Spring RTS Engine

there are many options of game-play in Spring
can you please tell me what each of them is ?

Air combat test
cmd 1000 res
commanders (the other commander does nothing...)
Empty script
Global AI test (AAI.so) (KAI-0.12.so) (TestGlobalAI.so)
LUA...
Random enemies 1,2

and were do I put the AI's in the Linux version ?

I've notice that all the downloadable AI's are .dll's - will it work on Linux as it is ?

Those are all just test scripts, you need to use the lobby and play with people online.

From what I have seen from your posts Max, you are running linux, right? As you know the lobbies are only in alpha dev stage, so their are not many options for us linux users. The best method right now is to use wine to run the windows version. It works almost perfectly with only some lobby issues (very minor) and sound problems (can get a little annoying at times, but are fine). I would go with wine and wait for a little bit for a native lobby (either hollow's python based or AF's java based) to reach a usable state.

well, I prefer to play single player at this time.
si I wonder about the AI's ...if it's .dll's - how can I use them ?

The AIs aren't very good anyway, even if you could run them they wouldn't get much done.

To use the AIs on Linux you need to acquire the sourcecode and compile them yourself. Or convince the AI dev to build shared objects too.

MAXDDARK wrote:well, I prefer to play single player at this time.
si I wonder about the AI's ...if it's .dll's - how can I use them ?

The AIs in their current form do some clever tricks, but none of them play like human players. If you just want to learn how to play but don't want to dive right in, I suggest spectating a few games to get a feel for them.

Max, you can also do single player with the windows version via wine. Just host a private game (passworded) in the lobby and set some bots (AI) against you and start.

Half of those options date back from the very early release, when there was no lobby and that starting conditions were hard coded into Spring.exe. For instance one made you start with lots of hawks for both side, another with one commander for each side and gitantic amount of res, another some random SWTA unit, etc... They were here mainly so the dev could have units to test with when they ran Spring, in the early day before lobby and scripts.txt. Nowadays you aren't meant to start Spring that way. I bet half of those don't work anymore. You're supposed to use some Spring lobby instead now. However, I don't know what's a good lobby for Linux.

- Air combat test: give a bunch of hawk (TA level 2 figther plane) to player 0 and 1.
- cmd 1000 res: give a commander and 1k metal 1k energy to player 0 and 1.
- commanders: give a commander and lots and lots of metal & energy to player 0 and 1. This one works with non-TA mods too.
- Empty script: Doesn't give any units to anyone, let you start the game without units.
- Global AI test (AAI.so) (KAI-0.12.so) (TestGlobalAI.so) : I guess it spawn a player controlled by each of these three AIs, so you can watch AI battle it out.
- LUA... : I don't know this gametype. It must be very recent, since from I heard the LUA stuff will only be available in next release.
- Random enemies 1,2: What's that the gametype where a human player starting with a lone commander was faced by an onslaugt of units periodically magically spawn out of nowhere, with the frequence of each units defined in some text file, and that was meant as a palliative for the lack of single player before AI were developped?

Thanks for the replies, but if I want to play single player only Global AI test working, in the scripts the other commander isn't doing anything.

I didn't even see an option to change the graphics....were is it in the Linux version ? and the lobbies ?

MAXDDARK wrote:Thanks for the replies, but if I want to play single player only Global AI test working, in the scripts the other commander isn't doing anything.

I didn't even see an option to change the graphics....were is it in the Linux version ? and the lobbies ?

In tobi's .deb AAI and KAI come with the spring package, so you might want to give that a try.

The options for sound, graphics etc... have not yet been given a GUI, so if you want to edit anything there is a text file wherever spring kept (varies from distro/installation type), but don't expect it to be user friendly.

For lobbies, as stated before by me and others there is no working lobby for Linux at the moment, but two are currently in development and are progressing well. Right now, the best way for a linux user to try spring, until a native lobby is at a working stage, is to install and run the windows version via wine.

Thanks again
it is a GREAT game even if it's an improved copy of the original.

I just wonder, did you remake the units and buildings in the game (I'm talking about the original first Mod) , or you just took them as they were from the original TA ?

the LUA option is for singleplayer missions. (find them on unknown files, escort the convoy and island defense i think)

I think the units were taken from the old TA but same things had to be changed so they work in spring.
But spring is more than a copy of TA, you will notice if you try some mods

knorke wrote:the LUA option is for singleplayer missions. (find them on unknown files, escort the convoy and island defense i think)

I think the units were taken from the old TA but same things had to be changed so they work in spring.
But spring is more than a copy of TA, you will notice if you try some mods

I do have some mods and I even managed to play with some of them
sadly the Star Wars mod isn't working for me...
are there any rules for Mods ? I mean some Mods can't work with all AI's ? maybe can work on every map ?

all mods should work and all maps.
the AI is still experimtenll and does not support all mods.
sorry, no idea about the starwars mod maybe try it with the empty "globaltestAI"

GlobalTestAI results in the same as the Commanders 1000 Res script.

Really, try playing online. Even if an AI can handle building it doesn't know any strategies so it won't be able to deal with many situations that would require more than just throwing more units at the problem.

KDR_11k wrote:GlobalTestAI results in the same as the Commanders 1000 Res script.

Really, try playing online. Even if an AI can handle building it doesn't know any strategies so it won't be able to deal with many situations that would require more than just throwing more units at the problem.

well the KAI-0.12.so is giving me a hard time, I beat it but it does have a strategy.
first it builds some good cannons near your base, then it attacks your BIG cannon if you build it (I mean the vulcano cannon which isn't as useful as it was in the original TA).
then is sends squads .... pretty smart for a newbie like me.

MAXDDARK wrote:

KDR_11k wrote:GlobalTestAI results in the same as the Commanders 1000 Res script.

Really, try playing online. Even if an AI can handle building it doesn't know any strategies so it won't be able to deal with many situations that would require more than just throwing more units at the problem.

well the KAI-0.12.so is giving me a hard time, I beat it but it does have a strategy.
first it builds some good cannons near your base, then it attacks your BIG cannon if you build it (I mean the vulcano cannon which isn't as useful as it was in the original TA).
then is sends squads .... pretty smart for a newbie like me.

Yeah KAI isn't too bad, if you leave it alone long enough to build up. But in the end all an AI can do is spam units. It can't think, "O look, he is building 100 bombers, I better get some Fighters or AA up", or "O crap, he is planning a shore bombardment, better get some popup cannons up", or "ah ha, he left the eastern side of his base lightly defended." It just attacks blindly.

KAI is also evil in mods like CvC that rely heavily on the idea that only certain units can see far enough to let others work properly. KAI acts as if it has radar coverage of the whole map and keeps its units at maximum range whenever possible. That's an evil combination for mods with long ranges.