How can you put modified opponents into your maps?

[iceboy]

I want to make the AI stronger by modding my opponents. How can I do this and put them in my games?

[Morkilus]

You need to mod the nations individually and then select them as opponents.

[Edi]

Or you can modify a specific map file to force the AI to use a particular god with particular scales to make it much stronger without modding a nation. Be sure to make a copy of the map file first and rename the changed version so you can also play the original.

[Edratman]

Edi's advice is the easiest to do. You do a map edit using a text editor. There are quite a few that work. You could do it in notepad, but notepad is much harder.

Then you can set up each nation with a good starting province and a pretender with good/great magic (use a immoblie pretender, if you make a SC the AI will send them to arena death matches). You can give the AI great scales and a better starting army, commanders and mages also quite easily.

This will be a great boost to the AI nations and still retain all characteristic's of the designed nation.

I recommend you make a random map (small because it is quicker) name it something like AI mod map and make all your modified nations on this map. This would be your permanent master AI nation file. Then paste them to the maps you want to use, just changing the starting province # for the nation and commanders. (That is the sad voice of experience.)

[iceboy]

Edi said:
Or you can modify a specific map file to force the AI to use a particular god with particular scales to make it much stronger without modding a nation. Be sure to make a copy of the map file first and rename the changed version so you can also play the original.



This is exactly what I would like to do but how exactly do I do this? I looked in the map editor and did not see anything about modding nations or Pretenders...only map changes.

[Twan]

You need to edit the .map file (in dominions3/maps) with a text editor (look in the doc folder in the dom3 one, you'll find a mapedit.pdf and a modding.pdf describing all commands).

Be aware to keep the .map extension when you save (some texts editors add a .txt when you "save" and not "save as" a map file).

[Edi]

iceboy said:

Edi said:
Or you can modify a specific map file to force the AI to use a particular god with particular scales to make it much stronger without modding a nation. Be sure to make a copy of the map file first and rename the changed version so you can also play the original.



This is exactly what I would like to do but how exactly do I do this? I looked in the map editor and did not see anything about modding nations or Pretenders...only map changes.


You can use the #god command to force the AI to use good scales and have more magic and a better pretender chassis than it would otherwise have. You could give him something with all scales maxed out, all magic at 10 and an awake SC chassis that way. You don't even need to mod the nation as such.

Ask NT Jedi for tips, he's an expert on buffing AI via map commands.

[Edratman]

On the second page of the main forum there is a thread called "The scale bug is caused by province neighbors". In that thread I have uploaded a MAP file. The MAP file has a nation with everything you are looking for.

There is some way to link to that because everyone seems to do it, but I have no idea on how to do that.

[KermNelson]

Hey folks,

I'm waiting for snail mail full copy of Dom3. What are the known limits on modding the demo?

I've a low tolerance for frustration as an explorer type so I'd like my first few games to be stomp throughs.

Thanks!

Edit: sorry I should have thought how OT this is BTW thanks for the reference to the info in the other post.

[llamabeast]

Hey Kerm,

Sadly it's hard for us to reply I guess, since none of us have the demo and none of us knew what we were doing when we did.

I would be very surprised if you can't edit map files, and I'm not sure if you can use mods. Download one and try it.

Also if you want an easy game that gives you time to explore try playing on a nice big map. Maybe Cradle of Dominion, if that's in the demo - otherwise whatever's biggish (200 provinces plus). Just put yourself and one easy AI on.

[KermNelson]

Hey llamabeast and other folks,

The demo has limits for one thing I couldn't get #additem to work. The demo came back with I assume a Swedish comment and said #additem wasn't enabled. But I added my version of gods, commanders, and units (disabled cheat monitor since I cheesed my gods.) I think I'll try #randomequip just to see if demo will give me anything and I've got some other ideas on owner provinces. Still waiting on snail mail so I can play with the "big boy toy" full game patched 3.10!

thanks,

[Edratman]

I once edited the demo because it was all I had on my laptop. You can do everything that you can do with a full version edit but I also encountered the #additem problem. At the time I just shrugged, but later realized the items I was adding were level 6 items which are not allowed in the demo. I never bothered to investigate that further.

I think the only limitations in editing the demo are that you have to stay within the level 4 magic ceiling for items.

[KermNelson]

Edratman and other folks,

I thought the comment was 'definitive' so I didn't try keeping all of my items 4 or less. I just did the #randomequip but it seems it's either strongly biased to gems or falls back to them if item doesn't work. With lots of trial commands I got one or two items in about 70 total possibilities. But I ended up with a few hundred gems.

Anyway I got full Dom3 in mail so on to patching! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif