThinker on March 18th, 2012, 10:09 pm, edited 4 times in total.
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Conquest Minus 3.0.16

Post by SlowThinker »

Conquest Minus 3.0.16 - for both Wesnoth 1.8 and 1.9/1.10

Changes that don't affect the game mechanics:
  • for BfW 1.8: the bug that corrupted savefiles of maps with teleports has been corrected
  • for BfW 1.9/ 1.10: no change.
Attachments
Conquest-(1.8).tar.bz2
(218.46 KiB) Downloaded 397 times
Conquest-(1.9).tar.bz2
(220.62 KiB) Downloaded 380 times
Last edited by SlowThinker on February 13th, 2012, 7:10 pm, edited 4 times in total.
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Re: Conquest Minus

Post by SlowThinker »

Occasionally I edit the posts that are linked from the Conquestopedia.
Now I added "Help noobs" to How can I help?
edit: I added version 3 of mini-Ageless era
Last edited by SlowThinker on March 18th, 2012, 10:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Conquest Minus 3.0.17

Post by SlowThinker »

Conquest Minus 3.0.17 - for both Wesnoth 1.8 and 1.9/1.10
(it may be downloaded from the add-on servers)

Changes that don't affect the game mechanics:
  • for BfW 1.8:
    Faerie Islands: Keltonia got its bonus
  • for BfW 1.9/ 1.10:
    Gabrithia: a bug that spoiled the labels has been corrected
    Faerie Islands: Keltonia got its bonus
edit: Conquest- Celestia requires all players have Conquest Minus installed. (I will remove this problem from future versions.)
I work on Conquest Minus • I use DFoolWide, Retro Terrain Package and the add-on 'High Contrast Water'
I moved to Nosebane's corner (Doc Paterson's signature); I am spending my time there, so PM me if I don't answer your post in forums
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Conquest Minus 3.0.18

Post by SlowThinker »

Conquest Minus 3.0.18 - for Wesnoth 1.10 only

Changes that affect the game mechanics:
  • Drowned passengers are shown.
Changes that don't affect the game mechanics:
  • Under presumption the hosting player ran Wesnoth in a small window, a bug of Wesnoth 1.10 (https://gna.org/bugs/index.php?19544) could prevent to show the dialog with the minimal village distances. In Conquest Minus this bug has been almost fully forestalled and is very unlikely now (but the dialog is rather ugly now).
  • A player can right-click any teleport and scroll to the target hex. (Remember the target hex can be found also by identical runes on the source and target teleport hexes.)
  • Some events (Heal, Board, Unboard) have been stressed, especially for non-active players (and only if the related position is not covered by a fog): the map scrolls to the event's position, a sound is played (not for the active player, because it would slow down his turn process), a passenger's move is shown, a floating text is shown.
    The sound of healing cannot be heard by sides that cannot see the healed unit (in past everyone heard it)
  • Recruiting: The issue with a fog has been repaired. Also for non-active players the map scrolls to the position of the recruit (only if it is not covered by a fog)
Changes of maps:
  • Celestia: a non-standard terrain graphics prevented to join people who didn't have Conquest Minus installed; therefore I removed the non-standard terrain
  • Wesnoth: I dared to sligthly change this classic map. Dread Swamps, Vrug, Thoria got sligthly better movement among villages
Last edited by SlowThinker on April 6th, 2012, 9:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Zbyll
Posts: 10
Joined: October 2nd, 2009, 5:53 pm

Re: Conquest Minus

Post by Zbyll »

Bug report - can't heal Gryphon in Layel (Segesta) [71,52] - black Militia is not an enemy!
Saved turn in attachment:
BUG_Gryph_segesta_heal.gz
(356.4 KiB) Downloaded 424 times
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Conquest Minus 3.0.19

Post by SlowThinker »

Conquest Minus 3.0.19

Changes that affect the game mechanics:
  • adjacent enemy units don't prevent (full) healing.
  • human horses on forested hills have a 40% defense again (it conforms BfW 1.8; BfW 1.10 introduced a 30% defense). edit: warning: human horses get a 40% defense also on plain forests, and it was not intended. Therefore version 3.0.20 is recommended.
    Also movement costs and defense of units stopped to be adopted from mainline values.
Changes that don't affect the game mechanics:
  • none
Changes of maps:
  • Lotrando v. 1.24: many changes
Last edited by SlowThinker on March 31st, 2012, 12:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Alarantalara
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Re: Conquest Minus

Post by Alarantalara »

SlowThinker wrote:
Changes that affect the game mechanics:

[*]human horses on forested hills have a 40% defense again (it conforms BfW 1.8; BfW 1.10 introduced a 30% defense). Also movement costs and defense of units stopped to be adopted from mainline values.[/list]
You do realise that, unless you redefine the forest terrains as well, horses will now have 40% defense on forested flat ground, which doesn't match 1.8 and is a much bigger change to their defense?
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Re: Conquest Minus

Post by SlowThinker »

No, I didn't realize, thank you for the warning.
What changed since 1.8? Forests turned to base(flat)+forest in 1.10, and use the best defense of both terrains?

