CONTENT LINKS
==============
Introduction
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8992
Combatant Ownership Representations
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8993
Unit Target Types
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8994
Unit Classes
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8995
Internally Re-Indexed GLN Records
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8996
Internally "Summarized" Terrain Typology
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8997
Unit Movement Types
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8998
In-Game Upgrades & Purchases: Combatant Unit Availability
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p12054
===================================================================
The topic's contents may be modified or progressively added upon as time goes by.
===================================================================
INTRODUCTION
=============
This topic should be of interest to Veteran Modders (VMs). It is assumed that the reader is already intimately familiar with the information featured here:
[NP] Introductory Documentation
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=531
[VM] Play System: Internals
[VM] Play System: Internals
Last edited by HexCode on 2021-12-02 16:02, Thursday, edited 4 times in total.
COMBATANT OWNERSHIP REPRESENTATIONS
COMBATANT OWNERSHIP REPRESENTATIONS
=======================================
Absolute Prerequisite
FLAGS.BMP
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=545#p8990
Preliminaries
PGF's engine does not give a hoot about Combatant Flag Iconic Representation (CFIR) visual descriptors. The engine "wants" to be "told" something exact that it can "fully understand" and "act upon" accordingly. Hence, enter the Combatant Ownership Representation (COR) typology.
COR Typology
COR typology is very, very simple. It is an indexing scheme assuming values 0, 1, 2 etc. PGF's engine "single-mindedly" focuses on the hexadecimal index values (i.e., codes). It is only through such invisible input that PGF's engine usefully "perceives" of "nationalities".
Important
COR descriptors provide PGF's engine with an adequate "understanding" of "nationalities", visual aids for the benefit of humans be damned. The engine puts its "understanding" to good use by appropriately "policing" PGF's play system.
Note
Index-wise, there is a one-to-one correspondence relationship between the image slots (and, by logical extension, any CFIRs residing therein) contained in file FLAGS.BMP and COR codes. By the way, there is no such image slot sporting index value zero (0). Nevertheless, PGF's engine "knows" to visually assign "nothing" (i.e., no "flag") to COR code ZERO (0).
PGF's engine cannot address COR index (code) values higher than 255 (the ultimate restriction due to 8-bit encoding).
=======================================
Absolute Prerequisite
FLAGS.BMP
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=545#p8990
Preliminaries
PGF's engine does not give a hoot about Combatant Flag Iconic Representation (CFIR) visual descriptors. The engine "wants" to be "told" something exact that it can "fully understand" and "act upon" accordingly. Hence, enter the Combatant Ownership Representation (COR) typology.
COR Typology
COR typology is very, very simple. It is an indexing scheme assuming values 0, 1, 2 etc. PGF's engine "single-mindedly" focuses on the hexadecimal index values (i.e., codes). It is only through such invisible input that PGF's engine usefully "perceives" of "nationalities".
Important
COR descriptors provide PGF's engine with an adequate "understanding" of "nationalities", visual aids for the benefit of humans be damned. The engine puts its "understanding" to good use by appropriately "policing" PGF's play system.
Note
Index-wise, there is a one-to-one correspondence relationship between the image slots (and, by logical extension, any CFIRs residing therein) contained in file FLAGS.BMP and COR codes. By the way, there is no such image slot sporting index value zero (0). Nevertheless, PGF's engine "knows" to visually assign "nothing" (i.e., no "flag") to COR code ZERO (0).
PGF's engine cannot address COR index (code) values higher than 255 (the ultimate restriction due to 8-bit encoding).
Last edited by HexCode on 2021-11-27 05:49, Saturday, edited 4 times in total.
UNIT TARGET TYPES
UNIT TARGET TYPES
==================
Internal Typology
PGF's Unit Target Type (TT) Typology is hard-coded in PGF's executable. There are FOUR (4) technically "recognizable" Unit TTs.
