are you sure it has to be that large? wouldnt it help to copy paste some assets or the pak from the original ffh2 mod and then just link in your mod?
anyway.... great to hear!!!!!
Dungeon Adventure MOD MOD
- Thread starter Lutefisk Mafia
- Start date
are you sure it has to be that large? wouldnt it help to copy paste some assets or the pak from the original ffh2 mod and then just link in your mod?
anyway.... great to hear!!!!!
Arctic Circle
Prince
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2008
- Messages
- 473
I will definitly try it out.
Vehem
Modmod Monkey
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2005
- Messages
- 3,219
Aye - if you remove FfH's .fpk file (pak0.fpk) from the Assets folder, you can drop the uncompressed size by about 300MB. You can assume people around these parts will have that already and can copy it in themselves...
xienwolf
Deity
Well the goal is to eventually post it as a stand-alone mod, so he will need to include his own Art Files eventually. For the sake of the pre-Alpha though it could be fairly easily ditched, but that still requires that he goes through his Art Folder and prunes out what is already FfH and what is new for the mod.
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
This is not fun.
I can get the mod to work, but for some reason I have to perform a silly ritual before I can get it to load.
Most often, using the shortcut or loading from the BTS "load a mod" screen causes a crash as it is access the xml (right at the start).
However, if I start BTS, start a regular vanilla BTS game, get to the inital world view of my settler and few units, and then exit the game -- then if I use my shortcut, the mod usually loads with no problem.
This HAS to be some sort of caching problem, but I thought I fixed that already. Does anyone have any other suggestions on getting finicky mods to load? I can live with this, but it is slowing me WAYYYY down. I also will not release even a pre-alpha version until I get this problem ironed out.
Help!
I can get the mod to work, but for some reason I have to perform a silly ritual before I can get it to load.
Most often, using the shortcut or loading from the BTS "load a mod" screen causes a crash as it is access the xml (right at the start).
However, if I start BTS, start a regular vanilla BTS game, get to the inital world view of my settler and few units, and then exit the game -- then if I use my shortcut, the mod usually loads with no problem.
This HAS to be some sort of caching problem, but I thought I fixed that already. Does anyone have any other suggestions on getting finicky mods to load? I can live with this, but it is slowing me WAYYYY down. I also will not release even a pre-alpha version until I get this problem ironed out.
Help!
xienwolf
Deity
Do you have copies of previous versions? Load up something from a while back and see if it is just as touchy. If so then it is system or main program related, not your mod.
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
Well, I fiddled with config settings, and this seems to have helped:
Before, I only had the "xml and file" setting on. After I switched the "file" only setting also on, I have stopped having problems.
I have no idea if this is actually it, or if it was something else that just stopped temporarily on its own, but I'll take it!
Code:
; Disable caching of file system (may slow initialization)
DisableFileCaching = 1
; Disable caching of xml and file system (may slow initialization)
DisableCaching = 1Before, I only had the "xml and file" setting on. After I switched the "file" only setting also on, I have stopped having problems.
I have no idea if this is actually it, or if it was something else that just stopped temporarily on its own, but I'll take it!
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
After I got the mod to stop crashing all of the time, I made some progress.
1. Finished the bare bones tech tree. It doesn't really do much yet, but it is there to be researched.
2. Cleaned up some odd buttons. Most of the new stuff now shows a default "create me" button.
3. Got altars working as intended. You can now recharge altars by making sacrifices -- good players sacrifice equipment, evil players sacrifice living units.
4. Removed some vestigal gunk from units and features that weren't working.
1. Finished the bare bones tech tree. It doesn't really do much yet, but it is there to be researched.
2. Cleaned up some odd buttons. Most of the new stuff now shows a default "create me" button.
3. Got altars working as intended. You can now recharge altars by making sacrifices -- good players sacrifice equipment, evil players sacrifice living units.
4. Removed some vestigal gunk from units and features that weren't working.
Psychic_Llamas
Wizard in the Making
great! now we can all wait anxiously for the Alpha release 
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
I tried to sub in a horse unit graphic for the horse bonus resource.
