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Thread: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

  1. #1

    Default Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    How to add night battles to the Imperial Campaign

    It is a while since I did this so I might have missed some stuff. Also I am using RTW:BI 1.6. Your mileage may vary if you don't have BI installed and patched. Let me know how it goes if you use this howto. There are five steps to adding night battles to the Imperial Campaign.

    1. Activate night battles in the campaign.
    2. Add night battle character traits.
    3. Add torches to units etc. (optional)
    4. Add lighting for night time. (optional)
    5. Add prebattle UI images. (optional)
    6. Add window lighting to city buildings. (optional)

    1. Activate night battles in the campaign.

    To do this you need to add two lines to data\world\maps\campaign\[campaign_name]\descr_strat.txt. You need to add "options bi" just below the campaign name (required for 1.5/1.6, but skip this step if you are using 1.3/1.4), and "night_battles_enabled" just above the brigand spawn line (might be optional). The top of your descr_strat.txt should look something like this:
    Code:
    campaign		imperial_campaign
    options bi
    playable
    	romans_julii
    	romans_brutii
    	romans_scipii
            parthia
    	egypt
    	seleucid
    	carthage
            gauls
    	germans
    	britons
    	greek_cities
    	macedon
    	pontus
    	armenia
    	dacia
    	scythia
    	spain
    	thrace
    	numidia
    end
    unlockable
    end
    nonplayable
    	romans_senate
    	slave
    end
    
    
    start_date	-270 summer
    end_date	14 summer
    
    night_battles_enabled
    brigand_spawn_value 15
    pirate_spawn_value 32
    Note: The "options bi" line changes a few other things apart from night battles. (1) If you have BI installed you might get the sparckle effect when units gain rank (you can switch this off in preferences.txt). (2) Everything in the unit descriptions will be displayed including the now obsolete unit capabilities and "code fix" stuff. (3) Faction death videos will stop working, so you will just get a text message when factions are destroyed. Other videos will continue to work fine. If anyone manages to fix this, let me know.

    2. Add night battle character traits.

    To activate the chacter traits you need to add the NightBattleCapable trait and triggers to data\export_descr_character_traits.txt, along with suitable entries in data\export_descr_unit_enums.txt and data\text\export_VnVs.txt.

    Here is the trait entry:
    Code:
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trait NightBattleCapable
        Characters family
        NoGoingBackLevel  1 
        AntiTraits Noctophobia
    
        Level Night_Fighter
            Description Night_Fighter_desc
            EffectsDescription Night_Fighter_effects_desc
            Threshold  6 
    
            Effect NightBattle  1
    The tiggers look like this (I think the Noctophobia and Noctophila traits are already there, the triggers will make them active):
    Code:
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger diet_of_carrots_1
        WhenToTest CharacterTurnStart
    
        Condition Trait NightBattleCapable = 0
              and IsGeneral
              and Attribute Command >= 5
    
        Affects NightBattleCapable  6  Chance  100 
    
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger diet_of_carrots_2
        WhenToTest PostBattle
    
        Condition IsGeneral
              and Attribute Command >= 1
              and IsNightBattle
              and Trait NightBattleCapable = 0
              and WonBattle
    
        Affects NightBattleCapable  6  Chance  100 
    
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger night_battle_crushing_victory_attacker
        WhenToTest PostBattle
    
        Condition WasAttacker
              and IsGeneral
              and WonBattle
              and BattleSuccess >= clear
              and BattleOdds >= 0.5
              and BattleOdds < 2
              and IsNightBattle
    
        Affects Noctophilia  1  Chance  100 
    
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger night_battle_crushing_victory_defender
        WhenToTest PostBattle
    
        Condition not WasAttacker
              and IsGeneral
              and WonBattle
              and BattleSuccess >= clear
              and BattleOdds >= 0.5
              and BattleOdds < 2
              and IsNightBattle
    
        Affects Noctophilia  1  Chance  100 
    
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger night_battle_crushing_loss_attacker
        WhenToTest PostBattle
    
        Condition WasAttacker
              and IsGeneral
              and not WonBattle
              and BattleSuccess >= clear
              and BattleOdds >= 0.5
              and BattleOdds < 1.5
              and IsNightBattle
    
        Affects Noctophobia  1  Chance  66 
    
    ;------------------------------------------
    Trigger night_battle_crushing_loss_defender
        WhenToTest PostBattle
    
        Condition not WasAttacker
              and IsGeneral
              and not WonBattle
              and BattleSuccess >= clear
              and BattleOdds >= 0.5
              and BattleOdds < 1.5
              and IsNightBattle
    
        Affects Noctophobia  1  Chance  66
    Add this to data/export_descr_VnVs_enums.txt:
    Code:
    Night_Fighter
    Night_Fighter_desc
    Night_Fighter_effects_desc
    Add this to data\text\export_VnVs.txt
    Code:
    &#172;--------------------
    
    {Night_Fighter}	Night Fighter
    
    {Night_Fighter_desc}
    This trait allows a general to fight a battle at night.
    
