WB Coding Questions to module_factions

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

I have three questions at module_factions and would be much obliged if someone could give answers to some of them:

1) In the description of module_factions at the top of the file is the field 6 noted, "Ranks". Lav wrote here in 2014

I suspect that it's an artifact of a deprecated or unimplemented feature. I have yet to see ranks being used anywhere, and there are no operations or flags that deal with them either.

Is the use of this field still unclear or is someone making use of it and can explain its uses?

2) At the top of the file, before the Faction list is beginning, there is the line

default_kingdom_relations = [("outlaws",-0.05),("peasant_rebels", -0.1),("deserters", -0.05),("mountain_bandits", -0.02),("forest_bandits", -0.02)]

I understand it such way that I can use it as a constant and implement it in the faction relations, similar as when I define knows_common at module_troops for example. Are additional listed relations for the same faction then stacking or replacing the constant? And is there something special here since I don't see such constants used in module_factions?

3) The Faction Flag ff_always_hide_label is getting used by the "Innocents" and "Merchants" factions. Both are factions which run mostly away when stronger parties are encountering them but are they also hiding and waiting some time before moving on again? Or how is this flag working?

Thanks for taking your time

 

[Dj_FRedy]

1. No idea and I have never checked.
2. As to whether they stack up or not,, why would you want to define the same tuple two or three times with different values? Create your variable with the list of relationships or add directly the tuples to the faction.
3. ff_always_hide_label 'hides' the faction name when you place the mouse over any party icon belonging to that faction, in the 'popup tooltip'.

 

[Eärendil Ardamírë]

2) If plenty of factions have the same relationship to a bunch of bandit factions as defined above and you introduce a faction which has other relations to one of those bandit groups, it seems more practical to still use the tuple and overwrite it for a single faction. Of course it's not a lot of work to add each tuple directly to the factions, it only came into my mind here.
3) That makes far more sense of course than my thoughts