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| Thread: ERA of community aka together we can make a big mod | |
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majaczek
Supreme Hero
Work at Magic Dimmension
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posted May 17, 2012 10:30 PM |
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Edited by majaczek at 22:21, 28 May 2012.
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ERA of community aka together we can make a big mod
Hey I started some time ago with Idea of some really big mod based on ERA, but I already know I'm useless for it alone. It seems ERA is still more about moder resources than complete mods... Let's change this fatum.
The topic consist of a few projects intended to work together as a grouped mod. Some of projects are mostly modder resources but intended to be surely to be used by normal players.
1) "Monsterrrr Pack" - just a good quality pack of new creatures which we are able to add by bless of Amethyst. The 255 is the limit (including original ones) until Amethyst author have an idea how to increase the limit to 65535. I can do technical parts yet left but I surely need help of graphicians and rippers. The suggestions about stats or special abilities are also welcome. Since I intended it to be base for future mods, I have some RFC:
- most of creatures should fit as second or third upgrades of existing factions creatures. I want to cover all creatures from 9 towns second upgrades and some third upgrades. Current 8lv would be lvl7 2nd upg.
- we may use rips which would fit the theme or good quality recolored ones. Merged creatures from parts are also welcome, especially if they are so good as nightmares or werewolves.
- Limit efforts to creatures fitting existing 9 factions or pure neutrals. We are not HoTA and Diamond is not ready yet.
- include some unique creatures for existing factions with Uber-Stats (like Azure Dragon ones) - this will consist of about 9 creatures which would be my personal need for Castle Defender feature
- we would include some new dwellings thanks to another plugin.
- do not make special upgrade if existing WoG creature fits well
- we may think of some new creature banks with the creatures
2) "WoGify - In Ancients We Trust, yet we have ERA" - a pack of fixed and enchanted WoGify scripts. We may inlude new ones too if they would be compatible with existing ones. ERA gives plenty more things availible for scripters. Some RFC:
- the enchanced version of "Enchanced Commanders" script is reserved for me as a task
- better if each script is (re)done by one person. this will save us of problems with failed cooperation. Some existing scripts may be split to parts to work if one script contains many features.
- invent more ways to use mithril
- make some use of new blank spells given by TE/ERA
- invent some scripts for Blank Artifacts since we can have at least 1000 types of artifacts (including existing ones) with emerald
- we would love some new, inteligent, script-driven adventure map objects
- script are intended to work good on random maps and well on WoGified maps. Those are scripts for WoGify - not for custom maps.
3) "Quartz" - new plugin for ERA. Would support additonal Buildings in existing Towns. It is intended rather for more experienced members of community, but anybody may help if he/she can. Some RFC:
- we concentrate on easier parts of town features to achieve. It's not yet Diamond but would be also cool
- the minimal requirements are: buildings show in Town Preview and are accessible through ERM
- the highly recomended requirements are: to be able to build a building as an upgrade of existing building properly through town hall interface
- the additional features are: rearrange GUI of town Hall to add new buildings which are not upgrades, optional buildings (one button for two buildings to choose one of), make some existing hardcoded buildings' functions availible for new buildings
- the current model use 44 buildings per town including some "unused" ones, but data structures are enough to make space for 64 ones, so we have 20 new slots per town for new buildings - thats much but not enough for waste.
- reserve at least 7 buildings for each town as buildings for second (or further) upgrades of Creature generators to be used with "Monsterrr Pack" or another mod with the creatures fittting.
- reserve 1 slot for upgrade of castle which would summon some "castle defenders" associated with town for siege defenders of this town siege
DISCLAIMER: these projects are (intended to be) community driven. I may be a temporary leader, but no way I would be the only author. Role of leader is rather to lead parts of community to better future rather than boss them. If there would be formed obviously wanted leader which is not me I won't resist to pass the function. Anybody who would be the leader should remember Community is the author - so while leading and resolving conflicts - he/she shouldn't play "better one" than "people in the [s]street[/s] community".
