Midnight-Blue766
The filidh that cam frae Skye
Throne of Terra, now I'll have to play Civ5 again!
Remember the Primarchs (the WH40K-mod for Civ 5)
- Thread starter Skajaquada
- Start date
Skajaquada
Crazy Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2007
- Messages
- 134
Here's a update what I've done the last weeks, among other things to clear my mind a little 
I made a little exercise in LUA with a function that is set to run as a unit is built. It then goes through an array of unit-names checking if the unit is an "officer" or "soldier" and increments a squad- and company-counter that is added to the name with correct ordinal "2nd Squad, 1st Company, Captain, 2nd Company" etc. If several "officers" follow each-other they aren't made "captains" for empty companies but a counter for "lieutenants" is added as well.
I think it adds a nice touch, in WH40K as in any book I've read that goes a little in-depth about war there's some focus on what designation the person has. Ideally it would add something to the actual Civ-game too. I'm not too sure what though, you might remember what squads and companies fought what and give it a thought as they die. Anyway, the point of the exercise was just to try and load a LUA-file.
Some future updates I've got in mind are replacing "company" with "platoon" for Imperial Guard-units as that's what they're divided in according to the Lexicanum. Perhaps Dreadnoughts and Tanks will be "Armoured Division", not sure what those individual units will be called as in unique designation though. In the lore I think the tanks are attached to squads and the Dreadnoughts lack designation. Perhaps I can just use a seperate squad-counter for the tanks? I will have to think about how that feels.
After that I made unique versions of my Space Marine-texture for the 18 Legions. I've uploaded a video that quickly goes through all of them here as they're used in-game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QRh4sr9VZs
The point of that exercise was to learn a way to generate a lot of similar textures in Photoshop and I made great use of the Actions-tab. The only problem was that it's not good at loading files based on expressions so I'll spend the next week or so going through scripting in Photoshop so I can with relative ease put together the 5000 or so textures this mod will require
There's one thing I wonder here I'm hoping if someone with a lot of experience making huge mods can answer. How to structure things like this? I couldn't even copy entire folders in ModBuddy so that video I did by manually replace textures with the same name before re-compiling the project. I mean a mod with this many units, I'm almost thinking of writing a small program that updates everything between the Legions. Any thoughts?
After that I've been sitting a little on and off going through Lexicanum and the WH40K-wiki trying to compile a list of culture-related buildings or as we'll say "dominance". It's here, I was thinking the names in the spoiler-tags could be National Wonders with unique names for each civilization requiring a number of the "buildings":
I feel pretty satisfied with that list. Then I can remove a lot depending on how this will play out because there are so many. I even did the Titan-names myself. According to the lore every Titan has it's own name consisting of two latin words. I don't speak even one word of latin but I put some like "sword honor" etc. into Google-translate and put together whatever felt like it fit.
The next time I feel like going through Lexicanum I think I'll start looking at techs. It feels like most of these lists have reached a critical mass where making up my own won't be hard, so I think I'll go through things like equipment, reactors, shields and weapons to glean something that sounds like it could be used as a technology. Some general idea I kind of like is that the Adeptus Mechanicus could be divided up with some branch being about recovering lost technology as it's very common in WH40K.
I think that's that. After I've put together some scripts to generate all my textures in Photoshop I think I'll go back to coding some LUA making a fear-modifier for attacking units. I was originally thinking units could even be routed (randomly running away) but since there's no start-turn event that I know of (for all civilizations) I think it would feel a little glued on. I then feel very decided on that it'll be on a on-built and on-attack unit-basis. So when a unit is built it's "accumulated fear"-value is set to 0, then it's given a "spread fear"-value as well as a "fear resistance"-value. In every attack they'll then get put together, depending on proximity to generals and so on. Then it won't affect anything until a max-fear value is reached whereupon the unit will be "routed" either or both doing very little damage and be very vulnerable. I was also thinking winning fights would reduce the "accumulated fear"-value, maybe even increase the "fear resistance"-value if there's no on-promote event.
I'll also add something about release-date. I've got this mad hope they'll fix the real Asset Importer as it takes incredible long time fighting the mesh-corruption and sometimes I just never get any clear result. However if they never release it (with-in a month or two) I might just wrap up what I've got and release that. Though that will probably take a month or so too.