    {Night_Fighter_effects_desc}
    +1 Command when fighting at night
    If you want starting family members to have these traits you can add them to the descriptions in descr_strat.txt like this:
    Code:
    character	Lucius Julius, named character, heir, age 31, , x 91, y 80 
    traits GoodCommander 1 , PoliticsSkill 2 , GoodAdministrator 3 , Energetic 2 , NightBattleCapable 1 , Noctophilia 1
    ancillaries freeman_clerk
    army
    unit		roman generals guard cavalry early				exp 1 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
    unit		roman hastati				exp 1 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
    unit		roman hastati				exp 1 armour 0 weapon_lvl 0
    3. Add torches to units etc. (optional)

    For this you need to have BI installed. Copy the following stuff from bi/data/ to data/

    Everything in bi\data\models_unit\attachments\
    Everything in bi\data\models_engine\
    Everything in bi\data\models_effects\
    bi\data\descr_effects.txt
    bi\data\descr_effects_engine_torch.txt
    bi\data\descr_effects_torch_fire.txt

    Note: You can also get these files from XGM or from Archer's SkyMod.

    4. Add lighting for night time. (optional)

    The BI weather and lighting settings look better for night battles than the vanilla RTW stuff. Copy the following files from bi\data to data\.

    bi\data\descr_battle_map_lighting_and_fog_control.txt
    bi\data\descr_daytypes.txt
    bi\data\descr_skydome.txt

    The weather and lighting settings from Archer's SkyMod look better still. Copy the following files from SKYMOD_BI\data for Bi only\Data to data\

    the models folder
    descr_battle_map_lighting_and_fog_control.txt
    descr_daytypes.txt
    descr_skydome.txt

    5. Add prebattle UI images. (optional)

    If you skip this step the engine will use a default image that looks weird. All you need to do is put a suitable .TGA image called prebattle_night.tga in every data/UI/[culturetype]/eventpics/ folder. A good image to use is bi/data/UI/roman/eventpics/prebattle_night.tga.

    6. Add window lighting to city buildings. (optional)

    For this you need to have BI installed. Copy the folder bi\data\models_building\textures\glowing to data\models_building\textures.
    Last edited by DimeBagHo; 04-06-2006 at 13:43.

  2. #2
    CeltiberoRamiroI Member Monkwarrior's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Great!
    This is the tutorial I was waiting for.

    Thanks mate.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Does this work for you? I worjked the procedures you just laid out and royally screwed up my system. I had to repair my OS and I cannot load RTW up right at the moment. I want to know if this worked for the both of you. I had a great game going!

    diBorgia

  4. #4

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Cesare diBorja: There's no way that doing anything in this guide could mess up your OS, but it certainly could mess up your RTW install if you copy files into the wrong locations, or make mistakes adding the traits and so on.

    This method certainly worked for me. You can see the results in XGM.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Fortunately for you, you are not sitting where I am sitting or else you would not have that opinion. Smell my frustration?..............maybe its the 71.84 driver I used for my nvidia video card. I just found out they are very unstable, which explains all the times my game crashed for no reason. Something happen when I started the game which up 'til that moment worked reasonably well. No fault to you. Its probably the ******* driver. If people took the time to make sure their crap worked, it would save people alot of trouble(extra hint to CA). It makes me want to go into programming so I can fix the things that I have to download or even buy.

    diBorgia

    My computer is in the shop for a few days as I could not find the problem. $85 later, I will be trying this feature again. Maybe I am hard-headed. It's a great feature.
    Last edited by Cesare diBorja; 02-01-2006 at 00:33.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    I have added a couple of minor changes to the howto (marked in red). The first is to note that the "options bi" should only be added for RTW/BI 1.5/1.6. For version 1.3/1.4 you should skip this step. The second is an explanation of how to add the night fighting traits to traits starting family members.

  7. #7
    Now sporting a classic avatar! Member fallen851's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Will this work if I don't have BI?
    "It's true that when it's looked at isolated, Rome II is a good game... but every time I sit down to play it, every battle, through every turn, I see how Rome I was better. Not unanimously, but ultimately." - Dr. Sane

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6eaBtzqqFA#t=1h15m33s

  8. #8

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    I think it works, but I have not tested it with RTW only, and obviosly you need some files from BI to do some things, like adding torches.

  9. #9
    blaaaaaaaaaarg! Senior Member Lusted's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    This will work without BI, Lt1956 is adding this into the latest version fo SPQR. The skymod includes all the files needed to implement torches into RTW.

  10. #10
    CeltiberoRamiroI Member Monkwarrior's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    How can we test quickly if night battles work in RTW 1.5?
    Is it necessary to play a campaign until one general gets the corresponding trait?

  11. #11
    blaaaaaaaaaarg! Senior Member Lusted's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    well lt1956 has tested it, he only has RTW 1.5, at it works.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Good to know that it works. If you want to test it out for yourself, change the diet_of_carrots_1 trigger to command >= 0, or just give the NightBattleCapable trait to a starting general.

  13. #13

    Default Night battles................

