Wishlist The Modder's Wishlist [Archive]

quantum_mechani

October 11th, 2006, 11:29 PM

I know there is far more that is wanted than can actually be added, but here are some commands I would find extremely useful:

Spell Modding

#name

#description

#effectsnmbr - Sets number of effects for a spell.

#dmg - Sets the damage a spell does

#mrneagtes - Sets if a spell is effected by mr, input of 0 would be not at all, 1 would be neagated, 2 would be easily negated.

#aoe - Sets aoe for a spell.

#range - Sets range for spell.

#copyspell - This would create a new spell with the same basic function as the one it is based on. In this way you could for instance make a new summoning spell to bind large numbers serpent fiends at once, or make an area of effect blink.

Monster Modding

#scalesensitive - Sets scale which unit is sensitive too (such as ice devils with cold/heat).

#senseamount - Sets severity of sensitivity from the #scalesensitive command.

Commander Modding

#summonallies - First number would set number of units to summon, second number would set monster number of units to summon.

Site Modding

#clearsite

#entersummon - Sets number and monster number of units to be summoned when mage enters (required mage path set by base site type).

#enterritual - Sets spell to be cast when mage enters site (as in scrying spell sites).

Magic Item Modding

#mainlevel - Same as current command, but could be set to 0, causing the item to cost 1 gem (one level of the path would still be required to forge it). This would be extremely handy for dealing with some hard to balance items.

#castspell - Sets spell that can be cast by commander wielding item in battle.

#castritual - Sets ritual that can be cast as an order by commander wielding item.

#fireres - And the rest of the resists.

#mr - Can be negative.

Poptype Modding

#selectpop

#newpop

#addreccom

#addrecunit

#era

#rarity

#defcom1 - Sets first type of commander in defense of province at the start of game.

#defcom2

#defunit1 - Sets first type of troop in defense of province at the start of game.

#defunit2

Scales Modding

#drainmr - Sets amount drain/magic scale changes mr.

#drainenc - Sets amount drain/magic scale changes spell casting encumbrance.

Frostmourne27

October 12th, 2006, 01:14 AM

[quote]
quantum_mechani said:
Poptype Modding

#selectpop

#newpop

#addreccom

#addrecunit

#era

#rarity

#defcom1 - Sets first type of commander in defense of province at the start of game.

#defcom2

#defunit1 - Sets first type of troop in defense of province at the start of game.

#defunit2
{/quote]
Aren't there some poptypes that get more than 2 unit types? maybe allow for five or six, to create more interesting/varried poptypes?

DominionsFan

October 12th, 2006, 06:41 AM

quantum_mechani said:
I know there is far more that is wanted than can actually be added, but here are some commands I would find extremely useful:

Spell Modding

#name

#description

#copyspell - This would create a new spell with the same basic function as the one it is based on. In this way you could for instance make a new summoning spell to bind large numbers serpent fiends at once, or make an area of effect blink.

Monster Modding

#scalesensitive - Sets scale which unit is sensitive too (such as ice devils with cold/heat).

#senseamount - Sets severity of sensitivity from the #scalesensitive command.

Commander Modding

#summonallies - First number would set number of units to summon, second number would set monster number of units to summon.

Site Modding

#clearsite

#entersummon - Sets number and monster number of units to be summoned when mage enters (required mage path set by base site type).

#enterritual - Sets spell to be cast when mage enters site (as in scrying spell sites).

Very nice list QM. All of your suggestions are excellent. I quoted out the most important modding commands from your list, what should be added at all costs. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Horst F. JENS

October 13th, 2006, 04:32 AM

missing:
Mod to cancel/alter the OLD AGE effect for commanders.

i suggest doing that for each unit, like
#unit (number)
#age 66
#start_of_old_age 80

it would be nice to mod old age effects and their probability per turn:
#old_age_disease 0.05
#old_age_feeblemind 0.1
#old_age_limp 0.3
#old_age_eyeloss 0.15
#old_age_armloss 0.0

Endoperez

October 13th, 2006, 04:38 AM

7.50 #maxage <age>
This maximum age for a monster. After this age it will
risk getting afflicitions and eventually die. Default is 50.

7.75 #startage <age>
The start age for a monster. Usually there is no need to
set this as it will be calculated automatically depending
on startage and skills. An age of zero clears this command
and an age of -1 sets start age to zero.

I think there is a typo in the latter description. I think it should read "dpending on maxage and skills". In my Anansi mod age didn't work correctly, but that might be because he's a shapechanger.

Endoperez

October 14th, 2006, 08:55 AM

Ability to remove an existing nation

As an example, a new, empty era into which unwanted nations can be moved, or a command to make a nation unselectable. Currently, it's complicated to move e.g. LA C'tis Desert Tombs into Middle Age.

Tortanick

October 14th, 2006, 09:15 AM

Thanks Endoperez, I was just going to post that http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I'd also like to add: some way of controling the maximum number of infinite heroes you can have. I want one hero where you can only have one at a time

DrPraetorious

October 15th, 2006, 10:13 AM

I've got some requests regarding pretender design.

Firstly, I'd like to add additional options under the pretender design (in the toolkit) and under the check-for-cheaters control.

For example - four types of pretenders, normal (as it is now), weak, strong and devastating.

Weak pretenders are built on 200 points. Scales cost 20 points each, and the dominion cost multiplier is 3. Dormancy is only worth 100 points, and imprisoned is worth 175 (which gives you a slight boost for those choices.)

Strong prenteders are built on 600 points, scales cost 30, the dominion cost multiplier is 10. Dormancy is worth 225 points, imprisoned is worth 375 points.

Devastating, 800, 40, 15, worth 300 or 500.

My suggestion is an #add_scheme command, with the following child commands.

#base_points <num>
#dominion_multiplier <num>
#magic_multiplier <num>
#scale_multiplier <num>
#points_dormant <num>
#points_imprisoned <num>
#end

The game should automatically add the option to cycle through all existing schema in the Design Pretender God dialogue, and in the game creation dialogue "cheat prevention" should scroll through all available design schema.
Of course, there are other ways to achieve the same result (replacing all the national pretender lists, say,) but I think this ought to be achievable directly.
It'd also be nice if the AI could read these schema when making pretenders (assuming it spends points and doesn't pick them from a pre-compiled list.)

---

My second request may be completely infeasibl - but I'd like to be able to bring back themes.

I'd like to add another entire panel to pretender design. In that panel, I'd like to add a host of options, which either cost or give you points, and which modify your national characteristics. This is the logical way in which I think it'd be structured. I've got an entire list of ten sets of these, I'd like to put them under a pretender design section called "Commandments". I'm sure everyone could see how this would be cool.
The underlying idea is that I'd like to be able to take any position and "twiddle" it into a (second-rate, like vanheim, say) blood position (or necromancer position, or amphibious position, etc.). Concept is - I'm the new God, if I start demanding blood sacrifices, I expect Timmy the Archtheurg to get with the program.
I expect a lot of people wouldn't like this - and it'll be hell to game-balance it - but

#add_misc_option
#option_type 1
-- You can't have more than one option from the same "type".
#option_name "Make me an altar of splintered bones and rotting flesh!"
-- If possible, load these dynamically into the sub-menu.
#option_requires_mdeath 5
#option_requires_sdeath 0
-- Likewise for each magic path and scale. "Require death 0" means doesn't allow growth.
#option_nation 29
-- Now we have a block of mod commands which it runs if you are Pythium. All the same mod commands should be available as when modding a faction from scratch, in addition...
#option_cost_fixed 3
#option_cost_cumulative 2
-- Cost in pretender design points. Fixed points are multiplied by the cost of a scale - cumulative points are added together and then priced as an equivalent dominion increase, so discourage people from piling on lots of options.
#remrecunit <nbr>
#remreccom <nbr>
-- Ideally, this should pull all instances of a given unit number from the national recruit list. If the only commands you can support clear the list entirely - then just add this one.
#clearcapitalsites
-- So that you can change the list of capital-only units.
#end_nation
-- And a list for each nation that can take the mod.
#end

---

And, thirdly, I'd like some more nation modding commands, but I'll compile that list later.

FrankTrollman

October 15th, 2006, 01:13 PM

Where do your point totals come from? I am unclear as to how making Dominion 10 (and the associated Awe effect) cost more makes pretenders stronger.

Heck, if anything the reverse seems to be true. If going for a standard super-combatant great kraken as Atlantis, you're looking at the cost to get a Dominion of 10 dropped down to 108 for "weak pretenders". It previously cost 252 under the normal rules, so the number of free points an awake god with Dominion 10 has is virtually unchanged save that scales are cheaper.

In short, while I agree that there should be an option for giving people more or less starting points, changing the relative cost of starting choices willy nlly is a terrible idea.

-Frank

Tortanick

October 15th, 2006, 01:31 PM

I agree with Frank on that one.

I'd also like to see themes back.

Foodstamp

October 16th, 2006, 07:18 AM

I would like to see the following commands added to the game for modding...

#skeptic (Allows a unit to lower an enemy's dominion, just like the skeptic unit from Arco.)

#seduce (Like the Oreiads from Arco and maybe the succubus version?)

#lure (The lure ability the Oceania Sirens have)

I apologize if any of these are already in the game. I checked the mod.pdf for them and could not find them.

Twan

October 16th, 2006, 07:31 AM

Yes I would find better to have just a multiplier for starting points as a start option (but a screen before pretender design/loading would become needed) or a simple #dpmultiplier [x] as a mod command (with possible values in the 50-250% range).

Endoperez

October 16th, 2006, 08:13 AM

Foodstamp said:
I would like to see the following commands added to the game for modding...

#skeptic (Allows a unit to lower an enemy's dominion, just like the skeptic unit from Arco.)

#seduce (Like the Oreiads from Arco and maybe the succubus version?)

#lure (The lure ability the Oceania Sirens have)

I apologize if any of these are already in the game. I checked the mod.pdf for them and could not find them.

Good suggestions. For now, you can use #copystats to copy a Skeptic, perhaps an Oreiad, and change or remove the abilities you don't want.

DrPraetorious

October 16th, 2006, 02:02 PM

I mean "stronger pretender" in the specific sense of the pretender itself, as opposed to the benefits it gives to the nation.

Firstly, I made an error - you have 350 points to customize your pretender, not 400.

Okay, the points cost for each physical form are, I believe, either a function of the unit itself or of the nation(s) to which it is available - I didn't see a way to mod this in the manual, which obviously needs fixin'. Either way, dynamically changing those prices is essentially impossible.

So, how do you halve the cost of being a dragon with earth and fire, across all nations? Well, you double the total amount of points available, and double the cost of everything else on which you spend points (scales and dominion.)

If I have 350 points total, and I want to spend 160 on dominion and scales, I have 190 left to make my pretender Himself. This will buy me a dragon with fire-4 and earth-2.

If I have 700 points total, and I want to spend 360 on dominion and scales (which buys the same thing if prices are doubled), I have 340 left to maky my pretender Himself. This will buy me a dragon with fire-5 and earth-5. Yeah?

FrankTrollman

October 16th, 2006, 02:32 PM

Physical Form costs are moddable. The "#gcost" of the form is its base cost a a pretender. So if you don't think te new non-ehereal VQ is worth 175 frickin points, you can simply set a new gcost for her of something more reasonable like 125 and she'd appear with the new cost.

As for he rest, I don't think it's practical. Dominion scales of about 1-8 are an empire toggle, but dominion scores in the 9-10 range are a combat buff to your god. There's no way to regulate with cost multiples what people are doing by purchasing dominion scores.

That being said, I would like to see a "magic pretenders" option where purchasing picks is flatter. Path increase * 8 gets really expensive really fast, and I'd like just once to have the kind of powerful rainbow god that the computer is always running around with on a good AI scheme.

-Frank

Endoperez

October 16th, 2006, 03:40 PM

Endoperez said:
* It should be possible to find out numbers of magic sites. That'd let us change national magic sites to e.g. add new national commanders. There are still sites with same names across the different eras of the same nation. The same for items, too!

I just found out that you can press Shift+i when viewing an item to get it's id number. So we have half of that one already!

EDIT: I also thought I was editing, not quoting, so I changed the message around.

Tortanick

October 16th, 2006, 03:45 PM

Add #communicant to the list for Therug Communicants
And I tried copysats for the communicants and it didn't work.

DrPraetorious

October 16th, 2006, 06:24 PM

Dominion scales in the 9-10 range do increase your ability to recruit sacred units.

That said - the dominion score of 9 combat buff is an unusual case. The price-schemes I proposed don't give a *discount* for it, but they never make it (relative to your total points) more expensive, so unless you're going to dominion 10 on a base dominion 1 god, it isn't going to have a huge impact, and I think that the mod as I proposed it would be workable.

sube

October 17th, 2006, 06:14 AM

A few requests:

1) Suppose I want to mod a race that does not become weaker with old age, but stronger. With a switch like

#oldageeffect <parameter>

With this parameter (1 and -1?) you can set if the monster becomes stronger or weaker when ageing.

2) A fourth status for pretenders, in addition to awake - dormant - imprisoned. The fourth status would be something like banished: the god is somewhere else and happy to be there, not coming back at all. That may give you extra design points (for what? well only dominion, and magic for blessings). I'm requesting this because sometimes I would like to play just with armies vs armies, without godlike pretenders getting in the way.

3) Is #inquisitor already implemented? Apologies if i missed it.

...and more to come soon, probably.

DrPraetorious

October 17th, 2006, 11:32 AM

If we're going to have more pretender status, I'd also like to see:

dead - your god begins play dead. You can call him back normally (and thus, before turn 12), but he shows up -1 on each magic path with an affliction. 200 points.

lost - your god has forgotten the world. A dominion strength of (150?) will return him to the world. 150 points?

bound - The seals on your god can only be loosed by BLOOD SACRIFICE. You need to research blood 5 and then have a blood mage offer up 200 blood slaves to get your god back. This is worth only 300 points because only people who think they can do this quickly will take it.

DrPraetorious

October 22nd, 2006, 03:23 PM

I second the various requests for commands to duplicate existing monster powers, but I'd actually like commands to add *new* monster powers.

To facilitate this, I'd like the modding commands to be as general as is reasonably feasible. I have some exmaples below, but whatever mod commands you add, please make them general in this way so we can do new stuff.

The following commands would let me do things for Mods we have in the works that'd be real keen:

#autospell {spellID}
This command gives a unit a spell that it automatically casts at the start of combat. If the spell has a target - the unit targets itself. This would be greatly more useful than #communicant or something to duplicate the communicant's ability.

#scalemod {tag} {scale} {multiplier}
This should also be available for weapons. The tag (which can be anything) is modded by the multiplier * the scale modifier (negative multiplier meaning you like negative scales.)
This would be very powerful - you could make philosophers
#scalemod researchbonus productivity -1
and you could make demons that spread disease but only in provinces with turmoil
#scalemod diseasecloud order -1
and all sorts of other cool stuff. If you have a command once under "scalemod" and once without scalemod, the argument of the command (research bonus, AP, whatever) should be additive.