PS: future projects may be added here.
NOTE: name "Quartz" were said to be already taken. Please suggest another gemstone similair to diamond (white, opaque) but much less valuable or suggest any another name. If during a few days there are no suggestion I think out it myself.
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ChaosHydra
Famous Hero
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posted May 18, 2012 03:56 PM |
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It certainly is food for thought. I'm glad to assist.
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majaczek
Supreme Hero
Work at Magic Dimmension
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posted May 18, 2012 05:17 PM |
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Hi ChaosHydra! Thank for warm words...
Would you like to stick to one of three projects or just exchange ideas?
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ChaosHydra
Famous Hero
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posted May 18, 2012 06:01 PM |
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The Monsterrrpack intrigues me the most. I'm working on a lil project of myself as a matter of fact. Recoloring ALL creatures, renaming some and their dwellings, changing ALL unique abilities.
But it's better if more ppl replied on this thread who take an interested in it and make a group 
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Ullialnor
Tavern Dweller
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posted May 22, 2012 04:34 PM |
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Hi! I think that we can change information in biography (provide more information about hero) of all heroes and add a new bigger pictures. I mean that when you open your hero profile and click (right button of mouse) on him/her photo, you will see something like that:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/843/beztytuumsl.png/
I hope that we can make it of all heroes. Now I have only these graphics:
Gelu:
Slomyr:
Greetings from Tarnów (Poland)
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T2_2112
Supreme Hero
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posted May 23, 2012 11:33 AM |
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Edited by T2_2112 at 11:33, 23 May 2012.
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I do not know what i can do for this, but if u need anything just ask i will try my best
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majaczek
Supreme Hero
Work at Magic Dimmension
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posted May 24, 2012 11:28 PM |
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What I/we mostly need?
for (1) I mostly need graphics of complete units which fits the role. That is any graphic which is complete unit DEF or is trivial to fix (ie. only copying of attack animation to cast/shoot one is enough) and poster suppose it to fit the sheme is a (very) valuable proposal. Graphic may be rip, recolor, glued parts or any of those techniques mixed and there should be pointed who have to be asked for agree to use (the best is "free to use", but conditional on somebody agreement is also fine if it is defined who to ask)
the secondary need for (1) is graphics for adventure map dwellings and if unit is an upgrade of town unit perhaps also town building DEF (if quartz would succeed - else we may use similair graphics for dialogue of simulated town buildings)
the complementary need for (1) are statistics and abilities of monsters (most of them I can do on my own but suggestions is also welcome) - note that special abilities should be flagged one of Stack Experience one (using i.e. zero rank, but also SE for higher levels are welcome of course) or ones with already implemented script (if script is trivial one - like randomly changing SE entry - I may write it, else it may eventually be passed to people from project (2) if they agree)
for project (2) we mostly need improvements to ERA or SU wogify scripts. Very important is to integrate SU features not yet in ERA script into those (here is related thread). Any new scripts which would fit the project and would be compatible with the rest are also rather important. So in short scripts, scripts, scripts and some people to find bugs in those to fix them before stable release (fixers may be another people than testers. For bugs part of work on (2) I redirect here
for project (3) we mostly need to find memory adresses for all data structures to use (mostly tables, including tables of pointers) then places (code or data adress) where the data is accessed. The hard part would be finding functions accessing these data and their rough documentation (what H3 engine function pointed roughly do) - to do if accessible (it is much harder than find data so many of them may fail so we do not hard depend on them but they would be very highly valuable since not all things can be done on pure data manipulation). And last but not least important is a lot of testers to catch bugs (and describe them) so "final" version would be much more stable than first draft (i wrote "final" in quotes since nobody deny "constant progress", so by "final" i mean "most of basic features complete").
decomposing (3) for roles: (a) people can assembler read/debug, (b) ones just searching for values sure to be in structures to find structures adress even without programming knowledge, (c) programmers that would implement the plugin (I'll volunteer my work), (d) programmers which would debug the resulting code of plugin itself, (e) common bug finders (It's enough for the role to try to play with plugin and say when and how bug appear)
@Ullialnor
Welcome in (2)WoGify team! Those can surely be done on !!DL dialogs if we have all needed pictures. Would you make sure to get the source of graphics (directly or indirectly) for the subproject of (2) codenamed "Custom hero info dialogs" or should I provide free to access group directly here?
