Request: Ability to Mod Random Events

Welcome to the forums! Here is the dev post on modding.

https://forums.elementalgame.com/349782

It doesnt mention anything about modding events but one of the goals for this game is to make everything moddable in such a way that it could be classified as a new game. I have no doubt in my mind that you will be able to mod events. However, I think at this point it will have to be down via code.

I wouldn't be too sure about that: the randome-event modding that did make it into GC2 was essentially plain-text. However, it doesn't particularly matter to me: ive been meaning to try learning Py again.....

I'm sure we will be able to mod the events. 

I also suspect that we will also be able to to add other triggers that feature some sort of text pop-up and causes an eeffect.

That would be cool if it was just plain text. I've been trying to learn Py as well so I can mod every aspect of this game. I cant wait!

Yeah, but Python is easy enough that something as simple as adding to the random event list should be fairly easy.   I mean the syntax isn't "plain english" but honestly, you should be able to look at existing script and copy easily enough for something like this.   If the syntax still baffles somebody, then a few short tutorials might do it, but I honestly do not feel that is a majority.  For more complex mechanics, of course better understanding will be nessicary, but I'm just talking about adding an event.

Besides, who knows.  Perhaps are part of the tools with Elemental, there will be an interface that supports plain english conversions.   (I would imagine a bunch of boxes. "name", "rarity",  "effects",  "event text",  "event description" and maybe some variables like "global" to show if it tells everybody or keeps it only given to the main player it effects.

Hmm, this raises a question about how aware of random events is the AI?

The reason I ask - and I could be logically completely raising a non-issue here, so please speak up if you know better - is say someone modded in a lot of random events that would give various bonuses to players that owned bear cavalry. Of course people who were aware of said bonuses would be more inclined to make bear cavalry than someone who was not aware of the possibility of positive random events. Will the AI take MODDED random events into consideration when making decisions? I am not talking about REACTING to them after they happen, I mean does it take into account the possibility of certain random events in advance? If it doesn't, it seems like you could load the game down with oddball random events and somewhat create a cheat. Of course with the mods, people will be able to create cheats anyway. I guess all i want to know is if the AI is aware of the possibility of random events and act accordingly, or does it just react to them as they occur? 

Well, considering that the AI itself can be modded, that factor is rather moot, but for the less codey players, it certainly would be nice to have a weighting system for events..... might be rather hard to do well, but I see nothing inherently impossible about it.

Frogboy promised us AI that was able to take mods into consideration.  We'll see just how far that goes, but I imagine that if it effects anything beyond new units, buildings and techs, new events would be 1st other thing it could accomidate(provided they do similar things to existing events.  Give something to a player, take away something from a player, create units, destroy units, etc. without getting too creative, at which point it sounds like you might be "codey" enough that you might be able to handle helping the AI out)

Another thing, how much aware of the events SHOULD the AI be?  I mean in theory, the player shouldn't know what events are coming up.  Its supposed to be random.  So unless the player is using a really broken event to effectivly cheat or exploit the system, the AI should not have to accomidate for it.  The AI likely will not automatically know how to take advantage of an especially common event that requires a certain action or strategy to exploit. I guess the opposite could happen from exploiting, like creating a really damaging event (about every 5 turns a meteor falls that destroys a tile, so never group your units in large stacks) which would increase the difficulty for all players and would require some knowledge how to minimize damage, and again.  I doubt AI would be able to compensate off the bat.

Well, there are some events that you need to take specific action against. From GC2, there were plagues that would slowply depopulate everybody until they researched a tech. The AI would have to know to research that tech. There was also an event that caused super-powerful "dread lords" to appear and attack everybody: the AI would need to know to join forces with people and take them out.

I saw a mention in another thread of random events being class derived this time, rather then hard coded, and how that made it easier for the developers to add events. Presumably that means it'll be easier for us to add events too, if they give us a way.

Good suggestion.

The modding of events would not only allow us to create our own fun events, but it would hopefully allow us to remove any events from the original game which may be unbalanced or bugged.

Yeah that'd be nice. Although I'd actually like the ability to switch individual events on and off at game setup, too. That'd be neat and I can't imagine it being particularly difficult to implement. At the very least I'd like to be able to do this for mega events - for example in GC2 I don't mind some mega events but others ruin the game for me.

A small popup window with a list of the events would do just fine, along with maybe a short description if necessary. Regarding MP - firstly I don't consider MP when thinking up features that I'd like in this game. Secondly, it really isn't a problem at all. MP games are not democracies, they are dictatorships. The host of a game chooses all settings and everyone else can go along with it, convince him to change it, or leave. Same is in pretty much every other MP game ever invented.

Well, a popup window or set screen doesn't make much difference from the dev's point of view, but I honestly did not know about the host's power: I generally avoid MP on account of crappy internet, lack of other gamers @ home and school, and general lack of interest. My sole expericance comes from Metroid Prime: Hunters, where people got to vote on arenas and the like.

Those new with playing multiplayer on the internet usually leaves a bad taste in the mouth for several reasons.   First the other players will sometimes cheat, second the other players may just quit without notice which leaves an empire weaker than having turned AI, third the other human player might be a significantly more experienced and slaughters the new player.  If playing online I'd recommend finding a loyal guild of people who have values and game skills equal to your own.

Multiplayer is best when done with friends and family.  If you've never played with friends and family then I'd first recommend playing where all human players are allied.  Human players in an alliance offers significantly more strategic options as compared with a singleplayer game with allied AIs.   Typically we bring all computers to one location in the city for  LAN  games.