Mod help?

[BandarLover]

O.K. This may have been asked before, but I'm relatively new to the forum (Though not to the game franchise) Checking out and playing the different mods that have been made has gotten me itching to make one of my own. However, I haven't even a clue where to begin. I checked the Mod Tools and Tutorial thread, but there seem to be more tools for maps than anything else. Not to mention no tutorial to speak of. And when I say tutorial, I mean step by step, do this and that kind of thing. I'm totally comp. illiterate. All I use PC's for is gaming, surfing the net and (hopefully soon) uploading music.

So now my question. What exactly do I need to get this moding thing going? All I know for sure is a Paint program. And something to read .dm files. And has anyone written a step by step guide on what to do? I've read the modding document in the Dominions CD but it made my eyes glaze over and gave me a splitting headache and then I woke up on the floor naked.

Can anyone help a wannabe modder?

[Sombre]

This is what I use:

Paint Shop Pro for graphical editing.
Notepad for editing .dm files.

That's it. Seriously.

The first step to making your first mod is to have a skim throug the modding manual found in the docs folder in the dom3 install to see what's possible. Then start with a totally blank .dm file and fill in the bare minimum that you need to make the mod show up - the stuff right at the start of the modding manual. Then look at nation modding and select a nation which already exists in the game - change the name and the descriptions. Don't clear anything from the nation yet - this is just for practice.

Since you're working with a pre-existing nation you at least know that the mod is going to work and be playable - you can keep adding stuff in and eventually you can change a few bits of 'code' to make an entirely new nation. I suggest just making one or two new units which use sprites already in the game, maybe even stats already in the game (#copyspr and #copystats commands) just with some minor changes to their stats,... and then add them to the lineup of your 'replacement' nation's recruit screen,...

To be honest I think it's best to just stick to the mod manual as a reference, don't use any new graphics at first and look at what people have done in other .dm files to work out what you should be doing. Don't bee too ambitious until you know how to make weapons, armor, sites, monsters,.. maybe even spells. There's a lot you can do just by mixing and matching units already in the game. For example you could make a very simple mod with a big impact by making a new nation and giving it a recruiting lineup of all the heavy cavalry found in different vanilla nations.

[Wish]

i use open office for editing text, but I also use paintshop pro for graphics.

for instance the sphinx's in my small mod were basically abunch of photos i GISed put together.

[Edi]

I use Crimson Editor for text files (or the .dm files). A very powerful text editor for that sort of purpose, so much better than Notepad that I haven't used Notepad for years. Also allows you to keep severl files open in separate tabs at the same time.

For graphics that you might want to make, Paint, GIMP, PAintshop and other image processing programs, depending on what you want to do and how many features you need.

That, and reading the mod manual AND reading mod files somebody has already created (e.g. Juzza's Tarent mod, the Complete Balance mod or any other) to give you an idea of how to do it.

If you can use a text editor and know how to read instructions, you can mod the game. And you can always ask for more help here.

[paradoxharbinger]

i second crimson editor, though i still find uses for notepad

[Sombre]

I find it difficult to see how a text editor with more features than notepad is actually beneficial for editing .dm files. They are incredibly simple.

But hey, use whatever. It's just raw text editing after all.

[Foodstamp]

Can you post a sample of the code you used for your sites and from the nation section please post the startsite code.

[BandarLover]

I can and will, but your wording made me go back and see where I was messing up. The sites appear now. However, I'll still post them cause I have more questions.

Question 1: How do I change the picture for the sites? My Forest site has a forest pic but my mountain site also uses a forest pic.

Question 2: After putting the start site in the nation section, my sites show up. I now have sacred troops only recruitable from the sites...except for one. I have the correct unit number in the site code, and it still shows up as being recruitable, but not from just the start site. Instead, it added another archer unit, giving me 2 archer units, one recruitable anywhere, the other recruitable from the start site in place of my sacred warrior. Code is forthcoming:

#newsite 805
#name "Great Aran Mountains"
#path 6
#level 0
#rarity 5
#gems 1 2
#gems 3 2
#homemon 2704
#homecom 2712
#homecom 2713
#end

#newsite 806
#name "Great Aran Forest"
#path 6
#level 0
#rarity 5
#gems 6 2
#homemon 2703
#homecom 2711
#end


And my nation code:

#selectnation 83
#name "Barbarian Hordes"
#epithet "Unified Tribes"
#era 3
#descr "The Barbaians have long been a secluded peoples, and for centuries all was fine. Outsiders assumed that seperately, the tribes would be little more than a nuisance, but the likelyhood of the scattered factions actually banding together was never taken seriously. However, with the rise of the new pretenders, this is precisely what has happened. Galvanized by an enigmatic Barbarian king, the tribes have rallied around his bloody banner and their own waking gods. Long have their peoples been subjected to the whims of other nations. Long have they endured forced relocations to make room for more 'advanced' civilizations. No more. Now is the time for recognition. Now is the time for reperation. Now is the time for reveration."


#summary "Race: Humans. Magic: Elemental with some death and nature. Priests: Weak Prefer cold 2"


#brief "The various barbarian tribes have unified in the face of the inpending doom brought about by the various 'civilized'nations of Evershy. Prefer cold scale 2"

#flag "./haida/haidaflag.tga"

#color 0.1 0.5 0.5

#clearrec
#clearsites

#addrecunit 2700
#addrecunit 2701
#addrecunit 2706
#addrecunit 2705
#addrecunit 2702
#addrecunit 2703
#addrecunit 2704



#addreccom 2707
#addreccom 2708
#addreccom 2709
#addreccom 2714
#addreccom 2710
#addreccom 2711
#addreccom 2712
#addreccom 2713


#defcom1 2708
#defcom2 2710
#defunit1 2700
#defunit1b 2702
#defunit2 2705
#defmulti1 15
#defmulti1b 15
#defmulti2 10

#hero1 2715

#idealcold 2



#startcom 2708
#startscout 2707
#startsite "Great Aran Mountains"
#startsite "Great Aran Forest"

#startunittype1 2700
#startunitnbrs1 15
#startunittype2 2701
#startunitnbrs2 15

#templepic 4
#startfort 20
#defaultfort 20
#farmfort 1
#mountainfort 15
#forestfort 29
#swampfort 11

#end

Thank you in advance for any help

[Burnsaber]

Question 1: You can't choose the exact pick, but you can choose the correct magic path (it should then give somewhat working pic). Try giving "Great Aran Mountain" #path 3 (making it a earth site).

Question 2: If you have the unit as a magic site recruitable, you don't need to also give it by #addrecunit command, it will only result in a duplicate.

[Aezeal]

not entirely Burnsaber (though I think you mean it right)

Q1: wht burnie said, make it an earth site, a nature site will always look foresty (and for a mountain earth is more thematic)

Q2: what Burnsaber pointed out isthe problem only it doesn't just duplicate it. the addrecruit command is what makes those units recruitable everywhere (2703 and 2704 should both be recruitable everywhere and cap only) just remove those lines and they'll be cap only.