65 replies to this topic

[Fingulfin]

Game.dat. It is the NASTIEST error you can get :( There is a list of possible game.dat errors here, but it is incomplete. They are really hard to fix, cause the game does not tell you what is broken... The way most people fix them is to undo all modded changes since the last successful run. In other words, you have to delete all the changes you made since the last time you were able to get the game to run (without any errors). I'm almost finished with the tutorial, just have to finish explaining lotr.str, and add a small section on putting them into the commandset. I might put in some experience levels mumbo jumbo, but that would make it take longer. We shall see.

Edited by Fingulfin, 15 December 2006 - 12:05 AM.

[Nazgûl]

The .str... is that where the tooltips might be locaded? I forgot to mention that upon pointing to the button for mounting fellbeast... the tooltip was broken like below:

MISSING:
'CONTROLBAR:MountFellbeastBlackRider'
MISSING:
'CONTROLBAR:TooltipMountFellbeastBlackRider'

Maybe that had something do do with the crash?


What I did was:

1) Copy the blackrider.ini, from BFME2.5 to the corresponding map in "MarksMod" (I hope this will NOT mess up balance from gamadata.ini with health, strenght and such)
2) Copy the fellbeast.ini, from BFME2.5 to the corresponding map in "MarksMod" (I hope this will NOT mess up balance from gamadata.ini with health, strenght and such)
3) Copy the morguldart.ini, from BFME2.5 to the corresponding map in "MarksMod" (this is exclusive for the initial code ("The Nine") from modder Lord of Gifts, and not a part of the initial mod from Mark.
4) Ad the three sections to commandset, all mention earlier in the thread + remove the duplicate for evilmenblackrider later in that code (that was error 1 before)
5) Copy the last added lines from "The Nine" code that was added to commandbutton
6) Ad buildtime in gamedata to Nazgul and WitchKing by copying and adding the line (yes, this line is not in MarksMod) with the number 60 from the working code (The Nine), since this was error 2 and 3 upon startup before. This might be in conflict with Marks mod though since he has some kind of universal code for buildtime. But it starts nevertheless...

PS, I'm still VERY keen on seeing you solutions that will probably work much better than my "cut n paste try to understand logic" kind of way *lol* BUT no extra mumbo plz! I'm trying to get the basics only Extra mumbo will probably conflict with the initial mod (Marks). Besides, I wouldn't want you to overdo this... Working solution for mounting toggles is enough for me at least

Edited by Nazgûl, 15 December 2006 - 01:07 AM.

[Nazgûl]

I MADE IT!!! EVERYTHING WORKS NOW!!! (I think)
Lord of Gifts sent me the files I needed (from The Nine) to find out what codes needed changing (there was three more inis connected to the new power "morguldart" for the fellbeast - I guess that caused the crash), and now I'm starting to get the feel for this... so I think I'll finish off by modifying the tooltips and such in .str (yes I saw that it could be opened in Notepad too *lol*)... but it took me quite some time before I found that it was the english patch 1.03 that needed modding with Notepad after having extracted the .str through FinalBIG. Marks original mod uses that file - not the separate .str that was placed in the data folder in The Nine minimod and BFME2.5. Then I changed the recriut cost back to Marks default (found that too)... *happy*

This was so much fun that I must ad more things to the wish list now (I hear you going: I told you so *lol*)

I'm SO glad for your help, and all the things I've learned to understand during this. But to get more and better understanding I still look very much forward to see Fins solution and compare them

Till then - THANKS guys!

[Fingulfin]

Darn I was too late with the tutorial I'll have it finished tomorrow, I got kicked off my comp Tonight :(

[Nazgûl]

No sweat, and no stress But it will certainly be a really nice finish to this interesting thread
The only thing I might consider on top of this, should be making the Witch King do the same... I'll try to look into that next...

[Joe]

Fin, can you PM me a copy of this tutorial a long with the other one, and I will put it up on the site

(after reading it ofcourse )

[Nazgûl]

Joe - mr admin A question for you...

First I started the thread: Modding existing mods", and I got the topic well answered...
Then it was this thread that's starting to come to a conclusion (if I don't run into problems with the WK, which I probably will *lol*)... but great help was found here too.

Now I'm feeling motivated to continue with some more alterations of "minor" sort (moving units and changing spell costs, radius, adding more faction colors). Thanks for motivating me also, hehe

Question is, should I stick to this thread and alter the name, or should I start a new third thread, where I can exchange ideas and tips about those thoughs, concerning these future alterations?

EDIT:
No wait, perhaps the best thing would be to go back to the first thread "Modding existing mods", since this is just that actually.... *lol* sorry for my confusing state - I have hardly slept for three days

Edited by Nazgûl, 15 December 2006 - 04:59 PM.

