Updates on the way.

[gmzombie]

My dll pack is really old I think. I need to update my page but haven't had time. I would go back and make sure everything was installed correctly particularly after u unzip the first big zip file. Make sure you can play the game as is because you should be able to.then apply other updates

[sandman423]

Says I am missing Cdtools.dll?? how do I fix?

[Korath]

By installing Shandalar (the unchanged version) correctly; it wouldn't run without it. Similarly, Manalink wouldn't have run without drawcardlib.dll. (And whatever random drawcardlib.dll you find on the net will not work with the updated Shandalar. Use the one in the distribution package.) Everything should test fine after every step of installation; if it doesn't, continuing onward won't fix it.

Easier way: use an installation package that's targeted to end-users. I believe there's one in CirothUngol's sig. The ones I post in this thread aren't aimed at casual installation; see the previous page as to why. I'm sorry it's difficult, but making it easy and foolproof is so far down my list of priorities that I can't even guess when I'll get to it.

---

I've finally gotten through the last of the interrupt/X-spell backlog, so a new version is imminent. Probably Monday or Tuesday; there's still a couple things that I want to get done before the next version. Prominent among these are making the dungeon/castle AI-advantage cards customizeable; making mana burn disableable (and disabled by default); allowing the dungeon treasure cards and cards that aren't choosable in Nomad's Bazaars/Diamond Mines/Quest rewards to be configured; and making set inclusion configurable (per bug #651).

