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Thread: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

  1. #61
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    You can access info by right clicking a empty space and choosing 'display settings'. Here you get the 'scale and layout' section which will tell you what percentage of scaling you have and your default resolution.
    This is where you could try a lower resolution if you have a very high one.
    The app scaling should be 100%










  2. #62
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,


    My normal app size is 225%
    And normal resolution is the recommended 3840x2160


    These are the settings I am using for RTW and my mod on it.
    And work for RTW if I use checked 'disable full screen optimization'.


    If I set at 100%, everything shrinks even further.
    Although Geomod stays at its scrunched up text version.


    Anarchon

  3. #63
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Damn, I was hoping that would address the text issue. That's pretty much the end of my tech expertise where this is concerned.










  4. #64
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,


    I seem to have succeeded.
    The settings to do this were...


    Scale and Layout
    100%
    Res 1680x1050


    Compatibility Tab
    No changes of any kind!!!


    It makes having a hi-res monitor and system kind of redundant and pointless.
    But am not too bothered about that


    Anarchon

  5. #65
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Sadly (or rather understandably) there are always apps that simply refuse the best efforts of programmers to be elevated to new tech levels. That said: running the tool in compatibilities' '640*480 resolution' setting would have helped if it wasn't too small for the tool in the first place.

    Nearly all of the python based tools here fall into that category: they won't run on versions beyond 2.6.6 - write down this link if you intend to use tools that are based on it like GOAT or the simple string.bin converter:
    Make sure you have a Python version less then 2.7 installed, else install from the applicable download link
    Windows x86 MSI Installer (2.6.6) - for 32 bit operating system
    Windows X86-64 MSI Installer (2.6.6) - for 64 bit operating system
    Java is a similar animal (1.8 changed vital stuff) but the cases are rare.










  6. #66
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,


    Thx for that advice.


    Some items.


    It says Octavius for Geomod but Gigantus for bare-geomod.
    I guess I owe both of you thanks.


    I have successfully ported my mega-maps into Geomod.


    Are 'Wonders' available in M2TW.
    No big deal if not.


    Please excuse my ignorance on this issue but I have never worked with scripts, spawns, bins or princesses.
    Rather than sacrifice a faction to labels, could they not be provided by 'slave' faction princesses?


    Anarchon

  7. #67
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Octavius is the original author of the tool - I have worked with him at the time in matters of explaining interactions of map files. I did author the manual for it and expanded my original Bare Kingdoms set up to make it tool compatible.

    Labeling is most effective when the faction is frozen to stop the characters from moving around - using movement restrictions via a custom trait has been unsatisfactory but can be used as a last resort.

    Wonders are not available but can be simulated with trading resources, see RotK examples (click on picture for full view):

    ......
    Last edited by Gigantus; April 15, 2021 at 04:37 AM.










  8. #68
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Yet again Thanks for all this info.


    Dare I ask what was unsatisfactory about freezing live character movement?


    To rename factions, I use the expanded.txt file correct?


    Anarchon

  9. #69
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,
    Geomod-bare seems to have only 22 factions.
    17 playable, 5 unplayable.
    How do I get the other 8 or 9 factions?
    Anarchon

  10. #70
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Unsatisfactory - the traits were not able to completely eliminate movements. There was also a chance of interaction as the faction wasn't frozen.

    Rename factions - correct, that's expanded.txt, see the tutorial link below for more details.

    Additional factions (up to a grand total of 31) have to be added manually as described in my tutorial, the tool is not able to do that.










  11. #71
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,


    I would like to have the maximum number of factions.
    Is it correct I can have 30 plus an unplayable slave faction?
    But this means using the Papal Faction as a normal faction.
    And if I do this I cannot use a faction for assigning labels.
    (unless I accept hazards of using slave princesses for this).


    Can I use your 'Adding a New Faction' tool for assigning new 'in-code-curly brackets' names to all factions?
    I eould like to have them Faction01 thru Faction31.
    With slave as Faction01.


