round about BotE for Android

Discussions about BotE for Android should take place here

Welchen weg sollte ich wählen?

BotE so gut wie möglich zu Portieren mit der erforderlichen kleinen Änderungen in der Benutzeroberfläche um es berührungsfreundlich zu machen
14
88%
Ein neues Spiel erstellen mit eventueller Benutzung von einigen Ressourcen aus BotE (wenn ich dafür die Erlaubnis bekomme). Hier denke ich zuerst an Planeten, Sterne usw.
1
6%
Ein komplett neues Spiel zu erstellen, es würde vielleicht BotE und BoF ähneln (z.B. will ich unbedingt eine gitterartige Karte) aber sonst würde es sich anders verhalten.
1
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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While multiplayer is very valuable in a game, I doubt even 5% of players play across the internet as it's very difficult for six players to all be available for 16 hours a day and playing for an entire weekend.

But as multiplayer allows one player to play as six major alien races, then a modder could build up six empires, not attack any, but build up over 300-700 turns. If then you save the game, and if anyone could then play that as a single player as an option, then anyone could play those saved games. That would be hugely popular as many can only play for an hour or two a day, or play during a weekend.

Most don't want to spend 95% of their time building an empire, but waging war, so there is the appeal. I'd be willing to create many such advanced saved games, and so the empires are turn key. Then you could include the saved game in a future version so some could build from scratch, but the vast majority would choose an advanced preset empire.

This is fairly standard for any wargame as scenarios as most people don't start in turn one, but want to replicate WW2 or the Korean War or Vietnam or the Iraq and Afghanistan War.

If when you select multiplayer, you then have an option to load it as single player and choose an empire, that would be GREAT!

The best space 4X game is quietly hiding as a German port on Android. It needs marketing in English so people know it exists.
Minor Race Database http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... r_(Minors)
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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What I would do first is create two advanced saved games comprised of six empires on a giant galaxy map. One would have intelligence agencies and the other without. That means to even begin sabotage, the ones without would have to extensively build them from turn# 701+ forward as it so unbalances the game. This would be difficult as many would be attacked and would counterattack from the beginning military ships and troops (with many being pre-trained at various levels), but would have to utilize transports to get them to dynamically generated battlefronts.

The AI and human players would not have good maps outside their territory as no espionage has begun yet.

I would heavily defend some but not all systems (they really are sectors of many systems). They would have shields, orbital batteries, and minefields beside ships and troops. I would preset the infrastructure, but have adequate energy so they are automatically powered up to cope with bombardment plus space defenses.

Some fleets would be ready, but to slow conflict, have them scattered and they have to be redeployed to link up as fleets. Then do the same for mixed troops.

So the AI and players would assemble these over 20 turns before the main battles begin.

In the midst of that, then information war and asymmetric warfare by using espionage and sabotage. That would be more realistic. But the priority would be conventional war and likely to assert dominance and do diplomacy to subvert minor alien races.

Then since some are getting advanced tech, the human player is using the ship designer to create new custom ships applying minor race technology. This gives the human players an advantage.

I would place starbases in key locations for transferring troops as "hubs" and have starbases on the periphery of the sphere of influence as early warning of invasions.

Literally millions would play this as to accomplish all that would take months to build for most. Instead they begin in turn one.

These would have easier positions based on treasury, ships, troops, number of colonies, level of infrastructure. Then players would replay them to try their luck as the hapless Heyoun where just about everyone else has better attributes while all they have is more money and somewhat better than average internal security. The Heyoun probably would begin with monopolies (such as they are as they are not true monopolies). Look for a detailed explanation of that elsewhere.

The Khaoran would be fearsome instead of being in last place just as the alternative timeline STTNG episode where the Federation and the Klingons are battling and Picard feels, "losing to the Klingons is inevitable in six months".
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Fe ... _timeline)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1z53QhFO9E&app=desktop
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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I would also create a turn key beginner advanced save game with documentation so new players would not be stumbling in the dark, but understand "quirky aspects". For example, the method of agriculture is not straight forward, nor is energy management, nor is making money by resource mining and selling, nor is management of human resources, nor is optimization of infrastructure. Then could do a tutorial so beginners understand how to play in English.

