Middle-Earth Campain Map project

[Balbor]

Since M2TW was announced the Forth Age: total war team has always stated it will not be converting to the new engine unless it is a single mod project with the combined efforts of the other tolkien inspired mod teams. This is simply because of the amount of time and work needed to make a total conversion. There was also the issue of not being able to get custom models in-game, but with the release of grumpyoldmans mesh to ms3d and cas to mesh converters this obstacle has been removed, but even the task of getting the models in game is a huge task (i’ve been told converting the models is the easy part).

When playing through the BigMap mod for M2TW i found I was over 100 turns into the campaign and I’d only had 3 battle map battles (ie i didn’t auto resolve). I realised that the campaign map of Middle-earth would work perfectly well even without custom models for the battle map. I decided to have a go at adding new provinces to the BigMap, about 10 in total without problems.

What is the Middle-Earth Campaign Map project?

It’s essentially replacing the European campaign map of M2TW with the Middle-Earth map. I’ve used our full FA:TW campaign map as a starting point, slightly increasing the size to match the same scale as bigmap (its now 300x230 pixels) and reduced the regions down to a bare minimum (effectively Gondor, Rohan, Dunland, Harad, Kland, Rhun, Mordor etc.).

For starters I’ll only be using 1 faction (probably England) on the campaign map, plus rebels. Later I’ll add more regions and all the other factions from M2TW in areas where ME factions will go. However i’ve never done a campaign map before, and have no idea about any problems I may encounter so I’m looking for members of the mod community which experience in this area.

Aim of Middle-Earth Campaign Map project?

I want to create a blank canvas for any potential Middle-Earth project for M2TW.
Once the map is finished, and it is possible to play a M2TW campaign on it with vanilla factions, changing the cosmetic side of them should be as easy as doing it in RTW (M2TW campaign map models still uses .cas files). Eventually the entire mod should play through as a Middle-Earth based mod except for the units and the battle map stuff.

The project will be totally open for anyone to contribute to (more like fix) and use. I would really like to bring on board some of the current modding community members with experience in creating campaign based mods to help me get any problems solved.

Extra Info:

Middle Earth faction representation in M2TW
Here is a list of the Tolkien factions and the M2TW faction i will use to represent them.

Rohan Poland Strong Cavalry, weaker Infantry
Gondor Venice Excellent infantry and militia, Pour Cavalry
Dol Amroth France Strong Heavy Cavalry
Arnour Milan Pour Cavalry, good infantry
White Council Papal States Act as ruler of the men of the West
Elves England (maybe Papal states) Longbows (but under direct control of Papal stats is better)
Dwarves Denmark Strong Infantry
Dales Sicily Good Infantry swordsmen/archer, Pour Cavalry
Rhovanion Hungery Strong Cavalry, weaker Infantry

Dunland Scotland Pike Units and Pour Cavalry
Harad Egypt Light infantry and cavalry
Southrons Moors Light Cavalry and Spearmen
Easterlings of Rhun Russia Suits the regional similarities
Mordor Turks Powerful infantry
Orcs Aztec Infantry with no upgrading abilities
Variags of Kland Mongols Strong missile cavalry

[Lusted]

Good luck with this Balbor, be interesting to see a Middle-earth map for M2TW, as the buildings fit the time period a lot better than the RTW ones. Are you going to be doing any LOTR based unit models?

[Balbor]

once i have the campain map running vanilla stuff I leave it up to those that can mod that side of M2TW better than I can. I don't know what problems i will run into, especially conserning map co-ordinates and region/settlement names. So far i've been working on the regions, land types and features maps, i'll try and get them running in game once i've changed the start file). If it works and runs, i'll added the rest.

I've already got about 150 different unit models done but i don't know how to convert them and get them in game. Also this is an open project that should kickstart the rest of the middle-earth mods for RTW to work on a single project.

[Lusted]

I've already got about 150 different unit models done but i don't know how to convert them and get them in game.

GOM did a .cas to .mesh converter i believe, so you could convert your old .cas files into .mesh ones, then you just add them into the game like any other new unit.

[MasterOfNone]

It certainly is a wise thing to create one map that ALL Middle-earth mods can use (in whole or part) so as to avoid the huge waste of time all working to produce the same thing. Though one hopes that Middle-earth modders will work together and not try to produce similar campaigns that will be years in the making.

And Balbor - it's Middle-earth!

