Wishlist: The Modder's Wishlist

[Tortanick]

Thanks Endoperez, I was just going to post that

I'd also like to add: some way of controling the maximum number of infinite heroes you can have. I want one hero where you can only have one at a time

[DrPraetorious]

I've got some requests regarding pretender design.

Firstly, I'd like to add additional options under the pretender design (in the toolkit) and under the check-for-cheaters control.

For example - four types of pretenders, normal (as it is now), weak, strong and devastating.

Weak pretenders are built on 200 points. Scales cost 20 points each, and the dominion cost multiplier is 3. Dormancy is only worth 100 points, and imprisoned is worth 175 (which gives you a slight boost for those choices.)

Strong prenteders are built on 600 points, scales cost 30, the dominion cost multiplier is 10. Dormancy is worth 225 points, imprisoned is worth 375 points.

Devastating, 800, 40, 15, worth 300 or 500.

My suggestion is an #add_scheme command, with the following child commands.

#base_points <num>
#dominion_multiplier <num>
#magic_multiplier <num>
#scale_multiplier <num>
#points_dormant <num>
#points_imprisoned <num>
#end

The game should automatically add the option to cycle through all existing schema in the Design Pretender God dialogue, and in the game creation dialogue "cheat prevention" should scroll through all available design schema.
Of course, there are other ways to achieve the same result (replacing all the national pretender lists, say,) but I think this ought to be achievable directly.
It'd also be nice if the AI could read these schema when making pretenders (assuming it spends points and doesn't pick them from a pre-compiled list.)

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My second request may be completely infeasibl - but I'd like to be able to bring back themes.

I'd like to add another entire panel to pretender design. In that panel, I'd like to add a host of options, which either cost or give you points, and which modify your national characteristics. This is the logical way in which I think it'd be structured. I've got an entire list of ten sets of these, I'd like to put them under a pretender design section called "Commandments". I'm sure everyone could see how this would be cool.
The underlying idea is that I'd like to be able to take any position and "twiddle" it into a (second-rate, like vanheim, say) blood position (or necromancer position, or amphibious position, etc.). Concept is - I'm the new God, if I start demanding blood sacrifices, I expect Timmy the Archtheurg to get with the program.
I expect a lot of people wouldn't like this - and it'll be hell to game-balance it - but

#add_misc_option
#option_type 1
-- You can't have more than one option from the same "type".
#option_name "Make me an altar of splintered bones and rotting flesh!"
-- If possible, load these dynamically into the sub-menu.
#option_requires_mdeath 5
#option_requires_sdeath 0
-- Likewise for each magic path and scale. "Require death 0" means doesn't allow growth.
#option_nation 29
-- Now we have a block of mod commands which it runs if you are Pythium. All the same mod commands should be available as when modding a faction from scratch, in addition...
#option_cost_fixed 3
#option_cost_cumulative 2
-- Cost in pretender design points. Fixed points are multiplied by the cost of a scale - cumulative points are added together and then priced as an equivalent dominion increase, so discourage people from piling on lots of options.
#remrecunit <nbr>
#remreccom <nbr>
-- Ideally, this should pull all instances of a given unit number from the national recruit list. If the only commands you can support clear the list entirely - then just add this one.
#clearcapitalsites
-- So that you can change the list of capital-only units.
#end_nation
-- And a list for each nation that can take the mod.
#end

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And, thirdly, I'd like some more nation modding commands, but I'll compile that list later.

[FrankTrollman]

Where do your point totals come from? I am unclear as to how making Dominion 10 (and the associated Awe effect) cost more makes pretenders stronger.

Heck, if anything the reverse seems to be true. If going for a standard super-combatant great kraken as Atlantis, you're looking at the cost to get a Dominion of 10 dropped down to 108 for "weak pretenders". It previously cost 252 under the normal rules, so the number of free points an awake god with Dominion 10 has is virtually unchanged save that scales are cheaper.

In short, while I agree that there should be an option for giving people more or less starting points, changing the relative cost of starting choices willy nlly is a terrible idea.

-Frank

[Tortanick]

I agree with Frank on that one.

I'd also like to see themes back.

[Foodstamp]

I would like to see the following commands added to the game for modding...

#skeptic (Allows a unit to lower an enemy's dominion, just like the skeptic unit from Arco.)

#seduce (Like the Oreiads from Arco and maybe the succubus version?)

#lure (The lure ability the Oceania Sirens have)

I apologize if any of these are already in the game. I checked the mod.pdf for them and could not find them.

[Endoperez]

Foodstamp said:
I would like to see the following commands added to the game for modding...

#skeptic (Allows a unit to lower an enemy's dominion, just like the skeptic unit from Arco.)

#seduce (Like the Oreiads from Arco and maybe the succubus version?)

#lure (The lure ability the Oceania Sirens have)

I apologize if any of these are already in the game. I checked the mod.pdf for them and could not find them.

Good suggestions. For now, you can use #copystats to copy a Skeptic, perhaps an Oreiad, and change or remove the abilities you don't want.

[Twan]

Yes I would find better to have just a multiplier for starting points as a start option (but a screen before pretender design/loading would become needed) or a simple #dpmultiplier [x] as a mod command (with possible values in the 50-250% range).

[chrispedersen]

#equip <item #>

Allow both units and commanders to be equipped with items.

Many of my other ideas have been covered in other threads. But I would also like the ability to twiddle MORE with starting position.

For example - a create your own pretender - whern you can create hp, str - and give him attributes - all for costs.

Or you could make your nation military experienced.. all capitol units start experienced.

Etc.

[HoneyBadger]

A few new modding wishes:

Units gaining bonuses if they are fighting in daylight (as opposed to the darkness bonus and darkvision for nocturnal units)
Purpose: balance, and use with holy/light aligned units.