Most people won't play a game without some clear instructions. It took a month of play to understand these things. I can reduce that to mere days with concise English explanations.
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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The fun aspect of a major advanced set up is yes, the Khaoran might beat the Terrans (based on proximity), but it would deplete both sides. Then the Cartare and or the Omega would enter the fray and be full strength. The Omega would never let the Cartare get stronger, nor the Rotharians. Rotharians would never be trustworthy allies as their cloaking is what enables them to win and would resist all sabotage.

What should happen is the Khaoran and the Terrans ally and together take on the others.

It would be a bloodbath of epic proportions as very strong systems would resist ground invasions, but in space a winner would emerge by neutralizing other empires capacity to wage war.

The Khaoran get a strong morale penalty bombarding civillians, while the Cartare revel in it.
Minor Race Database http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... r_(Minors)
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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The Terrans (and everyone else) would begin with no allies and no minor race membership. The Terrans then would race across the galaxy to create a coalition as that would link up disperate and now desperate minor alien races. Then as a human player, then extensively use the ship designer for specialized ships as ultimate weapons.

I think the Rotharians want this too,but lack the diplomatic ability, so would fear the Terrans and have consternation about the Khaorans doing that.

Secretly based on the German wiki major alien race description and history, the Omega want to subjugate everyone as symbiotic hosts, but ultimately then want peace.
http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... ga_Allianz
The Omega Agenda Hall is the place where all Vi congregate, share and exchange thoughts and concerns. The Vi's unique ability to change hosts offers the Omega Alliance increased intelligence strength, which in turn reassures the continued existence of the overall Omega Agenda, the domination of all living cultures in the universe.
The Khaorans would hate peace as there is no honor in peace, only in conflict being resolved is honor found and forged on the battlefield.
Minor Race Database http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... r_(Minors)
Minor Race Ships http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... nen_Völker
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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The Cartare want to eradicate and create slave races.
The Omega want to assimilate.
The Terrans embrace a diverse coalition.
The Khaoran want to dominate to achieve honor.
The Rotharians want to subvert all.
The Heyoun want to make money.
Minor Race Database http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... r_(Minors)
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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https://blotunga.itch.io/birth-of-the-empires

It appears there is a possible way to run the Windows XP version of BotE under a Wine clone called ExaGear that is available at GooglePlay.

ExaGear won't install programs, but if a program is installed on a computer like the WindowsXP version of BotE, and someone copies the installed program and zips it, then if that is uploaded somewhere, it may be possible to download that to the Android, and unzip it, and copy that folder to ExaGear. Now that may run essentially as a Wine port of the BotE XP version.

When you try to unzip it and install it, it fails as it is lookig for the file structure of an installed program.

Can someone install the BotE XP version and copy that installed directory, zip it, and put it in dropbox or on a GoogleDrive so this idea can be tested?

If is works, then on Android tablets, users could mod the Windows XP version and upload the changes and then run that mod under ExaGear (Wine)

This is one way people play and mod Civ 2 and Civ3 on their Android tablets.
Minor Race Database http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... r_(Minors)
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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The old alpha legacy version link of BotE is dead. Does anyone have it? It's required for the Tech 15 mod. It may be that this will load in ExaGear or maybe someone would load it to their drive, copy the directory, and zip it and provide it.

I'm trying to find a solution to modding Bote.
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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The old legacy Alpha is difficut to find, but source forge has the open source project but that is huge and 1gb. So if someone has the latest Alpha, it should be archived somewhere so the original players have some way to run it if their computer hd crashs.

I notified ranier and Dennis knows too that the links on the wiki for Alpha are dead.

What would be safe would be to load Alpha on moddb and load the newest BotE versions there too. That has a place for mods as that is moddb's raison de'tre. It would get attention as that is the premier one stop place for modding.
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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https://stellaris.paradoxwikis.com/Game ... alaxy_size
BotE just amazes me.

In Stellaris, the maximum galaxy size is 1000 stars...so sectors in BotE terms. But most systems can't run such a large maximum map. It crawls as the lag makes people reduce the Stellaris settings.

BotE for Android tablets has up to 1600 stars (I have seen maybe 1400-1500).

BotE for WindowXP or the Vista, 7, 8, and 10 version can handle 6400.

There is no comparison. BotE has bigger maps! It's a better program with minimal requirements.
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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Mods under current rules seem not possible as anyway you do it would alter the data files and then to facilitate loading the changes for users, incorporated in an apk file. Then when users downloaded and ran the app, it would overwrite the apk. All of which would have to be approved by blotunga.

