Various Revenues

[rickrick]

Hello everyone

Got a question or two on Revenues that I hope someone can ask. Started playing the game a few days ago with my wife and we both enjoy it. I've begun tinkering with scenerio editing but am finding it difficult to pinpoint answers to some of my questions.

I'm trying my best to search out the answers on my own, but I can't seem to get search to work effectively here - after I look at 1 of the search return hits to these forums then I must rerun the search again because it wont allow me to backup to the search result list (Page expired). I really wanted to avoid being a newb that asks questions that were already asked, but the tediousness of the search has broken my resolve

Brf, thank you for an excellent source of information on your castledoom site! Your tutorials were quite easy to understand and follow!

The problem I'm currently having is with the different variables. Obviously some of them are meant only for reading, while others you can tinker with to change game values. My first question -

What does BldgRevenue effect? I've run a few tests and it doesnt seem to change anything on the export price list, cost of building, or even kickback amounts to your Swiss Account. What did I overlook?

Is there a way to effect the price of Corn? Or target specific items like Papaya or Bananna without the use of FruitsRevenue that effects them all at the same time? My reason for this was I wanted to create a StockMarket type script. I've actually managed to do that succesfully with all the available variables (GoldRevenue, CoffeeRevenue, RumRevenue, etc).

I'm pretty sure somone else thought of a StockMarket type thing, but again, with the search troubles I had I couldnt find anything like it. This of course lead me to a recent discovery - Altering those Revenue variables doesn't actually allow for gradual increase/decrease .. it simply changes the base value by the number.

So changing RumRevenue over time with a +3, +5, +2, -1, +4 does not equal a base change of 13 but rather a base change of 4 because that was the last number entered. Is my understanding of this correct?

My last question is about the variable Cloudrate. What does it do? I thought it made more clouds? Increase Rain? I set that number with increasingly higher values (up to 300) and never noticed any change in weather. Is there something else I need to set? Was trying to create a "stormy season" type of scenario with that.

I think thats all. Thanks to everyone for all the information that I did manage to find on my own! And thanks to anyone that can help provide answers to my questions!

[artemais]

Looking through the editor documentation, I beleive you are correct that you cannot change the export value of corn or the fruits (except pineapple, which is more about changing the price for canned).  For the stuff you can change, everything is from the base value and is in percentages.  So, if you wanted to double rum revenue, you would use addto rumrevenue 100 (adding 100% to what already exists).  To increase it again, say to 3x the original amount, you again would use addto rumrevenue 100 (100 base, 100 already added, and an additional 100).

Cloudrate does add more clouds, although you will probably not see much of a difference.  In my Rainy Day scenario, I added 300 to the cloudrate (giving it 4x teh origianl amount) and I still didn't think the sky was inundated with clouds.

Did that answer your questions at all?

[rickrick]

Some of them

I was able to change the Revenue value of Papaya, Banana, and PineApple (including canned) with the 'FruitRevenue' variable. Not sure why it changes PineApple and canned Pineapple as you can already do that with the 'PineApple Revenue' variable.

I'll have to really crank up the clouds one then - see if I can create a Hurricane like look - mostly just to see what the limits are to know what i can work with.

Another question that cropped up - I'd read somewhere about creating a special editor like directory so you didnt have to move files around so much with each script edit - but when I read it I was just starting out and now I can't recall the details of that ... anyone point me in the right direction?

Here is my market example :

Market.evt
CheckFrequencyWeekBegin

GeneralEffect SetTo GroupVariable4 1 ;Set to 1 to avoid divide by zero
GeneralEffect AddTo GroupVariable4 (Random0To100) ;/3
GeneralEffect SetTo EventVariable1 1 ;Set to 1 to avoid divide by zero
GeneralEffect AddTo EventVariable1 (Random0To100)/5
GeneralEffect AddTo EventVariable1 -10
GeneralEffect SetTo GroupVariable3 EventVariable1

Then I just use a series of script files that handle each Revenue individually. Each one is called dependant on what Random Number is used. Example of Rum -

Rum.evt
CheckFrequencyWeekEnd

Condition GroupVariable4<31
Condition GroupVariable4>27
Condition RumRevenue>100

GeneralEffect AddTo RumRevenue GroupVariable3
GeneralEffect SetTo EventVariable1 GroupVariable3
GeneralEffect SetTo GroupVariable3 0
GeneralEffect SetTo GroupVariable4 0

MessageTypeBottomRight
MessageText "The price of Rum has changed by [Trigger_Event_Variable_1]%"

For all the other Revenues you'd create seperate .evt files and adjust the random values it needs to be true and which Revenues are used.

I've discovered a few places I could trim this of course, but this version works for sure so that is why I displayed it.

[rickrick]

Just did another test based on my misunderstanding of the Revenue variables being used. For you old hands this is obvious, but for any other newb like me popping into the scene my finding may answer something they were wondering.

