Some random questions

[anti_strunt]

Just some random questions about modding MTW... Thanks in advance for all replies.

1. What is the maximum number of provinces? I've heard 100, 108, 110... does anyone know exactly what it is, and does it include sea provinces, Sahara-like empty areas etc.? This is very important...

2. Can mercenaries (note that I mean REAL mercenaries in the MTW bought-from-an-Inn sense, not just normally recruited troops CALLED mercenaries!) be restricted to a specific area, so that no Alans show up in Ireland and no Bonnachts on the Steppes? Basically I'm asking if the excellent region-based merc. system of RTW could be replicated at all?

3. Is there any maximum number of factions?

4. Can you have a unit available for recruitment as long as a specific building is NOT built (so that, for example, you can only build peasants as long as you HAVEN'T built 20%+ farmlands)?

More might be coming, keep fighting the good fight!

[Alexandr III. Biges]

Just some random questions about modding MTW... Thanks in advance for all replies.
1. What is the maximum number of provinces? I've heard 100, 108, 110... does anyone know exactly what it is, and does it include sea provinces, Sahara-like empty areas etc.? This is very important...

The number of regions is restricted to 254 including sea regions and regions can have a maximum number of 15 neighbours. Any more and Medieval will crash.

2. Can mercenaries (note that I mean REAL mercenaries in the MTW bought-from-an-Inn sense, not just normally recruited troops CALLED mercenaries!) be restricted to a specific area, so that no Alans show up in Ireland and no Bonnachts on the Steppes? Basically I'm asking if the excellent region-based merc. system of RTW could be replicated at all?

Yes, just don't forget to mark them as they may be a mercenaries and specify regions where they may be "built" only. The problem is, when these regions are not present near battle zone, than you have an option of raising mercenary magnetism of inns and/or decrease mercenary de-magnetism of castles and/or create new building with high mercenary magnetism and set them to specific areas as non-buildable (maybee even non-destructible, if it's possible).

3. Is there any maximum number of factions?

32 including rebels.

4. Can you have a unit available for recruitment as long as a specific building is NOT built (so that, for example, you can only build peasants as long as you HAVEN'T built 20%+ farmlands)?

Interesting question. It may be also used to specific clan-related troops, which would be recruitable only unless you have feudal specifi building (these which train royal knights etc.). But sadly no. At least I don't know how would this be possible.

[anti_strunt]

Thanks a lot for your replies, they were most helpful! However, I'm not 100% sure I understood what you said here:

Yes, just don't forget to mark them as they may be a mercenaries and specify regions where they may be "built" only. The problem is, when these regions are not present near battle zone, than you have an option of raising mercenary magnetism of inns and/or decrease mercenary de-magnetism of castles and/or create new building with high mercenary magnetism and set them to specific areas as non-buildable (maybee even non-destructible, if it's possible).

If I have understood you correctly, this means that if I created a unit which was only available as a mercenary and limited it to be "built" in a certain province, it would only show up as a recruitable mercenary (in an Inn etc.) in the relevant province... So I could create a "Mercenary Desert Archer" unit and restrict it to only be recruitable as a mercenary in the same provinces as regular Desert Archers, and it would NOT show up in Inns in Italy or France.
Would this be correct? Sorry to be so bothersome.

[anti_strunt]

Some more random questions:

1. Can more eras be introduced? Could I, for instance, create a new "Renaissance" era which would start in 1500 and introduce a bunch of new units?

2. What is the maximum number of units? 300?

3. Is there a maximum size (just pure size, not number of provinces or anything) for the campaign map?

4. Can factions be made to start a campaign as allies or at war with eachother?

5. Can buildings be linked to eras?

Thanks again in advance for all replies.

[william the bastard]

Move to repositary, you will find a lot of answers

[Alexandr III. Biges]

Thanks a lot for your replies, they were most helpful! However, I'm not 100% sure I understood what you said here:
If I have understood you correctly, this means that if I created a unit which was only available as a mercenary and limited it to be "built" in a certain province, it would only show up as a recruitable mercenary (in an Inn etc.) in the relevant province... So I could create a "Mercenary Desert Archer" unit and restrict it to only be recruitable as a mercenary in the same provinces as regular Desert Archers, and it would NOT show up in Inns in Italy or France.
Would this be correct? Sorry to be so bothersome.

Well, I'v seen it in some mods, but I'v not seen it working, but it's not good idea anyway, because, in contrast to RTW, you can not merge mercenaries nor give them better armor etc. Better just set them as a regular unit to specific region with the need of Inn and maybee an another unit, their prace and/or unkeep higher and probably more than one turn to recruit.

[Alexandr III. Biges]

[QUOTE=anti_strunt]Some more random questions:

1. Can more eras be introduced? Could I, for instance, create a new "Renaissance" era which would start in 1500 and introduce a bunch of new units?

Yes, take a look, this is from Hellenic total war conversion (the start of campmap/startpos/Hellenic_CL.txt file):
//========================================
//campaign name can either be text or a
//label. Set predefined accordingly
//========================================
cn_predefined:: FALSE
cn_title:: "Classical Era"
cn_short_title:: "Classical"
//========================================
//campaign description: can either be text
//or a label. set predefined accordingly
//========================================
cd_predefined:: TRUE
cd_line:: "Era_description_Classical"
//cd_line::
//cd_predefined:: FALSE
//========================================
//hidden : set to true or false
//true means it won't show up on custom battle screens
//========================================
cd_hidden:: TRUE
//=======================================
//
// Set the sub-directory where this
// gametypes map files can be found.
//
//=======================================
SetMapTexturesSubdir:: "Hellenic"
//=======================================
//production files to be used for this
//startpos
//=======================================
Prodfiles:: UNITPROD "Hellenic_unit_prod2.txt" BUILDINGPROD "Hellenic_BUILD_PROD2.TXT"
//========================================
//Start Date
//The year in which this
//campaign will begin
//========================================
SetStartDate:: 450
SetPeriod:: LATE
SetEarlyPeriodStartDate:: 100
SetHighPeriodStartDate:: 250
SetLatePeriodStartDate:: 450
SetGameEndDate:: 550
-------------------------------------------------

2. What is the maximum number of units? 300?

I think it must be less than 255 plus maybee some are reserved, so consider ~ 200-240

3. Is there a maximum size (just pure size, not number of provinces or anything) for the campaign map?

Don't know, probably not.

4. Can factions be made to start a campaign as allies or at war with eachother?

No, this is known problem, you would have to make a save game with this, than a player may choose his faction via debug commands.

5. Can buildings be linked to eras?
Thanks again in advance for all replies.

Yes and no. Each era has its specific configuration file for building, howeve, when you start early era, you can have all buildings in high and late. But if you start High, you have another conf. file, which may introduce different buildings.
Take a look in txt files in your MTW directory, these with "PROD" in their names.
And download Dragon MTW Editor, there's related topic in mod forum. :)