Form: side [ id ] properties...
This form has the effect of declaring a side to exist.
If the number or symbol id is supplied and
matches that of a side that has already been created,
then the properties will modify the pre-existing side.
Otherwise a new side object will be created,
with a arbitrarily-chosen numeric id ranging between 1 and sides-max.
If the given id is a symbol, then the side's numeric id will be
bound to that symbol.
GlobalVariable: sides-min n
These variables are the minimum and maximum number of sides that may exist in
a game. Defaults are to 1 and the internal parameter MAXSIDES,
which is usually around 7.
MAXSIDES can only be changed by recompiling Xconq.
Form: side-defaults properties...
This form sets the defaults for all newly-created sides declared subsequently. These defaults will be set before the new side's properties are interpreted. This form has no effect on existing sides or on side declarations that modify existing sides.
If the game design allows, all of these properties can be set at startup by the players (see <side config> and below). Omission of some of these results in suppression or substitution, depending on the interface and the situation. Omission of all name properties allows the side to go unmentioned, which is useful when the concept of "side" is useless or confusing to a player (as in some adventure games). All of these properties may be set at any time by any player.
SideProperty: name str
This property is the proper name of a side, as a country or alliance name.
Examples include "Axis" and "Hyperborea".
SideProperty: long-name str
This property is the long form of a side's name,
as in "People's Republic of Hyperborea".
Defaults to be the same as the side's name.
SideProperty: short-name str
This property is an short name or acronym for the side,
often just the letters of the long name, as in "PRH".
SideProperty: noun str
This property is the name of an individual unit or person
belonging to the side.
Defaults to "", which suppresses any mention of the side
when (textually) describing the individual.
SideProperty: plural-noun str
This property is what you would call a group of individuals.
Defaults to the most common plural form of the noun
(in English, the default pluralizer adds an "s"),
so any alternative plural noun, such as "Chinese",
will need an explicit plural-noun value.
SideProperty: adjective str
This property is an adjective that can be used of individuals on the side,
as in "Spanish".
Defaults to "", which suppresses use of the adjective.
As a complete example, a side named "Poland" would have a long name
"Kingdom of Poland", short name "Po",
noun "Pole", plural noun "Poles",
and adjective "Polish".
SideProperty: color str
This property is a comma-separated list of colors that represents the side.
Defaults to "black".
SideProperty: emblem-name str
This property is the name of a graphical icon that represents the side.
An emblem name of "none" suppresses any emblem display for the side.
Defaults to "", which gives the side a randomly-selected emblem.
SideProperty: names-locked t/f
If the value of this property is true,
then the player cannot modify any of the side's names.
Defaults to false.
SideProperty: class str
This property is a side's class, which is a keyword that characterizes the side. Any number of sides may be in the same class.
Once a side is in the game, it can never be totally removed. However, sides can become inactive.
SideProperty: active t/f
This property is true if the side is still actively participating in the game.
If the side has won, lost, or simply withdrew, this will be false.
Any units on a side not in the game are effectively frozen statues;
they don't do anything, and are untouchable by anyone else.
Defaults to true.
SideProperty: status lose/draw/win
This property tells how this side did in the game. Defaults to draw.
GlobalConstant: win
These constants are the different possible values for a side's status.
SideProperty: ever-active t/f
This property records if the side was ever active during the course of a game. Sides that were never active (perhaps because they are used in some scenarios of a game design but not others) will not be recorded in the scorefile.
SideProperty: advantage n
Initial and min/max limits on advantage for the side. All default to the values of the corresponding global variables.
By default, sides are neutral with respect to each other.
Control is a situation where one side can observe and move another side's units, but not vice versa. The controlling side can also just take the units of the controlled side. If the controlled side loses or resigns, then the controlling side automatically gets everything. Both sides must agree to this relationship.
SideProperty: controlled-by side
This property refers to the side controlling this one. If 0, then the side is not under control.
The closest side relationship is one of trust. A trusted side unit's may do anything at any time, including entering and leaving units on the other side, consuming the other side's materials, and so forth.
SideProperty: trusts side-value-list
This property is true for any side that is trusted by this side.
Note that this relationship need not be symmetrical.
Defaults to false for all sides.
Note that these parameters apply only to relationships as enforced by Xconq. In an actual game, both human and robot sides can make agreements and have positive/negative opinions about the other sides.
