Fun with data tables

From XML files to human-readable in 5.2 hours

I don't know if anyone else would find this sort of thing useful, but I've been using my l33t (OK, not really) HTML skills to turn the game's XML files into something easy to scan.

So far I've finished the Defense-related ship parts:

http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-defenses.htm

Note: The techs with question marks are where the tech requirements in the ship parts file didn't match up with any exact tech tree file techs... however, they did seem to me like they would match up with various alignment-related techs. No idea what "Telepathic Defenses" gives you, though.

Feel free to do with this file whatever you like. I'll post more tables when I'm finished with them, if people would like that.

Peace & Luv, Liz
22,458 views 32 replies
Reply #1 Top
Nice work. I can't believe you did it by hand!
Reply #2 Top
Heh! Well, depends on what you mean by "by hand"... I did use a fair bit of CSS and Open Office's various options. As I once quipped to a friend, webpage making is about 10% coding and 90% copy and paste/search and replace. Prolly would be better to just use XSLT, but I'm not that great with that yet.

In any case, I've finished the Sensors and Engines now. Almost done with the Weapons too, I just need to track down some Tech data that doesn't quite jive.

If anyone wants to port this over to the wiki mentioned in one of the other threads, feel free... I'm just not that great with wiki-ness myself off-hand.

http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-engines.htm
http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-sensors.htm

Peace & Luv, Liz
Reply #3 Top
hmm, seems Sensors Mk. V much better then Sensors Mk. VI ?


Edit: and good work too
Reply #4 Top
Nice work. Nice touch with the sortable column headers.

What is the difference between the Size and Size Mod columns?

Thanks.

Reply #5 Top
Ha! Good I read this thread, I was close to start something similiar myself - thanks you saved me the work.
Reply #6 Top
Nice work!

Liz, are you aware that without XSLT you can simply use an XML "Stylesheet" to display the data however you choose? It's fairly simple and standard now, you might want to check it out.
Reply #7 Top
Demealiz: Actually, no it isn't. Because the XML fields aren't in the same order for every ship part type I had to shuffle some things around manually... and I didn't get it all sorted out properly for the Sensors table. Oops. It's all fixed now.

Tabasco Red: I can't take credit for the sortable table script... I snagged it from a site I had found in my various webpage making utility researches. There's a link to the site it's from at the bottom of the pages.

As for the Size vs. Size Mod... I think somebody wrote about that in another forum thread. I think the Size Mod makes the part take up more room on larger hulls?

Wicked Flea: Hmm. I know of XSLT and CSS... is there some other form of XML stylesheet? I'm still a n00b at XML-specific stuff. I did use CSS to help me format the text for porting into table code.

At any rate, here's the complete Ship Parts collection:

Weapons: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-weapons.htm
Defenses: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-defenses.htm
Hulls: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-hulls.htm
Modules: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-modules.htm
Engines: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-engines.htm
Life Support: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-life-support.htm
Sensors: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-sensors.htm
The whole enchilada in one page: http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/ship-parts.htm

Again, feel free to do with these whatever you like. In fact, if someone with better aesthetic skills than myself wanted to make some less eye-gouging CSS or format it into a printable PDF or something, that would rock.

Peace & Luv, Liz
Reply #8 Top
Mmmm... Sweet sweet data...

Thank you and great work! These shall prove quite useful during my time away from GalCivII!
Reply #9 Top
Yep good work, very useful.
Now we just need someone to do the same with the planetary improvement data
Reply #10 Top
These ought to be linked somewhere in the "Databanks" page. Prolly not gonna happen, but there's my vote.
Reply #11 Top
Dave: Yeah, I was planning on tackling the Planetary Improvements and Tech Tree too. I figured I'd like having these "cheat sheets" for my own use anyway, so I might as well share.

DuneTiger: Heh! Well, the best place for the data would be on the new Wiki, IMHO... I could work on converting it to Wikicode once I finish all the stuff, but if someone wants to beat me to it, feel free.