PGF's engine does not give a hoot about how SSI or hobbyists refer to all these Unit TTs (in English or any other natural language). All it cares about is the hexadecimal byte (value) which corresponds to a particular Unit TT's relative rank in the definitive, technical listing appearing immediately above. Oftentimes, the listing itself is referred to as the "Unit Target Type Canonical Order".
==================
Internal Typology
PGF's Unit Target Type (TT) Typology is hard-coded in PGF's executable. There are FOUR (4) technically "recognizable" Unit TTs.
Code: Select all
Target Type Name Hexadecimal Byte Decimal Value
Soft 00 0
Hard 01 1
Air 02 2
Naval 03 3
Last edited by HexCode on 2021-06-01 01:44, Tuesday, edited 1 time in total.
UNIT CLASSES
UNIT CLASSES
=============
Internal Typology
PGF's Unit Class Typology is hard-coded in PGF's executable. There are EIGHTEEN (18) technically "recognizable" Unit Classes (UCs).
PGF's engine does not give a hoot about how SSI or hobbyists refer to all these UCs (in English or any other natural language). All it cares about is the hexadecimal byte (value) which corresponds to a particular UC's relative rank in the definitive, technical listing appearing immediately above. Oftentimes, the listing itself is referred to as the "Unit Class Canonical Order".
=============
Internal Typology
PGF's Unit Class Typology is hard-coded in PGF's executable. There are EIGHTEEN (18) technically "recognizable" Unit Classes (UCs).
Code: Select all
Class Name Hexadecimal Byte Decimal Value
Infantry 00 0
Tank 01 1
Recon 02 2
Anti-Tank 03 3
Artillery 04 4
Anti-Aircraft 05 5
Air Defense 06 6
Structure 07 7
Fighter 08 8
Tactical Bomber 09 9
Level Bomber 0A 10
Submarine 0B 11
Destroyer 0C 12
Capital Ship 0D 13
Aircraft Carrier 0E 14
Land Transport 0F 15
Air Transport 10 16
Naval Transport 11 17
Last edited by HexCode on 2021-06-01 01:45, Tuesday, edited 1 time in total.
INTERNALLY RE-INDEXED GLN RECORDS
INTERNALLY RE-INDEXED GLN RECORDS
===================================
Absolute Prerequisite
MAPNAMES.STR
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=550#p9029
Mechanism
While loading a particular scenario, PGF's engine internally generates a localized table of GLN records on-the-fly.
The aforementioned table contains only those GLN records which are actually present on the particular scenario's map.
The engine sequentially "visits" each and every row of map hexes, going from top to bottom, one row of map hexes at a time. In each such row, the engine sequentially canvasses each and every GLN record, starting at the very left and going towards the right.
Every "newly encountered", distinct GLN record is methodically appended to the localized table. The re-indexing always starts with index value ZERO (0) meaning "hex without a GLN alphanumeric descriptor".
===================================
Absolute Prerequisite
MAPNAMES.STR
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=550#p9029
Mechanism
While loading a particular scenario, PGF's engine internally generates a localized table of GLN records on-the-fly.
The aforementioned table contains only those GLN records which are actually present on the particular scenario's map.
The engine sequentially "visits" each and every row of map hexes, going from top to bottom, one row of map hexes at a time. In each such row, the engine sequentially canvasses each and every GLN record, starting at the very left and going towards the right.
Every "newly encountered", distinct GLN record is methodically appended to the localized table. The re-indexing always starts with index value ZERO (0) meaning "hex without a GLN alphanumeric descriptor".
Last edited by HexCode on 2021-06-01 01:47, Tuesday, edited 2 times in total.
INTERNALLY "SUMMARIZED" TERRAIN TYPOLOGY
INTERNALLY "SUMMARIZED" TERRAIN TYPOLOGY
===========================================
Absolute Prerequisite
Underlying Terrain Representations
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=550#p9031
UTR Typology Redundancy
From a play system "point of view", PGF's engine "craves" some... simplification. To this effect, it puts the somewhat "bloated" UTR Typology on a serious... diet.
