How to remove the Fog of War Bug from Minor Factions

[erasmus777]

Thanks for this goes to koras321 for his updated version of the ESF editor.

This tutorial will explain how to remove the Fog of War bug from a Minor Faction. See Boicote's post #9 below for naval units.

This method requires:
* The most recent version of the ESF editor (v1.4.1 or newer).
*A mental or written list of the regions that belong to the faction in question.
* A saved game in which the Minor Faction has been conquered. As far as I can tell, it doesn't matter how old the game is: mine predated any of the patches and worked fine. Saved games can be found here:

Vista
C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Empire

XP
C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\The Creative Assembly\Empire



PLAYING AS DENMARK WITH NORWAY COMPLETELY SHROUDED





The Tutorial (NOTE POST #9 BELOW FOR BOICOTE'S DIRECTIONS FOR FLEETS)
1) Go to data/campaigns/main and open startpos.esf with the ESF editor.

2) Go to "File" at the top of the editor and click "Open Savegame". Open your saved game with the conquered Minor Faction so that both it and the startpos.esf are open in the same editor window.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

3) Go to [saved game]/CAMPAIGN_SAVE_GAME/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/REGION_MANAGER/REGIONS_ARRAY and find your first region. This could take a little while as there are more than 200.

4) Under REGION find LINE OF SIGHT. The boolean should be set to True and there should be a quadtree array within. If there isn't, you'll need a different saved game. Right click on LINE OF SIGHT and select "Copy."

5) Go to the top, back to your startpos section and find startpos.esf/CAMPAIGN_STARTPOS/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/REGION_MANAGER/REGIONS_ARRAY and locate the same region as you did in the saved game.

6) Right-click on REGION and "paste" the LINE OF SIGHT array. If there is already a LINE OF SIGHT value under REGION, you can delete it by right-clicking (if it's set to True and has a quadtree, then you don't need to be following the tutorial for that region).

7) Repeat these steps for all the regions that belong to the Minor Faction.

8) After you add Line of Sight for all the regions belonging to the Minor Faction, scroll down to the saved game section. Right-click on CAMPAIGN_SAVED_GAME and choose "delete" so that the entire saved game file turns red.

9) Save the file as your startpos. Start a new GC as the Minor Faction.

10) Open the "Lists" screen by clicking on the scroll button in the lower right-hand corner. Select all your fleets. After they are selected for the first time, they will remain permanently unshrouded. (SEE POST #9 BELOW FOR MORE ON FLEETS)

You should now be able to play your Minor Faction as though it were a Major one!




MUCH BETTER!

[erasmus777]

If anyone has access to a saved game with the entire map conquered, please post it. That will make life easier for those who need to add LOS. Thanks!

[demis14]

Great work man +rep! Even though i dont need it for my mod or anything, i appreciate your effort!

so your guess was right, it had something to do with Line of sight!!

[Irmo]

Thank you very much erasmus! I have a save game with all of Europe conquered, so I will upload that. +rep

The main problem with that is that now for all factions, that region won't have fog of war, I think. Would you be able to fix that by chaging some of the values on the quad_tree_bit to 0? Or by changing some of it to faction ID refs?

[erasmus777]

Thank you very much erasmus! I have a save game with all of Europe conquered, so I will upload that. +rep

Thanks!

The main problem with that is that now for all factions, that region won't have fog of war, I think. Would you be able to fix that by chaging some of the values on the quad_tree_bit to 0? Or by changing some of it to faction ID refs?

I'm not sure I follow you. You mean if you pasted those values for all regions? Actually, the LOS only applies if you own the region. In fact, many regions start with LOS "True" (e.g. all the major faction capitol regions). In the first image from Denmark, for example, Sweden has LOS set to "True" with an accompanying quadtree, but you can see it's shrouded. If you copy and paste Sweden's LOS node to Denmark, Sweden is unshrouded while Denmark remains covered in FOW.

[Geronimo2006]

Thank you very much erasmus! I have a save game with all of Europe conquered, so I will upload that. +rep

The main problem with that is that now for all factions, that region won't have fog of war, I think. Would you be able to fix that by chaging some of the values on the quad_tree_bit to 0? Or by changing some of it to faction ID refs?

Thank you this has been a great help to me in my projects.

[S-te-Fan]

Thanks mate!

[Irmo]

OK, I must have had LOS from a different city, I see what you mean. Thanks again!

[erasmus777]

Updated with naval info. After you start the GC, select your fleets with the "Lists" button. After being selected for the first time, they will remain unshrouded.

[Boicote]

Congratulations, erasmus777 !!! Excellent tutorial !

BTW, I found a way to remove the FOW to fleets. To do that you just need to follow these instructions:


1- Start a campaign with a “minor” faction

2- Click in the "Lists" button and select a fleet.

3- Move the fleet to any localization.

4- Return the fleet to its initial position

5- Take note of the captain’s/ admiral’s name. Save the game and exit.

