Want to set up a game of AA 2.23 for testing

[Caydr]

AA 2.23 was the last "stable" version of AA and has been available since 2006. I, uh... think. Last good version might have very easily been 2.21, since it was online for 15 days without an update, and was a day-later fix/patch to 2.2 which I know was a "playable" version. Probably.

The purpose of testing is simply that I want to make sure that there's one final version out there that's works somewhat as intended and accurately represents what AA was.

Until 5 minutes ago, Sourceforge displayed 2.3 beta 2 as being the most recent version, but as anyone with a very good memory will know, it was barely playable.

So anyway... just want to set up a quick game at some point. Mod file is available here:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/ta-aa/ ... ring/2.23/

or, if that's shit, this one:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/ta-aa/ ... ring/2.21/

But before that can happen, can someone tell me if Spring even capable of recognizing the files as they are? I'm guessing not, so is there some simple documentation (HA!) on what needs to be done for a quick and dirty 2006-era Spring mod format conversion to a 2011-era Spring mod format? I'm willing to dedicate a few hours to it. Hell, maybe even add a couple of the known "good" post-2.23 changes.

Also, gotta do this quick-ish if possible before I stop caring.

edit: Lulz, I think 2.22 might have been spaem wezel edition, based on a quick glance through the changelog.

edit 2: Shit, 2.22 was a really great version otherwise from what I can tell. A lot of fixes. All the ideas I had to follow up an these changes are flooding back to be. I wish I had more time for this!!!! Love TA so much...

edit 3: SHIT SO MANY IDEAS WRITTEN DOWN IN MY SECRET FILES I JUST FOUND! LIFE, Y U SO FULL OF OTHER SHIT??!

edit 4: To hell with it, how about if I just get it playable, that seems like a good thing to do in any case...

[Cheesecan]

I unzipped the billions of sdz files into my mods directory but spring can't seem to find anything. edit: Tried with 2.23.

Maybe this is the cause?:

Here's BA 7.31's modinfo:

Code: Select all

return {
  name='Balanced Annihilation V7.31',
  description='Moooooo!',
  shortname='BA',
  version='V7.31',
  mutator='Official',
  game='Total Annihilation',
  shortGame='TA',
  modtype=1,
}

Here's AA 2.23's:

Code: Select all

[MOD]
{
Name=Absolute Annihilation 2.23;
Description=AA for Spring v2.23;
ModType=1;
NumDependencies=1;
Depend0=AASP22.sdz;
NumReplaces=3;
Replace0=AASS22.sdz;
Replace1=AASS221.sdz;
Replace2=AASS222.sdz;

[NTAI]
{
tdfpath=AA;
}
}

[Caydr]

Srsly there were a lot of SDZ files weren't there... Probably need to be all integrated into one and have one of those... lua... mod defs or... something... anyone help?

I unzipped the billions of sdz files into my mods directory but spring can't seem to find anything. edit: Tried with 2.23.

Maybe this is the cause?:

All that stuff -should- be perfectly readable by the engine, I think. Unless they phased out dependences, I guess.

edit: Ah, Spring stopped shipping with the TA basic content files, right? Maybe with those added back in things would work.

[knorke]

http://springrts.com/phpbb/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=52

etc

[zwzsg]

Eh, before you ask for test games, make sure your game works. Hint: It won't! Need at least modinfo and the gadget to spawn start units.

[Caydr]

Eh, before you ask for test games, make sure your game works. Hint: It won't! Need at least modinfo and the gadget to spawn start units.

OP asks if anyone can give a quick guide to converting a 2006 game to a 2011 game.

But I suppose it's fair to say that this might not have been the right place to put it.

[FLOZi]

lol Caydr

[Forboding Angel]

modinfo.LUA

[zwzsg]

Eh, before you ask for test games, make sure your game works. Hint: It won't! Need at least modinfo and the gadget to spawn start units.

