Lords of Midnight: Total War

[cherryfunk]

Horseman, that was your first map? Impressive work indeed!

Can I ask as to how you got it up and running? I need to create a map for the Conan mod and all my map experience so far has been modifying existing maps -- I'm not sure how to create one from scratch, especially one that bears no resemblence to any released map... any suggestions as to how to get started?

[Horseman]

Indeed my 1st (and only!)

Big credit needs to go to the guide writers in the Sciptorium and that would be my 1st suggestion for creating your own map.

When I did the loM map i followed the tutorial for creating a provincal campaign to start with and this might be a good idea for you as it will bring most of the files you need to edit to one place. And it will also leave you with a map you know works (the main imperial campaign!)

Whn creating a brand new map from scratch I'd advise starting with only 2 giant provences. When I created the LoM map for example I just had the north and south, you can then allocate land mass to new provences once th emap is working. So create the map as you want it but when you make the regions file just make the size correct and make half 1 colour and the other half a diffent colour....dont forget the black dots for city location....I wouldn't bother with ports at this stage!

Keep the initial ground types as simple as possible. I only used light woods, hills, mountains and fertile plains. You can mix it up later once th emap is working.

Similar job with map heights. I started with only 3 levels, 1 for plains 1 for hills and 1 for mountains.

descr_mercs can be all but wiped out. I left only mercs in latium (reasons why latium in a bit!) You might be ok with no mers at all, I'm not sure.

You will also need to rememmber to go into descr_regions and take out all but the 2 you start with, obviously adding more in as you go!

If you're going to use vanilla RTW for your mod you have to leave Rome and Latium as a settlement and provence together. You can use the files in the text folder to have them called something else in the campaign

Also if you plan on having the Scipii, Brutii and Julii factions with the senate as a super faction (so you still get missions) you also need to keep the 1st regions they're are told to take by the senate (Segesta, Syracuse and Appollina from memory) but same as rome you can use files in the text folder to rename them on the map.

Well hope that all makes sense, I'm sure some more experienced guys will come along soon and give better and simpler advice! Feel free to ask if you get stuck either here or via PM

Mike

[Roman_Man#3]

Horseman covered everything. Though be careful if you map is large scale, two regions may cause it to crash. I had a 1021x600 map before, crashed over a certain region because too few provinces.

[cherryfunk]

Thanks Horseman, that's very useful advice. Do you think the same basic plan will work for making a M2TW map?

Roman, maybe I'll start with 4 regions -- we're going for the maximum map size (because bigger = more epic!)

[Roman_Man#3]

Cherry, I would say 4 regions isn't enough. Maybe go for 12, I had, IIRC, 5-7.

M2TW mapping is very very similiar to RTW mapping, so the plan should work. Only thing you have to remember is to make map_fog.tga(or something like that) all white. the fog.tga is the map that hides the new world on the M2 map.

[Horseman]

I'll just add that I have never moded M2TW, not even a little bit.

But it is the same engine so the basics should probably apply

[mitch23]

just to say that work continues, although we've all been a bit slow recently (having been variously interrupted by real life - grrr!)

we've had some feedback from our small band of alpha-testers, although it seems that our primary aim of balancing the units has been largely overlooked by an uncontrollable urge to play the (very unfinished) campaign game
and i for one can't blame them since i'm suffering the same temptations myself

oh well, i guess we'll get it all balanced eventually - and we've been given a good start in this regard, initially by a collection of my random guesses and then very much bolstered by the carefully studied and calculated data collected by the FATW crew (thanks guys)

Starshatter has made some nice changes to the splash screen, menu screen, and the quotes on the loading screens - and personally i think this improves the whole atmosphere of the mod, makes it feel like a "proper mod"

We're currently looking (looking being easier than doing) at creative use of the Traits & Ancilliaries, and at editing a lot of the 2D graphics - banners, logo's, unit colours, unit cards, and all that kind of stuff

plus i think it's about time i looked into mod foldering - JSGME has worked well for us, but frankly it looks like the way forward is to employ that pesky -mod: switch
i keep putting this off though, as soon as i read about re-directing file links i get a headache (so any advice on this will be very welcome - other than "take aspirin" that is)

-mitch

[Horseman]

how about take ibobufen....much better than asprin for haedaches

[mitch23]

hmm - yes, well , thanks for your help there Mr Horsey

[Makanyane]

plus i think it's about time i looked into mod foldering - JSGME has worked well for us, but frankly it looks like the way forward is to employ that pesky -mod: switch
i keep putting this off though, as soon as i read about re-directing file links i get a headache (so any advice on this will be very welcome - other than "take aspirin" that is)

-mitch

It's not that bad honestly - you should be able to sort it in one day / two tops...
The -mod topic in scriptorium is a bit messy but I think all the info is in there somewhere...