#unitspawns {unitID} {multiplier}
#summonally {unitID} {multiplier}
#dominionspawns {unitID} {multiplier}
Instead of one command for each monster that presently has one of these abilities. Combine with scalemod to have it only work in some diminion types!

Awesome game, keep up the good work!

DrPraetorious

October 23rd, 2006, 08:32 PM

Okay, I want some stuff for spell-modding. This request is highly unlikely - but hey, can't hurt to ask, and it'd be schweet.

I'm sorry this is so long but I'm trying to be as concrete as possible.

I assume that one of the patches will include the ability to field entirely new spells. Here are some spells I want to add, and what they do, along with the code-I-think-should-do-this (all of these are intended as national spells for Padmassa, the Dark Coven):

Corrupt the Virtuous (BSS, 10 blood slaves) Blood 0
Attempts to kill a priest in a distant province. If successful, not only does the priest die, but you are able to steal their faith so that they join you as an undead. Priests in hostile dominion are highly resistant. This spell allows the Black Coven to obtain priests, since they have no national priest unit.

Soul Hunt (SSSSD, 8 astral) Evocation 5
This uniquely Padmassan variant of the Mind Hunt spell not only kills the target, but steals his soul and binds it to serve you.

Ascend the Inner Circle (DDDSSS, 30 death), Thaum 4
The high circle initiates of the black coven of Padmassa have learend to become vessels for the dark energy that fills the outer realms! Those who survive the rite become terrible mezomasters, and will gain power over death, blood, astral and/or earth magic.

Ascend the Final Circle (DDDDDSSSSS, 60 death), Thaum 7
Those who survive this transformation become Dread Masters - the true overlords of Pasmassa. Their power is terrible to behold, they are immortal beings who fly about the battlefield smiting their enemies with bolts of eldritch power.

#newspell "Corrupt the Virtuous" 501
#school 6
#nation 101
#researchlevel 0
#path 0 7
#path 1 4
#pathlevel 0 1
#pathlevel 1 2
#fatiguecost 1000
#spelltype ritual
#effect 1
#target random_remote_commander
#demand_target mag_priest
#forbid_target undead
#forbid_target inanimate
#death
#dominionresists
#penetration 0
#endeffect
#effect 2
#contingent 1
-- meaning, if effect 1 fails, this doesn't happen.
#summon local
#monster 1
-- meaning you get 1 of this.
#copystats target 1
-- copies the stats of the target of effect 1.
-- any summoning should also let you modify monster stats on the fly.
#name "Corrupted Priest"
-- Or, perhaps #prefix "Corrupted "
#mor 30
#lifeless
#undead
#endmonster
#endeffect
#end
--
#newspell "Soul Hunt" 502
#copyspell "Mind Hunt"
...
#effect 4
#contingent 3
-- meaning, only if the Soul Slay goes off.
#summon local
#monster 1
#copystats "Enslaved Soul"
-- the enslaved soul is an undead who always benefits from Sabbath Slave.
-- It goes "help meeeeee!" and you laugh because you're evil and you think it's funny.
#endmonster
#endeffect
#end
--
#newspell "Ascend the Inner Circle" 503
...
#effect 1
#target caster
#forbid_target magicbeing
-- You only need this for the first effect, since if a single effect is refused the spell won't be allowed as orders.
-- #if_target and #notif_target do the same thing, but the spell doesn't fail you just don't get that particular effect.
#chance 20
-- meaning 20%.
#death
#noresist
#endeffect
#effect 2
#target caster
#replace_mag
-- Replaces stats, but keeps magic paths.
#monster 1
#copystats "Mezomaster"
-- The "Mezomaster" is a magic being, so you can't cast this more than once.
#endmonster
#effect 3
#target caster
#empower_death 1 50
#empower_blood 1 50
#empower_astral 1 25
#empower_earth 1 25
#empower_custom 23552 100
#endeffect
#end
-- Ascend the Final Circle will be just like the previous spell, except the chance of death is 40%, it cannot be cast on immortals, and it makes you an immortal dread master of padmassa.
-- The High Circle Master, by the way, will be capital only, BBDD{EBSD,100%}{EBSD,50%}{EBSD,10%}.
-- So you have some awesome magic but you're an early nation, and it costs you a lot to get it.

FrankTrollman

October 24th, 2006, 07:51 PM

Why don't we have "#allowgod"?

While we can make copystat versions of existing gods and then restrictedgod them to new nations, this really eats through the unitlist fast when you're adding a nation or three. An "#allowgod" command would really cut down on unit repitition and make metamodding a whole lot easier. Probably be easy to encode too.

While we're at it, I'd like a "#bangod" command for a nation. Not every nation should have access to a Prince of Death or Cyclops!

-Frank

Singularity24601

November 1st, 2006, 10:10 PM

I second that... #allowgod and #bangod...

Moddable "kills population" and 'auto recruiting' (eg, LA Ermor, LA R'lyeh) could add much more character to nation design (eg, other Lovecraftian nations, armageddon demon cult nation with auto recruiting imps).

Moddable mercenary lists and general/nation-specific summoning spells would allow for more varied unit ideas. I'd think that spell modding would be difficult due to varied effects, but it would be much easier allow modding for only summoning spells, or combat spells...

Also, I'd like more moddable hero slots for each nation as heroes can really exemplify a culture.

Nerfix

November 2nd, 2006, 04:22 AM

I third #allowgod and #bangod and the summoning suggestions. I also like DrPraetorius' spell modding suggestion, though something easier like

#newspell 9998
#name "Astral Taint"
#school 6
#researchlevel 1
#path 0 7 (blood)
#pathlevel 0 1 (1 blood)
#path 1 4 (astral)
#pathlevel 1 1 (1 Astral)
#fatiguecost 100 (100 fatigue translates into 1 blood slave)
-- the new commands start here --
#target_others (the spell targets others)
#range 40 (40 range)
#prec 100 (always hits)
#aoe 0 (something like this could denote the One Person effect)
#dt_horrormark (Damage type: Horror Mark)
#dmg 1 (puts a lvl horror mark on the target)
#mr_resists (magic resistance negates)
#nbreffects 1 (number of effects)
#spell_scales normal (how the spell scales, could be used to create those scaling summoning and attack spell)

...would be just fine for the starters. IIRC Illwinter will allow spell modding at some patch, which is good. I can finally create my Sagittarian Guard, Kruvims, Angel Lords, Summon Thing That Should Not Be and so on... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif

Singularity24601

November 3rd, 2006, 10:55 PM

Although #allowgod and #bangod would be ideal, it might be an error-checking headache to implement. I'd settle for allowing multiple instances of #restrictgod, each one allowing availability for an additional nation. Perhaps that could be done with less modification to the existing code.

Tortanick

November 4th, 2006, 01:53 AM

I'd like an easier way to name heroes, currently you give them their own random name pool, why not just have them get no random name and you use #name "eric the axelord"

Singularity24601

November 5th, 2006, 02:08 AM

Tortanick said:
I'd like an easier way to name heroes, currently you give them their own random name pool, why not just have them get no random name and you use #name "eric the axelord"

Yes, furthermore, there seem to be insufficient #nametype slots to allow for more than 2 heroes (when I try to access slot 141 to 149, the game crashes when I go to "create new game" or "play existing game") with fixed names without interfering with other names in the game. I feel this is an important need that should be able to be easily granted (either #name or about 100 more #nametype slots).

Singularity24601

November 5th, 2006, 10:18 AM

I'd also like the ability to mod in more gladiators (ie, disappear after one battle), such as murmillos, hoplomachi, etc. I tried #copystats on existing gladiators but it did not work.

DrPraetorious

November 6th, 2006, 02:27 AM

It'd be great if the game understood hexadecimal bitmasks. Typing bitmasks out in decimal makes my pea-like brain hurt.

This goes double if we're going to be allowing Gods and Spells for multiple nations - since I *assume* you store those as bitmasks on the nation numbers.

#setpermitted 0x<bitmask>
-- Replaces nation specific bitmask.
-- The following table should fit in the manual and be reasoanbly understandable:
-- N = position in string x 4.
-- 0 None of nations N->N+3.
-- 1 Nation N-3 only
-- 2 Nation N-2 only
-- 4 Nation N-1 only
-- 8 Nation N only
-- Sum bitmasks for multiple nations.
-- Thus, the fourth character of the string controls nations 13,14,15 and 16.

#addpermit <nation nbr.>
#addpermits 0x<bitmask>
-- These do a bitwise and on the nation permission bitmask.
#delpermit <nation nbr.>
#delpermits 0x<bitmask>
-- And these are (current bitmask) ^ !(argument).

I'd like to be able to set units to be horrormarked, cursed and/or insane when recruited/summoned. Also, if we could give units the Lady of Love's unrest reduction power, because I want to put that on a non-pretender (and adding restrictgod 2000 or something at the end seems like a bit of a kludge.)

It isn't really needed for me to create new spells in whatever effect category Unholy Power etc. are in, but it'd be nice if we could at least copy those spells (or edit their nation-specifity as described above.) This is needed to add new undead nations.

I would, on the other hand, like new spells of the same effect-type as Transform. Preferably, the Damage would specify the monster-into-which-you-turned.

On that subject, I don't know how the game handles pools of varying number and types of monsters (e.g. Crossbreeding, Unfrozen), but it'd be nice if we could declare new such pools. Possibly we could have monster numbers in the 10000+ range reserved as identifiers for pools of monsters? I don't know how Crossbreeding and Unfrozen are handled internally, but it'd be nice if we could make spells with those properties.

Is the "no unholiness" bugcheck really needed at all? Firstly I don't see why it's needed to absolutely forbid non-sacred units from having holy magic, and I think it sometimes makes my mod crash for no reason, but I might be messsing up.

Thanks,
TNDP

FrankTrollman

November 6th, 2006, 03:36 AM

and adding restrictgod 2000 or something at the end seems like a bit of a kludge.)

Or you could use:

#clearpath

It's undocumented, but it removes a unit's magic paths and god status. It's from Dominions 2 and I think it still works. It wasn't documented in Dominions 2 either. :shrug:

-Frank

NTJedi

November 6th, 2006, 03:22 PM

The unfettered eater of the dead can travel on its own as an independent into other provinces.

Hopefully a modding command will allow this to become available for units we create.

Thanks!

quantum_mechani

November 12th, 2006, 11:19 PM

Something to round out the site modding commands:

#unrest, including negative numbers to reduce unrest.

Turin

November 14th, 2006, 05:45 PM

If including missing monster attributes like seduction,animalawe or cursed is too much work, could you create a few standard empty units that have just one of those traits and are the basic unused unit in all other aspects, so we can mod those via the copystats command?

One command that I really want to have though is the spawnmonster behaviour, where a commander gets freespawns regularly, like the aboleth mothers.

B0rsuk

November 15th, 2006, 04:33 AM

#begin10chance
#modcommand1
#modcommand2
#modcommand3
#end10chance

The bold ones act as brackets. Upon unit creation, it has 10 percent chance of getting one of: modcommand, modcommand2, modcommand3.
Useful for: hybrids, mutants, tartarians, refugees, tartarians, flagellants, and much more.
It's similar to magic abilities, but more broader.

#begin25chance
#command1
#command2
#command3
#end25chance

#begin50chance
#end50chance
#begin100chance
#end100chance
...

NTJedi

November 15th, 2006, 01:09 PM

Turin said:
If including missing monster attributes like seduction,animalawe or cursed is too much work, could you create a few standard empty units that have just one of those traits and are the basic unused unit in all other aspects, so we can mod those via the copystats command?

One command that I really want to have though is the spawnmonster behaviour, where a commander gets freespawns regularly, like the aboleth mothers.

Yes this would also work great... if you can do this thankyou Illwinter!

FrankTrollman

November 15th, 2006, 02:21 PM

I would like it if the #hero1 command for nations was instead #hero1 <name> - where <name> is the name the hero automatically gets when generated as a hero. I think that would save everyone a lot of time (if that space is blank, a random name is generated).

-Frank

Amos

November 15th, 2006, 08:57 PM

Is there a possibility that researchable national spells would be in the next patch?

zepath

November 19th, 2006, 07:49 PM

I second Amos' question/request. I've got a fever... and the only prescription is fully moddable national summons!

Amos

November 19th, 2006, 08:59 PM

I got a reply from Johan that its in the next patch.

HoneyBadger

November 20th, 2006, 01:18 AM

Ok, I'm not the best modder in the world, by any means, despite having lots and lots of experience doing so-I don't really have the knack for programming. I understand pretty completely how computers and languages work, just implementing is hard for me, so it's quite possible that I'm making dumb mistakes, but I was wondering if anyone who is good at modding would be willing to give lessons?

Preferrably someone with lots of patience http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Also, I'd like to second the notion that some creatures would get better with age. I'm thinking Aboleths and hydras in particular, also dragons and krackens, maybe vampires, but really, there are lots, if not most, units in the game which-background wise-have gotten or could get stronger and better with age. I would suggest implementation of this be done, for the sake of ease, as a command that permanently alters (perhaps as a shapechange) a unit into another unit, once it reaches a certain age. Thus a normal aboleth could evolve into a mindlord if it survived into it's 2000th year, or what have you. Vinemen could possibly become vine ogres. Dragons, for instance, could start the game as less powerful than they currently are, but in long games become more powerful. Jotuns over time would be affected by old age, but they might learn to change their shape into giant eagles or otters (this is an actual ability that some Jotuns had, according to Norse mythology. Loki, who was part Jotun, had this power in spades.). Agarthans would just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Other creatures could actually de-volve, for instance lycanthropes could become stronger with age, but because of their bestial rage, turn into big mindless brutes. I don't think this function would be too terribly difficult to code in, and should add a lot to the fun factor, and to how much you care about a particular unit, over time, if modded well. Making the function happen as a simple #shapechange type command at a certain age puts the emphasis on the modder, as far as how much trouble we're willing to take, rather than on the programmer. Instead of asking Johan to code in changes to dozens or hundreds of units, we can do this ourselves. I'm thinking that the command might allow units to transition from normal soldiers into commanders, but this should be a separate command, as it would be a powerful ability, and should only happen on a case-by-case. I'm also thinking that certain magic sites would either allow the age transformation to happen, or speed it along. Additionally, it might only be units with a lot of experience who transform-particularly in the case of aboleths, as all aboleths start out as free podlings and eventually become powerful mindlords, providing they survive. Possibly only hall-of-famers in some cases could transform. This would make long games a lot more interesting, and also make the game itself more fun, because you couldn't just look at or summon up a particularly powerful unit-such as a demon lord-you'd have to actually play the game and wait for certain favorite units to turn into something even better. It would change the dynamics and strategy in certain games from one of simple conquest, to survival and prosperity over time. You could in the case of aboleths (one of my favorite races, if noone's figured that out yet) have the advanced stages of life-mindlords, gibodai, aboleth, etc. cost a great deal more than they do now, but have a chance for even a humble podling to become extremely powerful, providing you as they player nurture that podling along over hundreds of turns. This would alter, strategy-wise, units (as someone put it, in another thread comparing Dom3 with the Civilization franchise) from simple troops that basically fight and perform functions, into tiles that you build on and with, as resources. This will hopefully help answer the "why doesn't Dom3 have a lot of buildings/city development/my favorite kind of micromanagement?" question.

