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Echo

Member Since 20 Dec 2008
Offline Last Active Mar 12 2024 02:38 AM

#1111230 adding new faction statistic icon & palantir icon

Posted by Echo on 30 August 2020 - 02:13 PM

I can only guess, as I've tried the same for my mod and did not succeed. It either has to be added in XML somehow or it's just purely hardcoded in the games' engine. I don't know too much about APT editing either, but if it's possible you'd have to go there and try to understand how XML functions and constructs the interface. I couldn't find documentation/instruction on some of the functions used there.




#1111140 new faction base

Posted by Echo on 24 August 2020 - 05:10 AM

As far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong @everyone), the scale only scales the model inside the W3DScriptedModelDraw module, and does not affect the W3DFloorDraw module. At least I've not yet successfully scaled a floor. In case of the foundations, if I remember correctly, the model in the W3DScriptedModelDraw is a dummy and invisible/transparent, and it's only there so you can hover and click on the foundation in-game (because models in W3DFloorDraw can not be clicked on). So in short, I know of no way to scale a foundation properly, other than scaling it manually in a 3D-modelling program (mostly used are 3dsmax + RenX, Blender might work for you as well but I've never tried it).

 

To summarize:

 

W3DScriptedModelDraw

- clickable

- scalable

- flashes when being clicked on

- does not allow shadow to be cast on (if I remember correctly)

 

W3DFloorDraw

- not clickable

- not scalable

- ignores object flash if the main model in W3DScriptedModelDraw is clicked

- allows shadow to be cast on




#1111122 new faction base

Posted by Echo on 23 August 2020 - 11:55 AM

It's difficult to figure out what the problem is here (especially if it only works for the AI), so I explain what I would do when implementing a new base:

Save your base as castle_elvesne (for saving, it is important that you save it under the "Bases" tab so it will assign the correct ending (.bse) to the file. Save the same file again as castle_elves (also make sure the "Bases" tab is selected).

Repeat these steps for the camp file.

 

Go to the CastleFlag object, and put this in:

CastleToUnpackForFaction = Elves castle_elves ROHAN_FLAG_CASTLE_UNPACK_COST

Then, add this to the CastleFlagNE unpack thing:

CastleToUnpackForFaction = Elves castle_elvesne ROHAN_FLAG_CASTLE_UNPACK_COST

Locate the CampFlag object, add:

CastleToUnpackForFaction  = Elves  camp_elves 2000

And finally, the CampFlagNE object:

CastleToUnpackForFaction  = Elves  camp_elvesne ROHAN_FLAG_CAMP_UNPACK_COST

That should be enough to unpack the flag for you in-game if you select a starting position where the "entrance" on the camp faces northeast (as in your picture). Try if it works in-game when you select a position that faces northeast, then do the same for the other orientations. Make sure that the folder structure is this: "bases\castle_elvesne\castle_elvesne.bse". I hope this helps.. I really can't help you figuring out what the problem might be, because it sounds strange that it only unpacks for the AI and without plots.. I've not seen that before.

 

 

Optional: As you mentioned, case-sensitivity is important. You can save a file as castle_elvesne and then implement it this way. You can later decide to hex-edit the file and change the internal name to Castle_ElvesNE, but that is entirely optional and will require you to change the capitalization on the flag objects. So for now, just leave it as castle_elvesne.




#1110635 Blade Master ability when mounted

Posted by Echo on 31 July 2020 - 02:12 AM

Not really, but there is a rule to it:

 

Default comes first, always. After that comes the model condition state including the most states at once. As in your example. MOUNTED WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE are two model condition states, and come before the MOUNTED state or WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE state. Actually, it shouldn't matter if MOUNTED comes before WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE or not, as long as it comes after MOUNTED WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE. Think of it like a priority list. The game checks whether the first state is true, and if it is, it will ignore the other states and only reevaluate if the current state runs out. So you always want to list those incorporating the most different states on top, so they always get checked before the game might (falsely) give another one priority.