Units gaining terrain combat bonuses-forest, mountain, steppe, cavern, desert, tundra/glacier, jungle, badlands/wasteland, shore, shallow sea, deep ocean.
Purpose: thematic, also represents terrain training, as per modern armies, jungle fighters, etc. and racial/species affinity for said terrain among various units. EG: it makes sense that dryads would fight better in forests than in a desert, if only for reasons of morale.
Units, likewise, could become stealthy only while within certain terrain types.

Ability to automatically shapechange a unit into another unit, in a set time-period, as opposed to instant or combat shapechange. EG: A dragon's egg that hatches 1 year after it's creation/summoning/birth, and then "grows" into a stronger unit every subsequent year. Purpose: Evolution of units as a strategic factor to strength, to balance out units which spawn other units (strength over time within a single being, instead of strength through numbers, over the same period of time).

Mercenary captains gaining the ability to spawn their follower units over time, as opposed to starting with a set number of units which shrink over time-this makes mercenaries somewhat more viable, the longer you pay their upkeep, and gives a reason to protect their captain (giving them items you can't get back, etc.), rather than severely diminishing returns.

Resources for a persistant campaign world. This isn't entirely my idea, but it's a good one (atleast the parts that aren't mine). The Dominions engine could be used to create and sustain a roleplaying campaign environment. Greater tools to directly modify a game "from within", while playing it, could allow the generation, over time, of extremely elaborate and detailed settings, which would then have the capacity to reflect upon, and enhance, the Dominions environment, overall. EG: Imagine a game run by a diligent, creative, and detail-oriented game master over several years. A good campaign that harnesses Dominions could engender a dozen new nations, a score of new maps, and invaluable insight into how each nation might relate to the others.

Events that turn provinces of one terrain type into provinces of another terrain type, or that create entirely new provinces (Forests that grow overnight, lands sinking beneath the ocean, unknown caverns being discovered, new islands appearing, deserts swallowing cities-all straight out of the heart of myth). Any new provinces could appear in "mini-maps" to the side of the main map.

Events where a random soldier or creature is Gift of Reason'ed, like a poor man's Hero. Could come with mild stat increase and/or some random magical trinket. (lots of legends and myths-and comic books-begin with a "commoner" being singled out by the gods, or finding a magic item, and going on to greatness, there's no reason a poor nerfherder can't show up in Dominions)

There are units which consume food, gold, even corpses. Are there any units which consume resources from the province they're on? I'm thinking Construction summons here-high level mechs and "factory" units might strip a province bare of it's resources while they occupy it.
Purpose: balance.

Are there any that consume gems? Here, as opposed to the resources question above, I'm thinking of beings which would lower a particular gem's production per turn for your entire nation-EG: a fire gem eating Efreeti or an earth gem munching Gnome King. Purpose: balance.

Ability to enfranchise commanders. If you don't want to pay for a particular commander-or maybe, like everyone else, you have some troops you don't have a use for anymore-you can gift the commander with a province you own but can't easily protect, and whatever troops, items, gems, etc. you'd like, to start him off, and then send him on his way. The province would become Independent from that point on, but they wouldn't attack you, unless you attacked them first, as long as that particular commander was alive, and you wouldn't have to micromanage that particular province/commander/etc. any longer. Purpose: theme-feudalism is a very common ancient practice, and being able to create vassals and border states would enhance a player's sense of rulership/being the head of a government. Also strategic-Having non-hostile buffer zones between you and your enemies makes you safer, and if you don't have to pay for them, you can concentrate more on your nation's central provinces. In addition-this would be a nice way to "set up" otherwise useless heroes and units, giving them a new life in the game.

Moddable gemtypes-and ability to mod in alchemical value.
Purpose: mostly thematic/namechange, but will allow more and different resources for flavourgames.
EG: Instead of earthgems, deathgems, astral pearls, etc. could be replaced by "dragonshards"-Siberys, Khyber, Eberron shards/gems, ala the Eberron D&D campaign setting.

This goes along with my previous request for modifiable and expandable magic paths/schools.

Heroic items: Like units, magical items might also become enhanced over time. A random event might select a magical item with the capacity, and transform it into a more powerful/interesting version. This might be triggered by a previous event-the item in the hands of a unit might pass through Tartarus or Cocytus or into the Void, or a great hero might die wielding it in battle, or it might be used to slay a Pretender. It might simply be a matter of a sword of sharpness turning into a firebrand/frostbrand, a piercer transforming into a Herald's Lance, an axe of sharpness becoming an Elfbane, etc. or it might lead to the creation of a new never seen before artifact. After all-much of what makes a magical item an Artifact is it's history and legend.

Prophet enhancement-this would be a tag for units that, if prophetized, would transform them into new units. This is already in the game, I'd just like to see it become modifiable.

[DrPraetorious]

I mean "stronger pretender" in the specific sense of the pretender itself, as opposed to the benefits it gives to the nation.

Firstly, I made an error - you have 350 points to customize your pretender, not 400.

Okay, the points cost for each physical form are, I believe, either a function of the unit itself or of the nation(s) to which it is available - I didn't see a way to mod this in the manual, which obviously needs fixin'. Either way, dynamically changing those prices is essentially impossible.

So, how do you halve the cost of being a dragon with earth and fire, across all nations? Well, you double the total amount of points available, and double the cost of everything else on which you spend points (scales and dominion.)

If I have 350 points total, and I want to spend 160 on dominion and scales, I have 190 left to make my pretender Himself. This will buy me a dragon with fire-4 and earth-2.

If I have 700 points total, and I want to spend 360 on dominion and scales (which buys the same thing if prices are doubled), I have 340 left to maky my pretender Himself. This will buy me a dragon with fire-5 and earth-5. Yeah?