P.S. Please feel free to comment the Legion-colors in that video. I originally thought the Imperial Fists had a too dark shade of yellow but looking at the Blood Angels that shade feels too bright for Civ 5. I might simply go with the darker shade. I also noticed to my dismay when texturing the pre-heresy Legions that so many are either black or white. I'll see if I can make them a little different, perhaps add more red to the Dark Angels and maybe more grey to the Iron Hands.
I made a little exercise in LUA with a function that is set to run as a unit is built. It then goes through an array of unit-names checking if the unit is an "officer" or "soldier" and increments a squad- and company-counter that is added to the name with correct ordinal "2nd Squad, 1st Company, Captain, 2nd Company" etc. If several "officers" follow each-other they aren't made "captains" for empty companies but a counter for "lieutenants" is added as well.
I think it adds a nice touch, in WH40K as in any book I've read that goes a little in-depth about war there's some focus on what designation the person has. Ideally it would add something to the actual Civ-game too. I'm not too sure what though, you might remember what squads and companies fought what and give it a thought as they die. Anyway, the point of the exercise was just to try and load a LUA-file.
Some future updates I've got in mind are replacing "company" with "platoon" for Imperial Guard-units as that's what they're divided in according to the Lexicanum. Perhaps Dreadnoughts and Tanks will be "Armoured Division", not sure what those individual units will be called as in unique designation though. In the lore I think the tanks are attached to squads and the Dreadnoughts lack designation. Perhaps I can just use a seperate squad-counter for the tanks? I will have to think about how that feels.
After that I made unique versions of my Space Marine-texture for the 18 Legions. I've uploaded a video that quickly goes through all of them here as they're used in-game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QRh4sr9VZs
The point of that exercise was to learn a way to generate a lot of similar textures in Photoshop and I made great use of the Actions-tab. The only problem was that it's not good at loading files based on expressions so I'll spend the next week or so going through scripting in Photoshop so I can with relative ease put together the 5000 or so textures this mod will require
There's one thing I wonder here I'm hoping if someone with a lot of experience making huge mods can answer. How to structure things like this? I couldn't even copy entire folders in ModBuddy so that video I did by manually replace textures with the same name before re-compiling the project. I mean a mod with this many units, I'm almost thinking of writing a small program that updates everything between the Legions. Any thoughts?
After that I've been sitting a little on and off going through Lexicanum and the WH40K-wiki trying to compile a list of culture-related buildings or as we'll say "dominance". It's here, I was thinking the names in the spoiler-tags could be National Wonders with unique names for each civilization requiring a number of the "buildings":
Spoiler :
I feel pretty satisfied with that list. Then I can remove a lot depending on how this will play out because there are so many. I even did the Titan-names myself. According to the lore every Titan has it's own name consisting of two latin words. I don't speak even one word of latin but I put some like "sword honor" etc. into Google-translate and put together whatever felt like it fit.
The next time I feel like going through Lexicanum I think I'll start looking at techs. It feels like most of these lists have reached a critical mass where making up my own won't be hard, so I think I'll go through things like equipment, reactors, shields and weapons to glean something that sounds like it could be used as a technology. Some general idea I kind of like is that the Adeptus Mechanicus could be divided up with some branch being about recovering lost technology as it's very common in WH40K.
I think that's that. After I've put together some scripts to generate all my textures in Photoshop I think I'll go back to coding some LUA making a fear-modifier for attacking units. I was originally thinking units could even be routed (randomly running away) but since there's no start-turn event that I know of (for all civilizations) I think it would feel a little glued on. I then feel very decided on that it'll be on a on-built and on-attack unit-basis. So when a unit is built it's "accumulated fear"-value is set to 0, then it's given a "spread fear"-value as well as a "fear resistance"-value. In every attack they'll then get put together, depending on proximity to generals and so on. Then it won't affect anything until a max-fear value is reached whereupon the unit will be "routed" either or both doing very little damage and be very vulnerable. I was also thinking winning fights would reduce the "accumulated fear"-value, maybe even increase the "fear resistance"-value if there's no on-promote event.
I'll also add something about release-date. I've got this mad hope they'll fix the real Asset Importer as it takes incredible long time fighting the mesh-corruption and sometimes I just never get any clear result. However if they never release it (with-in a month or two) I might just wrap up what I've got and release that. Though that will probably take a month or so too.
P.S. Please feel free to comment the Legion-colors in that video. I originally thought the Imperial Fists had a too dark shade of yellow but looking at the Blood Angels that shade feels too bright for Civ 5. I might simply go with the darker shade. I also noticed to my dismay when texturing the pre-heresy Legions that so many are either black or white. I'll see if I can make them a little different, perhaps add more red to the Dark Angels and maybe more grey to the Iron Hands.