Example: You now also want to add a USER_1 state that add some FX effect or whatever. The new order would be:

DefaultModelConditionState

MOUNTED WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE USER_1 ; <-- most states always come first, in this case three states

 

MOUNTED WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE ; followed by the two condition states

MOUNTED USER_1

WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE USER_1

 

MOUNTED ; finally the single states

WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE

USER_1

 

In this case, I assume you could theoretically put the single MOUNTED state before WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE USER_1, because the WEAPONSET_HERO_MODE USER_1 state will never be invoked if MOUNTED is on. But as a rule of thumb, list most states first, and single states last. Everything else in between in descending order.




#1110375 units has their Forged blade upgrade on from the start

Posted by Echo on 18 July 2020 - 02:36 AM

You can actually bypass the scripting by adding a behavior that hides subobjects.

True. It occured to me once (can't remember the details) that immediately after spawning an object, you would see the subobject for a few frames before it would be hidden, and I think it occured when I did it with a behavior. I've never had this issue occur with lua scripts. I might be wrong about this though.




#1110365 units has their Forged blade upgrade on from the start

Posted by Echo on 17 July 2020 - 02:58 PM

That's the first time i am changing the scripts files and indeed it was the solution. thank you!! 

Anytime! You can do more advanced stuff with LUA-Scripts (if you take a look at what EA did with them), but most of the time they are used to just instantly hide subobjects.




#1110362 units has their Forged blade upgrade on from the start

Posted by Echo on 17 July 2020 - 02:28 PM

The object is displayed by default, you have to hide them with a lua function. I don't have my modding utility here, but I think you can find the required files in Data.big. Specifically you will need scriptevents.xml and scripts.lua (can be edited with notepad or other simple text editors). Then just take a look at the GondorFighter object. In the AIUpdateInterface module, it should have something called "AILuaEventsList = SomeFunctions". You can find that "SomeFunctions" in scriptevents.xml. That refers to a lua script in scripts.lua, among them a function that hides the forged blade of the GondorFighter. "EventName" refers to the condition, in your case "OnCreated", and ScriptFunctionName refers to the lua script that gets executed if the condition is met. If you could follow me until here, it should be fairly straightforward from here on, because it'll just be copy & paste and change names.

Copy the "SomeFunctions" block of the GondorFighter in scriptevents.xml, paste it below the "SomeFunctions" block, change the name to something else ( I'll call it "YourUnitFunctions" here), then go to lua, copy the function name that hides the forged blades, paste it below, change the name of the function to something unique that makes sense (generally used is "OnUnitXCreated", substitute the X), change the name of the forged blade subobject so you hide the correct object, and make sure that "YourUnitFunctions" calls the proper function OnCreated, in this case "OnUnitXCreated". Finally make sure to refer to "YourUnitFunctions" in AILuaEventsList in your units' object code.

 

It probably sounds more complicated than it actually is. If anything is unclear, just ask. I might be able to go more into detail. :)




#1108588 apt2xml xml2apt editors?

Posted by Echo on 07 May 2020 - 08:43 PM

Odd indeed. I downloaded it a couple of days ago. The admin who uploaded it there is also flagged as "Guest", very strange. Anyway, here is the file I downloaded, will take it down once the download over there works again.

 

 

Apt-Editor by Arathorn:

 

Attached File  AptEditor.zip   144.86KB   171 downloads


  • NDC likes this


#1107344 Announcement and Mod Update

Posted by Echo on 29 March 2020 - 03:51 PM

Thank you very much for your hard work :) balance and bugfixes are far more important than new content, although new content is also always fine.

You wrote that your new version will also include some bugfixes. I assume the new faction will bring alot more bugs and unbalance... so would it be possible to release the bugfixes only, for now. and a kind of beta version for the new faction? That way one could play a bug free(?) version while waiting for the new faction to get tested properly.

I would really like this to happen. However, in order to apply these few bug fixes I'd have to invest time to revert to the old version and re-apply changes that I already made, just to release a quick fix update. That'd take some valuable time away that would further delay the next release. I agree that having bugs in the current version is not ideal, but considering that the bugs are relatively minor, it should be fine for just a little longer.