OP asks if anyone can give a quick guide to converting a 2006 game to a 2011 game.

But I suppose it's fair to say that this might not have been the right place to put it.

Follow knorke's link, and the past me will give you a few pointers.

But I suppose it's fair to say this might be too much to expect the OP to read replies.

Nothing personal, knorke's link also show a perfect exemple of how people in need of help don't bother reading replies. Especially when they contain links.

[Forboding Angel]

modinfo.LUA

modinfo.LUA

[Gota]

[Forboding Angel]

Advice

[Caydr]

Z, I was replying to you, not Knorke. I read Knorke's reply, but didn't think to thank him for it after reading your reply and feeling I had to correct you. This is a wrongful tendancy of mine, forgetting to show appreciation and concentrating on negative things.

Thank you for the helpful reply, Knorke. I will examine the info and try to comprehend these new things.

I don't know who is accusing who of trolling, but if the comments were intended for me, please accept my assurance that my intention was constructive. If nothing else I would really like to have one last "playable" version, not in the expectation that it will be played or reach any popular status, but mainly for my own sake. I take great pride in what I made with AA and I don't want it to be remembered as being left in a broken state.

[Pxtl]

Honestly, I'm betting you could continue your work from the current BA if youw anted and not find too much different - most of the changes have been bugfixes. Balance changes have been small.... rezbots are L1 and a handful of units have been buffed or nerfed. Most of the differences between BA and AA2.X are bug-fixing by TFC. Save yourself the trouble and just work from the modern version.

[Ares]

I remember playing AA with friends over the web, that is where my best TA related memories are from! Admittedly, it was more of a 30 minute ceasefire followed by 1000vamps vs 200 mercurys playstyle than a competitive one.

Near the end of our AA playing days (friends router was replaced by one with a dynamic ip - everyone had relied on him hosting, lol) we tried to get a version of AA spring running without success. I remember a menu screen and a box of scenarios to test the engine - the one I tried had lots of vamps and hawks flying about and I seem to remember flying about in one and thinking how awesome it was! Sadly, it didn't make a difference as I couldn't get the real game to run, from there on my rts needs would have to be answered by the supcom franchise.

Years later when I came back on a whim it was AA Spring I sought out, because that was what I was familiar with. However, the forum and site seemed to have strange ways of diluting past and present, so it got too confusing for me in the end. I managed to work out that that BA was a natural progression of the concept you worked on with AA (intensive logic, such as B following A in the alphabet, may also have been applied).

I don't know the truth, but after discovering you had your own den for projects I assumed that yourself and the BA team weren't on as good terms as I had hoped. At the same time I was amazed by how familiar BA felt (albeit, from the point of view of someone who really wasn't any good and probably didn't appreciate the finer points of AA to begin with). Which led me on to thinking how much better it could still be with you involved!

The funny thing is when I first launched BA the only real difference I noticed (apart from how good it was) was the absense of the Orcance, Zulu and Abel! So, at least in the eyes of a noob like me, I don't think that whatever differences yourself, AA and BA may have, are as significant to the average player as they may feel to you. Enjoy the insight!

[tombom]

You realise 2.23 was "spam weasel" edition right

Hence why BA came out, because the last version you released has a major bug

I think 2.21 was the one with the hilarious commandos

it's quite possible 2.22 was the edition where you made the change it's just you released 2.23 before we noticed

[Forboding Angel]

Not true pxtl. BA is entirely different.

[1v0ry_k1ng]

surely this dead horse is sufficently flogged

[Pxtl]

Not true pxtl. BA is entirely different.

Different, yes. But *entirely* different? Definitely not. Same units, similar stats - just a handful of units have been pushed into slightly new roles, and *lots* of bugfixes.

It would be easier for Caydr to claim the bugfixes and then revert the gameplay changes then to try to replicate the bugfixes against aa.

[Cheesecan]

No news? Guess Caydr already gave up..