Creating a World - Stone Forts on the Battle Map

**Vythodias** · October 16, 2015, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Gigantus

The watchtower is just that - a watchtower that you can preplace

To identify a position, simply place your mouse cursor there. Then pull down the console with the ~ button (top left, next to numerical 1). Now type show_cursorstat and press enter. This will give you the co-ordinates as well as the region's name. The name however is in 'display' mode, eg York Region - which means you have to look up the 'data' name in data\text\imperial_campaign_regions_and_settlement_names.txt: {York_Province}York Region

Alright... well, after three days of experimenting and carefully tweaking the file as instructed, I cannot seem to get this work. I'm becoming increasingly resigned to not have stone forts on the map.

Here is the relevant part of my descr_strat in question before attempted alteration:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

And, I have tried every possible and careful combination described but nothing seems to work. I have tried to make an entry before, after and in the middle of this code. I've tried placing it before the campaign_script.txt, I've tried placing after it. Only to have repeated and consistent CTM's. So, I am at a complete loss as to what I'm doing wrong. This is what I am trying to add: (and if I can figure out how to place one, I'll be able to place more, obviously.)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

And, this point, I've resorted to prayer... Not sure what else to do...

**makanyane** · October 17, 2015, 01:52 AM

if that's a straight copy and paste you seem to be missing a line break in
"region Riverwood_Provincefarming_level 4"
which should look like

region Riverwood_Province
farming_level 4

what are you using as text editor?

**Vythodias** · October 17, 2015, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by makanyane

if that's a straight copy and paste you seem to be missing a line break in
"region Riverwood_Provincefarming_level 4"
which should look like

region Riverwood_Province
farming_level 4

what are you using as text editor?

Hello, Makanyane - it's nice to meet you.

You're right - I didn't even look at it, but when I copied and pasted it, (I'll edit and fix it - sorry.) there's a line break there, but the original descr_strat file is as you said. Jesus, I could barely understand what I just said... I made a mistake it copying it over, but the original is infact correct. There, I think that's more concise.

As for editing program? Honestly, I'm somewhat alarmed by the implications of your question - all I've been using was notepad. Thank you for the reply.

**makanyane** · October 17, 2015, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by Vythodias

As for editing program? Honestly, I'm somewhat alarmed by the implications of your question - all I've been using was notepad. Thank you for the reply.

Nothing scary I just meant do you use notepad or word or something else... (definitely don't ever use Word)

I normally use notepad and find it OK - but you can sometimes end up with things that look like they are on separate lines in one program but not in others; For technical bumf about what you need see
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ems-in-Notepad
you can get notepad++ for free and view exactly what space/break characters are being used

also see the comment at the end of that link about weird characters like ë have you got rid of those - I know the ones you showed were after the ;comment thingy but am not sure if they could still cause a problem.

also generally check that your descr_strat.txt file is actually getting read to the end
i.e. does the campaign script launch? and do the last rebel armies actually appear on map? - if there's an error in descr_strat the game just stops reading it at that point so might not be getting to your bit.

**Vythodias** · October 17, 2015, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by makanyane

Nothing scary I just meant do you use notepad or word or something else... (definitely don't ever use Word)

I normally use notepad and find it OK - but you can sometimes end up with things that look like they are on separate lines in one program but not in others; For technical bumf about what you need see
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ems-in-Notepad
you can get notepad++ for free and view exactly what space/break characters are being used

also see the comment at the end of that link about weird characters like ë have you got rid of those - I know the ones you showed were after the ;comment thingy but am not sure if they could still cause a problem.

also generally check that your descr_strat.txt file is actually getting read to the end
i.e. does the campaign script launch? and do the last rebel armies actually appear on map? - if there's an error in descr_strat the game just stops reading it at that point so might not be getting to your bit.

I tend to have a pathological fear of technology... obviously, the fear is born out of ignorance... I really don't know what I'm doing, and my methodology just consists of me testing things out, and then seeing what happens; sometimes, my tweaks work, other times, they don't. Perhaps not the most scientific way to go about experimentation, but as I said - I am barely computer literate.