[Fingulfin]

What some members here do is re-name their thread something like "Nazgul's Questions", and then put a topic description like "Latest: Mounting the WK-P2". This tells them what your latest problem is, and what page it is on.

[Nazgûl]

Perfect - will do that!

Almost done with the WK now... but I guess my coding is not that clean... ehm (Think I left some unused code here and there). Well, as long as it works I guess... *lol* I also made him "disguise" as a normal ringwraith on horse (Like in the movies) but gave him separete codes so he keeps his health values and his abilities...

Now I'm trying to alter all the tooltips and their headlines, as well as adding the morguldart weapon from the other fellbeast mounted nazguls (wich the codes sometimes mix fellbeast/nazgul - annoying)... I'm quite proud over myself actually *lol*

Edited by Nazgûl, 17 December 2006 - 04:56 PM.

[Nazgûl]

Fin? Given up? It would really be nice to see a "professional" modder's way to do this instead of my error-filled journey... even if I kind of made it


Anyway - a few new questions concering this mini-mod:
1) On horse, the witch kings power "The Hour of the Witch King" is available even at level 1. And also in this position, his tooltip-info for level and the corresponding experience bar in the palantir, is gone? They're there on foot and on fellbeast, but not on horse? What am I missing in my new ini for the WK on horse? (It's a copied and modified version of the regular BlackRider.ini) Or is it maybe in another ini that you place the level/upgrade info?
2) To make sure hi's as strong /given damage) on horse as on on feet, I should make a new file for him in gamedata, right? (No it was Commandset, Commandbutton and lotr.str - figured it out)

EDIT (18/12/06): All of the above is now fixed, almost...
3) I've also seen lines in the codes for another power involving the mace and also one about a "curse" for the WitchKing? Sound a lot cooler than his "Hour of the wk". Does anyone know why these, well at least the curse, is not in the game? Are thay unfishied codes maybe? Like the unseen heroes: Morgoth (the Orc), Gamling and Damrod? All that can be seen in the code, but not in the game???

New question (and this one I REALLY cant solve my self) :(
All of the powers/abilities that in some way have been moved or changed in Commandset and Commandbutton... (for instance I added Morgulblade to the WK, but perhaps he dosen't have an animation for that?) ... all these are non functional in the game? I have their buttons and I have also managed to install tooltips with correct names and connections to codes in Experiencelevels, so I see them and they read correct, as well as appear available at the right experience level now. But I'm STUCK on getting them to work?

Any ideas? Someone...?

Edited by Nazgûl, 18 December 2006 - 03:22 AM.

[Fingulfin]

No, my Parents dragged my whole family all over China Town (in downtown LA) yesterday, I didn't get any time in at all :( Today is Sunday, and I'm so busy with Church stuff I don't get much done. Tomorrow is bowling, then I'm going to see Eragon, then I'm helping my family decorate the Christmas Tree... I might have a bit of time to fix it tomorrow.

[Nazgûl]

O.T: Hehe ok cool... never been there. I lived in Oxnard when I was in LA a coulpe of years ago. Where do U live? Maybe I'll grap my girl and drop by someday for a serious mod discussion. It's just half a globe away

Anyway, thanks... look into it when you have the time. My journey with this particular thing is on halt for the time beeing. No matter what I do I can't get the hero powers to work (and YES I've read all the threads with "hero powers" in them - but no. I can't figure out why the h-ll they don't work in the game...

Is there a complete tutorial on the net with ALL the aspects of hero modding and hero powers (mostly I find stuff about moving CaH to regular and vice versa, but not just altering placement and moving a spell from a hero to another and such...

And yeah, what about having the WK alter weapon? Anyone?


Maybe I could send you my files for a doctors opinion?

[Fingulfin]

Getting hero powers to work is complicated at first, but once you see how it is done and understand it you can do it in your sleep (I think I've only sleep-modded once ). If you have MSN Messenger, add me and I'll walk you through it My addy is "ulairemapping@yahoo.com".

[Nazgûl]

I most certainly will, o great mod master!
It's 10.30 am here, so it should be 01.30 over there - guess u're sound asleep now, but I will. I REEEALLY need help with this one... especially after my internet connection got messed up for days *lol* See U there when u're awake later on

Look for "romulus..." thats me poppin up


I just thought of something: Why can't someone (read EA) make a new version of the CaH where you can edit ALL the heroes in the game - including the existing ones! That would ROCK!!!

Edited by Nazgûl, 22 December 2006 - 09:32 AM.

[Nazgûl]

Come to think of it, I guess it cant hurt to pop the question here too...

What happened is this:

THE WITCH KING
--------------


--- #I on fellbest ---

1) Battle Stance (works)

2) Dismount fellbeast (works)

3) Dread Visage (works)

4) - emtpy - (no Morgul Blade in air, right!)

5) Screech (works)

6) Hour of the Witch-king (works - but is RESET to unused upon entering this mount toggle from HORSE?)