I think three solutions would facilitate modding on this open source software as long as all parties submit and approve their mods and stringently avoid any copyright claims.

1. Mods are created and distributed by the developer on the Google Playstore app. Then BotE is an app and the mod is a separate app and so they coexist and do not share the same space. Thus one can have multiple mods of BotE on the same tablet.

2. Users download Multiple Accounts/Parallel Space from the Google Playstore app. This creates a way you can have two program apps at the same time.
Example
A user wants to have two Facebook social media accounts one professional and one personal. This way both can be installed on the same tablet using similar but different software apps.

This is the standard way users have multiple game versions on the same tablet now.

3. The Google Playstore costs money to be a developer. But Amazon does not charge to share to host apps, but does a poor job hosting them. You can try downloading apps and often the link is bad and fails to load. Historically this has very little traffic as a distribution method as most users will utilize the Google Playstore app.

But after mods are approved, they could be uploaded to these alternative sites, but still would have to use Manage Accounts Parallel Space.

The better solution requires a source code program change. Then BotE would have a mechanism to use alternative building data or ship data and would load these from a directory. Unciv is a popular strategy game that does that and so has many more mods and so users can play very specific mods. That began with Civ2 and on and on and made Civ 3 and Civ 4 wildly popular . That is how GalCiv 2 became popular.
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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Say I alter the source code so each sector consistently has nine planets with a much higher percentage of resources. Then say, I want to distribute it. Is that a problem to do so from this website like the wiki page?

Say I alter the formula where gas giants can be terraformed in some manner beginning at level 15 research as I create unique structures on them for energy or defense or research. It would be pointless to make these changes solely for me. I would spend the time to offer it to the community to enhance the existing game. I hope that is naturally possible even encouraged.

I hope that is not an issue as that seems logical as it is open source software.

I greatly appreciate the work all the developers have done. The reason I have spent about 2500 hours now is due to my sincere appreciation as I think this is a wonderful free app. I want to document BotE so millions of English speakers know it exists and can find helpful information. And mod it so it is slightly less frustrating for beginners.

But I have ambitious plans that would add a lot of content and if I spend another 2500 hours doing so, I want a mechanism so anyone can play it. There isn't much point to do all that work if I won't be allowed to make changes and distribute it.
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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Most Android tablet space strategy games are...
1. Just about conquest
2. And to do so, they're online MMOs where whoever spends the most money gets the best powerups to defeat their foes.

I get it as developers want to be paid, but it's a hollow victory.

I see BotE as being an old school offline game that has tremendous potential.
1. BotE could be largely about exploration and players get rich science fiction text through storytelling by a variety of mechanisms through away missions and first contact.

2. BotE could have a better diplomatic system where scanning infrastruture leads to hailing alien species. Then doing the same on more advanced ships.

3. BotE could have actual collaboration where empires do missions with minor races to help them achieve goals. That either raises or lowers the diplomatic relations.

4. BotE could have campaign scripting so events happened within a range of turns. It could spawn enemies like pirates.

5. BotE could have designed maps and many scenarios based upon how much time the player wants to commit to.

The point of every science fiction film tv serialization is not conquest, but encountering the unknown, building trust, gaining aliens allies, facing threats together, having " bottle episodes" where the crew a better understood or the people's society and culture is better understood.

It could be about facing monsters like the Thing where that species is a devourer of worlds.

Otherwise, it's peculiar to enter the vast inky blackness of perilous outer space just to annihilate your enemies. What if they are not a threat? Just be a warmonger regardless? :lol:
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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The original social media was on the GEnie network and was called Imaginations. It was a virtual text based world where there were developers and players chatting and exploring.

Decades later, Second Life made it a virtual graphic world.

BotE if multiplayer could be a virtual galactic world where combat might happen or people just hang out and chat while playing and do missions together.

The idea of gaming and winning is not necessarily about conquering. That idea is actually ugly in some famous science fiction shows. The goal of sandbox games is diversion and being creative and positive and optimistic and those elements are common in science fiction shows.
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Re: round about BotE for Android

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More than a decade ago, modders would write batchfiles that would replace game data for mods, but the issue is it screws up the original programming, thus the player has to do a whole new installation if they want to revert back, and may have multiple save games between various programming, thus creates headaches. You want multiple installations for the original BotE is left alone and pristine.
Minor Race Database http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... r_(Minors)
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