Another question -- is it possible to create a list of new random city names when creating a new race?
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Oh how I've wanted that...
As far as I can tell no. I looked into it several months ago as races didn't have unique town names, they seemed to just use the same list. Unfortunately, IIRC it's in a file that can't be added to a mod.
As far as I can tell no. I looked into it several months ago as races didn't have unique town names, they seemed to just use the same list. Unfortunately, IIRC it's in a file that can't be added to a mod.
Still working on the mod -- it's gonna be a nice chunk of new content for the game. I hope to have it published in about 2 weeks or so.
I have another question for you, Shidan. Do you know what the <s_size> parameter does? I know it can be set to SMALL, MEDIUM, and LARGE, but as the scale is set with the <f_scale> parameter, I'm having trouble figuring out what <s_size> does. Would you know?
As always, thanks!
EDIT: I'm also curious if there's any way to give custom units sounds. If not sounds on click, I'm hopeful there's at least a way to add sounds to moving units (like the sound of galloping or rustling leaves).
I have another question for you, Shidan. Do you know what the <s_size> parameter does? I know it can be set to SMALL, MEDIUM, and LARGE, but as the scale is set with the <f_scale> parameter, I'm having trouble figuring out what <s_size> does. Would you know?
As always, thanks!
EDIT: I'm also curious if there's any way to give custom units sounds. If not sounds on click, I'm hopeful there's at least a way to add sounds to moving units (like the sound of galloping or rustling leaves).
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I'm unsure what the size parameter governs, never played with it enough to find out. I always just tried to keep it along the same lines as the units actual size.
As to the sounds... It's certainly complicated. I have a guide on how to do it over on the Steam forums, I've yet to see anyone do mod with it. The files that control what unit has what sounds also can't be uploaded with the mod's files. So they have to be packed with squeezer.exe and placed in the install folder to work. And if you don't have the mod that has the unit in it active, the game will crash on startup.
So not the most user friendly thing. Though it would be an optional file, and the mod would function fine without it. If you're still interested here's the thread: http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discussions/-1/616187839536863878/?appid=205990
If you have any questions with the process, feel free to ask. As always.
As to the sounds... It's certainly complicated. I have a guide on how to do it over on the Steam forums, I've yet to see anyone do mod with it. The files that control what unit has what sounds also can't be uploaded with the mod's files. So they have to be packed with squeezer.exe and placed in the install folder to work. And if you don't have the mod that has the unit in it active, the game will crash on startup.
So not the most user friendly thing. Though it would be an optional file, and the mod would function fine without it. If you're still interested here's the thread: http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/discussions/-1/616187839536863878/?appid=205990
If you have any questions with the process, feel free to ask. As always.
Awesome. If I'm understanding your instructions correctly, this solution cannot be distributed with a mod -- is that right? But I would be able to add sounds for myself when I play my own mod... correct?
And if I were to name the new pack file something like s205 (or whatever the first unused number is) and make that available for download on an external website, then people could optionally add that to their install directory and it would work with the mod, BUT it will crash the game if it's in the install directory and the mod is not loaded. Is that right?
I just want to be sure I understand the process before deciding whether I want to go down this road. ;-)
And if I were to name the new pack file something like s205 (or whatever the first unused number is) and make that available for download on an external website, then people could optionally add that to their install directory and it would work with the mod, BUT it will crash the game if it's in the install directory and the mod is not loaded. Is that right?
I just want to be sure I understand the process before deciding whether I want to go down this road. ;-)
I noticed that your guide was added on Steam before the Naga expansion. Do you know if the files in your dropbox are still current with the expansion pack?
Now that you mention it, they are not. I hadn't thought of that. I'll have to update them.
In the meantime though, the files are just located in s101.pack. You should be able to get them yourself with squeezer.exe.
In the meantime though, the files are just located in s101.pack. You should be able to get them yourself with squeezer.exe.
