Visit the Age of Conquest Modding Discussions & Workshop forum on the Multiplayer Hub for download and information.

Age of Conquest Editor (beta)

Star Rating

I couldn’t find a good star rating component for Java Swing, so I rolled my own. The star rating component displays the current current rating (yellow stars), as well as a “selected” rating (reddish stars). The “selected” rating can be changed by a user. If the “selected” rating is changed, all the listeners will be notified of the change.

Example (5 stars, 3.78 average rating, 3 stars initial selection):

  StarRater starRater = new StarRater(5, 3.61, 3);
  starRater.addStarListener(new StarRater.StarListener() {
    public void handleSelection(int selection) {
      // a new number of stars has been selected
      do something...
    }
  });
  add(starRater);   // add the component to the container...

The star rating component will initially be used to rate maps in Age of Conquest.

Here is the download for both source code & star images (Photoshop). Note that I included the star images as byte array in the source code for your convenience. You are obviously free to use your own as well. Please consider both source code as well as images in the Public Domain. If you would like to credit me for the work that’s great, otherwise, no problem either:

• Star Rater Component (Swing) + Star Images (Photoshop)

England Zone

Age of Conquest will have a new game type available. King of the Hill will require a player or a team to hold a certain area on the map for a given time to win the game. Target flags will define the zone.

For additional suggestions, please post your ideas here in the blog!

Color Swatch (Java)

The color selector (JColorChooser) for Java is rather ugly, so I decided to write my own color chooser. The color chooser is made up of two components:

• ColorSelector: A button which displays the currently selected color and pops up the ColorSwatch when clicked.
• ColorSwatch:  Displays a color swatch with clickable colors. The color swatch expects a two-dimensional array of colors as input that will be displayed in the swatch.

The color selector and swatch will be used for Age of Conquest to make it more convenient to select a color in the map editor (less cumbersome). Please note, the five columns to the left are specifically designed colors for Age of Conquest to give maps a medieval look & feel. Although other colors can be chosen as well, it is recommended to use the medieval colors when creating new scenarios for the game.

Here is the code for both components. Please consider the code Public Domain. Feel free to use and modify it any way you please. Although, I would appreciate to be credited, it is not necessary to do so. Enjoy!

ColorSelector.java

import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;

import javax.swing.ButtonModel;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JPopupMenu;

/**
 * Represents a color selector.
 *
 * @author noblemaster
 * @since August 16, 2010
 */
public class ColorSelector extends JButton {

  /** The default colors. */
  private static final int[][] DEFAULT_COLORS = new int[][] {
      { 0xFFFFFF, 0xEEEEEE, 0xDDDDDD, 0xCCCCCC
       , 0xBBBBBB, 0xAAAAAA, 0xFFCC00, 0xFF9900
       , 0xFF6600, 0xFF3300, 0x999999, 0x888888
       , 0x666666, 0x444444, 0x222222, 0x000000 },
      { 0x99CC00, 0x000000, 0x000000, 0x000000
       , 0x000000, 0xCC9900, 0xFFCC33, 0xFFCC66
       , 0xFF9966, 0xFF6633, 0xCC3300, 0x000000
       , 0x000000, 0x000000, 0x000000, 0xCC0033 },
      { 0xCCFF00, 0xCCFF33, 0x333300, 0x666600
       , 0x999900, 0xCCCC00, 0xFFFF00, 0xCC9933
       , 0xCC6633, 0x330000, 0x660000, 0x990000
       , 0xCC0000, 0xFF0000, 0xFF3366, 0xFF0033 },
      { 0x99FF00, 0xCCFF66, 0x99CC33, 0x666633
       , 0x999933, 0xCCCC33, 0xFFFF33, 0x996600
       , 0x993300, 0x663333, 0x993333, 0xCC3333
       , 0xFF3333, 0xCC3366, 0xFF6699, 0xFF0066 },
      { 0x66FF00, 0x99FF66, 0x66CC33, 0x669900
       , 0x999966, 0xCCCC66, 0xFFFF66, 0x996633
       , 0x663300, 0x996666, 0xCC6666, 0xFF6666
       , 0x990033, 0xCC3399, 0xFF66CC, 0xFF0099 },
      { 0x33FF00, 0x66FF33, 0x339900, 0x66CC00
       , 0x99FF33, 0xCCCC99, 0xFFFF99, 0xCC9966
       , 0xCC6600, 0xCC9999, 0xFF9999, 0xFF3399
       , 0xCC0066, 0x990066, 0xFF33CC, 0xFF00CC },
      { 0x00CC00, 0x33CC00, 0x336600, 0x669933
       , 0x99CC66, 0xCCFF99, 0xFFFFCC, 0xFFCC99
       , 0xFF9933, 0xFFCCCC, 0xFF99CC, 0xCC6699
       , 0x993366, 0x660033, 0xCC0099, 0x330033 },
      { 0x33CC33, 0x66CC66, 0x00FF00, 0x33FF33
       , 0x66FF66, 0x99FF99, 0xCCFFCC, 0xFFFFE3
       , 0xFFFFFF, 0xFFE3FF, 0xCC99CC, 0x996699
       , 0x993399, 0x990099, 0x663366, 0x660066 },
      { 0x006600, 0x336633, 0x009900, 0x339933
       , 0x669966, 0x99CC99, 0xE3FFFF, 0xFFFFFF
       , 0xFFFFFF, 0xFFCCFF, 0xFF99FF, 0xFF66FF
       , 0xFF33FF, 0xFF00FF, 0xCC66CC, 0xCC33CC },
      { 0x003300, 0x00CC33, 0x006633, 0x339966
       , 0x66CC99, 0x99FFCC, 0xCCFFFF, 0x3399FF
       , 0x99CCFF, 0xCCCCFF, 0xCC99FF, 0x9966CC
       , 0x663399, 0x330066, 0x9900CC, 0xCC00CC },
      { 0x00FF33, 0x33FF66, 0x009933, 0x00CC66
       , 0x33FF99, 0x99FFFF, 0x99CCCC, 0x0066CC
       , 0x6699CC, 0x9999FF, 0x9999CC, 0x9933FF
       , 0x6600CC, 0x660099, 0xCC33FF, 0xCC00FF },
      { 0x00FF66, 0x66FF99, 0x33CC66, 0x009966
       , 0x66FFFF, 0x66CCCC, 0x669999, 0x003366
       , 0x336699, 0x6666FF, 0x6666CC, 0x666699
       , 0x330099, 0x9933CC, 0xCC66FF, 0x9900FF },
      { 0x00FF99, 0x66FFCC, 0x33CC99, 0x33FFFF
       , 0x33CCCC, 0x339999, 0x336666, 0x006699
       , 0x003399, 0x3333FF, 0x3333CC, 0x333399
       , 0x333366, 0x6633CC, 0x9966FF, 0x6600FF },
      { 0x00FFCC, 0x33FFCC, 0x00FFFF, 0x00CCCC
       , 0x009999, 0x006666, 0x003333, 0x3399CC
       , 0x3366CC, 0x0000FF, 0x0000CC, 0x000099
       , 0x000066, 0x000033, 0x6633FF, 0x3300FF },
      { 0x00CC99, 0x000000, 0x000000, 0x000000
       , 0x000000, 0x0099CC, 0x33CCFF, 0x66CCFF
       , 0x6699FF, 0x3366FF, 0x0033CC, 0x000000
       , 0x000000, 0x000000, 0x000000, 0x3300CC },
      { 0x000000, 0x222222, 0x444444, 0x666666
       , 0x888888, 0x999999, 0x00CCFF, 0x0099FF
       , 0x0066FF, 0x0033FF, 0xAAAAAA, 0xBBBBBB
       , 0xCCCCCC, 0xDDDDDD, 0xEEEEEE, 0xFFFFFF },
  };

