Seven Nation Army (combined mod proposal)

[DrPraetorious]

I'm going to start configuring a multiple-nation "meta mod" shortly. This will be an expansion-only metamod, with no rebalancing (although, if I can make sure that it doesn't break conceptual balance, I will.)

In the first generation, it will include four things -
* a big folder full of pixel art. If anyone wants to do / has stray pixel art that they're willing to donate, I will include it here.
* three mod-files, one for early, one for mid, and one for late era. The only difference will be lines *commented out* so that nations (and starting magic sites, in some cases) are not changed in the era in which they appear.
FOR EXAMPLE - my early era padmassa mod copies the stats off of mid-era Ermor, and modifies the "Temple of the Spheres" into "The High Circle." Those lines will be commented out in the mid and late era versions of the mod-file.
As soon as it is possible, I will merge these into a single mod-file.

It will deifnitely include Frank and my mods, which will be:
Themiskyra (Late only) - that's amazons
Padmassa (all three eras) - evil in early era, "good" abyssians (persians) in mid era, arabs in late era
Nim (all three eras) - ratmen
Carthacia (early and mid only) - sorta biblical canaanites, sorta anakim*, sorta carthage, sorta phoenicia, sorta muspelheim.
Hoburgs (all three eras) - a cheap craptons of crap position in the early era, a crossbow-crazed missile position in the middle era, and a blood-magic and mechanical horrors position in the late era
Ivalice (all eras) - modeled after Final Fantasy Tactics (with influences from the better FF RPGs, such as IV and VII.)

* Since Angelic Crusade is using the term "Nephilim" I'll call mine "Anakim" instead.

I've also got approval to include the following:
Machaka - Spider Cult (early)
Sar Elad (early)
Angelic Crusade (early)

Sanguinia (late)
Trade Confederation (late)
Stygian Corruption (late)
Teutanion (late)
Blood Elves (late)

I'd like it to include the following nations other people have planned/posted (and if I missed your mod, I'm not dissing you, I just didn't see an attachment so I don't know if you're serious):
Haida Gwaii (???)

I'd also like to recycle units and artwork from these mods into nations in other eras, as well as into independents in other eras, if that is okay with the original authors. If you don't mind me messing with unit numbers but object to me doing other stuff with your work, let me know.

The mod will contain the following -
* New nations, incl. all the fixings
* New magic sites, incl. new site-based neutrals, when that is possible.
* New independent poptypes, if this is ever possible.
* New spells, incl. new national spells, incl. new national spells for existing nations
* New Items, Weapons and Armor
* New pretenders, incl. multiple nation pretenders if that is ever possible.
* New heroes, incl. new heroes for existing nations, provided they don't replace existing heroes and only use empty hero slots.

If anyone wants to write up any of that and hand it to me as stray bits of code, I'll do the work of incorporating it.

It will NOT include -
* Rebalancing on existing nations, units or sites.
* New national units for existing nations, except for new national spells, new heroes and new pretenders.

When I have replies from other mod authors I'll post a beta version at the root of this thread.

Thanks,
TNDP

[Nerfix]

You're free to put Sar Elad in.

[Endoperez]

New pretenders for existing nations are in? Feel free to include my Anansi mod then.

[Amos]

Sounds good.

[zepath]

Fine by me. Take it and tear it all apart if you wish. A reference in the readme would be nice. Feel free to include any other nations I make.

[PvK]

I actually have a new version of Themiskyra for Dom 3, though it's not finalized. This weekend I'll check out what you've done and see if I can make myself finalize and post my revised version.

[Foodstamp]

Are you just needing the artwork from the nations? I am a tad bit stressed out this week because of studying studying studying, so I may be misreading, I thought you needed the completed nation. If you just need the artwork, I can have it for you as early as tonight (after I get a much needed night out http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif ) or tomorrow.

[FrankTrollman]

PvK said:
I actually have a new version of Themiskyra for Dom 3, though it's not finalized. This weekend I'll check out what you've done and see if I can make myself finalize and post my revised version.



Here's the 1.01 version for Dominions 3.01. It fixes the age problems and is a little less in-your-face as a rush position. I'm really hoping to finalize it for 3.02, where supposedly it will have access to National Spells.

Caryatids, Dryad Cavalry, and Ancestors are all to be had. Probably even a special attack spell for each clan.

