Creating a World - Stone Forts on the Battle Map

[Gigantus]

This is what we want to see on the battle field: (Click on thumbnail to see the full size picture)

01 - knightly_order_fort_b....02 - me_fort_a......... 03 - me_fort_b

04 - stone_fort_a...................05 - stone_fort_b.....06 - stone_fort_c

07 - stone_fort_d

08 - Stone Watch Tower

The old and hard way

Download Link Note on the use of the installer If you have already unpacked the Crusade and Brittania campaigns then simply delete these lines in the batchfile (Copy_Files.bat): cd ..\.. rem --- Unpacking Crusades and British Isles --- cd tools\unpacker unpack_crusades.bat unpack_britannia.bat Save the batchfile and run\doubleclick it. This is how we are going to do it if you have a problem with the installer: You will need to unpack the ‘Crusade’ and the ‘British_isle’ campaigns. Cruise to tools\unpacker in your M2TW directory and click on the appropriate batch files. Now go and download the ‘ME Forts Fix’ by zxiang1983 from here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...o=file&id=1695 Preparations done, now we are getting down and dirty: 1. Copy these files from mods\crusades\data into mods\mymod\data: descr_campaign_db.xml, packagedb.txt and packageglobalconfig.txt 2. Open descr_campaign_db.xml with Notepad and scroll down to the <settlements> sections. The following two lines have to be written exactly like they are here: <destroy_empty_forts bool="false"/> <can_build_forts bool="false"/> Save and exit The first line disables the automatic desctruct of forts when left empty. The second line stops the AI (and you) to erect (now indesctructable) forts. 3. Copy the complete (including subdirectories) mods\crusades\data\blockset directory into mods\mymod\data 4. Copy the complete (including subdirectories) mods\crusades\data\models_strat\residences directory into mods\mymod\data\models_strat 5. Copy the complete (including subdirectories) mods\crusades\data\settlements directory into mods\mymod\data 6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for mods\british_isles 7. Unzip 'ME Forts Fix' into mods\mymod 8. Open mods\mymods\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign\descr_strat.txt with Notepad. Scroll all the way to the bottom. Enter your fort like this (Just before the 'script' entry at the bottom): region Region_Name farming_level 4 famine_threat 1 ;fort 68 103 me_fort_a culture middle_eastern ;fort 68 103 me_fort_a culture middle_eastern ;fort 68 103 stone_fort_a culture northern_european ;fort 68 103 stone_fort_b culture northern_european ;fort 68 103 stone_fort_c culture northern_european ;fort 68 103 stone_fort_d culture northern_european fort 68 103 knightly_order_fort_b culture northern_european ;watchtower 66 27 The Region_Name entry represents the region the fort is placed in. The numerical values are the x and y co-ordinates of your fort. These HAVE to be in this region, otherwise you will get a CTM (Crash To Menu). The fort entries can alternatively be activated\deactivated by removing\adding a semi colon in front of the line. This is also the place where to place watch towers.

The new and easy way

Download and run the installer. Then read the ReadMe file carefully and follow it. That's it. Instructions for use: After successful installation copy the mods\Stone_Forts\data folder into the desired mod. After that adjust the data\descr_campaign_db.xml file. See the example in the 'DataEntries' file in the root. General: This installation also contains stone watch towers (ne_watchtower) for the startegic map. The settings in the examples are for preplaced, non destructible stone forts. See the renamed file in the data folder for an example. IMPORTANT: Check your mod for existing files BEFORE copying!!

Thanks to all of the guys (and girls) that have spent time on this issue and left their findings and advice for me to combine and develop upon.

!! If you want to add names to the forts have a look at this tutorial of mine. !!

[Emperor Basil]

This is cool. I think I'll be adding this to my mod when I get there.

[Gigantus]

This is cool. I think I'll be adding this to my mod when I get there.

One is glad to be of service

[J@mes]

Maybe we should have this moved to the tutorial section.

[-[Scorpion]-]

Need some help

I did everything as Gigantus said, even in the same order just to be sure but they still don't show up on the strategy map and i still can build the wooden fort :hmmm:

The only difference i could think is that i didn't unpacked the crusade & british_isles campaigns since i already have the files somewhere else on my HD so i just took the needed files there.

Did is the reason why they're not showing up on the strategy map or it's something else outside of my knowledge ?


-Scorp

[J@mes]

are you using a mod folder?

[Harry Lime]

Moved to Tools, Tutorials, and Resources. Edited thread title to make it slightly clearer.

[-[Scorpion]-]

are you using a mod folder?

Yeah sorry i didn't mention it but i trying to give LTC Gold 4.1 the stone fort, did you think it could be my problem ?


-Scorp

[J@mes]

no it should not be if LTC is running through the Kingdoms exe?

[-[Scorpion]-]

no it should not be if LTC is running through the Kingdoms exe?

I've found the problem. Since i didn't want to mess any LTC mod files, i did a back-up of the mod but i forgot to change the property of the startup so i was still launching the original LTC. Talk about stupid mistake


-Scorp

(edit)P.S. Thanks J@mes for your quick replies

[J@mes]

we all make them don't worry i'm glad its working for you.

