Official CA Q&A thread - XML and XSD modding

[T.C.]

Can you get the info from whom area it is?

Yes Jack, we'd love to hear from the UI team about some lua related questions.
Or even the schema for the UI layout files, we have converters only they are filled with unknown values. Here's hoping we don't have to wait two more years for those values to be filled in

[Steph]

Yes, if you could share at least a few uncompiled lua it would be very cool after you share the xml and xsd

[wangrin]

Thank you very much Jack.

The idea was to use the same mecanism to try to add an "uniform" evolution in game.
So, what was particularly interesting was the core mechanism, the one that do the work : replacing an old unit with a new one.

[JaM]

I have few more from Unit Stats Land db:

Base_density - it varies from 7 to 20 (7-9-10-15-20) Does it represent unit density when being charged?
loose_formation_spacing_horizontal
loose_formation_spacing_vertical - looks like no effect, everytime I put there any values it has no effect on units.

[T.C.]

I have few more from Unit Stats Land db:

Base_density - it varies from 7 to 20 (7-9-10-15-20) Does it represent unit density when being charged?
loose_formation_spacing_horizontal
loose_formation_spacing_vertical - looks like no effect, everytime I put there any values it has no effect on units.

Is this for ETW? I didn't update the ETW db schema, but when I did the NTW one I marked columns that sound like those as unused, which Jack explained to me via pm some months ago.

[JaM]

yes, it is from ETW, but both have some values filled in. Last two have no effect, but just wanted somebody to confirm Density is also unused, or it has no effect in game. you know, being unused in game and having no effect in game, are two separate things...

[Jack Lusted]

Thanks a lot, my last question (i guess at least for today )

Is the hn_bayonet bonus represent anticavalry bonus, or charge bonus? I was not able to see any stats difference when assigning any value in unit stats (both ETW and NTW)

It is a bonus against cavalry.

Thanks Jack.


Can you get the info from whom area it is?


Icon added, but how is the link between the string in the unit table and the icon in the battleunitcard done?
It's in template.battleunitcard.luac? Must I edit that, or can it just read the unit table and make the association to the icon via the name?

I can try. do not know which UI template it is in, but you would need to edit one as the names are referenced in it.

Yes Jack, we'd love to hear from the UI team about some lua related questions.
Or even the schema for the UI layout files, we have converters only they are filled with unknown values. Here's hoping we don't have to wait two more years for those values to be filled in

I'll ask around see if it is possible.

I have few more from Unit Stats Land db:

Base_density - it varies from 7 to 20 (7-9-10-15-20) Does it represent unit density when being charged?
loose_formation_spacing_horizontal
loose_formation_spacing_vertical - looks like no effect, everytime I put there any values it has no effect on units.

None of those are used.

yes, it is from ETW, but both have some values filled in. Last two have no effect, but just wanted somebody to confirm Density is also unused, or it has no effect in game. you know, being unused in game and having no effect in game, are two separate things...

If a field is not used, it means it has no effect ingame. An unused field is not hooked into the code at all, changing it will do nothing.

[Steph]

I can try.

I suspect maybe it can be done with the category in the csv file. I.e. if the category is "unit_voices", then the game tries to find the localized version in the folder whose two letters name match the Abreviation column in the faction table. And if the category is something else it doesn't try to do that?
Basically, what I'd like to know, is how to associate a sound to a unit event that will not use the national language, but directly the path I provide in the csv, while being able to use national language to another unit event.

do not know which UI template it is in, but you would need to edit one as the names are referenced in it.

Actually, we have some decompiled lua. A few ae working, some of them are not working and cannot be compiled back, or give errors when we go to the part of the game that uses them.
Some don't decompile at all. Unfortunately template.battleunitcard.luac is among them.

That's why we asked several times if, as you shared the XML and XSD, you could also share some of the uncompiled lua (I suppose you have them somewhere).
This would be a tremendous help. I understand you don't want to release all of them, but perhaps some of them on a case to case basis?

Could you ask around if it's something CA could do ?

[JaM]

It is based on the shot_type set for a projectile in the projectiles table. The game will switch to the projectile for a gun which is set to the rifled_naval_cannon shot_type when that tech is researched.