SideProperty: trades side-value-list
This property defines the trading relationship with other sides.
SideProperty: next-numbers utype-value-list
This property gives the next serial numbers that will be assigned to units
acquired by this side.
Defaults to 1 for each unit type (Dijkstra notwithstanding,
that's still where people start numbering things).
If the unit is of a type that gets numbered
(assign-number property is true),
then any unit of that type, acquired by any means whatsoever,
will be assigned the next-numbers value for that type
and next-numbers will be incremented.
A side can have its own set of namers (see below) that will be used for units and geographical features associated with that side.
SideProperty: unit-namers utype-value-list
This property specifies which namers will be used with which types that the side starts out with or creates new units. These will not be run automatically on captured units or gifts.
SideProperty: feature-namers feature-type-value-list
This property specifies which namers to use with which geographical
features in the side's initial country (if if has one).
Defaults to ().
The tech level of a side determines what it can do with each type of unit.
SideProperty: tech utype-value-list
This property assigns a tech level to each unit type named.
SideProperty: init-tech utype-value-list
This property is the tech level at the beginning of the current turn.
These properties are necessary only if the relevant globals
are set a certain way (see-all is false, etc).
SideProperty: terrain-view layer-data...
This property is the side's current knowledge of the world's terrain.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: terrain-view-dates layer-data...
This property is the dates of the side's current knowledge of the
world's terrain.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: aux-terrain-view ttype layer-data...
This property is the side's current knowledge of the world's aux terrain
of type ttype.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: aux-terrain-view-dates ttype layer-data...
This property is the dates of the side's current knowledge of the
world's aux terrain of type ttype.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: unit-view layer-data...
This property is the side's current knowledge of the positions of units
in the world.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: unit-view-dates layer-data...
This property is the turn number at which the unit view data
in the corresponding cell of the unit-view was set.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: material-view mtype layer-data...
This property is the side's current knowledge of the amounts of
each type of material at each location in the world.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: material-view-dates ttype layer-data...
If the weather is not always known and up-to-date, then the following properties what is known and when the information was recorded.
SideProperty: temperature-view layer-data...
SideProperty: temperature-view-dates layer-data...
SideProperty: cloud-view layer-data...
SideProperty: cloud-bottom-view layer-data...
SideProperty: cloud-height-view layer-data...
SideProperty: cloud-view-dates layer-data...
SideProperty: wind-view layer-data...
SideProperty: wind-view-dates layer-data...
SideProperty: initial-center-at x y
This property is the preferred location at which to center the first map displayed by an interface.
SideProperty: turn-time-used seconds
This property is the number of (real) seconds that this side has been moving units during the present turn.
SideProperty: total-time-used seconds
This property is the number of (real) seconds that this side has been moving units during the course of the game.
SideProperty: timeouts n
This property is the number of "time outs" a side gets for the game.
SideProperty: timeouts-used n
This property is the number of "time outs" a side has already used up.
SideProperty: finished-turn t/f
This property is true if the side has declared that it is finished moving
things during this turn.
Defaults to false.
SideProperty: willing-to-draw t/f
This property is true if the side will go along
with any other side that wants to end the game in a draw.
Defaults to false.
Doctrines are objects that units consult to decide about individual behavior.
SideProperty: doctrines utype-property-groups...
This property is the side's unit-type-specific doctrine.
Each utype-property-group has the form
(unit-types doctrine).
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: doctrines-locked t/f
This property says whether the docrine-unit type correspondence
for the side may be altered during the game.
This property does not control whether or not the properties
of the doctrines may be altered.
Defaults to false.
SideProperty: default-doctrine doctrine-id
This property is the base doctrine that applies to all unit types by default.
Form: doctrine [ id ] properties...
This form creates a doctrine with the given id and properties.
DoctrineProperty: resupply-percent n%
This property indicates that when the level of a
operationally-consumed material is at n%
of capacity, try to resupply.
Defaults to 50.
DoctrineProperty: rearm-percent n%
This property indicates that when the level of a combat-consumed material is at n% of capacity, try to resupply.
DoctrineProperty: repair-percent n%
This property indicates that when the unit's hp is at n% of max, make a plan to repair.
