Fixing Stars! |
Sun, 24 November 2019 02:21 |
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ricks03 | | | Messages: 222
Registered: January 2012 Location: NC | |
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As I gain proficiency in manipulating Stars! files, it occurs to me it shouldn't be all that hard to fix some of the common concerns in .x files.
Any suggestions or tips as to what to fix? It occurs to me the colonizer still colonizing without a colonization module on it would likely be fairly easy to fix (famous last words) but looking at new ship designs in the .x file and resetting the "able to colonize" bit if the ship design doesn't actually have a colonization module on it.
The minefield dodge of looking to see if a waypoint is along the y (or in the case of speedbump x) axis (tho that sounds problematic, as you'd effectively have to outlaw moving in a straight line).
Things like that. Anyway, if anyone has pointers on what might be fixed along those conceptual lines. Bugs, tools, code, etc. The more specific the better.
Ideally a tool that scans .x files and just warns people there's a problem with the turn so they can't submit it to a hosting environment. Or something that actually flips the bits (as once you know what they are, changing them is relatively easy). The closer information is to "In this block, this thing can be broken, and it's byte [x]" of course
Rick
https://www.irelandbybicycle.com
http://totalhost.sinister.net:999
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Re: Fixing Stars! |
Wed, 18 December 2019 20:15 |
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m.a@stars | | Commander | Messages: 2765
Registered: October 2004 Location: Third star to the left | |
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From the Known Bugs (JRC3) - Player Exploitable Bugs / Features list, I'd try to detect and/or nerf Split Fleet Dodge, dodgy Mineral Upload, AR Starter Colony 'block', Prod Qs blocked due to lack of minerals, 'fleet targeting fleet' bugs, AR Mineral Fountain, SpaceDock 'infinite' refueling, CA hab Intel on non-Allies, the 512 fleet limit eating newly produced ships...
Also, maybe lay the groundwork for external micromanagement/automation tools, which would need to insert/tweak lots of orders in the x file, and extract lots of actionable data from the m file.
Also 'shared' Intel tools, so a player can 'export' planet or fleet data, and give/sell it to others.
[Updated on: Wed, 18 December 2019 20:36]
So many Stars, so few Missiles!
In space no one can hear you scheme! Report message to a moderator
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Re: Fixing Stars! |
Wed, 18 December 2019 20:34 |
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ricks03 | | | Messages: 222
Registered: January 2012 Location: NC | |
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I do appreciate your enthusiasm. In the context that all of my work is focused on extending Totalhost:
-I don't consider split fleet/dodge a bug given the changes to the Patrol order in jrc4 (How you'd even fix that in .x files I have no idea).
-I plan on filtering for the "Stealth pick up pop", correcting much like the ability to colonize with colonizers with no colonization module that I can already fix.
-I plan on figuring out how to clear the queue for AR starter colonizers, but I don't know if it's possible from a .x file.
-I have no idea how to fix a queue blocked due to lack of minerals (and I don't consider it a bug - manage your queue).
-I believe I've already fixed for CA player info.
-I don't know how I'd calculate (or fix) for the 512 fleet limit. In a hosting context I could possibly review submitted files and figure out how many fleets there would be, and warn people. . . but I've already made a stab at fleet info, but I'm hindered by the block not being translated enough. That's probably more complicated than I care to bite off. Someone who helped out with that would make that process faster. . .
-For that matter, my code is on Github, so if you want a tool, either submitted code to me, or modifying the TH code and submitting it would also speed things up. TH includes a tool that will let you display the decrypted data for a block type. Patiently making changes to a file and noting the changes can lead to determining heretofor unknown block information.
For several things I plan on displaying notes/warnings on submitted turns, instead of making actual changes.
The groundwork for writing external management tools is the library/API raptor is building. Much of my work is leveraging that Java API into perl tools (just the tools that I want). and I want to fix/detect/clear bugs, not change the game.
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http://totalhost.sinister.net:999
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Re: Fixing Stars! |
Wed, 22 April 2020 02:42 |
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ricks03 | | | Messages: 222
Registered: January 2012 Location: NC | |
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I've added the ability to "fix" the SpaceDock Overflow bug.
Given that the Armor total is stored in the Design Change Block, I'd hoped I could fix it by overwriting the Armor value with a recalculated value (also taking into account the potential for Croby and Langston). But when I replace the armor value in the .x file, the .HST recalculates it. Even closing and reopening the front end recalculates it.
So instead if you try to put 22+ Superlatanium on a spacedock when you have RS, I reset the number back to 21 and recalculate the armor value.
That puts me at a fix for the Colonization component bug, and a fix for Overflow. I can detect the "1st player with 10 starbases" and warn, but I don't see a good actual fix besides, "don't do that".
Stealth pop and the Minefield bugs both are reportedly fixed in JRC4, so no need to fix for those! (tho I wish I'd figured that out at least slightly earlier, but at least I made progress mapping the waypoint code).
Assuming there's enough data on the production queue block, I'll probably try to fix the AR starter colony bug next. hopefully just a matter of clearing the hidden order from the queue. that's hopefully easier than the next feature I want to try to "create", the ability to block gating to friends, and make it a game setting. (hmm, although if it's a game setting I could just make it a game rule and be done with it.)
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Re: Fixing Stars! |
Sun, 03 May 2020 23:28 |
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ricks03 | | | Messages: 222
Registered: January 2012 Location: NC | |
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I can now detect the Cheap Starbase bug, fix it, and (the hardest part) see if a resubmitted .x file fixes the problem after an alert.
So I can detect, fix, and accept fixes (meaning an update to your .x file can clear the alert without having to delete it) for:
-Cheap Colonizer
-Spacedock SuperLatanium
-10th Starbase Design
-Cheap Starbase (requires .M or .HST file in addition to .X file to fully clear alerts for all cases)
Once I'm done testing I'll build into totalhost, but right now it's just a standalone utility if anyone is interested in it (and helping test it, the test grid has been a lot larger than initially expected). The standalone code is just my testbed before incorporating into totalhost, so it outputs a LOT of data (all player planet queues, ship designs, waypoints, fleets, etc) in addition to the alerts.
https://www.irelandbybicycle.com
http://totalhost.sinister.net:999
https://github.com/ricks03/TotalHostReport message to a moderator
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