Fascinating. Well, I will look into downloading and installing notepad++ and consider your advise. Now, a note about the strange language appearing after the semicolon... it appears on nearly all of the core files. The mod that I am enjoying (and currently seeking to tweak) was made by a small team of Russian Developers. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with my problems, but I thought I'd mention it. For example, a preview of the EDU:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

As you can plainly see, even the EDU, has these mysterious characters. Now obviously, it's not Russian, but I think I'm also correct in deducing that it's also not normal. It is interesting to me, that you mention that an error may be registering before my tweaks are even read within the descr_strat file. I had never stopped to consider that... I've made some alterations, only a few and very minor, but enough that such a thing is entirely possible; I suppose it's extremely plausible that I unknowingly butchered something somewhere. I will find a clean copy of the descr_strat and test it out to see if that makes any difference. That is of course, assuming that there is no error in the original file as well... All of this should have been prefaced with that my descr_strat still allows me to start a new campaign, until I attempt to amend permanent stone forts to the strat.map. It's only after I attempt to alter the file, that I get the maddening CTM. Anyway, you have my sincere thanks for the passing wisdom.

**Gigantus** · October 26, 2015, 08:03 PM

About the weird characters: your system is not set to display the characters in it's native display within a TXT file - that could be Cyrillic (as in your case), an Asian language or even Greek.

CTM: this usually leaves a fairly clear error message in the log. Check were your log is by opening your CFG file (use notepad) and check the [log] section. Then search that log for [error] from the bottom up. Copy that section including three lines above and below here and we'll have a look. It will be descr_strat related.

**Vythodias** · October 30, 2015, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by Gigantus

About the weird characters: your system is not set to display the characters in it's native display within a TXT file - that could be Cyrillic (as in your case), an Asian language or even Greek.

CTM: this usually leaves a fairly clear error message in the log. Check were your log is by opening your CFG file (use notepad) and check the [log] section. Then search that log for [error] from the bottom up. Copy that section including three lines above and below here and we'll have a look. It will be descr_strat related.

I apologise for the delay, Gigantus. I only just re-visited this thread again out of passing curiosity and wasn't expecting further communication, as I had suspected that I'd arrived at a dead-end. Thanks for the reply, I appreciate you taking the time to think about my little dillema. I will do as you say, re-attempt to add the stone fort, which will likely result in a CTM, and then copy and paste the errors registered in the log via a spoiler.

As far as the Greco-Cyrillic amalgam is concerned, yes I agree, I had deduced that, but it doesn't appear to actually say anything - it's just unintelligible gibberish. As if there was a corruption in the data, but that is how it appears straight-out of the archive upon completion of the download. Forgive the possible misnomers of any high-techy-techy nomenclature... as you've no doubt noticed, I'm something of an authority, on the subject of unintelligible gibberish...

Thanks again. Be back in a bit.

Edit:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

I'd say that 98% of the dialogue is from the tweaked version I'm playing. But the last script.err (script errors?) is definitely, probably something I've done. Self-inflicted wounds are the worst. What's odd, is that I've noticed that these errors still register in the log, even if I don't add the forts to the descr_strat, but if I do add the forts, then it inevitably results in the CTM. The above code is just a fillet... I've attached the full log for context, just in case.

Thoughts?

Thanks again, by the way.

02:51:09.252 [script.err] [error] Script Error in mods/americas/data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/descr_strat.txt, at line 8409, column 13
fort positioned on an invalid tile.

I just saw it. Don't know why it took me this long to see it, but yeah, there it is - right in front of me. LOL - Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing! Thanks for your patient tutelage, Gigantus. (and, Makanyane.) I'll just position it, on a "valid" tile - that might help. I'm such an epic imbecile...

Post Edit: Just want to say, because of your tutelage and guidance, (and Makanyane) I've finally been able to test out the castles in my campaign and they indeed work perfectly. I am very happy by all this.

**Gigantus** · October 31, 2015, 01:28 AM

The gibberish has a semi colon in front - which means that it was comment and not processed by the game, probably the full display name of the unit in the native language. Not sure exactly how the 'gibberish conversion' works, but I think your system tries to convert the value of the letter (check bottom left in the 'character map' application) into Latin symbols and ends up with special characters.

**Vythodias** · November 04, 2015, 03:33 PM

Greetings all!

Everything is working out just swimmingly, thanks again - Just a quick observation/follow-up question:

region Markarth_Province

farming_level 0
famine_threat 0

fort 161 241 stone_fort_c culture northern_european ;Gildenheim

What does, "farming_level 0, famine_threat 0" mean? I've noticed that not only can I ignore this, I can completely omit this line entirely and it has no effect - what does this do? Please, I'm hungry to learn. Thanks!