Here's another (and probably my last) question. I have a feeling that for this one, the answer will be "no" -- but it's worth a shot.
One thing I've noticed in nearly every game I play is that the AI never seems to make tier 3 units (or it makes just a few very late in the game). This is true even on impossible. I was wondering if there was a file anywhere that could be edited to essentially command them to make stage 3 units, ideally after a certain number of game turns have passed.
Any ideas? Hoping and praying there is a way to do this. With this, my end games might actually be as exciting as my early and mid games. :-D
One thing I've noticed in nearly every game I play is that the AI never seems to make tier 3 units (or it makes just a few very late in the game). This is true even on impossible. I was wondering if there was a file anywhere that could be edited to essentially command them to make stage 3 units, ideally after a certain number of game turns have passed.
Any ideas? Hoping and praying there is a way to do this. With this, my end games might actually be as exciting as my early and mid games. :-D
Technically it might be possible. As in data.xml there is a <MilitaryProduction> in the <modAiParams> section which seems to govern what units the AI builds. Though I've never touched the AI systems before so I can't be positive what everything there does.
Personally I've actually seen the AI make them. In my current game there is an AI with 18 temple units in one world. But generally the AI don't seem to build them very often.
My money is on that the AI don't get access to holy sites very often, so they can't build the temple units until much later in the game.
I'd recommend altering the rarity of holy sites, and allowing them to appear on lower stage worlds. It might help the AI out with getting access to them. It would also probably throw wrench into the balance of the game, so who knows what's going to happen there. But it might be worth looking into.
Personally I've actually seen the AI make them. In my current game there is an AI with 18 temple units in one world. But generally the AI don't seem to build them very often.
My money is on that the AI don't get access to holy sites very often, so they can't build the temple units until much later in the game.
I'd recommend altering the rarity of holy sites, and allowing them to appear on lower stage worlds. It might help the AI out with getting access to them. It would also probably throw wrench into the balance of the game, so who knows what's going to happen there. But it might be worth looking into.
I'll check into that <MillitaryProduction> section. Might hold the key.
For clarification, let's forget temple units for a moment. Even typical tier 3 racial units never seem to get built by the AI when I play. By the time I have an army of tier 3 units, the AI is still puttering around with tier 2 stuff -- and even some tier 1 stuff. This is typically around turn 150. Now, they do have a lot of units, but they are all weak. Very easy to steamroll with just a handful of tier 3 units and a lord or two.
I opt to trade with the AIs, so I can see they have loads of money. And their towns have the necessary production buildings for tier 3 units. But they never seem to build them or upgrade their existing units. Have you noticed the same?
For clarification, let's forget temple units for a moment. Even typical tier 3 racial units never seem to get built by the AI when I play. By the time I have an army of tier 3 units, the AI is still puttering around with tier 2 stuff -- and even some tier 1 stuff. This is typically around turn 150. Now, they do have a lot of units, but they are all weak. Very easy to steamroll with just a handful of tier 3 units and a lord or two.
I opt to trade with the AIs, so I can see they have loads of money. And their towns have the necessary production buildings for tier 3 units. But they never seem to build them or upgrade their existing units. Have you noticed the same?
I just noticed that someone released a mod that does just this. Seems the AI favors any unit that takes less than 2 turns to build.
http://steamcommunity.com/app/205990/discussions/0/537402115083378266/
EDIT: I'd also like to note, my bad about the whole temple unit thing.
I tend to think of them as a "3rd tier" but I suppose they're not actually "stage 3".
http://steamcommunity.com/app/205990/discussions/0/537402115083378266/
EDIT: I'd also like to note, my bad about the whole temple unit thing.
I tend to think of them as a "3rd tier" but I suppose they're not actually "stage 3".
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It's bugged, unfortunately. I set it to "hidden". This mod works on my end (I am the author), but the game won't let me publish it properly due to the publish button in the editor overwriting my custom data.xr. The editor thinks something like "OK, so the user hadn't made any changes, therefore, I write nothing to the files" overwriting my parameters. Doing token changes in the editor results in the editor overwriting my changes with the token ones. VERY nasty bug, since on my end it works perfectly fine, if I copy the mod to the folders manually without tinkering with the treasonous editor.
