10 new customisable BIF folders in VI !!!!!

[Wellington]

Guys,

ECS has just confirmed he is 'relaxing' the hardcoded BIF foler names in MTW and thus making 10 new BIF folders available for VI (customisable for new unit sprites), names custom0 to custom9.

Check the thread -

http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin....ry87167 (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=7;t=6080;st=50;r=1;&#entry87167)

For those who understand the implications of this, it's BRILLIANT news.

For those of us who don't, never mind Its still BRILLIANT news

Welly

[TosaInu]

Great news indeed. Are these extra empty bif folders or are they already used by the new VI units?

Edit: just read the topic, sounds great.

[Wellington]

Quote[/b] (TosaInu @ Feb. 20 2003,13:00)]Great news indeed. Are these extra empty bif folders or are they already used by the new VI units?

Edit: just read the topic, sounds great.
Entirely new customisable BIF folders, TosaInu, from what ECS says - he's described them as 'custom0' to 'custom9'.

Presumably the new VI add-on will have the original 34 BIF folders, several more for any new I units AND the new 10 customisable ones.

I only hope we don't buy VI and find these new 10 are not really customisable due to other hardcoded constraints.

The real problem with hard-coding things is that one tends to forget all the areas in which the hard-coding is effective. Good software people do NOT hard code things - as it tends to make their lives a nightware later.

It really is FAR EASIER NOT TO HARD CODE THINGS However, hard-coding is done for marketing reasons - not programming considerations.

Let's hope the VI add-on really does aspire to the lofty heights that CA are placing on it (as ECS seems to know his business, for modders and mod recipients requirements, I'm sure this will be the case).

Welly

[Lord Krazy]

Quote[/b] (Wellington @ Feb. 20 2003,14:31)]I only hope we don't buy VI and find these new 10 are not really customisable due to other hardcoded constraints.
I don't see many problems in that area.
The main problem we had was the fact that we
could have new bifs without removing existing ones.
Now we can have 10 unused slots.Weather they are called
coustom or newbif or moretoplaywith is not an issue.
The code will stay the same just with more slots

The fact that we can't give them new weapons though
will be a setback for some.

Overall it's a big improvement http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

LK http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[Wellington]

Quote[/b] (Lord Krazy @ Feb. 20 2003,20:24)]The fact that we can't give them new weapons though
will be a setback for some.
I'm presuming thats just because ECS quickly tested using a mount BIF for a viking infantry unit - hence the weapons error message saying there is no "Weapons.txt" in the folder.

As CA have obviously increased the BIFs for the new Viking units it's seems the new custom0/9 folders will have exaxctly the characteristic as the new VI ones - weapons/shields and everything.

To relese 10 new customisable folders but with no support for weapons/shields would be a pointless exercise.

Hhhm ... whilst we're on a roll wonder if we ask ECS to increase the number of weapons and shields folders (from 8 and 5) http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/idea.gif

[Lord Krazy]

Quote[/b] (Wellington @ Feb. 21 2003,00:15)]
Quote[/b] (Lord Krazy @ Feb. 20 2003,20:24)]The fact that we can't give them new weapons though
will be a setback for some.
I'm presuming thats just because ECS quickly tested using a mount BIF for a viking infantry unit - hence the weapons error message saying there is no "Weapons.txt" in the folder.

As CA have obviously increased the BIFs for the new Viking units it's seems the new custom0/9 folders will have exaxctly the characteristic as the new VI ones - weapons/shields and everything.

To relese 10 new customisable folders but with no support for weapons/shields would be a pointless exercise.

Hhhm ... whilst we're on a roll wonder if we ask ECS to increase the number of weapons and shields folders (from 8 and 5) http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/idea.gif
No I meant that no new weapons slots
in projectile stats will be added.
The eight existing weapons folders will be enough
to deal with them.More would be nice but not
that important and not what I was talkig about.
With no new weapons slots in projectile stats
weans no new types of weapons may be added
to the existing ones.


LK http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[Spino]

Quote[/b] ]No I meant that no new weapons slots
in projectile stats will be added.
The eight existing weapons folders will be enough
to deal with them.More would be nice but not
that important and not what I was talkig about.
With no new weapons slots in projectile stats
weans no new types of weapons may be added
to the existing ones.

This isn't completely true as there will be a new entry in Projectilestats for the Organ Gun. There should also be a new entry for the Flaming arrows CA mentioned. However neither entry gives us a new missile weapon slot for infantry or cavalry. I would love to hear from one of the developers on what we else we can expect to find in the expansion's Projectilestat file (and what else is moddable in the expansion).

[Lord Krazy]

Quote[/b] (Spino @ Mar. 23 2003,15:45)]
Quote[/b] ]No I meant that no new weapons slots
in projectile stats will be added.
The eight existing weapons folders will be enough
to deal with them.More would be nice but not
that important and not what I was talkig about.
With no new weapons slots in projectile stats
weans no new types of weapons may be added
to the existing ones.

This isn't completely true as there will be a new entry in Projectilestats for the Organ Gun. There should also be a new entry for the Flaming arrows CA mentioned. However neither entry gives us a new missile weapon slot for infantry or cavalry. I would love to hear from one of the developers on what we else we can expect to find in the expansion's Projectilestat file (and what else is moddable in the expansion).
Spino,
I'm sorry I think you missed my point.
I was speaking in terms of adding new as in
different to the ones that come with the game
and used by the unit's in the game so we can
add other weapons for the new custom units
without interfering with the existing unit and weapons.


Yes it is true that an organ gun will be added.
Yet I fail to see how that improves the situation.
They could add another 20 slots but if they create
another twenty units to go
with them, we are still in the same situation.
Granted if they did add another twenty
slots, then we probably would have
everything covered anyway http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

So in the context of the topic
new customisable units, however badly put.

According to information from CA thus far.

So to clarify and what I should have said
in the first place.
No new customisable weapons slots will be added
in the projectile stats.txt,
for the Viking expantion


I am not implying this is true.
I am repeating what one of the CA guys
wrote in the main hall.

If don't mind messing around with the other units
you can do a lot of changing without new slots.
I know this, I have infantry that fire cannon balls
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

LK http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif