segra Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Why? Cause the original infantry is good-for-nothing scum. those units are simply USELESS: slow, weak, almost-no-damage.... why bother turning them into a "superweapon"? cause they are free?lol good point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Do you think it is possible to make the palace-spawned Fremen Troopers to have special Fremen sidebar icons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
segra Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 not without a lot of messing about, the sidebar icon is chosen from the hardcoded unit data directly when needed, its never copied elsewhere. youd need to create a special fremen troop in the hardcoded area (which would need alot of mods elsewhere) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyerguds Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Or an exception in the code that shows the display icon. Of the kind "if unit = trooper and house = fremen then show this icon" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Does anyone know if the special Fremen icons are implemented in the Amiga version? They are there in the Sega version, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
segra Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Does anyone know if the special Fremen icons are implemented in the Amiga version? They are there in the Sega version, that's for sure.if you'd like to find out, heres some Amiga save gamesAtreides lvl4 - 8 and Harkonnen 2-5http://www.mediafire.com/?mkm2khjojjlOr an exception in the code that shows the display icon. Of the kind "if unit = trooper and house = fremen then show this icon"we need to find someone who understands how these "overlays" work, so we can use a codecave, there just isnt enough space in the areas we need otherwise :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyerguds Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 you freed up some space by changing that map choices thing into a loop... if you just make that function jump over the nop-space there you can use the space in between for other code, no?Or does the 16-bit thing make it hard to do far jumps to free space like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
segra Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 the segments which contain the code change everytime you load the game, so im not entirely sure about jumping into them... some of the game functions use int3 to jump into them (some type of protection i assume)dos overlays ida calls it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daelin Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Hmm.... I have a curiosity myself. Is there any way to detect the "thing" that makes rocket turrets and turrets actually attack? :) I'm asking this because I had in mind for MrFlibble's project a "sonic turret" (transforming either the WOR or the Barracks in it).Also, is there any way to "add" new graphics to the game (not modifying already existant ones)?-Daelin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyerguds Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Depends what kind of graphics you mean. Units and buildings are a completely different issue.It should be perfectly possible to add new building graphics with the info we got right now (there are already more than 256 frames in the ICON.ICN, so the limit must be at least 2 bytes), but I don't really see the use, besides to make a building bigger than it was before.I'm not sure if the current editor has support for adding frames though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted September 12, 2009 Author Share Posted September 12, 2009 Daelin, the respective editor is mentioned in the Dune 2 Modding Tools List It allows to add more frames, however, as I have understood, there is a separate data type that defines how the frames are grouped into sequences. I haven't figured out if the editor supports modification or addition of such sequences.Hmm.... I have a curiosity myself. Is there any way to detect the "thing" that makes rocket turrets and turrets actually attack? :)First, there's the data in BUILD.EMC, it defines turret behavior, yet there has to be a separate part in the EXE that is responsible for the projectile type fired by a turret. Even if this data is found, there's no telling whether it could be modified to add support for a new turret type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
segra Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 First, there's the data in BUILD.EMC, it defines turret behavior, yet there has to be a separate part in the EXE that is responsible for the projectile type fired by a turret. Even if this data is found, there's no telling whether it could be modified to add support for a new turret type.The code your looking for is in the script function 'BuildingShootTarget', which (the juicy part) begins herewhere it tests if its a rocket turretseg007:1255 26 80 7F 02 10           cmp   es:[bx+_buildingGame.TypeIndex], 10h ; rocket turretseg007:125A 75 26               jnz   short loc_18A32seg007:125C BE 14 00              mov   si, 14h      << UNIT: ROCKETHowever, it does a distance test just below and if its less than 0x300 (not sure what this measurement is)seg007:127D BE 17 00              mov   si, 17h      << UNIT: Bulletand if its not a rocket turret, it always uses a bulletseg007:1282 BE 17 00              mov   si, 17htheres another check below, with something to do with the rate of fire based on which weapon it is... apart from that tho, should be right to modify those values Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daelin Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 The measurement thingy is similar to the troopers "double weapon". Damn, this makes things VERY difficult to actually add a new type of turret. :--Daelin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyerguds Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 OK, I think I've identified 'em all:[pre]34 3C F0 32 C8 00 55 00 02 00 90 00 58 02 0A 00       |   |   |   |   |   |     Weakness LF  Decay Color Rechrg Frigate48 00 01 00 06 00 03 00 18 00 3E 3C F0 32 |   |   |   |   | |  Special Win  Lose  MentatVoice[/pre]What exactly is that "Voice" thing used for? Is that only for the intro voice, or for many voices, or also for non-voice related things? In my editor it currently says "House letter", but I might be able to give a more fitting description, like "Voice prefix letter"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 In my editor it currently says "House letter", but I might be able to give a more fitting description, like "Voice prefix letter"...Yes, I think this one is more appropriate, since it defines what "Mentat speech" files to use. It does not affect anything else, e.g. it is not related to what key to press to pick a House on the side selection screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyerguds Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Right, it's changed in the latest version. Thanks