To start, I took the chariot unit and remove all the non-horse stuff from the NIF files, and re-centered the horse. Then I reskinned the horse with the "horse" DDS file from the resource version of the horse.
Next, I tried to have the art_def_resource file for horse point to the unit graphics instead of the resource graphics.
At first, nothing showed up, even though the horse resource was technically present. I tracked this down to the KFM file. By blanking out the reference to a KFM file in the art_def file, I could get a static, non-animated picture of a horse subbed in for the little group of horses that normally show up as the "horse" resource.
But what fun is that? I wanted an animated horse!
I downloaded a utility to convert KFM files to XML and back. I took a look at the different KFM files and tried to make the unit graphic KFM more like the resource version.
The best I was able to acheive was a static horse, the same as if there was no KFM file at all. I don't get it. I had all of the events in the new KFM file pointing to the "idle" animation for the chariot based horse -- but nothing happened. Maybe there is a level of detail I'm not seeing. Does anyone know their way around KFM files?
So.... for now, I have contented myself by bumping up the size of the standard horse resource graphics a bit. Just to make them more in-scale with the "people" graphics. As a side product of this experiment, I now also have a "horse only" unit that looks just like the resource horses. Hmnn... the wheels are turning!
To start, I took the chariot unit and remove all the non-horse stuff from the NIF files, and re-centered the horse. Then I reskinned the horse with the "horse" DDS file from the resource version of the horse.
Next, I tried to have the art_def_resource file for horse point to the unit graphics instead of the resource graphics.
At first, nothing showed up, even though the horse resource was technically present. I tracked this down to the KFM file. By blanking out the reference to a KFM file in the art_def file, I could get a static, non-animated picture of a horse subbed in for the little group of horses that normally show up as the "horse" resource.
But what fun is that? I wanted an animated horse!
I downloaded a utility to convert KFM files to XML and back. I took a look at the different KFM files and tried to make the unit graphic KFM more like the resource version.
The best I was able to acheive was a static horse, the same as if there was no KFM file at all. I don't get it. I had all of the events in the new KFM file pointing to the "idle" animation for the chariot based horse -- but nothing happened. Maybe there is a level of detail I'm not seeing. Does anyone know their way around KFM files?
So.... for now, I have contented myself by bumping up the size of the standard horse resource graphics a bit. Just to make them more in-scale with the "people" graphics. As a side product of this experiment, I now also have a "horse only" unit that looks just like the resource horses. Hmnn... the wheels are turning!
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
Players can now build torches after researching the "Outfitting" technology.
Because torches become an equipment promotion when picked up, I used the mechanism that lets the player build a building in the city, which a player can then "pick up." The player can also "drop" the torch into the city, and it becomes a building again.
Okay, so here's the challenge:
If the torch building is present, no further torches can be built -- at least not until the torch is picked up by a unit (thus removing the torch building).
Is it possible to enable multiple instances of the same building in a city? Perhaps even up to a limit? For example, it would be nice to allow up to 3 or 5 "torch" buildings in a campsite rather than just the one.
Any ideas?
Because torches become an equipment promotion when picked up, I used the mechanism that lets the player build a building in the city, which a player can then "pick up." The player can also "drop" the torch into the city, and it becomes a building again.
Okay, so here's the challenge:
If the torch building is present, no further torches can be built -- at least not until the torch is picked up by a unit (thus removing the torch building).
Is it possible to enable multiple instances of the same building in a city? Perhaps even up to a limit? For example, it would be nice to allow up to 3 or 5 "torch" buildings in a campsite rather than just the one.
Any ideas?
TheCowSaysMoooo
Warlord
It's a bit "hacky" but you could create three different torches with the same text names and functions, and have the 2nd one require that the first be present in the city already, and the 3rd require the 2nd one.
3141592
Warlord
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2007
- Messages
- 287
Well, a very crude way to do it would to make three buildings calles Torch, (Torch ) and (Torch ).
If you wanted to make it cleaner you could require one to be built in order to begin construction of another one and call them Torch1 Torch2 and Torch3. I don't think doing that would take away much ambiance and it should be easyish to code.
edit: hmm, doublepost
If you wanted to make it cleaner you could require one to be built in order to begin construction of another one and call them Torch1 Torch2 and Torch3. I don't think doing that would take away much ambiance and it should be easyish to code.
edit: hmm, doublepost
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
Here's what I ended up doing:
Instead of making multiple buildings, I just made two different spell actions.
