A puzzlement ...

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Elowan:
I wouldn't be adverse to the script thingy. But I don't quite get where I would alter the Settings.txt file - add a new item?

Correct. Malfaodr would have to add new items to the Settings.txt file that would allow us to modify the defaults. He does that now for things like maximum number of ships and units in the game. I think they are 500 and 2000 by default, but you can change that to as high as 20,000. You can change this in the game setup yourself, but it's a hassle cause it takes a lot of clicking. The settings.txt allows you to change it once and have the change reflected in all your games from that point on. You can lower it for specific games if you want. This is exactly the kind of control you want for racial points I think. It could potentially be done for just about every game setting that we have to click on when starting a game. They all have default settings.

Geoschmo

[DirectorTsaarx]

Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
I think Elowan wants the game to detect the (for instance) 5000-point empire, and automatically change the game setting to be 5000 racial points. Rather than have to go to the game setup screen, manually set 5000 points, and then load the saved empire.

I'd go a few steps further and (like others before me) ask that the game remember our preferred game setup settings, so I don't have to change 10 things on 5 different screens EVERY TIME!!! (/rant)

Just thought I'd bring my original post on this thread up to the front, since Q and Geo have mentioned the same thing (i.e., we'd like a way to save our "favorite" settings for game setup)...

I'd also like to point out that Elowan is right about the "standard" game only coming with one empire file for each race, although I can't remember if it's a 2000 or 3000 point race; at one point, I made 5000-point Versions for myself by loading the default Version, adding bonuses according to the race AI files, and saving as a new Version.

[Gryphin]

Since I start most of my games from the "Launcher"
I'd love it if the script capacity could be worked into that.
Click TDM
Click 3k
Click ....
And be able to save these settings.
Then again, may not be that easy.

[capnq]

There needs to be a seperate EMP file editor like there is for maps. Then we could have a 'load and revise' function that would save us all the hassle of running random games until all empires have been selected and manually saved.

Why do you need a separate editor, when you can make all the changes you want and save them from the Setup screen? There's no law that says you have to actually start a new game after you save the .emp file.

An alternative to starting random games (which I seem to be the only person to use, AFAICT, no matter how often I describe the procedure on these Boards) is to open the <race_name>_AI_General.txt file, copy down the values for the point setting you want, and create a "new" race using that shipset with the values from the file.

There's also no law that says you have to go down the Setup screen tabs in order; I've gotten in the habit of starting with Victory Conditions and doing Players Last.

[geoschmo]

What we have been proposing to MM for a while would be a way to start game via a script in a text file. You could type in RP=3000, and P1=Dominion.emp, and whatever else you wanted different than the normal defaults. Then hit Quick start, or better yet be able to start the game from the command prompt by calling for this text file. If we could get that added we could have automatic setup/starts on PBW. The game owner wouldn't have to set up and upload the first turn at all.

That would give Elowan what he wants. Short of that I think a settings.txt entry to change the default would be extremely simple and use the exsisting code almost entirely. A "remember Last settings" would be neat, although it would require some more heavy changes I would guess. Perhaps less than our load script idea though.

Geoschmo