Mod: Spell Descriptions "Mod"

DireAussie · #1 October 26th, 2006, 06:01 AM

This isnt really a mod per-se, but rather an "unofficial patch". It will change your dom3.exe file directly.

I havent used it in a multiplayer game so I'm not sure if it gets flagged as cheating. I suspect it doesnt, but it would be good if someone could test this.

Features:

- Makes selected in-game spell descriptions more accurate, providing concrete values and formulas for spell effects instead of vague descriptions

- Ability to modify the spell descriptions yourself, with limitations (see readme file in download)

- Program is designed in a way so that it should work for any future versions of dom3.exe that Illwinter release

You can download it from my web site:
http://users.on.net/~dfidge/dom3/patch.html

Shovah32 · #2 October 28th, 2006, 01:32 PM

Sounds like a very good idea, thanks (will download in a bit)

DireAussie · #3 December 1st, 2006, 09:12 PM

I thought I would give my mod a bump...also this mod has been tested as OK for multiplayer.

HoneyBadger · #4 December 1st, 2006, 11:22 PM

Very nice! *bump*

Are you planning to update it, though? as in: keep it accurate? There are several spells/magic effects in the game that seem to be unclear as to the exact effect or lack thereof, even with the manual in hand (I lost mine). Ofcourse, patches will probably also stretch the spell effects a bit over time. Since you've got more of a very nice tool here than precisely a mod, it could continue to be very useful and popular over time, if kept up. I'll probably use it myself, infact, atleast with some mods I have in mind, so thank you very much for your efforts here.

Endoperez · #5 December 2nd, 2006, 07:51 AM

This could be updated to be a proper mod after the next patch. #descr for spells works then. Interesting idea, but some of your descriptions are wrong. Burden of Time, at least, now ages units instead of killing them straigth away, and Decay also ages units.

HoneyBadger · #6 December 3rd, 2006, 03:45 AM

Endoperez, that's why I mentioned that it would be nice, more work but nice, if DireAussie keeps this mod updated, because things like you mentioned are going to crop up until the game becomes more stable through patches/mods.

Endoperez · #7 December 3rd, 2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

HoneyBadger said:
Endoperez, that's why I mentioned that it would be nice, more work but nice, if DireAussie keeps this mod updated, because things like you mentioned are going to crop up until the game becomes more stable through patches/mods.

... The things I mentioned have been in Dom3 from the beginning. Including Decay and Burden of Time aging creatures. The manual describes what those spells do. There's no need to "keep this mod updated", just to "update it to Dom3", AFAIK. Mods might change spells, but if a modder wants to change spells, it's his job to update the spell descriptions. I don't remember any spell that has been changed as of yet. Crash-bugs have been fixed (Fata Morgana, Horror Seed), and some missing descriptions have been added (Mummification from Amon Hotep)... But the effects of the spells haven't been changed at all AFAIK.

Gandalf Parker · #8 February 15th, 2013, 06:38 PM

I am not sure why this is rising again but here is one of the threads I was asked for. [NECRO]

If anyone thought I was some master typist then I am sorry for that impression. The many text files in
http://www.dom3minions.com/docs/
are mostly from requests people had for lists. And they were stripped directly from the dom3.exe by use of a command on linux called strings. The strings command will TRY to only list what it thinks MIGHT be words in an executable. Pros and Cons. The older style within dom3.exe may have drawbacks but has many readable lists in it. I can update these lists or extract new ones. Just ask.

The DASUP program is a great example of changing text in the game and was nice enough to make allowances for personal changes. BUT lessons were learned. The readme file that comes with it now carries this warning.

Quote:

IMPORTANT: Your description can only be of the same length or smaller than the original spell description in the dom3.exe file. You can look up the maximum number of characters allowed by opening exespellsdump.log, look for the size: value for the spell you want to change. If you make the description too long the program will automatically truncate it (and it will tell you in DASUP.log). The reason for this limitation is that the patch overwrites the descriptions that are already in the exe file. Because of the way programs work you cannot insert new stuff into the executable without ruining the program.

I cannot seem to find the thread which discussed everything prior to the creation of DASUP but I do remember mentioning one thing.
The program in this thread is a zip file download, which unpacks an executable, which when run will modify the Dominions 3 executable program permanently. With many people that would cause automatic trust concerns (and well it should). So further efforts along this line should be aware that within a the small niche group that we are, you will be catering to an even smaller niche group that would be willing to run such a program.

Other than that, luck be with you in any new projects.