Putting values into the Revenue variables (like RumRevenue, LumberRevenue, GoldRevenue, etc) will adjust the Export price of that commodity by a percent based off the base price of that commodity. In other words

GeneralEffect AddTo RumRevenue 10

will adjust the Export price of Rum by 10% of the BASE value (not the current value). If you adjust it again then the export value will add in another 10% increment. I had misunderstood another post and thought that the Export price would always reset to the Base price before adding in the change - mistakenly thinking that running the above 5 days in a row would always yield the same value. I'm very glad I was wrong 

I still wish there was a Revenue variable for each commodity individually

[Brf]

I am glad you liked my tutorials I put alot of time into them, and tried to make them accurate and easy to follow.

As you discovered, doing an Addto on a revenue variable is cumulative to the base price.... so doing "addto 10" twice will raise its price by a total of 20% from the base, not 21%.

On the other hand... I am thinking that changing "units" (peoples) attributes will tend to wear out... for instance, doing "addto unituirespect 5" will only add 5 to respect for a short time, before it wears back to zero.

I am not sure what bldgrevenue does.... It will proly take a few tests to see what types of buildings it might affect.

[artemais]

On the other hand... I am thinking that changing "units" (peoples) attributes will tend to wear out... for instance, doing "addto unituirespect 5" will only add 5 to respect for a short time, before it wears back to zero.

I am not sure what bldgrevenue does.... It will proly take a few tests to see what types of buildings it might affect.

Brf, you are right, the unit variables will wear off after time.  I also know that some reset immediately when combinded with another addition...for example, in the Uaxache Ruins scenario, I tried to make religion a non-factor.  I attempted to zero out religion by subtacting 100 and then setting it back to fifty every month.  But adding fifty gave a base religion quality of about 90, which is excatly where the added fifty would have taken it if counted from the base quality.  This means that "zero out" factor did nothing.  For reference, the script looked like this:

addto unituireligiousquality-100
addto unituireligiousquality 50

As far as bldgrevenue, the tests I have run in the past have not produced anything....

[Brf]

addto unituireligiousquality-100
addto unituireligiousquality 50

I think my own tests showed that "addto unitui-so-and-so..." is actually misnamed in its effect. It actually works more like "setto unitaddto-ui-so-and-so" in what it does.... So doing an "addto" to a unit modifier actually "sets" an "addto" factor for that unit.... If you can follow my meaning.....

[Coconut Kid]

The last edition of the complied editor documentation says, "The full list of things that can be modified is in the file edeffect.txt. See effects section below for chart [of them].

The key point for beginners is to understand the difference between the operators to examine game & unit statistics and the operators to make changes to things - effects.

The developers did not include all the possible operators; so what you see is what you get. The activated ones on the list have to do with the scenarios produced for release with the game and those requested by user\players during development. Bananna and papaya did not make the list. Corn simply was not thought of as an export.

BldgRevenue ; FruitRevenue ; MineralRevenue : As discovered, Fruit & Mineral affect all the commodities which fall in those categories. Building is more obscure because the accounting system as reported in the Almanac does not seem to reflect revenue per building as an element. Rent for citizen housing is the only building revenue which might be recognized individually. Others overlap with TourismRevenue. Speculation: This may not be actually implemented; or it may have to do with the setting - it may be a 1-50 number. It could be the effect is set all the buildings with a service\rent fee to a uniform amount. It could also be intended to be used with with the 'loop-through' feature so as to be applied to one or a class of buildings.

CloudRate : First, the base cloud rate is set in the map attributes at the game start with the Vegetation slider. The cloud rate effect adjusts that rate. It is called cloud rate rather than rainfall rate because rain is not evenly distributed. The moisture rating varies over time and place.

[Coconut Kid]

Brf, you are right, the unit variables will wear off after time.  I also know that some reset immediately when combined with another addition ..., I tried to make religion a non-factor.  I attempted to zero out religion by subtracting 100 and then setting it back to fifty every month.  But adding fifty gave a base religion quality of about 90, which is exactly where the added fifty would have taken it if counted from the base quality.  This means that "zero out" factor did nothing.  For reference, the script looked like this:
addto unituireligiousquality-100
addto unituireligiousquality 50
...

I think it is helpful to consider the base upon which the various effects operate. Some of the bases are fixed amounts set in the game code. Others are dynamic amounts which constantly vary according to game algorithms.

The 'religion' need is a favorite for players to hate because of their need to impose their real world view on the game world. Religion is reflected in several places in the game:

• Each Unit's 'Need Meter' = UnitUIReligiousNeed (resets meter)
• Each Unit's weighted 'Happiness Meter' = UnitUIReligiousQuality (resets meter)
• Each Unit's support of the Religious Faction on a scale of 1 to 100 = UnitUIFactionSupportReligion (resets number)
• Each Unit's adjustment of the 'Happiness Meter' due to game world relationships (e.g. buildings auras) as weighted by factional level of support = UnitUIFactionEnvironmentAdjustmentReligion (unknown, probably a 1 to 100 scale)
• Each Unit's adjustment of all the 'Happiness Meters' due to game world relationships as weighted by the various faction supports = UnitUIFactionEnvironmentAdjustmentOverall (unknown effect)

I think that it was sad that artemais had such a limited appreciation of the game that he thought he could so simply "make religion a non-factor." Perhaps a careful and persistent use of all the religious effect operatives could suppress the religious need which is a core element of the game.

But then is it really worth the effort?