Can kingdoms.exe internal events and counters be visible for external apps?

[bitterhowl]

Well, that's right, army formations are in descr_formations_ai, but engine uses only one formation at once for all factions that used in battle config for open battle - that is prescripted here in config_ai_battle

<formation>
        <easy>ai_triple_missiles_in_front</easy>
        <medium>ai_triple_missiles_in_front</medium>
        <hard>ai_triple_missiles_in_front</hard>
        <very_hard>ai_triple_missiles_in_front</very_hard>
      </formation>

So I'll make 5-7-10 variants of this file which will diverse only in this lines, which contain different formations from descr_formations_ai, which is not necessary to change.

I'm not using Steam too, so I didn't know that Steam use medieval.exe

I thought about PreBattle events, that is much more valid, but for the first time for testing conception per se I decided to use faction turn start.

[Withwnar]

Try this, over at least two turn ends and watch what is written to the command prompt window. There should be a " - StartTurn_moors found in log" line for each turn the moors have, likewise for the other four factions of this script.

Dim strLogFile
Dim strLine1
Dim blnAnyFound

strProcess = "kingdoms.exe"
strComputer = "."
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set oWSH = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
sCurDir = oFSO.GetParentFolderName(WScript.ScriptFullName)

Function IsProcessRunning( strServer, strProcess )
    Dim Process, strObject
    IsProcessRunning = False
    strObject   = "winmgmts://" & strServer
    For Each Process in GetObject( strObject ).InstancesOf( "win32_process" )
    If UCase( Process.name ) = UCase( strProcess ) Then
            IsProcessRunning = True
            Exit Function
        End If
    Next
End Function

strLogFile = oWSH.CurrentDirectory & "\logs\system.log.txt"

Sub ClearFile() 
    Set fLog = oFSO.OpenTextFile(strLogFile,2,1) 
    fLog.Write ""                                 
'    fLog.Close                                     
End Sub

Function FindText(isText)
    FindText = False
    If oFSO.FileExists(strLogFile) Then
        Set fLog = oFSO.OpenTextFile(strLogFile,1,1)
        
        Do While Not fLog.AtEndOfStream
            strLine1 = fLog.ReadLine
            If isText = strLine1 Then
                FindText = True
                fLog.Close
                ClearFile
                Exit Function
            End If
        Loop
        fLog.Close
    Else
        WScript.Echo "log file not found"
    End If
End Function


Do While True

    blnAnyFound = False

    if FindText("StartTurn_moors") Then         
        oFSO.CopyFile sCurDir & "\data\AiSet1\*.*", sCurDir & "\data\", True   
        WScript.Echo " - StartTurn_moors found in log"        
        blnAnyFound = True
    End if
    if FindText("StartTurn_hre") Then 
        oFSO.CopyFile sCurDir & "\data\AiSet2\*.*", sCurDir & "\data\", True    
        WScript.Echo " - StartTurn_hre found in log"        
        blnAnyFound = True
    End if
    if FindText("StartTurn_england") Then 
        oFSO.CopyFile sCurDir & "\data\AiSet3\*.*", sCurDir & "\data\", True    
        WScript.Echo " - StartTurn_england found in log"        
        blnAnyFound = True
    End if
    if FindText("StartTurn_france") Then 
        oFSO.CopyFile sCurDir & "\data\AiSet4\*.*", sCurDir & "\data\", True    
        WScript.Echo " - StartTurn_france found in log"        
        blnAnyFound = True
    End if
    if FindText("StartTurn_spain") Then 
        oFSO.CopyFile sCurDir & "\data\AiSet5\*.*", sCurDir & "\data\", True
        WScript.Echo " - StartTurn_spain found in log"        
        blnAnyFound = True
    End if
    
    If Not blnAnyFound Then
        'WScript.Echo " - nothing found in log"
    End If
    
    WScript.Sleep 10000
    if ( IsProcessRunning( strServer, strProcess ) = False ) Then
            WScript.Quit
    End if
Loop

[Gigantus]

Regarding the executable - you may need to run a test similar to the universal BAT file:

@echo off
cd ..\..
IF EXIST kingdoms.exe (start kingdoms.exe @%0\..\Configuration.cfg) ELSE (
IF EXIST medieval2.exe (
start medieval2.exe @%0\..\Configuration.cfg) ELSE (
    echo ERROR: Cannot find the M2TW or Kingdoms executable.
    echo You probably installed Bare Geomod into the wrong folder.
    pause
  )
)

[bitterhowl]

I'll try it asap when I'll get my pc. Want to clarify this moment:

Sub ClearFile() 
    Set fLog = oFSO.OpenTextFile(strLogFile,2,1) 
    fLog.Write ""                                 
'    fLog.Close                                     
End Sub

Is it necessary? It's a part of PUALogFilter that my IT-man pasted. Do we need to clear log file at all?

[Withwnar]

It removes all text from the log file, so when it reads it again next time it is only seeing what has been added by the game since the read this time.

It's one way to do the "ignore stuff we've already seen in the log" step. But it means that this script and the game could both be trying to write to the log at the same time. There are other ways but more complicated.

[bitterhowl]

Well, I launched campaign twice - no promt window at all.

[bitterhowl]

Seems to break through it from other side.

Solution for stable AI formation was made in 2007 by Sinuhet in his Battle Mechanics 5.0 At that version it didn't work properly but with enhanced settings of z3n it does. AI is defensive, but adequate. It sends archers first but when you try to engage them the rest AI units attack (in original Sinuhet's files main army was passive).

So it seems that MTW2 formations system is near to be repaired.

[Withwnar]

Progress here too. I don't know why the suggested changes to that script didn't work but I feel that a Windows Scripting Host solution (which that is) isn't a good way to do this. So I've written an application that does. It works well, is very fast in responding to log changes, doesn't alter the log file, plus a bunch of other advantages.

It's still a work in progress but is at the point where it could be put through a real world test run. This file swapping situation would be ideal. PM me if you're interested, bitterhowl.

[bitterhowl]

That sounds very good! Seems that I can make 4-5 defferent AI sets, which represent good/bad/defensive/aggressive commander, and wanted to use random switcher. Direct switch will be perfect!