  /** The rollover color. */
  private static final Color ROLLOVER_COLOR = new Color(0x20ffffff, true);

  /** The current color. */
  private Color color;
  /** The available colors. */
  private Color[][] colors;

  /**
   * The constructor.
   */
  public ColorSelector() {
    this(Color.RED, getDefaultColors());
  }

  /**
   * The constructor.
   *
   * @param color  The active color.
   * @param colors  The colors to select from.
   */
  public ColorSelector(Color color, Color[][] colors) {
    this.color = color;
    this.colors = colors;

    // set background
    setOpaque(false);

    // listen to clicks and display popup as needed
    addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
      public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
        // create and show swatch
        final JPopupMenu popup = new JPopupMenu();
        popup.setOpaque(false);
        ColorSwatch swatch = new ColorSwatch(ColorSelector.this.colors);
        swatch.addColorListener(new ColorSwatch.ColorListener() {
          public void handleColor(Color color) {
            // set the new color
            if (color != null) {
              ColorSelector.this.setColor(color);
            }

            // hide the popup
            popup.setVisible(false);
          }
        });
        popup.add(swatch);
        popup.show(ColorSelector.this, getWidth() / 2, getHeight() / 2);
      }
    });
  }

  /**
   * Returns the color.
   *
   * @return  The color.
   */
  public Color getColor() {
    return color;
  }

  /**
   * Sets the color.
   *
   * @param color  The color.
   */
  public void setColor(Color color) {
    this.color = color;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the colors.
   *
   * @return  The colors.
   */
  public Color[][] getColors() {
    return colors;
  }

  /**
   * Sets the colors.
   *
   * @param colors  The colors.
   */
  public void setColors(Color[][] colors) {
    this.colors = colors;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the base colors.
   *
   * @return  The base colors.
   */
  public static Color[][] getDefaultColors() {
    Color[][] colors = new Color[DEFAULT_COLORS.length][DEFAULT_COLORS[0].length];
    for (int y = 0; y < colors.length; y++) {
      for (int x = 0; x < colors[0].length; x++) {
        colors[y][x] = new Color(DEFAULT_COLORS[y][x]);
      }
    }
    return colors;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the preferred size.
   *
   * @return  The preferred size.
   */
  @Override
  public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
    return new Dimension(60, 30);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the margin.
   *
   * @return  The margin.
   */
  private int margin() {
    return 3;
  }

  /**
   * Draws this component.
   *
   * @param g  Where to draw to.
   */
  @Override
  public void paint(Graphics g) {
    // use antialiasing
    Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D)g;
    g2.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING,
                        RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
    int width = getWidth();
    int height = getHeight();
    int x = 0;
    int y = 0;
    int margin = margin();

