New Campaigns

[Anaxamenes]

Anyone got any ideas on how to create a new campaign? I tried copying and editing an existing campaign and then saving as something else but no luck. There don't seem to be any other files related to campaigns and the editor doesn't have anything either.

[Kiya]

Ideas for campaigns? :eek: When people can't even get it work properly in order to make a new scenario? :o

I love those user created for CoTN, so I'd be glad if and when there will be new and interesting missions for C4. :)

[Anaxamenes]

I've got it all pretty much figured out (I even figured out how to change the path for trade routes on the empire map). The only part I'm having problems with is creating new maps, not everything, just painting new maps. If the editor didn't crash while I was using that tool I could probably figure that one out too.

So for now I will be using existing maps as my base and changing everything else. A bug free Betriacum should be up this evening. Success should be possible and the wage calculator is working properly now as well. Soon, I will even have another scenario up based on Dyrrhachium in Illyria around 230BC. If I could figure out the campaign stuff I could have one done in a few weeks.

[Bagarius]

copied xml-file in campaign directory, added your scenario's of Betriacum and Dyrrhachium. Got stuck around here:
17604

Apart from the problem that I get an error running your scenario's (other thread) probably because of versions, I get the same result when I start with the Roma scenario (which says 'stand-alone' in the cs-file).
I get a good starting screen when I start with Mediolanum from the Republic campaign. Don't know what will happen though when you get to the next scenario.
As far as I can see it is not in the cs or xml file. Since I haven't done much with the editor, what are all the things you can do in the empire screen? You can give x and y coordinates there, and something with "new scenario".

Anyway, not much of a help. I will try from the editor, but that takes more time to get used to. All suggestions, clues, tips are welcome.

[Bagarius]

So now I have a headache....

I used the Narona-map and saved it (+ textures) as "Someplace". That worked best if I provided for the correct xml-file beforehand. The empire-tab in the editor definitely gets part of its information from the xml-file of the scenario.

I copied a campaign-xml and saved it as somewhere.xml
In the campaign-xml-file you can specify a province and a capital for your scenario, like:
<Scenario index="3" name="Caralis" province="Sardinia" capital="Caralis">
The attribute 'name' corresponds with the filename of the scenario (.scn).
The attributes 'province' and 'capital' correspond with the image (button?) on the campaign-empire-map. And I could not discover where to edit this. So far it looks like you can only use the existing (pre-defined) cities/provinces on the campaign map.

<Scenario index="1" name="Someplace" province="Somewhere" capital="Someplace"> resulted in nothing:
1761317612

<Scenario index="1" name="Someplace" province="Aquitania" capital="Burdigala"> resulted in an empire-map with a predefined city (here Burdigalia, but you can use any existing), but you can actually start your custom scenario that way. The empire-map within the scenario shows your city as you defined it in the editor:
1761117610

I don't have a clue where these data (province + capital) are stored though. But I could not figure out what this screen is, looks like editing provinces:
17614

And why is languagetext.xml full of phrases like:
"Create Campaigns",
"Go to the campaign Editor",
"Add the selected scenario to the campaign",
"A campaign must have at least one scenario,
etc., just search for campaign....

Come on VU/Sierra/TM/whoever. where is the other half of the editor !?!
:mad: :( :mad:

- based on other threads, is there a campaign editor in the demo?
- could it be it is locked, like the scenario's? haven't finished the empire yet...

[Kiya]

Sorry Bagarius, I cannot help it. :o :D (My lame excuse is it's rather late here where I'm right now.)

"Your path to glory begins Somewhere!"

[Bagarius]

Sorry Bagarius, I cannot help it. :o :D (My lame excuse is it's rather late here where I'm right now.)

"Your path to glory begins Somewhere!"
A taoist state of mind can be really helpful under the circumstances the editor gets you in :D

[Anaxamenes]

I have finished the empire campaign and it didn't open up a campaign editor. Good finds though, I will test a few things this week and see what happens.

[Bagarius]

I found the province+capitol names. they are hardcoded in dbProvinceDetails.dat

[Bagarius]

Cross-reference to this post - quoted below - with Will Jennings answer (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showpost.php?p=151507&postcount=10) to creating campaigns
Originally Posted by Anaxamenes
Mr Jennings, I have a question:How do you script a campaign?

I go by Will, please

Bagarius has everything right in this thread. It looks like the thing you'd like to do and can't is customize the names of the locations on the campaign maps. Bagarius is right that this isn't easily editable. With a hex editor, you may be able to edit the existing place names in the dbProvinceDetails file (editing the 2-byte int before it that carries the length of the string), but that would also change the place name for the existing scenario. I'll see if I can track down any additional info about this data format.

In a tag like this:

<Scenario index="1" name="Someplace" province="Aquitania" capital="Burdigala">

the name attribute points to the scenario filename, the province attribute is irrelevant (it refers to an earlier, abandoned version of the campaign map where provincial areas would be selected when you chose a scenario instead of the icon-based system we shipped with), and the capital refers to an entry in dbProvinceDetails (which contains a list of locations and their coordinates on the campaign map).
:(
My ideas for campaigns can go to the scrapheap.
Unless with a patch or add-on the whole 'dbProvinceDetails file'-architecture is made either dynamic, so we can add the cities we want, preferably on a worldmap we want, or the file is stuffed with all the cities we would like to see in it and are able to submit them somewhere before the patch is released.

[Anaxamenes]

Mine too. Oh well.

[MarkDuffy]

If it makes you all feel better, many players tried to make a COTN Campaign but failed.

However, after two years The Grad (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9133) turned up outta nowhere with our very first COTN Campaign download. It has three cities to play.

There is a LOT about C4 that looks like COTN in how the Campaigns play like. Perhaps ripping Grad's Campaign apart can help here?

Never say never. :)

[Anaxamenes]

Thanks for the tip MD. I checked it out and unfortunately there is only one file in the .zip and it reads like the .scn files in C4, unlegable. It was worth a try though.

Heads up y'all, due to some unforseen BS with permiting and inspections I have most of the week off and will be working on a new scenario, an economic map, based on Ostia. As I don't have Photoshop it will probably be on a recycled map (map donations welcome). I'll post it as soon as it's done.

[MarkDuffy]

Thanks for the tip MD. I checked it out and unfortunately there is only one file in the .zip and it reads like the .scn files in C4, unlegable. It was worth a try though.

It is an .ssa file & goes into the COTN Campaign folder, Anazamenes. It includes the three scenarios.

I notice that the C4 Campaign folder has only 3 .xml files, one for each Campaign, & they are tiny, so things are a bit different. They probably vector someplace else in the Scenario folder & elsewhere & unlocking probably enters into the mix.

It is the vectoring you are having trouble with & there has to be a solution.

One thing I DO know, is that clever scenariomakers have come up with amazing things in COTN that not even TM knew about. Our Magician Karter, for example, has triggered appearance of new villagers DURING gameplay that is repeatable. This was thought to be impossible also.

Keep plugging along. We have confidence a solution will occur.

TM did it! ;)

[Anaxamenes]

TM hard coded their campaigns into the game for C4.