Skajaquada
Crazy Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2007
- Messages
- 134
It was pretty active up until one month ago but I've been taking a very small break. If I can't get myself interested again I'll just release all the units so one way or the other there's no reason to despair. I also made this video here of the latest stuff I've done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl4yMbz52XU
I think there's also a thread or two with a little more updated info than this one in-case anyone reads this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl4yMbz52XU
I think there's also a thread or two with a little more updated info than this one in-case anyone reads this.
GustavBjorklund
Chieftain
Did you use models, textures and animations from Relic's WH40K Dawn of War 1/2?
KungCheops
Warlord
This looks really awesome, you modders are the reason I continue to play this game.
Skajaquada
Crazy Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2007
- Messages
- 134
I think it's just this one:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=425212
It's OK if you want to reply to anything in that thread in this thread so we don't bump two WH40K mod-threads. Maybe to clarify the OP it's all concept rather than any real design-work I'm talking about. Also when I say "normal" Civ-game like I do in this OP it's really about the generalization that all mods are either scenarios with pre-made maps or something that's played on a generated map.
I suppose one thing I could add is that I was thinking Warp Powers for units could be promotions that are given after a period of time (individual counter for each unit) that are then dispelled after a period of time. The AI should then be able to pick them somewhat intelligible. Hopefully there's a way to separate them from normal promotions so they don't appear when a unit levels up so that system won't have to be taken out. At-least the UI can easily be modded to add a counter or some progress-bar to display when the spells are ready.
Another thing that was spinning around my mind some time ago was to have the direction of one attack on another unit matter. There seems to be those kind of checks for the unit-object, so for example attacking a tank from the sides or back could deal more damage. Then there just needs to be a system in place to turn units around. I think there are functions for that as well but adding controls that aren't just left / right-buttons may be tough.
One minor thing was also using the ruins-graphics to make a new terrain or feature, maybe some improvement you can't build I generate around the map, mostly making it a little more grimdark but I suppose it could shake things up a little.
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=425212
It's OK if you want to reply to anything in that thread in this thread so we don't bump two WH40K mod-threads. Maybe to clarify the OP it's all concept rather than any real design-work I'm talking about. Also when I say "normal" Civ-game like I do in this OP it's really about the generalization that all mods are either scenarios with pre-made maps or something that's played on a generated map.
I suppose one thing I could add is that I was thinking Warp Powers for units could be promotions that are given after a period of time (individual counter for each unit) that are then dispelled after a period of time. The AI should then be able to pick them somewhat intelligible. Hopefully there's a way to separate them from normal promotions so they don't appear when a unit levels up so that system won't have to be taken out. At-least the UI can easily be modded to add a counter or some progress-bar to display when the spells are ready.
Another thing that was spinning around my mind some time ago was to have the direction of one attack on another unit matter. There seems to be those kind of checks for the unit-object, so for example attacking a tank from the sides or back could deal more damage. Then there just needs to be a system in place to turn units around. I think there are functions for that as well but adding controls that aren't just left / right-buttons may be tough.
One minor thing was also using the ruins-graphics to make a new terrain or feature, maybe some improvement you can't build I generate around the map, mostly making it a little more grimdark but I suppose it could shake things up a little.
QwertyMan213
Chieftain
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2010
- Messages
- 3
hey Skajaquada i can do some icons if you would like i know my way around Photoshop, it just depends on how you want you icons and other images to be. also what kind of art style you like...ex like civ 5 style.... also I'm getting into modeling its just that i don't have 3d max, i got Maya.
could try looking at the xml/lua from FFH to figure out the coding procedure on the special abilities. mimic their spell code for this mod's warp powers.
my understanding is that most of this is directly importable.
EDIT: similarly, for the turn/directional controls, xml/lua controls could be stolen for Civ4 Aftermath mod. directionality mattered in that one, and there were specific rotational controls for units.
my understanding is that most of this is directly importable.
EDIT: similarly, for the turn/directional controls, xml/lua controls could be stolen for Civ4 Aftermath mod. directionality mattered in that one, and there were specific rotational controls for units.