    Anarchon

  12. #72
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    31 factions - thats the max number and includes the slave faction

    Changing data names of factions - (entries in curly brackets are referred to as data names). That can be done using the details provided in my tutorial. I would however suggest to leave the slave faction to be the last faction listed in descr_sm_factions, regardless of name. One of the reasons is that a lot of scripts use that position to execute scripts (commands executed at the end of the slave faction also happen directly before the player's turn). As the slave faction is at war with everyone it would also put it at a disadvantage, having to do their moves before anyone else.

    Do note that you will also have to change entries in EDU, EDB and any script you have that references factions. There are also faction references in the trait and ancillary triggers.
    Last edited by Gigantus; April 15, 2021 at 10:20 PM.










  13. #73
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Ok Gigantus,


    Thx for that advice.
    I was gonna put Slaves first cos I think I misunderstood something.
    In your 'Creating a World-Named Forts' you say...
    'the Aztecs have to be placed into the ‘unplayable’ section on top as well as in the faction section a bit further down'
    I took this to mean that the label faction must be the first one.
    And I was possibly going to use Slave princesses for labels.


    But I think I have misunderstood.
    The label faction does not have to be first, correct?


    Anarchon

  14. #74
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    No, it doesn't have to be first. I am trying to recall why I insisted on the placement, but I think it was simply to avoid having it placed below the slave faction. But in the end the descr_strat sequence really doesn't matter, the factions get processed as per the sequence in descr_sm_factions during game play. The Geomod tool will actually sort the factions in descr_strat accordingly into the playable and non-playable sections.










  15. #75
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,


    Sorry need to ask for help again.
    What are strings.bin?
    I have never worked with them in my RTW modding.
    Is there a lesson/tutorial somewhere?


    Anarchon

  16. #76
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    String.Bin files are the files that are in the data\text forum which the game reads from. They are generated from their counterpart TXT files. To get the TXT version you can work with the BinEditor (see small manual in link) directly, (the Geomod tool works directly with the String.Bin files) or convert them back to TXT with the provided python converter (see quote below) to work on them manually.
    Make sure you have a Python version less then 2.7 installed, else install from the applicable download link
    Windows x86 MSI Installer (2.6.6) - for 32 bit operating system
    Windows X86-64 MSI Installer (2.6.6) - for 64 bit operating system










  17. #77
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,


    Have hit a problem.
    I want to edit a file outside Geomod and import it.


    I have 'imperial_campaign_region_and_settlement_names.txt'
    everything perfect from my RTW mod.


    I copy it to the new mod files.
    I make sure format and layout are identical.
    I run _convert_all.bat


    When I run Geomod I get the message
    'The region Area001A is not associated with any entry in the
    data/text/imperial_campaign_regions_and_settlement_names.txt.strings.bin file!
    The program will exit now.


    Furthermore, checking then reveals that my new loc names have all been overwritten
    by the default names in the txt file.


    Any idea how to overcome this.


    It will be really tough to have to type out everything from scratch within Geomod.


    Anarchon

  18. #78
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Thx.
    I have that Python.
    I need a way to get my text files converted to string.bin files
    and remembered by Geomod

  19. #79
    Gigantus's Avatar I am not special - I am a limited edition.
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Two ways to convert TXT to STRING.BIN:
    1. run the mod with the changed TXT file up to campaign map (not all files convert already at mod splash screen) and exit
    2. Use the BinEditor - first 'import' the TXT file then 'Save' it as STRING.BIN

    Note: changes in shared, battle, strat and tooltips TXT files cannot be converted with the BinEditor










  20. #80
    Anarchon's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Have Steam dumbed down the Alexander exe file?

    Hi Gigantus,


    More but different problems.


    Converted to string.bin with bin editor no problem.
    (btw therefore what is the purpose of convert-all bat?)


    My problem is Geomod shows it is loading up but on completing loading crashes.
    ie the window does not appear
    During loading it says it found a problem with descr_regions but debugged it.


    I have edited d_regions to have default factions, religions all 100% heretic, no resources and my rebel groups.
    and all matching colours to maps and sensible vp and agric values.


    Anarchon

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