--- #II on foot ---

1) Battle Stance (works)

2) Mount horse (works)

3) Dread Visage (works)

4) Morgul Blade (shows, but no crosshair upon click?)

5) Screech (only screech sound, nothing else happens?)

6) Hour of the Witch-king (works)



--- #III on horse --- (blackriderWK.ini)

1) Battle Stance (works)

2) Mount fellbeast (works)

3) Dread Visage (works)

4) Morgul Blade (shows, but no crosshair upon click?)

5) Screech (works inkl screech sound, but without sound FX & animation FX?)

6) Hour of the Witch-king (works - but is RESET to unused upon entering this mount toggle from FOOT?)





NAZGUL
----------


--- #I on foot ---

1) Battle Stance (works)

2) Mount horse (works)

3) Dread Visage (works)

4) Morgul Blade (works, but is RESET to unused upon entering this mount toggle from FELLBEAST?)

5) Screech (works inkl screech sound, but without sound FX & animation FX?)
(+ is RESET upon entering this mode from FELLBEAST?)


--- #II on horse ---

1) Battle Stance (works)

2) Mount fellbeast (works)

3) Dread Visage (works)

4) Morgul Blade (works, but is RESET to unused upon entering this mount toggle from FOOT?)

5) Screech (works inkl screech sound, but without sound FX & animation FX?)
(+ is RESET upon entering this mode from FOOT?)


--- #III on fellbeast --- (fellbeast.ini)

1) Battle Stance (works)

2) Dismount fellbeast (works)

3) Dread Visage (works)

4) - emtpy - (no Morgul Blade in air, right!)

5) Screech (works inkl screech sound, but without sound FX & animation FX?)

That's it... I spent hours n hours n hours of crashes and different tries, but no, I just can't get it right. Maybe Fin can guide me later on, or maybe someone here can see something that I dont?

[Lord Of Gifts]

For all your "works - but is RESET to unused upon entering this mount toggle from" problems, add the special power template for the powers that are shared between each mount to the SynchronizeTimerOnSpecialPower line in the ToggleMountedSpecialAbilityUpgrade behavior.

[Nazgûl]

Thanks, that worked - to a certain extent..

Now it looks like this for the WitchKing, if I'm gonna concentrate on him first...

--- #I on fellbest ---

All ok!



--- #II on foot ---

4) Morgul Blade (works - but is RESET to unused upon entering this mount toggle from FELLBEAST?)

5) Screech (only screech sound?)



--- #III on horse --- (blackriderWK.ini)

4) Morgul Blade (works - but is RESET to unused upon entering this mount toggle from FOOT?)

5) Screech (works incl screech sound, but without sound FX & animation FX?)

Weird... and I can't for the life of me think how anyone could find this easy :(
Heeelp... *goin nuts*

[Nazgûl]

Could this have something to do with MorgulBlade beeing reset when shifting toggle?

Behavior = SpecialPowerModule ModuleTag_WitchKingMorgulBladeStarter
SpecialPowerTemplate = SpecialAbilityWitchKingMorgulBlade
UpdateModuleStartsAttack = Yes
StartsPaused = Yes
InitiateSound = FellBeastVoiceAttack ;LurtzVoiceAttackCripplingStrike

What are UpdateModuleStartsAttack and StartsPaused?

Otherwhise I have looked in and edited:
- witchking.ini
- blackriderwk.ini (my ini for WK on horse)
- experiencelevels.ini (and added the mounted WK to WITCHKING definition)
- upgrade.ini
- commandset.ini
- commandbutton.ini

I think I got it all... ?
But I just can't get the morgulblade to stay USED when shifting mount... any ideas?
And o yeah... MERRY XMAS gamers

[Phil]

What are UpdateModuleStartsAttack and StartsPaused?

I wrote a tutorial on special powers a while ago. It's for BFME1, but these things are the same. Go check it out here.

[Nazgûl]

Xmas dinner has settled down, and I find myself back at my mod...

And thanks Dark Lord... but that didn't help :(
I still got problems with powers resetting when I shift mount. I think maybe it has something do do with the adition of the third mount for them... since they actually change into another unit really (WK to BlackRider(WK)) and BlackRider to Fellbeast and so on... I'm thinking maybe my child objects are wrong? (I'm not even sure what a child objest really is, and how u define them)...


EDIT, xmas eve...
YEEESCH!!! That seems to be it! The darn childobjects did'nt have all the powers... jeeez, there's a LOT to take notice to when you're working on heroes with mutiple toggles I guess... I'm not through yet, but a few more things have fallen into place...

Seems like I'm able to customize animations and timings now too... hehe, and it's all thanks to you guys. This is starting to look really cool now *getting back to work*

Edited by Nazgûl, 24 December 2006 - 09:33 PM.