You know, if you have the beyond the sword mod, "future mod", it creates a rather elegeant means of incorporating space flight. It uses new tile sets called atmosphere and space, which can only be entered by certain units. So if you create small planets, with, say 8 water tiles and 30 land tiles, you could have a system or subsector wide conflict. Workers could be techpriest surveyors, settlers could remain as such or you could do away with whole civil aspect altogether by making a military base with combat engineers and have cities provide a cultural and defense bonus as a new form of terrain. If this appeals to yah, you can check the battlefleet gothic mod for sins of solar empire, as they have models for the Imperium set up, and may just have more on the way.
Skajaquada
Crazy Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2007
- Messages
- 134
Nope, I've seen that WH40K-mod too but have never downloaded it.
You know, you could just have this continue from the future era, or even past the diamond era in Community Call to Power mod. By adding a Dark age of technology era, old night, great crusade, horus heresy, and post heresy era, you could choose to play as The Emperor with the warlords of earth being very hostile city states, and have other planet tiles with aliens or chaos worshippers on other planets divided by space. With the research or construction of The Immortal Emperor, you could have a U.N.style event which allies you with some and puts the rest at constant war, or just access to the imperium civic which makes every other human caliber player like orks or eldar hate you.. The research technologies of old night could cut every player off from one another, and randomly spawning demons and such. Perhaps with gaining the models from civ4 mods like future mod, you could add some new content before the whole 40K thing comes around and have 40k waiting at the end as a straight out brawl between everybody else.Perhaps having diplomacy affected by social policies like Imperium, or purge the alien civics could keep things canon by being so necessary for human players and spur on the constant conflict that 40k is known for. The lexicanum is a good site to check for the 40k timeline and history to provide ideas for research and such.
What you need to do is make a map with circular islands with enough hexes to have about 2-7 cities each, then change the sea color from blue shades to black shades.
this will mean the map is representative of space.
you can use gems and marble resource models in the water(space) to act like meteorites and gas clouds etc.
allow (space)ships to go over land as well as water.... this is for 2 reasons, 1 so that space ship yards can be located from towns not near the edge of the 2d planet, and 2 because ships can enter atmospheres and fly over 2d versions of theoretical planets.
next, instead of calling a unit a space marine, name it a legion, since during the horus heresy the marine chapters could have over 1000 marines there would be multiple equivalents of terminators (first legion) or scouts (tenth legion) etc.
pretend each unit is representative of 100 marines.
so when working out realism, you would have 10 thunderhawks as transport, as 1 tiles worth, could 100 marines take on 10 thunderhawks... maybe.
ships... as follows.
Work vessel, 10 mining vessels, per tile, farms space tiles early game
mining fleet, 50 mining vessels per tile, farms space tiles late game at 5 times the rate.
thunderhawks, 10 transports per tile, transports 3 legions of marines (300), 1 legion of terminators(100), or 2 dreadnaught groups (20 dreads)
Gladius Escorts, 4 escorts per tile, light attack, fast speed.
spacemarine strike cruiser, 2 cruisers per tile, medium attack, bonus vs city, medium speed, can carry 3 thunderhawk units
spacemarine battle barge, 1 battle barge, high damage, high bonus vs city, slow speed, can carry 9 thunderhawk units
Units as follows.
bolter armed tactical marine, standard unit, attack from 1 square away.
meltagun marines, good attack vs all, must be in same square to attack.
plasma gun marines, good vs heavy troops, 10% damage return, attacks 1 square away.
devastator marines, cant move and attack same turn, high damage, can attack from 3 squares away, can attack space ships.
terminator, slower speed, higher armor, higher damage. attack from 2 squares away vs non mech.
assault marine, attack in same square, move double the number of hexes.
dreadnaughts, high damage vs city, troops and mech, high armour, slow attack.
predators, high damage, high armour, 3 squares range.
vindicators, high attack vs city, 1 square range.
bikes, high speed, 1 square range, high defence.
veteran sterngaurd, higher damage then tacticle and double melee damage.
whirlwinds, high damage vs space ships and citys, 3 squares range, low armor
land speeders, high speed, low armour, good vs tank.
scouts, high visbility, good in terain, 2 squares range, higher speed then tacticle.
non combatants.
great general = space marine commander.
great engineer = techmarine.
great artist = librarian
great scientst = chaplain
workers = servitors.
settlers = civilians.
