Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

There are a lot of differences. You can't really need them explained can you? I mean they're obvious. Enc reduction does nothing against existing fatigue, can't reduce below 0 etc

The most important difference is we can't mod reinvig onto items.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I always said you can't live a day without learning something new on this game

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Here's a modding trick that I think could have some use in making non mage commanders worth recruiting. I talked about this in the lizardman thread, but I thought it was also mentioning here, as it's a technical trick.

You have a recruitable commander, let's say a "Royal Guard Captain". The recruitable form of this commander comes with a summon5 and a domsummon of "Royal Guard Infantry". It also has a firstshape pointing to another instance of "Royal Guard Captain" which does not have these summons. Now when you buy the Captain, you get some free troops with him, in a limited supply, without the drawbacks of onebattlespell combat summons or endless streams of summon allies or autosummons.

I haven't tested this, so the method may need a couple tweaks, but it will definitely work. Of this I am entirely sure.

Of course it eats an extra unit slot, possibly two, per commander you use it on. But then you wouldn't use it on every non mage commander. Just some of them. The 'free' troops are a compensation for hiring a non mage commander.

To make this make more sense, the captain you buy could have a big banner, be immobile and have a description explaining how captains will rally troops for a month before setting out to lead them (and others) in battle. The second form (the regular guy you move around as normal) loses the big graphic of the banner (or horn, or whatever) and is no longer immobile.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

How do you make the recruited form only last for 1 month? Also, can domsummon and summon5 point to the same unit type (I thought there was a conflict, haven't tried...)

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

You use #firstshape which will trigger at the end of any battle or the end of any turn. This can be used with multiple unit IDs to make something which changes slowly over time, like llamabeast's corpse eating wendigo, or an egg that takes 12 months to hatch (would require,.. 13 or 14 unit ids).

And yes they can point to the same thing. All the summons can.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

That's simply awesome!

Major Bretonnia update, here I come!

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I've tested this with lizardmen and you don't even need to differentiate the summoning form from the normal form, because when you recruit them, this happens before EoT, as does the summoning of their troops, so they summon the troops, then they change shape and become normal. In other words, no delay between hiring them, them summoning and them turning into the normal version. So you can literally just put in the description that whe you buy them you get X free dudes.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Would you be kind of to post your #newunit entry on this ? I would like to use this, but im not sure how exactly you created the unit to come with warriors. Please post your .dm file entry.


On topic: Is it possible to alter or copy the Fires from Afar spell to hit more units and/or alter the message log entry into another text ?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

#newmonster 2305
#spr1 "./Warhammer Lizardmen/Slann Fifth.tga"
#spr2 "./Warhammer Lizardmen/Slann Fifth2.tga"
#name "Fifth Generation Slann"
#descr "Once the trusted servants of the Old Ones and architects of the world, the Slann now rule the Lizardmen as mage-priests. Large and bulbous, the alien Slann are uninterested in physical exertion and rely on their mental prowess instead; indeed they are prone to falling into long periods of deep contemplation, renewing their bodies and honing their minds. When they awake they will often declare an enigmatic proclamation that the Skink Priests do their best to implement. All Slann are linked in mind and their Priests are bound to this network, acting as conduits for their power. In their wisdom, the Old Ones decreed only five generations of Slann; the last of the most powerful First Generation died long ago in battle with Chaos and the weakest Fifth Generation was spawned thousands of years ago. When Slann wake from their slumber, so to do their lifelong guards; the more ancient the Slann and the stronger the dominion of the Old Ones, the more Temple Guard will awaken."
#hp 50
#size 5
#prot 13
#mor 16
#mr 18
#enc 5
#str 10
#att 10
#def 9
#prec 11
#mapmove 1
#ap 10
#gcost 750
#rcost 1
#weapon "fist"
#maxage 50000
#forestsurvival
#magicskill 8 3
#magicskill 4 3
#magicskill 6 1
#magicskill 0 1
#magicskill 1 1
#magicskill 2 1
#magicskill 3 1
#custommagic 8832 100
#custommagic 9472 100
#holy
#itemslots 12288
#poorleader
#onebattlespell "Communion Master"
#nametype 123
#magicboost 7 -3
#summon1 2318 -- Temple Guard
#domsummon 2318 -- Temple Guard
#firstshape 2296 -- normal fifth generation
#end

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I just wanted to point out that having too many* tags on a shape will cause any #shape tag to fail for that shape.

*Too many being in the 40+ tags total range. It's hard to nail down as some of the tags are apparently not counted.

Though, this only affects the shape with too many tags and 40+ tags is probably more than any reasonable unit has.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Hey sombre..
It would be awesome to use this to cause baby hydra's to grow into momma hydras...

