Fixed Game of Thrones Map Bug

Johnnyboy

Hey all, my first time posting here so let me know if I'm doing anything incorrectly. I've been using triplea for a couple years now, and recently downloaded the Game of Thrones map. There was a pretty bad bug in Essos, so I've learned a little about the map making process and think I've fixed it. I've played a few games with it and all appears to be in order. I also changed the dragon movement to 5 because without carriers it really restricts their ability to assist in attacks on the neutral islands, and at 17 they're plenty pricey.

Anyway, is there a way to submit my version to the website for others? It's not a perfect balance fix for the game, but I does fix the main bug and makes Essos playable.

Thanks in advance

Cernel

@Johnnyboy I'm really surprised that you (or anyone) believe that dragons are underpowered. I'm not saying they are too overpowered, but they feel really a such good unit to have to me, and I would actually at least lower they attack power to 4. In particular, I'm fairly certain that Targaryen is the most overpowered power on the map, having dragons being one of the reasons. By the way, I don't see the point where movement 5 instead of 4 makes much of a difference about attacking islands, and I, instead, think it will just increase their ability to menace ships (that is already really powerful), making it also harder (thus more annoying) to spot, in the moment you have to look after all the landing possibilities of odd movement values. If you think that dragons should be able to stay on the sea on their own, you can give them carrier cost 0 (this will allow them to land on the sea, like if they are seaplanes). If you think that dragons should be able to stay on some ships, you can make those ships into carriers. Of course, carrier cost 0 would make them definitely ridiculously overpowered, keeping all the rest as it is.

It has been years I hoped someone would finally fix the Games of Thrones map. I recall that map has several bugs of various kind in the eastern continent, has a number of seriously badly priced units, lacks any reference about what ruleset it is actually using (important to know for stuff like bombardment fireback etc.), it has no victory conditions, there is no way to know how you are supposed to play it (assuming you are not supposed to find other 11 people), and it is, of course, generally unbalanced (but maybe it is not supposed to be balanced).

Going into the wishlist, a FFA like that should really have a good politic (diplomacy) system (at least like the one of Feudal Japan), instead of the current system of simply everyone permanently at war with everyone else.

About what you are asking,
here are the mapmaking info
https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/tree/master/docs/map_making
but for the GitHub part, I recall the info were in a wiki of a Project, or something, repository, that I think it has been deleted; so I suppose here the developers may give you the link where those info are now @redrum @LaFayette @RoiEX @ssoloff.

I hope the developers will just give you ownership of this largely broken and substantially unplayable map, if you are doing a decent job at fixing it. I'm probably down to giving it a shot, if I find some people (I used to play it the Feudal Japan style).

My first personal suggestion would be to much decrease the production values on the map (for example, starting by cutting them down to half the current values, rounded down), as FFA always tend to get very stacky, with virtually endless units accumulation (cause you want to conserve your TUV much more than destroy the TUV of anyone of the other players).

Cernel

Here you can find a good list of bugs you should fix:
https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/issues/3160

(there are several more bugs than those, but I don't remember them; I'm sure there are a number of missing and wrong connections in the east continent, making the map substantially unplayable)

wc_sumpton

@Johnnyboy
About a year ago I requested ownership of this map. But since that time I have returned to work full time. (and my medical issues have returned, making it hard for me to concentrate).
I wish you luck and if you need any help please ask. People here are friendly and very helpful.

Cheers...

redrum

@Johnnyboy Welcome to the forum. It would be great if you want to submit some fixes for the Game of Thrones map. We host the maps and changes at github and this guide can walk you through submitting them there: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FfF7N0srp9QG0_if5D-c1d1Aa1QTttdhxgm1GBh3pI4. If that is a bit too overwhelming to start then if you attach the files or zip here on the forum then I can put them into the github map repo: https://github.com/triplea-maps/game_of_thrones

Here are some other good resources for GoT and map making:

GoT issues: https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/issues/3160
Map making overview: https://github.com/triplea-game/triplea/blob/master/docs/map_making/map_and_map_skin_making_overview.md
XML reference map (POS2): https://github.com/triplea-maps/the_pact_of_steel/blob/master/map/games/pact_of_steel_2.xml

@wc_sumpton I gave you write access to the github repo. I see you have an open PR with lots of updates: https://github.com/triplea-maps/game_of_thrones/pull/3. Did you test those? I'm good with moving forward with that if so.

WCSumpton created this issue in triplea-maps/game_of_thrones

closed Update for map #3

Cernel

@redrum I wasn't aware of that. If there is interest, I can review or take a look at the point at which @wc_sumpton got, tell if I see anything wrong with it, but I need to know how to download it like if the PR has been merged (but, really, I would just merge it, then test; the map is currently broken so how much worse can it be?).

redrum

@Cernel You can download the zip with the changes here: https://github.com/WCSumpton/game_of_thrones/archive/master.zip. I'm pretty open to just merging it just want to make sure the map still launches.