Tech tree:
Terra Forming(Agriculture, make food)
Mining (get steel from the earth)
Gunpowder (archery, access to basic marine)
Biotech (all troops gain 25% attack and hp)
Ceramics (construction required for inter planetary entry)
M: Carbonite working (marine defence increased by 100%)
M: Engineering (construct city defence systems)
B: Geenseed Mutation, (Tradition/religion equivilant)
B+E: Human bioelectrical interface (power armor, marines gain +200% defence)
C: Plasma engine (Sailing, create a mining shuttle)
C: Space time continuum (calander)
C: Alien Language (writing)
and so on... need more ideas let me know.
this will mean the map is representative of space.
you can use gems and marble resource models in the water(space) to act like meteorites and gas clouds etc.
allow (space)ships to go over land as well as water.... this is for 2 reasons, 1 so that space ship yards can be located from towns not near the edge of the 2d planet, and 2 because ships can enter atmospheres and fly over 2d versions of theoretical planets.
next, instead of calling a unit a space marine, name it a legion, since during the horus heresy the marine chapters could have over 1000 marines there would be multiple equivalents of terminators (first legion) or scouts (tenth legion) etc.
pretend each unit is representative of 100 marines.
so when working out realism, you would have 10 thunderhawks as transport, as 1 tiles worth, could 100 marines take on 10 thunderhawks... maybe.
ships... as follows.
Work vessel, 10 mining vessels, per tile, farms space tiles early game
mining fleet, 50 mining vessels per tile, farms space tiles late game at 5 times the rate.
thunderhawks, 10 transports per tile, transports 3 legions of marines (300), 1 legion of terminators(100), or 2 dreadnaught groups (20 dreads)
Gladius Escorts, 4 escorts per tile, light attack, fast speed.
spacemarine strike cruiser, 2 cruisers per tile, medium attack, bonus vs city, medium speed, can carry 3 thunderhawk units
spacemarine battle barge, 1 battle barge, high damage, high bonus vs city, slow speed, can carry 9 thunderhawk units
Units as follows.
bolter armed tactical marine, standard unit, attack from 1 square away.
meltagun marines, good attack vs all, must be in same square to attack.
plasma gun marines, good vs heavy troops, 10% damage return, attacks 1 square away.
devastator marines, cant move and attack same turn, high damage, can attack from 3 squares away, can attack space ships.
terminator, slower speed, higher armor, higher damage. attack from 2 squares away vs non mech.
assault marine, attack in same square, move double the number of hexes.
dreadnaughts, high damage vs city, troops and mech, high armour, slow attack.
predators, high damage, high armour, 3 squares range.
vindicators, high attack vs city, 1 square range.
bikes, high speed, 1 square range, high defence.
veteran sterngaurd, higher damage then tacticle and double melee damage.
whirlwinds, high damage vs space ships and citys, 3 squares range, low armor
land speeders, high speed, low armour, good vs tank.
scouts, high visbility, good in terain, 2 squares range, higher speed then tacticle.
non combatants.
great general = space marine commander.
great engineer = techmarine.
great artist = librarian
great scientst = chaplain
workers = servitors.
settlers = civilians.
Tech tree:
Terra Forming(Agriculture, make food)
Mining (get steel from the earth)
Gunpowder (archery, access to basic marine)
Biotech (all troops gain 25% attack and hp)
Ceramics (construction required for inter planetary entry)
M: Carbonite working (marine defence increased by 100%)
M: Engineering (construct city defence systems)
B: Geenseed Mutation, (Tradition/religion equivilant)
B+E: Human bioelectrical interface (power armor, marines gain +200% defence)
C: Plasma engine (Sailing, create a mining shuttle)
C: Space time continuum (calander)
C: Alien Language (writing)
and so on... need more ideas let me know.
)Connectmeplease
Chieftain
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2011
- Messages
- 2
I myself had just started to plan a 40k mod, and was going to go through the process you did to create the models, so if you could release them, it would help IMMENSELY. And you've done such a great job, I'd hate to have to spend so much time trying to duplicate it.
Skajaquada
Crazy Engineer
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2007
- Messages
- 134
Soon, very soon now. Though I'm actually not working on anything. I'm just waiting to see if I can get interested in working again. The only thing I haven't looked into would be map-scripts so I think I'll try to do that and see if I can make one for planets. Hoipefully it's possible to get creative and make it generate them in the shape of a spiral galaxy, maybe suns with planets around them... Hmm, that might be interesting
Connectmeplease
Chieftain
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2011
- Messages
- 2
Oh well, for now I guess I'll just have to muddle through the DOW2 models on my own. Good luck on your project.