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Im wondering, how is the command to change shapes after x turns called ? What tag would a small hydra require to turn into a huge hydra after lets 4 turns ?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

It doesn't work that way. You need to give it a number of different forms that it cycles through automatically each turn, and over time it will eventually reach the final form. For an example, download llamabeast's endgame summons mod and see how the wendigo is handled.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

You can't do it with a tag on a single unit. You'd do it like this.

#newmonster 1
#name "Turn 0 shape"
#firstshape 2
#end

#newmonster 2
#name "Turn 1 Shape"
#firstshape 3
#end

#newmonster 3
#name "Turn 2 Shape"
#firstshape 4
#end

etc etc etc

#newmonster 25
#name "Year 2 Shape"
#end

That way you get a transformation that theoretically takes 2 years of game time before you reach that final shape. So you can have gradual growth, or something that goes BAM shapechange after x turns.

HOWEVER - firstshape is also triggered by combat ending, not just turn ends. So any combat will accelerate the movement through the 'shapes'. See the wendigo in llama's endgame summon for a way to thematically explain that (he eats corpses after combat to grow).

Or you could just make a unit that can't get in combat, such as a unit which will kill itself with a #onebattlespell, like an immobile egg or something, which you are supposed to leave sitting in a fort until it hatches.

Everyone got it now?
#end

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I knew about the way you described, i just thought there would be a another comment which spawns shape 2 (or x) after x turns.

i.e. newmonster 2 2

spawn to monster #2 in 2 turns.

obviously there is no such command, my bad :p


Doing it with 25 forms is kind of boring, its a bad copy/paste job. Basicly, you could make 25 hydra units, and after every 5 you slightly up the stats.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

How is it a bad copy paste job? You make it sound like some ripoff splog or spam email.

It's just the only way to do it. Obviously it's boring to do it by hand, but it's trivial to do it by script or formula.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Wow you get offended easily huh. Its a bad copy/paste job because in your example you copy paste 5 templates 5 times each. How can that not be bad.

Obvious it is the only way, but its still a boring nontheless. Im not offending your creatism, because its a great idea, no doubt.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I am so offended right now

I can barely even type

Hah. It isn't even my idea or discovery. You just sound like you're whining about nothing.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I saw this mod, once - it was so terribly bad, you probably can't even believe it.

Instead of using a simple mind-reading device to generate a perfect game experience, it contained like, a .dm file, and a bunch of sprites! I mean, who does that? It's such a bad modding job. With a dm file, you're like, limited to stuff you can type or think of!

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Have done spell testing in the wake of the CPCS udpate. Just reporting my findings so that no one wastes time testing stuff that is already tested

First, the positive one:

The following quote is from the "Spell effects and Damage Combos" file that comes with Dr.P's spellDB. I tested the effect and was suprised at the results. A spell with effect value 17 gives +5 morale to all affected units, but this buff is temporary. The units lose 2 points of the bonus every battlefield turn. Damage value seems to be irrelevant

Then some negative results:

68 does nothing. Not even as a #nextspell

10054 (a'k'a ritual polymorph) does nothing. Not even as a #nextspell

Does not work. Not even as a #nextspell (the ritual version 100101 works fine thought)

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

if a make a creature with:
#copystats 1389 the monster who lose 10% of it's hp any month outside his home
#noheal
#magicbeing

will i get a monster who lose 1 hp each month outside his home but will be healed to 100% inside a lab?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I believe so, yes.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Is it possible to create a monster that kills undead in the province he is in like the site do?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Nope.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

It doesn't work, the monster doesnt'lose any hp

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I think there is a bug:
in order to obtain a monster with "dies away from home", you have to use
#selectmonster and #makemonster5 using it's name, not his number
1389-->it doesn't work
"blood lord"--> it works

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

#newspell
#name "The Burning Trail2"
#descr "The Burning Trail2"
#school -1
#researchlevel 0
#path 0 0
#path 1 5
#pathlevel 0 3
#pathlevel 1 3
#effect 10001
#damage 2102
#nreff 8
#end


#newspell
#name "The Burning Trail"
#descr "The mage travels to the infernal planes and follows the burning trails to find and submit a flock of Nightmares. Once done, he summons a group of wights to mount some of the Mares."
#school 0
#researchlevel 7
#path 0 0
#path 1 5
#pathlevel 0 3
#pathlevel 1 3
#effect 10001
#fatiguecost 3200
#damage 2101
#nreff 4
#nextspell "The Burning Trail2"
#end





why doesnt this spell work ? it only creates the initial 4 units, but not the nextspell ones.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Doesn't nextspell work only for already existing spells?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Weird. Apparently the spell does work as intended, summoning 12 units, 4+8. Whats funny is that the spells description only shows number of effects 4. Apparently subspells effects are calculated beforehand.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

How do I script a ritual that will summon a random commander from a list?

