Friday's Report from Brisbane

[Epistolary Richard]

As many of you know I’ve had the delightful opportunity to spend a full week with the Medieval 2 Total War Developers in their office in Brisbane. The primary purpose has been to discuss what the modding community has achieved, what it’s looking to do with Medieval 2 and explore ideas as to how CA might support this effort.

In addition, I’ve also had the chance to poke around at the game itself and quiz some of the developers directly with both the community’s questions I’d previously collated and quite a few of my own.

Now, with a couple of days under my belt – and with the weekend coming up where the studio will be sadly closed (I will have my nose pressed up against the window until Monday) – I’m happy to be able to pass back some of my initial findings.



AI

Many of the questions which the community posed which I brought to Brisbane with me related to the AI. In terms of the Battle AI as Palamedes recently commented a lot of work has gone into having it react as an army rather than as a collection of units – and as he says this work continues. I’ve had several conversations on this topic which have included the new priorities incorporated in settlement defence and assault. I may have the chance to present some real life examples of AI behaviour next time.

For the modders, we have a couple of new files in the game to play with: config_ai_battle.xml which includes part of the AI’s threat assessment evaluations for various different types of battle (settlements, river crossings, open field) and battle_config.xml with which we can alter several rules such as skirmishing distance, plaza capture time and soldier movement across ladders and towers.

But the Campaign AI has not been ignored – we have new files descry_campaign_ai_db.xml which allows alteration of a faction’s approach to its long term goals and its approach to other factions – it’s readiness to attack and tendency to trust and ally. When I mention that this file is nearly 2,000 lines long you can see that it is considerably more detailed than Rome’s ‘Fortified Napoleon’ and ‘Trader Henry’ AI personalities.

Another new file descr_faction_standing.txt provides over a hundred triggers which impacts of faction’s standing in relation to its fellows using a similar language to the trait and advice files.


Recruitment

One of the new features introduced in M2 is the idea of recruitment pools within settlements. I’ve still not had a chance to look at this in much detail, but from what I’ve seen the availability of units appears to be driven through the export_descr_buildings.txt file and therefore eminently alterable.


Models & Textures

As we predicted – the great advancements made in M2 that allowed them to banish the ‘clone’ armies and provide such graphical improvements as we’ve seen in the previews and demos have only been possible by taking a different approach in how model and texture information is stored and referenced. We should keep in mind therefore that modelers and skinner will probably not have as straightforward a transition as coders will from Rome to M2.


Scripting

Some very exciting news in terms of the scripts: the imperial campaign in M2 operates using a campaign script. I checked and confirmed that this means that you can run a campaign script and still save the game – and when the game is reloaded the script automatically reactivates. Though there are a couple of limitations, this means that script files can now be fully integrated within the game and be constantly running in the background of the campaign.

Aside from this, just from scanning the campaign script, there are several new commands used giving us intriguing new options in terms of manipulating the challenge of campaigns. More to come on this later – and hopefully CA, as they have done before, will provide us with the docudemon files listing the events, commands, conditions and console commands used by the scripting language.

[Kagemusha]

Great information ER! Keep up the good work. It must be terrible hot there in Brisbane with those Moderator rags.

[ENSAIS]

Thank you the report! It appears to you have already gotten some juicy tidbits on modding aspects that should greatly enrich the MTW2 gaming experience. Given the amount of accumulated community experience in TW modding (which we can see in the Demo tweaks already out there) I just can't wait to play this game... and the mods that will eventually make it even better.

If you can, please convey to CA that we are greatful that they would make the investment in this community to send you there. I am confident that in doing so, you will be able to see and articulate to them any pressing issue that could be addressed before the game is released (a la kill rates in RTW, etc... that most fans in the community picked up on right away, and which seemed to continue to be a consistently articulated criticism).

So.. thanks.

ENSAIS

[Kushan]

Great news ER, Thanks for the update :)

Kushan

[Shigawire]

Grreat to hear from you mate. Love the idea of recruitment pool.. F'IN ace!

Don't eat too many kangaroos though. And dont go Koala hunting. Not only are they too cute to kill, but they are protected.

[Epistolary Richard]

Don't eat too many kangaroos though. And dont go Koala hunting. Not only are they too cute to kill, but they are protected.

I got shot in the head by a M2TW animator at paintball on Saturday... methinks the Koalas aren't the only critter that need protecting...

[BozosLiveHere]

Did you see an OR operator in the scripts? Any info on edct?

[deguerra]

I got shot in the head by a M2TW animator at paintball on Saturday... methinks the Koalas aren't the only critter that need protecting...

hehehe, didnt even realize we still had paintballing in Aussie.

In any case, great update!!

[Faenaris]

Great report, Epistolary Richard. I enjoyed reading it and I thank you for your effort.

Did you get some info regarding the faction limit? Is it 20? Or 30?

[Elessar]

These are really good news, although I am very curious how fast we'll menage to make new models and textures of units for M2. I suppose that will be at least few months until someone clever will make new import/export scripts, I am mainly thinking about Vercigonterix here hehe =)

[Antagonist]

Good to hear from you ER, thanks for the update. Very interesting indeed. I'm glad to hear about increased moddability of the AI in particular. Keep em' coming.

Antagonist

[Encaitar]

hehehe, didnt even realize we still had paintballing in Aussie.

In any case, great update!!

Only in certain states

Good stuff ER. Promising to see more moddable AI (and in xml files). I just hope there's a decent battle map editor back.

[The_Mark]

Did you see an OR operator in the scripts? Any info on edct?

OR! Did we get an OR? Did we? Did we?