One is Store Torch. This puts the torch back in the campsite. This can only be done at a campsite you own, and prevents that campsite from making more torches.
The other is Drop Torch. This action can be done anywhere. It creates a "torch" unit in the same tile as the caster.
The end result is that the camp can build a torch, and a unit can grab it, and then drop it instead of storing it. This way, you could build up a stack of torch units in the camp for Adventurers to come and grab as they need them.
This should work because it accomplishes two of my other goals:
1. Camps will get a certain benefit if they have a torch "building" as a part of the camp.
2. A player can build up a sizable stack of reserve torches if need be.
Instead of making multiple buildings, I just made two different spell actions.
One is Store Torch. This puts the torch back in the campsite. This can only be done at a campsite you own, and prevents that campsite from making more torches.
The other is Drop Torch. This action can be done anywhere. It creates a "torch" unit in the same tile as the caster.
The end result is that the camp can build a torch, and a unit can grab it, and then drop it instead of storing it. This way, you could build up a stack of torch units in the camp for Adventurers to come and grab as they need them.
This should work because it accomplishes two of my other goals:
1. Camps will get a certain benefit if they have a torch "building" as a part of the camp.
2. A player can build up a sizable stack of reserve torches if need be.
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
I improved the functionality of torches last night.
A unit carrying a torch can now use it to beat back the Green Death. After the Green Death is burnt, it leaves behind ashes. Right now the ashes just use the "burnt forest" graphics, which looks weird, but I'll change that later.
Eventually the ash will be able to be cleared away, or even picked up and used for something.
I am still playing around with finding the right balance between spread rate of the Green Death, the ability to find or make torches, and the spread rate of Flames. It is a little unbalanced right now, but I'll get it right eventually.
Fire spells will also have a chance of impacting the Green Death, but they aren't in the game yet.
-------------------------------
In all, I think this ended up being a pretty good work-around. Apparently, EQUIPMENTCLASS type units can't be built in a city like regular units? (At least I couldn't get them to show up as a build option in my city screens.) The method of using an initial building, which is convertible back and forth between unit, promotion, and building seems to be a good compromise.
I expect to use this for different useful items in the game. My hope is that with the right techs, a player could build an alchemy lab that can produce potions. I would also like to make copper, iron, and mithril weapons buildable, but disable to automatic upgrades upon entering a city. A city (campsite) would ahve to build a set of, for example, copper weapons, and then a unit would need to come and pick it up to gain the copper weapons promotion.
This is a very different direction than what the FfH2 team is taking. For an epic scale game, it makes sense that they would not want to get bogged down with gobs of equipment types. Dungeon Adventure is a small scale -- micromanagement scale even -- game, however, so I think that the equipment variety will serve a valid purpose.
So.. eventually I would like some weapons, maybe armor, potions for sure, torches, maybe lanterns, mining picks, and a few other useful goodies. I'd also like to figure out a bag or saddle bags or something that could be used to "carry" equipment units. This way, a character could have access to more than one instance of the same equipment. (Right now, for example, you can only have the "healing salve" promotion once. Once you have the promotion, you cannot "pick up" any more healing salves.)
Anyway -- that's the latest progress. I'll keep you all updated!
A unit carrying a torch can now use it to beat back the Green Death. After the Green Death is burnt, it leaves behind ashes. Right now the ashes just use the "burnt forest" graphics, which looks weird, but I'll change that later.
Eventually the ash will be able to be cleared away, or even picked up and used for something.
I am still playing around with finding the right balance between spread rate of the Green Death, the ability to find or make torches, and the spread rate of Flames. It is a little unbalanced right now, but I'll get it right eventually.
Fire spells will also have a chance of impacting the Green Death, but they aren't in the game yet.
-------------------------------
In all, I think this ended up being a pretty good work-around. Apparently, EQUIPMENTCLASS type units can't be built in a city like regular units? (At least I couldn't get them to show up as a build option in my city screens.) The method of using an initial building, which is convertible back and forth between unit, promotion, and building seems to be a good compromise.
