Unitmarkers [SP/MP modification for 1.14]

[Paulomat4]

Some time ago, for my UMC Campaign, I created a Unitmarker system, which lets you label your units, to make it easier to keep track of important ones, that you don't want to lose. (because of a special trait combination, or an item that was given to it for example)
Then I saw, that Admant14 apparently liked the idea, and included the same into his campaign. Thus, after reading about Dugi's article, about how to hack events into other scenarios I decided to create a modification which allows these unitmarkers for every single-player campaign.

Unitmarker example.JPG (16.8 KiB) Viewed 24538 times

My goal for now is to add more possibilities labels and to support changing overlays for units who already have some (with the possibility to bring the orignal ones back), so if you have any suggestions, want to try your hand at creating such a label, or discovered some bug with it you're welcome to post your thoughts here.

It currently only works for singleplayer, I'm going to test if it works for multiplayer too.
many thanks to dugi btw for helping me with it

[Dugi]

Why are you making your add-on 1.11 only? It's right that the custom icons will show on the recall list only on 1.11.8 and later, but the rest will work on 1.10 exactly as on 1.11. Don't let yourself be confused by the fact that multiplayer modifications work only on 1.11, the trick I've found will work also on 1.10 (and should work also on 1.8 after a rewrite of the lua code).

It should work in multiplayer, but better fear OoS that would happen if not everyone uses that feature (setting up the event as a 1.11 multiplayer modification is a better option for multiplayer).

If you slightly improved the code, you might be able to solve its problem with existing campaign-specific overlays. The list of overlays is a comma-separated list, that can be split using set_variables with the split subtag, then easily manipulated, removing your overlays, then adding the new one and then creating the comma-separated list again with set_variable with the join subtag.

[Paulomat4]

Why are you making your add-on 1.11 only? It's right that the custom icons will show on the recall list only on 1.11.8 and later, but the rest will work on 1.10 exactly as on 1.11. Don't let yourself be confused by the fact that multiplayer modifications work only on 1.11, the trick I've found will work also on 1.10 (and should work also on 1.8 after a rewrite of the lua code).

No that wasn't the reason, the reason is simply that I didn't think of it. I'll upload it on the 1.10 servers too.

It should work in multiplayer, but better fear OoS that would happen if not everyone uses that feature (setting up the event as a 1.11 multiplayer modification is a better option for multiplayer).

That's what I want to test. normally modified unit graphics don't cause OoS but, i fear that the way it is set up might create Oos.

If you slightly improved the code, you might be able to solve its problem with existing campaign-specific overlays. The list of overlays is a comma-separated list, that can be split using set_variables with the split subtag, then easily manipulated, removing your overlays, then adding the new one and then creating the comma-separated list again with set_variable with the join subtag.

I'll see what I can do there. The hero-icon seems to work as overlay, but the leader crown behaves differently. It doesn't disappear for example if I add another overlay, contrary to the hero-icon.

I'll see what I can do, thanks for your suggestions.

[Dugi]

I'll see what I can do there. The hero-icon seems to work as overlay, but the leader crown behaves differently. It doesn't disappear for example if I add another overlay, contrary to the hero-icon.

It's not an overlay, though its appearance and implementation is similar to overlays.

[Paulomat4]

Than how does it work? The unit has canrecruit set to yes, i know, but i wouldn't know what to do to take away the crown. Also I think that leaders, and heroes should have their own icons to identify them. I could on the other hand imagine, to give give the player the chance to chose between different crowns for his heroes and leaders. (There already a bronze variation shipped with the game for 1.11.7, and there will be new ones in 1.11.8 apparently.)

[Dugi]

No. The leader icon displays on all units who can recruit, no matter what. The hero and loyal icons are normal overlays added by the campaign's WML, maybe in a bit obfuscated way (the {IS_HERO} macro represents adding the hero overlay, same with loyal).

[Paulomat4]

No. The leader icon displays on all units who can recruit, no matter what. The hero and loyal icons are normal overlays added by the campaign's WML, maybe in a bit obfuscated way (the {IS_HERO} macro represents adding the hero overlay, same with loyal).

I understood that already, I just wondered how you wanted to change the canrecruit overlay. But that may be actually possible if the overlay is simply bigger than the original one (and might solve the need to reconstitute the old normal crown)
I might have not expressed myself clearly enough, sry for that

[tekelili]

@Paulomat4: I took a look to your code and would suggest a simple improvement: Dont filter units with already overlays in show_if tag. Instead do it in the commands tags and if they have an overlay you can flip your own owerlay image to be displayed in the upper right corner. When removing it, dont set unit.overlays to "", instead use remove_overlay and write the very name of your image overlayed (if you have problems for this, write into unit.variables.my_custom_overlay the value of your images overlayed).

~FLIP is described in imagepathfunction on the wiki, if you wonder.

[Paulomat4]

First of all, know that I excluded unit's with overlays, just for simplicity. I am already working on being able to mark units with overlays.
I thought about your flip proposal already, but I don't like having overlays on the right upper corner. I don't know why, but this has always distracted me in dead water. It feels to me, that these overlays are good and visible enough when they are on the left side, because they don't take space as there are already the hp and exp bar, and the colored orb.
Also I don't want to spam the units on the field with overlays. One is enough I think. I'd rather store the unit overlays, and give the possibility to bring back the original overlays later.
thx for the suggetion though.

[Paulomat4]

Version 1.1.0 is on the servers now. this version features specialized overlays for leaders, heroes and loyal units. Also on 1.11 this has now the hotkeys ctrl+u. I haven't got to support other overlays, but I guess i'll get to it this vacation.

1.1.0 example.JPG (12.8 KiB) Viewed 24426 times

[Paulomat4]

I have updated this to support the new [feedback] tag on from 1.11.8.

[kiss]

Paulomat4, I've tried it in The South Guard - A Desparate Errand - Soldier (Normal) 1.11.16.

With Deoran, I can choose a custom flag and when I clear it, the default one comes back.
With Moreth, the default one never comes back and I do not have flag anymore. (Same behaviour with Mage in AOI Lineara the Quick)
With Sir Gerrick, when selecting the option in the menu, no window appears.

Perhaps it is the way it should be?

[Paulomat4]

With Deoran, I can choose a custom flag and when I clear it, the default one comes back.
With Moreth, the default one never comes back and I do not have flag anymore. (Same behaviour with Mage in AOI Lineara the Quick)
With Sir Gerrick, when selecting the option in the menu, no window appears.

Yes, there are still some flaws that i need to work out. I'm currently overhauling the entire system. The problem is that the Leader crown (the golden one) is hard-coded while the other ones like the silver one are not. Currently I need to make a decision:

should clearing an overlay that was already set before the unitmarker (loyal units, hero units and leaders) behave like it's currently doing with leader-crowns?
(so clearing the icon would set the icon back to the old one)

or:
clearing the overlay really delete's all overlays (except for leader crown's, that's impossible), but the unit is stored and can restore it's old overlay/icon later on.

What do you and others think of this? The first method seems more intuitive, as all overlays would behave the same but on the other hand when I click "delete icon" I would think that it really deletes the old icon, not restores the old one.

btw: I have already coded a flip function that will allow you to change the side of your Icon in the next version.

[beetlenaut]

when I click "delete icon" I would think that it really deletes the old icon, not restores the old one.

If you named it "Revert", it's function would be obvious.

[Paulomat4]

How about something like: "restore original overlay"?