[Tool] EDU-matic: Automatic unit balance/EDU generation system

[Cute Wolf]

Great job aradan, but I have something to ask (maybe I wasn't too familiar with excel-thing)

I made a new unit, and determine that attack,charge ; defense (ar,sk,sh) ; morale (mo,disc,for)... and just want to get that unit's cost how?

Example:

Wild Guy Spearmen
Pri atk: underhand spear 12, charge 4
def: 1,12,4
morale: 10, impetuous, trained

just what variable I must input... thanks... I just want to have their cost

[Aradan]

The cost is automatically calculated when you click the "Generate Data" button, along with all other stats, have you done that?

[Cute Wolf]

Dunno... I only get this EDU, without anything inside except:

;Generated by the EDU-matic, created by Aradan for Norman Invasion
;Please visit http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=111344 for Aradan's Complete EDU Guide
;Free to use as long as this header is kept in place. Thank you.
;EDU for ...


;########
;This is my Header
;########

Yupz... no unit inside

EDIT
Oh, after checking the check defs button, a dialog box said :Data Cannot be generated, unit descriptions has errors......

[Aradan]

Which means you have to check the ErrorLog sheet, where those errors are detailed, and fix them, before generating data. Let me know if anything weird happens, though I hope everything works as it should.

[Cute Wolf]

Yupz, something is weird, but no more a problem.

I set the program running to BI, but in the error log, all the errors are the lack of culture

Yeah, I know it maybe an unintended glitch, but I end up using english cultures on them...
Many thanks...

[Aradan]

All units must belong to a culture. You can set up a "default" one with all modifiers set to 1 (and all bonuses to 0) and use that, if you like.

[Aradan]

EDU-matic has been updated to version 1.3.

List of changes:

1. Fixed an error in the armour upgrade cost formula
2. Tweaked recruitment, armour upgrade and custom battle cost formulas.
3. Added an ammo modifier attribute to projectiles
4. Training now tied to unit formation
5. Impetuous ability (previously lacking) added as an yes/no option in UnitDefinitions
6. Frighten_foot/mount attribute added to weapons




EDU-matic Advanced:

An alternative version of the tool, called "EDU-matic Advanced" has also been developed. It's main difference to "Basic" is that it has a new ArmourDefinitions sheet where the user may separately define armour sets and upgrades as well as multiple model variations for every one of those (which include armour and shield, and their frequency in the model can also be specified), and the tool then makes all necessary calculations of average armour and shield values, mass, armour upgrade levels, costs, hit sounds and any other relevant attributes for those, plus it automatically assigns armour upgrade levels in case max number is not reached and difference between intended armour levels is >=5 (in order to 'circumvent' the hardcoded +7/3 bonus per upgrade). The Advanced version is intended for M2TW/KGDM, but it can of course work with RTW as well, where model upgrades are not allowed and model variations after the first are ignored.

An excerpt from the tool documentation for the Advanced version:

3. Defining Armour Models

This is done in the ArmourDefinitions sheet. Each row contains the data for an armour model: the type of armour for each bodypart, the armour material, the shield type and the shield material. Things are simple in RTW since each unit only has 1 model and there are no visual model upgrades. However M2TW allows multiple variations per model (we will call these variations collectively a 'model-set'), and each armour upgrade changes the model-set as well.

It's possible to group multiple model definitions together into a model-set, by defining multiple models one right below the other, putting the model-set's name in the first column cell of the first model and leaving the respective cells of the other ones blank. The 'Instances' cell holds the number of times each model/variation appears in a unit's model-set. Armour upgrades can have their own separate model-sets, which can be defined in the same way anywhere on the sheet. When defining model-sets make sure you have named only the first variation of your model-set (you will need to name it when you have just 1 variation as well) and that you have not forgotten to name any sets, as the tool will group all models between two named variations in a single model-set.

The sum of this is that a unit can now have 20% fully armoured guys with tower shields, 30% naked guys with no shields, 35% guys with leather armour and bucklers and 15% guys with some metal, some leather, some bronze, some scale and some steel parts with medium shields, all the same time (thanks to m2's ability for mutliple models per unit) and the unit stats will accurately reflect the average of all those people.
Plus, armour upgrades now don't necessarily mean that your unit's torso armour got a boost, but maybe just that the percentage of armoured men in the unit increased (and the one of unarmoured ones decreased) and therefore your unit is on average better equipped. This is all taken care of by the tool.





Both versions are included in the download.

As always, feedback is welcome.


-----

EDIT: Minor update to version 1.3.1, "unit info" line now activates only for M2TW and not Kingdoms.