[Dimitri_Harkov]

good job! +rep

[Gigantus]

Installer added

[CaesarBR]

This is what we want to see on the battle field:

Fort_01 -
knightly_order_fort_b
Fort_02 -
me_fort_a
Fort_03 -
me_fort_b
Fort_04 -
stone_fort_a
Fort_05 -
stone_fort_b
Fort_06 -
stone_fort_c
Fort_07 -
stone_fort_d

Here is my installer

This is how we are going to do it:

You will need to unpack the ‘Crusade’ and the ‘British_isle’ campaigns. Cruise to tools\unpacker in your M2TW directory and click on the appropriate batch files.
Now go and download the ‘ME Forts Fix’ by zxiang1983 from here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/downl...o=file&id=1695

Preparations done, now we are getting down and dirty:
1. Copy these files from mods\crusades\data into mods\mymod\data: descr_campaign_db.xml, packagedb.txt and packageglobalconfig.txt
2. Open descr_campaign_db.xml with Notepad and scroll down to the <settlements> sections. The following two lines have to be written exactly like they are here:

<destroy_empty_forts bool="false"/> 
<can_build_forts bool="false"/>

Save and exit
The first line disables the automatic desctruct of forts when left empty.
The second line stops the AI (and you) to erect (now indesctructable) forts.
3. Copy the complete (including subdirectories) mods\crusades\data\blockset directory into mods\mymod\data
4. Copy the complete (including subdirectories) mods\crusades\data\models_strat\residences directory into mods\mymod\data\models_strat
5. Copy the complete (including subdirectories) mods\crusades\data\settlements directory into mods\mymod\data
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for mods\british_isles
7. Unzip 'ME Forts Fix' into mods\mymod
8. Open mods\mymods\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign with Notepad. Scroll all the way to the bottom. Enter your fort like this (Just before the 'script' entry at the bottom):

region Region_Name
farming_level 4
famine_threat 1
;fort    68 103 me_fort_a culture middle_eastern
;fort    68 103 me_fort_a culture middle_eastern
;fort    68 103 stone_fort_a culture northern_european
;fort    68 103 stone_fort_b culture northern_european
;fort    68 103 stone_fort_c culture northern_european
;fort    68 103 stone_fort_d culture northern_european
fort    68 103 knightly_order_fort_b culture northern_european
 
;watchtower     66 27

The Region_Name entry represents the region the fort is placed in. The numerical values are the x and y co-ordinates of your fort. These HAVE to be in this region, otherwise you will get a CTM (Crash To Menu).
The fort entries can alternatively be activated\deactivated by removing\adding a semi colon in front of the line. This is also the place where to place watch towers.

Thanks to all of the guys (and girls) that have spent time on this issue and left their findings and advice for me to combine and develop upon.

Excellent!
+rep

by the way is it possible to do it all but to mark can build forts as true? How would it work?

[Gigantus]

If you mark forts as buildable

<can_build_forts bool="true"/>

then you should increase the building costs of the forts in data\descr_cultures.txt (all cultures!!) to somewhere around 3000 to reflect the permanent nature of the fort and to stop the AI from dotting them all over the place - remember: they are indestructible!

[CaesarBR]

If you mark forts as buildable

<can_build_forts bool="true"/>

then you should increase the building costs of the forts in data\descr_cultures.txt (all cultures!!) to somewhere around 3000 to reflect the permanent nature of the fort and to stop the AI from dotting them all over the place - remember: they are indestructible!

Thank you!
but, is it possible to have pre-placed forts and buildable forts?

My doubt is related to this thread:

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...rin+stone+fort

more precisely to this post by Furin:

"Unfortunately there is but one parameter in descr_campaign_db which defines if a fort is either permanent or being destroyed (<can_build_forts bool="false"/>) and afaik it is only possible to have either preplaced stone forts or self placed stone forts but not both at the same time, if you place a fort in the campaign (allowing it with <can_build_forts bool="false"/>) those forts will be wooden, no matter what. I've tested this in the crusades campaign, in which the patch supposedly fixed that but came to the same result."

[Gigantus]

I haven't tried it myself, but I think the fix that you refer to what a faulty one, hence it didn't work. I had some feedback that it works, but I didn't keep a reference to the source. Guess you will just have to try.

[CaesarBR]

I haven't tried it myself, but I think the fix that you refer to what a faulty one, hence it didn't work. I had some feedback that it works, but I didn't keep a reference to the source. Guess you will just have to try.

sorry but, you are reffering to what fix?

[Gigantus]

I am referring to the latest Kingdoms patch that was supposed to fix the crusades stone forts. The fix by zxiang1983 works.
Why don't you go ahead and try it on a mod you got? Don't see why it shouldn't work: placed forts and buildable forts.

[Furin]

Great tutorial, way better understandable than mine, but I am not a native speaker .

To answer your question why not both at the same time, I had this problem:

In the worldpkgdesc files, in the settlement folder, there is an entry for either wooden fort or stone fort. If you leave it at "wooden fort" the permanent forts will be wooden forts, but the self placed ones will be stone forts. If you change it to the correspondent fort type (for example stone_fort_a in stone_fort_a.worldpkgdesc) its the other way round, self placed are wooden and preplaced are stone. Not all fort types are affected by this though, I can confirm it for both me fort types and the knightly order fort.

It started after the latest patch so I believe that the patch did fix it for the crusade campaign but only for the crusade campaign, this campaign has no preplaced forts. For example if you start the Britannia campaign with the preplaced forts, in this campaign the building of forts is not allowed, and then allow it with changing buildable to true, you will run into the same problem. And also in the crusades campaign, if you preplace forts there in the strat file they will be a wooden one.

I have tested this quite a bit, but maybe I made a mistake somewhere, if you find a valid solution please let me know...