DoctrineProperty: construction-run type-value-list
This property is the default number of units to build when construction has been requested.
DoctrineProperty: locked t/f
This property is true if the properties of the doctrine
cannot be modified by the side's player during the game.
Defaults to false.
SideProperty: self-unit unit
This property identifies a unit that represents the side itself.
The value may be a unit id, number, string, or symbol.
Defaults to 0, which means that no unit represents the side.
See below for more details on self units.
SideProperty: units list
This property is a weighted list of units that could be given to the
side during setup in order to satisfy the side's start-with
numbers.
SideProperty: priority n
The order in which the side will get to act, relative to other sides and to units.
SideProperty: action-priorities (utype val)...
This property is the acting priority of units belonging to the side.
SideProperty: scores (skid val)...
This property is the current values of any numeric scores being
kept for the side. It is a list of pairs of scorekeeper id and value.
Defaults to ().
SideProperty: attack-stats n...
These properties are the raw counts of attacks and hits, by attacking
and defending unit types.
Default to ().
SideProperty: gain-counts n...
SideProperty: loss-counts n...
These properties are the raw counts of unit gains and losses, organized by unit type and gain/loss reason.
Form: independent-units properties...
Like the side form, but sets properties for independent units.
SideProperty: ui-data data...
This property contains interface-specific data for the side.
This is mainly for preservation across game save/restores.
The property's value has the form
((interface-type data) (interface-type data) ...),
so that each interface can maintain its own data separately.
SideProperty: ai-data data...
This property is information about the AIs associated with a side.
The property's value has the form
((ai-type data) (ai-type data) ...),
so that each type of AI can maintain its own data separately.
The form and meaning of each AI's data is specific to it alone.
SideProperty: standing-order data...
This property contains the list of standing orders for the side.
GlobalConstant: always
This symbol indicates a standing order that is always to be executed
by a unit.
GlobalConstant: @
This symbol indicates a standing order that units of the specified
types are to execute when at a given location.
GlobalConstant: in
This symbol indicates a standing order that units of the specified
types are to execute when occupying a given unit.
GlobalConstant: near
This symbol indicates a standing order that units of the specified types are to execute when within a given distance of a given location.
Player objects are rarely necessary when building game designs; they typically only appear in saved games, in order to ensure that the same players get the same sides upon restoration.
SideProperty: player id
This property is the unique identifier of a player that is running this side.
Defaults to 0, which means that no player has been assigned
to the side.
Form: player [ id ] properties...
This form defines a player. If the id is supplied and matches the id of an existing player, then the player object is updated using the properties, otherwise a new player object will be created, using the given id if supplied, otherwise creating a new value.
GlobalVariable: player-sides-locked t/f
This variable is true if the player/side assignment may not
be changed while the game is starting up.
Defaults to false.
The number of players must always be less than the number of sides (sides without players just don't do anything).
PlayerProperty: name str
This property identifies the player by name.
PlayerProperty: config-name str
This property identifies a particular set of doctrine and other definitions that the player is using.
PlayerProperty: display-name str
This property identifies the display being used by the player's interface. The interpretation of this value is dependent on the interface in use.
PlayerProperty: ai-type-name str
This property is the type of AI that will play the side
if requested or necessary.
The set of choices depends on what has been compiled into Xconq.
(The general-purpose AI type "mplayer" will usually be available,
but is not guaranteed.)
An ai-type-name of "" means that no AI will run this player.
PlayerProperty: password str
This property is the encoding of a password that must be entered before this player object can be reused successfully.
PlayerProperty: initial-advantage n
This property is an initial relative strength at which the player should start.
Some synthesis methods can use this to give more units or some other
advantage to each player according to the requested strength.
Defaults to 1.
GlobalVariable: advantage-min n
GlobalVariable: advantage-max n
GlobalVariable: advantage-default n
These variables set the bounds and default values for players'
initial advantages.
Default to 1, 9999, and 1, respectively.
Xconq is not guaranteed to be able to be able to set up a game with any combination of player advantages; the limits depend on the capabilities and characteristics of the synthesis methods that use the requested advantages in their calculations.
The properties of a side can come from a number of different sources (here listed in order of precedence):
side form for the side.
side-defaults form for the game.
Note that interface-specific and general config files can never alter certain properties of a side, and can only alter others if they are not locked.