By the way, to give praise where praise is due: really great ideas throughout this thread. I don't want to single anyone out because everyone has good ideas.

zepath

November 20th, 2006, 08:32 PM

HoneyBadger said:
I was wondering if anyone who is good at modding would be willing to give lessons?

Go into your /dominions3/docs/ directory and open the modding.pdf file. Crack open the .dm file of any of the mods available here in a text editor and start studying. Then, start experimenting. It'll come to you very quickly even if you had no programming knowledge. The developers have gone well out of there way to make this game moddable and to cater to the modding community. Just jump right in.

HoneyBadger said:
I'd like to second the notion that some creatures would get better with age.

Age alone doesn't really make sense. Years spent in idleness would certainly not make most creatures stronger or more skillful. I think the existing experience system covers this sufficiently. When we're talking about aboleths, pale ones, dragons, vamps, or whatever getting strong over long periods I think the frame of reference is centuries... not the decades that a long game will take. Besides, since there are so many beings in the game that might be included under such a system, you're talking about hundreds of new monsters for their "upgraded" versions or a substantial new feature that is well beyond the modder's sphere and that the developers will have to code. This would also disenfranchise human or human-like nations that start suffering from old age at 50. I'm content that creatures get better with battle experience and time-in-service and that magical creatures who simply never stop growing (in size or power) are represented as they are now... with different units for their different life stages.

DrPraetorious

November 20th, 2006, 09:41 PM

Regarding Borsuk's request - yeah, that'd be awesome, but I think it's pretty clearly impossible. Try starting a game with a mod, then changing some features of the mod while the game is running and firing the game back up.

With the exception of certain acquired characteristics (magic paths, insanity, etc.) the units you've already recruited will change to match the new base unit. This means each unit "looks up" all of its abilities from the unit template for the corresponding unit # - meaning that all the units have to be the same.

Getting concrete with unit pools.

Number of effects, as with crossbreeding, determines the number of draws you get from the unit pool.

#unitpool <number>
-- defines a new unit pool. <number> must be in the range of 10,000+ - it is used in place of a unit # in spells.
-- Every time a unit is pulled from the unit pool, a dominions random number generator (2D6 with rerolls) is made.

#end
-- Terminate every unit pool with end.

-- By default, nothing is added to the RNG; each of the following picks something to add to the RNG.
#path1
#path2
#dominionover3
#fortune
#misfortune
#turmoil
#spring
-- etc.
-- path1 and path2 add excess levels in the path to the DRNG.
-- "Spring" adds +3 to the DRNG in spring and subtracts -3 in autumn.
-- and so forth.

#pool <minDRNG> <maxDRNG>
#mon <unitID>
#com <unitID>
#endpool

-- If the DRNG, with modifiers, is in the specified range, these units get added to the pool of summoned creatures.

On to my own request - I'd like it if we could set sites to "cast spells". You create a ritual spell (or pick an existing spell), and assign the spell ID and a magic-path to a site. Anyone walking into the site can then cast that spell every turn. I've always assumed that this was how scrying and summoning sites worked internally.

Now, if we *really* wanted to go nuts, instead of just having units, the pools could have *spell IDs*, and each of these subsidiary spells would go off if it's number came up. Combined with the ability to make sites cast spells, this would let us make our own variants on the Void Gate with different pools of monsters and a chance of being eaten by crazy.

As an alternative, if we ever get the ability to make our own events, a pool with event IDs (combined with the site modding) would work just as well.

HoneyBadger

November 21st, 2006, 04:32 AM

DrPraetorious, I have to disagree that an aging system such as I have proposed would disenfranchise humans. Humans age quickly, it's true, but they also breed quickly, learn quickly, and in their relatively(and relative to a dragon perhaps, but not relative to almost every other animal on earth) "short" lifespans (approaching 75 years life expectancy, up from around 55 at the turn of the century, and maybe 25 in Dom 3), are able to increase in skills, knowledge, and power quite efficiently, and to pass those things on to their children, so that those children might live longer and better lives. If they weren't able to adapt and grow over time, then yes, the other races eventually would overrun them. But that's not what happened on Planet Earth, and a clever player backed up with good balancing shouldn't let it happen in a game, providing his or her opponent isn't more clever still. And noone who was unable to protect and nurture his or her growing units over time should be picking such a long-lived race to play.

Very large games with very large maps might last a very long time. I've seen people talking about games already lasting 1000 turns. That's over 80 game years already, and Dom 3 hasn't been out for 2 whole months. Rather than a gigantic, epic game becoming boring over time, I'd like to know that I have the opportunity to play a game which will still be interesting a year or even 10 years from now, without creating a new game with a new nation every time I want to see something different. I'm just asking for a relatively simple solution (programming wise) which might possibly require the addition of several hundred new creatures, but has that ever been a bad thing? Certainly not for the Dominions franchise. And while it would require a lot of work indeed, I'm not asking that the burden be put on the designers, or anyone, for that matter. If you didn't want to put that work in, then you certainly wouldn't have to. I'm just asking for the option, the choice to use or not to use a function which can just as easily sit there and gather dust, or that could, with a great deal of time and effort, transform a game as we currently play it into something a lot more dynamic. And it would make the aging system (which I personally think is a wonderful idea, as is, but which I read a lot of gripes about) a lot more fun.

By the way, thank you for pointing out the .dm files available here. I really just needed a point to start off from, since I've badly misplaced my manual, and I can't get a mod to work just from reading the mod doc.

B0rsuk

November 21st, 2006, 06:24 AM

I can't find a place to download the modding manual, and I'm still waiting for my copy, but

I'd love do see some unit orders restricted to terrain, for example

#restrictedtoforests
I have several ideas for my pseudo-slavic nation mod, and they would greatly benefit from commanders who can
1) summon allies in forests, swamps or mountains
2) assassinate in forests only
3) seduce in forest and swamp
---------
OUT OF TOPIC
Units getting stronger with age make sense only for units who _keep_growing_, and it's already the case (but not a game mechanic) for atlantians. Compare ages of atlantian spearmen, shambler, coral queen, basalt king....

In other cases, creatures should indeed get worse with age, especially old age. See Longdead, Master Lich...

thejeff

November 21st, 2006, 10:10 AM

Humans could benefit from this kind of aging mechanic as well.
Especially mages, who might be expected to suffer physically, but grow in magical ability with age.
There are a number of units that already show an age progression, as B0rsuk suggests. The most obvious human example might be Man's Daughter, Mother, Crone.

zepath

November 21st, 2006, 07:05 PM

Honeybadger, several hundred new creatures can take quite a lot of effort to make. I can't count the hours spent drawing art for the eighty or so monsters I've used in my nation mods. If such a system could be made to "fit" within the current parameters of the game and its rules, I think you should lobby for it to appear in Dominions 4. As a mod for the current game it is probably unrealistic. This is especially so because the devs are no doubt working at patching bugs and providing us with the additional nations they've mentioned and new game mechanics are much farther off on their horizon.

thejeff, most human and human-like mages already suffer physically with age through the old age mechanics and can grow in magical ability as the game progresses. Mages (and non-mages) of all races can grow in power by using Empowerment. Mages also gain research bonuses by acquiring experience. Age implies a biological process the ends of which are infirmity and death. Simply making creatures better because they get older does not fit in a game that already has numerous mechanics for individual unit improvement: experience, heroic abilities, prophethood, death matches, magic items, empowerment, etc. Now, if there were a mechanic for a mage with Death or Blood magic (or one who acquires them through Empowerment) to undergo the transition to lichdom, that would be sweet. I can imagine a few other means of alternate "Empowerment" that would be quite easy to implement and would add some of the additional depth that you and Honeybadger are talking about.

HoneyBadger

November 22nd, 2006, 01:34 AM

Zepath, the point isn't the time and effort required to produce several hundred monsters, it's the time and effort required to add the feature, which I figure could be done in under 15 minutes by a competent programmer, which Johan certainly is, and more. All you have to do is tell the computer to search through all the units per turn-which it would do anyway to check and see if any units are old-to see if any have reached a certain age number. The number's already in there for each unit. When it's determined that one has reached the target number, the computer looks up the unit and the mod tells the computer to #shapechange it to whatever unit, permanently, instead of telling it to age the unit, which it already does. With unit aging already implemented, the whole process takes the programmer a fraction of an hour to code and the computer a fraction of a second to perform. I could do it myself if I had the source code, and I'm a terrible programmer+unfamiliar with this particular language and where everything's located in the code for the game. It's pretty simple functionally even back to the days of BASIC, a million years ago.

The time spent creating a mod that utilizes such a function to it's full potential would ofcourse require a lot of man-hours. But, it could be done by a single dilligent modder, and that's the point I'm trying to make. I have lots of free time so no worries there, and I can draw reasonably well, even on a computer if I have to. If you want to make it a lot faster and easier for me, kindly send me a light-pen and driver software that will be compatible with my laptop http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif I'd be more than happy to share any Dom 3 images I created with the pen with you and rest of the modding community.

HoneyBadger

November 22nd, 2006, 02:35 AM

Now to answer the questions about unit upgrades already in the game: Yes they are there and yes they do their job very well. But, it's a different type of strategy you're talking about, actively concentrating on upgrading your leader units with magic items, empowerments, what have you, or actively fighting with those units and gaining experience. In both case you are using those units directly. What I'm talking about is leaving those units alone so that they can do their own thing, or taking risks with them and potentially having those risks-which increase exponentially over time-pay off in the long term. Kind of like the state (you and your pretender) collecting taxes on a free-market economy (the units you're either risking and that are surviving the risk, or the units that you are protecting and paying the price of that protection). Conditions currently are something along the lines of a communist/socialist economy. No matter how long you stand in line, you're going to get the same scratchy toilet paper, it's just that if you stand in line long enough, you might get more and fresher than the other guy. If you're lucky.

Ofcourse, those units you're paying to protect can still be used for other things, but the longer the game goes on, the harder it is to keep any particular unit alive and undamaged/unafflicted enough to be very useful. Units which are good at passive things, such as research and preaching, often are not ones that are going to be good at combat anyway, nor should they be, and most of these would be afflicted with age, as happens now. Those units which would grow more powerful over time would be the ones that you'd want on the front lines anyway, and so holding them in reserve for years at a time would be a choice which would have real consequences, and if you put that type of unit at risk, and it survives anyway, and keeps surviving, you've gambled well and the Fates have smiled on it and it's good to be rewarded with increased viability as well as having the pleasure of increased individuality. These things help keep such a change to the game in balance, while at the same time, raising the stakes, instead of diminshing them-as happens now-in long epic games.

You start the game and maybe produce 10 Jotun skinshifters on the first turn, and it's exciting because you only have a few, and you put a lot of thought into how you're going to use those skinshifters, because they're all you've got, and if you don't use them carefully, you won't make it very far in the game. By turn 100 you've done well and you can churn out 250 Jotun skinshifters at a pop, knowing that they're going to be the same skinshifters on turn 5000.

Basically, you pay for better units with gold-which you get more of as the game goes on and you conquer more territory, and which, because of it's increased availability, diminishes in value until it's worth it's weight in dirty rainwater, and you pay for better units with resources, which you get a bit more of as you build your infrastructure, but the availability of resources stays much more stable throughout the game, and resources are valuable because of that. Time is always a very valuable resource. If you're paying for better units with time, it's always a rare commodity, and it becomes more and more valuable as a game progresses, because you always have less of it, and you always have the risk that, no matter how great a given game is, this might be your last turn. This means that the longer a game goes on, the better the game should become. This just doesn't happen naturally in a turn-based-strategy environment, or really with any kind of game. There have to be influencing factors such as: plenty of different things to see-which Dom3 does well, plenty of things to do-which Dom3 does VERY well, and good opponents, which the AI doesn't do a bad job of, but human players are generally better. As things are, there are only a finite amount of things to see and do in the game, and those are the same things that are programmed into the game. Thus the whole purpose of modding. If you can, however, add things to see and do, depending on how long you play a particular game (time as currency) then more people are going to want to play games for longer periods of time, which should mean that more people are going to want to buy Dom3, simply because the investment of their valuable time is going to pay off more here than it will playing another game that has a finite amount of things to see and do, regardless of how long you play it. My point is that turn-based-strategy games are exactly the sorts of games which SHOULD get better and more interesting the longer a game goes on, instead of the wave of going from everything-is-fresh-and-new to I-can-do-a-lot-of-things to I've-seen-it-all-and-I'm-bored/exhausted-what's-on-tv that most games currently ride. If Dom3 can break that cycle, then I think it's going to be a very good time for everyone concerned.

B0rsuk

November 23rd, 2006, 02:26 PM

Can we have last several posts erased, please ?
-------------------------

#pathfinding
New commander skill. A commander with this ability automatically transfers his survival skills (if any) to troops he commands. So, for example, a commander with Forest Survival, Swamp Survival, and Pathfinding can lead a squad of units across a forest without movement penalties.

HoneyBadger

November 23rd, 2006, 10:46 PM

Not to start an argument or anything, but since I'm rather involved in the last several posts, and since those posts are on-topic and not meant to be disruptive in any way, please respect my freedom of speech. I'm more than willing to respect yours. Thank you.

UninspiredName

November 26th, 2006, 02:09 AM

It's more that it's sort of clogging up the wishlist boards, I think. Not that I'm for deleting them.

As for my wish, would it be at all possible to have modding commands for 'dungeon' sites like The Forgotten City? I suppose it would be a lot of work...

NTJedi

November 26th, 2006, 05:52 AM

UninspiredName said:
As for my wish, would it be at all possible to have modding commands for 'dungeon' sites like The Forgotten City? I suppose it would be a lot of work...

I would love to see modding commands added for the 'dungeon' sites.

/threads/images/Graemlins/icon29.gif
Here are some modding ideas for the dungeon sites... if we are unable to create our own.

1) Rare Event After rescuing an old witch she carves markings into your arm which magically provides you a new resistance.
Effect: Commander recieves small increased resistance for one of the four types. (fire, cold, lightning or poison)
permanent random increase between 5% and 20%.

2) Rare Event You've purchased some magical herbs from a traveling healer and eat the herbs later that evening. The next day reveals surprising effects of the herbs.
loss of 75 gold
permanent random change in one of the commander statistics ranging between -2 and +5.
(life, strength, precision, magic resistance, defence, etc.)

3)Very Rare Event A master blacksmith spends the season training the commander to forge items in exchange for a small fee.
loss of 40 gold
permanent forging bonus ranging between 10% and 20%.

