Tech tree viewer in the works...

[Lemmy]

Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
I vote for one button = 1 tech level.

you're right, 1 button = 1 lvl is best.

This is going to be a vey complex tree, isn't it?

a little...the algorithm to place all the buttons is probably the hardest part, but i already made it for a civ3 techviewer...and if i hadn't lost the source to that, it would be a lot easier

[ May 22, 2002, 16:12: Message edited by: LemmyM ]

[Lemmy]

i was also thinking about a search function by name, there is a textfield, and you must choose to search for a component, spy op, facility, or tech area, and then the main view would center in the corresponding tech button

[Gryphin]

I don't know if this helps.
I was able using Word to take the Tech Tree created by, um, was it you? and reduce it to a Tab Delimeted file.. From there I was able to port it to MicroSponge Access. A few preliminary efforts indicated I could do pretty defined searches on just a flat file.
I could send you the results or the seriess of macros I used to do the "parsing".
I realize not everyone has MicroSponge Access but ...
I'm not a programmer but if this helps, please let me know.
I will have guest for the next 6 days.. I may still be able to send it or upload it.

[Lemmy]

It wasn't me who created that file.
I'm writing my own parser in Java and store the data in Java classes, figuring out how to connect with acces in Java (if possible) would take too much time.

[Hank]

The JDBC/ODBC bridge connects Java to Access fairly quickly. But the better design is to do as you are planning, parse the SEIV files themselves for the data you need that way your techtree will be able to pickup patch changes and probably even mod changes easily.

[Ransack]

I was thinking of doing something like this too. One difference is that I am planning to use SVG as the output format. This would allow you to just point at a tech-level node and see in a floating window exactly what became available at that point.

Sound like a good idea?

[Lemmy]

Originally posted by Hank:
The JDBC/ODBC bridge connects Java to Access fairly quickly. But the better design is to do as you are planning, parse the SEIV files themselves for the data you need that way your techtree will be able to pickup patch changes and probably even mod changes easily.

yep, that's right, i'm writing a seperate Loader class, so that any patch changes will be easily updated.

Originally posted by Ransack:
I was thinking of doing something like this too. One difference is that I am planning to use SVG as the output format. This would allow you to just point at a tech-level node and see in a floating window exactly what became available at that point.

Sound like a good idea?

hmm, don't know much about SVG, other that it's based on xml?