CA's Modding FAQ

[PSYCHO V]

CA is doing a Modding FAQ. So for all those questions that Jerome and others haven't got around to answering yet, post them here.

[EvilNed]

How do you change/edit the roman factions into another faction in 1.3?

[ararax]

I would like to know about the destroy building command, secondly, I would like to know if they have any easy way to sort through the names of the current generals via scripting. Once the game starts its pretty impossible to figure out what the current faction leaders name is,(This is for useing counters and trasnferring them across as traits) I have a work around but its ugly as hell, so i would like to know about name sorting.

[alpaca]

Can console_command event be used to (re-)spawn factions?
If so, can you give us the syntax?

[wlesmana]

How do you mod gate houses' arrows and boiling oil?

[Dol Guldur]

Could a list be provided of the exact areas and/or specifics (where feasible) of the hardcoded elements in BI? This would save modders wasting time on impossible pursuits.

[SigniferOne]

Question1:

Is it now possible to use descr_skeleton.txt, and does the game parse it?


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Question 2:

Can any scripting functions take counters as parameters, instead of requiring explicitly defined numbers? For example, is it possible to do a script where you do a for() loop, replicated by the game's while command, which browses through each tile on the campaign map, and if it finds a general of one's faction there, to place another general in that spot? Speaking in pseudo-code, this would work like:

define counter x
define counter y

for (x from 0 to map's known width) {
   for (y from 0 to map's known height) {
      if (character X is at tile x,y) // possible to do using CharacterNearTile
         spawn_army at x, y
         ...
         end
   }
}

There the x and y are not specifically defined, but are whatever the counter values may be at that time.

Right now it might seem that all commands require explicit specification of the location, so that if we wanted to replicate the code above using RTW's scripting code, we'd have to explicitly unravel those two for() loops (i.e. the two "while" loops) and explicitly say,

if (General X is present at 1,1)
spawn_army at 1,1

if (General X is present at 1,2)
spawn_army at 1,2

which, considering the size of maps in the game (with both dimensions spanning hundreds of pixels), means that there theoretically will be 10,000 such if loops in order for the script to be able to find General X and place a new army wherever General X might be on the map. And if you have more than one general...

Now granted, optimization is possible and we can use a binary search instead of a linear search (using hidden virtues to divide the map into quadrants, and then search only in that quadrant:

if General X has trait xLocationUnder 50 
   and General X has trait yLocationOver50 
   and has trait yLocationUnder100)

   search x from 0 to 50
     search y from 50 to 100

Still, however, this optimization improves only the actual performance of the script, and still requires a whole lot of coding from the scripter, compared to how easy it could be if counters can be variables.

I have tried this use of counters as variables for two commands: "reposition_character", and "console_command move" command, and for both of them, if I use an expression such as "x, 120" to specify a location, the engine will place the character at 0, 120, regardless of the value x currently holds.

[PROMETHEUS]

could we have a blanck version of files just to be filled in of units , factions buildings etc?

[Simetrical]

Could a list be provided of the exact areas and/or specifics (where feasible) of the hardcoded elements in BI? This would save modders wasting time on impossible pursuits.

This is asking a heck of a lot. More specific questions would probably be more productive.

[Centurion Cato]

There was talk of CA releasing a Campaign Editor, any progress on this?

[PSYCHO V]

This is asking a heck of a lot. More specific questions would probably be more productive.

Yes, please. Try and ask specific questions rather than generalities akin to "how do you mod RTW?". Your more likely to get an answer to specifics.

[Myrddraal]

stickied

[waitcu]

can we edit the seasons easily in BI 1.41 patch ? if the BI have four seasons seletion without any active tool , that would be great !!!!!!!!!!

what's more there are some events like

{dominant_religion} A Powerful Faith
{huns_hording} A Storm from the East!
{new_barbarian_horde} A People in Flight

can i stop them happen ?

[SomeNick]

How do you save Single Player Campaign Battle Replays please ?...


Or do I have to wait for a mod...even though this should be a feature of the game anyway... or possibly>

[Dromikaites]

A way to improve the behavior of AI in battle is to use scripts active during battle time.

The problem is this scripting doesn't work in campaigns because there is no known way we can "read" the army stacks that enter a battle during campaigns (except for the battles we can script at the very beginning of a campaign, when we know the stacks' composition). Being able to read the army stacks is also useful for many other modding purposes.

So my questions for CA regarding scripting are:
1. Is there any hidden command or condition that can be used to read an army stack (or the troops inside a city/fort)?
2. Will such command or condition become available with the next update/patch?

A second group of questions are about the maps. I've discovered by accident that the map_trade_routes.tga is actually used by the game engine. Here's how I've discovered it: I made a very simple map, with only the sea and a plain field, leaving the original map_trade_routes.tga in the directory. The result was the "trade routes" became visible in the radar screen.