Peace & Luv, Liz
Reply #13 Top
would it be okay to use this on the galciv wiki?
Reply #14 Top
All right, I finished the Core Ship List:

http://miscfile.alienharmony.com/galciv2/core-ship-list.htm

I also tweaked the Life Support and Ship Parts pages to reflect the way that the range numbers in the data translates into actual range in the game.

Jklgon: That's something I've been wondering myself.

Peace & Luv, Liz
Reply #15 Top
These are really useful - thanks!

Edit - I wiki'd it under "mods and utilities". Not sure if it's the most appropriate place... hard to categorize.
Reply #16 Top
Mmm for some problem i seems to be unable to connect to those page...
If it is'nt too much to ask would you zip all the stuff and upload it somewhere ? (rapidshare.de maybe or similar)

Thank you!!!
Reply #17 Top
Well, if someone else wants to mirror the files they are more than welcome to, but since alienharmony.com is my own paid webspace I have to admit I have no personal desire to fuss with free webspace provider accounts.

I wish I could think of why it's not working for you, Bisio, but I've never had anyone tell me they've had trouble accessing my site before. (shrug)

Edit: I have to admit, Saber Cherry, that I had been more thinking of putting the data *in* the wiki pages themselves, as articles...

Peace & Luv, Liz
Reply #18 Top
I have to admit, Saber Cherry, that I had been more thinking of putting the data *in* the wiki pages themselves, as articles...


That's better than a link... go ahead and delete my link to their page if you do so.
Reply #19 Top
Wow. This table proves a few things:

1. Impulse Drives I-III are game breaking. Getting to these as quickly as possible is a key to the early game.
2. Lasers suck - unless you're Evil, in which case they are totally game breaking.
3. Missiles are good, but inflexible in the early game. Ideal weapons for good or neutral aligned races looks like MD's till nano rippers, then switch to missiles if your opponents adapt.
4. It should be possible to mount approximately 2x-3x as much defense per space used as offence, assuming equal offence/defence research. That means that most times in the game a 10/0 ship will use as much space as a 5/10 or a 7/8, which is a big deal.

PS I think there is a tech missing from the Point Defence list - the Good alignment special weapon (don't recall the name).
Reply #20 Top
A-ha! I had been wondering what the tech Telepathic Defenses was supposed to do, since there didn't seem to be a matching ship part... maybe that's the Good-aligned Point Defense part?

I know that the good-aligned stuff was apparently all fixed up in the latest patch, as well as some other things, so I'll have to update the lists.

Peace & Luv, Liz
Reply #21 Top
I just thought I'd note that since the new Galactopedia program makes this sort of thing rather redundant, I'm not going to bother adding any new tables, I'm afraid. But the program is so much cooler anyway.

https://forums.galciv2.com/?ForumID=162&AID=105605

Peace & Luv, Liz
Reply #22 Top
Jeysie, I think your stuff is easier to read, compare and navigate than the Galactopedia. Good job
Reply #23 Top
I agree - the 'pedia is nicer-looking, but your tables are far more useful.
Reply #24 Top
Telepathic Defenses is missing from the Point Defense section of the ship defenses table. It's a ship part for good-aligned races that lets you get a 3 point PD rating at a point in the tech tree where you would only have a 1 point rating. Quite good, really. I think you're missing the other alignment specific ship parts as well for those tables, which is a big flaw from an otherwise noble piece of work, since one of the huge benefits of each allignment is the ship parts you get.

Hope you can get that added ASAP. I'll be sure to change the wiki once you get your tables fixed, if you don't do so yourself.
Reply #25 Top
Demaratus: Heh, yeah, I know I'm missing all the alignment-based stuff. I did these tables using the original game data, where all of that data was missing, and I haven't had any time to update them since the patch came out that fixed the missing stuff.

That's why I recommended the new Galactopedia instead... that program is essentially just a front-end for the files themselves, so it's obviously instantlly "up-to-date", whereas I have to do it by hand and re-upload it because my programming skills are nil, which means y'all have to wait until I have time, which isn't very fair on you folks.

Peace & Luv, Liz