Setting FACTION limits for agents

**Gigantus** · March 06, 2014, 10:03 PM

I got a bit tired of AI spamming spies and assassins, never mind the killer merchants. Feeling that increasing the cost is counterproductive I tried limiting the number of agents per faction. Using the faction_capability in the EDB didn't work out as it either adds or reduces the agent_limit per building.
So I turned to the scripting way and would like some input if there is a better way as the current method requires one monitor per faction and per agent type:

Code:

declare_counter england_spy_counter
monitor_event CharacterTurnEnd FactionType england
    and AgentType spy
    inc_counter england_spy_counter 1
    if I_CompareCounter england_spy_counter > 1   ; corresponding to desired max number
        set_event_counter england_spy_limit 1
    end_if
        if I_CompareCounter england_spy_counter < 2   ; corresponding to desired max number
        set_event_counter england_spy_limit 0
    end_if
end_monitor

EDB entry

Code:

            capability
            {
                agent spy  0  requires factions { england, } and not event_counter england_spy_limt 1
                agent_limit spy 1    ; still needs to be set to restrict at lower levels of building count
            }

**Gigantus** · March 07, 2014, 02:58 AM

I just realized I had not made a provision to reset the event_counter, plus a discussion in another thread (thanks withnwar) made me rediscover the TrueCondition entry. Please note that this will not work for regular recruiting as the pool will be reset to zero every round.

Code:

declare_counter spy_counter

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart TrueCondition
        set_event_counter spy_limit 0     ; resetting the counter for the coming faction
end_monitor

monitor_event CharacterTurnEnd TrueCondition
    and AgentType = spy
    inc_counter spy_counter 1
    if I_CompareCounter spy_counter > 1   ; corresponding to desired max number
        set_event_counter spy_limit 1
    end_if
        if I_CompareCounter spy_counter < 2   ; corresponding to desired max number
        set_event_counter spy_limit 0
    end_if
end_monitor

Code:

            capability
            {
                agent spy  0  requires factions { all, } and not event_counter spy_limt 1
                agent_limit spy 1    ; still needs to be set to restrict at lower levels of building count
            }

**Withwnar** · March 07, 2014, 03:13 AM

If it is to be the same max for all factions then you could use just the one counter and monitor (per agent type).

Code:

declare_counter spy_count
declare_counter assassin_count

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart TrueCondition
  set_counter spy_count 0
  set_event_counter spy_limit_reached 0
  set_counter assassin_count 0
  set_event_counter assassin_limit_reached 0
end_monitor

monitor_event CharacterTurnStart AgentType spy
  inc_counter spy_count 1
  if I_CompareCounter spy_count >= 1   ; corresponding to desired max number of spies
    set_event_counter spy_limit_reached 1
  end_if
end_monitor

monitor_event CharacterTurnStart AgentType assassin
  inc_counter assassin_count 1
  if I_CompareCounter assassin_count >= 1   ; corresponding to desired max number of assassins
    set_event_counter assassin_limit_reached 1
  end_if
end_monitor

EDB:

Code:

capability
{
  agent spy 0 requires factions { england, ...other factions..., } and not event_counter spy_limit_reached 1
  agent_limit spy 1
}

Recruitment queuing happens before CharacterTurnEnd so by the time that event happens it would be too late to impose the EDB restrictions. In the above script it would be setting restrictions for the next faction based on agent numbers of the current faction. CharacterTurnStart avoids those problems.

If you want different max's for different factions then I would do it like this...

Code:

;faction_id: whose turn is it?
; 1 = england (spy = 2, assassin = 4)
; 2 = france  (spy = 3, assassin = 3)
; 3 = hre     (spy = 4, assassin = 1)
declare_counter faction_id

declare_counter spy_count
declare_counter assassin_count

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart FactionType england
  set_counter faction_id 1
end_monitor

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart FactionType france
  set_counter faction_id 2
end_monitor

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart FactionType hre
  set_counter faction_id 3
end_monitor

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart TrueCondition
  set_counter spy_count 0
  set_event_counter spy_limit_reached 0
  set_counter assassin_count 0
  set_event_counter assassin_limit_reached 0
end_monitor

monitor_event CharacterTurnStart AgentType spy
  inc_counter spy_count 1
  
  if I_CompareCounter faction_id == 1  ;england
    and I_CompareCounter spy_count >= 2
    set_event_counter spy_limit_reached 1
  end_if
  if I_CompareCounter faction_id == 2  ;france
    and I_CompareCounter spy_count >= 3
    set_event_counter spy_limit_reached 1
  end_if
  if I_CompareCounter faction_id == 3  ;hre
    and I_CompareCounter spy_count >= 4
    set_event_counter spy_limit_reached 1
  end_if
  