I expect to use this for different useful items in the game. My hope is that with the right techs, a player could build an alchemy lab that can produce potions. I would also like to make copper, iron, and mithril weapons buildable, but disable to automatic upgrades upon entering a city. A city (campsite) would ahve to build a set of, for example, copper weapons, and then a unit would need to come and pick it up to gain the copper weapons promotion.
This is a very different direction than what the FfH2 team is taking. For an epic scale game, it makes sense that they would not want to get bogged down with gobs of equipment types. Dungeon Adventure is a small scale -- micromanagement scale even -- game, however, so I think that the equipment variety will serve a valid purpose.
So.. eventually I would like some weapons, maybe armor, potions for sure, torches, maybe lanterns, mining picks, and a few other useful goodies. I'd also like to figure out a bag or saddle bags or something that could be used to "carry" equipment units. This way, a character could have access to more than one instance of the same equipment. (Right now, for example, you can only have the "healing salve" promotion once. Once you have the promotion, you cannot "pick up" any more healing salves.)
Anyway -- that's the latest progress. I'll keep you all updated!
Nevercme
Chieftain
Is this going to be promoted from mod mod to ful fledged mod at any point? Also how much more are you going to add. Just so I can decide to try it out now or wait for a more full fledged version.
Thanks
Edit: Does it generate a new map every time or does it just use one map? My guess is the first one for the moment, and if it is, can we expect a later version to do it? Thanks again for attempting this.
Thanks
Edit: Does it generate a new map every time or does it just use one map? My guess is the first one for the moment, and if it is, can we expect a later version to do it? Thanks again for attempting this.
Psychic_Llamas
Wizard in the Making
the way you've worked torches is great lutefisk 
Kudos
ive had a bit of a break from making 3D stuff, but ill get back into it eventually.
Kudosive had a bit of a break from making 3D stuff, but ill get back into it eventually.
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
@ Nevercme: Right now a modmod, but intended to be a stand alone mod eventually. As the modmod/mod matures, it will drift further away from the FfH2 base and lore. My first release is going to be a pre-Alpha release aimed at modding enthusiasts. It will really be more of a technical demo of some implemented features than a playable mod. I'll put that disclaimer way up front, though, so that people know what they are getting.
@Demus: Yes, for the forseeable future, hand made WB maps will be it. This gives people the chance to set up their own Dungeons and shop them around on the forum. I eventually hope that a script can be made to generate random dungeons, but that is presently beyond my own skill.
@PL: Thanks! As usually my approach is one of one-half brute force coding and one-half wishful thinking. But as it has been said before, "It it is stupid and it works, it's not stupid."
@Demus: Yes, for the forseeable future, hand made WB maps will be it. This gives people the chance to set up their own Dungeons and shop them around on the forum. I eventually hope that a script can be made to generate random dungeons, but that is presently beyond my own skill.
@PL: Thanks! As usually my approach is one of one-half brute force coding and one-half wishful thinking. But as it has been said before, "It it is stupid and it works, it's not stupid."
Lutefisk Mafia
Inscrutable Enforcer
Well, you all asked for it... so here it is. The pre-Alpha release of Dungeon Adventure.
I am hosting these files on Atomic Gamer, which I have never used before. Hope the download links work!
The pre-Alpha demo requires three files.
Adventure.zip is the main file. Unzip this file into the BTS mods directory. It will set up the "Adventure" mod sub-folder. Most of the stuff is on this zip.
Adventure2.zip is the PAK file that goes into the Assets sub-folder of the mod. Just inzip this into the mods folder of BTS -- it will automatically put the PAK file into the right sub-folder. This is just the PAK file from FfH2 030, so you may be able to do a copy-paste if you still have that file around, instead of downloading this one. NOTE: I did say 030, not 031. The modmod is based off of the 030 FfH2 core, and is not compatible with 031.
Finally, I included a demo savegame file. I strongly recommend downloading it and loading it to try out the demo release. Starting a new game with the existing BTS map scripts will just make garbage. For now, maps need to be hand made.
Okay -- a few other caveats.