    // draw border
    getBorder().paintBorder(this, g, 0, 0, width - 1, height - 1); 

    // draw the color
    g.setColor(color);
    g.fillRoundRect(x + margin, y + margin
                 , width - (2 * margin), height - (2 * margin), 5, 5);

    // draw effect as need
    ButtonModel model = getModel();
    if (model.isPressed()) {
      g.setColor(ROLLOVER_COLOR);
      g.fillRoundRect(x + margin, y + margin
                 , width - (2 * margin), height - (2 * margin), 5, 5);
      g.fillRoundRect(x + margin, y + margin
                , width - (2 * margin), height - (2 * margin), 5, 5);
    }
    else if (model.isRollover()) {
      g.setColor(ROLLOVER_COLOR);
      g.fillRoundRect(x + margin, y + margin
               , width - (2 * margin), height - (2 * margin), 5, 5);
    }
  }
}

ColorSwatch.java:

import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.event.MouseInputListener;

/**
 * Displays a color swatch.
 *
 * @author noblemaster
 * @since August 16, 2010
 */
public class ColorSwatch extends JPanel {

  /** The rollover color. */
  private static final Color ROLLOVER_COLOR = new Color(0x80ffffff, true);

  /** The listener. */
  public static interface ColorListener {

    /**
     * Called if a color has been activated.
     *
     * @param color  The color.
     */
    void handleColor(Color color);
  }

  /** The listeners. */
  private transient List
 listeners = new ArrayList();

  /** The colors. */
  private Color[][] colors;

  /** The rollover color. */
  private Color rolloverColor = null;

  /**
   * The constructor.
   */
  public ColorSwatch() {
    this(new Color[0][0]);
  }

  /**
   * The constructor.
   *
   * @param colors  The colors to select from.
   */
  public ColorSwatch(Color[][] colors) {
    this.colors = colors;

    // set look
    setOpaque(true);
    setBackground(Color.WHITE);
    setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.BLACK, 1));

    // add listener
    MouseInputListener mouseListener = new MouseInputListener() {
      public void mousePressed(MouseEvent event) {
        Color color = getColor(event.getX(), event.getY());

        // notify about selection
        for (int i = 0; i < listeners.size(); i++) {
          listeners.get(i).handleColor(color);
        }
      }
      public void mouseMoved(MouseEvent event) {
        rolloverColor = getColor(event.getX(), event.getY());
        repaint();
      }
      public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent event) {
        // not used
      }
      public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent event) {
        // not used
      }
      public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent arg0) {
        // not used
      }
      public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent arg0) {
        // not used
      }
      public void mouseExited(MouseEvent arg0) {
        rolloverColor = null;
        repaint();
      }
    };
    addMouseListener(mouseListener);
    addMouseMotionListener(mouseListener);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the colors.
   *
   * @return  The colors.
   */
  public Color[][] getColors() {
    return colors;
  }

  /**
   * Sets the colors.
   *
   * @param colors  The colors.
   */
  public void setColors(Color[][] colors) {
    this.colors = colors;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the preferred size.
   *
   * @return  The preferred size.
   */
  @Override
  public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
    int colorSize = getColorSize();
    int colorSpacing = getColorSpacing();
    int margin = getMargin();
    return new Dimension((colorSize + colorSpacing) * colors[0].length
                              + (2 * margin) - colorSpacing
                       , (colorSize + colorSpacing) * colors.length
                              + (2 * margin) - colorSpacing);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the margin/insets from where the colors are painted. Override this method to paint the colors
   * further inside.
   *
   * @return  The margin.
   */
  public int getMargin() {
    return 2;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the color for the given coordinate.
   *
   * @param x  The x coordinate.
   * @param y  The y coordinate.
   * @return  The color or null if not found.
   */
  private Color getColor(int x, int y) {
    int margin = getMargin();
    int colorSize = getColorSize();
    int colorSpacing = getColorSpacing();
    x -= margin;
    y -= margin;
    int col = x / (colorSize + colorSpacing);
    int row = y / (colorSize + colorSpacing);
    if ((col < 0) || (col >= colors[0].length) || (row < 0)
                       || (row >= colors.length)) {
      return null;
    }
    else {
      return colors[row][col];
    }
  }

  /**
   * Returns the spacing.
   *
   * @return  The spacing.
   */
  private int getColorSpacing() {
    return getColorSize() > 2 ? 1 : 0;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the size of a color thingy.
   *
   * @return  The color size in pixels.
   */
  private int getColorSize() {
    if ((colors[0].length <= 12) && (colors.length <= 8)) {
      return 15;
    }
    else if ((colors[0].length <= 24) && (colors.length <= 16)) {
      return 7;
    }
    else if ((colors[0].length <= 48) && (colors.length <= 32)) {
      return 5;
    }
    else if ((colors[0].length <= 96) && (colors.length <= 64)) {
      return 3;
    }
    else {
      return 1;
    }
  }

  /**
   * Draws this component.
   *
   * @param g  Where to draw to.
   */
  @Override
  protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
    // use antialiasing
    Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D)g;
    g2.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING,
                        RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
    int width = getWidth();
    int height = getHeight();
    int margin = getMargin();
    int colorSize = getColorSize();
    int colorSpacing = getColorSpacing();