end_monitor

monitor_event CharacterTurnStart AgentType assassin
  inc_counter assassin_count 1
  
  if I_CompareCounter faction_id == 1  ;england
    and I_CompareCounter assassin_count >= 4
    set_event_counter assassin_limit_reached 1
  end_if
  if I_CompareCounter faction_id == 2  ;france
    and I_CompareCounter assassin_count >= 3
    set_event_counter assassin_limit_reached 1
  end_if
  if I_CompareCounter faction_id == 3  ;hre
    and I_CompareCounter assassin_count >= 1
    set_event_counter assassin_limit_reached 1
  end_if
  
end_monitor

Still not pretty but at least it's only 1 + faction_count + agent_count monitors instead of 1 + (faction_count x agent_count) monitors.

EDIT:

Are changes in event counter values during xxxStart events reflected in recruitment conditions that use them for that turn? I half remember a problem related to that way of doing it.

EDIT2: ah, I didn't see post 2 in time.

**Gigantus** · March 07, 2014, 03:41 AM

I was battling for a while and then realized that 'AgentType' comes with an equal sign

Still testing if it actually works...

Edit: my scripts usually have 'faction counters' to create the equivalent of faction IDs:

Code:

    declare_counter england_turn
    monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart FactionType england
        set_counter england_turn 1
        set_counter reichs_fraktion 0     ; additional counters for 1648
        set_counter katholisch 0      ; additional counters for 1648
    end_monitor
    monitor_event FactionTurnEnd FactionType england
        set_counter england_turn 0
    end_monitor
    declare_counter england_dead
    monitor_event LeaderDestroyedFaction FactionType england
        set_counter england_dead 1
        terminate_monitor
    end_monitor

Edit2: just realized the typo in the EDB entry (limt instead of limit)

**Withwnar** · March 07, 2014, 04:11 AM

Originally Posted by Withwnar

Are changes in event counter values during xxxStart events reflected in recruitment conditions that use them for that turn? I half remember a problem related to that way of doing it.

Maybe it was this that I was thinking of...

Originally Posted by Gigantus

Please note that this will not work for regular recruiting as the pool will be reset to zero every round.

...because I just tested mine and it works.

I was battling for a while and then realized that 'AgentType' comes with an equal sign

It must be optional. Mine doesn't use one either and it wouldn't have worked properly if a missing = is incorrect syntax.

**Gigantus** · March 07, 2014, 04:14 AM

Heureka! Confirmed working by
a) recruiting max number (2) of spys --> recruiting disabled\not available in the next round (when spies are available)
b) suiciding a spy --> recruiting enabled\available in the next round

Resetting the spy_limit event_counter somehow didn't work with the IF condition, probably because of the sequence of CTS and FTS.

Thanks for the help, here the complete working script - time for another 'resource' me thinks.

Code:

declare_counter spy_counter

monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart TrueCondition
        set_event_counter spy_limit 0
        set_counter spy_counter 0
end_monitor

monitor_event CharacterTurnStart TrueCondition
    and AgentType = spy
    inc_counter spy_counter 1
        if I_CompareCounter spy_counter > 1   ; corresponding to desired max number
            set_event_counter spy_limit 1
        end_if
end_monitor

Code:

            capability
            {
                agent spy  0  requires factions { all, } and not event_counter spy_limt 1
                agent_limit spy 1    ; still needs to be set to restrict at lower levels of building count
            }

**Withwnar** · March 07, 2014, 04:48 AM

Yay! Happy to help.

Resetting the spy_limit event_counter somehow didn't work with the IF condition, probably because of the sequence of CTS and FTS.

In your earlier scripts you were using CharacterTurnEnd; the event counter would have always been 0 during any faction's "perform actions" time, including the player's...

player actions: recruitment etc.
hit turn end button
player faction's CharacterTurnEnd: event counter = 1 (maybe)
other faction turns
player faction's PreFactionTurnStart: event counter = 0
player actions: recruitment etc.

BTW, adding a "not FactionIsLocal" condition to the CTS monitor will impose these limits on the AI only.

These are the same thing...

Code:

monitor_event CharacterTurnStart TrueCondition
    and AgentType = spy

Code:

monitor_event CharacterTurnStart AgentType = spy

TrueCondition is only needed when there are no other conditions.

**irishron** · March 07, 2014, 04:54 AM

A couple of dumb questions since it's not even 3AM here yet, (1)can this be used to slow down ai assassin recruitment, and (2)will this slow down ai's ability to spam thieves guilds?

**Gigantus** · March 07, 2014, 05:07 AM

It will slow the recruitment as the limit is not the old 'number of recruiting buildings multiplied by agent_limit' principle but a straight number limit of your choice.
Generating action points for the guilds is linked to recruitment of their agents among other things, so it should slow down that as well.

The tutorial