It seems that the only way for me to publish the thingy is to upload the *.pack directly to the net.
BTW, the main change consisted of doing this to the impossible difficulty in the XML:
<f_aiUnitProdTimeK>0.3</f_aiUnitProdTimeK>
<f_aiBuildingProdTimeK>0.5</f_aiBuildingProdTimeK>
the original values were 1 for both parameters.
Any modders who successfully published mods which required editing not in-game editor, are there any special tricks to publish it without the editor overwriting your changes?
It seems that the only way for me to publish the thingy is to upload the *.pack directly to the net.
BTW, the main change consisted of doing this to the impossible difficulty in the XML:
<f_aiUnitProdTimeK>0.3</f_aiUnitProdTimeK>
<f_aiBuildingProdTimeK>0.5</f_aiBuildingProdTimeK>
the original values were 1 for both parameters.
Any modders who successfully published mods which required editing not in-game editor, are there any special tricks to publish it without the editor overwriting your changes?
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I've never had such issues, and I've done several mods with no editor changes. But the first thing I'd recommend doing is to create a perk in the editor, doesn't matter what it is and you don't need anyone to be able to access it, then add your data to the mod. That might convince it that there is supposed to be something there.
Wow Shidan, can't believe your advice seems to have worked! The editor kept both the difficulty level changes and the dummy perk. Publishing it again...
Wow, LWE -- awesome that you figured that out. I look forward to trying your mod.
Unfortunately, my own mod is not doing very well. I am 99% done with it -- just doing final polishing and playtesting. And through my first round of playtesting, I discovered an alarming bug that ruins the game -- the AI is refusing to research spells. I have no idea why, as I've not tinkered with anything (to my knowledge) that would affect this.
I am turn ~50 or so in a game and everything was working beautifully... or so I thought. Then I tried to trade some spells between an AI and it had no spells to trade. Odd. So I tried another. It had one spell -- it's starting mage perk spell. That was it. A third also had no spells. :-(
I can research spells just fine. I am going to try some older saves of the mod to see if I can pinpoint when this began. Before my last round of major changes (adding a new custom race and a handful of new lords), I know for a fact that the AI was working fine.
Would you guys have any ideas about how to troubleshoot this?
Thanks!
EDIT: Problem solved!
I tinkered with data.xr AFTER I started a game. I was 7 turns in or so and my change was crashing the game because the object I edited was already built. So I went back to turn 1 and it worked. I guess there were other odd side-effects though -- like the AI refusing to research. So I just started a new game after fully reloading and it worked fine -- AIs are researching again!
Unfortunately, my own mod is not doing very well. I am 99% done with it -- just doing final polishing and playtesting. And through my first round of playtesting, I discovered an alarming bug that ruins the game -- the AI is refusing to research spells. I have no idea why, as I've not tinkered with anything (to my knowledge) that would affect this.
I am turn ~50 or so in a game and everything was working beautifully... or so I thought. Then I tried to trade some spells between an AI and it had no spells to trade. Odd. So I tried another. It had one spell -- it's starting mage perk spell. That was it. A third also had no spells. :-(
I can research spells just fine. I am going to try some older saves of the mod to see if I can pinpoint when this began. Before my last round of major changes (adding a new custom race and a handful of new lords), I know for a fact that the AI was working fine.
Would you guys have any ideas about how to troubleshoot this?
Thanks!
EDIT: Problem solved!
I tinkered with data.xr AFTER I started a game. I was 7 turns in or so and my change was crashing the game because the object I edited was already built. So I went back to turn 1 and it worked. I guess there were other odd side-effects though -- like the AI refusing to research. So I just started a new game after fully reloading and it worked fine -- AIs are researching again!
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