Last batch of cards added | Open

Abzan Battle Priest
Abzan Beastmaster
Abzan Falconer
Addle
Ainok Bond-Kin
Alexi, Zephyr Mage
Amrou Seekers
Amulet of Unmaking
Anthroplasm
Appetite for Brains
Attrition
Aura Fracture
Battle Hymn
Belbe's Armor
Biorhythm
Blitz Hellion
Boros Fury-Shield
Bosh, Iron Golem
Bounteous Kirin
Braids, Conjurer Adept
Brain Weevil
Brightstone Ritual
Brutal Nightstalker
Burgeoning
Burning Inquiry
Cabal Ritual
Cackling Witch
Captain of the Mists
Castigate
Celestial Kirin
Channel the Suns
Cinder Elemental
Citanul Flute
Cloudhoof Kirin
Coercion
Coiling Oracle
Composite Golem
Copper Gnomes
Courier's Capsule
Crimson Hellkite (with the mana color sleightable - unsure if this is correct)
Crosis, the Purger
Crowned Ceratok
Crypt Rats (per Crimson Hellkite)
Cryptic Gateway
Culling the Weak
Dangerous Wager
Darigaaz, the Igniter
Darkest Hour
Despise
Didgeridoo
Diplomacy of the Wastes
Disdainful Stroke
Disowned Ancestor
Dispersal Shield
Distress
Dovescape
Dragon Arch
Draining Whelk
Dramatic Entrance
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Dread Warlock
Dream Tides
Dromar, the Banisher
Droning Bureaucrats
Dryad's Caress
Duergar Mine-Captain
Duress
Dwarven Miner
Dwarven Pony
Eidolon of the Great Revel
Eladamri's Vineyard
Elvish Hexhunter
Elvish Pioneer
Elvish Piper
Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
Enhanced Awareness
Fang Skulkin
Fires of Yavimaya
Flame-Kin Zealot
Flash
Fledgling Dragon
Flowstone Hellion
Flowstone Mauler
Frontier Mastodon
Frostburn Weird
Genesis Chamber
Gigantomancer
Gobbling Ooze
Goblin Lackey
Grave Titan
Greel, Mind Raker
Ground Assault
Gruesome Discovery
Hammer Mage
Herald of Anafenza (approximated, as in Manalink - token creation is merged into the Outlast ability, rather than being a separate trigger, so it can still be responded to; but not respondable-to independently (though it wouldn't be until they were resolving even under modern rules), and countering the activated ability will also incorrectly counter the triggered one)
Hidden Horror
Hired Torturer
Hoof Skulkin
Hunted Wumpus
Hunting Grounds
Hushwing Gryff
Illumination
Impromptu Raid
In the Eye of Chaos
Incandescent Soulstoke
Induce Paranoia
Infernal Kirin
Infernal Plunge
Inferno Titan
Inquisition of Kozilek
Invoke Prejudice
Iwamori of the Open Fist
Jawbone Skulkin
Jelenn Sphinx
Kaalia of the Vast
Kaervek the Merciless
Keening Apparition
Krond the Dawn-Clad
Krosan Beast
Latulla, Keldon Overseer
Lifebane Zombie
Lightning Shrieker
Liquify
Loam Dweller
Longshot Squad
Lure of Prey
Magus of the Candelabra
Magus of the Vineyard
Mana Drain
Mana Geyser
Manaplasm
Master Transmuter
Master the Way
Mer-Ek Nightblade
Merrow Reejerey
Metathran Aerostat
Metropolis Sprite
Miming Slime
Mind Over Matter
Mindwarper
Mindwrack Liege
Mirror Sheen
Mishra's Helix
Mudslide
Mystic Crusader
Mystic Enforcer
Mystic Familiar
Mystic Genesis
Mystic Penitent
Mystic Visionary
Mystic Zealot
Nezumi Bone-Reader
Niblis of the Breath
Niblis of the Mist
Niblis of the Urn
Night Terrors
Nin, the Pain Artist
Noble Steeds
Norwood Priestess
Novablast Wurm
Oath of the Ancient Wood
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Ooze Garden
Oracle of Nectars
Orchard Spirit
Ordered Migration
Ostracize
Overwhelming Intellect
Pain Kami
Parallectric Feedback
Pernicious Deed
Pestermite
Possessed Aven
Possessed Barbarian
Possessed Centaur
Possessed Nomad
Predator's Rapport
Predatory Nightstalker
Preeminent Captain
Priest of Gix
Priest of Urabrask
Prime Speaker Zegana
Prowling Nightstalker
Puffer Extract
Pulse Tracker
Puppet Strings
Puppeteer
Pyretic Ritual
Pyrostatic Pillar
Quicksilver Amulet
Rakshasa's Secret
Ramses Overdark
Rethink
Ribbons of Night
Rimewind Taskmage
Rise of the Hobgoblins
Rite of Flame
Rith, the Awakener
Roil Elemental
Rolling Spoil
Ronom Unicorn
Root Maze
Rubinia Soulsinger
Runed Arch
Sacred Mesa
Sadistic Hypnotist
Sakura-Tribe Scout
Salt Road Patrol
Sands of Delirium
Sapphire Drake
Savageborn Hydra
Scion of Glaciers
Seed Spark
Seething Song
Seton's Scout
Seton, Krosan Protector
Shell Skulkin
Shrewd Hatchling
Shrieking Grotesque
Siege Rhino
Silklash Spider
Sin Collector
Skirk Shaman
Skull Rend
Skyfire Kirin
Skyshroud Elite
Skyshroud Ranger
Smoldering Tar
Snake Basket
Sneak Attack
Songs of the Damned
Spectral Bears
Spectral Force
Spell Snare
Spellstutter Sprite
Spire Tracer
Spoils of Evil
Steel Overseer
Stonybrook Angler
Sturdy Hatchling
Thassa's Ire
Thelon's Curse
Thought Dissector
Thoughtseize
Tidal Force
Tideforce Elemental
Time Sieve
Tin Street Hooligan
Torpor Orb
Treacherous Urge
Treva, the Renewer
Trickster Mage
Tuskguard Captain
Unbender Tine
Vampire Hounds
Vedalken Anatomist
Vitalize
Volrath's Gardens
Walking Atlas
Warden of the Beyond
Watercourser
Well of Discovery
Well of Ideas
Well of Life
Whipflare
Wit's End

Total cards in Thieves Hideout: 4597. Loremaster's Tower had 3081. Cursory analysis of the csv files says Manalink has about 11391 out of 14664 printed through Fate Reforged. So either about 40% or 31% done, depending on how you count. It's the easiest 40/31%, but it does still feel like progress.

Once the new version's out, I'd appreciate it if the folks who've requested cards could edit their posts to strikethrough released cards. (Not to mention culling the duplicates. Wading through a post with 510 cards already feels abusive before you realize that almost a dozen of the cards are repeated.)

