• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

unmerged(40707)

Just call me Yoda in private!
Mar 1, 2005
20.187
5
Hello everybody, and welcome to our third development diary for ‘For the Glory’ (FTG).

There is no grand strategy game like FTG without a database behind it for countries, monarchs, leaders, provinces, religions, cultures, technologies, events, etc. With AGCEEP, this database became huge and some map mods for EU2 even added more countries and provinces, but there was a limit with EU2 for this database. The first one was the number of possible “objects”. The second was almost all rules that could apply to these objects were inside the game.

The primary goal of FTG was thus breaking most of the EU2 limits and externalizing rules as much as possible. A new database structure was required for this and thus a new database engine in order to handle it. The new database engine for FTG was created by Wreck. With it, road was open for a full rewriting.

The first thing to do was converting EU2 csv files to a more user-friendly text files structure. The next step was going through the source code, identifying all well known effects that were inside it... and some more deeply hidden.

For example, do you know there were chokepoints in EU2? Here is the result in FTG database:
Code:
control_seazone = {
	445 #Gibraltar
	732 #Tangiers
	357 #Thrace
	307 #Sjælland
	251 #Skåne
}
Every fleet that comes from the port of these coastal provinces has a bonus for interception of enemy fleets in the adjacent sea zone.

The result of this work was a model that can be extended very easily. All EU2 players know there is a permanent casus belli for Catholic and Counter-Reformed countries against the owner or Roma if not the Pope, or against any country at war with the Pope. I am playing Venice in AGCEEP and Aragon just decided to declare war to Papacy...

cbpapacy.png


Corresponding parts of FTG database are:
1. for Roma:
Code:
religious_cb = {
	religion = {
		province = 399 #Roma
		type = catholic
		owner = { PAP }
	}
}
2. for Papacy:
Code:
religious_leader = {
	PAP = catholic
}
PAP is the country tag for Papacy and “catholic” in the database is for a religious subgroup that includes Catholic and Counter-Reformed as two very close but different religions with specific rules. Religions will be detailed in a future development diary but this simple example shows how the model can be extended for any province, any country and any religion. There is no limit.

The next step of the process was using the new database structure for reworked and new scenarios. Garbon handled this task for standard scenarios. The goal was just enhancing the scenarios with more historical setups and keeping in mind those scenarios are best suited for multiplayer. For example, you will see Hussite is now a specific religion for Bohemia. Garbon also added a scenario for the Age of Timur that starts in... 1399, of course!

The other idea was externalizing values used in formulas. As a result, there is a DB file called defines.txt that includes more than 250 values. Here is the content of the mercenaries section of this file:
Code:
mercenaries = {
	_MER_INFANTRY_BASE_PRICE_     =  20 #Positive
	_MER_CAVALRY_BASE_PRICE_      =  40 #Positive
	_MER_ARTILLERY_BASE_PRICE_    =  65 #Positive

	_MER_MAXBEFORE_OFFSET_        =   81 #Positive
	_MER_ARTILLERYAFTER_OFFSET_   =   81 #Positive
	_MER_MINAFTER_OFFSET_         =  281 #Positive
}
The first three entries are for the base price when hiring mercenaries. Current level of inflation of the hiring country will be added for available mercenaries.

The last three entries are for time information according to the defined timeframe of the game. The default timeframe is indeed 1419-1819 but there is no limit, from 0 to...

MaxBefore means more available mercenaries for the first 81 years of the game. ArtilleryAfter means no available artillery in the first 81 years of the game. MinAfter means only a few available mercenaries after 281 years in game. This offset rule applies to any value related to dates and not only in defines.txt. Just think about technologies in particular.


Enough of database and text files for now, let’s go back to the interface!
MichaelM created a new option at the start of a game. I am in the multiplayer country selection screen waiting for other players:

aieventchoices.png


Normal (default), Historical or Random for A.I. event choices?

Well... MichaelM will explain it in a future development diary. The next one will be devoted to enhanced and new game features first.
 
Interesting stuff.

YodaMaster said:
Every fleet that comes from the port of these coastal provinces has a bonus for interception of enemy fleets in the adjacent sea zone.
Does this mean you get a bonus for combat in the seazone where the port lies or does it apply to all seazones adjacent to the province? Does the fleet need to produced in the port or can it also be relocated there for the bonus to be effective?
 
Hooray to For the Glory! Hail Yoda and his team! :D
 
Does this mean you get a bonus for combat in the seazone where the port lies or does it apply to all seazones adjacent to the province? Does the fleet need to produced in the port or can it also be relocated there for the bonus to be effective?
No need to produce the fleet in the port. It just means a fleet entering the adjacent sea zone from the port of one of the specified provinces gets the bonus.
See the list, all these provinces geographically control a strait.
 
No need to produce the fleet in the port. It just means a fleet entering the adjacent sea zone from the port of one of the specified provinces gets the bonus.
See the list, all these provinces geographically control a strait.

Straits are strategically important things.
I like it.
 
there should be more of these "straits" , important in history as an example,
strait of dover/calais, strait of corfu/ionion 9or gulf of venice), strait of aden, etc etc............is there hope for these?
 
No need to produce the fleet in the port. It just means a fleet entering the adjacent sea zone from the port of one of the specified provinces gets the bonus.
See the list, all these provinces geographically control a strait.

Is it too late to suggest to be able to load an army on a fleet inside a port? :)
 
I love what you're doing to this game!!! I will definately buy it! :)
 
I love what you're doing to this game!!! I will definately buy it! :)

I agree!

One question. Will we get a nice icon under our avatar? :)
 
Impressive, whole structure of EU2 seem to have been reworked!
But... won't there be any new diplomatic options?
(as can be seen from screen-shot)
 
For example, do you know there were chokepoints in EU2? Here is the result in FTG database:
Code:
control_seazone = {
	445 #Gibraltar
	732 #Tangiers
	357 #Thrace
	307 #Sjælland
	251 #Skåne
}
Every fleet that comes from the port of these coastal provinces has a bonus for interception of enemy fleets in the adjacent sea zone.

Isn't it interesting how you can still learn new things about this game eight years later?

I suppose it could explain why the traditional Byzantium early-game survival strategy is so effective. I've always noticed how well my navies hold coming out of Thrace to block the straits.

Everything looks really nice. I like the inclusion of both EU3 forum badges. :p