6- Do exactly the same that erasmus777 wrote in the opening post, but instead of coping the LINE OF SIGHT in [saved game]/CAMPAIGN_SAVE_GAME/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/REGION_MANAGER/REGIONS_ARRAY, you should copy it in [saved game]/CAMPAIGN_SAVE_GAME/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER/LINE_OF_SIGHT

NOTE: To find which “CHARACTER_ARRAY” corresponds to the fleet that you had selected, you can find the name of the character (admiral or captain) in [saved game]/CAMPAIGN_SAVE_GAME/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/ WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER/CHARACTER_DETAILS/CAMPAIGN_LOCALISATION

Then you should paste the LINE_OF_SIGHT in startpos.esf/CAMPAIGN_STARTPOS/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER, and remove the old LINE_OF_SIGHT

Once again, to find the correct CHARACTER_ARRAY you should search for the name of the admiral or captain that is written in startpos.esf/CAMPAIGN_STARTPOS/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/ WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER/CHARACTER_DETAILS/CAMPAIGN_LOCALISATION.

Here is the result:

P.S. For sorry if my tutorial is not enlightening. If you have any question, just ask

[erasmus777]

Congratulations, erasmus777 !!! Excellent tutorial !

BTW, I found a way to remove the FOW to fleets. To do that you just need to follow these instructions:


1- Start a campaign with a “minor” faction

2- Click in the "Lists" button and select a fleet.

3- Move the fleet to any localization.

4- Return the fleet to its initial position

5- Take note of the captain’s/ admiral’s name. Save the game and exit.

6- Do exactly the same that erasmus777 wrote in the opening post, but instead of coping the LINE OF SIGHT in [saved game]/CAMPAIGN_SAVE_GAME/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/REGION_MANAGER/REGIONS_ARRAY, you should copy it in [saved game]/CAMPAIGN_SAVE_GAME/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER/LINE_OF_SIGHT

NOTE: To find which “CHARACTER_ARRAY” corresponds to the fleet that you had selected, you can find the name of the character (admiral or captain) in [saved game]/CAMPAIGN_SAVE_GAME/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/ WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER/CHARACTER_DETAILS/CAMPAIGN_LOCALISATION

Then you should paste the LINE_OF_SIGHT in startpos.esf/CAMPAIGN_STARTPOS/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER, and remove the old LINE_OF_SIGHT

Once again, to find the correct CHARACTER_ARRAY you should search for the name of the admiral or captain that is written in startpos.esf/CAMPAIGN_STARTPOS/CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/ WORLD/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION_ARRAY/FACTION/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER_ARRAY/CHARACTER/CHARACTER_DETAILS/CAMPAIGN_LOCALISATION.

Here is the result:

P.S. For sorry if my tutorial is not enlightening. If you have any question, just ask

Excellent addition! Thanks for posting that.

[Lazy Knight]

I removed the FOW for all regions, the file can be found here, don't mind the scripting.lua

[erasmus777]

i am just glad not many minors have fleets... Only Portugal, Mughals, and maybe Persia? Italians?

BTW: I removed the FOW for all regions, the file can be found here, don't mind the scripting.lua

The Danes also start with a small fleet.

Is that startpos for Imperial Splendor or can anyone use it? Also, do you mean that you removed FOW completely or that you removed the FOW that shrouds owned regions when playing a minor faction (e.g. the FOW covering Norway in the OP)? If it does the latter, do you mind if I offer a download in the OP?

[Irmo]

He has disabled FOW like you have - only if you own the region. I have already put this into my startpos .

This may be obvious, but the easiest way to get it into your startpos.esf from his (if you have changed other things in your startpos such as victory conditions) is to delete the whole region manager, and copy in the one from his startpos. Its very helpful!

It may also be quite helpful to post a startpos with no FOW and all minor factions unplayable in the Released Mod forums.

[Lazy Knight]

yep, i edited it like you did, It is the IS version but that does not mean much with this file. The other changes included are victory Conditions and extra money for the mughals, nothing harmful.

and if you please link my post in the OP, not the file, I will edit it accordingly.
Edit: Just link the file, just make sure to give some credit.

[koras321]

you can export CAMPAIGN_ENV/CAMPAIGN_MODEL/WORLD/REGION_MANAGER node to new esf file
and publish it for another moders

[Lazy Knight]

i would like to ask for some reference though when publishing my work in your mods...

[cherryfunk]

Excellent work guys! This was such an annoying little bug...

[Cursisanafou]

this would majorly kick ass if we could do it for the late GC modification to the startpos...

i think i could do a quick script to give all territory to say the US, make a save game... and copy all the LOS info over...

that would make the mod really useful...


edit: too bad it's not as simple as doing a script to give faction handover to the US... it's missing something...

[Cursisanafou]

ok so i did it for the late GC modified startpos.

so i will upload the region array that you can copy into your regions...

if there are any problems let me know.

edit: i thought since lazy knight accidently forgot the pirates islands as well as corsica, i thought i might as well upload the normal startpos region arrays in an esf that you can copy into your own startpos.esf.


btw the reason i did this is cause my upload speed is really bad, and to upload an entire ESF would take me forever...


edit2: Btw, the first file is named ambitiously... it's not the whole startpos.esf for the late GC, it's just the region array that you can copy with the latest esf editor into your own late GC modified startpos.