UTR Typology Aggregation
PGF's engine internally generates a Terrain Aggregation Table (TAT) "summarizing" its UTR Typology on-the-fly. The TAT defines SEVENTEEN (17) Aggregate Terrain Types (ATTs). Each ATT comprises one or more UTR types. The ATT order in the code is "canonical". The TAT follows:
As usual, PGF's engine does not give a hoot about the ATTs' "given" names. All it cares about are the internally generated ATT codes.
The... strange case of ATT "Unknown" (Code "10") will be covered elsewhere in this Library.
UTR-to-ATT Cross-Table
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=551#p9041
documents the relevant byte locations within PGF's executable.
ATT Typology Aggregation
PGF's engine also internally generates a Compressed Terrain Aggregation Table (CTAT) further "summarizing" its ATT Typology above on-the-fly. The CTAT defines TWELVE (12) Compressed Aggregate Terrain Types (CATTs). Each CATT comprises one or more ATT types. The CATT order in the code is "canonical". The CTAT follows:
Interestingly enough, ATTs "Rough Desert" (code "0E") and "Escarpment" (code "0F") are missing from the table. For the purposes of ground / naval unit movement, PGF's engine treats them as unenterable.
Once again, PGF's engine does not give a hoot about the CATTs' "given" names. All it cares about are the internally generated CATT codes.
ATT-to-CATT Cross-Table
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=551#p9042
documents the relevant byte locations within PGF's executable.
===========================================
Absolute Prerequisite
Underlying Terrain Representations
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=550#p9031
UTR Typology Redundancy
From a play system "point of view", PGF's engine "craves" some... simplification. To this effect, it puts the somewhat "bloated" UTR Typology on a serious... diet.
UTR Typology Aggregation
PGF's engine internally generates a Terrain Aggregation Table (TAT) "summarizing" its UTR Typology on-the-fly. The TAT defines SEVENTEEN (17) Aggregate Terrain Types (ATTs). Each ATT comprises one or more UTR types. The ATT order in the code is "canonical". The TAT follows:
Code: Select all
ATT ATT Code Constituent UTR Codes
Name (hexadecimal) (hexadecimal)
Clear 00 00 01 02 03
Coast 01 04 05 06
Ocean 02 07
Port 03 08 1D 25
River 04 09 0A 0B
Mountain 05 0C 0D 0E 0F 10 11 12 1F 20
Airfield 06 13
Swamp 07 14
City 08 15
Rough 09 16
Forest 0A 17
Fortification 0B 19 1A 21
Bocage 0C 1B 1C
Desert 0D 1E 26
Rough Desert 0E 22
Escarpment 0F 23 24
"Unknown" 10 18The... strange case of ATT "Unknown" (Code "10") will be covered elsewhere in this Library.
UTR-to-ATT Cross-Table
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=551#p9041
documents the relevant byte locations within PGF's executable.
ATT Typology Aggregation
PGF's engine also internally generates a Compressed Terrain Aggregation Table (CTAT) further "summarizing" its ATT Typology above on-the-fly. The CTAT defines TWELVE (12) Compressed Aggregate Terrain Types (CATTs). Each CATT comprises one or more ATT types. The CATT order in the code is "canonical". The CTAT follows:
Code: Select all
CATT CATT Code Constituent ATT Codes
Name (hexadecimal) (hexadecimal)
City 00 06 08
Clear 01 00
Forest 02 0A
Bocage 03 0C
Rough 04 09
Mountain 05 05
Desert 06 0D
Swamp 07 07
Sea 08 01 02
River 09 04
Fortification 0A 0B
Port 0B 03Once again, PGF's engine does not give a hoot about the CATTs' "given" names. All it cares about are the internally generated CATT codes.