---

"Last batch of cards added" turns out to have been a lie. I had to do the hard part of rewriting Mana Flare to fix bugs with Gauntlet of Might, Black Lotus, and Heritage Druid; Mana Flare was the only thing blocking them; and both cycles are personal favorites; so I went ahead and added the five Karoo-like lands from Visions and the ten from Ravnica block:

These really are the last 15 cards | Open

Azorius Chancery
Boros Garrison
Coral Atoll
Dimir Aqueduct
Dormant Volcano
Everglades
Golgari Rot Farm
Gruul Turf
Izzet Boilerworks
Jungle Basin
Karoo
Orzhov Basilica
Rakdos Carnarium
Selesnya Sanctuary
Simic Growth Chamber

The AI tends not to tap the land it's about to bounce with the Ravnica cycle, but otherwise plays them tolerably well.

[CirothUngol]

...making it easy and foolproof is so far down my list of priorities that I can't even guess when I'll get to it.

For the time being, you won't have to. Shandalar and the SVEtool are currently at the top of my project-pile, so I'm sure to offer an update within a day or three of your release (unless you're opposed, of course).

...making the dungeon/castle AI-advantage cards customizeable; making mana burn disable-able (and disabled by default); allowing the dungeon treasure cards and cards that aren't choose-able in Nomad's Bazaars/Diamond Mines/Quest rewards to be configured; and making set inclusion configurable.

Oh, HELL yea!
That'll make it super-easy to play a block of Ice Age and earlier (my ol' paper-game stomping grounds). With over 1500 new cards in the pool, that's gonna be great! Will all of those goodies be configurable via the .ini file?

Q: Would you happen to have a list of required files for the Shandalar program folder? I'm quite certain there's lots of chaff I could easily cull from the current all-inclusive download, if you happen to know what it is.

Seriously love what you've done with this game, and the concise manner in which you've documented it's transfer to C. The gitlogs are a great read and I haven't looked at C since the early 90's, so the source has been both fun and educational to muddle through.
Q: What programming environment do you use for this?

Thanx for doing this right so that later, when cards and improvements get written, they might actually Just Work. ^_^

[Korath]

There's a list of files needed to complete a Manalink installation into Shandalar in the first release post, under "The long version". I think the Portals to Theros install package I made for Manalink in late 2013 was minimal for that side of things, but I don't remember for certain.

Cygwin toolchain, compiling with mingw 4.6.2 to avoid the cygwin1.dll dependency. Anything later should work; anything earlier certainly won't.

[Tyrael]

Just wanted to say a big big thank you to Korath and anybody else who made it finally possible to have new cards in Shandalar! This is a dream come true for me. I was visiting this forum every few months for years and never really expected anything to happen in this regard. But now it did and I can still hardly believe it, this is so awesome

I played Shandalar with my teenage buddies when it first came out and fell in love with the game immediately. At this time we were collecting the physical cards of MtG for quite a while and even by that time we were already eager to see more cards in Shandalar (I think we started playing MtG when 4th edition came out). Since then this has been one of my top wishes and following the development of ManaLink and Microprose I actually considered it to be one of these things you always wished for but they never become real. Of course, there was great progress made in ManaLink thanks to Mok and other great people working on it, but Shandalar seemed to be a whole different story for some reason.

At a point in time (must have been around 2010-2012) I was even trying to make myself familiar with programming and debugging Microprose Magic and Shandalar, but I gave up because my skills were simply not enough to lift that task. So I contributed a few cards to Magarena instead and played that, but Shandalar has always stayed my favorite game when playing Magic on the computer.

And now it happened I still have to catch up and read through all posts connected to this. I will try to contribute by testing and providing feedback, though in the meantime I grew older, got married and found a job so unfortunately I have less time to spend playing computer But I will do what I can.

Thanks again to everybody who made this possible, this is great great work, I really appreciate it

[gmzombie]

I'm just curious if you ever got the graveyard interaction the way you wanted it yet and of course if you got your courser of kruphix the way you wanted. I'm very excited for a new update and of course great job!

[Korath]

If you mean, have I fixed the aspect ratio of the advanced layout in widescreen, so the library and graveyard aren't too wide for the cards-on-top-of-library-are-revealed effects - then yes. It was in the course of fixing that that I stumbled across how to change the smallcard sizes; they're in the same function.

If you mean, can things cleanly interact with the graveyard yet, or have I made it so you can actually play the top card of your library, which is required for Courser of Kruphix itself - then no. I still have about a dozen MicroProse cards that interact with the graveyard that I have to rewrite first.