[WImPyTjeH]

Middle-earth!

Watch out for this guy - he get angry when someone types Middle Earth or Middle-Earth

Anyway - with FATW's map, it should work - best of luck Balbor :wink:

PS: feel free to PM me if you have a problem with the map

W

[Balbor]

GOM did a .cas to .mesh converter i believe, so you could convert your old .cas files into .mesh ones, then you just add them into the game like any other new unit.

I don't have my milkshape registration code, i did buy one over 4 years ago but have long since lost it.

Also my main consern is the campain map ATM

[WImPyTjeH]

I don't have my milkshape registration code, i did buy one over 4 years ago but have long since lost it.

Also my main consern is the campain map ATM

Well, if you have all the camp map files you need, I can help you set it up if you want (coding too)

W

[Balbor]

I have a few questions for those with experience making custom maps.

Question 1: I know the game will crash if the area of a region is too large, does anyone know what that size is? My regions map have about 15 largish country sized ones (ie. Gondor is one big region atm)

Question 2: If i remove all the current regions, what problems might/will i get?

Question 3: I plan on removing all the events to help out with question 2, could this cause any problems.

[WImPyTjeH]

Question 1: I know the game will crash if the area of a region is too large, does anyone know what that size is? My regions map have about 15 largish country sized ones (ie. Gondor is one big region atm)

510-510 for small maps (like map_regions) so 1021-1021 for big maps (like map_heights) and REMEMBER: 1020-1020 for map_roughness

Question 2: If i remove all the current regions, what problems might/will i get?

This is still in research. In RTW, some said that the game would crash if there weren't enough regions for the size of the map (claimed to be fixed in BI). But Alpaca's minimal map (which I advice you to download - very handy) probably prooves that this is fixed in M2TW

Question 3: I plan on removing all the events to help out with question 2, could this cause any problems.

Not at all - it will only make it better (scripts and event sometimes cause CTD for even a typo)

W

[Balbor]

i though the big maps was x2 the size of the small maps, or is it x2+1

For Question 2, i mean the names for regions, for example then the game uses another file to look for a region?

[WImPyTjeH]

i though the big maps was x2 the size of the small maps, or is it x2+1

x2 + 1. map_roughness is the only exception (x2) but that files is irrelevant for the design of the campaign map.

For Question 2, i mean the names for regions, for example then the game uses another file to look for a region?

I still don't understand your question

W

[Balbor]

i mean will any files be looking for london or milan settlements, and casue the game to crash becasue those regions no longer exist (maybe triggered by events)

[WImPyTjeH]

i mean will any files be looking for london or milan settlements, and casue the game to crash becasue those regions no longer exist (maybe triggered by events)

Ah yes, no not at all, of course. But you do have to know some mapping basics in order to do this faultless

I suggest you read Myrdraal's tutorial (which he posted on the Org)

But I also suggest you start with as little as regions possible and everything alpha or dummy (ie. no recourses, few buildings and units,...)

W

[Ciaran S]

Why only the southern part of the map?
For a blank canvas (to be used by ME-themed mods, I presume), the northern parts would be just as interesting.

[Balbor]

southern? are you thinking of the current map used in the FA:TW provincial campains which is just harad to rohan? The map i'm working on is our main campain map one (scaled up by maybe 10%) which i have extended south and east a little bit, I may even extend them north a bit to expose for of the northern waists.

[Burns]

I've done some work on a map for M2, but my intention was to throw all of M2s factions on the board and let them fight it out.

[WImPyTjeH]

I've done some work on a map for M2, but my intention was to throw all of M2s factions on the board and let them fight it out.

Ah yes, I've seen this one a couple of times before. It's no doubt one of the most detailed map of ME :wink:

But the southern part seems to be a bit useless IMO

W

[Ciaran S]

southern? are you thinking of the current map used in the FA:TW provincial campains which is just harad to rohan? The map i'm working on is our main campain map one (scaled up by maybe 10%) which i have extended south and east a little bit, I may even extend them north a bit to expose for of the northern waists.

Oh, sorry, I thought you were referring to the currently released Forth Eorlingas map, I didn´t notice you´re a development member of FATW. My mistake (note to self: read signatures thoroughly, occasionally they do contain valuable information).

[Tittils]

I really like your idea Balbor!
I would like to help out with this mod as soon as I've got my new PC, mid/late-June. How much further south are you going to expand the map?