ATT-to-CATT Cross-Table
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=551#p9042
documents the relevant byte locations within PGF's executable.
Last edited by HexCode on 2021-11-02 04:43, Tuesday, edited 2 times in total.
UNIT MOVEMENT TYPES
UNIT MOVEMENT TYPES
=====================
Absolute Prerequisites
Unit Classes
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8995
Internally "Summarized" Terrain Typology
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8997
Ground Conditions
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=544#p8986
Preliminaries
A unit's Movement Allowance (MA) represents the "maximum distance" that the unit can travel in a single half-turn. During its movement phase, a unit's available MA points are "expended" at various rates depending on:
a) traversed hex underlying terrain types (including roadwork)
b) movement method assigned
c) prevailing ground conditions (weather related)
Internal Typology
PGF's Unit Movement Typology is hard-coded in PGF's executable. There are ELEVEN (11) technically "recognizable" Unit MTs.
PGF's engine does not give a hoot about how SSI or hobbyists refer to all these Unit MTs (in English or any other natural language). All it cares about is the hexadecimal byte (value) which corresponds to a particular Unit MT's relative rank in the definitive, technical listing appearing immediately above. Oftentimes, the listing itself is referred to as the "Unit Movement Type Canonical Order".
=====================
Absolute Prerequisites
Unit Classes
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8995
Internally "Summarized" Terrain Typology
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=547#p8997
Ground Conditions
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=544#p8986
Preliminaries
A unit's Movement Allowance (MA) represents the "maximum distance" that the unit can travel in a single half-turn. During its movement phase, a unit's available MA points are "expended" at various rates depending on:
a) traversed hex underlying terrain types (including roadwork)
b) movement method assigned
c) prevailing ground conditions (weather related)
Internal Typology
PGF's Unit Movement Typology is hard-coded in PGF's executable. There are ELEVEN (11) technically "recognizable" Unit MTs.
Code: Select all
MT Name Hexadecimal Byte Decimal Value
Tracked 00 0
Half-Tracked 01 1
Wheeled 02 2
Leg 03 3
Towed 04 4
Air 05 5
Naval 06 6
All-Terrain 07 7
Tracked Amphibious 08 8
All-Terrain Amphibious 09 9
Mountaineer 0A 10IN-GAME UPGRADES & PURCHASES: COMBATANT UNIT AVAILABILITY
IN-GAME UPGRADES & PURCHASES: COMBATANT UNIT AVAILABILITY
===========================================================
Absolute Prerequisites
Unit Upgrade & Purchase Pop-up Screens
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=531#p9210
Units: Upgrades & Purchases
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=531#p9917
Listed & Unlisted Combatants
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=543#p11540
Unit Upgrades & Purchases In-Game: Combatant Pseudo-Tab Display Details
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=543#p11541
Engine Sorting Operations (Conceptual)
Unit Upgrade
Every time a unit is selected for potential upgrade in-game, PGF's engine engages in the following cascading, sorting operations based on data residing inside File EQUIPMENT.PGEQP:
Step A) It sorts the file's records on the basis of the selected unit's Class. The data appearing under column entitled "Class" control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Unit Class designations other than the selected unit's are summarily discarded.
Step B) Next, it sorts the records identified under preceding Step A on the basis of the selected unit's Combatant ID designation. The data appearing under column entitled "Flag" control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Combatant ID designations other than the selected unit's are summarily discarded.
"Flag" value MINUS ONE (-1) automatically drops the record and excludes it from any future consideration. Such Unit Types can NEVER serve as upgrade options.
Step C) Finally, the engine sorts the records identified under preceding Step B on the basis of the scenario current date. The data appearing under columns entitled "Month", "Year" and "Last Year" collectively control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Time Period Availability designations within which the scenario current date does NOT fall are summarily discarded.
The remaining Unit Type records (if any) identified under Step C populate the applicable Unit Upgrade Pop-up Screen.
