Mod: Dominions 3000 v0.81 - lots of new indies, new map (using the brand new map commands)

[rdonj]

Hmm, you could do that, that probably wouldn't be too bad. Just replace the assassin with a queen. It might work.

[Aezeal]

it would speed up the start I'd say..

[Aezeal]

Insect life in space has been made easier.

starting with 2 females, some males and males in PD and the pretender no giving 1 slave/turn. (the last thing I'm not even going to try to explain thematically if the race doesn't need it'll be gone the first too.

Orcs choppers and shooters now have body armor (10 prot) instead of medium body armor

I've given the dragons some changes that will also be implemented in the dragons mod (lower cost for bone biters and higher for ghostdragon and hopefully fixed the deathwraith dragons assassination ability)

A map is being made but progress is slow. I'm busy with the pic and having fun there.. but I'll tell you that making lines will be annoying in the end and then doing the programming even more so and I'm not looking forward too it . (anyone willing to help and create the .map file when I'm done with the pic (you'll even be allowed to change the pic if you want) will certainly be allowed to do so (provided you'll not be slower about it than me.) the map file for the other map should be a good thing the help you (copy paste pop types etc etc)

I'm posting the new files now.. I've also added a few sites and deleted some spells etc etc.. plz try it and if it seems better balanced and working then we'll start a game soon.

[Aezeal]

Ok the new version has been posted and I'm thinking this should be the version we'll play on unless major problems arise in the next 2 weeks during playtesting.. I'm going to have a son this week though so as usual I can't playtest that much. I'm hoping the excellent dom 3000 playtest team will be able to play this latest version (still called 0.75 though) and see if it's suitable for playing. Complete balance isn't neccesary (we all know vanilla dom 3 has hugely unbalanced nations) and in MP the strenght of the nation isn't everything either. The game will be more for fun and playtesting anyway. I also expect players to report possible loopholes and hugely incorrect stats etc as bugs so I can fix it while the game is busy.

If an army of 50 oni dragons arises (though I've not had reports lately) I'll probably mod in a unbeatable ancient horror as remote summon for my nation (for free) and send one to kill the dragons. (I expect cooperation of the player controlling them and sending them to their doom )

it'll be great fun.

I think I'll start asking llama to set it up and I'll play if we have as few as 3 players (new stuff doesn't always attract lots of visitors.. my other non conventional game I coulnd't get of the ground) and I think there will be 2 other players.

[Amos]

Here is a heavily armored Gunslinger sprite you asked for.

I'll probably add it to the regular "Commonwealth" as a hero so it doesnt destroy the balance.

[rdonj]

Hmm, I might rename some of the spaces with numbers to say sector first, that would have been a good idea. Horoscopes also, I did a few constellations but somehow horscopes never came to mind.

[Aezeal]

this is (a smaller version of course) the map.

anyone interested in doing the .map file?

[rdonj]

I'll give it a shot. You'd have to tell me what you want from it though, and I have the feeling that enough information to do it properly is one step away from writing the .dm yourself.

[rdonj]

The Commonwealth are MUCH better now since the patch. They're actually capable of killing black knights and their magic weapons actually give them a little bit of an edge over some units. They should now be a completely competetive nation, rather than easy prey.

[Aezeal]

it'll be a .map file, .dm files are the files for modding stuff not for maps

hmmm well basicly I'd start with loading the pic (I'll mail it to you if you want) in the program in dom 3000. (I already deleted all white dots before placing my own, and I do hope they ARE all there now, because entering new ones is quite annoying)
1. In that program I'd try to set all landtypes (space must be set to forest, and obviously you can't use a forest land type on planet provinces.) It's probably better NOT to use water provinces .
2. In that program you can let it try to set borders, but you WILL have to check it all manually (I think removing borders is with shift or cntrl or something) be VERY carefull with which mousebutton you use because before you know it there will be a new connection on the map.

If all that is done (if you are more precise than me you can hopefully do it correct the first time)
3. in the program set names: most province names are insufficient for our purpose. Planetprovince names can be acceptable but leaving them random is asking for problems luckily you can just keep setting a new name for the province (picking a random one till it's acceptable.) For the spaceprovinces (all forests now after step 1) you'll have to think of names that fit their spacy nature (you are welcome to use the ones from the .map file of the solar system map)

After this you'll have to save the file (probably better to do it in between too ) and you can't really use the program anymore

open the .map file with some program and then the real work will begin

The landtypes and names should be together I think and the province connections too.
Personally I just keep the province connections together but for each province name and type etc I put them on different lines. Then you can just type what you want with each province what you want.

I'd open the solar system map file than and you'll have to put (copy/paste) a poptype line for each province (else it'll be a regular random dom 3 poptype which will be unthematic. AND a starting army.
you'll have to check the landtype for forest so you can recognize forest provinces (better not to mix landtypes for forest = space provinces else you won't recognize them and there are no real good explanations for having a space/waste landtype anyway.)
pirates and kraken and space eels should go into space (spaceeels are not a poptype you can recruit though) if you want to know which is what you can look that up in the .dm file (nearly on the bottom just above the lines that put all old races in MA, from the single age mod) you can ofcourse copy certain setups for multiple province (as I did) but it's fun to have some variety (like I someties put a space eel or kraken with pirates etc etc.)

well that is basicly it. Good luck. Let me know where I can mail the big map picture.

PS the idea is that the black area's around the planet close-ups are just connection with all province on the planet they seem to touch and that the province on the planet (all divided into pie pieces) only touch their land neighbours (no connection over the central point) and the space province in the black box. The black box space province always touch eachother AND both of the province in which the box seems to lie/touch. For the rest I've made lots of connections in space where 4 provinces meet eachother and unlike on planets I think you should let them all connect.. it's space after all.. but if you think they shouldn't connect diagonally as well (which would be the other option) then that is fine as long als you do it consistently...