    I simply added it by uploading your version of XGM, DBH. I would like it if you just released a executable version so one does not have go through the process of screwing it up or not. That is a more applicable solution, I think.
    My system works better than it did before now. XGM battles with the CM formations rock. The AI is responsive nad aggressive enough and the skirmishers actually skirmish. Good generals actually know when to attack or hang back, what units to hold in reserve and when to cut loose and win the fight. I win some and lose some. My game is set on Campaign Map-Very Hard, Battle Map, Normal. I wanted battles to be won based on generals merits as I mostly let them fight their own battles. Making the AI have bonuses just kills the fun of the game as it is not just based on units that have made themselves elite but the AI has an unfair advantage. The Normal Battle Map seeting is the best for tactical and strategic experience.

    Thanks for the mod, DBH

    diBorgia

  14. #14

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Cesare diBorja: I'm glad you like XGM. I thought about doing a night battles mini-mod, but I doubt if many people would want to play a mod that did nothing but add night battles, and because it requires changes to some fundamental files like descr_strat.txt and the character traits, it wouldn't mix well with other mods.

  15. #15
    Seii Taishōgun 征夷大将軍 Member PROMETHEUS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Great tutroial , this is what I was waiting too ....Thankyou...

    Creator of Ran no Jidai mod
    Creator of Res Gestae
    Original Creator of severall add ons on RTW from grass to textures and Roman Legions
    Oblivion Modder- DUNE creator
    Fallout 3 Modder
    Best modder , skinner , modeler awards winner.


    VIS ET HONOR

  16. #16
    CeltiberoRamiroI Member Monkwarrior's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    This is perhaps more a question of technical help than modding, but it becomes apparent when I implement night battles in my mod.

    This happens to me:


    This problem depends on the camera distance and angle, as can be seen in this comparison:


    What can I do? (apart from buying a new computer, or at least a new video card)

  17. #17
    Member Member Avicenna's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Ditto, monk. A reason for not playing BI yet.
    Student by day, bacon-eating narwhal by night (specifically midnight)

  18. #18

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Monkwarrior & Tiberius: You could try updating your video driver. I had a similar problem (not quite so bad though) a while back which disappeared with an updated driver.

  19. #19

    Post Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Great tutorial DBH!

    I was thinking about implementing night battles into RTG, but tbh, I'm in a similar situation to Monkwarrior and Tiberius - my system is very old. Also, my graphics card is well outdated, Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 64 MB (anybody remember them? ). They stopped releasing patches / drivers for these gfx cards a LONG time ago...

    As in the case of Monkwarrior's screenshots, I had similar experiences when playing BI night battles after it had been released. The 'hall of mirrors' effect blurred the screen so much that I just gave up with night battles all together.

    I've seen this appear frequently in other games such as Unreal Tournament and the various Half-Life games and mods. I think its to do with poor optimisation or something along these lines, think I read this in various tutorials when using Unreal Editor to design levels.

    With Unreal, it was best to use zone portals throughout a level to improve optimization. Whenever a player did not look at a zone portal, I think whatever was contained within the zone wasn't completely rendered. As a result, this improved framerates (frames per second, fps), and allowed for a smoother gameplay experience.
    Last edited by Seasoned Alcoholic; 03-12-2006 at 17:55.


    Currently developing Rome: Total Gameplay (RTG), an unofficial mod for vanilla Rome: Total War v1.5

    Features: improved battles, new units to recruit, more buildings to construct, a modified campaign map, and much more!
    RTG Main Topic
    , Click here to download RTG v1.0

  20. #20
    CeltiberoRamiroI Member Monkwarrior's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Quote Originally Posted by Seasoned Alcoholic
    I was thinking about implementing night battles into RTG, but tbh, I'm in a similar situation to Monkwarrior and Tiberius - my system is very old. Also, my graphics card is well outdated, Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 64 MB (anybody remember them? ). They stopped releasing patches / drivers for these gfx cards a LONG time ago...
    Well, problem solved.
    I have also a Nvidia GeForce2 MX 100/200 graphic card (as old as 4.5 years ), but I have installed the ForceWare driver: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_81.98.html

    I've tried the same battle and it works perfectly, I can see the units, with the torches, lights, etc, etc...

  21. #21

    Post Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Quote Originally Posted by Monkwarrior
    Well, problem solved.
    I have also a Nvidia GeForce2 MX 100/200 graphic card (as old as 4.5 years ), but I have installed the ForceWare driver: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_81.98.html

    I've tried the same battle and it works perfectly, I can see the units, with the torches, lights, etc, etc...
    This sounds interesting, I might check it out sometime soon! Thanks for the link MW


    Currently developing Rome: Total Gameplay (RTG), an unofficial mod for vanilla Rome: Total War v1.5

    Features: improved battles, new units to recruit, more buildings to construct, a modified campaign map, and much more!
    RTG Main Topic
    , Click here to download RTG v1.0

  22. #22

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    I've added instructions for adding lighting to city windows at night.

  23. #23

    Default Re: Howto: Night Battles for RTW

    Can't get it to work. I follow the instruction. I added the trait. However, when I attack. It is still day. I don't see the option of letting me select night attack.

    EDIT: Nvm, forgot option BI
    Last edited by improsniper; 03-10-2013 at 18:49.

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