So here are my questions about the maps:
3. Is there any way to generate map_heights.hgt file using a command line similar to the one used for the sprites?
4. Is map_trade_routes.tga of any use for modding?

[edyzmedieval]

Couple of questions.

1.)Any help on decoding the diplomacy?!
2.)As Dromikaites said, is trade routes of any use for modding?!
3.)Any help on decoding the religious unrest?!

More to come up, as I explore the BI files.

[lt1956]

Main thing is there going to be a Patch released to fix the Bugs in 1.3 and BI and also make the -mod: switch work more easily with less issues and work arounds?

Several game ruining bugs for Roman based Mod ports for BI and 1.3 ARE.

1. Pilum units for AI do not throw pilums just charge
2. Invasion switch dont seem to do ANYTHING AI behaves the same.
3. Bug where Scipii and Bruitii and any other land based invasions get on and off the boats never expanding properly until the have a province on mainland.
4. -mod switch IMO isnt not working correctly and especially for BI related mods will there be a feature added to specify to point to BI or RTW folder for BI mods?
5. There seems to be a Memory leak somewhere in BI will this be adressed?
6. PLEASE, I beg in BI change the way the 1st cohorts are numbered! Its a nice feature but having multiple 1st legions running around can be done better. Like making the game track ANY first cohorts recruited by the player and giving a consecutive number. Just let the title be Province specific.
7. We need a Proper Editor for Campaign maps Heights etc. Instead of a Jva based fan made one.
8. Are you guys going to make 1.3 and BI more RTW 1.2 friendly, Many things were changed many errors over little stupid things the game NEVER cared about. Plus Maps are a pain to port over to 1.3 or especially BI.

For me and my mod, unless MOST of these are resolved, I cant really port over like I would like to, because it crushing the game and I would rather wait to see if and when you may release the patch, as they usually cause our work to be knocked back. lol

Anyway, PLEASE HELP US JEROME AND CA TEAM.

Lt_1956

[SigniferOne]

Hm, it'd be nice if we were provided the command-line arguments for RTW, and what they did (similar to helping us with the docudemon files).

[Nero]

I'd like to know how to create a workaround for the fact that it isn't possible to disable level 1 buildings for a faction while they're able to build level 2+
In RTW 1.2 this was possible, but now it isn't anymore.

[Bernhard of Clairvaux]

Couple of questions.

3.)Any help on decoding the religious unrest?!

More to come up, as I explore the BI files.

I agree. A bit more explanation. Adding new religions work fine but only the three first ones cause unrest in a settlement. This has been tested by me and others (Andreas, Alpaca) so it does not clearly work as designed.

[Jambo]

How do you mod gate houses' arrows and boiling oil?

Second this question!

[edyzmedieval]

I agree. A bit more explanation. Adding new religions work fine but only the three first ones cause unrest in a settlement. This has been tested by me and others (Andreas, Alpaca) so it does not clearly work as designed.

I've searched through those and it seems there are some hidden things....
For example, the "Pip" folder from UI is not there, even on "Show hidden files and folders".

There has to be a way to find out where those are.....

[webbird]

It would be nice to get some informations about the game mechanics related to provinces under "slave control" in descr_strat and the proper use of rebel-groups, sub-faction relationships with culture tags, and of course the funktions behind the new term "superfaction roman_senate"

[PROMETHEUS]

what can we do and what can't we do with BI feature mod switch , like how to add all the BI features to normal ROME TW game and or how to mod the new texts inside the mod switched folder created for a mod .... how for example to add new music only played inside the new mod ?

[Hung Among Us]

Is it possible to change the color of the menu text?

[Meneldil]

Is it possible for new religions to cause unrest ?

[Tittils]

Is it possible to change the descr_geography.txt file, and to make it create a new .dat file so it would be possible to create new climates?

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Is faction specific music possible?
.

[Dol Guldur]

1. Is it possible to add more than 1 additional culture in BI?

2. Does building_factions work and, if so, what is the correct syntax?

3. Are enum and lookup files obsolete?

4. Is it possible to make buildings indestructable?

5. What determines the unit composition of shadowing rebels?

6. Can the numeral and Legio prefix be modded in legion names?

7. Can the "apparently unused" hidden resources be removed for a new map or are there hard-coded implications that may cause a CTD, etc?

[SigniferOne]

Ok more questions:

What's the point of there being slot underlays/overlays? Assuming the answer is that it's to allow the civilians and possibly soldiers to walk on these structures, i.e. base_roman_awesome_temple, etc. If so, then how do we enable people to walk there?

As a tangental question, in what ways can we modify descr_lbc_db.txt file further, the file that regulates what civilians are walking around during the 'city view'?