What does it take to create a new climate? Is it possible?

[Myrddraal]

I've been trying to create a new climate (blight for those of you interested in WoT). I've edited nine files:

• Data\descr_geography.txt (I've renamed descr_geography.db so that it parses the text file instead)
• Data\text\climates.txt
• Data\descr_water_types.txt
• Data\descr_water
• Data\descr_landscape_gound_types.txt
• Data\dercr_ground_type_db.txt
• Data\descr_climates_lookup.txt
• Data\descr_aerial_map_ground_types.txt
• Data\descr_climates.txt

I've made a complete copy of rocky_desert, and I can't find any other files which refer to rocky_desert. Is this possible?

[Monkwarrior]

I am not sure if this is what you're looking for:

Data\terrain\
	\aerial_map\
		\ground_types\
			desert_rocky_low_fertility.tga
			desert_rocky_medium_fertility.tga

		\tile_textures\rocky_desert\

	\battlefield\rocky_desert\
Data\models_vegetation\
	rockydesert_foliage_01.cas
	rockydesert_foliage_02.cas
	rockydesert_rock_01.cas
	...
	rockydesert_rock_05.cas

Data\vegetation\
		rocky_desert_rock.vege
		rocky_desert_scrub.vege
	\textures\
		rocky_desert_foliage_01.tga.dds
		rocky_desert_rock_canopy.tga.dds
		rocky_desert_rocks_01.tga.dds
		rocky_desert_rocks_02.tga.dds
	\sprites\		
rocky_desert_rock_0.tga.dds
		rocky_desert_rock_1.tga.dds
		rocky_desert_scrub_0.tga.dds
		rocky_desert_scrub_1.tga.dds

If not, just forget it.

[Myrddraal]

Hm, I thought that those files were allocated to climates in the text files. So the new climate would use all the files you stated... But I'm not sure I'll check it out. Otherwise I'll just have to replace an existing climate...

[eadingas]

Well, a quick search for 'rocky_desert' in files gives this:
- descr_daytypes.txt
- descr_grass (though not applicable for rocky_desert)
- descr_settlement_plan (for battlefield vegetation)
- descr_sounds_enviro.txt (for ambient sounds)
- descr_sounds_stratmap.txt (for map sounds)
- descr_vegetation.txt (for battlefield vegetation)

[eadingas]

Well, any luck here? I tried to copy sandy_desert to a new climate in all the files (including sounds), and it still doesn't work...

[Myrddraal]

Nope, no luck. I tried it, and when I placed it on the campaign map it came up purple/pink instead of the right textures, and in battle it was invisible nearby (you could see sky through the floor), but visible in the distance (I suppose where they use colours instead of textures)

[eadingas]

Hmm? Maybe we should combine our efforts, then :)
I got the climate to appear on the map perfectly, but I can't fight a battle near it or the game CTDs...

[Myrddraal]

Well I don't get it. I basically searched for any text files containing the word rocky_desert in Data, and in each of those I copied the entry for rocky_desert and replaced it with Blight. I found that there were two files which required RGB values, and I put in RGB values which I then used in map_climates.

I haven't actally fought a battle in the new climate, I just clicked view settlement to have a look. See if that works for you. How did you get it to appear on the campaign map?

I get the impression that you've got further than this with me. The pink colour is what it ususally throws up when it doesn't recognise a colour in map_climates.tga...

[eadingas]

Are you sure you used correct RGB in climates map?
I did the same thing as you, and got just opposite results - it works on campaign map, doesn't work in battle. Weird.. send me the files to my e-mail addres, won't you?

[knoddy]

hey sorry if this seems a bit off topic but with the existing climates does anyone know which have snow in the winter half of the year and which dont. im editing my camp map and got some interesting results when i editing the climates one so any help would be good cheers.

[Encaitar]

Mediterranean, Semi-Arid, Rocky Desert, and Sandy Desert do not become snow covered.

[eadingas]

Hey myrdraal, I got the same bug as you, and it was because of a typo in descr_aerial_map_ground_types. Don't know if it helps your case :)

[Myrddraal]

Do you mean it not appearing on the campaign map?

I'll check it out. It could be because of anything when you think about it...

Did you try viewing a settlement in your new climate? Thats how I got it to work on the battlemap. I haven't actually fought a battle in the new climate...

[Myrddraal]

Well I can't get on MSN for some reason...

For the benefit of others, I now have the climate appearing on campaign map, but crashing in battle, like eadingas.

The results of my tests with descr_geography.db were that when I renamed it, and fought a battle elsewhere than my new climate, the battle loaded, the the ground was transparent in the forground, and white (snow as it was winter) in the background.

This would make it seem that either the game does not parse descr_geography.txt or that descr_geography.txt does not contain all the info that the .db file does.

I realised that we might be missing something in that there are several files and two folders I think which contain the names of climates. I made a copy of these files and renamed them.

Now when I try to play a battle on the new climate, it reaches the loading bar, but crashes early on. Did this happen before I renamed the files? I can't remember if it CTD before the loading bar...

The game still CTD's

[Encaitar]

I've been trying to modify the appearance of existing climates (by changing the tga references in descr_geography.txt). Without descr_geography.db I get the same result as you (see through floor, snow surroundings). I've also tried editing the references directly in the descr_geography.db file using a hex editor, but that got the same result.

[Myrddraal]

descr_geography is a pain. Its unusual because usually when CA included a txt and a .db the game first tries to parse the .db, and otherwise tries the .txt
This doesn't seem to work for descr_geography.

Did you try to change the filenames to filenames of the same length? I don't know if this would affect it but maybe?

[Encaitar]

No, different lengths. Hasn't worked for me before (in other files), but figured I'd try it anyway.

[Dol Guldur]

Has anyone successfuly created new or modified climates yet?

[Muizer]

Has anyone successfuly created new or modified climates yet?

Modified them, yes. In the course of my work on the RTR 7 map I ran into the issue of the lack of climates without winter snow. The problem was the colouring of the battlemap beyond the battlefield itself. The clues on how to modify those can be found in a guide about battlemap modification I put up at

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=55785

Greets

Muizer

[Epistolary Richard]

That is one mighty piece of work, Muizer! I don't really know enough about battlemap files to follow all of it - you said it includes how to change the colour of the ground in the distance? Could you point me in the direction of the section of your tute that lets you do that?

[Muizer]

That is one mighty piece of work, Muizer! I don't really know enough about battlemap files to follow all of it - you said it includes how to change the colour of the ground in the distance? Could you point me in the direction of the section of your tute that lets you do that?

Yeah it is mentioned as an aside really, with most of the guide focusing on the distribution in space of colours textures and small scale relief.

In any case, read the section on setting up a hex editor for editing descr_geography.db and the section on editing values.
Open descr_geography.db. In it, following each of the pathnames that point to a texture (such as "sand, rock" etc.) there's a block of 3 numbers in byte format detailing the corresponding BlueGreenRed code.

MZR

[Dol Guldur]

Yes,a good guide indeed; I will review this in the future when I get to battlemap modding - if ever I do!

[dclare4]

It's climate related so I'll ask here... would it be possible to replace snow with rain and then have it so that the more than four turns a year mod is randomized (so you can have several turns without rain then only a short interval without rain sandwiched between two rain turns randomly).

Just wondering if it's possible!

Many thanks,
Lord Clare / Harlechman
Zulu Total War Team