Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Modding => Topic started by: Ford_Prefect on April 27, 2014, 03:45:23 AM

Title: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: Ford_Prefect on April 27, 2014, 03:45:23 AM
Source code https://github.com/uaEquals42/SMAC-Mod-Manager (https://github.com/uaEquals42/SMAC-Mod-Manager)


EDIT
Fixed bug preventing it from running for first time users.  :(
Made an exe so that you won't need python installed to run it anymore.

Edit by Draz[\b]
Beta 3, packaged to .exe for windows users. (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=8433.msg92806#msg92806)
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Alpha
Post by: Ford_Prefect on April 28, 2014, 03:06:51 PM
Upcoming features/bug fixes:
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta
Post by: Ford_Prefect on May 03, 2014, 02:12:59 PM
Released a new version of the mod manager.  I would appreciate it if people would try it out and tell me if they find any bugs with it. 

Remember to go to the options tab and tell it where SMAC/X is installed.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta
Post by: Ford_Prefect on May 04, 2014, 03:20:50 AM
I found a bug, removing download, new download will be up soon.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta
Post by: Ford_Prefect on May 04, 2014, 03:39:28 AM
New version out!
Now comes with an exe!
Now won't crash when you try to run it for the first time!  :D
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 26, 2014, 01:53:15 PM
Anything to report?  I'm going to go though the interview and write up a news item in the next few days.  June's looking like your turn for promotion...
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Ford_Prefect on May 26, 2014, 02:15:00 PM
Nothing to report.  I've been busy with stuff, so I haven't spent much time on my hobbies.

Not to mention I'm getting the latest Harry Dresden book today.  :D  So I'll be reading that in my free time.  :D
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 26, 2014, 02:31:39 PM
I'll post the article here for your approval when I think I'm done.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Ford_Prefect on June 09, 2014, 01:32:49 PM
Whoaaa.... That's allot more downloads since the last time I looked.  Was 3, now its 32.  :D

Any comments or suggestions from the people who've tried it out?
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 02, 2016, 05:17:45 PM
Edit: Released beta 3. Check below or first post.

Here's the mod manager packaged so users don't need to install python themselves.

Sample mod attached to this post, contains alternate faction profiles for the Gaians, Peacekeepers, University and Hive, taken from BUncle's Custom Faction page (http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20Factions.htm#Alternate%20Gender%20Factions).
Installation instructions:
1. Extract to a convenient location (not to the SMAC folder)
2. Run SMACXLauncher.exe
3. Go to options tab, select location of SMACX folder, allow mod manager to make a backup

Usage:
1. Put mods that you might want to install into mods directory, following instruction in file there
2. Enable them with the launcher by moving them to the right and clicking apply.
3. If multiple mods are enabled, mods further down the list override any files that are also shared by mods earlier in the list.

Uninstall:
1. Launch SMACXLauncher.exe
2. Move all mods to the left.
3. Click apply, then  force.
4. Once finished, you can delete the SMAC Mod Manager directory.

---

Development notes:

Source has been changed to set logging level to WARNING rather than debug, because otherwise you get an annoying message every time you quit telling you there were errors and I couldn't be bothered working out how to turn it off.

Build steps (users don't need to do this):
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 02, 2016, 06:29:37 PM
The link is to the Alternate Official Factions (splinter factions) I did mostly in collaboration with Darsnan, but the .zip attached is labeled Alternate Gender Original Factions - in neither case did I bother with the name-altered .txt for most of them, unless it's the slightly-altered (different Spartan leader than I'd done on my own) set used in the What Would Pravin Do? GotM I did -ohmygod- six years ago with bdanv and Ali....
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 02, 2016, 06:36:19 PM
Link fixed. The gaians and peacekeepers do have slightly altered .txts :)
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 02, 2016, 06:41:07 PM
You should dig up the Pravin GotM if you haven't -those versions of the factions are complete, never just art, small a job as changing a few names in the .txt is.

...Suddenly, I'm thinking it's been so long that I should do a major re-release of WWPD, since nobody will take an interest in making new GotMs with me anymore.  I could get that scenario into an awful lot of new hands now...
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 02, 2016, 06:54:38 PM
I think we should and could do a big re-release of old material, reformatted so it works easily with this or another mod manager.

Need to test the manager a bit, though.

Similar to ete's Alpha Centauri Ultimate thing, but more useful (ACU mostly just being a big collection of factions hardly anybody is going to want to use anyway).
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 02, 2016, 07:43:45 PM
Hmmm.  Maybe re-release a month at a time for maximum promotional advantage, with a big collection of the lot - it could even be made available the whole time, but still promote one GotM a month until we run out of efforts our team did...

