Help in making an new map

[komninos]

Hi all,

For some time I have tried to make a new map for RTW but I can't manage to make it. Though I have modified many existing maps I have never managed to get a new map working in the game. This is the latest attempt to make a new map. It uses the terrain parameters of BareBones big map. I have set all the files and made a minimum start file with 3 regions (two for the faction and one for the slaves) but as all others files to load.

Can any one help me with what is wrong with this thing? Click here to get the self extracting file (http://users.tellas.gr/~trav/test3.exe)

Thanks

[Makanyane]

Can you explain exactly when it crashes i.e from which screen and does it return to menu or go straight to desktop.

Also would it be possible to post as a normal .zip or .rar file? (I'm not keen on loading self extracting .exe!)

[komninos]

Hi Makanyane,

I though it would be better since not all of us prefer the .RAR format I to don't trust exe files but I would like to believe fellow modders will not play tricks, I am a bit old school on ethics. It is a self extracting rar of the map directory "test3" with all the txt and the TGA files in it.

The CDT happens after you select your faction and it tries to generate the map. Unfortunately RTW is not very verbose at this point on error messages.

Apparently it has to do with the ratio thing ... but I cant avoid it, the map is based on the East Mediterranean Basin that means a lot of sea in it. But please have a look an drop me a line on what to do with it.

Thanks

[Silver Rusher]

I think you may have to include quite a bit of the Middle East and North Africa for this map to work, unless you want to shrink it down. The landmass ratio is probably the most pointless of all the hardcoded restrictions in RTW, and that's saying something, and to this day I have not been able to understand why CA put it in. Perhaps it has something to do with CPU being taken up by the 3d graphics of the sea?

[Makanyane]

Hi, Komninos, wasn't mistrusting you really just didn't wondered where it was going to want to extract to but browse function makes it OK.
Silver Rusher is right that you will definitely have problem with that large a sea area on that size map, see:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=66332
for some research and experimentation with that.

the mod Silver Rusher mentions in that thread is the closest one I've seen to what you were aiming at (the Crusades) but they say that they had to reduce map heights down to 521 x 591 and its also got more land.
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=61093&page=3

If you want to test out that other files are working take the ports off map_regions rename / backup your map_heights and make a replacement version that is right size and flood fill with RGB 1,1,1 'black' so all is land - so temporarily eliminating land-mass ratio problem. That will let you test out that your text files are working.

P.s. I'm not sure if for that size map you might also meet a problem on the maximum size of a region (thought I had a flaw with that once but never really tested) - I've normally use a few more provinces since just in case.

[komninos]

Hi thanks for the info,

I made a large number of regions to avoid any region problems and deleted initially the deep part of the Mediterranean.

This worked but then when I inserted at the lower side a patch of land (sahara) it failed to load ... so I returned to the use of a land piece for the central part of the Mediterranean sea this part is now surrounded my unpassable mountain so it will not be used ... as it was in bronze age ships moved on costal waters.

Now my problem is that the game does not recognize the first region in descr_regions.txt ... what might be causing it??

The message is "Couldn't find region name 'Mycenae_reg' in string table. All the files (descr_regions.txt, descr_regions_and_settlement_name_lookup.txt, test3_regions_and_settlement_names.txt, descr_strat.txt) have the definition.

[Makanyane]

The

Couldn't find region name 'Mycenae_reg' in string table
message should mean that it is missing, mis-spelt, missing capital letter (it is case sensitive) or has space instead of _ , or possibly space within {}, etc, somewhere in those files. Try changing all instances of it to 'test' or something really simple to check.

If that doesn't work, the fact that is the first region could be a clue, I've had 'can't build settlement' problems for first region in descr_strat, which seemed to relate to descr_strat being wrong format for RTW patch version, rather than error specific to region. You could have variation on that.

It sounds like you got it to load before, as you say putting land in med. worked, if so, what changed since then?

[komninos]

Hi,

Unfortunately all the above are correct and the start files looks like it is ok.
The map never loaded fully but the map.rwm was created for it and that is far more than what I had before.

descr_regions.txt
Mycenae_reg
Mycenae
greek_cities
Achaeans
0 110 220
wine, slaves, olive_oil, dogs, pigs
5
8

descr_regions_and_settlement_name_lookup.txt
Mycenae_reg
Mycenae

test3_regions_and_settlement_names.txt
{Mycenae_reg} Region of Mycenae
{Mycenae} Mycenae

descr_strat.txt
...
settlement
{
level town
region Mycenae_reg

year_founded 0
population 1200
settlement_tax 50
plan_set default_set
faction_creator greek_cities
building
{
type core_building governors_house
}
building
{
type defenses wooden_pallisade
}
building
{
type barracks militia_barracks
}
building
{
type equestrian stables
}
}

[Makanyane]

Can't spot anything in that at the moment - could you post all files again?

