[BTS] Middle-earth Mod 0.4.1

[topsecret]

 

[topsecret]

Hi! The update is very awesome !! Thank you soo much for your work
That said I might have few things to suggest:
- the original map hasn't umbar playable. Do you think it's possible to fix it before your release soon to arrive? Also, in the same map the civs don't have any of their initial two technologies.
- in the small one I played a match with the dwarves and I noticed that a) they have the wrong initial technologies b) how about adding one gold resource in the Iron hills or in those behind them? Because one of the main dwarves' Wonders - the endless stairs - works with gold but there are none nearby.

Also I would like to quote a message I posted some time ago with smt I created if you feel like to add it and it's not difficult/time consuming especially the modified Durin leaderhead I believe it's quite nice since I added the durin's gate in his background

Thank you very much !!

Maggy, I'll be taking a look at this sometime this week.

I was delayed because my main computer died and life got very busy. However, I am working on updating the mod right now and I will be examining these things you have done.

 

[topsecret]

@Maggy_domain
Current things done for the update.
- Added Artifacts Mod
- Added the Platypedia
- Added Umbar to All Maps and Fixed Minor Errors with Maps
- Updated Civilizations' Starting Techs
- Updated Durin BG

 

[topsecret]

I've decided to add various units to increase the military progression. Though many of these are not specifically mentioned in Middle-earth (or have generic sounding names), we need more progression and "levels" of military tech. Also some of these will have unique functions rather than being strict upgrades.

Here's all the units I want to add (and yes I realize this is a lot of work):

MELEE ---> City Guard, Infanty, Heavy Infantry, Militia, Footman, Heavy Footman, Heavy Spearman
SIEGE ---> Sappers, Ballista, Besiegers
MOUNTED ---> Heavy Horse Archer, Cataphract, Mounted Infanty
ARCHERY ---> Shortbowman, Composite Archer
RECON ---> Tracker, Mounted Scout

If anyone has ideas for more Melee units or better names, please let me know.

 

[<Nexus>]

Just some general fantasy flavour names:

Elves:
Sword-dancer, War-dancer, Bow-master

Dwarves:
War-hammer, Hammer-storm, Axe-rage, Berserker

Orks:
Brute, Grunt

 

[topsecret]

topsecret updated Middle-earth Mod with a new update entry:

Units and Artifacts Update

v0.4.1- 08/8/20 (CURRENT)
- Added Artifacts Mod
- Added the Platypedia
- Added Umbar to All Maps and Fixed Minor Errors with Maps
- Updated Civilizations' Starting Techs
- Updated Durin BG
- Changed Various Requirements of Techs for Buildings and Units
- Added a Bonus for Farms once Crop Rotation is Researched
- Added Free GP's to certain techs
- Added Many New Units (Need to add many more flavor units in future updates)
- Reworked Some Unique Units

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[topsecret]

Pictures:

Spoiler :

 

[topsecret]

I have a lot of flavor units to add since I added all those new units.

Because of this, I released it so everyone can play and also so you can find any bugs.

Next up: I have to make some LH's for Zeta Nexus with my free time, then back to the mod!

 

[keldath]

hi !

looking great man!
glad to see your devotion to it.

im trying to work on ranged attack.
and i see you are using something here.
can you elaborate of the system you are using?
i presume you use air range for units in some way? ai usage?

 

[topsecret]

hi !

looking great man!
glad to see your devotion to it.

im trying to work on ranged attack.
and i see you are using something here.
can you elaborate of the system you are using?
i presume you use air range for units in some way? ai usage?

Thanks.
Yes, just using air strength. Use these three tags on any domain_land unit:
<iAirRange>1</iAirRange>
<iAirCombat>5</iAirCombat>
<iAirCombatLimit>75</iAirCombatLimit>

Air Range tells the spaces it can attack (but only spaces the unit has Line of Sight to.)
Air Combat is the strength of the attack.
The limit tells how much health this unit can knock off.

AI's use it, with good effect usually.

 

[keldath]

hi,
i see, so you are using vanilla bts.
that system have issues.
but vincents actually had it improved greatly. which is the system i am developing further.
for example, the damage is constant with it, he added a random factor.
also, i made that theres ranged attack only, if used on a city it will act as bombardment as well.
regular bombardment is denied. i preferred only one mission type.
also ranged units, cannot use move in attack, meaning, only ranged attack.
did some other tweaks to how ai chooses a target to range attack and such.

 

[topsecret]

hi,
i see, so you are using vanilla bts.
that system have issues.
but vincents actually had it improved greatly. which is the system i am developing further.
for example, the damage is constant with it, he added a random factor.
also, i made that theres ranged attack only, if used on a city it will act as bombardment as well.
regular bombardment is denied. i preferred only one mission type.
also ranged units, cannot use move in attack, meaning, only ranged attack.
did some other tweaks to how ai chooses a target to range attack and such.

