Perking up the AI

[llamabeast]

I understand that Python is mega-lovely. I'm a big fan of Perl, and apparently Python is nicer.

http://xkcd.com/353/

[lch]

The main problem that I have with web services is designing forms. I hate design work. I haven't yet found a good way to be able to just code and have forms for user interaction generated automatically, without using an overblown framework that tries to abstract the whole thing with MVC, forcing you to jam your logic into their structure and using their database abstraction instead of giving direct access to these kinds of things. I have in mind to get a web version of catgod, maybe I'll find something for it.

[VedalkenBear]

JM: (OT: Thanks for switching your pic. I love that lolcat.)

Piggy-backing on your idea, if we had such a framework (and that shouldn't take much; I'll look into it) we could set up a 'pay-to-play' service where someone to use a MP server for a game had to contribute a province to 'the file'.

My OOP class was very big on knowing how to format text correctly, so I'm fairly certain I could write a Java app that could take this information and format it for SemiRandom.

[Gandalf Parker]

Im not so much an old programmer as I am an old internet admin. I was part of the early protocol discussions. So its not the programs, or what they are written in, which concerns me.

We can have a ton of apps. But I think that we should try to do is come to agreements on formats. The DomMap project developed some agreements on how .maps should be annotated. Some of that was carried over to the SemiRandom project. And some of the future developments for SemiRandom are most likely to use Edi's spreadsheet format as a database.

If all of the apps use an agreed on format for the province adds, god builds, sprites, etc then we can share libraries. And use data files which use Edi's spreadsheet, or at least an export from it, so that the apps stay current easier.

We might want to start an RFC thread on it. Actually the format of the province and god adds might be reaching a limit. The "appropriate" tags might want to be shifted to the first line of the file rather than the file name but thats something Ballbarian would have to agree to (but I could automate the file changes).


Gandalf Parker
--
The Socializing Soloist, the Mad Mapper and the Minimalist Modder, the Lord of Chaos, the Prophet for Random, Experimenter of Extremes, He Who Will Not Normalize Standardize Specialize (or Finalize), He Who Public Domains All.

[Gandalf Parker]

Well Ive put in a fairly full day.
I know I dont finish many of the other projects but if no one shows an interest most of them just sit in the "who cares anyway" list.

But the server stuff I do better with. I have now added a new game type for SemiRandom games.
http://www.dom3minions.com/HostedGames.htm

Gandalf Parker
--
The Socializing Soloist, the Mad Mapper and the Minimalist Modder, the Lord of Chaos, the Prophet for Random, Experimenter of Extremes, He Who Will Not Normalize Standardize Specialize (or Finalize), He Who Public Domains All.

[Gandalf Parker]

In a way, there is. The @ sign in a SemiRandom file designates a random selection. So you could designate the number of troops to be an @ list with 10, 20, 40, 60 troops to select from.

[Ballbarian]

So much that I want to respond to, but I am rapidly running out of minutes before I have to get ready for work.

I am currently giving Python another look. Now I remember what held me back before. I think the language itself is not a problem, but I am struggling to decide on a GUI and have not found an IDE yet that peeks my interest. I quickly get frustrated with the minutia of coding UI objects like buttons and frames. I would much prefer to have a WYSIWYG editor for laying out components and generating the code in the background. There is likely a utility out there and I have just overlooked it at this point. Meanwhile, I will keep browsing.

das123,
What tool sets did you find useful when creating Dom3Bak? (Nice app btw!)

[lch]

Originally Posted by Ballbarian

I am currently giving Python another look. Now I remember what held me back before. I think the language itself is not a problem, but I am struggling to decide on a GUI and have not found an IDE yet that peeks my interest. I quickly get frustrated with the minutia of coding UI objects like buttons and frames. I would much prefer to have a WYSIWYG editor for laying out components and generating the code in the background. There is likely a utility out there and I have just overlooked it at this point.

In my experience, all IDEs fail at some point or the other. They do manage to get something out there quite fast, which looks close to what you want to have. But if you really want to get the GUI together like you imagined, then you won't be able to do that with a WYSIWYG editor alone, or at least not without spending an extreme amount of time to find out about every nook and corner.

That said, I am fairly sure that there should be some kind of GUI designer tool for the Qt port. And getting a GUI together with wx wasn't too hard. You will spend most of the time that you're programming on the GUI of course, no matter how complex the other code may be.

[das123]

Originally Posted by Ballbarian

das123,
What tool sets did you find useful when creating Dom3Bak? (Nice app btw!)

Thanks .

I hunted around for a while trying to find something similar to VB where you can just drag and drop components into a frame. Everything I read about GUI and Python was contradictory. I tried placing the components by code but was a pain. There are a number of GUI libraries for Python, but that also makes it tricky. In the end I found what many said was the simplest setup (and I agree with them):

• Latest Python
• wx Library
• Boa Constructor

All the work is done in Boa. You create a new application from the button bar by clicking new wx.App and it automatically brings in what you need. Click on Frame Designer and you're in WYSIWYG mode - dragging and dropping components into a frame. Boa also is a debugger so it becomes a very familiar working environment. There are also some good tutorials and examples that come with Boa that iron out most questions.

[Ballbarian]

Originally Posted by das123

Thanks .

I hunted around for a while trying to find something similar to VB where you can just drag and drop components into a frame. Everything I read about GUI and Python was contradictory. I tried placing the components by code but was a pain. There are a number of GUI libraries for Python, but that also makes it tricky. In the end I found what many said was the simplest setup (and I agree with them):

• Latest Python
• wx Library
• Boa Constructor

All the work is done in Boa. You create a new application from the button bar by clicking new wx.App and it automatically brings in what you need. Click on Frame Designer and you're in WYSIWYG mode - dragging and dropping components into a frame. Boa also is a debugger so it becomes a very familiar working environment. There are also some good tutorials and examples that come with Boa that iron out most questions.

das! I think you just saved me a TON of reading and trial & error. Within a short time I have Boa up and running and I am happily plopping down controls all over the place. Now if I can just figure out how to get them to do stuff.

Of course there is also the small matter of learning a new language, but hey, this is one hell of a good start.
Thanks a million.