[CirothUngol]

I think the Portals to Theros install package I made for Manalink in late 2013 was minimal for that side of things, but I don't remember for certain.

It sure was, and that's the install that I based the current Manalink3_20150325.7z download on. Thanx for that.

There's a list of files needed to complete a Manalink installation into Shandalar in the first release post, under "The long version".

Oh, there it is. *heh*
I was able to cull over 50 files from my current Shandalar AddOn, but there's a few files that I'd just like to assure are necessary before including them. Does Shandalar.exe actually use:

MenusX1.txt - The same info is included at the beginning of Menus.txt
Story.txt & Tale.txt - These are small German-language text files.
MP_UIStrings.txt & ManaLink.txt - Don't these belong on the Manalink side of things?

I installed Cygwin, and without reading any docs I'll assume that it's a C toolchain that compiles straight from source? Do you use an external editor or IDE? I'm looking for better tools to read and debug code, plenty of time to read up on Cygwin/mingw before I understand enough to actually compile something. ^_^

[Korath]

I can't find any obvious references to MenusX1.txt or ManaLink.txt. Some strings are loaded from MP_UIStrings.txt, but it isn't trivial to prove that the codepaths which, in turn, use those strings don't ever get executed.

Story.txt and Tale.txt are each only referenced once, in sub_418373() and sub_41840E() respectively. Nothing appears to call those functions.

Cygwin isn't (just) a C toolchain; it's, more or less, a Unix emulation layer that runs on top of Windows. I can't recommend it unless you're already familiar and comforable with the unix command-line interface. Mingw likely includes everything needed to actually build.

I use emacs, the Editor of Kings. Again, it's got a very steep learning curve; I had an easier time of it since I already knew lisp (which emacs uses as its extension language).

[Korath]

.

[Tyrael]

Many thanks for the update Korath

I updated my local installation yesterday and it works fine so far, but obviously I have not been able to scrutinize every detail yet.

One question and I am sorry if that has been answered before but I read through this thread and did not see it (or overlooked it):

What exactly is the difference between Loremaster's Tower and Ruined Tower/Thieves Hideout? I figure the latter is the current release of Korath's work, but what is Loremaster's Tower and who is developing that?

Connected to this question: I followed the instructions from this post to install Shandalar from scratch using CirothUngol's DropBox files. These files include LoreMaster's Tower 2 pre alpha. After copying them I overwrote everything with the Ruined Tower 4 archive - is that the correct way or did I mess up something since it is based on LoreMaster's 2?

Sorry for the confusion but I did not find a definite answer reading through the forum I just want to make sure that bugs and other things I find are not related to a messed up installation on my end.

[jiansonz]

An awesome update - the customizability is icing on the cake.

About the dungeon advantages, I think they actually are related to difficulty somehow, or to something else. There are at least more than the five listed. I am certain I had 'Ankh of Mishra in effect' in a dungeon in my last campaign (Sorcerer difficulty).

@Tyrael: Ruined Tower is Korath's first release, Loremaster's Tower is the second (contains more cards) and Thieves Hideout is the lastest (with even more (a LOT more!) cards). Newer versions of the first releases contain the latest bugfixes but no new cards, so they are more stable.

[Korath]

About the dungeon advantages, I think they actually are related to difficulty somehow, or to something else. There are at least more than the five listed. I am certain I had 'Ankh of Mishra in effect' in a dungeon in my last campaign (Sorcerer difficulty).

I'd wondered about that. There's data between the dungeon and castle cards which, if interpreted the same way, would be Meekstone, Winter Orb, Dingus Egg, Howling Mine, Smoke, and Ankh of Mishra. I wasn't able to elicit any but the five I listed in Shandalar.ini (Bad Moon, Power Struggle, Marsh Viper, Orcish Oriflamme, and Crusade) despite starting games at each difficulty level, and the code that actually assigns them to dungeons is quite unclear.

[dingbat1]

An awesome update - the customizability is icing on the cake.

So, I might be a complete muppet, but, how do you customize?
If I open Shandalar, it asks me to start new game, resume a game, load a game, or exit. Then it asks difficulty followed by color, then create an avatar and select a name, before starting the game.

I performed a clean install (new computer) then installed loremaster's tower followed by thieves hangout.

What am I doing wrong?


Also, thank you, Korath, you are a prince among men