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T2_2112
Supreme Hero
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posted May 25, 2012 03:36 AM |
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I remember some where we have WOG source code, so who know about code can use right ???
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majaczek
Supreme Hero
Work at Magic Dimmension
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posted May 25, 2012 01:38 PM |
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Yeah we have WoG source code. But there's three problems:
1) code is for newer version of WoG than TE qwhich ERA use (incompatible but relatively easy to fix most of it)
2) source code is only for WoG patch - that mean what Slaava and his dudies write - most of H3 Engine is unknown - and it can only help with parts of engine he/they decoded
3) code has a form which is difficult to read (because of hackish methods and accessing not well documented parts of H3 Engine), so figuring what Slaava meant is at least a bit of work since there's much of code.
However you have a point: code has apparently early incomplete support for new towns so much of tables related to towns may be already pointed by a code. (pun on "point" was not intentional)
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T2_2112
Supreme Hero
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posted May 28, 2012 03:35 AM |
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I can try help you (1), collect DEF but i need a line up. Do you have any ?
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majaczek
Supreme Hero
Work at Magic Dimmension
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posted May 28, 2012 08:16 PM |
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almost none...
generally it would be worth to search DEFs similair to first upgrade of creatures - since the upgrades would be most important if merged with Quartz or a wogify script similair to New Upgrades by Acid Dragon but consisting of more upgrades and upgrades beeing separate. Any Helpers (monsters associated with a faction but outside town) would be welcome also. In the section Pure neutrals find anything would match neutrals and wouldn't go making another faction. If you insist on another factions there may be minifactions of 4 units (plus eventually 4 first upgrades) to make the minifaction be bought at single creature generator.
Yes I need much of help with (1) and mostly the graphics/DEFs so any suggestions welcome. If you won't guess what would fit ME pass one that would fit YOU.
If it's going to lineups basing on abilities:
- some non-shooter could be upgraded to shooters
- some units upgrades may be enchanted - using permanent spell, auto-casting or spell immunity
- having keep the concept of original unit would be appreciated (ie. 2nd upgrades of water and air elementals should be shooters since 1st upgrades are)
- pure neutrals should be rather 4-10 level
- Helpers should be in any range of levels including really few Uber-Beasts (8-12 level) but at least one per faction
- Downgrade Units would be also welcome (Helpers which would upgrade to non upgraded tow unit - you may consider peasant as downgrade of pikeman) but not too much of them
- if it is possible unit may have third upgrade but it should be simialir to second one (and could be rare) - ie. considering rip from M&M the normal skeleton from M&M could be second upgrade of skeleton and skeleton archer would be the third upgrade
- all upgrades should be accessible in hillfort
- there may be really few of alternate upgrades for campaign heroes (like gelu's sharpshooters or Dracon's Enchanters) which should give more benefit than just second upgrade
- an unique ability for the top form would be welcome but try to not overpower them
- we may replace Messengers with something better including changed stats/abilities but it doesn't have to fully fit as upgrade of elementals - but still have to be elemental enchanted and non-shooters
Also Remember that we may fix anything later so not be ashamed to present draft concepts. You may Include suggestions on abilities of new monsters but you are not obliged to. Note also we need graphics that works so one-frame-units and ones having serious animation bugs are considered no-go. Ones needing technical improovement (ie. Non-shooter DEF for a shooter unit) may be presented (we can ie. copy normal attack animation to shooting one frame by frame).
Since this is considered more Community Work than Work Under My Lead - any suggestions related is welcome - and if it not fit me personally - it still can be voted to include neverthless.
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