#1106707 Announcement and Mod Update

Posted by Echo on 14 March 2020 - 09:35 PM

Hi everyone,

it is time for a longer announcement. I just finished coding the spell book for the new faction. From here on, lots of testing and visual improvements will happen. I know it's a lot of text, but please bear with me.

 

The new Faction

It took me a long time to figure out where I want this new faction to go. The broad dev name was "Goblins".  The original idea was to just have a "Wild" faction including many evil wild creatures in Middle-Earth, similar to BFME2, but there was too much to pick from and the entire faction felt too much like a random composition. I tried to keep the faction somewhat unique and not take too many elements from BFME2's Goblin faction, but at the same time also not get too close to Gundabad from the Shadow and Flame modification (which were kind enough to let me use some of their assets). I have decided to now finally name the faction "Moria". It will mostly contain units and features from the Moria and Misty Mountain regions, but not entirely limited to it. Just like Rohan has Elven Warriors, Moria will also have units from other close or far regions.

 

Release plans

I know that it has been a long time since the original announcement of Goblins, and I assume your expectations are quite high. And despite the fact that I spend a lot of time thinking and try to get creative with BFME 1's limited engine, I want to remind you that the progress I have made in the last months is close to none. I had the heaviest semester in all my time at university, but now it's over and I have some time again. I will keep you updated on the progress, and possibly initiate a live stream as soon as there is more to test and show. My personal goal is to get something release-worthy done in a month, but take this with a grain of salt. I have also addressed several bugs for the next version.

 

The future after the next update

So, what is planned after Goblins is done? Frankly, I had originally planned a lot more than there is now. But instead of senselessly pumping out new factions, I want to first focus on brightening up the current factions, as well as balance them as good as I can. That means that currently, no other faction is planned and realistically speaking, I don't think I will have the motivation and resources to create another faction from scratch after that. It simply is too much work to accomplish on my own. And despite all the help and support I received (especially regarding art and maps) from other modders and modding teams, which I am very very thankful for (!), it simply is too much of a random factor to rely on when planning an entire new faction again.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.




#1103275 Blue Wizard Mod 0.14 Released!

Posted by Echo on 28 August 2019 - 03:15 PM

post-92561-1567005776.jpg
 

I'm proud to announce that Blue Wizard Mod v0.14's is finally released. The biggest feature by far the new and extended spell books for all factions. But also Ring heAroes finally enter the stage. Ring Heroes can be unlocked through spell book and are very powerful in both attack and defense. In turn, they cost many power points and resources, and have a long build and revive time. Another big feature is that GameRanger is finally supported - something that many people have asked me for. The AI now buys and uses all/most of their spell book powers properly. For a full change log, read bwm_log.txt which is included in the Download.


DOWNLOAD HERE:
 

26285.png

 

 

After installation, you will find a Switcher "Blue Wizard Mod Switcher.exe" on your desktop. Running it either enables or disables the mod (after installation, it is disabled by default). So if you enable it, GameRanger will run Blue Wizard Mod instead of regular BFME. If the switcher doesn't switch files, try setting it to run as administrator. If there are still issues, try to reach me on Discord or send me a PM.
Blue Wizard Mod is designed to work with Patch 1.06, but as of today also supports the community patch project 1.09.

 

Important note: Blue Wizard Mod now installs to your BFME directory. The official GameRanger version is no longer a -mod command mod. This means that it is not compatible with other mods that are also installed to the BFME directory. If you want to have other mods like The Dwarf Holds or Shadow and Flame installed (or any mod that uses the -mod command), simply disable Blue Wizard Mod with the switcher and you can still enjoy the other modifications. Unfortunately, in order to run on GameRanger, mods need to be directly installed to the BFME directory. However, because I don't want to ruin it for players who only play single player, there is a -mod command version of BWM 0.14. Though, it might not get updated as frequently and is not compatible with the GameRanger version: https://www.moddb.co...ranger-download

That's it! I hope you will enjoy Blue Wizard Mod 0.14. If you enjoy the mod, I would be happy if you leave a rating on this page. If you have feed back or suggestions, please use the BWM Discord channel or the Revora Forum Link above. I check both of them regularly.
 

