Playing with lt31 ruleset in short games

Xercise · Post by **Xercise** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:32 pm

Dear all,

Can someone help me and others to learn how to install the LT31 ruleset, so we can run some short test games on our own or via the metaserver?

I have tried to install the ruleset Civ 2-3 via the modpack, it seems to install fine, but when I try and use it, the starting window closes itself as soon as I choose that ruleset. I just want to practice with the LT31 ruleset on my own and if possible in a multiplayer setting as well.

And please explain this in really simple terms, I'm not a well-versed programmer.

Cheers, Xercise

ifaesfu · Post by **ifaesfu** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 10:37 pm

Xercise wrote:Dear all,

Can someone help me and others to learn how to install the LT31 ruleset, so we can run some short test games on our own or via the metaserver?

I have tried to install the ruleset Civ 2-3 via the modpack, it seems to install fine, but when I try and use it, the starting window closes itself as soon as I choose that ruleset. I just want to practice with the LT31 ruleset on my own and if possible in a multiplayer setting as well.

And please explain this in really simple terms, I'm not a well-versed programmer.

Cheers, Xercise

+1

pipo · Post by **pipo** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 7:35 pm

Hi,

I assume you are talking about Windows since I did not see any modpack utility under Linux (using vanilla Knoppix 7.0.4). My Windows7 setup has the civ2-3 ruleset and it runs OK but it always crashes the server after turn 1 with civ2-3 ruleset on. Reloading the game without even exiting the client seems to work so far. If you are running Windows7 I suggest you remove anything freeciv and start over (ie: download new versions). (My freeciv is freshly downloaded to windows 1 month ago. It says version 2.3.2)

I was also able to get the civ2-3 ruleset under Linux by making a tar of the installed ruleset of Windows (C:\Users\Name of User\AppData\Roaming\.freeciv\2.3 ) and dearchiving in Linux (/usr/share/games/freeciv for me).

I do prefer the Linux env. but since I like to watch Netflix, I have to reboot into Windows7 often...

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 6:26 am

I dunno what you're running, but if it crashes instantly it usually means something in the ruleset is broken. But it works fine for me in Linux. (Btw, there is a modpack utiltiy for Linux, it is just /bin/freeciv-modpack.) For me anyway, if I run the server or client from a shortcut it will close the Terminal window as soon as it crashes, and doesn't give any info as to why. But if I open a Terminal window and then run the server or client by issuing a command, and it crashes, it usually gives good info as to why it crashed. If you are running Windows, I suggest doing some Windows version of that.

Lord_P · Post by **Lord_P** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:36 pm

There is a guide to this here: http://forum.longturn.org/viewtopic.php?id=99 which worked for me in winXP

If you want to make a game with AI players just start a server, then open as many instances of freeciv as you want players and connect them all to the pre-game as human players.
Start the game (You can play all the players at the start if you like) then save it. Next time you open the game in only one instance of freeciv all the other nations you set up will be AIs or you can toggle them from human to AI.

Xercise · Post by **Xercise** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:37 am

Thanks everyone. I will try and figure it out from your posts and will get back to this forum if I get it to work (or not). Cheers!

Xercise · Post by **Xercise** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:02 pm

No, unfortunately not. I tried to download the ruleset in various ways, but in the end I couldn't make it work. Neither could ifaesfu who probably is far more skilled than I regarding these things. Let me know if you can figure it out, Mmm2 - I like this ruleset and would love to play more games with it (and maybe modify it also).

bardo · Post by **bardo** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:28 am

The same happened to me for some time with v2.3. I downloaded the ruleset civ2-3 from modpack utility, then I run it in windows and the game crashed at the end of the first turn or sometimes as soon as I chose the ruleset in the game panel. It only happened in windows, it worked fine in linux.

If I remember, it was a bug in freeciv caused by the different number of gobernments in this ruleset. It was fixed for v2.3.4, I suggest to install that version if you want to test this ruleset alone.

If you are using a previous v2.3, it is still possible to play if you wait until it crashes the first turn, then you reload the autosave, and it should not cause problems again. The crash only happens when you switch the ruleset the first time.

ifaesfu · Post by **ifaesfu** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 4:01 pm

As bardo says, my client crashed each time I chose civ2-3 ruleset to start a local game. I was told that freeciv 2.3.4 solved that problem, so I can start a game with civ2-3 ruleset now.
I downloaded the rulesest by the file freeciv-modpack.exe, which is in the main directory of freeciv.