Cernel

@redrum Uhm, nope. I get this:

GRAVE: Could not parse:jar:file:/D:/Programs/TripleA/downloadedMaps/game_of_thrones-master.zip!/game_of_thrones-master/map/games/Game_of_Thrones.xml
games.strategy.engine.data.GameParseException: map name: 'jar:file:/D:/Programs/TripleA/downloadedMaps/game_of_thrones-master.zip!/game_of_thrones-master/map/games/Game_of_Thrones.xml', game name: 'Game_of_Thrones', Unexpected Exception while setting values for attachmentUnitSupportAttachment attached to:UnitType{name=Archer} with name:supportAttachmentArcher
	at games.strategy.engine.data.GameParser.newGameParseException(GameParser.java:108)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.GameParser.setValues(GameParser.java:1269)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.GameParser.parseAttachments(GameParser.java:1219)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.GameParser.parseMapDetails(GameParser.java:200)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.GameParser.parse(GameParser.java:97)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.GameParser.parse(GameParser.java:91)
	at games.strategy.engine.framework.ui.GameChooserEntry.fullyParseGameData(GameChooserEntry.java:52)
	at games.strategy.engine.framework.startup.ui.panels.main.game.selector.GameSelectorPanel.lambda$selectGameFile$7(GameSelectorPanel.java:271)
	at games.strategy.engine.framework.ui.background.BackgroundTaskRunner.lambda$runInBackground$0(BackgroundTaskRunner.java:50)
	at games.strategy.engine.framework.ui.background.BackgroundTaskRunner$1.doInBackground(BackgroundTaskRunner.java:121)
	at javax.swing.SwingWorker$1.call(Unknown Source)
	at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(Unknown Source)
	at javax.swing.SwingWorker.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
	at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Caused by: games.strategy.engine.data.MutableProperty$InvalidValueException: failed to set string property value to 'Sellsword:GoldCloak:Spearman:FacelessMan:Giant:Khal:Longship:'
	at games.strategy.engine.data.MutableProperty.setStringValue(MutableProperty.java:64)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.MutableProperty.setValue(MutableProperty.java:88)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.GameParser.setValues(GameParser.java:1265)
	... 14 more
Caused by: games.strategy.engine.data.GameParseException: Could not find unitType. name:   for: UnitSupportAttachment attached to:UnitType{name=Archer} with name:supportAttachmentArcher
	at games.strategy.triplea.attachments.UnitSupportAttachment.setUnitType(UnitSupportAttachment.java:91)
	at games.strategy.engine.data.MutableProperty.setStringValue(MutableProperty.java:60)
	... 16 more

redrum

@Cernel Now you see why I wanted someone to test it first

But appears the supportAttachmentArcher is referring to invalid unit type from this list Sellsword:GoldCloak:Spearman:FacelessMan:Giant:Khal:Longship:

I think its the final colon that is the issue.

Cernel

@redrum I guess you were right, but @wc_sumpton is a big name so I was absolutely sure the game was at least playable.

redrum

@Cernel Its possible that because the changes were done a while ago that engine improvements have now caused the errors.

Cernel

@redrum said in Fixed Game of Thrones Map Bug:

@Johnnyboy Welcome to the forum. It would be great if you want to submit some fixes for the Game of Thrones map. We host the maps and changes at github and this guide can walk you through submitting them there: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FfF7N0srp9QG0_if5D-c1d1Aa1QTttdhxgm1GBh3pI4.maps/the_pact_of_steel/blob/master/map/games/pact_of_steel_2.xml

Yes, but that is the guide made by @Frostion. So, there is not an official TripleA guide about how to get maps into the repository anywhere anymore? Also, maybe, then, hosting that guide somewhere in TripleA, so to make that official, if the process mapmakers are supposed to follow is still exactly that one.

wc_sumpton

@redrum thanks for the update. @Cernel, yes it has been quite some time since I looked at the xml. Am not quite sure how far I was able to get. If @Johnnyboy wants this map them I am quite happy to let him have it.

Cheers...

redrum

Alright, I just cleaned up @wc_sumpton updates and released a v2.0.

wc_sumpton

@redrum Thank you. Sorry for leaving such a mess.

Cheers...

redrum

@wc_sumpton All good. You did most of the work. I just fixed a few small errors and cleaned up the notes a bit more.

Cernel

@redrum Since the game is currently not balanced, or owned, or anything like that, could I just get a push merged to simply cut by half all territories productions, rounded up, to make it more playable? Asking here if that would be accepted or not, because there would be no playtesting, or commitment or anything regarding it, just simply what I said (tho I would probably try to play it with somebody, thereafter, but that's it).

@wc_sumpton Can you make a complete list of all the things that you wished to do on this map and didn't? Asking not much for myself, but for anyone who might want to take over this, and maybe finish your project.

I think I'll make a search in the two forums and GitHub for anything reported on this game, and see if the issue is still there in the current version.

redrum

@Cernel I'd prefer not to make drastic changes without considering how the map already plays. I also don't know that there are a ton of people that share your preference for lower production and unit counts.

It would be good to get a list of recommended changes or any remaining bugs. If they are minor, I don't mind making them.

Cernel

@redrum I don't recall I've ever seen anyone playing this game in the lobby or in forum since the last time I hosted it, several years ago.

redrum

@Cernel Agree. Besides a few random posts on the forums/github about issues with it, I haven't seen hardly anyone play it. What I meant was I assume whoever designed it thought some about territory values and unit costs and just cutting them in half to cut them in half isn't necessarily a good idea.