CREDITS:

Mod Team

- Pallando (Leader)
- Orange (Betatester)
 

External Assistance
 

Mathijs

- For setting up an amazing Elven castle from scratch for BWM

- Celeborn, Noldor unit models & skins

- Mordor structures: Morgul Effect

- and more..
 

Shadow and Flame Team
- Gondor Beacon, new Camp floors

Rider of Rohan
- A lot of textures, general help, spiritual guidance for all BFME 1 modding woes

ICT
- Installer

NDC
- For converting BFME 2's animations and allowing me to use them:
- Nazgul
- Galadriel
- Many Witch-king animations
- And more..

Gwanw
- APT-Editing to make the Select-All-Hero button work for Elves, helped a lot to get the new interface running

T3A:Online Team
- For the awesome snow textures for the vanilla factions

_Haldir_, m@ tt, MattTheLegoman, ICT, Orange, Dennis Agodzo Elder Apoc, Arthuil, MEVault, LOTR Files
- For making amazing multiplayer maps that BWM can now use

MorguLord
- King of the Dead model + skin
- New Isildur Skin

Tom McGrath
- For the mod shortcut image

 

Radspakr
- For Legolas' knife IDLE animation

 

Elvenstar Mod developers
- For Legolas' green skin
- Elven Galadhrim and Woodelves skin
- Mod inspired by early versions of Elvenstar Mod, many abilities are similar/alike

 

BFME+ Team
- Haldir model + skin
- Elven Sentry Tower
- Numerous hero ui images

 

 

Big thanks to everyone who contributed and made this project possible. I hope I have mentioned everyone. None of this would've been possible without the support I received!




#1098913 Version 0.13 is live!

Posted by Echo on 27 March 2019 - 02:46 PM

To the Download on ModDB

 

Finally, Version 0.13 is out. A short summary of what has changed:

- New content (including maps, heroes, units, icons and effects)

- Campaign additions (new heroes available)

- Bug fixes

- Balance changes (a lot of them, check the change log to see all the changes)

 

Full change log:

Spoiler



#1096528 Mount Nazgûl (Foot/Horse/Fellbeast)

Posted by Echo on 30 January 2019 - 07:29 PM

As I said, don't focus too much on the fellbeast-horse-foot version, just try the fellbeast-foot for now. Once you figure something out concerning that, the other mount really should not be a problem - regular mounting is not too difficult to achieve.

 

I don't know why EA varied between MOUNTED in the Model Condition and SET_MOUNTED in the locomotor/weapon sets, it seems to just be a design choice by them. They're linked though. I also feel like the "ToggleMountedSpecialAbilityUpdate" is directly linked to these conditions, and triggers the actual MOUNTED model condition. 

I understand what you mean, it truly is confusing which behavior takes certain components and which doesn't. I'm still not familiar with all of them after gathering a lot of modding experience. But this is also part of the fun and challenges to overcome. BFME2/ROTWK allows the WK to dismount through a "MountedTemplate", which is basically just transferring the Witch-kings current information (health, cooldowns, experience) to the unmounted Witch-king, and vice-versa. This is not really of any concern because it doesn't work in BFME 1 unfortunately. 

