Modding Q&A

[Dunenewt]

This thread can be used for people to ask questions about modding so hopefully someone can answer it.

I have a few questions:

1)I have made a building produce units, but when these units are produced they don't move or go anywhere so a queue build up straight away, what going wrong?

2)How do you turn a non-firing model in to a firing one?

3)Why can't you enable the large windtrap?

[Apollyon]

1) You need to set the deploy data to correctly get the units to move. There's a value for X distance, Y distance and then XY movement distance.

2) You need to take data from a firing model and splice it into the non-firing one. It's tricky.

3) Because the LAWindtrap XBF is incomplete.

[Dunenewt]

1)I did that.  It comes out but I can't move it until I group select it with a unit which I already built, and can move.

2)I gathered that lol.  I was wondering what the firing data looks like in the file.

3)Thanks

[Apollyon]

1) Yes that's because there are two lots of data in those numbers. One controls where the unit spawns, the other controls where the unit *then moves to*.

[Dunenewt]

1)I know.

[Apollyon]

What is the unit? And afterwards does it move if you select it on its own?

[Dunenewt]

A Sand Bike. And yes.

[Apollyon]

Sounds like you've messed up the XBF data - either the size or movement parts. What building does it come out of?

[Dunenewt]

Umm, I don't want to give too much of my mod away.  I'll IM you it although I must say the XBF is unedited.

[JulesG]

You may have defined the "move to" point on top/next to a section of defined building and the trike is thus slightly stuck. Try setting the "move to" as 0, 0 which is right at the front of the defined building away from any "bbbb" and "dddd" codings. If there are not any in the defined layout add some "sssss" at the front of the definition as these allow vehicle/unit movement as it stands for skirt.

[JulesG]

Re: Large windtrap

App means that the Building Upgrade of the xbf is not there so you cannot upgrade an existing built standard into a large.

You can though build all three advanced windtraps, (the existing Ix windtrap is an example of the large windtrap model). If you want to use it as a large then choose the model, take a copy of an existing windtrap from rules (with the small windtrap definition), copy this to a passive existing incidental building model in the rules file(say ATBranCastle) and then just increase the power output (PowerGenerated = ???). This will allow you build two types of windtrap - a lower cost standard and a higher cost higher rated unit. The rules thinks they are the same a small windtrap but will correctly supply the right level of power output.

By the way you can also build the smelters if you wish, again just choose a passive building, but it should not be assigned any specific building definition Factory = True etc). They look quite flashy, I am still trying to decide which Harkonnen (now Corrino) homeworld building to replace with a smelter.

[Dunenewt]

What do smelters do?

[Apollyon]

Smelt.

;D

[Dunenewt]

And that means...lol :D

[erjin999]

it's melt, ennit ?

Thats like melting/molding metal...or am I completely utterly wrong ?

[JulesG]

;D

Nothing - but it looks fancy (doors opening, lava bubbling etc.)

It was to be used with the Scavengers (Modified AdvCarryall) that were to find destroyed tanks and melt them to allow you to build new tanks. This was to be used on non-spice worlds, instead they went for the simple idea of giving you funds every x minutes instead (and disabling refineries).

The smelters ended up not used and the scavengers became the GuScavenger campaign passive unit that doesnt work (it can grab units but not lift them!).

[Timenn]

Pretty neat idea actually. Too bad they left that one out. Although it may had been a little too complex, because Emperor is still one of the games with a simplicity in resource collection.

Or were there supposed to be resource fields on the map with these "resources"?

[Dunenewt]

If only the game had been properly completed.

[nemafakei]

Interesting. I had always assumed the smelters did something like that building in RA2 - increased the value of resources as they enter the refinery.

[JulesG]

Nema,

You may be right, I cant remember where I read about the use of smelters and scavengers in EBFD.

Jules

[Dunenewt]

Both ideas sound good though.