for the explanation :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 I wonder if it is possible to make the AI take into account obstacles like units or structures when rebuilding its base in v1.07. The current state of affairs complicates the tactics of capturing enemy buildings, since the AI can very well build its own structures directly over the captured ones.Also, I once observed the AI "capture" its own Barracks: an AI-controlled infantry soldier stepped into a cell previously occupied by AI's Barracks, and milliseconds after the rebuilt Barracks popped out of the ground over that soldier. After that, the game just froze - I guess it perceived the entire event as some kind of illegal operation. Be it that rare, such possibilities should be also taken into account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyerguds Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 I think that's already pretty complicated programming... I doubt it can be done with hacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 I just thought that the AI in v1.07 is "encouraged" to rebuild by removing all restrictions (e.g. if the restrictions were present, the AI would not have been able to rebuild if the building site's "link" to other AI's buildings via concrete blocks were severed). If that were the case, perhaps it would be possible to bring back some of the restrictions for the AI while keeping others turned off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I wonder if it is possible to make the AI take into account obstacles like units or structures when rebuilding its base in v1.07. The current state of affairs complicates the tactics of capturing enemy buildings, since the AI can very well build its own structures directly over the captured ones.What? I've never ever seen this happen, neither in my US 1.07 or the HitSquad version - I always capture enemy structures to prevent them from rebuilding. May have to test this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 If you capture an enemy building, the AI's rebuilt one might not be visible, but sometimes when you click on your building, it will transform into the enemy one. The worst thing is that when you destroy that enemy structure, yours gets destroyed too :(~~~~Q3. How do I stop the computer from rebuilding the rocket turrets that Ijust destroyed ?~~~~A3. First destroy enough space on the same rock section as the enemy tobuild a Construction Yard. Â Then use that yard to place concrete up tothe enemy turret, and use your vehicles to destroy the turret. Â As soon asit is destroyed, build a turret of your own and place it in the exact samesquare as the enemy one was. Â The computer never seems to have anyoriginality to build the turret elsewhere. Â This is also useful as theturret immediately targets enemy units as they are produced. Â The problemwith this method is the fact that sometimes the turret will change sidesand become the computer's. Â Beware of this :-((source)The turret in this case does not actually "change sides": the AI simply rebuilds the captured turret, causing two turrets occupy the same place. In this condition, the turret that is "on top" is active, the other one is ignored for the time being. By clicking this "stack" of structures, you can change the one that is currently "on top". I've observed such behavior with other structures as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted October 4, 2009 Author Share Posted October 4, 2009 I thought this discussion would be more relevant here:On a related note, someone should REALLY make some Dune II exes (for all 1.07 versions) with ALL these things fixed... announcements, merc deviation, the vanishing houses and concrete bugs, the new sides mentats (or can't that be done? I just mean makling the correctly-working duplicates)... just, all updates we got, even if they're normally not used.Just wanna ask, what's the reason for making those EXEs? If you want to use those fixes to play normal Dune II, only the Mercenary announcements and the "vanishing house" fix will suffice. It's not possibly, unfortunately, to make the EXE universal in the way it will allow to normally play both the original sides and the new sides, as in SD2. Making the new sides playable will require to abandon some things: the BG female from the intro will have to be converted to IBM.PAL to avoid palette screw-ups, and the House voice-overs at the House selection screen will have to be replaced by the House names from the in-game announcements (otherwise the in-game announcements for the Mercenaries will not work or work incorrectly), among other things. To sum up, it is more reasonable to have a separate EXE for the new sides.What did you mean by "merc deviation"? If that's the ability to convert units to the Mercenary side with the use of Deviators, it has not been fixed, as I'm not sure how to do that. segra posted some code references, but I haven't tried them:I'm not sure so sure this can be fixed, i have located a variable in the unit struct which when set will cause the unit to become ordos... i think this variable is set to the owner of the deviator unit, but in multiple places, you see thisseg006:0B2A C4 5E DE             les  bx, [bp+unitGamePtr]seg006:0B2D 26 80 7F 59 00          cmp  es:[bx+_unitGame.HouseTemp], 0seg006:0B32 74 05              jz   short loc_16909seg006:0B34 B8 02 00             mov  ax, 2one function in particular, which is named "UnitHouseIDGet"seg031:363A         loc_2B99A:               ; CODE XREF: unitGameHouseIDGet+9jseg031:363A C4 5E 06             les  bx, [bp+unitGamePtr]seg031:363D 26 80 7F 59 00          cmp  es:[bx+_unitGame.HouseTemp], 0seg031:3642 74 05              jz   short returnHouseIDseg031:3644 B8 02 00             mov  ax, 2     ; Ordosseg031:3647 EB EF              jmp  short Done_1The top one, when changing it.. will affect the units color on the field.. wonder why they did it this way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
segra Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 not sure what type of fix you could pull off, but if u search the ida db for the "housetemp" variable, most locations will have the ordos houseid somewhere nearby (2).the housetemp variable is actually the countdown timer until unit is returned to original house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyerguds Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 What did you mean by "merc deviation"? If that's the ability to convert units to the Mercenary side with the use of Deviators, it has not been fixed, as I'm not sure how to do that.Um, no, I just meant the fact that the % chance of deviation for the Mercenary house is set to 0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFlibble Posted October 5, 2009 Author Share Posted October 5, 2009 Um, no, I just meant the fact that the % chance of deviation for the Mercenary house is set to 0.That one is easily changeable through your editor, so why bother? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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