20 replies to this topic

[Nazgûl]

What the topic says... Are there any good tutorials on this for BFME2? I can't find any...
I've serched these forums thoroughly and found similar problems, but none that expain how to set up the new faction from start, in WB. Once I go to Edit Teams, I'm lost...

[DIGI_Byte]

Basically How do you create and set up a new fortress in BFME2 WB, Possibly from scratch?

Edited by DIGI_Byte, 09 September 2008 - 11:18 AM.

[Rob38]

This tutorial may help out a bit.

http://www.the3rdage...tem-350?addview

[Nazgûl]

Thanks for the tip Rob. I'll check it out =)

[Nazgûl]

After failure upon failure upon failure upon failure, I ask myself this:

Is it really POSSIBLE to get a new fortress into WB when you are NOT using the .big system for your mod? You see, the SEE mod crashes when run as a .BIG, so we have to run it as an open folder mod. And AFAIK the ONLY way to get your stuff (like a fortress) into WB is to make a "proxy" file, where you add all the items you need (W3D models and textures, as well as the INI of the fortress and from what I understand the PlayerTemplate too, and naturally the Asset.) Then you open WB and browse to the object. In this case, the EvilMen fortress. I find it in the list, but I get nothing but geometry markings in WB (when selected). The fortress seems to be there, but invisible?

Now, that HAS to be an Asset issue, right? So... I tried ALL ways you can think of. I made an asset of the new stuff ONLY. I also made an asset of ALL the vanilla game stuff AND my new stuff in the same Asset. I tried to make a proxy Big file with both of these, but none of them gave me a visible fortress in WB.

I'd like to piss on the idiot at EA that made WB this fuggin complex, when the game and WB in particular is meant be be a TOOL!

[Rob38]

Why does your mod crash when put in a .big file? As for the asset part, did you replace the asset in the program file folder of BFME2? It sounds like you only added the new asset to your .big file. To see new objects in WB, you have to replace the original asset in your BFME2 folder with a new one that has the vanilla asset plus all the new things you added.

[Nazgûl]

Yeah 5 mins after this post I just remember that I have to replace it... dang =s
However, I still can't master WB's "Edit Teams" function =( And also, WB displays errors this way. No ground texture, and missing objects like other existing fortresses. (I tried to make the fortress_rhun BSE based on fortress_mordor BSE. But when I use my Asset, vanilla game stuff goes away? SO the problem was kinda swapped... lol. Mosty, I miss a complete in depth tutorial on how to calibrate WB for a new faction though *sighs*

[Rob38]

For the asset, did you append your new artwork to the existing asset.dat file? Oh, and are you making sure you are using the BFME2 asset and not the BFME1? In SY's Assetbuilder, it uses the location of the BFME1 asset for its original asset. What I do is simply swap the BFME1 asset in the BFME1 folder with the BFME2 asset. Once the new asset has been created, you can than put everything back in its proper place.

[Nazgûl]

I made a completely new Asset of both the vanilla game stuff that I had extracted, and combined with the new fortress models and textures, using EA's asset builder. Not Sy's...

[Rob38]

I think I remember having problems trying to get the new asset to work with WB using EA's asset builder... can't remember but maybe you should try SY's version.

[Nazgûl]

*bump*

lol... 2 years later, and I still can't pull this off! Are there really nooooo tutorials on this?

[JUS_SAURON]

If you ALREADY know how to make a new fortress in WB this will be easy to explain

I will add as much detail as I can ..

The fortress is basically two objects in WB

1. The Buildplots
2. The main Fortress

Use Men's fortress as a TEMPLATE

Copy and rename each object you will be using i.e copy the Fortress.ini file
and rename the objects inside

Now you need to create the NEW Base file in WB

as you know the WB file needs only to be able to PLACE the object named

NewFortressCitadelSEE = the main Citadel

and NewBuildPlotSEE = the Buildplot

Also MenFortressSEECenterGeneric * not necc as you can even use MenFortressCenterGeneric


*****You need a quick bypass of WB*****
you need to make a Temporary INI FOLDER to place the objects in WB

I use the open Folder for my mod too ...

Put a folder in folders named

C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Battle for Middle-earth ™ II\data\ini\object\goodfaction\structures\men

Just as the MOD would be AND a FAKE ini file for object placement

EG

CODE

Object NewFortressCitadelSEE



Draw = W3DHordeModelDraw ModuleTag_01
DefaultModelConditionState
DefaultModelConditionState
Model = GBFortress
End
ModelConditionState = WORLD_BUILDER
Model = GBFortress
End

End
Side = Men
EditorSorting = STRUCTURE

RadarPriority = STRUCTURE

End

;---------------------------------------------
Object NewBuildPlotSEE

Draw = W3DHordeModelDraw ModuleTag_01
DefaultModelConditionState
DefaultModelConditionState
Model = GBFoundationB
End
ModelConditionState = WORLD_BUILDER
Model = GBFoundationB
End