The bolded parts are the ones I would like to add to the current system but that's pretty much it. But I don't want to go through the work. It's not really that vital to the mod, so eh... It's just low on my focus. Any coding time will go towards Unique Victories or Regions because those are so much more important.

 

[keldath]

I see,
The 2 parts you marked are very easy to do.

If you want, I can help,
Both can be game optional.

Let me know.

 

[topsecret]

I see,
The 2 parts you marked are very easy to do.

If you want, I can help,
Both can be game optional.

Let me know.

For now, we will just wait. I appreciate the offer. I need to integrate it with the current system (I still want the Line of Sight targeting and based on air strength tag).

 

[keldath]

that fine,
i can do small things like that i learn some lately with the help of someone .

so, feel free to ask.

 

[tantanmen]

Hello topsecret!

Somehow I missed the latest update - I just dl'd and booted it up and I have to say WOW - this mod is really coming along nicely The inclusion of artifacts really makes me excited to play this. And I really like how you categorized the units by First, Second, and Third Ages.

Thank you for all your hard work in creating this new art. You are really beginning to build immersion.

Now that you are back to making units, do you think you will be adding more flavor to Gondor? If you are taking suggestions/requests, I might have a couple of really basic ideas for the kingdom of Men

 

[topsecret]

Hello topsecret!

Somehow I missed the latest update - I just dl'd and booted it up and I have to say WOW - this mod is really coming along nicely The inclusion of artifacts really makes me excited to play this. And I really like how you categorized the units by First, Second, and Third Ages.

Thank you for all your hard work in creating this new art. You are really beginning to build immersion.

Now that you are back to making units, do you think you will be adding more flavor to Gondor? If you are taking suggestions/requests, I might have a couple of really basic ideas for the kingdom of Men

I have one more leader for Zeta and then I will be adding some new units for Gondor. Go ahead and give some suggestions because this is your chance, because I am doing it anyway.

Also, I am gonna try to make some Elves that are "Helm's Deep" style from the movie (since they don't appear there in the books, obviously.)

Kind words appreciated!

 

[tantanmen]

Go ahead and give some suggestions because this is your chance, because I am doing it anyway.

Alright, here's my first suggestion:

'The Decline of Gondor'
Especially for the Third Age, I thought it might be interesting to experiment with unitmeshgroups (in the civ4unitartstyletypeinfos.xml) as a way to reflect the declining Gondor military drawing on its last reserves.

I can create a new unit mesh/formation and take a sceenshot to show what I mean.

But I don't know how to add weapons in nifskope. Could you create a version of the Gondor Scout that replaces the claymore with a shortsword or dagger?

Thanks!

Also, I am gonna try to make some Elves that are "Helm's Deep" style from the movie (since they don't appear there in the books, obviously.)

That would be most excellent

 

[topsecret]

Alright, here's my first suggestion:

'The Decline of Gondor'
Especially for the Third Age, I thought it might be interesting to experiment with unitmeshgroups (in the civ4unitartstyletypeinfos.xml) as a way to reflect the declining Gondor military drawing on its last reserves.

I can create a new unit mesh/formation and take a sceenshot to show what I mean.

But I don't know how to add weapons in nifskope. Could you create a version of the Gondor Scout that replaces the claymore with a shortsword or dagger?

Thanks!


That would be most excellent

It's possible but I can't remember how Civ Art Styles work with mesh groups that are one unit. There's a possible work around I think, but we couldn't, for example, have two meshes on a unit that usually has three.

I don't have access to my computer right now but I will dig in to it.

Weaponswaps are easy and I might do it as a tutorial. There is a tutorial in the tutorial forum section too.

See if you can find a unit with the right sword/dagger.

 

[tantanmen]

Weaponswaps are easy and I might do it as a tutorial. There is a tutorial in the tutorial forum section too.

I would LOVE to have a tutorial for the most recent version of nifskope!

Spoiler :

Instead of stating 'I don't know how', I probably should have said that I haven't figured out how to switch weapons. I tried a tutorial, but I think I was using a different version of nifskope because the dropdown menu wasn't the same and I got tripped up almost immediately. I figured out how to remove items, and I kept messing around with the program for a while but I gave up (too easily, I admit) because I only wanted to learn to do that one thing. Rather than following guidebooks, I sometimes rely on intuition (e.g. I 'taught myself' how to xml), and for that reason I find nifskope intimidating.

So please, teach me to fish - I'm ready to feed myself for a lifetime!