Edit: Also, is it at all possible to increase the LOS (Line of Sight) of the stone-watchtowers? As it is, they inevitably wind up clumping together, like a bunch of obnoxious tourists, and make the strat.map make look a wee bit absurd. So many towers... I feel like Oprah playing this mod... "you getta' a tower"... "you getta' tower"... "EVERYONE GETS A TOWER!" To offset this ridiculous appearance, is there a way to tweak or edit their LOS? Please advise. Thanks again everybody.

**Gigantus** · November 04, 2015, 09:51 PM

What does, "farming_level 0, famine_threat 0" mean?

It's a leftover from RTW and doesn't work in M2TW - nobody really bothered to test if I can be omitted.

is it at all possible to increase the LOS (Line of Sight) of the stone-watchtowers?

Line of sight is hard coded as far as I know. Is th eAI placing them close together? As it is the AI hardly builds them to start with as apparently they really don't need them. The towers are however a favorite hang out for rebels: "Look there, a watch tower - let's have a party!" and once next to them disable the tower's line of sight.

**Vythodias** · November 04, 2015, 11:01 PM

Line of sight is hard coded as far as I know.

I see... well, I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense. Unfortunately...

Is th eAI placing them close together?

Ugh... Occasionally, but so far, I've been the habitual offender, OCD'ing making sure every nook and cranny has been exposed and the result is a comical circuit-board of veritable reconnaissance, that inevitably winds up making me feel very self conscious about my... apparently obsessive compulsion, of needing to build one every other tile. <- (hyperbole)

The towers are however a favorite hang out for rebels: "Look there, a watch tower - let's have a party!" and once next to them disable the tower's line of sight.

I have been playing MT2W for years... Years! And, I've never noticed this... You teasing me? They have the ability to deactivate a tower that you've constructed? The cheeky buggers... I'll have to increase brigand spawning, (that's done in the descr_strat, I think) and put this to the test.

**Gigantus** · November 04, 2015, 11:12 PM

A tip on placing watchtowers: I always start at a random spot right at my outermost border, go along the border and then go inward to cover the rest. After a while you get the 'hang' for the most effective distance between towers.
Because of the 'party' behavior of the rebels do not place a tower too close to a road as they may block your trade as well.

Testing the party - simply pre-place a tower in one of your regions and place a stack of rebels 2-3 tiles away from it - then watch the rebels disappear once they get next to it.
Sometimes for giggles (and to keep the rebels handy as training objects for my spies and assassins) I place a second tower relatively close to another (less then the possible movement of a rebel army) once a rebel army occupies it - that way they keep going from one tower to the other and you still see them, and they don't go anywhere else.

**Vythodias** · November 22, 2015, 07:44 PM

Further experimentation has revealed something of an inexplicable anomaly. It would appear that whenever I defend from a fort, they render successfully as stone-forts, however -- when I attack, they render as wooden-forts. I only just got around to attempting to re-take a fort that I had lost and thus, only just discovered this alternate dimension.

LOL - I think I may be cursed.

So... does anyone have any insight at all, as to why this might be happening? Because I am at a complete lack of ideas of how to proceed. Completely mystifying.

**Gigantus** · November 22, 2015, 08:32 PM

I will have to test that one - first time I hear of it.

**Little Rock** · February 15, 2016, 10:48 AM

Hello I was wondering if someone could give me some direction please. I would like to know if it's possible to change the fort battle model to either a castle, fortress or city settlement model, I did find some earlier posts but they were in reference to using a fort as a settlement.
If this is possible what files would I need to change or rename and where are they all located.

**Gigantus** · February 15, 2016, 10:08 PM

This has to do with editing the battle models directly - you should get the necessary info in this forum.

**Little Rock** · February 15, 2016, 10:46 PM

Hi Gigantus

Much appreciated, thanks

**Gigantus** · February 15, 2016, 11:12 PM

One is glad to be of service

**lightning f57** · July 12, 2016, 05:51 PM

Hi I might of missed it but can someone point out the download link. many thanks

**lightning f57** · July 12, 2016, 05:53 PM

also does anyone have the stone forts add on for retrofit mod. Thanks.

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