Goontrooper

Join Date 02/2006

Elemental XML editing Assistance Thread

Since there seem to be quite a few of us digging into the XML now, I thought I would start this thread as a place for us to help each other out. So if you have any questions about Elemental's XML files, ask and we will see if we can figure it out together.

A couple from me to start:

1) Multiple Technology Prerequisites: Although it is easy to add multiple production requirements to an items, technology seems to only allow for one prerequisite. The game seems to crash or not display things properly when I add to tech requirements to another tech, so for example if I want Archery to have two prerequisites, say Hunting and Woodworking, it doesn't work. Has anyone found a way to make techs have multiple requirements to allow for a deeper tech tree?

2) Attack / Defense / Weapon / Armor Categories: If you add a bonus to defense to a weapon, it will only list that weapon under the 'Armor' section of the unit designer, under a 'Weapon' category. So if I create a Spear and set it as <Type>Weapon</Type>, it will still show up under Armor, I assume because I have added a defense bonus. Anyone seen a way to avoid this so that we can create weapons that help with defense or armor that help with offense?

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Quoting ,

quoting post

1) Multiple Technology Prerequisites: Although it is easy to add multiple production requirements to an items, technology seems to only allow for one prerequisite. The game seems to crash or not display things properly when I add to tech requirements to another tech, so for example if I want Archery to have two prerequisites, say Hunting and Woodworking, it doesn't work. Has anyone found a way to make techs have multiple requirements to allow for a deeper tech tree?

It works for me. I just put another prereq in there. Did you add <Value>0</Value>? I've been told its old code, but perhaps that has something to do with it?

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Quoting impinc,

reply 1

It works for me. I just put another prereq in there. Did you add <Value>0</Value>? I've been told its old code, but perhaps that has something to do with it?

Hm, I'll have to try that. Thanks.

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By removing <Value>0</Value> I was able to get a technology to have multiple requirements. However, after researching the first of two requirements, the technology showed up in its own category. When I researched that category, the technology vanished from the list, but I did not get it. When I then went back and researched the second requirement, the benefits of the final technology became usable.

Hm.

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Quoting Goontrooper,

reply 3

Try using Light Armor from the Kingdom Tech Tree, as it requires both Cutting Weapons and Blunt Weapons. (As a note, the research will be shown as availible in the tech tree after researching one of the prereqs, but will not show up as an option when selecting the next tech to get).

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Well, not many other people looking to talk about the XML. Oh well.

Quoting Gwenio1,

reply 4

Quoting Goontrooper, reply 3By removing <Value>0</Value> I was able to get a technology to have multiple requirements. However, after researching the first of two requirements, the technology showed up in its own category. When I researched that category, the technology vanished from the list, but I did not get it. When I then went back and researched the second requirement, the benefits of the final technology became usable.

Hm.

Try using Light Armor from the Kingdom Tech Tree, as it requires both Cutting Weapons and Blunt Weapons. (As a note, the research will be shown as availible in the tech tree after researching one of the prereqs, but will not show up as an option when selecting the next tech to get).

Thanks for the assistance. I'll keep experimenting with that.

Here is a new one. Is <TriggerType> working for Quests? If you look, for example, in QuestCityPop.xml, you will find a quest that has a chance of spawning when you get a city with population of 40. The quest is much more involved and interesting, an includes optional branches (ie: accept a bribe from bandits or fight them). This is exactly the kind of more involved, interesting quests that the game really needs. I've never seen this quest in game, so I think it is legacy code or something...has anyone ever seen this quests in game or played with this kind of quest?

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I've made a few custom buildings (watchtower, study, etc.), but I have an issue making them available only to a certain faction. Example: I only want the Altarians to build them, and not the other Factions of men I'm playing against. How do I do this?

At the moment my custom buildings only replace the original tiles, so all the factions of men can build them.

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Here's what I'd like to see: an XML command to add a unit (like my own modded unit) to a <supportedunitmodeltype> field for a piece of equipment.

Interestingly, as many here probably know, the equipment data defines what units can use it. For example, for the goatee "equipment"--only some races in the main game can have a goatee. Likewise only a few can have mohawks. It isn't the races themselves which define what hair styles they can have--it is the equipment which specifies what races and genders can use it. Which poses a problem for modders trying to make racial sub-types.

Say, for example, I want to create a Sea Elf faction as part of the race of community project elves. Mostly it is going to be like the CP elves, with a few changes, say pirate hats, and "Mom" and anchor tatoos, instead of the leaves. Everything else I want to be the same. So I define the unit types and Sea_Elf_Male and Sea_Elf_Female, and so when I make the pirate hats and skins, I specify them to be used by my Sea Elves. So far so good.

But then I want to use the rest of the community project elf equipment, like all the rest of the clothes they have. There is no way for them to know I was going to make my Sea Elf mod so had no way of knowing or reason to specify their equipment to be used by my sea elves.

Here's where my request comes in: I'd like a command which tells a piece of equiment that my "Sea_Elf_Males" would like to equip it. Say I want my Sea Elves to have standard goatees from the main data, rather than copy it over. I'd like a command adds Sea Elves to the list of supported model type for the goatee equipment type.

This would make creating racial variants a lot easier, smoother, and more efficient without having to reinvent the wheel.

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