    // background fill
    g.setColor(getBackground());
    g.fillRect(0, 0, width, height);

    // draw the colors
    for (int y = 0; y < colors.length; y++) {
      for (int x = 0; x < colors[0].length; x++) {         Color color = colors[y][x];         g.setColor(color);         g.fillRect(x * (colorSize + colorSpacing) + margin                  , y * (colorSize + colorSpacing) + margin                  , colorSize                  , colorSize);                  // draw rollover?         if (colorSpacing > 0) {
          if (color == rolloverColor) {
            g.setColor(ROLLOVER_COLOR);
            g.fillRect(x * (colorSize + colorSpacing) + margin
                , y * (colorSize + colorSpacing) + margin
                , colorSize
                , colorSize);
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }

  /**
   * Adds a listener.
   *
   * @param listener  The listener.
   */
  public void addColorListener(ColorListener listener) {
    listeners.add(listener);
  }

  /**
   * Removes a listener.
   *
   * @param listener  The listener.
   */
  public void removeColorListener(ColorListener listener) {
    listeners.remove(listener);
  }
}

Honolulu, HI – August 17, 2010 — Noble Master Games releases their medieval strategy game “Age of Conquest: World Conquest” for Apple’s iPad platform.

Age of Conquest a risk-like strategy game where you take the reign of a budding empire and struggle for domination of the world. The game includes sixteen scenarios with a total of over hundred empires to choose from including Spain, Germany, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba and the United States.

Age of Conquest features several AI difficulty levels from easy to extreme keeping you entertained for hours. Options include Fog of War and a God Mode to see all the units on the map. Features include:
- Play with any of the empires available.
- Random placement option.
- Basic population and economy management.
- Background music matching the game you are playing.
- Auto-save option to resume games in progress.

The iPad application “Age of Conquest: World Conquest” is available in the Apple iTunes Store for US$4.99. A free “Lite” version can be downloaded for try out before purchase. Age of Conquest is also available for iPhone and iPod Touch. iTunes URL:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/age-conquest-world-conquest/id386104577

Noble Master Games is a professionally established company to serves as a resource for the global gaming community at large.

Slider and Progress Bar

Age of Conquest III will feature two new GUI components: slider and progress bar. Both components have been designed by Sergey “Serjio” Churbanov who created most other graphics for Age of Conquest III as well.

All other paid Age of Conquest applications including Europe, N. America, S. America, Asia and Africa will receive full iPad support free of charge as soon as Apple approves the latest update (submitted, pending review). The new World Conquest edition featuring a map of the world will be released around August 11.

Download Age of Conquest Lite (free) now via the iTunes Store:

• Age of Conqest Lite for iPad, iPhone & iPod

Age of Conquest Lite for iPad

The income and expenses for each turn are calculated as follows:

World world = ... // the world including everything
Entity entity = ... // the empire we are doing the calculations for

// assets
long money = entity.getMoney();

// income: tax
long taxIncome = getTaxIncome(world.getProduction(entity),
                              entity.getTaxRate(),
                              entity.getMorale());
money += taxIncome;

// income: vassals
for (Entity vassal: vassals) {
  long vassalIncome = getTaxIncome(world.getProduction(vassal),
                                   vassal.getTaxRate(),
                                   vassal.getMorale());
  money += getVassalPay(taxIncome);
}

// expenses: economy and military spending
money -= getEconomySpending(taxIncome, entity.getSpendingEconomy()));
money -= getMilitarySpending(world.getMilitary(entity),
                             entity.getSpendingMilitary()));

// expenses: tributes to vassal masters
for (Entity master: masters) {
  money -= getVassalPay(taxIncome);
}

Please note, production is a factor of economy x population.

Utility functions to calculate costs as well as economy, population and military increases/decreases depending on the spending settings chosen.

  /** The percent the vassal pays. */
  public static final int VASSAL_PAY_PERCENTAGE = 10;

  /** The standard economy spending in percent [0, 100]. */
  public static final int STANDARD_SPENDING_ECONOMY = 80;
  /** The standard military spending in percent [0, 100]. */
  public static final int STANDARD_SPENDING_MILITARY = 80;

  /**
   * Returns the tax for the given number of people.
   *
   * @param production  The production.
   * @param taxRate  The tax rate in percent [0, 100].
   * @param morale  The morale in percent [0, 100].
   * @return  The tax.
   */
  public long getTaxIncome(long production, int taxRate, int morale) {
    return Math.round(Math.pow(production * 0.08d, 0.96d) * taxRate/10*morale/100);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the payment a vassal slave has to pay to
   * his master based on his production.
   *
   * @param taxIncome  The tax income of the vassal slave.
   * @return  The pay a vassal slave has to pay to his master.
   */
  public long getVassalPay(long taxIncome) {
    return taxIncome * VASSAL_PAY_PERCENTAGE / 100;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the investment spending for the given tax income.
   *
   * @param taxIncome  The tax income.
   * @param economySpending  The economy spending.
   * @return  The expenses.
   */
  public long getEconomySpending(long taxIncome, int economySpending) {
    return (taxIncome / 10) * economySpending / STANDARD_SPENDING_ECONOMY;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the economy increase for the given spending rate.
   *
   * @param economySpending  The spending.
   * @return  The increase factor. Stays stable for 1, decreases
   * or less than 1 and increases for more than 1.
   */
  public float getEconomyIncrease(int economySpending) {
    return 1.03f + ((economySpending - Market.STANDARD_SPENDING_ECONOMY) * 0.03f / 100);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the population increase for the given spending rate.
   *
   * @param economySpending  The spending.
   * @return  The increase factor. Stays stable for 1, decreases
   * for less than 1 and increases for more than 1.
   */
  public float getPopulationIncrease(int economySpending) {
    return 1.01f + (economySpending * 0.001f);
  }