Do I just add more #damage commands for each different commander I want to be included in the random list? Is there a specific #effect command? TNX.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

No. Modded nextspells work fine. You're thinking of modded #onebattlespells, they don't work without a hack.

No spell description shows the effects of a #nextspell, modded or otherwise. You should sneak information about the #nextspell to the description of the base spell.

You can't. The only way to mod one in is to overwrite all the summons of a vanilla spell. I did this for my "Byzantine Pythium" mod with overwriting the Grigori summoning spell of Hinnom and all of the Grigori. See my sig for a link to the mod and thus to the code example that lies within the nation .dm file.


Also, with Sombre and then me (eventually) gone from the forums, I'd like to state that IrC is a good place to catch us to ask modding questions or the new forums that sombre made.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I dont think random effects, like tartarian gate or crossbreeding are possible.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

1)There is a way to reduce the upkeep an unit costs? without making it holy, ofc.
2)Can i make unit with a #forestshape and a #mouontainshape or is it limited to one?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

,,,,,,,,,,,, :(

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

You could give the unit a #plainshape that it shifts to after it's built that costs less.

You should be able to make a thing with multiple shapes as long as you are careful with your shapechange commands.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Looking in the previous pages of this topic i've found the firstshape "trick", i'll use it.
#plainshape works only when you leave a forest, doesn't it?
Do you know which terrains have a #shape option?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I think it still works, even if not leaving a forest. Even if it doesn't, #landshape might.

Anyway, your goal would be served by the #firstshape trick of 'He Who Must Not Be Named'.

These are the only ones, as of now:
#landshape <-> #watershape
#plainshape <-> #forestshape

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

I believe that's all of them, yes. I'd have to look in the manual to make sure there aren't any more. That's not something I've worked with too much.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

[quote=kennydicke;743709]Sombre is/was You-Know-Who? Why noone told me?

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Did you know:
- Popkill and leper only work on commanders.
- A pretender with the changeshape commmand needs a higher monsternr for his second shape. Or it will not show up in the pretender list.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

AFAIK it can't be done, except by stealing one of the existing spells that do random summons and overwriting the monsters it can summon with your own monster list.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Good Call Greg. I think that really is the only possibility, unfortunally its rather lacking. You cant just overwrite Tartarians or Demon Lords without really ****ing up the game - unless you plan to alter the stock spells as well.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Grigori, Spenta and possibly a couple of others can be overwritten without inconvenience to more than one nation.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Another of my many many gonna-do-this involved spending some time in Edi's DB to try and pin down safe territory for modders to mess with. What xxxx can be changed that isnt being used someplace else in the game? At the time I was mostly interested in the idea someone had of wanting to add a poptype to the game, or adding their own mercs. If someone with far more adminstrative skills than I wanted something to twiddle with that would be a great resource. Which mercs are ONLY mercs? Which poptype are ONLY poptype. Which special ability units or mass summons do not show up anywhere else. etc etc

(yeah yeah I know, DIY)

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Question, is it possible to create a creature that autosummons units at the start of the battle? Or perhaps just one unit constantly during the battle?

I couldn't find it in the modding manual. But if it is there, feel free to shout RTFM.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Option 1:

Copy an existing unit that does this. Only really viable if the unit you're copying summons the right thing.

Option 2:

1) Create a spell (or use an existing spell) that summons units, e.g. "Howl".
2) If you needed a new spell, make sure the spell is in a vanilla spell slot (by copying the vanilla spell to a new spell, and then overwriting the vanilla spell.)
3) Use #onebattlespell to invoke the summoning spell at the start of the battle. Depending on the spell specifics, the units will either continually arrive or arrive in a bunch at the start.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

This was related to this fix in Mytheology:

- Did you ever notice that the Pantokrator costs 358 points instaid of 350? This is because he/she/it had a random path. Removed now.

Also two new things I discovered:
- If you create a custom spell. And add a multiple of 1000 to the nr of effects, the amount of paths used in the spell will be included in the base amount of effects of the spell.
So, if you have a 3N spell that summons 'left feet'. With nreffects, 6020. The Spell description will say: 38+ effects (20+18).
- A onebattle summoning ritual which creates a strange vortex like thingy which keeps summoning troops eventually runs out. Don't know how many turns it takes.

Re: Modding tips and tricks
 

Some interesting thing, probably known. You can alter the number of effects on variable spells like summon animals and crossbreeding. By increasing the amount of effects of crossbreeding to lets say 500, you get a good sample size on how LUCK scale actually effects crossbreeding. I dont think its possible to add or remove individual units to the summoning palette unless you alter the units itself though.