Who's Who of the RTW+RTR Programmers

[phalanx_man]

Regarding RTR Mods, Would anyone know either ...

(A) where/how to learn the "how-to" of modding RTR
or
(B) a way to contact any of the actual programmers of either RTW or the RTR mod.

I have some ideas to further improve both the realism aspect as well as the game playability but (although I know basic programming and have done some VERY limited modding of my own in RTR) I dont have enough familiarity with the "how-to" of this amazing game.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Kind Regards,
"phalanx_man"

[florin80]

If you want just one big guide about modding rtw try this one maybe:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=199276

All rtr 6 developers have either retired or moved on to other things. You`ll not find any of them still interested in this probably. The mod itself is what may be described as completed in the sense that there haven`t been any public updates to it in a long time and no plans to do so in an organized fashion. If you have suggestions you`ll either have to implement them yourself or reorientate towards one of the still ongoing mods. Like RTR 7 or ExRM and so on. For those you`ll still find people working on them who might want to listen.

[Pat89]

Like RTR 7 VII

Sure! Spam all of your ideas and maybe we'll be able to use it

(PS: florin... sorry, couldn't resist to fix it in your quote )

[florin80]

Thanks! I guess you`ve found the way to write seven with a middle line like it should be:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._written_7.png

[phalanx_man]

Thanks for the link Florin80 – I will check it out.

I don’t know if some of the changes I would like to do are “moddable” or if they require source code revision and a re-compilation into an executable format. For example, when investigating the siege tower bug (with men spilling out of the base of large stone wall siege towers), all the entries seemed to indicate that it was not fixable via a mod but needed source code correction.

Anyway, the things I would like to see are mainly based on how I compare playing the game in large battles vs how I would picture the commander doing so. Mainly, that the units could be given “pre-orders” to avoid the extensive mouse-click-fests that are otherwise inevitable.

Here are some examples of this:

A: UNIT/GROUP COMBAT PARAMETERS
Give each unit a drop-down mini-menu that could have some preset parameters such as:

(A1) Missile Units do not fire at enemy units that are within X meters of friendly units (unless directly ordered)

(A2) Give missile units a targeting priority sequence, such as first PELTAST, then (if none in range) MISSILE CAVALRY, then (if none in range), REGULAR CAVALRY, then LIGHT INFANTRY etc… This would avoid click-fests & pauses on the missile units during battle.

(A3) Give skirmish units a preset skirmish RANGE based on the enemy unit in the vicinity. For example, archers/slingers do not need to let the Peltasts or Legionaries come within javelin/pila range before falling back, since they only get decimated from behind. There could be a drop down that states something like this:
If Peltast units, skirmish distance = 30 meters
If Missile-Infantry units, skirmish distance = 30 meters
If non-missile infantry, skirmish distance = 10 meters
If cavalry, skirmish distance = 20 meters etc…

(A4) There should be the ability to set grouped units into a “locked formation”, in that when they move as a group they retain the formation. As it is now, when you preset the group formation and then move, unless you move straight ahead, the units separate exposing all flanks at once. If the enemy charges at this time, all flanks are vulnerable.
A field commander could give the order to the unit commander to maintain locked formation so that the movement (if it included a pivot) would simply be more slow to allow the group formation to be maintained.

(A5) Give ALL units the ability to keep-their-distance (even if they do not skirmish with missiles). Many a time I have been paying attention to one side of the battle and not noticed a spear unit had charged one of my idle cavalry units (or a skirmish group had approached and discharged a volley) and inflicted significant casualties before I noticed and ordered them to pull away. So, a drop down could include (for all units) something like this:

For Spear infantry, skirmish (Yes/No) and Distance in Meters if yes
For Sword Infantry …
For Javelin/Pila Infantry
For Archers
For Slingers etc…

(A6) Units base morale changing between battles based on: if > 50% were killed drop one point, or if it ran drop 2 points, for every enemy unit destroyed/routed add one point etc… This is also more realistic since individual units (in real life) have a memory and their current state of mind is a function of past successes or failures.

All of the above examples are ones that are either more realistic and/or prior to a real battle, a field commander could instruct his units and thus avoid the click-fests and pauses that are otherwise necessary during typical battles. For me pausing during a battle is highly unrealistic since in a real battle this is not possible. We have to give credit that the soldiers of a unit can have some base instructions before going into battle and that they have some intelligence to carry out these pre-orders.

To make this user friendly, the player could have the option of a GLOBAL default settings to ALL units recruited OR city-specific default settings that he could then change on a unit basis later if necessary. Just like the game keeps an experience record for each unit, this data could also be “carried” with each unit as well.


B: BUGS ELIMINATION
Some of the other things I would like to do is eliminate some of the problematic bugs that seem to persist, such as:

(B1) Phalanx unit (in hold-your-ground-mode) starts moving out of position.
(B2) Phalanx unit (in as-you-were mode) starts moving backwards during engagement of the enemy
(B3) Set the default of cavalry units to non-wedge instead of wedge so I don’t have to do it before each battle.
(B4) If a group of missile units is ordered to shoot a single target, and some are not in range, that ALL units proceed to approach and shoot. Currently, if a group of missile units is shooting in fire-at-will mode and the group as a whole is ordered to shoot at a single target, then unless ALL the units of that group are in range, they collectively ignore the order (and I have to pause and click one-by-one to attack the same target)

I can prepare a more extensive list of all the things that I have though of over the last year but this is a good start.

Please let me know what you all think in terms of if these are implementable or not.

Thanks for your interest in my suggestions,

Kind Regards

Phalanx_man.

[Pat89]

Thanks! I guess you`ve found the way to write seven with a middle line like it should be:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._written_7.png

use the BB code to put a line through something with the [ S ] tags... 7

[MasterOfThessus]

I'm very sorry Phalanx_man, but almost all of your suggestions are hardcoded, and we do not have the legal rigths to change the .exe and sourcecode

[phalanx_man]

I'm very sorry Phalanx_man, but almost all of your suggestions are hardcoded, and we do not have the legal rigths to change the .exe and sourcecode

It looks like I am missing some key pieces of information.
Let me ask a few questions so that I know how everything stands.

(A) I know a little about legal matters, but not so much to be an expert in copyright law. However, I was under the impression that if I buy a product, I can make any changes to that particular copy of product (that I now own) for my private use without legal ramifications SO LONG AS I do not sell (profit) or otherwise distribute (non-profit) multiple copies of that product since that would unfairly steal market share from the original manufacturer.

So I would think (if I had the capability) I could (legally) change the EXE file of RTW engine as long as I abided by that stricture (ie. change only MY copy for my private use). Is that not true ?

(B) On the other hand, if the ONLY way to change the EXE file is to have the source code, that that is a different matter, since I suspect the source code is the guarded property of the current owners and is not out there for public viewing.

So, Is it actually physically possible to change the EXE file without having the source code ?

(C) I dont suppose anyone knows if the current owners of the game (is it still SEGA ?) have ANY plans to make a mark II (improved) version ?

I know I may be asking some very basic questions, but I am quite new at both this game and this community so please bear with me. In fact, I dont know where else to start asking.

Kind Regards,
phalanx_man