4)Very Rare Event A thieves guild has spent the last few months training the commander to move stealthy among the enemy in exchange for some gold.
loss of 100 gold
permanent steathly bonus ranging between +0 and +10.

zepath

November 26th, 2006, 07:15 PM

Here, here! I am with Uninspired Name and NT Jedi on the moddable dungeon sites. Please, oh, please... after fully moddable national summons. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Amos

November 27th, 2006, 05:50 AM

A command to remove unneeded traits after using the #copystats would be extremely useful.

UninspiredName

November 27th, 2006, 12:18 PM

It would be nice if we got a #callallies command. That really opens things up for new 'hero' units.

zepath

November 27th, 2006, 08:15 PM

I agree with UnispiredName. A command that allows the "Call Allies" ability (#callally <monster nbr> <quantity>) and/or a command that allows the commander to randomly attract allies each month like a vampire lord (#randomally <monster nbr> <% chance/month>) would be great. Also a command that would allow a nation to randomly attract certain creatures in its provinces that have a favorable dominion (Pangaea, Ermor) would open up a lot of things...

UninspiredName

November 27th, 2006, 09:13 PM

It also might come in handy to be able to add our own 'attack' sound effects.

Turin

November 28th, 2006, 05:38 PM

This is probably obvious, but I�d really like to be able to change the cost of temples/labs and castles with mod commands.

Endoperez

November 28th, 2006, 06:21 PM

Turin said:
This is probably obvious, but I�d really like to be able to change the cost of temples/labs and castles with mod commands.

In order of importance:

Temples and labs: gold required

Castles gold requirement, time requirement, layout

Perhaps time requirement for temples/labs.

HoneyBadger

November 28th, 2006, 10:36 PM

I'd like to be able to change the names of, and mod in additional, magic paths (with new bless effects), sorcery schools, and gem-types (and graphics).

Endoperez

November 29th, 2006, 06:44 AM

Shift+I should work for spells, forts and magic sites. It should show at least their ID number. For spells, perhaps it could also show the variables we can mod now; this would allow for some trial&error changes in spells. E.g., comparing Bless and Anathema etc to find out how to limit spells to only affect sacred units.

Endoperez

November 29th, 2006, 08:06 AM

THE MODDERS' WISHLIST

Updates:

3.12.
#horrormarked <value>
#cursed
#affliction <bitmask> <chance>
* ability to make units immune to Horror Mark or Curse

* nation-spesific items

1.12.
* A way to make ranged weapon be affected by Flaming Arrows. #fireweapon (wpn nbr) was suggested.
* A way to set #range to Strength, for thrown weapons.


Implemented, but bugged

* #specialeffectalways doesn't work at all

Requested mod commands

* commands for changing the costs of labs and temples, and fort modding commands with gold cost, time requirement and layout (the battlefield used).

* Poptypes modding: recruitable units, defenders, era, rarity

Magic sites

* It isn't possible to make sites that let everyone recruit the units. #com and #mon commands are needed in addition to #homecom and #homemon.
* All modding commands need #clear or similar command. #clear for sites and weapons are missing.
* command for summoning creatures when a mage enters a site
* command for casting a spesific ritual when mage enters a site
* unrest for magic sites
* modding commands for the dungeon sites

Weapons
* All modding commands need #clear or similar command. #clear for sites and weapons are missing.
* A way to make ranged weapon be affected by Flaming Arrows. #fireweapon (wpn nbr) was suggested.
* A way to set #range to Strength, for thrown weapons.

Units
* #insanity
* #summanallies [amount] [unit name/nr]
* #seduce
* #lure
* #skeptic
* #inquisitor
* #communicant, as Theurg Communicants' ability
* ability to spawn units of spesific type (Polypal Mother), under various restrictions (scale and/or terrain mask)
* ability to get free units (bodyguards) in battle, e.g. Dai Oni and their wolves
* scale sensitivity, e.g. Ice Devils and Burning Ones are affected by temperature
* a command that makes a unit ccast one spell, targeted at the unit itself, in the beginning of the battle to simulate e.g. Communion Slave
* units that disappear after one battle, such as Gladiators
* a command to make an unit move independently around the map, as Eater of the Dead

Spells
* Moddable bonus to number of effects from spells, from Crossbreeding to Summer Lions to Magma Bolts
* unit pools, as in Unfrozen summoning or Crossbreeding

Nations
* free units in forts (with terrain mask), in areas of high dominion, under spesific scales...
* a command for removing/disabling a nation, e.g. #era 0
* a #multihero that only appears one at a time; the second one only comes after the first has died
* moddable nation-spesific undead
* command for giving the same pretender to multiple nations without copying him a dozen times
* command to make a nation that doesn't have one or more of the default pretenders
* a way to name heroes!
* ability to use custom pics for temples

Magic items
* #mainlevel 0 for making an item require level 1 mage, but take only 1 gem
* #spell for items, to make commander cast spesific spell
* #ritual for items, to make commander cast spesific spell in main map
* magic res and elemental/poison resistances for items, both positive and negative

Misc
* Effect of experience stars: #hp, #str, #att, #def, #prec, #mrl, #enc, #mr, #xp [required to reach a spesific level, 15 for first star]
* commands for changing Magic/Drain effect on magic resistance and spellcasting encumberance.[b]
[b]* general mod command for changing the chance of events on common/rare setting
* Few more lengthy suggestions (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=461423)
* another complicated suggestion (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=470721)
* commander for reversing the old age parameters (-5% hp to +5% hp) (and for negating old age afflictions).

[b]Requested mod-related features

* There should be a map command for a required mod that has to be enabled to play the map.
* Age-restricted mods that don't affect games of other ages. A modding command, but more for ease of use than to changing things.
* themes back, and made moddable
* Three lengthy suggestions (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=457835)
* more hero slots
[b]* mercenary modding
* a one-time shape change to another unit after reaching a unit reaches a spesific age
* masks working in hexadecimal as well as decimal
[b]* Some way to use #copystats without getting unwanted features. Blank units with just #seduce, #lure, etc various commands that currently can't be added were suggested.
* ability to add custom sound effects
* ability to rename (or add) magic paths, to change the icon, the pic of gemtype, the pics of sites, the names of schools...

Already implemented 

* The ability to change spell names and descriptions as well as spell modding in general
* It isn't possible to add new national spells that have to be researched.
* It should be possible to find out numbers of magic items. Shift+I.
* commands for changing units' ages
* #animalawe

Suggested forms

Experience modding:
#xplevel [1 to 5 stars]
#hp, #str, #att, #def, #prec, #mrl, #enc, #mr, #xp [required to reach a spesific level, 15 for first star]

UninspiredName

November 29th, 2006, 12:09 PM

You know what would be a much simpler way than having #communicant, #skeptic, #inquisitor etc? What we need is a #ability <monster number> <value> command. If the monster number is that of a Starspawn, it would give a summoning bonus. (Equal to the value) If the monster number was a Spy, it would give an 'increase unrest' command while sneaking. If the number was that of a Pan, it would give you a large about of <value = monster number>s every turn (Provided your Turmoil scale was good). That way, absolutely no command is missing for unit mods.

Unfortunately, this would be a huge pain to code unless you're working from scratch. I'll suggest this again when someone makes a 'Dominions 4 suggestions' thread. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Singularity24601

November 30th, 2006, 11:05 PM

In weapon modding, a #fireweapon <weapon number> command, to define what weapon to switch to when enchanted by the Flaming Arrows spell.

UninspiredName

December 1st, 2006, 12:28 AM

This one's sort of glaring. We need a range: strength option for projectile weapons.

And an option to make our own mercenaries would be nice.

HoneyBadger

December 1st, 2006, 07:39 AM

Endoperez, I read your synopsis (I'm assuming it's a synopsis of the thread so far, for ease of reference for the Developers) and while you seem to have listed my request, in a way, what I actually would like is the ability to increase the number of magical paths (as in Earth, Air, etc) to 27 and name those new paths. Also to add more types of gems (27), to rename all types of gems, and to add graphics for new gem types. And then to change the names of magic schools, such as Thaumaturgy etc, and add new schools (not sure how many). If it wasn't your intention, that's fine, in which case I'm content to clarify what I was asking for, since it's admittedly a little unclear. Thank you!

DrPraetorious

December 1st, 2006, 02:36 PM

In addition to starting insanity scores, I'd like
#horrormarked <value>
#cursed
#affliction <bitmask> <chance>

I want to give horrormarked units as bodyguards - it's an advantage for the bodyguards of a horrormarked mage to be horrormarked themselves, clearly.

The affliction "power" would be the one that praetorian guards have - also certain pretenders. You give a bitmask for which afflictions the unit can start with, and then a chance of getting one of those afflictions.

zepath

December 1st, 2006, 06:46 PM

Good call on the horror marked guards, DrPraetorious.

I'm with UninspiredName on the mercenary modding, that would be a lot of fun!

NTJedi

December 1st, 2006, 08:21 PM

zepath said:
Good call on the horror marked guards, DrPraetorious.

I'm with UninspiredName on the mercenary modding, that would be a lot of fun!

I agree with the mercenary modding where we can add new mercenaries and change existing ones.

Also the #horrormarked would be very useful because horrors are very nasty in dominions_3 and being able to summon monsters with horror marks would be in big demand.

HoneyBadger

December 1st, 2006, 10:18 PM

How about being able to mod certain units (such as certain Pretenders) as no curse, no horror mark, no insanity, no age, etc?

UninspiredName

December 1st, 2006, 11:40 PM

Well, you can already just change the maxage or startage...

Removing stuff like that without having to remove everything would come in handy, though.

HoneyBadger

December 1st, 2006, 11:46 PM

Age was the least thing I wanted the ability to remove. The others are a lot more devastating to Pretenders.

UninspiredName

December 2nd, 2006, 06:28 PM

How about #longdead <unit number> and #skeleton <unit number> nation modding commands? Since we can have Longdead of C'tis, Jotun skeletons, and countless carrion units for Pangaea, it seems reasonable that we should be able to add our own for certain nations. You could theoretically implement the command more than once to have a list of possible longdeads/skeletons.

Endoperez

December 2nd, 2006, 07:22 PM

UninspiredName said:
How about #longdead <unit number> and #skeleton <unit number> nation modding commands? Since we can have Longdead of C'tis, Jotun skeletons, and countless carrion units for Pangaea, it seems reasonable that we should be able to add our own for certain nations. You could theoretically implement the command more than once to have a list of possible longdeads/skeletons.

Suggested before (although only once), but it's on the list already. Longdead and skeleton are the same thing. The other is soulless. However, one command won't do for the soulless, because corpses have varying amounts of resources, affecting the kind of soulless reanimated.

UninspiredName

December 2nd, 2006, 10:47 PM

...Oh, they are? Isn't that just for reanimation? (Which, now that I think about it, is I guess all that matters.)

And do any nations get their own Soulless? I haven't seen any yet...

Endoperez

December 3rd, 2006, 01:33 PM

UninspiredName said:
...Oh, they are? Isn't that just for reanimation? (Which, now that I think about it, is I guess all that matters.)

And do any nations get their own Soulless? I haven't seen any yet...

Jotun does. Carrion Reanimation used to rock in Dom:PPP, before you neede corpses for it to work... You got insane amount of soulless Jotuns at every casting. Also, the monkey people will get their own soulless. They were implemented in 3.02.

From ulm.illwinter.com/dom3/dom3progress.html :

2rd november
* Monkey reanimation for Lanka, Kailasa, Bandar log and Patala

SoaviFox

December 3rd, 2006, 01:36 PM

It would be nice if I could easily set certian items to only be forgable by certian nations.

UninspiredName

December 3rd, 2006, 10:34 PM

Not even the developers do that at the moment... (That Black Laurel is getting on my nerves, though)

Singularity24601

December 4th, 2006, 03:02 AM

At least "charge bonus on first attack", "range = strength/2", etc can be added by editing the .exe, although having #copyweapon would make this unnecessary.

HoneyBadger said:
How about being able to mod certain units (such as certain Pretenders) as no curse, no horror mark, no insanity, no age, etc?

I guess "no age" can be handled by setting maxage to a ridiculously high number. Meanwhile, I don't like the idea of a Vastness brought down by disease (or most other afflictions)... perhaps "immune to disease" and "immune to afflictions" abilities?

PS: I'm running out of room for capital-only units... perhaps allowing more than 4 startsites and/or more than 5 attributes per site.

Endoperez

December 4th, 2006, 04:17 AM

Singularity24601 said:
At least "charge bonus on first attack", "range = strength/2", etc can be added by editing the .exe, although having #copyweapon would make this unnecessary.

PS: I'm running out of room for capital-only units... perhaps allowing more than 4 startsites and/or more than 5 attributes per site.

I don't count .exe editing as modding, because it's much more complicated.

Currently, all provinces are limited to 4 startsites, and all sites are limited to 5 attributes. Even if you wanted to give a nation income of 6 different gems, and a gold bonus and a resource bonus, you'd be able to give them total of 12 capital-only recruitables. That's twice as much as any current nation (LA Abysia is the one most limited by capital-only units AFAIK). Are you sure any of them couldn't be changed into e.g. summons?

DrPraetorious

December 6th, 2006, 01:06 AM

One thing I forgot, it'd be nice when we get the ability to mod magic items if we could make magic items that change hit point totals. I see why the basic game doesn't have any but they'd still be cool.

Otherwise, I have a proposal in response to the request to have random elements in unit specifications, which I said I thought was impossible. We ought to be able to have mutations!

Mutations work, from a game-mechanical standpoint, just like afflictions. It'd be nice if we could specify them ourselves through mod script - see below for the commands I think we'd need.

Unfortunately I don't think that's practical, but you could add mutations, even if none of the default units use them (although foul spawn should get them if they exist at all.)

The mutations in the attached list are mostly warhammer classics - if you added those (and mod commands to give them to units, with a bitmsask and a percentage change and all), that'd be super-keen and ought to cover most people's unit variety needs.

So, you'd need:
#mutation <bitmask> <chance>
-- Self explanatory, goes on units.
#spreads_mutations <bitmask> <chance>
-- So that we can add sites which mutate people that stay in the province with them.
-- Plus a spell effect that gives mutations! Chaos Channels! Huzzah!

If, on the other hand, you want to go nuts:
#attribute_pool <pool_number> <icon file>
#attribute <pool_number> <position>
-- Attributes, of which mutations are one type you could make, would appear in different types, each of which would have its own icon (and pool #), and each of which would have a, say, 64-bit bitmask. Position is the place in the bitmask, so a number from 0 to 63.

#require_slots (bitmask)
-- This attribute requires the combination of slots specified.
#no_mindless
-- Mindless units cannot get this attribute.
#no_mounted
#no_inanimate
#max_size (size)
-- You get the idea.

#stacks_to <position>
-- If you get this mutation, and you already have it, get this mutation isntead.

-- Other than that, each mutation would need the same stuff that units would get. You'd need a way to *modify* stats rather than just changing them, and you'd need a command to add or remove slots rather than just specifying which slots a unit would have.

-- Finally, for units
#attribute <pool> <bitmask> <chance>
-- And for sites.
#spreads_attribute <pool> <bitmsask> <chance>
-- And an effect for spells.

UninspiredName

December 6th, 2006, 07:28 PM

Ooh, I like that one. Would really open up spell and site modding.

As for me, I'm having some serious issues creating combat summons that I have reason to believe aren't user error. You also can't boost the gem cost without boosting the fatigue cost for combat spells, which means if you wanted a barrage of fireballs that costed 3 gems to cast, it would most likely kill the caster, causing him 300 fatigue.

Endoperez

December 6th, 2006, 07:41 PM

UninspiredName said:
Ooh, I like that one. Would really open up spell and site modding.

As for me, I'm having some serious issues creating combat summons that I have reason to believe aren't user error. You also can't boost the gem cost without boosting the fatigue cost for combat spells, which means if you wanted a barrage of fireballs that costed 3 gems to cast, it would most likely kill the caster, causing him 300 fatigue.

The latter is, unfortunately, pretty much unavoidable. Except for the killing part; casting spells doesn't kill the caster. And if the spellcaster has even one more level in the chosen path, he only gets half the fatigue, so he "only" gets 150+encumberance points of fatigue. You'd need 3 extra levels to get the fatigue down to 75 (300/4), though.

FrankTrollman

December 6th, 2006, 08:03 PM

A high gem cost spell is pretty much uncastable by a character with the minimum path to cast it, casters won't use more than 200 Fatigue on casting a spell by choice, so they'll skip over even a scripted 8 gem spell.

But a character with an extra 3 path skill casts a spell at 1/4th fatigue - so they will cast that 8 gem spell.

So weirdly, if you want to have a spell that costs a lot of gems and is usable in combat, set the path requirements really low. A 1 Nature 800 Fatigue spell is theoretically castable by a Dryad, but actually it is only available to seriously badass Pans.

-Frank

NTJedi

December 6th, 2006, 08:53 PM

#(type)res needs to go above 100%
Currently units cannot be given more than 100% resistance. Since there are spells which can lower resistances there is a desire for creating units which start with a resistance over 100%.
Otherwise after a few spells no unit can be completely immune unless it's a commander with extra items.

Endoperez

December 6th, 2006, 09:20 PM

FrankTrollman said:
A high gem cost spell is pretty much uncastable by a character with the minimum path to cast it, casters won't use more than 200 Fatigue on casting a spell by choice, so they'll skip over even a scripted 8 gem spell.

But a character with an extra 3 path skill casts a spell at 1/4th fatigue - so they will cast that 8 gem spell.

So weirdly, if you want to have a spell that costs a lot of gems and is usable in combat, set the path requirements really low. A 1 Nature 800 Fatigue spell is theoretically castable by a Dryad, but actually it is only available to seriously badass Pans.

-Frank

I just had an Air 3 mage cast Living Clouds. Living Clouds is 200 fatigue, 2 gems. The mage in question had 3 Air gems, total. He summoned 4, and only 4, Air Elementals, and because Living Clouds summons 4+ elementals, he would've had 5 if his skill was above 4. He has spellcasting encumberance 3. After casting the spell, he had 200 fatigue and had taken no damage.

If Living Clouds is modded to require Air 3 and take 3 gems (300 fatigue):
the caster can cast the spell with the same three gems; summons only as many elementals as the spell description states (curiously, 3, and description had changed to 3+, to match the #pathlevel 0 3!); and the caster ends up with 200 fatigue.

Further testing:
I changed Master Enslave to Thaumaturgy 0. I created an S9 Wyrm. I sent the Wyrm to fight against the biggest indeps I saw on second turn, after I had gotten enough pearls. I gave him *9* pearls. He cast Master Enslave and won the battle after the enemy routed. He had 200 fatigue after casting the spell, but didn't lose any hp.

This matches what I thought was stated on the forums: that no spell can kill the caster directly through fatigue.

Turin

December 7th, 2006, 02:58 PM

NTJedi said:
#(type)res needs to go above 100%
Currently units cannot be given more than 100% resistance. Since there are spells which can lower resistances there is a desire for creating units which start with a resistance over 100%.
Otherwise after a few spells no unit can be completely immune unless it's a commander with extra items.

If you copystats a unit that already has the resistances you want you can add those 100% on top of the already existing resistances.

Gandalf Parker

December 7th, 2006, 07:28 PM

Sorry if this is already in here. Just to get this logged into the wishlist...

increase the arrays so that a mod for slot xx can use unit, site, equipment slots xx times 100. So that a mod using slot 75 would have 7500-7599 available. It doesnt have to be locked down. I mean it doesnt have to force that mod to use only those slots.

But if the arrays would allow it, and we can get people doing it voluntarily, It would help avoid clashes. And it would make later changes easier. We could even create a thrid party program that shifts the entire mod over to a different slot easily.

DrPraetorious

December 9th, 2006, 06:48 PM

The nation array itself also needs to be larger, right now there's only room for a dozen custom nations - there are already 14 floating around. I suppose I can segregate mods by era.....

HoneyBadger

December 10th, 2006, 12:29 AM

I'd really like the ability to change, make new ones, and increase the number of, bless effects, since this is such a large area of strategy that currently only has 8 defined paths and 16 total effects. For instance, I'd like to be able to create a mod wherein water magic leads to ice weapons and fire magic leads to fire resistance, etc. This would ofcourse go hand-in-hand with being able to mod in more types of magic.

DrPraetorious

December 10th, 2006, 02:03 AM

Allow more custom unit graphics.

I've been trying to pool all the custom nations together - and the game won't process more than about 300 (?) custom sprites. At least, that's what I think is going on. looky (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=477620&page=0&view=collap sed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1)

Anyway, if we had enough nation #s and sprite slots to field 20 or 30 custom nations, I'd be happy.

HoneyBadger

December 10th, 2006, 02:41 AM

I'm with DrPraetorious, 80 nations would be sweet.

Ok, actually I'd like more, like 120-150. But then I'm greedy.

Oh and while I'm being greedy, I'd really like to be able to add ages (for a maximum of 5-7) and rename ages.

UninspiredName

December 12th, 2006, 03:48 PM

There's a quick change to Nation Modding that would be nice. At the moment, when adding heroes to a nation, you're only allowed to specify which monster. You should really be able to give the hero an unchanging name as well, like in the normal nations. One can get around this by creating a new namelist, but that's a pain and you only get so many namelists to customize on your own.

HoneyBadger

December 13th, 2006, 05:06 AM

Yes, I'm with you on that one too, Uninspired,

Names have Power.

Mythology is chalk full of the old clause that "a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet"

6,000 slaves, brothers-in-arms to 50,000 dead, strong men who had freed themselves and learned what it was to be proud, become warriors and soldiers in a great army, who terrorized, nearly conquered, the entire World that was Rome willingly died on the cross to the words,

"I, Spartacus!"

Singularity24601

December 13th, 2006, 04:49 PM

I suggest changing Pretender modding to be consistent with the rest of nation modding:

#selectnation 0
#clearpretenders
#addpretender 1
#addpretender 2
#addpretender 3
etc etc

UninspiredName

December 17th, 2006, 04:30 PM

This one wouldn't be too hard to implement, and would open up monster modding incredibly.

#spelleffect <timing> "<spellname>"

Timing would determine when the spell effect would be triggered. 0 for at the start of a battle, 1 for every turn, 2 for every time an enemy is hit, 3 for every time an enemy is attacked, and 4 for when the unit dies. Spellname is self-explanatory. One could restrict them to a non-existant nation to stop the effects appearing on the spell list. This would let us do anything from shuten-doji, to suicide bombers, to whatever the heck the darkness-shrouded Lanka summons are called.

FrankTrollman

December 17th, 2006, 05:36 PM

Deleted

UninspiredName

December 17th, 2006, 06:29 PM

Weapon effects would be painfully hard to implement from a modder's perspective, when you consider how powerful an earthmeld weapon would be. Their only real use would be to give exclusively to commanders/heroes (Though a charming sword would be cool on an Assassin). If Magic Item modding was improved, though, it would make an awesome addition to that.

UninspiredName

December 19th, 2006, 12:20 AM

This would be a bit different than most of my other suggestions, but it still wouldn't be terribly hard to do. It would be nice if Illwinter made the original unit sprites available for viewing. It would be a great help for copying the 'style' of Illwinter's sprites, and would very much come in handy for those that would, say, want to give Caelum's army different weapons.

I admit to being personally biased here as my entire modding style revolves around modifying the existing sprites, and it's likely not as good in the work/reward department as other ideas, but it's something to consider nonetheless. Sorry for the double-post.

HoneyBadger

December 19th, 2006, 12:31 AM

You know, Uninspired, that's a great idea. I want to redo Niefel's units a bit, offer the giants maces, scythes, and flails, since they'd generally be more effective and less expensive for giant humanoids to use against small opponents than axes and swords, for instance.

UninspiredName

December 19th, 2006, 02:16 AM

Ooh! Another one!

This is pretty basic, but it would be nice to have a preset 'entire battlefield' number for AoE commands, (Most notably spell modding) like how Morale 50 equals mindless.

UninspiredName

December 19th, 2006, 08:25 PM

We could also really use the ability to un-restrict spells.

DrPraetorious

December 19th, 2006, 08:52 PM

Don't the restrictions disappear if you copy the spell?

Anyway, I'd like the ability to unrestrict pretenders, but that's just a book-keeping headache it isn't something you can't do already.

HoneyBadger

December 26th, 2006, 10:34 PM

I'm thinking it would be really nice if we could assign sizes to weapons-for instance a Jotun axe being a certain size. The reason for this is that you could make certain weapons two-handed for certain sized units, while for other units they'd be one-handed. I wouldn't want to do this for every weapon out there, but it might be nice for some magical weapons requiring a certain minimum or maximum size of wielder-hammer of the mountains or gate cleaver needing atleast size 2 or even 3 for instance.

Johan K

January 6th, 2007, 07:10 AM

UninspiredName said:
Ooh! Another one!

This is pretty basic, but it would be nice to have a preset 'entire battlefield' number for AoE commands, (Most notably spell modding) like how Morale 50 equals mindless.

Use the magic numbers 666 to affect the entire battlefield or 665 to affect 25% of the battlefield squares.

DrPraetorious

January 7th, 2007, 02:06 AM

Oh, that is neat, thanks Johan.

Two things - when you give linked randoms using the old syntax (i.e.: magicskill 52 2) they show up as 1 ? on the unit profile sumarry, and I don't think the age calculates correctly. I'm not certain of this since I'm not sure how the age calculation is supposed to work.

Could we have linked custom randoms? I know you don't want to give more than 2 arguments to a command, it could be:
#doublecustommagic <bitmask> <chance>
#triplecustommagic <bitmask> <chance>

Or, you could use the first 7 bits in the custom magic bitmask? They don't seem to do anything, but I might be missing something. I assume that's where the actual internal code stores the % chance, but that's just a guess, as values placed in those bits don't seem to affect it.

Also, random magic with "holy" doesn't seem to work. I know I'm probably the only one who'd use it, but I'd like some units that have a % chance to be priests.

Keep on keepin' it real,
TNDP

NTJedi

January 8th, 2007, 04:16 PM

NTJedi said:
#(type)res needs to go above 100%
Currently units cannot be given more than 100% resistance. Since there are spells which can lower resistances there is a desire for creating units which start with a resistance over 100%.
Otherwise after a few spells no unit can be completely immune unless it's a commander with extra items.

This has been included within the next patch! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Thankyou and Double Thankyou Illwinter!
Also I believe a modding request from Endoperez is also included where a nation can be disabled or moved.

HoneyBadger

January 10th, 2007, 03:01 AM

Niiice! Congratulations NTJedi and Endoperez. Now if they'll just get to my requests sometime this year, we can all relax in the hot tub together.

Edi

January 30th, 2007, 03:01 PM

I REALLY, REALLY want tobe able to assign armors to monsters by armor number. We're still stuck to actually typing the armor name, which is pretty damned inconvenient for a whole host of reasons. We can mod them by number, why can't we assign them the same way we assign weapons by number?

Edi

HoneyBadger

February 1st, 2007, 05:19 PM

For that matter, how about the ability to create our own items? is that happening in the forseeable future?

Sombre

February 17th, 2007, 02:10 PM

How about a file of all the .tga files used internally by the game? Currently it's damn near impossible to get hold of the vanilla unit graphics to alter them. Sorry if this has been asked for before, but it's a biggie.

Amos

February 17th, 2007, 02:45 PM

Endoperez

February 18th, 2007, 03:59 PM

Ability to create linked custom randoms.

Proposed change: add a new binary value to the list of magic path mask list. The first mask, for Fire, is 128. If the lower ones are unused, one of them could be used to change the random into +2 levels instead of +1.

An example of use: I'd like to give EA R'lyeh Mind Lords more powerful magic via a linked random, and perhaps change few MA Atlantis descriptions to hint to an enslaved aboleth, instead of a starspawn, in the Coral Towers.
I'd like to make them S3W2 mages with a 100% random that gives them level 2 in one of W, E, S or D. This would make them S5W2, S3W4, S3W2E2 or S3W2D2 mages.
Currently, I can only give them to 100% WESD randoms, which makes them almost identical to MA R'lyeh Starspawn mages (magic-wise).

Edi

February 18th, 2007, 06:25 PM

What about when you need +3 or +4 links? There are linked randoms in the game, Deep Kings and Tartarians have them, but nobody else does. It would be better to change the random assignment by adding a new numerical parameter to indicate how many linked picks there is.

Something like
#custommagic <pathmask><chance><linked>
so
#custommagic <32640><50><2>
would give a 50% of a 2 linked FAWESDNB random.

Much, much easier to do.

Edi

Endoperez

February 18th, 2007, 06:39 PM

Edi said:
What about when you need +3 or +4 links? There are linked randoms in the game, Deep Kings and Tartarians have them, but nobody else does. It would be better to change the random assignment by adding a new numerical parameter to indicate how many linked picks there is.

Something like
#custommagic <pathmask><chance><linked>
so
#custommagic <32640><50><2>
would give a 50% of a 2 linked FAWESDNB random.

Much, much easier to do.

That'd include adding a new parameter to a command. Also, it'd require a third parameter. Three-parameter commands are quite rare. I can't think of any ATM. I think having more options in the mask is easier to do. I don't see any use for +3 or +4 links, but I guess they could be added as masks as well. If values under 128 are free, there's easily enough space for them, and if not, the big numbers will be added together with a calculator any way.

Edi

February 19th, 2007, 02:59 AM

Hmm, there is that, and it would also require modifying the existing units with randoms unless the third parameter is something that is actually used but is not available for mod commands.

Edi

Endoperez

February 19th, 2007, 05:47 AM

Edi said:
Hmm, there is that, and it would also require modifying the existing units with randoms unless the third parameter is something that is actually used but is not available for mod commands.

Either way is fine, any way. We won't be programming it, so both our suggestions are just as (in)significant. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

I actually thought there were no linked custom randoms until I re-checked the Kings of the Deep of MA Atlantis. They didn't have an elemental random after all!

Any way, here's another wish of mine:

Ability to create "events" for spells

The only things I really want to be able to do are ability to cause an "event" message in the province targeted by the spell, and to make the event capable of triggering a spell. Ability to create buildings/money/sites/units/items etc wouldn't be nearly as important as the ability to create messages. An example:

A spell similar to Astral Window (scrying spell) causes an event to appear to the controller of the targeted province. The event is a message, which tells him the province was target of some hostile magic.

DrPraetorious

February 26th, 2007, 06:26 PM

Another summa might be nice, I'm worried that I'm repeating prior requests.

I want to be able to give units the following passive powers -
* dominion spread (as Juggernaut)
* prevent bad events (as fortune teller, lady of fortune, and so forth.)
* reduce unrest (as lady of love)

I've been trying to work around these with #copystats and it just isn't working.
Oh, being able to give units the "fly in storms" ability would also be nice (and would partially work around the above.)

DrPraetorious

March 4th, 2007, 10:05 PM

Okay, now that I've go spell-modding mostly figured out:

* Spells have a secondary spell-effect field. I'd like to be able to mod that.

* Call of the Winds and Angelic Host somehow know that they are lead by a Great Hawk and an Archangel, respectively. I assume that this data is stored in the respective units - so I'd like a unit mod command something like:
#followerof <unit #> | "<unit name>"

* Hidden in Snow somehow knows to cast three other spells - one of them 0-2 times? However that works, I want to be able to do it too. Are the Unfrozen Mages somehow specified by the Unfrozen Warrior unit?

* It would be nice to be able to create our own lists of uniques for use with effect 10089. This supersedes my earlier, unrealistic request for unit-pools.

Edi

March 5th, 2007, 04:44 AM

The ability for expanded modding of nation characteristics would be great. Currently, if the mod manual is to be used as the guideline, it is possible to clear a nation of all specials but not possible to reinstate things like undead reanimation for priests (Lanka, Ermor MA) and some other things. Or add them to a completely new nation.

I suppose an #undeadnation command, similar to the #uwnation and #bloodnation commands would do that (info for board members: the undeadnation characteristic exists and is responsible for the weird undead leadership values on Lanka units).

Being able to assign armor to units by armor number (like weapons can be assigned by weapon number) is another favorite, because it would help modding considerably.

Edi

Amos

March 5th, 2007, 07:16 AM

I think you can reanimate undead with a regular nation if your priest is demonic or undead himself.

Edi

March 5th, 2007, 08:21 AM

Yes, you can, but the whole point is getting regular non-undead, non-demonic priests to be able to reanimate. Like Lanka and Ermor Broken Empire do.

Edi

Johan K

April 14th, 2007, 03:09 PM

DrPraetorious said:
I want to be able to give units the following passive powers -
* dominion spread (as Juggernaut)
* prevent bad events (as fortune teller, lady of fortune, and so forth.)
* reduce unrest (as lady of love)

They will appear in the upcoming patch.

Wish

April 15th, 2007, 05:46 AM

I dunno if this has been suggested yet, but weapons modding is missing a #dt_magic (alternatively #dt_drain) which does extra damage to magical creatures, like the moon lance, moon swords, elf bane, and mage bane.

Endoperez

April 15th, 2007, 06:11 AM

Elf Bane doesn't deal double damage to magical creatures, they cause a special effect of "slay magic" that is resistable effect that kills a magic being.

Any way, yes, that WOULD be nice.

Endoperez

April 15th, 2007, 08:05 AM

THE MODDERS' WISHLIST

Updated again. I'm leaving, again, for a week later today, so I'd appreciate quick corrections to any mistakes. Also, don't expect a new flood of suggestions to be added to this before next week.

Updates:
15.4.2007

one more:
* pop-dying and dominion-spawning as nation-modding commands

* ability to add and/or rename Ages
* A lengthy suggestion about mutations (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=476334)
* ability to mod bless effects

* All modding commands could also use a #copy command, so #copyweapon
* #dt_magic to cause double damage to magic beings

* #undeadnation, as Lanka/ MA Ermor/ LA Ermor ability (priests have undead leadership etc)
* suggestion for pretender-modding format (#selectnation, #clearpretenders, #addpretender)

* increase maximum unit, site, weapon, armor, spell etc array maximums so that making a nation nr XX would use unit numbers XX00 to XX99, spell numbers XX00 to XX99 etc.
* increase nation array so that more than about a dozen modded nation can be played at the same time
* increase the number of sprites that can be added in mods, looky (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=477620)

* ability to create custom linked randoms (W3S3 2xWESD Aboleths for EA! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif)
* ability to create units with custom random having Holy in it (units that are sometimes priests)
* ability to define units' armor by number
* #reinvigoration doesn't work
* ability to make a unit (Vastness) immune to disease and/or afflictions in general
* #siegebonus fixed April 14th (for next version)
* #spreaddom, #nobadevents, #incunrest for Juggernaut domspread, Fortune Teller bad event preventing and Lady of Love unrest-lowering abilities, April 14th (for next version)

* ability to create new magic items with new sprites
* ability to restrict e.g. Gate Cleaver or Hammer of the Mountains to size 2 or bigger units, or the make handedness dependent on size of a unit (Gate Cleaver 1-handed for big creatures)
* ability to initiate spell-effect at the beginning of battle, every turn of a battle, every time an enemy is hit, every time an enemy is killed, when the unit dies, when a unit dies, etc. I'm not sure what UnsinspiredName wanted this to affect, but I'm putting it into Magic Item modding.

* being able to duplicate Unfrozen and/or Crossbreeding
* ability to make spells cause events in target province (custom events with just text would be awesome)
* making the secondary spell-effect field moddable
* spells that summon both units and commanders being moddable
* ability to make new spells that summon new unique creatures


Implemented, but bugged

* #specialeffectalways doesn't work at all
* #reinvigoration doesn't work

Requested mod commands

Magic sites

* It isn't possible to make sites that let everyone recruit the units. #com and #mon commands are needed in addition to #homecom and #homemon.
* All modding commands need #clear or similar command. #clear for sites and weapons are missing.
* command for summoning creatures when a mage enters a site
* command for casting a spesific ritual when mage enters a site
* unrest for magic sites
* modding commands for the dungeon sites

Weapons

* A way to make ranged weapon be affected by Flaming Arrows. #fireweapon (wpn nbr) to spesify what weapon is used when new weapon is affected by Flaming Arrows was suggested.
* A way to set #range to Strength, for thrown weapons. I think it's #range -1, but #range is restricted to 0 and up.
* All modding commands need #clear or similar command. #clear for sites and weapons are missing.
* All modding commands could also use a #copy command, so #copyweapon
* #dt_magic to cause double damage to magic beings

Units

* ability to define units' armor by number
* ability to make a unit (Vastness) immune to disease and/or afflictions in general
* #horrormarked <value> - unit starts with horror mark
* #cursed - unit starts with curse
* #affliction <bitmask> <chance> - unit starts with affliction(s) chosen from a list
* ability to make units immune to Horror Mark or Curse
* #insanity
* #lure
* #skeptic
* #inquisitor
* #communicant, as Theurg Communicants' ability
* ability to spawn units of spesific type (Pan->Maenads), under various restrictions (scale and/or terrain mask)
* ability to get free units (bodyguards) in battle, e.g. Dai Oni and their wolves
* scale sensitivity, e.g. Ice Devils and Burning Ones are affected by temperature
* a command that makes a unit ccast one spell, targeted at the unit itself, in the beginning of the battle to simulate e.g. Communion Slave
* units that disappear after one battle, such as Gladiators
* a command to make an unit move independently around the map, as Eater of the Dead

Spells
* Moddable bonus to number of effects from spells, from Crossbreeding to Summer Lions to Magma Bolts
* being able to duplicate Unfrozen and/or Crossbreeding
* ability to make spells cause events in target province (custom events with just text would be awesome)
* making the secondary spell-effect field moddable
* spells that summon both units and commanders being moddable
* ability to make new spells that summon new unique creatures

Nations
* free units in forts (with terrain mask), in areas of high dominion, under spesific scales...
* a #multihero that only appears one at a time; the second one only comes after the first has died
* moddable nation-spesific undead
* command for giving the same pretender to multiple nations without copying him a dozen times
* command to make a nation that doesn't have one or more of the default pretenders
* a way to name heroes!
* ability to use custom pics for temples
* #undeadnation, as Lanka/ MA Ermor/ LA Ermor ability (priests have undead leadership etc)
* pop-dying and dominion-spawning as nation-modding commands

Magic items
* #mainlevel 0 for making an item require level 1 mage, but take only 1 gem
* #spell for items, to make commander cast spesific spell
* #ritual for items, to make commander cast spesific spell in main map
* magic res and elemental/poison resistances for items, both positive and negative
* commands for affecting stats of the commander using the item: +/-att, def, prot, hp, enc, ap, even size...
* ability to initiate spell-effect at the beginning of battle, every turn of a battle, every time an enemy is hit, every time an enemy is killed, when the unit dies, when any unit dies, etc
* ability to restrict e.g. Gate Cleaver or Hammer of the Mountains to size 2 or bigger units, or the make handedness dependent on size of a unit (Gate Cleaver 1-handed for big creatures)
* ability to create new items with new sprites

Misc
* commands for changing the costs of labs and temples, and fort modding commands with gold cost, time requirement and layout (the battlefield used).
* Poptypes modding - recruitable units, defenders, era, rarity
* ability to mod bless effects
* mercenary modding - commander, his name, items/gems, exp; unit type, nr of units, exp; ages the group is available in, recruit cost, nation bonuses
* commands for changing Magic/Drain effect on magic resistance and spellcasting encumberance.
* general mod command for changing the chance of events on common/rare setting
* Age-restricted mods that don't affect games of other ages. A modding command, but more for ease of use than to changing things.

* Few more lengthy suggestions (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=461423)
* another complicated suggestion (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=470721)

Requested mod-related features
Generally these are changes I think would require either a enw mechanic or a change in the hard-coded underlying mechanics of the game. I could be wrong about the severity of the change.

* nation-spesific items
* There should be a map command for a required mod that has to be enabled to play the map.
* themes back, and made moddable
* Three lengthy suggestions (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=457835)
* more hero slots
* a one-time shape change to another unit after reaching a unit reaches a spesific age
* masks working in hexadecimal as well as decimal
* Some way to use #copystats without getting unwanted features. Blank units with just #seduce, #lure, etc various commands that currently can't be added were suggested.
* ability to add custom sound effects
* ability to rename (and/or add) magic paths, to change the icon, the pic of gemtype, the pics of sites, the names of schools...
* increase maximum unit, site, weapon, armor, spell etc maximums so that e.g. making a nation nr XX would use unit numbers XX00 to XX99, spell numbers XX00 to XX99 etc.
* increase nation array so that more than about a dozen modded nation can be played at the same time
* increase the number of sprites that can be added in mods, looky (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=477620)
* ability to add and/or rename Ages
* A lengthy suggestion about mutations (http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/showthreaded.php?Number=476334)
* commander for reversing the old age parameters (-5% hp to +5% hp) (and for negating old age afflictions).
* Effect of experience stars: #hp, #str, #att, #def, #prec, #mrl, #enc, #mr, #xp [required to reach a spesific level, 15 for first star]

Suggested and implemented 

* The ability to change spell names and descriptions as well as spell modding in general
* It isn't possible to add new national spells that have to be researched.
* It should be possible to find out numbers of magic items. Shift+I.
* commands for changing units' ages
* #animalawe
* #summonallies [amount] [unit name/nr] as #summon1 and #summon5 and #makemonster1 to #makemonster5
* #seduce, #succubus
* #charge for weapons
* #aoe with special numbers that affect whole battlefield 665,666...
* Resistances can be modded to exceed 100%.
* can disable nation with #era 0.

* #siegebonus fixed April 14th (for next version)
* #spreaddom, #nobadevents, #incunrest for Juggernaut domspread, Fortune Teller bad event preventing and Lady of Love unrest-lowering abilities, April 14th (for next version)

Suggested forms

Experience modding:
#xplevel [1 to 5 stars]
#hp, #str, #att, #def, #prec, #mrl, #enc, #mr, #xp [required to reach a spesific level, 15 for first star]

Changing the pretenders available to a nation:
#selectnation 0
#clearpretenders
#addpretender "Prince of Death"
#addpretender "Drakaina"
#addpretender "Vampire Queen"

Updated to reflect things already implemented so a new shortlist is easier to make. ~Edi

Amos

April 15th, 2007, 11:02 AM

What about various population-dying effects, like LA Ermor and LA R'lyeh?

themes back, and made moddable

Is pop-dying falls under themes?

Gandalf Parker

April 15th, 2007, 11:36 AM

Great work Endoperez!
I should do this with the server wishlist and the mapper wishlist. Maybe its NOT that Johan loves the modders more, maybe its this type of organizing that he loves.

Endoperez

April 15th, 2007, 12:00 PM

Amos said:
What about various population-dying effects, like LA Ermor and LA R'lyeh?

themes back, and made moddable

Is pop-dying falls under themes?

It's about DomII's themes, where you played either base (MA), New Era (LA) or Carrion Woods (like the global) Pangaea. You chose it at pretender creation, started with it and couldn't change it later. Basically, three nations under one flag, some of them costing extra points. It also had some nifty effects available, e.g. pay 50 points for being able to take your sacred units under water in friendly dominion.

Any way, I added this:
* pop-dying and dominion-spawning as nation-modding commands

UninspiredName

April 18th, 2007, 01:14 AM

Apologies if this has already been suggested, but how about a sort of 'spell-like ability' option for monster modding and (I can dream, can't I?) magic item modding. Something like #ability <type> <spellnumber>.

Type would be under what conditions it casts.
0 for every turn
1 for the start of the battle
2 for every time the creature/weapon attacks
3 for every time the creature/weapon hits
4 for every time the creature/weapon kills (maybe not?)
5 for when the creature/weilder is killed

that could mean self-destructs, auras aside from heat and cold, battlefield-effecting abilities like the Lanka-summon whose name I can't recall, etc. Would really open things up, and making the 'spells' unavailable for normal casting isn't that hard with the current tools.

Endoperez

April 20th, 2007, 04:21 PM

UninspiredName said:
Apologies if this has already been suggested, but how about a sort of 'spell-like ability' option for monster modding and (I can dream, can't I?) magic item modding. Something like #ability <type> <spellnumber>.

It's in as

* ability to initiate spell-effect at the beginning of battle, every turn of a battle, every time an enemy is hit, every time an enemy is killed, when the unit dies, when a unit dies, etc. I'm not sure what UnsinspiredName wanted this to affect, but I'm putting it into Magic Item modding.

I'll add it in the units section if there's need to update the list sometime in the future.

UninspiredName

April 20th, 2007, 05:00 PM

The idea was for monsters. Opening it up for magic items was just me being optimistic.

Endoperez

April 20th, 2007, 05:15 PM

UninspiredName said:
The idea was for monsters. Opening it up for magic items was just me being optimistic.

Actually, I think it's easier to get it for items than for monsters. For cast-at-the-beginning spells, there are few uniques and/or high-end summons like the Goat Sun (Heat From Hell), and numerous items (Staff of Storms, Banner of the Northern Star, The Sword of Aurgelmer...) For cast-every-turn creatures, I can't think of any, but there are multiple items (Spirit Helmet, Soulstone of the Wolves, Pelt of Fenrer). For cast-when-hit, it's a property of the weapon used and thus available for magic weapons just as easily as for creatures using custom weapons. Units don't cause special things when they kill, but one of the Twin Spears does. Units can't do much more than change shapes when they die, but items can cause various effects (Amulet of Vengeance, Crystal Heart/Elixir of Life).

HoneyBadger

April 20th, 2007, 06:48 PM

I'd like the ability to tie summons (such as Ermor Ashen Empire) and other spells/abilities (such as LA R'lyeh's insanity ability and C'Tis Miasma effect) to Dominion

To get specific for my own uses: Dominion that creates carrion-beings and Dominion that creates the weird critters you get when you use cross-breeding. Maybe even Dominion that gives you different kinds of animals.

Along these same lines, I'd like to be able to create a spell that summoned one of several different creatures, so as to create this kind of spell-I'd like to do a couple of demon ones, sometime.

UninspiredName

April 22nd, 2007, 09:41 PM

There's Shuten-doji for cast-a-turn and a few that self-destruct upon death, but I see your point. Okay, magic items it is.

Foodstamp

April 22nd, 2007, 09:46 PM

I wish for the ability to classify units as a certain type using a mod command, and having a second command that you can assign to a unit that gives units of the type a bonus in combat.

An example of what I am talking about would be as follows:

Give a unit
#unittype "Elf"

Then give a commander

#unitcom "Elf"

The outcome would be that when the commander is within a certain radius of units of type "Elf" on the battlefield, those units would receive a small boost to morale, attack, defense, and maybe precision.

Amos

April 22nd, 2007, 11:46 PM

I wish for the ability to classify units as a certain type using a mod command, and having a second command that you can assign to a unit that gives units of the type a bonus in combat.
An example of what I am talking about would be as follows:

Give a unit
#unittype "Elf"

Then give a commander

#unitcom "Elf"

The outcome would be that when the commander is within a certain radius of units of type "Elf" on the battlefield, those units would receive a small boost to morale, attack, defense, and maybe precision.

I have been asking for generalization of that idea since Dom2. Permanent fields (like disease cloud thats already in the game) for spells, for leadership, for damage etc.

Sombre

April 23rd, 2007, 02:27 AM

I'd really like to be able to mod darkvision as a value. I'd also like to be able to mod different forms in and out of water using unit numbers - just as the mermen, wet ones, capricorns etc have.

You could extend this to not just water but other terrain types - for example a unit which changed to a stronger form in a forest or a unit that gained flying when in a mountainous province (think gliders of some kind).

Gandalf Parker

April 29th, 2007, 03:36 PM

From the progress page...

29th april
* fixed mod command #secondaryeffectalways.

This will allow you to properly use that command rather than being forced to trim it to #secondaryeffect

However it does not appear as if it will be in the next patch.

Gandalf Parker

April 30th, 2007, 10:54 AM

30th april
* #clearmagic did not work properly on monsters with more than one magic skill, fixed.

This will save modders from having to use one #clearmagic for each magic zone that a unit has.

HoneyBadger

May 3rd, 2007, 03:11 PM

I'd like a morale setting of 100 (unless that doesn't already have a purpose). The purpose of the setting would be to have a unit become berserk in battle, but the berserk never wears off, and the unit doesn't grow fatigued.

In other words, the unit can fight independently, but doesn't leave battle, ever, and fights until it's dead.

This would be good for modding certain magical, mechanical, and demonic units that just never, ever stop once they go berserk.

Endoperez

May 3rd, 2007, 05:12 PM

HoneyBadger said:
I'd like a morale setting of 100 (unless that doesn't already have a purpose). The purpose of the setting would be to have a unit become berserk in battle, but the berserk never wears off, and the unit doesn't grow fatigued.

In other words, the unit can fight independently, but doesn't leave battle, ever, and fights until it's dead.

This would be good for modding certain magical, mechanical, and demonic units that just never, ever stop once they go berserk.

What if two of them were thrown at each other? And what if, say, both had lost both of their arms (Picus & Procas' axes, and some Enslavement going on)? Two monsters endlessly trying to kill each other with Useless Kick. It would take days before the battle would be finished!

...

In other words, berserkers won't rout except if the battle has already taken too long. Then the attacker's side, ALL of it, routs. In case there are immobile units in there, the defender's side routs too (after 10, 20, 30 turns? something like that). And if the battle is STILL going, perhaps due to a paralyzed, limping, feeble-minded Sphinx or something, it kills everyone left.

I don't know the details of this in Dom3, but in DomII we got some complaints about the battle limit being reached too soon. I think it got increased because I don't remember anyone complaining about that, and the armies are much bigger this time around.

EDIT: Also, a combination of berserk and reinvigoration would go a long way.

HoneyBadger

May 5th, 2007, 05:37 PM

Eventually, Endoperez, you run out of maximum combat turns. I think it's like 50-60 turns, modified by the amount of units, before the attacking side automatically routs.

DrPraetorious

May 6th, 2007, 02:01 PM

It'd be nice to have our own versions of several of the enchantments, and I think it might be possible without an entire engine rewrite. If this is infeasable, consider it a request for Dom 4.

When I talk about "enchantment #" I'm refering to the pool of province/world conditions that go in the damage field for effects 81, 10081, 10082, 10084, 10085 and 10086.

It'd be nice if these enchantment #s were cross portable - so if I combine the enchantment # for wrath of God with a single-province effect, I should get wrath of God restricted to that province. Sometimes this works, sometimes not, I might be messing up the #spec fields.

When I talk about "spell #s" I mean the actual numbers for individual spells (analagous to armor #s and so forth)

Enchantment #s 500-549 could be reserved for spells that mimic Fire Storm. Each of these enchantment #s "points to" a spell # - it hits half the units on the battlefield with that spell, every turn of combat (or all of them, or whatever is easiest using recycled code from Fire Storm, Heat from Hell, etc.)

Enchantment #s 550-599 mimic Mists of Deception (Shark Attack, Wrathful Skies?) and just drops whatever spell it maps to some number of times per round, at random on the battlefield or however it is these things work.

Enchantment #s 600-649 could be reserved for spells that mimic Wrath of God. Again, each enchantment # "points to" a spell # - it hits units with that spell each strategic turn in the same dominion-dependent fashion as Wrath of God. Targeting specifics on the spells control what they hit (so you could have beneficial spells hit your own stuff.)

Enchantment #s 650-699 do the same thing but with spells that themselves target provinces (remote summons, sent events, presumably.) Again the #spec field in the spell that the enchantment references controls whether or not friendly/unfriendly provinces are hit.

Enchantment #s 700-750 work like Carrion Woods / Soul Gate, but they'd point to pre-specified ranges of reserved unit #s (seems to be 10 basic units plus 1 commander for soul gate, so units 3000-3550 could be reserved for this purpose.)

If you wanted you could provide some frequency gradient within the enchantment #s - so #s 620-629 go off just as often as WoG, 610-619 less often than that, etc.

I can't think of an easy way to make our own variants of the more exotic stuff.

Sombre

May 6th, 2007, 02:12 PM

Actually as far as I can tell Clearmagic was working fine for me before and now, with 3.08, it is not.

I NOW have to put #clearmagic in several times for commanders using copystats, whereas before I only had to put it in once for it to work.

DrPraetorious

May 12th, 2007, 03:05 PM

At present, effect 10042 can only send ten events, unless I'm messing up.

It'd be nice if we could send all the other events as well.

DrPraetorious

May 23rd, 2007, 04:35 PM

I want spells to make my units younger (other than the caster.)

I tried fiddling with various #spec for effect 10101 (youth), and no dice - only the caster gets younger.

I can create combat spells that en-youthen my entire army with effect 101, BUT I can't get the computer to cast them.

I could get around this either if I could mod the secondary effect field for spells (which we need anyway, sooner or later) or with an AI priority change for effect 101 - so that the AI would allow it to be cast in combat (presently won't do so even if scripted to do so, AFAICT.)

Alternatively, a variant on effect 10041 (flames from the sky) that did age instead of hp damage, if it happens to exist by some generative rule (I tried 10151 and that wasn't it), or if it could be added, would be even better.

HoneyBadger

May 23rd, 2007, 10:42 PM

I'll second that-we need spells to make other units younger. And ritual spells, not combat, because that's kind of cheezy to have people getting younger in the middle of a battle.

DrPraetorious

May 24th, 2007, 12:41 PM

I don't see these intrinsics in-game, but if they're supported in the binary and unused, I'd like to be able to mod them (on units, as opposed to spells or items):
lucky, soul vortex, mossbody.

Also the different seasonal bonuses would be nice to mod (copystats also gets you animal and ethereal, among other things.)

Not a priority thing, though.

Sombre

May 25th, 2007, 03:16 AM

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but it would be really useful if Morale set to 99 made the unit automatically be in a berserk state in battle.

DrPraetorious

May 25th, 2007, 06:04 PM

Male units with #seduce (and I assume #succubus) appear to seduce other male units. I'd like to be able to make units seduc females (would be nice if male units did that by default.)

noname

May 26th, 2007, 09:31 PM

I suppose that an incubus (male succubus who seduces females) unit would not be unreasonable. I'm sure that pans or satyrs might be able to seduce the women as well.

Saulot

June 19th, 2007, 05:06 PM

Not sure how many of these have been mentioned, as I haven't read all 11 pages. Sorry if I'm repeating anyone else's ideas. Also, I realize some of these are a real handful, coding-wise to implement, but this is a 'wish'list after all.

Complete mod control of experience.
Ability to change how quickly a unit gains xp (base rate), the amount of xp levels, etc.
Ability to change how quickly a specific unit gains xp, such as double the base rate for an intelligent soldier, etc.
Ability to add/take away different unit abilities at different experience levels.
Ability to recruit what is essentially the same version of another unit, but with a lot more experience.
Spells/Unit Attacks which alter experience (Such as a training spell which can boost xp of some units, or a drain xp attack for some undead creature).
Commanders who can give a specific amount of xp to the troops they lead per turn. (This could be called Trainer ability)

On death of unit effect, where right now we have the ability to throw in a second unit to take the place of the dead unit, I'd like it to be able to do anything. Such as spawns 4 units, or explodes per a spell (like phoenix pyre). (Essentially, any spell effect) With a specific percent chance for it to occur, imagine a type of undead revenant which has a 80% chance of rising up again.

On kills a unit effect, when a unit kills another unit, any spell effect can be thrown in, so for example, imagine a soulless which makes more soulless. Or imagine a demon lord which summons an imp everytime it kills a living creature (soul stolen to imp creation effect). Or imagine a doom horror which gains a point of strength and +1% quickness for each kill it gains.

Complete mod control of afflictions. What types, what they do, how many, how they are acquired, not certain effects on certain creatures (limp on a wyrm or flyer), etc.

Ability to allow for multiple sprites per unit.
Ex. 1 :Such as two moving sprites, or two attacking sprites, or one attack and one spell sprite. (Should be added to warrior/mage commander types)
Ex. 2 :Such as a pool of various sprites, so there would be 3 to 4 variety of sprites for one unit, so you don't get that attack of the clone wars effect. Though they still keep the one base, one attack sprite. (Should be added to basic unit types)

Ability to mod/create new global enchantments. (I'm pretty sure that's not in there, correct me if I'm wrong)

Massive rituals, (500+ gems)
ex. such as creating a summoning circle, which gives you a conjuration bonus. Either temporary or permanent. If permanent, the effect could be weak, yet stackable.
ex. such as for the creation/destruction of magic sites.

A dungeon type site where a hero can go (at the end of the turn you essentially get an arena like scenario, if your hero wins, you gain some prize, gems, magic item, special unit, heroic ability, exp, etc. The critter to prize ratio should be similar, so tough creatures give good prizes, but otherwise should be completely random. Once the dungeon was plundered, the site would deactive for one year, and then reactivate after the year passed, with a new critter/new prize.
(I recall there are two sites similar to this, though horribly deadly, but I suppose it could be fleshed out more.)

A few more energy shield types (and the ability to mod them onto any unit), similar to fireshield;
Ex. Lightning shield, Astral shield, Holyfire shield (damages undead), etc.

ArkkiMeisseli

June 19th, 2007, 05:47 PM

All I ask for is a #patrolbonus command.

I'm quite sure it isn't there.
I suppose I could get around it by copying the stats of an unit with a patrol bonus, but I'd prefer to be able to give my own patrol bonuses to my units.

EDIT

I just had an idea, could it be possible to have armor that becomes stronger with higher Magic scale and weaker with high Drain scale?

Endoperez

July 8th, 2007, 01:35 AM

#clearweapons, #cleararmor or #clearequipment mod commands
needed for monster modding.

Kristoffer O

July 8th, 2007, 05:35 PM

ArkkiMeisseli said:
All I ask for is a #patrolbonus command.

I'm quite sure it isn't there.
I suppose I could get around it by copying the stats of an unit with a patrol bonus, but I'd prefer to be able to give my own patrol bonuses to my units.

EDIT

That was a nice idea. Not possible at the moment.

I just had an idea, could it be possible to have armor that becomes stronger with higher Magic scale and weaker with high Drain scale?

Kristoffer O

July 8th, 2007, 05:38 PM

Hmm, something is whacky! I cant write anything after the quote. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/confused.gif

Anyway, nice idea. Not possible atm.

Gandalf Parker

July 16th, 2007, 07:37 PM

automatically treat some default such as filler.dm as being used in each game creation
I wish that the game would automatically recognize something like filler.dm whenever a game is created. That way we wouldnt need to keep reminding newbies to make and use one so that fixer mods can be used mid-game. By creating a filler.dm midgame, and adding to it. I think that it would help in the acceptance and use of mods if people can always use one mid-game without having to remember to use a filler mod each time a game is created.

DrPraetorious

August 2nd, 2007, 07:12 PM

How about a mod command to directly modify the records as binaries?

Something like:
#selectsite 212
#hexdump 30 0x000100030004
#end

Which would just do a raw bitwise replace of bytes 30-35 of the record for the site.

So if we can figure out how something is handled in the binary, we can do it ourselves - this could apply to sites, magic items (although I've never found those by hex diving), spells, units, armor and weapons. It'd also allow us to clear any powers we didn't want, presumably by masking the relevant bytes to 0, unless the power is hardcoded somewhere outside of the unit record.

