Empire Total War Entire World

[OldDrunkBastard]

I made a new one cuz my old one's name wasn't attractive. In this mod I{[( and by "I" I mean we) and by "we" I mean the people plan to help] and by "the people who plan to help" I mean you} incorporate the entire world (yes that means Australia, central Africa, South America etc.) This mod shall began as soon as the modding geniuses at http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=355187 are done figuring out the ungodly process of modding the map. I (we) plan to make this mod span from 1776 to 1920, with maybe two or three unit reforms. Don't get me wrong, I understand how utterly intimidating this may seem, but I have faith, so I ask, who amongst all of you that view this, has the courage and faith, to help realize this? "All we need to begin with is a dream, that we can do better than before. All we need to have is faith, and that dream will come true. All we need to do is act, and the time for action is now." - Ronald Reagan, Actor and 40th president of the United States of America.

[Steph]

I'm afraid we are still far from having a working map editor.

[Andre J. Jassoch]

The thread that you are link in here is very,VERY old.No one know how to edit the campaign map even after years of trying.
Are you sure of what your talking about mate?Please present some new knowledge that you maybe have(i dont know)+present your plan.
Sorry i dont want to ruin your dreams but more realistic is to sighn the petition for expanded map in my signature down here and wait.

But if you have some knowledge on how to make it real the whole community would knee down infront of you.Would be gladly,gladly welcomed here.

[OldDrunkBastard]

The thread that you are link in here is very,VERY old.No one know how to edit the campaign map even after years of trying.
Are you sure of what your talking about mate?Please present some new knowledge that you maybe have(i dont know)+present your plan.
Sorry i dont want to ruin your dreams but more realistic is to sighn the petition for expanded map in my signature down here and wait.

But if you have some knowledge on how to make it real the whole community would knee down infront of you.Would be gladly,gladly welcomed here.

yes "mate" I know what I'm talking about, I know its daunting trust me, but i feel as if we're on the edge of a breakthrough. I can just feel it. just keep holding in there mate.

I'm afraid we are still far from having a working map editor.

Don't be afraid, cause u know what fear is? Future Events Appearing Real. Just hang in there.

[alhoon]

Well... I would say that if you really want to do it, then go on and start making those factions, their units, their flags etc.
You say 1776 -1920. OK, then, map aside, you'll need to come up with a huge tech tree, new buildings etc. The map isn't the only thing in the way. In your case, I would advise starting that huge project with little steps. Start with extra techs to expand in the 19th century. Make a couple of European factions units from the 19th century. Then start making Chinese units, Japanese units, Africans etc.
BY the time you have units, flags, techs, buildings, ships, artillery for the 19th century ready... I believe the map could have been unlocked. You're looking at a 3-4 years project bro.

[Andre J. Jassoch]

Ill keep my fingers crossed for you.
Edit:for us

I know its daunting trust me, but i feel as if we're on the edge of a breakthrough. I can just feel it. just keep holding in there mate.

[Steph]

There are many other issues to solve. Like units evolving with time. NTW engine doesn't allow that.
It means that you'll have armies with 1776 units alongside 1920 units.

[OldDrunkBastard]

There are many other issues to solve. Like units evolving with time. NTW engine doesn't allow that.
.

yet..

[alhoon]

There are many other issues to solve. Like units evolving with time. NTW engine doesn't allow that.
It means that you'll have armies with 1776 units alongside 1920 units.

Well, in ETW, you assign each building the units it can build. It's how the pikemen are missing from later buildings. I.e. if at barracks 5+ you take out the cavalry except the dragoons, you won't be able to make other kinds of cav.

[Steph]

Doesn't work.
Because if you still have a level 1 barracks, you can build 1776 units if the date is 1920, which is rather ridiculous.
And if you base it only on building, it means you may have to do something lile
1776 units : barracks level 1
1815 units : barracks level 2
1850 units : barrakcs level 3
1875 units: barracks level 4
1900 units : barracks level 5

First, you quickly see it allows only 5 levels of units, for such a long period it may not be sufficient.
Second, it means that the barraks level 1 should allow every type of troops (line infantry, grenadier, skirmishers or guard). It may not be what you want.

And other problem: this change only the units that you can recruit later. Not the units which are already placed in game.

If you recruit a 1776 unit and never lose it, you will still have it in 1920. You cannot "upgrade" it. You can only disband it and recruit a new one.

[keinmann]

I hate to dredge up a thread that appears to have gone stagnant several months ago, but hopefully "OldDrunkBastard's" ambitions have not gone stagnant as well. The type of world map you speak of is the #1 I want in NTW... it's lack, NTW's greatest shortcoming and disappointment; the reason why ETW still rivals it, despite NTW's superior graphics, AI, etc. When I bought NTW and fired it up for the first time my heart sank when I saw a map encompassing only Europe! Something I lament every second I play the game! No colonies, no trade theatres, no pirates stalking the Caribbean for prey, no annoying Barbary ships picking on my trade routes, no contact with far-eastern civilizations, no securing the Louisiana Purchase for my glorious Prussian Vaterland, no conquest of earth itself... :'( <--- yes, it makes me want to cry! </sob>

ODB, if you are still working on this then I am interested in considering working with you. I would like to discuss it further. However, I think the plans to add this 1776-1920 timespan and all these new units and techs should be put on the back-burner for now. We need the map, above all things... and I don't think we should waste time on things that are massive projects in and of themselves when the map is probably the most massive and difficult thing on its own. If you can convince me that this is within the realm of possibility, and you know what you're doing, then consider my labor at your disposal! ...mate! ;-)

