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The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots

 
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The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/16/2017 12:49:11 AM   
paradigmblue

 

Posts: 784
Joined: 9/16/2014
From: Fairbanks, Alaska
Status: offline 		In modding WitP:AE, the most limiting factor is the lack of location slots.

These location slots not only determine base locations, but are also used for all LCUs. For mods that want to add more units and locations to the game, it is very easy to start running into a lack of slots that prevents you from adding everything you want.

Is there any way around this limitation, or any way to mod the editor/engine itself to add more location slots?
Post #: 1
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/16/2017 1:35:58 AM   
wdolson

 

Posts: 10398
Joined: 6/28/2006
From: Near Portland, OR
Status: offline 		The location slots was expanded for AE because the original WitP was limited. Unfortunately it can't be expanded by an end user. It could be expanded in code, but it would require a number of changes throughout the code to support any expansion and it would also slow down the game. The bigger the tables the longer the searches of the tables.

Bill

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WitP AE - Test team lead, programmer

(in reply to paradigmblue)
Post #: 2
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/16/2017 4:14:13 AM   
John 3rd


Posts: 17178
Joined: 9/8/2005
From: La Salle, Colorado
Status: offline 		I wish there were large blocks of open space for a Modder to place ALL their work in the files. All new ship classes together, new aircraft together, etc... It would certainly help with building a Mod and KNOWING WHERE one put what...


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Member: Treaty, Reluctant Admiral and Between the Storms Mod Team.

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(in reply to wdolson)
Post #: 3
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/16/2017 4:33:54 PM   
Dili

 

Posts: 4708
Joined: 9/10/2004
Status: offline 		The biggest limitation i found in editor is the lack of being able to write notes explaining the decisions. Ideally the editor should be linked to a database of conflict.

< Message edited by Dili -- 3/16/2017 4:35:28 PM >

(in reply to John 3rd)
Post #: 4
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/16/2017 5:49:52 PM   
cardas

 

Posts: 184
Joined: 4/8/2016
Status: offline 		How about the painful experience of trying to move things around; want to change those ship classes from using slots 7001-7100 to 7000-7099? Congratulations! Now have fun fixing all the "Upgrade" IDs to match and also correcting every single ship that uses any of those classes.

What makes it frustrating is that the editor is almost there, but not quite, ultimately making it easier to use witploadAE in many cases.

Comments and more slots overall would help. I can accept the slot limit as an engine optimization issue though.

(in reply to Dili)
Post #: 5
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/16/2017 6:17:39 PM   
Dili

 

Posts: 4708
Joined: 9/10/2004
Status: offline 		That too.
Optimizing the database units, devices filling the slots with some logic to find things easier, you can't do it if you have things already interconnected . If you have the gun XX in slot YY you can't change it if is already in some ship. So basically the building the database must be made in one go. The other option is to not care for its logic.

(in reply to cardas)
Post #: 6
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/17/2017 9:10:29 AM   
LargeSlowTarget


Posts: 4443
Joined: 9/23/2000
From: Hessen, Germany - now living in France
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: paradigmblue

In modding WitP:AE, the most limiting factor is the lack of location slots.


I feel the pain, bro. I have scavenged base slots from less-active and seldom-used bases to turn them into something more useful (no one will miss Tonopah, no?) and simplified the seldom-activated Russian OOB in order to free slots for other units. I think I have one or two empty slots left.


That triggers a question - is it necessary to keep a reserve of empty slots to allow units in-game to split?

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AE Mod "Bottlenecks" UPDATED 01/2022

(in reply to paradigmblue)
Post #: 7
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/17/2017 9:35:41 AM   
wdolson

 

Posts: 10398
Joined: 6/28/2006
From: Near Portland, OR
Status: offline 		I haven't looked at it in some time, but I believe there is a section of the location table the editor has no access to that is used for split units.

Bill

_____________________________

WitP AE - Test team lead, programmer

(in reply to LargeSlowTarget)
Post #: 8
RE: The Engine/Editor's Greatest Weakness: Location Slots - 3/18/2017 12:51:47 AM   
PaxMondo


Posts: 9750
Joined: 6/6/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: wdolson

I haven't looked at it in some time, but I believe there is a section of the location table the editor has no access to that is used for split units.

Bill

Correct, numbers after 10000 are in game unit splits.

Agree with the OP, all of the other tables are big enough EXCEPT the location table. The IJ had only 2000 slots, the Allies 3000, that's it. Modding, you would really like to have more of both. For an AI game, you can use some more areas, but not for a PBEM as it creates some visibility issues.

But it is what it is, and it is PRETTY DARN GOOD.



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Pax

(in reply to wdolson)
Post #: 9
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