Of course, if you change the data structures this would become useless, and if any of my prof's ever find out I suggested this they'll retroactively withdraw my degree (I wrote my thesis on robust and maintainable coding practices.)

OTOH, this way you wouldn't have to code up every obscure power anyone wanted to mod.

DrPraetorious

August 15th, 2007, 06:40 PM

I really, really want to be able to mod the secondary effect field for spells.

Sorry if this is a repeat - but that would do more for my mods than all of my other requests combined.

Sombre

August 16th, 2007, 02:50 AM

The most important change in my opinion would be allowing us to give a monster an #entryspell command which specifies which spell they auto cast when they go on the battlefield.

This would remove the need for a whole load of other commands, because you could just give them a spell which did much the same.

Only for commanders, probably.

Gandalf Parker

August 16th, 2007, 10:38 AM

The game doesnt seem to track commanders. All units in the game can be commanders, or followers (or gods). It happens all the time on my chaos maps. Even a lowly slinger has commander features if its in the game as a commander.

Sombre

August 16th, 2007, 01:04 PM

It doesn't need to track commanders, it's just a flag when they're built or GOR'd. Units can have leadership values that they don't use unless they're commanders, magic paths etc - adding in an #entryspell command would be the same. No technical problem there at all - I'm just saying they shouldn't/couldn't use it if they were regular troops. If you wish for one of those guys that autocast darkness or communion slave or something at the start of battle, I suspect until you GOR them it won't autocast.

If it does, well that's a small problem, because if you gave the autocast ability to a troop you could mass like 100 plus of, the game would probably crash or something.

Juzza

August 18th, 2007, 10:46 PM

I'd love to see the ability to add a thing like the "Rage" spell so you could have say, a caged creature that gets set lose onto the enemy army.

Maraxus

August 19th, 2007, 08:52 PM

You mean a "#goneberserk" comand for new creatures? Sounds nice.

I was just looking, if you could do that via magic items (armors). Since magic items can have spells on them and you can give an armor to a creature so that it does not drop, that sounds like a plan to give it a Rage spell for itself.

But then I had to see, that the only things you can set for magic items at the moment are the research and cost of the currently available magic items. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Well, looks like I'm in the right thread here:

I'd like to see modding comands for new magic items:
#newmagicweapon <weapon id>
#newmagicarmor <armor id>
#newmagicitem
#castspell <spell id> (This spell can be used at a fatique cost of 5)
#autospell <spell id> (This spell is cast at the beginning of each battle)
#...
Every unit command (except for name description and maybe a few else) should be aplyable to items, too. And obviously give that property to the wearer of the item.

HoneyBadger

August 19th, 2007, 10:05 PM

Is there a way to add items other than weapons/armor to a unit? Say amulet of vengeance, for example
?
Also, is there a way to add a castable spell to a unit, so the unit will be able to cast that spell without the required paths?

Maraxus

August 19th, 2007, 10:50 PM

When setting independants on a map, you can equip them with any kind of magic items.

But in the creature entry - I don't think so.

However I don't think it should be to hard to make this modable. It seams, there is no inherent diffrence between armor and other non-weapon items, except for the fact, that armors and helms tend to have protection more often (but there are both kinds of exceptions: Robes and bracers), and protection from items is diffrently applied to torso and head, depending on the slot of the item.

One phrase I was told in the forum of another game: Don't say what <the gamedesigner> can or can't do, unless you are <the gamedesigner>.
However, I hope they look at this at some time and check if they can make such a thing available. I have something in mind that dire needs something like that.

About the second question: No, not possible.

And since this is the modder's wishlist, let me add a think I'd like to see:

-Currently when going above the maximum number of special abilities (14 or something), the latest just get skipped silently. I'd like to see an error message like "Unit name: To many special abilities" or something, instead.

Minor Wishs:

-#AirShield <percent> for units (self-explaining)
-#Affliction <"name"> for units (to start with afflictions like the Forge Lord or the Allfather)

Panpiper

November 17th, 2007, 11:53 AM

DrPraetorious said:Also, random magic with "holy" doesn't seem to work. I know I'm probably the only one who'd use it, but I'd like some units that have a % chance to be priests.

Actually I've just run head into this bug and it's stymied somewhat my work on the Chaos Undivided race mod.

DrPraetorious

November 21st, 2007, 03:59 AM

I'd like firepower. Might as well have stormpower, darkpower and coldpower as well.

The underwater leadership power would also be nice, if it has a variable value - I can copystats off of the azure dudes but it's the wrong amount (this is for Haida Gwaii).

And actually, underwater recruitment modding would be nice.

DrPraetorious

December 14th, 2007, 03:22 PM

Protection from Evil (unit ability).

Works like awe, but against the MR of demons and/or undead (could be distinct Prot from Undead and Prot from Demons powers.)

If it also provided an MR bonus against death and/or blood spells, that would be nice.

Thilock_Dominus

December 17th, 2007, 07:56 AM

Site Modding.
#spr <path>
To add your own image to a specific site.

I'd like firepower. Might as well have stormpower, darkpower and coldpower as well.

Like that as well

Thilock_Dominus

December 17th, 2007, 06:12 PM

Got another one:

For unit/commander/hero

#noresearch - No matter how much/many magicskills + number the unit will have zero in research.

DrPraetorious

December 17th, 2007, 09:33 PM

If you give a unit a research malus of 50 or so you should achieve more or less the same effect.

Thilock_Dominus

December 18th, 2007, 03:44 AM

I'll try that, thanks.

Edit: Sorry, it doesn't work. If I set it #researchbonus to 50 or more the unit(s) gets maxed out research.

Thilock_Dominus

December 18th, 2007, 04:10 AM

To bad #researchbonus can't handle negative values as a workaround.
Are there any monsters in dom3 that don't get research points so I can #copystats it.

Burnsaber

December 18th, 2007, 04:16 AM

Thilock_Dominus said:
I'll try that, thanks.

Edit: Sorry, it doesn't work. If I set it #researchbonus to 50 or more the unit(s) gets maxed out research.

I'm quite sure that he meant #researchbonus -50

"malus" basically means "anti-bonus"

EDIT: I'm 100% sure that negative researchbonus works. I've ssen it wwith my very own eyes.

Thilock_Dominus

December 18th, 2007, 04:57 AM

strange...I try again.

Edit: The closet I can get is when researching set with -50 is the unit have 1 research.

DrPraetorious

December 18th, 2007, 11:43 AM

1 RP ought to be good enough - no-one will ever use the unit as a researcher, especially if it's otherwise good.

Szumo

December 19th, 2007, 12:24 PM

I'd like spell effects that modify province values, both pernamently and with dome like effect. For example:
Spell effect that increases population in province by X percent.
Spell effect that increases resources in province by X percent and lasts one turn for each gem spent and gets dispelled if caster is killed, exactly like a dome.

Saulot

January 4th, 2008, 01:16 AM

A recent post in the general dom3 forum made me think, that while we have the option of making completely random AI's with their respective bonuses based on difficulty, or the option of making a faction and then setting it to AI without any difficulty bonuses, or even creating detailed factions through maps... I think that the ability to edit the randomly generated AI nations before a game starts would be best (while retaining their difficulty bonus).
I realize that this isn't a true modding option request, but more of a significant game change, nonetheless this does seem the most appropriate place to mention it. I also realize that this has probably been brought up a few times before, but it bears repeating.
Anyway, I believe it would make for a more challenging and ultimately more fulfilling single player experience.

DrPraetorious

January 16th, 2008, 11:15 PM

It would be nice to have custom unit or commander icons, so that we can add rules text for obscure abilities (especially one-battle-spell) that we may add.

#icon "<imagefile>" "short" "long"

i.e.
#icon "./whatever/candelabra.tga" "Sacred" "Sacred troops are extremely devoted to the god's cause. They can be blessed and require half the usual cost to maintain."

I suppose that is three arguments. For custom icons the first word of the long text block could always be used as the short description.

Sombre

January 16th, 2008, 11:52 PM

Custom icons would be excellent.

Maraxus

May 4th, 2008, 10:29 AM

Wow, I hardly believed, it is not possible yet, and I'm even more supprised nobody wrote it here, yet but:

It would be great, if you could create ranged weapons with a range depending on strength.
range -1 to range -3 for strength to strength/3 sound like the most intuitive option.

Endoperez

May 4th, 2008, 11:59 AM

Maraxus said:
Wow, I hardly believed, it is not possible yet, and I'm even more supprised nobody wrote it here, yet but:

It would be great, if you could create ranged weapons with a range depending on strength.
range -1 to range -3 for strength to strength/3 sound like the most intuitive option.

If you check out Fire Bola stats from the manual, you'll notice that it's range is listed as -1. So range: -1 IS range: strength; the only problem is that -1 isn't eligible target value for modding... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

Are there any str/2 or str/3 range weapons? Boulder uses one of the two, but I think that's about the only thing.

Maraxus

May 4th, 2008, 12:15 PM

Breath weapons (fire, cold, bile) have strength /2.
Boulders have strength /3

The dom3 database uses -1 as strength, -2 as str/2 and -3 as str/3, too.

I tried it manually, the range field seams to be 31 bits + 1 bit for the signum (like most in dominions.
If you choose any number smaler 2^31 ( =2147483648 ) for the range, it get's cut down to range 100.
Sadly 2147283648 to 4294967295 (the 32nd digit being a 1 in binary) result in the weapon apearing as a melee weapon.
Can't trick the limits of modding. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Edi

May 5th, 2008, 12:22 PM

The DB is NOT a guide to using modding commands. I just needed something to display things as they appear.

chrispedersen

May 6th, 2008, 03:34 PM

#equip <item #>

Allow both units and commanders to be equipped with items.

Many of my other ideas have been covered in other threads. But I would also like the ability to twiddle MORE with starting position.

For example - a create your own pretender - whern you can create hp, str - and give him attributes - all for costs.

Or you could make your nation military experienced.. all capitol units start experienced.

Etc.

HoneyBadger

June 12th, 2008, 08:54 PM

A few new modding wishes:

Units gaining bonuses if they are fighting in daylight (as opposed to the darkness bonus and darkvision for nocturnal units)
Purpose: balance, and use with holy/light aligned units.

Units gaining terrain combat bonuses-forest, mountain, steppe, cavern, desert, tundra/glacier, jungle, badlands/wasteland, shore, shallow sea, deep ocean.
Purpose: thematic, also represents terrain training, as per modern armies, jungle fighters, etc. and racial/species affinity for said terrain among various units. EG: it makes sense that dryads would fight better in forests than in a desert, if only for reasons of morale.
Units, likewise, could become stealthy only while within certain terrain types.

Ability to automatically shapechange a unit into another unit, in a set time-period, as opposed to instant or combat shapechange. EG: A dragon's egg that hatches 1 year after it's creation/summoning/birth, and then "grows" into a stronger unit every subsequent year. Purpose: Evolution of units as a strategic factor to strength, to balance out units which spawn other units (strength over time within a single being, instead of strength through numbers, over the same period of time).

Mercenary captains gaining the ability to spawn their follower units over time, as opposed to starting with a set number of units which shrink over time-this makes mercenaries somewhat more viable, the longer you pay their upkeep, and gives a reason to protect their captain (giving them items you can't get back, etc.), rather than severely diminishing returns.

Resources for a persistant campaign world. This isn't entirely my idea, but it's a good one (atleast the parts that aren't mine). The Dominions engine could be used to create and sustain a roleplaying campaign environment. Greater tools to directly modify a game "from within", while playing it, could allow the generation, over time, of extremely elaborate and detailed settings, which would then have the capacity to reflect upon, and enhance, the Dominions environment, overall. EG: Imagine a game run by a diligent, creative, and detail-oriented game master over several years. A good campaign that harnesses Dominions could engender a dozen new nations, a score of new maps, and invaluable insight into how each nation might relate to the others.

Events that turn provinces of one terrain type into provinces of another terrain type, or that create entirely new provinces (Forests that grow overnight, lands sinking beneath the ocean, unknown caverns being discovered, new islands appearing, deserts swallowing cities-all straight out of the heart of myth). Any new provinces could appear in "mini-maps" to the side of the main map.

Events where a random soldier or creature is Gift of Reason'ed, like a poor man's Hero. Could come with mild stat increase and/or some random magical trinket. (lots of legends and myths-and comic books-begin with a "commoner" being singled out by the gods, or finding a magic item, and going on to greatness, there's no reason a poor nerfherder can't show up in Dominions)

There are units which consume food, gold, even corpses. Are there any units which consume resources from the province they're on? I'm thinking Construction summons here-high level mechs and "factory" units might strip a province bare of it's resources while they occupy it.
Purpose: balance.

Are there any that consume gems? Here, as opposed to the resources question above, I'm thinking of beings which would lower a particular gem's production per turn for your entire nation-EG: a fire gem eating Efreeti or an earth gem munching Gnome King. Purpose: balance.

Ability to enfranchise commanders. If you don't want to pay for a particular commander-or maybe, like everyone else, you have some troops you don't have a use for anymore-you can gift the commander with a province you own but can't easily protect, and whatever troops, items, gems, etc. you'd like, to start him off, and then send him on his way. The province would become Independent from that point on, but they wouldn't attack you, unless you attacked them first, as long as that particular commander was alive, and you wouldn't have to micromanage that particular province/commander/etc. any longer. Purpose: theme-feudalism is a very common ancient practice, and being able to create vassals and border states would enhance a player's sense of rulership/being the head of a government. Also strategic-Having non-hostile buffer zones between you and your enemies makes you safer, and if you don't have to pay for them, you can concentrate more on your nation's central provinces. In addition-this would be a nice way to "set up" otherwise useless heroes and units, giving them a new life in the game.

Moddable gemtypes-and ability to mod in alchemical value.
Purpose: mostly thematic/namechange, but will allow more and different resources for flavourgames.
EG: Instead of earthgems, deathgems, astral pearls, etc. could be replaced by "dragonshards"-Siberys, Khyber, Eberron shards/gems, ala the Eberron D&D campaign setting.

This goes along with my previous request for modifiable and expandable magic paths/schools.

Heroic items: Like units, magical items might also become enhanced over time. A random event might select a magical item with the capacity, and transform it into a more powerful/interesting version. This might be triggered by a previous event-the item in the hands of a unit might pass through Tartarus or Cocytus or into the Void, or a great hero might die wielding it in battle, or it might be used to slay a Pretender. It might simply be a matter of a sword of sharpness turning into a firebrand/frostbrand, a piercer transforming into a Herald's Lance, an axe of sharpness becoming an Elfbane, etc. or it might lead to the creation of a new never seen before artifact. After all-much of what makes a magical item an Artifact is it's history and legend.

Prophet enhancement-this would be a tag for units that, if prophetized, would transform them into new units. This is already in the game, I'd just like to see it become modifiable.