If you download the spring git repository, or the source tarball, you’ll notice there are no visual studio projects for the AIs. To generate them, you would have to run cmake, which isn’t entirely obvious if your under windows with little linux experience. It may not always work either, as happened to me. The same is true of the C++ wrapper around the C API.

So to get over these, with a little help from Hoijui, I created a Visual studio 2008 project from scratch, and set up all the files and include paths. I also corrected the dll exports issue with a .def file and setting the project to use stdcall calling conventions. I even set up AIInfo.lua and AIOptions.lua to autocopy to the target folder upon builds.

I’ve packaged up this AI, the AI logic goes in CppTestAI.h/cpp (its using the C++TestAI in the spring git repository). To use this, extract the contents of the archive into a spring source folder at AI/Skirmish then extract the C++ Wrapper interface into AI/Wrappers/Cpp, open the project in visual studio, and press build.

The AI is built in the game subdirectory of the spring source folder. The game folder is intended to store the result of building spring from source, so its contents will look like an average spring install folder. You can copy paste the AI folder in this directory into your usual spring folder if you want. The AI will build as a skirmishAI.dll in:

 /game/AI/<yourvs2008projectname>/dev/SkirmishAI.dll

To package this up as a release, zip up the folder in /game/AI called <yourvs2008projectname> and be sure to delete the linker subdirectory and skirmishAI.ilk file.

If you want to debug using your existing spring installation, you can go to project properties, and set the linker output target to your my games folder in the appropriate place, which in my case is:

C:\Users\AF\Documents\My Games\Spring\AI\Skirmish\Minor\dev\SkirmishAI.dll

This will allow your official spring install to pick up your AI, all you have to do then is, set the debugging page to use your spring folder as the working folder, and to execute spring.exe, or spring.exe script.txt if you have set up a scenario using springlobby.

Download the C++ AI Wrapper here

Download the VS2008 AI Project here

edit: I found an error where it would fail to copy AIInfolua and AIOptions.lua if the target folder did not exist. I’ve updated the project to include commands to create these folders

Today I added the rectangles project, filled in the spring falling logos screen saver page, and in the last week I’ve added a ball mecha page, updated the Star Wars competition entry page, and filled in the XTA fusion reactor page.

As always you can see which pages are under construction and which are in a suitably finished/updated state, and you cna view my projects/portfolio by clicking on projects at the top!

I point you to the distinctive writings of voluptuous Lesbina Dykenhausen. Here she is modelling her muff back in the day:

Dearest Lesbina has recently been in rehab in the old Priory, but she made a triumphant return to Fallopia Towers afterwards. We wish her the greatest of recoveries from this ordeal, and hope that you show her the support she deserves.

With that I leave you with these carefully selected images:

Behold, the internet fridge. The new fridge is capable of holding 506 litres in its fridge, with a 310 litre freezer capacity. Complete with FM radio tuner and digital still camera, this is a vast improvement over the 50″ Sony Bravia. Licho is said to be happy with his purchase, as fnordia handed over the reigns of control.

Aegis has been put in charge of the migration process. When queried about the fridge, he had this to say:

[00:42:14] <aegis> we got a new server :P
[00:42:22] <aegis> we’re also running on uberserver in LAN mode atm.

It also seems that lichos purchased the last remaining fridge from firebox.com as can be seen here (at time of writing currently out of stock). The specs of the new machine are as follows:

• Pentium III 100MHz processor
• 64Mb RAM
• 10Gb hard drive
• 15.1-inch LCD touchscreen
• TV and FM tuner
• supports MP3 playback
• 56K modem
• 1x USB port
• 1x Ethernet port

As ever, the Spring developers are calling on donations for the purchase of a second internet fridge to help reduce server load.

Visit the spring engine here

Changes include:

• Fixes for boost 1.35+
• Move commands on attacks are now fight commands
• Various code cleanup
• Threat matrix fixes
• Initialisation order fixes
• New bundled version of toolkit
• No more error loading script.txt messages in logs
• Improved dgunning
• Fixed kernel panic socket placement
• Fixed water defences on all land maps
• And much more…

Download XE10.1 here

More information about NTai here

To grab the source code execute the following commands:

git clone git@github.com:Tarendai/ntai.git ntai
git checkout XE10.1

It also appears that I bundled 0.27 with the latest NTai release, rather than 0.29.

If you find any issues with Toolkit, please report them here

You can download v0.3 here

More information about Toolkit

More information about NTai

Why its XE10 of course! The latest and greatest NTai! This release brings NTai back to the modern spring engine, and introduces huge refactors and code rewrites and re-arrangements. These architectural changes should make NTai behave a lot more sensibly, and increase stability immensely.

To grab NTai XE10 source code, do the following:

git clone git@github.com:Tarendai/ntai.git ntai
git checkout XE10

You’ll find toolkit and NTai source code are on github.

Report NTai bugs here

Download XE10 here

Included is an XTA configuration file and a basic generic configuration file. It will play BA but at the moment it does not play competitively, and there is no custom made BA config file to improve gameplay.

Read more about NTai here