  /**
   * Returns the upkeep cost for the given number of military units.
   *
   * @param military  The military units.
   * @param militarySpending  The military spending.
   * @return  The upkeep cost.
   */
  public long getMilitarySpending(long military, int militarySpending) {
    return (military / 5) * militarySpending / STANDARD_SPENDING_MILITARY;
  }

  /**
   * Returns the military increase for the given spending rate.
   *
   * @param militarySpending  The spending.
   * @return  The increase factor. Stays stable for 1, decreases
   * for less than 1 and increases for more than 1.
   */
  public float getMilitaryIncrease(int militarySpending) {
    return 1.0f + ((militarySpending - Market.STANDARD_SPENDING_MILITARY) * 0.5f / 100);
  }

Find below the menu screen layout for the single player version of the game:

Age of Conquest: Menu Screen

See below for current development screenshots for the iPad version (World Conquest). Please note, this is the medium-sized world map. The full-size world map will be available on desktop (PC, Mac, Linux) only due to memory limitations.

Age of Conquest III - Screenshot 1

Age of Conquest III - Screenshot 2

]]> http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/07/28/latest-screenshots-for-aoc-version-iii/feed/ 0 http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/07/20/wanted-concord-c1-quantum-gravity/ http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/07/20/wanted-concord-c1-quantum-gravity/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:07:13 +0000 noblemaster http://blog.noblemaster.com/?p=758 I wouldn’t mind getting my hand on that little precious. The price tag of the Concord C1 Quantum Gravity watch is still at $320′000, so I’m going to wait for the moment. I just need a few more customers for Age of Conquest…

More Information:

• Official Site for Quantum Gravity
• Want More? Concord C1 External Gravity

]]> http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/07/20/wanted-concord-c1-quantum-gravity/feed/ 2 http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/07/13/age-of-conquest-progress-report/ http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/07/13/age-of-conquest-progress-report/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:11:53 +0000 noblemaster http://blog.noblemaster.com/?p=752

Battle!

After taking things easy for a few weeks, I am ready to re-start game development for Age of Conquest. I just received another set of graphics from the artist (Sergey). This is the final batch including about 30 icons.

I already started developing the various iPad screens. All that was missing were the graphics. Now, that I received the final batch from Sergey, I should be able to bring iPad development to a close within the next 4-6 weeks. After that, the desktop (PC, Macintosh & Linux) version is up next. I should be able to get the desktop version (single player) ready before December.

See below for the latest graphics (Winner’s Podium).

Age of Conquest Winner's Podium

Please provide feedback!

If you fought the Bydo and shooted the Bacterians in the core, you are ready for the war against the evil god Hydorah. Choose the path to follow and fight planet by planet against hordes of meroptians.

Download & Information: http://www.locomalito.com/juegos_hydorah.php

Hydorah Screenshot

“I challenge you to port Oregon Trail!”

“Oregon Trail!!!!”

“Hey, you should port Oregon Trail to Android!”

It’s puzzling? Why me, I don’t own the rights to Oregon Trail? I wouldn’t mind doing it, but I am pretty sure Gameloft has their own developers to pull it off. Also, there are other games out there that I could port; how about those?

• Tax Rate: The tax rate affects morale. A tax rate of 10% will keep morale stable. Morale is a multiplier for tax income. Keeping the tax rate low, will increase morale and yield to a higher income in the future. Keeping the tax rate high will allow for short-term tax income gains, but reduce tax income in the future due to lowered morale.
• Economy: Economy spending can be used to grow both population and economy each turn.
• Military: Military spending of 80% will keep the number of military units stable. Increasing the spending will grow military units on all the provinces each turn. Decreased spending will do the opposite.

The empire screen is optional for all games and can be disabled as needed.

Empire Adjustment Screen

Search Queries for MultiplayerHub.com

Reference: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/multiplayerhub.com#

Doom

Noble Master Games has been approached by Dr. Lazarus, a time traveler from the future. Under Dr. Lazarus’s leadership, we have setup a global network to monitor and deactivate doomsday events. We are in urgent need of agents. Please download the Doomsday Deactivator from the Android Market to save the planet from ultimate destruction.

Yours Sincerely,
Dr. C. Aschwanden
CEO of Noble Master Games

Original message from Dr. Lazarus:

——————– URGENT NOTICE ——————–
Dear Sir,

I am Dr. Lazarus from the Secret Service of the country of Lichtenstein. I have traveled back in time to setup a global network to stop the destruction of this planet.

Your services are needed to enter doomsday deactivation codes in timely matter to save this planet. Apply to become an agent NOW!