Hello Jack, sorry for bringing this up again, but i spend some time searching for it in Projectile table and i cant find anything like rifled_naval_cannon shot type, the only one is "round_shot" which is used for both rifled and normal naval projectiles




picture is taken from released XML files

[T.C.]

I'll ask around see if it is possible.

Thanks, would be a big help

[Jack Lusted]

It's rifled_naval_cannon, had a look through the xml we released and it is in there for the naval rifled projectiles, odd that you are not seeing it in whichever program you are using to view it.

[JaM]

i have opened the ETW xml in MS Excel. Is it possible that it was missed in ETW? i can see it in NTW..

[Jack Lusted]

That shot type didn't exist in ETW, it was introduced in NTW.

[JaM]

but there is rifled naval gun technology that upgrades normal naval guns, and i found in the projectile_shot_type_enum projectile shot rifled_naval_cannon which is set to obsolete the round_shot

from ETW Main.pack:



now when i'm checking, same situation is with grape vs improved_grape also.

[Jack Lusted]

Sorry was thinking of uniform_shot. rifled_naval_cannon should work fine in ETW if you use it.

[JaM]

Ok,thank you.

edit:

and i'm back again. Looks like when i use those shot types for rifled_naval cannon or improved_grape, guns wont make sound when firing (playing just clicking sound for flintlock). It looks like there is a sound definition missing for them. Is it possible to add it or it is hardcoded same way as unit voiceovers?

[Steph]

I have done some testing with the unit voices.

I managed to add a new voice to my new units, but if I want to play as France, it works only if the sounds goes to fr/MyFolde/MyVoice.mp3

And so the sound changes with the faction I'm playing.

Can someone from the sound team at CA explain if the unit voices are ALWAYS faction localized, or if there is a way to make the sound constant, i.e. always play the same voice, independantly of the faction playing it?

[Steph]

Is it possible to add a "copy" of the general and colonel that would be faction specific?

[JaM]

have another question regarding effects. I tried to modify effect_bonus_value_projectile_junctions by adding more projectiles (like musket_flintlock or musket_light_infantry_flintlock) to have reload_mod bonus, but while original musket_carbine got the benefit set in mod_reload_rate_carbine by military_army_shortened_carbines others added by me didn't gained that bonus. Is there any other table that needs to be modified,or this is completely hardcoded?

[Steph]

Unanswered questions

Sound and units
I suspect maybe it can be done with the category in the csv file. I.e. if the category is "unit_voices", then the game tries to find the localized version in the folder whose two letters name match the Abreviation column in the faction table. And if the category is something else it doesn't try to do that?
Basically, what I'd like to know, is how to associate a sound to a unit event that will not use the national language, but directly the path I provide in the csv, while being able to use national language to another unit event.

About UI and lua
Actually, we have some decompiled lua. A few ae working, some of them are not working and cannot be compiled back, or give errors when we go to the part of the game that uses them.
Some don't decompile at all. Unfortunately template.battleunitcard.luac is among them.


That's why we asked several times if, as you shared the XML and XSD, you could also share some of the uncompiled lua (I suppose you have them somewhere).
This would be a tremendous help. I understand you don't want to release all of them, but perhaps some of them on a case to case basis?

Could you ask around if it's something CA could do ?

New questions

Sergent voices
In the sound event xml for unit voices coming from the patch4, there are some comment about "sergent" voices.
It seems there are officer, sergeant and private sounds. The iddle part seems to be used for all of them, but from the comment, it seems that the "orders" use only the officer sounds, and the sergeant sounds, although defined in the csv, are actually not connected to an event. Or rather, they are connected in the XML, but the event doesn't seem to be triggered by the engine.
I believe the idea was that the "officer" would say the order, and the sergent would repeat it.
so... Is it implemented or not?

Close by sounds
They are some sounds linked to the "close by" events. It's not very clear to me when they are played.
If I have a close by event associeted to a cuirassiers unit:
- Is the sound played for any units when an ennemy cuirassiers comes near?
- Or is it played for a cuirassier units when any ennemy unit comes near?

Sound voices actor
A side remark: I don't know who's the idiot CA hired for the French voices... But several sentences are completly ridiculous and plainly wrong. The accent may be good French accent, but the guys know NOTHING about the Napoleonic warfare era and some translation are completly wrong.