 

I would actually not worry too much about the ChangeRiderContain module. It seems like if you split The WitchKing and the Fellbeast in 2 individual Objects (without inheritance from the other), you can leave it out for the start. I will also take a look at this ability, maybe I can figure something out. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Witch-king's original scale (fellbeast) is 0.8, while the unmounted Witch-king is a really tiny object even without scale. So you'll either end up with a really tiny unmounted Witch-king, or a gigantic Witch-king on its fellbeast. :p

 

 

Edit: So I've reached this state:

The Witch-king uses the unmounted animations flawlessly, but the problem is indeed the GiantBiardAIUpdate thing. An AIUpdate is directly connected to the locomotor set, so if you remove the GiantBirdUpdate, you also remove some functionality of the unit itself. And if you leave the GiantBirdAIUpdate in, it will trigger the mounted/air locomotor automatically and in this case the WK goes cray cray. So for now, I took the GiantBirdAIUpdate out. The Mounted version of the Witchking therefore does the animations nearly flawlessly, but it's not moving :p

 

I went into the locomotor, removed GIANT_BIRD and now he's moving, but no longer playing the attack animation. And on Osgiliath he's really struggling with the bridge. :p

 

if you (or anyone else) want to check what I have, it's here:

Witchking code:

 

Spoiler

 

 

The locomotor:

Spoiler

 

 

The commandset (can be anything, just needs a toggle mount)

Spoiler

 

 

The commandbutton:

Spoiler

 

 

The next step would be to find out if there's a way to actually disable the GIANT_BIRD locomotor manually. Or if there's a way to enable or disable AIUpdateInterface behaviors.

2nd Edit:  No idea why it formatted the code so strangely..  :whathuh:




#1096499 Mount Nazgûl (Foot/Horse/Fellbeast)

Posted by Echo on 30 January 2019 - 01:16 AM

First of all, hi and welcome :)

I really do not want to put your hopes down, but BFME 1's engine is a lot more limited to BFME 2's/ROTWK's. Many people (including also really skilled coders) have tried to implement a toggle for the Fellbeast in BFME 1 before, but no one has really achieved anything yet. And I'm not talking about the 3-step toggle, I'm just talking about the Fellbeast - on foot toggle. BFME 1's engine seems to have a problem with this transition. I also have investigated for a long time, but I gave up at some point and just decided that my witchking will be unmounted instead.

 

A lot of attempts have also been made to switch it in 2 separate files, and upon button click just kill the objects and spawn new ones. That is problematic because not only can you avoid certain death by just switching states (you get your health back every time), but you can also not maintain rank information upon killing and transfer it to the new object. Another person attempted to do it via Eowyn disguise ability, but I can't remember how that went. Elvenstar Mod managed to make the Witchking switch and maintain some of the information of the animation states, but altogether it was still pretty bugged.

What I suggest you if you want to stay with it (Trying is never wrong, I myself tried a lot of stuff regarding this): Start small. Just try to make the switch between Fellbeast and On-foot work in BFME 1 properly, and you will be a hero for every BFME 1 modder. Once you achieve that, the rest shouldn't be difficult either.

 

EA implemented the MountedTemplate in BFME 2, probably just to make this toggle work properly. There seems to be something that restrained even EA itself from implementing the toggle from foot to air in the classic way. Anyway, it doesn't mean that there is no workaround. I think a good start would be to compare for example Eomer to the fellbeast object, and try to mount and dismount him regularly. Look especially at the GiantBirdAIUpdate and the RiderChangeContain behavior, as these two are the only behaviors that are different between Eomer and the fellbeast (or rather they are unique to the fellbeast/eagles), and it might play a crucial role in the strange toggle behavior.

And no, there does not seem to be a MOUNTED_2 state. Also the FlagsUsedForToggle thing doesn't seem to help. This is a quote from one of EA's coders:

 

 


FlagsUsedForToggle = MOUNTED ;What we really want is to toggle Theoden's audio if he is mounted or unmounted. Ya, this is a hack

 

So I suppose it just lets the game know which audio to use, or maybe even just changes the weaponset or armorset. Never looked to much into it but it doesn't look like it's really necessary for the power to work.