Unit Purchase
Every time a player activates the Unit Purchase Pop-up Screen and selects a "flag pseudo-tab", PGF's engine engages in the following cascading, sorting operations based on data residing inside File EQUIPMENT.PGEQP:
Step 1) It sorts the file's records on the basis of the selected "flag pseudo-tab's" Combatant ID designation. The data appearing under column entitled "Flag" control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Combatant ID designations other than the selected "flag pseudo-tab's" are summarily discarded.
"Flag" value MINUS ONE (-1) automatically drops the record and excludes it from any future consideration. Such Unit Types can NEVER serve as purchase options.
Step 2) Next, It segregates the records identified under preceding Step 1 on the basis of Unit Class. The data appearing under column entitled "Class" control the segregation operation under this Step.
Step 3) Finally, it sorts the segregated records identified under preceding Step 2 on the basis of the scenario current date. The data appearing under columns entitled "Month", "Year" and "Last Year" collectively control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Time Period Availability designations within which the scenario current date does NOT fall are summarily discarded.
The remaining Unit Type records (if any) identified under Step 3 populate the applicable Unit Purchase Pop-up Screen and are separately presented therein on a per Unit Class basis.
===========================================================
Absolute Prerequisites
Unit Upgrade & Purchase Pop-up Screens
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=531#p9210
Units: Upgrades & Purchases
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=531#p9917
Listed & Unlisted Combatants
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=543#p11540
Unit Upgrades & Purchases In-Game: Combatant Pseudo-Tab Display Details
viewtopic.php?f=100&t=543#p11541
Engine Sorting Operations (Conceptual)
Unit Upgrade
Every time a unit is selected for potential upgrade in-game, PGF's engine engages in the following cascading, sorting operations based on data residing inside File EQUIPMENT.PGEQP:
Step A) It sorts the file's records on the basis of the selected unit's Class. The data appearing under column entitled "Class" control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Unit Class designations other than the selected unit's are summarily discarded.
Step B) Next, it sorts the records identified under preceding Step A on the basis of the selected unit's Combatant ID designation. The data appearing under column entitled "Flag" control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Combatant ID designations other than the selected unit's are summarily discarded.
"Flag" value MINUS ONE (-1) automatically drops the record and excludes it from any future consideration. Such Unit Types can NEVER serve as upgrade options.
Step C) Finally, the engine sorts the records identified under preceding Step B on the basis of the scenario current date. The data appearing under columns entitled "Month", "Year" and "Last Year" collectively control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Time Period Availability designations within which the scenario current date does NOT fall are summarily discarded.
The remaining Unit Type records (if any) identified under Step C populate the applicable Unit Upgrade Pop-up Screen.
Unit Purchase
Every time a player activates the Unit Purchase Pop-up Screen and selects a "flag pseudo-tab", PGF's engine engages in the following cascading, sorting operations based on data residing inside File EQUIPMENT.PGEQP:
Step 1) It sorts the file's records on the basis of the selected "flag pseudo-tab's" Combatant ID designation. The data appearing under column entitled "Flag" control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Combatant ID designations other than the selected "flag pseudo-tab's" are summarily discarded.
"Flag" value MINUS ONE (-1) automatically drops the record and excludes it from any future consideration. Such Unit Types can NEVER serve as purchase options.
Step 2) Next, It segregates the records identified under preceding Step 1 on the basis of Unit Class. The data appearing under column entitled "Class" control the segregation operation under this Step.
Step 3) Finally, it sorts the segregated records identified under preceding Step 2 on the basis of the scenario current date. The data appearing under columns entitled "Month", "Year" and "Last Year" collectively control the sorting operation under this Step. All records sporting Time Period Availability designations within which the scenario current date does NOT fall are summarily discarded.
The remaining Unit Type records (if any) identified under Step 3 populate the applicable Unit Purchase Pop-up Screen and are separately presented therein on a per Unit Class basis.