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 Post subject: Simple Utility for Domination
PostPosted: Tue May 10, 2005 11:57 am 
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Tough Nut

Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 1:25 pm
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I have written a simple utility for use with Massive Assault - Domination.

It allows one to create a saved game file, specifying which countries each side controls.

One use for this is to allow a player to create a hot seat game which is a mirror image of an online game.

In order to do this, the player must play through the game from turn 0. My program does not allow placing of units, it's quite trivial (probably anyone except Mrakobes could have written it for their own use).

It's very simple to use, one need just click the "help" icon for the easy instructions.

I'd be happy to send it to anyone who might care to have it. Send a message to Midnight Breakdown with your email address.


If you happen to use the program and find a case where the country list displayed by the program differs from what the MA game says (or if the program blows up - I hacked the program together one evening when I wanted to setup a game), I'd appreciate knowing. You could send me the save game file.

The starting control for each country is specified by a byte in a "country entry". I iterate through the countries in the file. However they are not fixed size structures. Although most country entries are the same size, not all are. I found some data characteristics that in concert seem to allow me to figure out when one country entry ends and another starts, but it's possible there is a case where my algorithm fails.

I've tried it on a fair number of games, however, and found no case where the program fails.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed May 11, 2005 5:13 pm 
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P.L. Marshal
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Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 11:14 am
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i am warning everybody that it is dangerous to use this utility because this Quark can include a virus inside the package which can harm your computer.
for details see there.
http://massiveassault.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2425

_________________
Vestigia nulla retrorsum!!!


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 Post subject: Virus
PostPosted: Wed May 11, 2005 10:35 pm 
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Tough Nut

Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 1:25 pm
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The utility contains no virus or anything harmful in any way.

Even Mrakobes was capable of realizing that someone who intended to place a virus in a program would not mention a prank as I did.

Furthermore, to write a program that behaves in an annoying manner (in this case, only when running on Mrakobe's computer) is hardly illegal. Yes, I suggest reading the end of my post he refers you to. You'll find some very scary stuff there.

Had I created the prank, the program would have affected his computer in no other manner, except to exhibit annoying behaviour while running. Consider the nag screens in common shareware programs. Going to call the Nag Screen Police on me?

His only reason for posting was to be an annoyance because of the embarrassment caused him by exposure of his weak reasoning ability in another thread.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2005 6:37 pm 
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Tough Nut

Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 1:25 pm
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The utility is attached.

In addition to creating "mirror images" of whole or partial positions
to experiment with, the utility is useful in other ways.



* Have you ever been in a game and wondered on exactly which locations
a naval unit may be built in a particular country
? Typically, you are
concerned about where an opponent is able to build a naval unit.

The utility can be used to easily determine the answer.


* On a large map, have you asked yourself a question such as "how many 12-countries are 'out there' that I don't own, and how many of those are my opponent's?"

Of course you can count the countries on the map, but it's easy to
miss one (or count one twice), and you may find yourself starting over
to be sure that you gathered correct data.

With the utility, it's very easy to answer such questions quickly and without error.



* Late game strategies. There are 4 game aspects affected by country
control: production/purchasing, indemnity, balance, and guerillas. Late in the game, countries may "run out" of production and treasury. At this point, it does not matter who controls the country, except for 2 considerations: indemnity and balance.

Once a country has exhausted all production and treasury, you can
allow an opponent to move units into it. You might allow an opponent
to move units into several of your countries if it improves your
tactical unit placement. Country borders no longer matter, EXCEPT for
the issues of indemnity and balance (and possibly guerillas). If you
allow your opponent access to these "spent" countries, you don't want
to give him or her indemnity, or lose the game due to reaching -100%
balance.

The bottom line is that the utility will allow you to know what the
game balance will be with any country control situation.


* Occassionally, you might want to try some experiment that requires a certain geography.

The utility helps set this up.


Attachments:
DOMStartCountries.zip [166.18 KiB]
Downloaded 1082 times
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