[komninos]

yes,

here are the files (http://users.tellas.gr/~trav/test3.rar).

Thanks Makanyane you have been a great help.

[Makanyane]

I think I've found that source of problem is data/text/text3_regions etc..
after some experimentation with your new files I've got a version to load based on the first ones you posted, proof:
https://img118.imageshack.us/img118/3528/loadedvk5.th.jpg (https://img118.imageshack.us/my.php?image=loadedvk5.jpg)
Have been slightly round in circles on this but I think that's just based on your old files with newer map_heights to avoid landmass crash.

This does have graphical problems (but not CTD) on my computer which I think are due to too large regions.

To get this far I made a copy of data/text/imperial_campaign_regions_and_settlements.txt
and overwrote the first regions so they currently read:

{one} Britannia Inferior
{two} Tribus Saxones
{three} Locus Gepidae
{proti} Hyperboria
{deuteri} Tribus Sakae
{triti} Hibernia
{Tribus_Alanni} Tribus Alanni
{Tribus_Silurii} Tribus Silurii
{Locus_Gothi} Locus Gothi
etc. default saved in Notepad and then renamed file to text3_etc.

I assume from this that whatever you're using to ammend / create text files is having problem with this one, I tried resaving your versions as ANSI then UNICODE using Notepad and Word but neither helped. Don't really understand problem as I'm sure the ones I've written from scratch for BI worked! EDIT: Just re-checked actually this data/text file isn't one I started from scratch, I'd just put mine on end of barbarian_invasion version, generally by copying, pasting and ammending last region - so that may be why that worked.

Currently you'll also get crash on loading bar caused by radar_maps being too large - for 1.5 you can just delete / rename them - and make proportionately smaller versions later if you wish.

Also when you add more regions you shouldn't use faction creators in descr_regions that don't exist in descr_strat - and to be safe I don't use rebel types that relate to non-existant factions.

[komninos]

Hi,

I also use notepad for editing, ... but I think that I made the test3 fire from scratch. I will do the same and check again. I will remake the the start to reflect all the factions in regions. thanks for that one.

I will also try to decrease the size of the "brier reef" in the middle of the Mediterranean to get something more realistic. a series of large islands might work.

[komninos]

Hi,

Apparently making a new file from scratch is not recommended. I used the existing text file and it worked well. I steel can't load the map though. It popped a lot of errors in the start file but all that is now fixed. All areas appear OK and all the factions represented in the regions file are in the start file too.

And as I thought that all is well ... well it CTD with out any message just after creating the map.rwm. So any ideas out there on what might be causing this???

[Makanyane]

Did it get out of the faction selection screen and part way along loading bar?
If so did you remember to remove your large radar_maps ??

[komninos]

Yes I have removed the files but no it did not get to the loading screen I think it CTD just before entering that stage.

[Makanyane]

It could be your generals (named character / spies etc) names - either they are not in descr_names at all or they belong to the wrong faction. This includes rebel generals names which have to belong to the names section for the faction they are sub_faction of.

Have just experimented by putting deliberate errors in a working strat, it picked up settlement name error above wrong generals name and gave message. I fixed that and deleted .rwm, then on next attempt it got down to generals name error and just CTD'd after making rwm as you described.

Therefore if this is your problem your rougue general is below the last error you fixed in descr_strat - hope that helps!

[komninos]

Hi,

Unfortunately I did not use a slave general ... and the rest were copies of valid generals in other valid strat files. I went and checked all names and created a slave general the error purists. The thing is that I have passed the file from the TIME editor to check it and I am positive it introduced some extra errors in there.

For one all egyptian cities missed there creator faction and the faction attribute table was messed up. But I have fixed that.

I think I will make a new file for you to have a look if that is OK with you.
=================
Edit

I have updated the files (http://users.tellas.gr/~trav/test3.rar) again.
To use them you will have to change the leader of the Greek Cities from Atreas to a valid name or add Atreas at the names as I have done.
From the events log in my PC I get an application error 6 and 7 but there is no explanation to what they are.

[komninos]

Hi,

If anyone can help with this I would really appreciate it. I have tried to change the names but it is always the same result :wall: ... a CTD just before loading begins.

You will have to change the name of the leader of the Greek_cities since you will not have this one but I have used it in other campaigns and it worked fine.