(Alpha Centauri Ultimate is still absolute gold for faction modders, for stealing from each other purposes, especially for the non-artists - I believe that's how Maniac did all the SMAniaC faction art, ripping off from the Network Node collection...)
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 02, 2016, 11:23:21 PM
I agree that ACU has utility to modders for resources, just that it's not likely many players actually want to pick from a list of 200 factions.

Might be fun to select some of the best art and randomly combine it, or just to have a mod that randomly selects some factions for you to play.

Anyway, feedback on the mod manager:

1. Manager should prompt user to set SMAC dir rather than silently failing to launch SMAC/apply mods.
2. Need documentation of what apply/versus force do.
3. Need to check it handles dlls, etc correctly.
4. What happens if you modify a file that was copied in from a mod?
5. If you modify a mod and then re-apply, is manager smart enough to copy it again?

More feedback might come as we use it. BUncle, I suggest you start using the mod manager (in software engineering, this is called dogfooding :)) and try to package some of the GoTMs for it. The more complicated ones with lots of new art, etc would be the best for testing. Let me know about any trouble you have with it so we can improve the user experience appropriately.

I'll look into the above 5 points.

Some future wants:
Repository for mods, allowing updates.
Self updater for mod manager
Suggestions?
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 03, 2016, 01:11:09 AM
Zookeepers (March? 2012) - two custom factions, custom terrain, custom NL, a number of tech mods Name did creating the scenario - a hell difficulty GotM and almost no one tried it (because I made a bad frontispiece image, or something; thought it was a marketing problem, anyway, 'cause we slaved over the thing).  Check that sucker out.

Is dogfooding pushing your stuff or bundling or what?  I'd have to be using mods to use Mod Manager - I have four or five hopelessly garbled (from playtesting whatever and not always cleaning up) folder/copies of the game instead, none of which I've played in a long time.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 03, 2016, 01:41:40 AM
Dogfooding is using your own software/getting your team to use your software

Zookeepers sounds like a good shout.

As for copies of the game, I recommend installing a new copy from GOG, then trying the mod manager on that. You can put the Yitzi patches, etc into mod directories, too.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 03, 2016, 01:57:10 AM
Right now, I am a junkie addicted to kittens and not getting my daily routine stuff done, some forum duties, weight lifting - and way behind on getting around to even bathing.  This is the sort of thing that involves no art and I'm hard to talk into normally.  You're asking a lot...
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 03, 2016, 10:36:19 AM
Fair enough, BUncle :)

Enjoy the kittens!
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 03, 2016, 02:03:54 PM
:)  I really do, believe me.  They. are. SO. cute.  :luv:

-It should wrap up within the month, BTW...
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 03, 2016, 03:47:15 PM
I'm always a lot easier to talk into something creative, and/or activity on the forum -playtesting anything, scient talked me into briefly years ago, and sisko a year or two before that- and I think that's it for me playtesting anything, even my own custom factions, in many years...

Throw me a little art job, though, and I'm probably your [girldog] right away.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 03, 2016, 06:59:29 PM
I think half there's a goodly proportion of people on the forum who get more out of modding and messing with the game than actually playing it, these days, maybe always.

Probably more than that who are just here to talk.

Anyway, on topic and as a note to self, I will package the SMAC in SMAX project and Zookeepers and address some of the feedback in my other post.

The aim for me is to make it trivial for people to install recommended patches, and to make it much easier to install and use mods.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 03, 2016, 07:07:50 PM
That's a good aim, and I want to encourage it. ;b;

(I had thought the other day about nagging you that you'd said you would finish SMAC in SMAX back in September...)
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: DrazharLn on May 03, 2016, 07:18:48 PM
I'm not a very organised person :)
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 2
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 03, 2016, 07:28:11 PM
We all get distracted, no problem - but that's a valuable mod...
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: DrazharLn on May 05, 2016, 03:54:01 AM
Beta 3.

Here's the mod manager packaged so users don't need to install python themselves.

Sample mod attached to this post, contains alternate faction profiles for the Gaians, Peacekeepers, University and Hive, taken from BUncle's Custom Faction page (http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20Factions.htm#Alternate%20Gender%20Factions). Two better mods about to be posted in another thread.