-Frank

[PvK]

Thanks Frank! I'll check it out presently. My Dom 3 version is currently only Middle Ages, BTW - maybe we can tweak them so mine's the MA version and yours is the LA version and they share some stuff. More later after I digest what you've done.

PvK

[DrPraetorious]

By the by - I'm going to wait on putting the metamod together until we have national spell capability. Playing with multiple custom nations before that time is just asking for pain http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[PvK]

Frank, I did check out your Late Ages Themiskyra. It's fun, interesting and challenging. The poison archers are strong but their friendly fire is also deadly. There are many very exotic units, though they take some time to amass. Some of them seem a bit over-special, such as the Onyx Amazons with Elemental Armor (though the elemental protection doesn't work because magic powers of magic items don't work when applied as intrinsic equipment - you'd need to add the resistances to the unit... but it seems pretty incredible to have troops with equipment that is so special, for just some extra resources - maybe they should have a different or new armor type).

I'll try to post my version of Middle Ages Themiskyra this weekend. After looking at your mod, I got drawn into a vortex of distractions and work and stuff, and only now emerged here long enough to post. My version is far more ordinary, but I added some things you might find useful to borrow (or not).

I wouldn't worry about not being able to exclude the generic pretender forms, since every nation gets those as options.

PvK

[PvK]

DrPraetorious, why do you say that playing with multiple custom nations before national spell modding is just asking for pain?

[DrPraetorious]

Because when I started pooling my own mods I had national spells that my own other custom nations could cast http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I also intend to add a *lot* of my own national spells to existing nations as part of the mod, and if I just throw them in as universal spells it completely unbalances everything.

[FrankTrollman]

Some of them seem a bit over-special, such as the Onyx Amazons with Elemental Armor (though the elemental protection doesn't work because magic powers of magic items don't work when applied as intrinsic equipment - you'd need to add the resistances to the unit...



The intention is actually not to give them energy resistance to everything, but merely to give them high quality plate armor that is relatively light. Not quite Black Plate, but it will do.

In short, the amazons who are supposed to be energy resistant (green and red) already are and are by dint of tribal rituals, not armor.

In short, the Onyx Clan has armor that is only moderately special - they get something that is a litle better than Full Chain Mail for the resource cost of full chain mail. That's pretty nice, and a major selling point of the nation - but that's about as far as it goes.

-Frank

[PvK]

Sounds good. I'd make it a new armor type (or find an existing type that fits) just to avoid confusion, though.

[Sombre]

I'm very much looking forward to this. If I can get a nation made I'd like to see it in there as well, provided it's good enough :]

[Gandalf Parker]

Whats up with this? Im looking forward to it.
Is this going to fill in the modder slots with bigger badder AI nations?

[DrPraetorious]

Well, it works.

I'll post the scripts again and another version when I get home. Problem is you can't have more than (I think it was 110) units with new graphics, or the game crashes. Other types of sprite (e.g. banners, flags, etc.) don't seem to cause the same problem.

[DrPraetorious]

Here are rationalized versions of all of the existing mod nations. You can only have 110 new sprite-pairs at once (in my experience) without the game crashing - but you should be able to run these mods in any combination.

Let me know if this doesn't work.

Here are counts for new unit-sprite-pairs:
$ grep -c spr1 *_fixed.dm
BElves_fixed.dm:28
Crusade_fixed.dm:21
Exile_fixed.dm:29
Hoburg_D3SE_fixed.dm:15
Horror_fixed.dm:34
Insectoid_fixed.dm:18
Magoserium_fixed.dm:19
MarioWorld_fixed.dm:31
NephilimBonded_fixed.dm:31
StigianBonded_fixed.dm:27
Theran_fixed.dm:29
Trade_fixed.dm:26
kharamdzu_fixed.dm:22
machakaspidercult_fixed.dm:1
machakaspidercult_withoutking_fixed.dm:1
sanguinia_fixed.dm:27
sarelad_fixed.dm:20
sylvania_fixed.dm:27
teutanion_fixed.dm:27
themiskyra_fixed.dm:10
vaetti_fixed.dm:3

I haven't playtested this round of output - possible I broke something. Let me know if anything doesn't work.

The authors and links to the original mods are listed in the list of mods sticky.

EDIT: Forgot to include the awk script. It's in there now if anyone wants it.

[Gandalf Parker]

Have we added "please enlarge sprite-pair limit" to the Modders Wishlist?