Yours Truly,
Dr. Lazarus
Protector of Earth
Secret Service (FL)

Doomsday Deactivator:

Doomsday Deactivator

1. Make sure all the borders are located in a separate Photoshop layer. The border lines are preferably black and 1px wide. Please note that the Age of Conquest Map Editor can export all the border lines automatically. Otherwise, use either the Photoshop brush or line tool to draw the border lines beforehand.
2. Follow the instructions below and edit the border layer properties to enhance the look of the border lines.

Please note that the guidelines will work as well in other graphics tools such Gimp (free).

Border Line Enhancement /w Photoshop

]]> http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/05/21/map-modding-nice-province-borders/feed/ 0 http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/05/19/age-of-conquest-in-taiwan/ http://blog.noblemaster.com/2010/05/19/age-of-conquest-in-taiwan/#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 19:19:51 +0000 noblemaster http://blog.noblemaster.com/?p=653

S Mart Logo

Age of Conquest has been released in the S Mart Store in Taiwan for Android devices. The game has been translated to Chinese by my friend Alex.

I was going to post a direct link to the game in the store, unfortunately that is not possible as the site only uses HTTP POST to link pages. To find the game, click on the 3rd tab from the left and then select the bottommost item in the 2nd menu list on the left-hand side.

Store URL: http://www.smartapp.tw

Translator: Kin “The Dog” Wang a.k.a. Alex

Age of Conquest on SmartApp.tw

Age of Conquest

It’s May 17, 2010 – It’s the 10 year anniversary of Age of Conquest. The game started its humble origins ten years ago to the day (yes, I checked the database). Age of Conquest has been online most of the time since 2000 and managed to obtain a small group of followers over the years. The game has been ported to Windows, Macintosh, Linux, iPhone/iPod as well as Android.

The following releases have been slated for the upcoming months:

• Age of Conquest World Map Edition for iPad: This is a large size map featuring all the continents of Earth.
• Age of Conquest III for PC, Mac, Linux: This includes both a single player version of the game as well as an online version.

Graphics:  Robert Altbauer
Map & Modding: Travis Bowling

World Map Preview (Age of Conquest)

The world needs the leader of the biggest enterprise back in his office. Return to Microsoft and unite the industry…

The session is scheduled for:

Thursday, May 6, 18:30pm – around mignight
Time Zone: Hawaii, GMT-10
Download & Install: SharedView
Session Name & Password: Live NOW (May 6, 18:30)

LiveStream Screenshot:

LiveStream Screenshot

If you like cribbage, definitely give the game a try. For the guys out there: the game also seems to be quite popular amongst the ladies!

Website: http://ecribbage.com

Winner's Podium for eCribbage

Icons for AoC III

I got some of the icons ready for Age of Conquest III. Sergey our artist is drawing all the graphics for the upcoming installment of the game. So far, he is doing an excellent job.

In regards to coding; I am currently porting Age of Conquest from iPod/iPhone to the iPad. I am creating an Universal Binary which can be run both on small as well as big screens. I noted there are only a “few” games for the iPad available so far (unless I am mistaken?). If I get Age of Conquest in there soon, it might get extra exposure. I also started doing some initial GUI work for the desktop release (Windows, Macintosh, Linux).

Also note there is a higher number of users from Android devices who visited the site compared to iPhone users.

• WinXP – 41%
• Win7 – 17.2%
• Android – 15.8%
• WinVista -15.4%
• MacOSX – 6.8%
• iPhoneOS – 1.8%
• Linux – 1.6%
• Win2000 0.4%

Visitor Stats for Age of Conquest

Age of Conquest Ad (Korea)

Age of Conquest has been released in Korea for a little over a month. It appears both Age of Conquest Asia as well as Age of Conquest Europe have been well received with ratings of 4.4/5 and higher.

Age of Conquest is available in SKT’s T-Store. The game is published by JoyMoa. SKT is SKTelecom, one of South Korea’s major mobile telecommunication providers. SKT is in competition with KTF (Korea Telecom Freetel) to regain the market share it lost due to KTF releasing the iPhone in South Korea. SKT is focused on Android hand held devices.

Direct links to T-Store:

• Age of Conquest Asia
• Age of Conquest Europe

Vassalization

I completed implementation of vassalage for Age of Conquest ONLINE on Android. A vassal is depicted with diagonal stripes:

• Duke/Duchess: thick stripes
• Count/Countess: thin stripes

Each empire can have one or more vassal. Each vassal can have exactly one liege. Vassals will pay 10% of their tax income to their liege. For the standard type game, goal points are assigned as follows:

• Self: 1
• Alliance points multiplier: 0.35
• Liege (vassal master) points multiplier: 0.29
• Direct vassal points multiplayer (level 1): 0.41
• Indirect vassal points multiplayer (level 2): 1/2 * 0.41

This basically means, you will get the full points for the provinces that you own yourself. You will receive 35% of the points from the provinces your allies own. A vassal will receive 29% of the points from his/her liege. A liege will receive 41% of the points from the direct vassal and 20.5% for the vassal below.

