Mod Approval Process - CivScale - Scale

[Ruff_Hi]

CivScale does two things ... 1) change various scaling items (cloud depth, city sizes, unit sizes, etc and 2) change the interface colour and transparancy. This thread is aimed at discussing the impact of changing the scaling items.

Once a mod is submitted for approval (by the submittor starting a thread in the approval forum), the community should use a rigorous standard to judge the mod:

Most importantly, does the mod give the player any edge over not having it? Graphics mods would probably pass this standard easily, but it's important to note that terrain mods could possibly make it a lot easier to see the squares at the "edge" of the fog, based on the tile blending -- that would be enough to exclude it.

The general principle is that the mod should not give the player information he should not otherwise have -- the foreign affairs advisor mod that included the "gold available for trade" would explicitly fail this test.

I will post a review of the scaling features of this mod as well as a list of files that it affects. I will also post some screenshots of the impact of changes.

Secondly, is the mod useful? Does it benefit enough players in some way, and is it a benefit to the RB community that players use it? Blue Marble would almost certainly also pass this check, since many players[1] would say it makes the terrain a lot prettier. Autologger might not pass this test, actually, since there is quite a bit of opposition to its use as the "bulk" of reports.

Not much to do here - guess we just look at how many people post in this thread to gauge the interest.

Finally, does the mod bring something new? If we already approve ($DEITY help us) ResourcesAsNFLIcons 1.1, we don't also need ResourcesAsNHLIcons 0.98c.

Ditto

APPROVAL PROCESS

What I need from "the committee":

• Is a mod "Graphical"? (Affecting appearance).
  
• Is a mod "Utilitarian"? (Affecting player's interface).
  
• Is a mod "Rebalancing"? (Affecting game rules).
  
• Which components are modified? (World Builder, XML, Python, C++)
  
• Which files are affected?
  
• If Python or C++ are involved, the mod needs to be certified free of trojans.
  
• VISUAL EVIDENCE showing and explaining what the mods actually do.
  
• A simple "aye" or "nay" from each committee member as to their personal recommendation on whether or not to approve a given mod. (Explanations may follow but are not required.)
  

My initial take on these is ...

• Is a mod "Graphical"? - YES
  
• Is a mod "Utilitarian"? - YES
  
• Is a mod "Rebalancing"? - NO
  
• Which components are modified? - Graphics
  
• If Python or C++ are involved, the mod needs to be certified free of trojans. - NO code was changed in the making of this mod
  

[Ruff_Hi]

Here are some screen shots illustrating the scaling part of CivScale. The shots also include colour changes but that component is being addressed in a different thread.

Typical Game shot with maximum scale ...


Impact of changing the cloud height - this shot is from the vanilla game ...


This shot is from the CivScale adjusted game ...


As you can see, civ colour coded borders stay visable from a higher altitude. One benefit of this is that your dot maps can cover a wider area.

Here is the impact on tile revealing in the fog ...

Revealed tiles but no unit there to light them up. The fog to the north is covered with copper, wheat, iron, horses, elephants, sheep, cows.


As you can see, no resources are revealed.

Same shot with units in place to light it up (note scaling is set to max) ...


Here is a zoom with the resources revealed - note the resource bleed over into adjacent tiles ...


Zoom but resource tiles in the fog, max scale ...


Zoom, resource tiles in the fog, normal scale ...

[Ruff_Hi]

Comments: I cannot see the harm in allowing the cloud height adjustments. It lets you see cultural borders from a greater height but, I don't think, that doesn't add much (if any) value.

It is good to know that the resources on tiles in the fog are not shown on known squares even though they bleed over into adjacent squares. This is important information and will hopefully clear up any issues of different graphics showing resources in the fog - the game looks like it just doesn't render them.

However, if you compare the last two shots (max scale v normal scale), it is obvious that something in the fog is affecting the forest. The only item that does this is resources (sheep / cows in this case). Thus the use of a max setting on CivScale does reveal information in the fog and ...

THE SCALING PART OF CIVSCALE SHOULD NOT BE APPROVED.

[Sirian]

Comments: I cannot see the harm in allowing the cloud height adjustments.

However, if you compare the last two shots (max scale v normal scale), it is obvious that something in the fog is affecting the forest. ... THE SCALING PART OF CIVSCALE SHOULD NOT BE APPROVED.

You can get good shots from great heights using the free camera. (fyi). Hit Ctrl-Alt-F. You do have to manually control the camera from there, though, and that takes both work and practice.

Also, my understanding of CivScale is that many actually want to use it to make the units SMALLER so that they look more realistic. Larger clearly has some problems, but what about smaller? Have you looked at that?


- Sirian

[Ruff_Hi]

You can get good shots from great heights using the free camera. (fyi). Hit Ctrl-Alt-F. You do have to manually control the camera from there, though, and that takes both work and practice.

Also, my understanding of CivScale is that many actually want to use it to make the units SMALLER so that they look more realistic. Larger clearly has some problems, but what about smaller? Have you looked at that?


- Sirian

Nope - I will look at smaller scale and see if that has a problem re resources in the fog.

[T-hawk]

For what it's worth, I would *love* to have the mod with just the bigger unit flag.

Any chance that that just by itself could possibly be allowed for Epic Six?

[Sirian]

Any chance that that just by itself could possibly be allowed for Epic Six?

No. As you may recall, once an event opens, it's set in stone. Any rule changes would unlevel the playing field between those who have already played part or whole and those yet to begin or complete. Keeping that playing field level is the reason behind the spoiler rule and our number one priority and promise to our players.

No.

However, for events not yet open, it would be possible. Someone would have to get on the ball if it were to happen soon, though.


- Sirian