Try it and give a yell if you get into problems.

[mitch23]

thanks Makanyane, i'll have to carefully prepare my addled brain and then i'll have a go

[Drunk-Monk]

I have never played the original (too young) but it sounds quite interesting, and a great idea for a mod. Btw have you made any more progress on this project?

[Ramashan]

plus i think it's about time i looked into mod foldering - JSGME has worked well for us, but frankly it looks like the way forward is to employ that pesky -mod: switch
i keep putting this off though, as soon as i read about re-directing file links i get a headache (so any advice on this will be very welcome - other than "take aspirin" that is)

-mitch

The sooner you go the mod folder route the better as far as re-pathing things go. Took me an entire weekend to re-path all the files I had edited after I finally learned about mod folders.

One suggestion that seems to work well for me is to work with two copies of the vanilla data folder. I just duplicated the Rome Total War folder and named it after the mod I was working on and then create new short cuts for this one on my desktop.

I recommend this because you can work out of one and create your mod folder and toy around with all the files and edit the geography.db and all that stuff without worrying about breaking the game. And if you have any problems all the vanilla files are easily available in the untouched data folder.

Then you just copy and paste your mod folder into the untouched data folder and this will tell you if you did your work right and that others can easy use your mod folder without errors.

It might seem a bit tedious to constantly be moving the mod folder over, but I've found that it has helped me track down problems and errors before I send it out to my team mates and then have to hear them complain about all the errors.

Just a suggestion, take it or leave it.

[Thor the Bassist]

This is looking like an awesome mod. Wish you the best.

Small suggestion. If you have any resources left then you could try making several of the lanscape features from the original game (just downloaded the new version wasn't alive when it was first released!) - caves, villages, small forts, towers etc.

You can then make a battlemap for each of these features. Just a thought.

[mitch23]

Thanks for the suggestion Thor - we hadn't thought too much about the battlemaps yet (seems like a distant detail) - but I like the idea

work on the project has slowed down a lot at the moment - real life interfering etc. and we're currently struggling a bit to regain the momentum

but oneday we will finish it, or at least have a beta release
so far we have released an alpha to a handful of people and had some useful feedback, and all comments from this forum are greatly appreciated - who knows, perhaps a few more nice comments will give us the kickstart we need ;)

[Aradan]

Good to know you're still fighting. Um, what sort of nice comments do you need? :)

[Thor the Bassist]

*Looks for nice comment with icing ontop*

[Horseman]

Yup those sorts of coments are just the ticket

Over the next few weeks/months I should get more time to devote to my projects. Lords of Midnight:TW being the one I'm looking forward to driving forward the most

[Calaurin]

What happened to this mod?

I think Horseman got a very good idea, I played the original Spectrum game in the dawn of time and I would have liked to try it on TW...

[Dol Guldur]

This mod died. The leader disappeared and his couple of assistants did not have the skills and/or time to continue it.

However, an observer of the mod has been working on an M2TW version (and in contact with those assistants).

Find out more here: http://www.modrealms.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=107

[Calaurin]

Thanks a lot Dol Guldur, checking right now !

Might I ask if -since your great experience in modding- will you lend an hand in the project?

[Dol Guldur]

There are a number of projects I would like to help with, and having played the original Lords of Midnight it is of course tempting.

However, as you will know if you frequent TWC, I posted my retirement thread up (I am MasterOfNone there) and have - unfortunately - now fully retired and shall probably not even post much at all anywhere let alone mod.

5 Years is enough for anyone - but it's been a blast


EDIT: Update - this project was abandoned, but another took up the mod for Med2. This can be found on Twcenter.net here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=409897