1. I am still having trouble getting this mod to load consistently. I drives me nuts, but I can't pin down the source of the problem. Basically I just keep trying to start it over and over, and eventually it will load up. If anyone can sleuth out the cause of this problem, I'd appreciate it!
2. The tech tree is there, but is just ornamental really. To try out features and units, you will need to fiddle with WorldBuilder as you go. Accordingly, the pre-Alpha release is targeted at experienced modders and people who don't mid playing with a very, very rough product. Let me say this again: THE MOD IS NOT PLAYABLE in its current state. At most, it is a technical demo.
3. Same thing for Civics (1/3 implemented), units (hardly any buildable), and buildings (currently everything is buildable right from the start).
4. Button graphics -- many are either a default "create me" graphic or are reused button that may not make sense for the action. This will get fixed eventually, of course, but please don't be thrown off by it.
5. Magic is not in the game yet.
6. To use Thief skills, you will need to add the "Thief" promotion to a unit by hand in WB. Eventually the Stealth tech branch will enable units to get this automatically.
All right, enough blabbering. Here are the files:
Adventure.zip = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69306
Adventure2.zip = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69320
Demo savegame = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69330
patch "a" (unzip into "Adventure" sub-folder of Mods directory) = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69364
Also note, I am not starting a thread in the regular mod forum yet. Dungeon Adventure isn't ready for that yet. I'd rather bounce it off of those of us who frequent this FfH2 sub-forum for a while first.
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, if you take some cool screenshots or video clips, feel free to post the links in this thread!
Thanks for all your support everyone -- I hope you enjoy playing around with the pre-Alpha release!
I am hosting these files on Atomic Gamer, which I have never used before. Hope the download links work!
The pre-Alpha demo requires three files.
Adventure.zip is the main file. Unzip this file into the BTS mods directory. It will set up the "Adventure" mod sub-folder. Most of the stuff is on this zip.
Adventure2.zip is the PAK file that goes into the Assets sub-folder of the mod. Just inzip this into the mods folder of BTS -- it will automatically put the PAK file into the right sub-folder. This is just the PAK file from FfH2 030, so you may be able to do a copy-paste if you still have that file around, instead of downloading this one. NOTE: I did say 030, not 031. The modmod is based off of the 030 FfH2 core, and is not compatible with 031.
Finally, I included a demo savegame file. I strongly recommend downloading it and loading it to try out the demo release. Starting a new game with the existing BTS map scripts will just make garbage. For now, maps need to be hand made.
Okay -- a few other caveats.
1. I am still having trouble getting this mod to load consistently. I drives me nuts, but I can't pin down the source of the problem. Basically I just keep trying to start it over and over, and eventually it will load up. If anyone can sleuth out the cause of this problem, I'd appreciate it!
2. The tech tree is there, but is just ornamental really. To try out features and units, you will need to fiddle with WorldBuilder as you go. Accordingly, the pre-Alpha release is targeted at experienced modders and people who don't mid playing with a very, very rough product. Let me say this again: THE MOD IS NOT PLAYABLE in its current state. At most, it is a technical demo.
3. Same thing for Civics (1/3 implemented), units (hardly any buildable), and buildings (currently everything is buildable right from the start).
4. Button graphics -- many are either a default "create me" graphic or are reused button that may not make sense for the action. This will get fixed eventually, of course, but please don't be thrown off by it.
5. Magic is not in the game yet.
6. To use Thief skills, you will need to add the "Thief" promotion to a unit by hand in WB. Eventually the Stealth tech branch will enable units to get this automatically.
All right, enough blabbering. Here are the files:
Adventure.zip = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69306
Adventure2.zip = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69320
Demo savegame = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69330
patch "a" (unzip into "Adventure" sub-folder of Mods directory) = http://www.atomicgamer.com/file.php?id=69364
Also note, I am not starting a thread in the regular mod forum yet. Dungeon Adventure isn't ready for that yet. I'd rather bounce it off of those of us who frequent this FfH2 sub-forum for a while first.
As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, if you take some cool screenshots or video clips, feel free to post the links in this thread!
Thanks for all your support everyone -- I hope you enjoy playing around with the pre-Alpha release!
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