New to Emperor modding, a few questions

[alexholker]

I apologise if either of these questions have been asked before, but I haven't found them when searching.

1. Is it true that you cannot add another house without removing an original house? The main reason I ask is in order to make an observer 'house' with an unarmed air drone or something similar, to watch the battle.

2. Is there a maximum number of buildings/units/weapons that can be available? If so, how many?

Alex

[Apollyon]

1. Yes, currently this is the case.

2. There is a maximum number of declarable objects in the rules.txt, the exact number resides between 10 and 25 and varies depending on what objects you declare.

[JulesG]

One way to increase the number of extra units that you can add is to utilise the many bullets and turrets that are already defined by the system and then not used.

Bullet examples are Law_B, Saw_B, Death_B, ConceptualBullet, StraightBomb, Beam_B, Strike_B, TLTurret_B (to name a few).

Turret examples are SpotlightGun, SpotlightBase, SurfaceWormGun, TLTurretBase, TLTurretGun.

It is then possible to "steal" extra turrets if you for example set the turret for the Ixian SuperGun as the Guild SuperGun (exactly same capabilities, just a slightly different bullet trail). You can do the same for the IX projector turrets if you set it to use the ATAPC Gun. Another example is that the hand gun of ORMortar and ATKindjal can be set to HKEngineerGun and the ATTrikeGun is exactly the same as the ORDustGun. Remember that when you then use the freed up turrets that you dont change their names.

If you run out of new unit definitions then another option is to replace units. If you wish to keep campaign mode working then the following models: InFrBiker, StuntFrigate, TLFlyer, GuScavenger, InYakhauder, GuWormCatcher, IMTank, IMAPC can be redefined in Rules and Artini. For infantry there are CubScout, ATMilitia, TLScientist, IXScientist and GuAdvisor models in the rules file that can be redefined. As long as the units still exist (and the written order of the rules file and artini are not disturbed) then campaign mode will still work, though obviously you may get some strange units appear in the middle of a campaign mission!

[Apollyon]

Messing with those you mentioned will mess up the campaign game, which is often undesirable.

[Inoculator9]

Yeah, my Adding Units Tutorial has a list of things you can safely remove though.

[JulesG]

::)

I think you misunderstood me, where I talk about specific units, I did not mean replace as in delete, I meant replace as in alter the rules attributes. For example the [inFrBiker] appears in the Atreides Mission 2 where you meet a Sardaukar convoy that must be protected from (in my most recent test - Ordos). 2 InFrBikers appear zoom across the landscape and dissappear. If you retain the Rules unit name [inFrBiker] but completely redefine the unit description (to say tank using a rocket turret) and then redefine the artini (say use the HKAssaulttank xbf, plus give it build icons) again keeping the same artini unit name [inFrBiker], then the mission has two new tanks that move across the mission, while allowing you to build them in that and other missions and/or skirmish.

Another example: the unit InYakHauder sits in the middle area of the first Harkonnen campaign, if you then alter the unit attributes to say a Fremen Quad(but keep the Rules/Artini unit name [inYakHauder]), you will find that the AI treats it as such (ie it becomes a stationary combatant as the Harkonnen go on the attack, this is because at this stage of the mission, the Fremen are not neutral to Harkonnen, but hostile). It thus changes the mission (very slightly in this case) without breaking it.

However I agree with you that if you delete these models from the rules file so that you have more space for new units then campaign play will fail whenever those now deleted models are called. In addition the AI will begin to miscount the unit list which results in it often losing Duke Achillus in the Atreides first Homeworld mission. (I have found Duke Achillus is a good test of how campaign friendly your mod is, any wrong changes and he disappears from the mission without a trace.)

[alexholker]

Thanks for your replies everyone :P It is unfortunate that the house limit applies, but the other information should be useful.

Alex

[Apollyon]

No, JulesG, I did not misunderstand you at all. What if, after reading your post, a new modder edited the said INFRBiker into a building, expecting this to be acceptable in campaign? Surely that might result in a little fucked upness? The same is applicable if you, say, edited the incidental unit into a flying one, or into a wormrider = true unit or many other variables that might result in said fucked upness.

[JulesG]

:O I see your point.

By the way have you experienced any issues when a ground unit is modified to become an aircraft or vice versa in campaigns?

I ask because my Imperial Civil War mod uses a number of incidental aircraft (like TLFlyer, GuScavenger) now defined as Devestators, Hover tanks etc. In testing I have not experienced any problems todate, nor when a ground unit is redefined as an aircraft (eg the StuntATADVCarryall) but that doesnt mean anything with EBFD...

[Inoculator9]

No trouble at all. I've replaced the Guild NIAP Flyer with the Guild NIAP Tank, essentially the same unit, but it becomes a ground unit. So... no problems :)

[Apollyon]

It all depends what kind of air unit and what kind of model are used. Some types work with some models (say Ornithopter = true with the chemical trooper) whereas others make the game crash. You can make an air unit into a ground unit but with some models it results in the model disappearing through the ground etc.