Installation instructions:
1. Extract to a convenient location (not to the SMAC folder)
2. Run SMACXLauncher.exe
3. Go to options tab, select location of SMACX folder, allow mod manager to make a backup

Usage:
1. Put mods that you might want to install into mods directory, following instruction in file there
2. Enable them with the launcher by moving them to the right and clicking apply.
3. If multiple mods are enabled, mods further down the list override any files that are also shared by mods earlier in the list.

Uninstall:
1. Launch SMACXLauncher.exe
2. Move all mods to the left.
3. Click apply, then  force.
4. Once finished, you can delete the SMAC Mod Manager directory.

---

Development notes:

Source has been changed to set logging level to WARNING rather than debug, because otherwise you get an annoying message every time you quit telling you there were errors and I couldn't be bothered working out how to turn it off.

Build steps (users don't need to do this):
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: DrazharLn on May 05, 2016, 03:30:03 PM
Plan for future:

Rejig the mod manager a bit more to enable a more repository based mod installing experience, then push that as the new way to install all mods and patches.

The idea being that we just tell people to install a fresh version of SMACX, then download this launcher, and the launcher automatically retrieves a list of mods from us, and users just tick the ones they want. As patches or whatever are updated, the launcher tells the users and prompts them to update.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: mcshame on May 07, 2016, 01:36:19 AM
Thanks DrazharLn,

I installed it per the instructions and added the yitzi3.4b+pracx1.07 followed by SMAC_in_smax.  Very clean interface kept it simple, I like it.  A couple of questions.

1) I'm not clear what the Force (slow) is for.  Your instruction seem to imply that it needs to be done if I remove a mod? So, for example, if I just want the patches and not SMAC_in_SMAX, I move it to the left, click apply then Force?  What does force do?

2) for the 2 mods that I'm using, I believe they are for SMAX, correct?  What happens if I click on Alpha Centauri instead of Alien Crossfire?  I tried and it ran but will it cause problems? Does it know which game version it's for?

I have another question about SMAC_in_SMAX, but I'll ask it in the other thread.

Alien Crossfire run just as before, seemed to work well.  I use this for my first playthru.

Thx
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: DrazharLn on May 07, 2016, 01:57:51 AM
Things are a bit up in the air still and I'm rewriting the mod manager to be more of a repository based thing (i.e. you get a list of mods available on the internet and can pick ones you want to be downloaded and installed), so things will change soon.

When I wrote the instructions about forcing, I hadn't gone through the code properly yet, so that was more of a cautious thing.

The mod manager basically simulated copying the backup directory onto the main SMAC directory, then the first mod directory onto the SMAC directory, then  the second, and so on, it just has some logic to avoid copying when it doesn't need to.

If you press force, rather than apply, it ignores part of that logic and copies fresh copies of everything in the backup directory and the enabled mod directories.

But there's probably no need to actually ever press force.

As I said, I'm rewriting the thing to be even clearer.

---

2: Both mods are indeed for SMAX: they don't do anything to SMAC. If you'd rather use SMAC than SMAX+smac_in_smax for some reason, I've attached a mod to this post you should use.

It's just a copy of Kyrub's latest patch that I've made PRACX compatible by running pracxpatch.exe.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: mcshame on May 07, 2016, 02:13:58 AM
Quote from: DrazharLn on May 07, 2016, 01:57:51 AM
Things are a bit up in the air still and I'm rewriting the mod manager to be more of a repository based thing (i.e. you get a list of mods available on the internet and can pick ones you want to be downloaded and installed), so things will change soon.

Sort of like The Big World for Baldur's Gate?

Quote from: DrazharLn on May 07, 2016, 01:57:51 AM
2: Both mods are indeed for SMAX: they don't do anything to SMAC. If you'd rather use SMAC than SMAX+smac_in_smax for some reason, I've attached a mod to this post you should use.

It's just a copy of Kyrub's latest patch that I've made PRACX compatible by running pracxpatch.exe.

Thanks, however I would either use the smac_in_smax or just smax, just makes sense.
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: DrazharLn on May 07, 2016, 02:24:55 AM
Yep, sort of like the The Big World Setup.

Have you found the manager easy to use, in general? Any unintuitive things?
Title: Re: SMAC/X Mod Manager Beta 3
Post by: mcshame on May 07, 2016, 02:32:36 AM
Quote from: DrazharLn on May 07, 2016, 02:24:55 AM
Yep, sort of like the The Big World Setup.

Have you found the manager easy to use, in general? Any unintuitive things?

No, very clean and simple.  Keeps things organized and not mess up the original installation.   I am used to mod organizer for Elder Scrolls games.  It's powerful but take some getting used to.  But it's not an apples to apples comparison
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