27 replies to this topic

[Mouth of Sauron]

Welcome to Minas Ithil ...well, not yet, we are still at war, Sauron has not been destroyed yet, only basic clean up of the former Morgul den could be done, but here we stand, in this ancient Gondor fotress, ready to defend it against the forces of darkness...







The upper level towers of Minas Tirith and lower level towers of Minas Morgul now have the trebuchet/catapult... I will have to test this, there probably is a reason why these were left without the armament, and the reason certainly is "balance"... I don't want balance when my army faces the most famous fortresses of the Middle-Earth, I want challange

Edited by Mouth of Sauron, 15 February 2011 - 04:17 PM.

[Mouth of Sauron]

This is my new WotR map, the old beautiful BFME1 style, rich colors, no impassable shades, and it's new division into regions...





The system is not definitive yet, as I want to add more territories to my living world, and bring back some beautiful maps from BFME1, to have Moria, the Crossroads, more maps in Gondor and especially in Rohan (I really don't like the actual RotWK Rohan tactical map) and Mordor (the actual "Mordor" map with the Sea of Nurn is even worse... the one from BFME1 was splendid); I hope I will be able to create my own region effect files for that purpose.

But untill then...

I have four more active regions brining bonuses to the players : Lindon, Rohan, Misty Mountains and Harad. The original region of Gondor is split into Gondor and Rohan, just as these two factions are definetly split in the mod, with working Rohan AI for all maps. Ithilien is given to Gondor rather then to Mordor, there is the Forbidden Pool on that map and there is no reason for Mordor to claim that region (except, of course, for the player's will to dominate the Middle Earth).

I have a new Region of Harad with Harad and Umbar for now, this will most probably change later when Umbar will become autonomous, and Harad it-self will get more territories.

The region of Rhûn is reduced to the territory of Rhûn it-self, again, it will get more territories later, within the actual borders of the region.

The other territories of former region of Rhûn are now separate... but do not form any specific new region. They are just independent territories bringing no bonus together.

Rhovanion... Isengard, High Pass and Redhorn Pass are removed ; High Pass and Redhorn Pass now form, with the Mount Gundabad, taken from Forodwaith, the region of Misty Mountains (later together with Moria and maybe more). The region of Forodwaith is removed and replaced by the new region of Angmar (two maps actually), Forodwaith it-self is independent.

Lindon is split from Eriador, and as I want to keep Arnor as existing region for a purpose, I've given the Tower Hills to Eriador to make that one more important again.

The region of Grey Mountains does not actually exist, I've just put it to the scrolled out map, but I would like to have some territories there, with dragons to feed the dwarven axes (or is that opposite ?)

There is no region of Gondor that would bring any bonus as before. The player must unite the regions of Gondor and Arnor, and take Isengard as well, and these three together form the new region that brings a bonus.

I have to test this, and see what bonuses I want to have from the regions. As I have deleted the inns and most of the outposts from the maps (what the hell was doing an inn under the Mount of Doom or within the walls of Minas Morgul ? How could one find an outpost in the forrest of Fangorn ? ...etc.), no "free inn units" bonus is possible. Not many bonuses are available, as these seem to be hardcoded and are :

ExtraStartResourcesBonus
DiscountedHeroUnitsBonus
DiscountedBarracksUnitsBonus
DiscountedSeigeUnitsBonus
FreeBuilderBonus
BuildingDiscountBonus

I think I will have a barrack bonus in Rohan and in Mordor, resource bonus in Rhûn, Harad, Angmar, Rhovanion and Eriador, siege bonus in Erebor, hero discount in Lindon, and, if possible, a combination of important bonuses in Gondor+Arnor+Isengard, barrack and hero discount and resource bonus; quite strong, but available only with both kingdoms united, the idea is to enable Gondor to match Mordor in later stages of the war, when Balrog or Sauron or both might already be created by the evil side player.

I am not sure how it would work if one player united more regions with the same bonus, especially for the discounts. Will it take the most important discount ? Will it add the discounts together ? Will it ignore the second (and the 3rd...) discount ? Will it CTD ?

Many projects, isn't it. Any comments or ideas are most welcome... should I create a "dwarven" region from Erebor, Iron Hills and Celduine ? What would be the name ? If multiple bonuses worked this might later be nice as there would be a reason for the Dwarves to go to Moria, to the Grey or Blue Mountains, to gather an important bonus just like I plan for Gondor-Arnor.

Should there be one name for the "ancient battlefields" of Dagorlad and Dead Marshes ?

All right... next stop, split of Mordor into Mordor, Harad and Rhûn, and creating of Angmar AI for Mordor for some of the maps of the North.

MoS

PS sorry, I could not resist to this :

Edited by Mouth of Sauron, 18 February 2011 - 10:07 AM.

[Unknown]

I can't see your pictures properly, they're too small Btw, how did you change the color of the palantir?

[Mouth of Sauron]

I have resized them to 600 pixels as I don't want to run out of the space here soon again...

The palantir thing is simple : it's in the apt_PalantirExport_xxx.tga files in the APT big files that go to art/textures.

[Mouth of Sauron]

Well... I've tried something and it worked, partially. As I do not use the borders in my livingworld map, changing the regions/territories is easier, I only have to modify the lmr_fill and the lmr_edge (and the unified region effects later); edge is not easy, no success yet, but I will find my way I hope. The fill is quite easy, so now I have one of my favourite maps from the BFME1, the Crossroads, back in the game, correctly linked with original Osgiliath, Dead Marshes, Cair Andros and Ithilien; the lw subobject is taken from the two small parts of Dead Marshes and Ithilien in front of Minas Morgul. One buildblot, everything works fine. The only issue is to decide where to put the player_1 position, as it defines the position of the defender, the attacker allways arriving from the other side of the map, which means, when the player_1 is on the Mordor side of the river, and is Gondor faction, the attacking army from Minas Morgul will arrive from the direction of Osgiliath...