End
Side = Men
EditorSorting = STRUCTURE

RadarPriority = STRUCTURE

End

;--------------------------------



Object MenFortressSEECenterGeneric

SelectPortrait = BPGFortress

Draw = W3DScriptedModelDraw ModuleTag_01

DefaultModelConditionState
Model = None
End

ModelConditionState = WORLD_BUILDER
Model = NBasePin
End
End


Side = Men
EditorSorting = STRUCTURE
KindOf = IMMOBILE BASE_FOUNDATION CASTLE_CENTER CAN_CAST_REFLECTIONS CAN_CAST_REFLECTIONS

Behavior = CastleBehavior ModuleTag_castle
FilterValidOwnedEntries = ANY +STRUCTURE +WALK_ON_TOP_OF_WALL +BASE_FOUNDATION +TACTICAL_MARKER
End
End

[Nazgûl]

Thank you for that elaborate answer
I recall that I did something like this, to fake my way into a functional start for the new evilmen faction.

The problem is somewhat bigger though... as the idea is to gain access to all SEE stuff (especially structures) in WB, so I can also set up the BSE maps for the AI exactly as I want them to build their bases (in sort of BFME1 style). I did this for all the other factions, but for evilmen I never succeeded as I can't seem to get a full blown WB setup for SEE, to work. The problem is most likely in the -mod command with all them _M macros. I think they cause the WB to crash uopn start.

Otherwise I would simply...
- Make a .BIG of the entire mod.
- Make a new Asset.dat where I implement (append) SEE stuff wih the original BFME2 stuff.
- Replace the original Asset.dat in the BFME2 folder, with this new Asset.dat.
- Place a copy of the SEE mod in -BIG form, inside the BFME2 folder.
- Run WB and gain access to all new SEE stuff...

...but this crashes WB. Most likely due to all them _M's... So, I'm not sure what to do now. I really need to be able to fiddle with the BSE files in order to set up the AI properly, even if I fake my way into a functional porter start for the new faction's base. Atm I'm stuck

[_Haldir_]

As far as getting custom assets into WB, make sure you rename the copy of your .big file so that it starts with "_A" (e.g. _ASEE.big). This just makes sure that the custom .big file is read first by the computer. You'll also need to delete gamedata.ini from your .big file. If you don't, WB will load up to a certain point, and then just not open

And from what i've heard, WB is extremely picky as far as bugs and things are concerned, so try and make sure you don't have any game-crashing bugs or anything

[JUS_SAURON]

The question I have to ask is do you just need the Objects as in placement and reference
or more indept as in upgrades to grant etc...

This method can work for obj placement ..
Just make a Loong List of all the new objects / Structures / Units
Add them using the template

OBJECTS :

CODE

Object TheodenRohanArcherWoman
Draw = W3DHordeModelDraw ModuleTag_01
DefaultModelConditionState
Model = MUHaradim_SKN
Skeleton = MUHaradim_SKL
End
End
Side = Men
EditorSorting = UNIT

RadarPriority = UNIT

End

[Nazgûl]

@Haldir: Yes, I did delete the Gamedata.ini, and I did use "_A" before the name ("_ASEEproxy.big"). But WB wont start... which leads me to beleive that...
@JUS, is right. I have to make a fake INI for each and everyone of the new structures. Blarf... tedious work indeed, and with running parts of the irl community here, as the president of 80 households, I haven't got that much time to fiddle deep into the files. Then again, after losing coder afte coderfrom the team, I guess I'll have make time =/ Show must go on =p

Thanks guys, for your help. I'll see what I can do to muster the time needed for this =)

[Nazgûl]

Right... .gave it about 5-6 more hours today. Tried everything, over and over again... it - just -won't - work !!!

I'm SO sick of this now that my motivation is really going down the drain more and more with every passing day. I'm afraid that until I find someone (read Sûl) who can set this up - SEE is never gonna reach the next beta...
WordBuilder, my azz... ProblemBuilder!

[EggyDan]

I'm not sure on being able to get the mod fully WB compatible, but further to what JUS_SAURON was saying, it can speed things up a bit to just use child objects of a similar object.

Example, you want to set up Rohan Fortress in WB. What I did for this was just make a childobject of MenFortress called RohanFortress, and with no changes whatsoever, literally just the childjobject name and an end. Easiest way is to start with vanilla bfme2 fortress.ini, put it in a .big file of its own with the _ in front of the name, and add in your childobject below. This way is nice because you have all the other kinds of men structures in the same file, so can make child objects for the various expansions and such.

Sure it isn't ideal, but it can help speed things up when you want to set up a similar sized fortress to one that is already existing.

Edited by EggyDan, 19 November 2010 - 02:51 PM.

[Lauri]

Set up an object that uses the Menfortress model, then simply change the geometry to that you have for the new fortress (it has to be pretty accurate I guess) and simply start it up, and make the base.
It's not ideal, as has been said so many times, but if you show Geometry in WB, you should be able to make a pretty decent base out of it. Hell I'll try it when I have some time (this weekend I'll have time)

[Nazgûl]

See SEE Staff for my answer my friend =)