[Duke John]

I suppose that will be at least few months until someone clever will make new import/export scripts, I am mainly thinking about Vercigonterix here hehe =)

I hope for you that Vercingetorix or another code doesn't try to make that tool at all. Otherwise you would indeed have a tool, but a buggy and incomplete one. If there isn't one made by the community then the more pressure CA will feel to release one themselves.

[PROMETHEUS]

There is no reason to think that a tool made by CA won't be more buggy than a community made one , We as users and modders want a goodworking one , they as developers do not care enough for the modders as seen lot of times in past , but I hope they do this time .....

BTW ER I hope they will give us the following tools if possible

sprite generator
landscape editor (possibility to import/esport custom made layouts from max or not)
unit editor (possibility to import/export unit parts and assempble as they seem todo , may be a pool in a folder for each unit type?)
sound editor
animation editor

[PROMETHEUS]

Questions , will we be able to mod specific time progression ? Like months , days , years or seasons? If so will we be able to mod in Seasonal changes? so to have four different types?
This is another important feature for localized mods in peculiar timeframe and location.....

[Sinuhet]

Nice report, and good news for modders, thanks ER.

[alpaca]

Some good news here :)
What about modding tools? And will we have variables in scripts?

How long is that background script?

[Myrddraal]

I checked and confirmed that this means that you can run a campaign script and still save the game

YES!

Ahhhhhh... Please pass on my thanks ER. Thank you very much any CA devs who browse the forums.

[wilddog]

Nice information.

Anything you can find out about campaign map editing limits would be great. Especially the sea issue.

Regarding the AI Campaign anything about 'giving direction' or how the AI decides to move towards an objective would help.

Also, nice to hear about some of the battle AI parameters. Following from Palamedes information and the info you found out about what can we amend is there any plan or files to allow editable 'weighting' (ie parameters) to staying in a particular formation or information about the terrain or enemy for influencing a formation?

[Duke John]

There is no reason to think that a tool made by CA won't be more buggy than a community made one

Uhm, perhaps because CA would have had a very hard time making M2:TW if their tool was buggy?

[Elessar]

Heh, good point DJ. But I still can't imagine CA releasing unit model/texture editor of any kind. That seems just... *unreal* ^^' I fear community will have to deal with this problem itself again =/ If you, ER or anyone can prove me wrong, then that will be the most cheerful moment of my life

[Duke John]

Well, neither can I. I can understand if CA doesn't release one. What I do hate, is keeping the modders in the dark about wether they will or not. Who cares about a factionlimit. The game is not any less moddeable if the limit is 32 instead of 21. I do not understand why people keep asking such trivial details when the most needed modding support (the tools) is seen as a given. Something which was clearly not if you look at CA's history concerning modding support.

A game is not modding friendly if you need to hack your way into the files.

[Faenaris]

Well, neither can I. I can understand if CA doesn't release one. What I do hate, is keeping the modders in the dark about wether they will or not. Who cares about a factionlimit. The game is not any less moddeable if the limit is 32 instead of 21. I do not understand why people keep asking such trivial details when the most needed modding support (the tools) is seen as a given. Something which was clearly not if you look at CA's history concerning modding support.

A game is not modding friendly if you need to hack your way into the files.

While you are absolutely correct, Duke John, I wouldn't call the faction limit issue trivial. A lot of mods are already preparing to mod M2TW and having more options is very nice. Imagine if Europa Barbarorum had more faction slots, creating an even grander experience. The mod tools ARE important, even the most important thing for the modders. But hardcode limits are a modders headache too.

[Shigawire]

Well compared to modding tools, the factionlimit is indeed negligible and trivial.

[DukeofSerbia]

battle_config.xml with which we can alter several rules such as skirmishing distance, plaza capture time and soldier movement across ladders and towers.

This sound promising.

But the Campaign AI has not been ignored – we have new files descry_campaign_ai_db.xml which allows alteration of a faction’s approach to its long term goals and its approach to other factions – it’s readiness to attack and tendency to trust and ally. When I mention that this file is nearly 2,000 lines long you can see that it is considerably more detailed than Rome’s ‘Fortified Napoleon’ and ‘Trader Henry’ AI personalities.

Another new file descr_faction_standing.txt provides over a hundred triggers which impacts of faction’s standing in relation to its fellows using a similar language to the trait and advice files.

Excellent. Just we needed. I hope that this time diplomacy will work well, not like in RTW.

Questions to Epistolary Richard?

1. Some files are xml and some are txt? Why usage of both types?
2. Is there any news that will be possible to script historical persons (like there is heroes.txt in MTW)? I mean after defined period there will be candidate for adoption or garrison commander, but he is de facto historical person?

Who cares about a factionlimit. The game is not any less moddeable if the limit is 32 instead of 21. I do not understand why people keep asking such trivial details when the most needed modding support (the tools) is seen as a given. Something which was clearly not if you look at CA's history concerning modding support.

A game is not modding friendly if you need to hack your way into the files.

I agree. 32 factions mean nothing except more time to add them and without good tools even more time.

[alpaca]

In RTW all files were txt with a custom format.
For MTW2 they apparently decided to create new description files in XML, which is becoming the standard for that part of programming.

And, while the modding tools would be the most important issue for any modder, most modders don't dare hope to get some from CA. And the importance of modding tools doesn't mean that the faction limit shouldn't be mentioned at all...

[HighLord z0b]

While you are absolutely correct, Duke John, I wouldn't call the faction limit issue trivial. A lot of mods are already preparing to mod M2TW and having more options is very nice. Imagine if Europa Barbarorum had more faction slots, creating an even grander experience. The mod tools ARE important, even the most important thing for the modders. But hardcode limits are a modders headache too.

I agree, we obviously need good modding tools more than this info however the faction limit is hardly trivial. It shouldn't be a difficult question to answer at this stage either.