The same problem concerns all the maps by the way. I've noticed it when I tried to change this for Ithilien. I believe it is not possible to script something like 'if player_1 is Mordor, his starting position is player_2' ... I will have to move the starting position so that it is not so visible. Most probably I will move the player_1 back to the original position in the map of Crossroads, with the story saying that the good attacking army tries to outflank the evil position

Anyway, it will be now possible for me to give more regions to Rohan, Gondor and Mordor, I want use most of the BFME1 maps, and also the BFME2 and RotWK ones left unused in the WotR; a sort of what the RJ mod does, but a bit diffrent, and escpecially, I'll be able to do it step by step. Many of these regions will be quite small, so there will be no buildspots...

MoS

[EggyDan]

This mod is looking really interesting so far. I think the changing of the fortress maps depending on whether good or evil is in control is a very nice touch, would be great for it to be done for more of them! War of the ring mods seem to be pretty rare so good luck with this one and keep it up!

[Mouth of Sauron]

Thank you,

and yes, and it's pretty easy, I believe it will be possible to change even the statues and other minor details, by simply affecting the objects to the player 1 faction in the worldbuilder, and change the model according to the faction...

Helms Deep and especially Rivendell may need some changes... I also have an idea about Carn Dum, but I am not sure it will work (it may depend on the geometry, but I would like to have the Amon Sul or Arnor walls there instead of the evil Angmar ones once the fortress is controlled by a good faction; generally it should work); but also Lothlorien, where it may be a bit more tricky (and I think I will use rather the BFME1 there, for the city it-self, and use the BFME2 map for the forest around it. And Erebor of course...

But... I have started the project of increasing the number of territories ; and I would change the other fortress maps only after I am sure which maps I want to use. I have all the BFME1 evil and good campaign territories back in my living world map, plus the Paths of the Dead, plus the Blue Mountains (the BFME2 good campaign map), the Grey Mountains (a mp map actually), the Withered Heat, the Adorn River, the Argonaths. I need now to code them in, and to make the maps WotR compatible, with especially all the spawn points correctly set according to the lw map geography.

I have also created a trial map of Barad Dûr, but it's provisionnal, it's based on the BFME1 Mount Doom map where there is, instead of Mount Doom, the Barad Dûr, with the bridge, etc., very big (size 7,5), and passive... I don't think I'll be able to make it much better, but I want this one to be a fortress map, so I will make some sort of Mordor fortification in the style of the original Dol Guldur, and first line of defense.

Some of the maps should be turned btw, for example the original map of Dunharrow is upside-down, the mountain was in the south, the Mouths of Entwash the same, but I don't think it is possible to do so easily in the wb.

"Minas Ithil" will get another tower, with a bib that would cover the green hole, when controlled by good factions. I am not sure what to do about Isengard... but if I was able to change the tower of Minas Morgul, it might be possible also to make Isengard look like the evil Isengard with those pits and scafolds, that would be covered partially by a bib when the tower would be under control of a good faction.

There are other things to be changed as well. It should be difficult to march accross the Dead Marshes for example... "the orcs don't use it, the orcs don't know it" = the Black Gate should not be linked with the Dead Marshes... not sure if it can work as one-way, but it should, and it means Dagorlad should be adjacent to the Black Gate territory, and very few structures might be built there, and none on the lw map.

The Paths of the Dead btw... there is only one living being that may enter this map and survive. In a sigleplayer scenario I think I will try to make a specific faction for the Oathbreakers, the 3rd team, hostile to everyone, and it will be a fortress map, with no buildplot, and the faction will have a garrison army of several Oathbreaker hordes, the main structure would spawn the Oathbreakers as well in tactical battle. Aragorn will be invulnerable, and so he may be possibly the only unit that could destroy the structure and conquer the map... the problem here are the porters. Before I can try to create this, I have to find a way to make the army survive the destruction of the porters that will be inevitable (and desirable at the same time; no structures can be built on this map, and the Oathbreakers must be able to eliminate any unit, except for Aragorn)... with the Oathbreaker faction eliminated, any army may normally enter the map. And, finally, why all this ? I hope it will be possible to award Aragorn for destroying the Oathbreaker structure by a huge amount of xp's, that would finally raise him to level 9 and give him the possibility to summon the Oathbreakers; the amount needed to get to level 9 would be so huge that any other way to get to that level would be unrealistic. Level 10 would be "easy" again, it only brings him the king's texture and standard bonus. I have removed the Oathbreakers from the spellbook, and Aragorn's Oathbreakers would replace them; the ability would not be available at start, he would have to wait quite along time for it to load, say 30 minutes, maybe more. And the summon would than be permanent. It means that any battle against Aragorn at level 9 should be won by the evil side in 29 minutes, or all is lost. It may help to balance the presence of Sauron and Balrog. These two evil heroes, and a strong army, with reinforcements, etc., might perhaps be able to enter the map, and, with heavy losses, destroy the structure and the faction... and thus make it harder for Aragorn to get to level 9, as he still would be able to destroy the structure occupied by Mordor, but this time not defended by the "weak" Oathbreakers, but by standard Mordor army. Complicated... but perhaps possible. ...only, I don't want to get Aragorn to level 9 but from level 8, do I... this may be a problem. Aragorn entering this map at level 1... leaving it with those xp's gained at level 9 after one single battle... tsss tsss. An armorset at level 8 that may would make him invulnerable to the Oathbreakers may be the solution.

Ideas, more ideas...

MoS

Edited by Mouth of Sauron, 03 March 2011 - 06:27 PM.

[Dark Lord]

Thank you,the system of  the living world works great removing the dark areas