Could I return to the previous behaviour easily? I guess I would need an era and force all players to download it?
I work on Conquest Minus • I use DFoolWide, Retro Terrain Package and the add-on 'High Contrast Water'
I moved to Nosebane's corner (Doc Paterson's signature); I am spending my time there, so PM me if I don't answer your post in forums
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Alarantalara
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Re: Conquest Minus

Post by Alarantalara »

You wouldn't need an era specifically, but you would need to define a lot of forest terrains in an add-on and require that it be downloaded (simplest is to just require that all players have your add-on - the map won't load for players without it).
You'd also need to copy out all the terrain_graphics definitions as well.

In 1.8, the forest was defined as forest everywhere except most hills where it was the best of both, unless it was a great tree or jungle, in which case it was still forest.
Then, in 1.9, several new hill and forest terrains were added.
This brought the number of exceptions to some ridiculous number and there were several bug reports about forest behaving inconsistently depending on which hill they were on (normal, dry, sand, snowy).
At the time of the change, there were 13 extra terrain definitions and for actual correctness, it needed at least 40, not counting the great trees (alive and dead).
Needless to say, making the mounted move type be the only exception was much simpler and achieved identical behaviour for all terrain but forested hills which was rare enough on maps that balance was minimally affected.

For your purposes, you could just do the ones for terrains you actually use in your maps, that is one definition for the forest and one for the forest + hills each time.
You'll need to make sure you use unique identifiers for all your forests, both in string and id. If you have the ambush ability on any unit, you'll need to either redefine it or make sure all your forest terrain strings start with ^F. You'll also need to check to make sure your terrain strings don't conflict with any other multiplayer add-on or else either your add-on or theirs will display out-of-sync errors when both are installed (Archaic Era comes to mind as it defines some new forests).
Mabuse
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Joined: November 6th, 2007, 1:38 pm

Re: Conquest Minus

Post by Mabuse »

@Alarantalara

btw, sorry for asking and kidnapping, but how can you make it in 1.10 that units can ONLY move on forest-tiles?

in 1.8 you simply set movement cost of all others to 100 and forest to 1 (for example) and that was it.

however, in 1.10 then the units wont move at all - but how to make it that they move only in forest and not on flat either?
The best bet is your own, good Taste.
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Alarantalara
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Re: Conquest Minus

Post by Alarantalara »

Using the built-in terrain definitions it's not possible. However, it wasn't possible in 1.8 either - try moving the forest-only unit over a forested hill that gave cavalry 40% defense.

However, it is possible to create units able to move over all forest and only forest with some care in terrain definitions.

Define a new terrain type, give it the id "forest_only" or something similar and a terrain string of Yfff (or something else). Then alias all your forest terrains to -,_bas,Ft,+,Yfff.
Then, give units that can only move in forest a movement of 1 in forest_only, and you can leave all the other units alone.
If you're also redefining all the forests as in my last post, the non-hill forests should have a movement alias of Ft,Yfff.
SlowThinker
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Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Re: Conquest Minus

Post by SlowThinker »

Alarantalara, thank you for the elucidation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't want to force players to download the add-on, and I don't want any serious changes until Conquest- 3.1, so I will publish 3.0.20 now. It will revert to the 3.0.18 style, i.e. human horse gets 30% on both forest and forested hills.

I plan to apply the 3.0.19 style (human horse gets 40% on both forest and forested hills) from version 3.1, together with more changes.

But any feedback from the Conquest community is welcome.
SlowThinker
Posts: 876
Joined: November 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

Re: Conquest Minus 3.0.20

Post by SlowThinker »

Conquest Minus 3.0.20

Changes that affect the game mechanics:
  • human horses get max. 30% defense on any forested terrain (including forested hills). This conforms to version 3.0.18.
Attachments
Conquest-.tar.bz2
(149.68 KiB) Downloaded 367 times
Last edited by SlowThinker on April 26th, 2012, 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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