    // population: constant growth
    for (int i = 0; i < provinceList.size(); i++) {
      Province province = provinceList.get(i);
      int population = province.getPopulation();
      long increasePercent = 8;
      long increase = population * increasePercent / 100
                                 * province.getEconomy() / Province.MAX_ECONOMY
                                 * (province.isTown() ? 125 : 100) / 100;
      population += increase;
      province.setPopulation(population);
    }

    // population: migration
    List populations = new ArrayList();
    for (int i = 0; i < provinceList.size(); i++) {
      Province province = provinceList.get(i);
      populations.add(province.getPopulation());
    }
    for (int i = 0; i < provinceList.size(); i++) {
       Province province = provinceList.get(i);
       ProvinceList neighbors = province.getNeighbors();
       int population = populations.get(i);
       int neighborCount = neighbors.size();
       if (neighborCount > 0) {
        int migrationPercent = 15;
        int migrationPopulation = population * migrationPercent / 100 / neighborCount;
        for (int k = 0; k < neighborCount; k++) {
          Province neighbor = neighbors.get(k);
          neighbor.setPopulation(neighbor.getPopulation() + migrationPopulation);
          province.setPopulation(province.getPopulation() - migrationPopulation);
        }
      }
    }

    // economy: changes depending on population size difference to economy difference
    for (int i = 0; i < provinceList.size(); i++) {
      Province province = provinceList.get(i);
      int economy = province.getEconomy();
      long increasePercent = 2;
      long increase = (province.getPopulation() - economy) * increasePercent / 100;
      economy += increase;
      province.setEconomy(economy);
    }

Please note that the code sample does not include all the variables as of yet.

Private Messaging

Age of Conquest III is equipped with a private messaging system. Messages can be sent to any of the players of the game without them having to give away their email address. You can be notified of new messages by email if desired. In addition there is a friend list to manage friends and foes.

The new private messaging system will make it easier to organize games, organize clans & communities, get latest tournament updates, investigate cheaters and bother the game developer.

Profile Popup Window

Age of Conquest III will feature profile popup windows that display user information. The popup window will be made available by simply clicking on a username.

The popup window displays ratings, rankings and awards. Furthermore, it provides quick access to write private messages as well as adding and removing a contact from the personal friend list. The personal friend list can be utilized to invite people to a game or write bulk messages.

Still under development:

• The profile picture will be replaced by an actual avatar image.
• Awards will be added and depicted using medals/trophies.
• [Report] button to report a user as possible cheater.

Small armies will be depicted with one soldier icon, larger armies using more:

• Unit Size 1-999: 1 soldier icon
• Unit Size 1000-3999: 2 soldier icons
• Unit Size 4000-9999: 3 soldier icons
• Unit Size 10000-19999: 4 soldier icons
• Unit Size 20000+: 5 soldier icons

Attack animation for a large army (5 soldier icons):

The graphics production is financed by Android sales.

Possible reasons for a downtime include: running out of memory, database going down, loosing the connection to the database, file handles exhausted, other crashes and errors.

Although the code will not catch all server problems and will not be able to restart the server in all cases, it will still be able to take care of at least some of the cases listed above. The server monitor will be better than having nothing in place at all.

Java code to restart a computer:

String os = System.getProperty("os.name").toLowerCase();
boolean windows = os.indexOf( "win" ) >= 0;
Runtime runtime = Runtime.getRuntime();
if (windows) {
   // for windows
   runtime.exec("cmd /c shutdown -r -t 0");
}
else {
   // for Linux and Mac OS X
   runtime.exec("/sbin/shutdown -r now");
}

Generally, if the server is up & running, no one will notice. The opposite is true when the server goes down. There were some problems with the new server (Age of Conquest V3) where the game server would not startup after a computer restart. It appears, the database connection pool would be locked. Everything that wasn’t database related would still work (e.g. server socket).  It would only occur every tenth time or so, which made it difficult to track. I believe the problem was related to the Bitronix transaction manager which would not properly startup but go into a deadlock situation. Multiple threads would try to access the transaction manager at startup preventing it from fully initializing. The transaction manager is now force-initialized before everything else preventing it from going into a deadlock. Things worked fine so far; keeping my fingers crossed!

The latest is a “Too many open files” error that happened yesterday. It appears the server was running out of file handles preventing it to respond to anyone connecting. A file handle under Linux can be an actual file handle but also includes socket connections as well. From the looks of things, it appears the file handle limit was set too low at 1024. I upped the limit to 65535 handles which should hopefully do the trick?

Also, in other news: Symbian is dead. I got the latest on Symbian smartphone development: Java ME on Symbian OS: Inside the Smartphone Model (ISBN: 978-0470743188). The book goes on to describe the various “options” to do development for Symbian. There is a separate SDK for every device type making development very time-consuming. There is no single place to publish a mobile application making selling an application or game a nightmare. Conclusively, there will be no Age of Conquest on Symbian unless things improve a lot.

Age of Conquest III - World Map

The Good:

1. Captivating! A must for strategy game enthusiasts.
2. The game allows managing everything from members of your court, diplomacy, military, economy, provinces to the empire as a whole.
3. Sophisticated diplomacy management make it both challenging and interesting to play.
4. Endless hours of entertainment, once you get the hang of it. It’s a bargain for $25.

