VASSAL Module: Advanced Civilization

This help file describes some of the internals of the Advanced Civilization VASSAL module. You can find game-related information here:

• Setup Guide
• User Guide

Design Notes

Unfortunately not very complete…

Keyboard Commands used

CTRL D

Delete (piece) (only for markers, for tokens not allowed except for sides Setup, Master to repair certain situations)

R

Rotate Piece clockwise

CTRL SHIFT D

Discard selected trade cards

Reset Detail Level of calamity cards to 0

CTRL SHIFT L

Change label on marker piece

ALT CTRL R

Return token to deck

<arrow right>

step through Layers

CTRL F

Flip (piece/card)

CTRL M

Mark Moved (piece)

CTRL N

Open Notes window

CTRL X

Place conflict marker (piece)

ALT CTRL SHIFT C

show/hide counters (pieces) window (for Setup, Master, Solitaire only)

ALT CTRL SHIFT T

place piece Text label (= dummy image marker piece)

Non-Keyboard "keyboard commands":

startup_command

runs once at game start, used to set some GPs

open_setupwindow

opens the setup window

open_player_hand

opens the player hand for that side

open_civref_map

opens the civ advances references; restrictions enforce that only the map for that side opens (if used by Setup, Master: all open)

adapt_num_players

multi-action button "Set Number of Players"

toggle_map_labels

toggles display of region labels on all maps

show_trade_images

sets the display options for the trade variant

send_8population

send all additional setup decks to population decks

send_to_temp

move all tradecard deck remainders to temp decks

set_greyout<num>

set the Greyout<num> global property

shuffle_temp_tradecards

shuffle all temp tradecard decks

sendback_temp_to_tradecards

move all temp decks to trade decks

sendback_discard_to_tradecards

move all discard decks to trade decks

zero_civpoints

resets the civ points on one player mat to zero

update_civpoints

"end movement" triggered command on player mats

increment_civpoints

set global property CivPointsTotal from civ card piece

NOTE: for most of the "non-keyboard" commands there is also a "fire_*" key command that triggers a global hotkey; in that case the commands shown are the global hotkeys triggered.

Implementation of Map Variants "Overlays"

Global Properties

Set by Startup Command (1 = true):

• HasMapWestern
• HasMapEastern

Trade variant

• Only used if ShowTrade = 1 (button in Setup window)
• Calculated layers show: Standard or (Main - Sardinia) + Western: New Carthage
• layer # = if(ShowTrade==0; 1; 1 + HasMapWestern
• Calculated in both overlay pieces on Western + Main map Start zones: Calculated Layer #s show layer # = 1 + HasMapWestern + (2*HasMapEastern) -> possible results 1…4

Greyout Zones

• Left (panel 1, 1+2, left half to dotted line): controlled by GP ShowGreyoutLeft
  • calculated layer level always set to "none" (=layer level 1) if Western extension is in use
• Right (panel 4, 3+4, right half to dotted line): controlled by GP ShowGreyoutRight + calculated layer level
  • always set to "none" (=layer level 1) if Eastern extension is in use
• Island city sites overlay: Always used if NumberOfPlayers = 2

Map Layers

Maps have an "Overlay" and a "Labels" layer:

• "Overlay" is higher than "Labels" (because greyouts should also cover the region labels).
• NOTE: Pieces not assigned to any layer will be in an implicit "top" layer above "Overlay".
• All overlay Pieces have a Layer trait that assigns them to the Overlay map layer.

Trade Card behaviour

• Trade cards flip to their masked side when they are drawn from any place to the "Trade Board" zone on the Trade Cards map. This is done by a combination of an "end of movement" trigger on the map and a trigger on the cards (in the card prototype) that flips the card if it is NOT "ObscuredToOthers".
• Calamity cards can step through layers to show details about that calamity.

VASSAL is an open source project. Advanced Civilization is a boardgame by The Avalon Hill Game Company (1991). The Advanced Civilization module was created by Lutz Pietschker (PunTheHun at boardgamegeek.com).