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Author Topic:   Scenario Editing problems

NotLikeTea posted 02-20-99 05:50 PM ET
Will there be any more extensive documentation on Scenario editing (either from Firaxis or fan sites?)
I was working on a waterworld typs scenario.
Large map with no land at all, but a fair number of interesting landforms below the surface. Raising and Lowering terrain would not be allowed, so the entire game would be naval, until a player got the tech needed to pass a solar shade resolution in the council and gain a bit of land to work with.
However, I'm a bit lost. I tried to make the players start with Sea Colony Pods, but I don't know how to start with non-default units.
I then tried to do the same thing with 7 small 1x1 islands, and a regular colony pod on each. When I tried to play the scenario, the game crashed.
I then tried 2x2 islands. Same problem.
I then tried to ignore the scenario, and keep it as a custom map, with the 2x2 islands. It worked fine, but using the Omnisicent view, I can tell that only about half of the pods ever land at all. This is odd...
Any ideas? I'd really like to try this map out.. would be different, since I've never really used a navy, in Civ (I or II) or in SMAC.
Dan Scheltema posted 02-20-99 11:51 PM ET
Sounds like you're running into a "not enough land to deploy the civs" bug like several in Civ II. There you MUST have X number of ocean squares or the game locks, for example. (not sure what X is exactly, but it's fairly low)
There's no event system in SMAC, is there?
Why not start the scenario with the first city in place? That's probably your best workaround. I haven't played with this scenario editor yet at all, so can't suggest more than generalities.
NotLikeTea posted 02-21-99 11:19 AM ET
I thought of that late last night, actually...
I was thrown off by the fact that there is no "place colony" option in the menu.
I'll have to build the 7 colonies on land, give them all pressure domes, and sink them.
Easier than trying to figure out how to create custom units, for now, at least.
Is there also a minimum about of land? I want to make a mars map with no land (kinda an anti-waterworld) untill some terraforming takes place. Will I have the same problem there, too?
Kedryn posted 02-21-99 11:49 PM ET
You may have a hard time if you make a map with no water at all. In Civ2, I created a desert world, completely barren. Whenever I played on it, it would always crash the same year. Looking back, I think that when the time for random barbarian ships came around, the computer would pick a random square of water to place them in and, if there were no water, the game would crash.
NotLikeTea posted 02-22-99 10:14 AM ET
I think that SMAC will be a bit more firendly on the water point.
CIVII needed water for farming, and the editor would give a warning if you had none.
SMAC doesn't need water for farming, and the barbarians can come from inside your territory, unlike CIV
Not sure yet, though.
NotLikeTea posted 02-23-99 09:44 AM ET
Postscript: No problems with the scenario with all water now.. works like a charm!
Though, the Oceanic AI is nothing to write home about.. even at Transcend.
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Author	Topic: Scenario Editing problems
NotLikeTea	posted 02-20-99 05:50 PM ET Will there be any more extensive documentation on Scenario editing (either from Firaxis or fan sites?) I was working on a waterworld typs scenario. Large map with no land at all, but a fair number of interesting landforms below the surface. Raising and Lowering terrain would not be allowed, so the entire game would be naval, until a player got the tech needed to pass a solar shade resolution in the council and gain a bit of land to work with. However, I'm a bit lost. I tried to make the players start with Sea Colony Pods, but I don't know how to start with non-default units. I then tried to do the same thing with 7 small 1x1 islands, and a regular colony pod on each. When I tried to play the scenario, the game crashed. I then tried 2x2 islands. Same problem. I then tried to ignore the scenario, and keep it as a custom map, with the 2x2 islands. It worked fine, but using the Omnisicent view, I can tell that only about half of the pods ever land at all. This is odd... Any ideas? I'd really like to try this map out.. would be different, since I've never really used a navy, in Civ (I or II) or in SMAC.
Dan Scheltema	posted 02-20-99 11:51 PM ET Sounds like you're running into a "not enough land to deploy the civs" bug like several in Civ II. There you MUST have X number of ocean squares or the game locks, for example. (not sure what X is exactly, but it's fairly low) There's no event system in SMAC, is there? Why not start the scenario with the first city in place? That's probably your best workaround. I haven't played with this scenario editor yet at all, so can't suggest more than generalities.
NotLikeTea	posted 02-21-99 11:19 AM ET I thought of that late last night, actually... I was thrown off by the fact that there is no "place colony" option in the menu. I'll have to build the 7 colonies on land, give them all pressure domes, and sink them. Easier than trying to figure out how to create custom units, for now, at least. Is there also a minimum about of land? I want to make a mars map with no land (kinda an anti-waterworld) untill some terraforming takes place. Will I have the same problem there, too?
Kedryn	posted 02-21-99 11:49 PM ET You may have a hard time if you make a map with no water at all. In Civ2, I created a desert world, completely barren. Whenever I played on it, it would always crash the same year. Looking back, I think that when the time for random barbarian ships came around, the computer would pick a random square of water to place them in and, if there were no water, the game would crash.
NotLikeTea	posted 02-22-99 10:14 AM ET I think that SMAC will be a bit more firendly on the water point. CIVII needed water for farming, and the editor would give a warning if you had none. SMAC doesn't need water for farming, and the barbarians can come from inside your territory, unlike CIV Not sure yet, though.
NotLikeTea	posted 02-23-99 09:44 AM ET Postscript: No problems with the scenario with all water now.. works like a charm! Though, the Oceanic AI is nothing to write home about.. even at Transcend.