Earth2150 - EarthC - Tips and Tricks

From InsideEARTH

If you want to create your own scripts you should read this notes to avoid some surprices, artifacts or game crashes.

"The Moon Project":

  • New functions and objects from "The Moon Project" included in this documentation are signed with symbol [MP].
  • Compiled scripts for "The Moon Project" must have extension 'ecoMP' not 'eco'.
  • In The Moon Project there is a special research "RES_MISSION_PACK1_ONLY" used as a preceding research for all "MP" researches. This research must be added at begin of game for each player to enable new "MP" researches.
  • Some scripts for The Moon Project are located in f.e. 'MP-ED' or 'MP' directory, but compiled scripts must be copied to the same directories as for other scripts.
  • EarthC and other tools in this package were designed for developer use only. It means that these tools are not very error-resistant. For example you can write script which is compiled without errors but game will crash when this script is used. Before writing your own scripts you should study included script sources, and if some bugs in your scripts occurs try to compare it with our scripts - some functions must be used in some specific order or with other functions.
  • Scripts compiled with included EarthCMP.exe tool are working only with The Moon Project version 1.0 and can crash while used in older game versions.
  • Test your scripts well before you publish them. We are not resposible for psychical/physical damages made by your buggy scripts :).
  • Don't be surprised if you will see some strange comments in scripts. It's Polish. (And BTW sorry for poor and buggy English in this documentation)
  • Don't copy this documentation to The Moon Project game directory. At startup Earth scans this directory and read headers of all files, so doing this operation with large amount of files takes a lot of time.
  • Use WDCreator tool - its comfortable becouse it creates one file instead of many files in many directories.
  • In multiplayer game all missing files like non-standard levels, user banners or scripts (gametypes, AI players, unit scripts) are downloaded before game starts (in session configuration dialog). If such a file is placed in '*.wd' file then whole '*.wd' file is downloaded. So don't make too big '*.wd' files (f.e. don't put 100 multiplayer levels into single file) becouse it take too much time to download it.
  • You don't need to copy '*.wd' files to 'WDFiles' directory. It's good idea to copy this files to f.e. 'CustomWDFiles' directory.
  • If you will modify some standard Earth files (like levels or scripts) save it under other name (otherwise it will cover standard file from '*.wd' file).
  • Many EarthC functions uses values called "tick". Tick is one game simulation step. For default game speed game makes 20 ticks per second (5 for minimum, 50 for maximum game speed). But if game have a lot to calculate and a lot to display (f.e. battle displayed in maximum zoom out) than (especially at maximum game speed) game can slow down and make leess ticks per second than it should do.
  • File names for mission levels should start with char '!' (f.e. !234.lnd, !234.mis). Such a files are not displayed in skirmish/multiplayer configuration dialog. To load such a file in editor (which normally don't display files begining with '!') use console command 'editor.singleplayer 1' (in editor press Enter, type: editor.singleplayer 1 and press Enter again). If you are bored doing it all the time you can put this line in file 'autoexec.con' in main The Moon Project directory. Using 'editor.singleplayer' command you can open all levels from standard Earth campaigns.
  • Use LangC and "translate*" strings in scripts instead of putting plain text. It looks much better, don't cost a lot of time and your scripts can be easy translated to other language.
  • Scripts of all types are stored in saves, and when save is loaded game uses scripts stored in save file. So if you want for example to test changed mission script you must start this mission again (choose it in choose mission dialog). If you have changed campaign script you must start the whole campaign again.
  • You can debug your scripts. To do that use script function TraceD with parameter string or number. To see this traces you must turn on display with console command: 'display.show 1'.
  • Game type scripts (for skirmish and multiplayer), are stored in two directories. Scripts for multiplayer games are stored in 'Scripts\Gametypes' directory and scripts for skirmish are stored in 'Scripts\Gametypes\single' directory.
  • In unit and mission scripts delete any reference members (of type unit, tank, etc) in command Uninitialize. It's very important, otherwise game can crash after exiting campaign mission.)
  • Your campaign script name must begin with CampaignED (CampaignUCS, CampaignLC or TutorialED, TutorialUCS, TutorialLC for tutorial campaigns) f.e.: CampaignEDSomeExtension.ecoMP (or TutorialEDSomeExt.ecoMP for tutorial) and must be placed in directory Scripts\Campaigns\ED (or UCS, LC for other races). If your campaign name (in first line of script) have name f.e. "translateCampaignEDMySuperCamp" then you can add string with "Description" suffix ("translateCampaignEDMySuperCampDescription") - with short description of your campaign. This string will be displayed in the text box in 'Choose campaign' dialog.
  • If you have added some custom campaign (or tutorial) you should see 'Choose campaign' dialog after pressing 'Start new game' or 'Tutorial' button. If this dialog is not displayed (and game start immediately) it means that your campaign script have bad file name, or is placed in bad directory.
  • If you are testing your campaign you can use console command 'ai.allmissions 1' - then you can select any mission in 'Choose mission' dialog.
  • In any campaign mission you can use console command 'world.endmission 1' - then button 'End mission' appears immediatelly.
  • You can switch to any AI player in game to see if it works properly and as you expect it to work. To do this type console command 'ai.local n' where n is an 'IFF number' (slot in which player is placed - numbered from 0 to 15). In this case you must first enable cheats with command 'I_wanna_cheat'. Note that you will play as AI player but AI in this player is still functioning and doing its job.
  • Note that you can't add any custom levels or scripts to Demo version of The Moon Project.
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