Don't worry, BFME 1's engine confuses all. Sometimes I really wonder why I mod BFME 1 and not BFME 2... but there are good sides in both games. Anyway, feel free to come back with more questions if you have, I'm also still somewhat interested in this ability. But it just took too many of my nerves.  :xd:




#1096303 A Message in the Dark

Posted by Echo on 24 January 2019 - 02:32 AM

Hello everyone,
 
I'm not sure how many people are still following - maybe no one?  :rolleyes:  I have good and bad news regarding BWM, and some news that I dare not yet classify. Maybe you can help me with that. So where do I begin... First of all, I'm working full-speed on the mod right now - at least I dedicate as much free time as I can find towards a new release (good news?). I have made some drastic decisions regarding the faction designs and hope to get a little bit of feedback (unsure news). Goblins will not yet be in the next release (bad news), but it's progressing, and hopefully it will hit the stores around mid-time this year (good news - can't promise but it's a goal). 
 
In the first half of 2019, BWM will get a major update. This update will include:
- Spellbook rework for all factions
- New units (and possibly heroes) for some factions
- Redesign and/or removal of certain heroes and powers.

Let me elaborate each point. 
 
[Spellbook rework for all factions]
As a long time BFME player and former active Clan Wars and Quick Match player, balance has always been a top priority for me. With the spell book rework I want to address certain issues, for instance if your own team is Double Mordor and you're up against a Gondor and Rohan combination, your chances are rather grim in most cases. There's a similar issue with other double matchups. As such, I have started changing each factions' spell book to offer more versatility in desperate situations (such as bad match-ups) so decision-making might play a role in the outcome of a game. The spell book size has been increased to 12 Spells (from 8 Spells), as depicted here: https://www.gamerepl...-1507422145.jpg

I'm confident that this change will make games a lot more interesting because the possibilities of power point routes increases drastically. Also, the free spell that every faction has from the beginning is gone. That's it for the spell books, I might reveal a new spell book in the coming days or weeks (Gondor, Isengard and Mordor are pretty much layed out, but not finalized yet). Please note that this involves a series of changes, including AI behavior as they will need to adjust to the new Spell Books. This update will take time to implement. 

Please leave feedback about this, and whether you think the 12-power Spell Book good idea or not and why. I will listen to your feedback. It took me a long time to finally realize this, and I'm very careful with the implementation.

[New units and heroes for some factions]
Well, not much to say about this, but new spell book powers ask for new units and heroes. Generally, versatility also increases the amount of different strategies a player can utilize. One of the major issues of the original BFME game (in my eyes) is the small amount of different units and repetition of strategies due to lack of alternatives. I'm aware that quality still goes over quantity, which is why I'm carefully planning the units that are being added to each faction.

[Redesign and/or removal of certain heroes and powers]
Now, this point is probably the most important one, and I would love to hear your feedback. As of now, no hero was kicked out entirely. But, looking especially at Elves and also at Mordor to a certain degree, there are some heroes with no real purpose within the faction. Elves' hero power is ridiculous. They have Galadriel, Elrond and Celeborn as the monster trio, but also "lesser" heroes such as Glorfindel or Landroval should not be underestimated. All heroes are major power houses. Nerfing certain heroes would be an option, but it would not really do any of these heroes justice - they are supposed to be strong. When I started this mod, I was all like "yee boom boom bang powers". And while I still approve this idea in general (to me, the most important thing in mods is exploring), as the mod leader I also have to notice that it can be too much and there needs to be a better balance between each factions "boom boom bang powers". I've decided now that something needs to be done about them. Eventually I might have to split up Elves - which I do not really want to do - but power-wise it would probably be the best thing in the long run. Don't worry, in the next update Elves will still be there as one faction, but some heroes might change - or even go - along the way to the next release. 
Similar for Mordor, I don't see why they need two Black Riders, so one of them might be dropped. In any case, I intend to rework the Witch-king because I'm not happy with his abilities. 

Please, also leave feedback about what you think and if you feel similarly about this. 

If you read through all this - great - if not, well. Don't know what to say. Go read it :p It won't take you as long as it took me to write this.

Edit: Oh yeah, and I'm still looking for a 3D-Modeller who has too much time on his hands and wants to join the team. So if you have some modelling experience (I don't expect you to be an expert, I'm not myself), drop me a PM. I keep losing interest in developing this because working on my own is often very frustrating. 

Echo