The Bad:

1. The graphics look good enough, but the user interface is simply a pain to navigate. Clicking on provinces, military units and factions is difficult.
2. There should only be one zoom level for the map. You are either too close or too far away from the map. The overview map should have the various provinces colored.
3. Micromanagent: there should be an option set some of the features to auto. There is no fun in managing every single member of your court. Also, there isn’t much fun in managing your ruler’s character traits. There are too many lengthy messages boxes that force you to make a choice: “choose this button if you want to do A. Please note there is a 25% chance that your ruler receives the trait Illness and a 10% chance your Piety changes by -1.0 or a 50% that your mother leaves you and your father looses -20 prestige or…” (and that’s just the first button)
4. Accidentally clicking a message box. Every so often just the instant before you select a province, a message pops up and you select one of the buttons by accident. Especially annoying if you just declared war against a big empire.
5. Unclear relations between the various variables. It is difficult to manage your empire if you don’t know what all the various options do. Although the rollover texts provide some guidance many things are left unexplained.
6. Bugs and crashes…

The game is definitely worth playing. A streamlined version of it could make it an exceptional game. You can download the Crusader Kings through GamesGate. Get the Deus Vult edition for $25.

So, I finally received my Nexus One in the mail. Google is giving away a free phone to every finalist (N. American Conquest)  in the Android Developer Challenge. In other news, Google is also giving away a free phone for developers that have an application with rating 3.5 or higher in the Android Market. So, I am expecting to receive another phone in the mail anytime soon. It’s either going to be the Nexus One or the Droid by Motorola.

Anyhow, the Nexus One works great! The speed is amazing. It replaces the free HTC Tattoo that I received a while ago to port Age of Conquest to the smaller screen size. The Tattoo was quite a disappointment. It “runs” very slow. The touch screen isn’t working very well; to get things moving, you had to press down really hard.

If I indeed get another free Nexus One, what should I do with the 2nd phone?

Titles in Evaluation for 2010:
Q2/2010: Age of Conquest World Map for iPhone/iPad (under evaluation)
Q2/2010: Age of Conquest for iPad (under evaluation)
Q3/2010: Age of Conquest for Symbian (under evaluation)
Q3/2010: Pandemic Game for Android (in planning, design phase)

Please note, maintenance releases and updates for existing titles on all platforms are not listed, but will be completed in addition to endeavors listed above.

The application and maps (currently Europe only) will be made available for free. You will need a paid subscription to join and create games. Games that have already been joined can be finished without the subscription.

Features:

1. Multiplayer games with up to 50 players per game.
2. Game turns ranging from 5 minutes to 28 days.
3. We-Go multiplayer system allowing players to enter their orders simultaneously.
4. Diplomacy including alliances, cease-fires and peace treaties.
5. Various game options including random placement and god mode option.
6. Option to make games private (password protected).
7. Private messaging between players.
8. Public game message board per game.
9. Multiplayer ELO-based rating and ranking system.
10. Chat lobby.
11. No advertisements.

Screenshots:

Honolulu, HI – January 5, 2010 — Firepower Entertainment and Noble Master Games release World Empires Live, a medieval online strategy game, for Windows computers.

World Empires Live (WEL) is an empire building game played on a large map of Earth. You start the game as one of many factions back in the ancient era in 2000 B.C and progress all the way to the modern age at 2000 A.D. As one of the 40 factions you compete for world domination against your fellow opponents. The game supports one to eight players and can be played either as a single player game or online in multiplayer mode.

The tasks to manage include exploration, trade, warfare, diplomacy, economy, city building and education. The game features 60 unique units and 90 technologies. Become the greatest ruler of world history or fail and remain a forgotten civilization.

World Empires Live includes a dedicated match-making as well as rating and ranking system. Download and information is made available at http://www.worldempireslive.com.

World Empires Live is available for Windows computer systems. The game can be downloaded online at http://www.worldempireslive.com and comes with a free demo mode included. A full membership subscription for unlimited single player and online play is available for $9 (3 months) and $25 (12 months).

Firepower Entertainment is a privately funded company based in Sweden known for its critically acclaimed Commander at War series that has been sold on PC, Macintosh, DS and PSP.

Noble Master Games is a Honolulu based company known for its medieval online strategy game Age of Conquest available for PC, Macintosh, Linux, Android, iPod and iPhone.

Check the Android Market for the latest release. There is a “Lite” version that can be tried for free before purchase.

Android Market: http://market.android.com
Noble Avatar: http://www.nobleavatar.com

The Multiplayer Engine is an industry leading network software product for cross-platform multiplayer and online computer game development. The Multiplayer Engine offers a complete solution that can directly be plugged into your client software, such as your game. The engine handles everything from user registration and game management to to credit card processing.

We offer both a single server license plus online version of our product:

• Standalone Product
• Online Services

Multiplayer Engine Web Site: http://www.wormware.com

The following single player versions of the game are available for mobile devices (Android and iPhone). The multiplayer version is currently in development:

1. Age of Conquest Lite (free)
2. Age of Conquest: Europe
3. Age of Conquest: South America

The multiplayer version for desktop computers (Windows, Macintosh, Linux and UNIX) shall be known as:

1. Age of Conquest Online

The desktop version is scheduled to be featured in the Sun Java Store in the future.

Website: http://www.ageofconquest.com