But I think this isn't what Xercise wanted to know, though it's really good too. This thread was opened because we wanted to play a local game with lt31 settings. So we should modify a lot of things in civ2-3 ruleset to achieve the lt31 one, with a high risk of producing bugs.
I think we would have to change vision and movement of the units, add pre-fortress patch (if it has been added to lt31), etc.

I remember I download some files from an elrik's link, but it seems they were missing some files of the ruleset. Anyway, it didn't work either.

Xercise · Post by **Xercise** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 5:19 pm

Thanks, yes, you are right ifaesfu, but in any case, Bardo, the modpack installer doesn't download the civ2-3 ruleset for me, even now that I have upgraded to v2.3.4

ifaesfu · Post by **ifaesfu** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:36 pm

Xercise wrote:Thanks, yes, you are right ifaesfu, but in any case, Bardo, the modpack installer doesn't download the civ2-3 ruleset for me, even now that I have upgraded to v2.3.4

Why do you say the modpack installer doesn't install civ2-3? Can't you choose civ2-3 ruleset when you are going to start a local game?
Note that civ2-3 ruleset is copied here in windows7: C:\Users"your user name"\AppData\Roaming\.freeciv\2.3

Xercise · Post by **Xercise** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:34 pm

Yes, I can choose the civ2-3 ruleset as normal... but I thought (wrongly?) that the civ2-3 ruleset available through the modpack installer was the one used in LT31 (because someone said that it was, but the name could not be changed)... I guess I am thoroughly confused now.

Never mind... if someone ever is able to play an offline game with the same rules as we do in LT31, please let me know... then I'll try to figure it out too.

pipo · Post by **pipo** » Tue Mar 12, 2013 6:26 pm

I just use the vanilla civ2-3 after installation with Modpack under Windows and 'tared' under Linux.

I think the main diff from LT31 are the ususal 3X moves, initial tech, gold, and units.
All of that would probably not be good for the AI anyway.
The other diffs are in the options of civ2-3 (like the use of ennemy roads)
(btw, I still think that should not be allowed in LT)

Under Linux (knoppix 7.0.4) with version 2.3.2 there is no crash.

Under Windows, it crashes after first turn but just restart and it is fine.

I use the suggested setup of 12 AI's at normal strength.
(hard and experimental don't seem to play well in that environment)

My main goal was to learn the civ2-3 ruleset and not the LT.

Starting with 1 explo., 1 worker and 1 settler, if you get to conquer all cities, let me know...

bardo · Post by **bardo** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:05 pm

pipo wrote: I use the suggested setup of 12 AI's at normal strength.
(hard and experimental don't seem to play well in that environment)

My main goal was to learn the civ2-3 ruleset and not the LT.

Starting with 1 explo., 1 worker and 1 settler, if you get to conquer all cities, let me know...

I have played several games with those settings, but I admit I do not use to finish them, I use to stop when I own half the cities, or when I win the space race. Only once I conquered the whole map, and I needed 350 turns or so, altough I'm not good military leader... I'm sure usual LT players would win in less turns.

When I play with less AI's, I find that once you conquer to one of them, it makes your empire clearly superior to the rest, and it is no longer fun to keep playing. My favorite solo games were in large Earth scenarios with 50 AI's or so.

Lately, I'm playing freeciv for android with civ2-3 rules, but with 5 AI's, all in the same team, and "cheating" level. I find it very challenging.

I'm interested to know what settings would you recomend for a single player game.

pipo · Post by **pipo** » Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:49 pm

bardo wrote: ...
I'm interested to know what settings would you recomend for a single player game.

Some time ago (I think around version 2.1.?) the experimental AI was very good. I was having fun
with a small random map and 30 players. The idea was to survive the first 25 turns. Like you said, once you gain
an advantage, there is no point of continuing. Taht was with regular ruleset.
Still in the regular ruleset and before my civ2-3 experimentation, I use to play some solo games about once a month
with any current version (ie: >= 2.3.0) using again random map, AI to Hard and no more than 18 Ai's because there
was some problem with the server freezing, so I reduced the map size to keep it interesting.

For civ2-3, my goal was to learn the ruleset so I needed to try world domination. That was a good thing since I learned
early that numerous cities was hard to keep even changing gov. was no solution.

In civ2-3, to have fun, I would set it at around 20 on a small to medium map (I tend to use the default) and AI set to Normal.
Then I would quit once my pointage reach around 150% of the best AI.