[Count von Orlok]

Exactly! Furthermore IF you manage to mod the campaign map(which is impossible as far as I know) it's pretty hard to built so many different units(uniforms,guns,ships etc) for the each nation (from 1776 to 1920). It will be easier to make only 1805 units (like NTW) or only 1860 (that sounds great) etc for a map like Empire's. Ηοwever GOOD LUCK (I can help with some units informations)

[keinmann]

Exactly! Furthermore IF you manage to mod the campaign map(which is impossible as far as I know) it's pretty hard to built so many different units(uniforms,guns,ships etc) for the each nation (from 1776 to 1920). It will be easier to make only 1805 units (like NTW) or only 1850 (that sounds great) etc for a map like Empire's. Ηοwever GOOD LUCK (I can help with some units informations)

I've been scouring the internet for more information on this and, unfortunately, there is very little to go on other than a few dead forum threads. But it appears that the idea may not be entirely impossible. Thus far I have not seen where any experienced modders have really given this a real try... correct me if I'm wrong. It seems less impossible than "we don't know how". I sincerely hope that is the case!

But as I was doing this research another thought came to mind... Really, the only reason I play NTW is for its graphics, AI, the Napoleonic theme, its cool units and a few other things. As far as the "Grand Campaign" goes, ETW is a vastly superior game! So this got the gears turning in my head... If it is indeed too difficult or impossible to create a world map for NTW, perhaps it would be easier and more efficient to do an overhaul of ETW to give it the features we like from NTW... By this I mean porting over NTWs shaders, models, textures, units and features. This would, no doubt, be a HUGE, difficult and time-consuming project... but it might actually be the optimal solution to getting what we want. Imagine ETW transformed into a more modern game, competitive with NTWs core features... and best of all it already HAS a world map!

And with ETW being older and (to my knowledge) no longer much of a concern to Sega, perhaps we could convince them to hand over some of the dev tools (like their map editors and such) for it...

[Splenyi]

It's always the amateur modders that suggest this......

[keinmann]

It's always the amateur modders that suggest this......

Really? Why didn't you suggest it first then?

[Splenyi]

I'm no armature sunny boy.

I've been modding since Rome, and know exactly how the engine works (maybe not exactly) from RTW - S2

All I can say is that it is impossible at this point to make a map for ETW - S2, and even if we did make some tools so that we could make our own maps, only very skilled people would be able to do so, and it would take them years to create a working map. That's unless we get some tools from CA thereself

ps. Why do u assume I'm an armature modder?

EDIT: also, u say CA has dev tools for their map creation. This is false, they definitely do not, but they say that they are working on making some tools of their own, so maybe this means tools for the community

[keinmann]

I'm no armature sunny boy.

I've been modding since Rome, and know exactly how the engine works (maybe not exactly) from RTW - S2

Relax, ya lil, erm... whippersnapper! lol... I was poking fun back at you because that comment was very rude and arrogant, imho. But I have no personal vendetta against you.

All I can say is that it is impossible at this point to make a map for ETW - S2, and even if we did make some tools so that we could make our own maps, only very skilled people would be able to do so, and it would take them years to create a working map. That's unless we get some tools from CA thereself

Technically, virtually all mods are possible because volatile memory is modifiable... inject the right sequence of bytes into memory and you get what you want. The problem is, hideously ambitious mods are simply not feasible because of the amount of time, manpower and money it would take to do it. So the question is not "possible vs impossible" but feasibility...

ps. Why do u assume I'm an armature modder?

And I pose the same question to you, sir. If you'd payed attention to what I was saying before you jumped in to make such rude and vicious comments, you would have noticed that I wasn't saying anything like "sum1 plz make a wrld map 4 me" or "i will make a 1337 world map", but I was questioning the feasibility of such a proposal and looking into what pre-existing efforts/information were out there...

I am not an "amateur" modder, but let's not get full of ourselves and claim to be "professionals"; as neither of us, I would assume, are being paid for what we're doing. Now that you've introduced yourself to me, allow me to extend the same courtesies... While I am new to NTW, I have been modding games for probably around 7 years, give or take. I have modded games and simulations which were never intended to be modded and in fact had intricate layers of security to prevent such (e.g., IL-2 Sturmovik flight models). Getting into NTW modding has been a walk in the park compared to some of my past experiences. Unlike most modders, I have years of experience in software and actual game/sim development; and I'm still working part-time with my 'associates' on an unannounced commercial project...

And I tell you this not necessarily as a braggadocios "comeback", but truly for the sake of getting to know each other better and burying the hatchet; I hope we will make better friends than rivals, and be able to help and encourage each other. If you find yourself in need of extra manpower, feel free to call upon me. I'm fluent in C, C++, C#, HLSL and a bit of x86/64 assembly language (Intel syntax), have extensive experience with DirectX 9, 10, 10.1 and 11 (and all its cool instancing & multi-threaded rendering technologies), XNA, simulated physics and engine development. I know a bit about Autodesk Maya; at least enough to construct my own inorganic models, rig them and UV map them. However, I lack any true skills with making textures from scratch in Photoshop and my experience with OpenGL is extremely limited. I also find that I am virtually incapable of making "organic" models, like characters or animals... pretty much just things like guns, swords, aircraft, etc. So do call upon me if you need me!

EDIT: also, u say CA has dev tools for their map creation. This is false, they definitely do not, but they say that they are working on making some tools of their own, so maybe this means tools for the community

How then, did they ever make a map in the first place without development tools? I know they didn't use Notepad to hand-code the map out of ASCII characters. Explain...