Dominions 3 MP game [Running]

[Yskonyn]

Yes Llama is a bit finnicky with that.
You need to make sure you rename the resent files exactly like the old one.

[undercovergeek]

are we going ahead - or are we given Jason the opportunity to sort his Pretender out?

[Huw the Poo]

I'm fine with a restart if necessary.

[JasonPratt]

I dunno; looking back over this thread I only see evidence I sent in one pretender after removing his password, which would have been the 1.2h name. But Llama didn't have a problem with that; nor should it, it ought to accept age_faction_#.2h as a valid format. If it was going to have problems with 1.2h instead of 0.2h, wouldn't it have rejected my pretender from the beginning??

I hate to ask for a restart, but we're only one move in (or not even one move for some of us yet); I could at least try to send the pretender again.

[JasonPratt]

Crap! I think I may have designed my original pretender with a mod off, or something! I went back to recreate it, after erasing my 0.2h and 1.2h files (so it would create completely fresh), and the tally didn't add up right. When I went to check, I noticed my pretender now has an introductory construction magic pick that wasn't there before!! (I couldn't get rid of it, so I didn't accidentally click it; and it's still there as part of the starting magic when I canceled and created a pretender again.)

The only thing I can think is that "Upgraded Sprites", which may not have been enabled when I designed the pretender, overwrites whatever CBC 1.94 adjusts. Or maybe I didn't have CBC on in the first place somehow. sigh.

Anyway, I've found solid evidence that it's a mod problem on my end. Hold up before we restart, though, as I may prefer whatever the system did to "fix" my submitted pretender--I can see already I won't be able to get what I wanted last time...

[undercovergeek]

cool, id prefer you sort it than go thru the game hamstrung by an error or disadvantaged by a weakened cornerstone of your tactics - have a dig around and let us know - i notice ubercat hasnt been in yet to confirm hes ok so we can wait

on the subject of hows, whats and wherefors - does anyone mind if we pool the collective knowledge here and start a newbie FAQ, just a rolling set of questions as they arise in the game? either here or in a thread to run along side this one

[Huw the Poo]

Jason, I'm 90% certain that I created my pretender without any mods activated.  Sorry to complicate things, but that's the truth of it.

Like I said before, I just think pretender design is buggy as hell.  As soon as you start reversing options and trying other things you increase the likelihood of a bugged pretender, at least in my experience.

[JasonPratt]

Okay, I've got my pretender set up as close as possible to how I thought I was sending the first time. Fortunately, I could reduce some magic I didn't really need, and arrive at a result that was slightly more efficient in final expenditure than the first one! (3 left over instead of 12 I think last time.)

I'll resend that when the game is reset.

Sorry for the modsoup goofiness.  >:(


Huw, I know for a fact that the pretender I sent for the game was created from scratch with no readjustments, because I was directly building a new one without a password (so I didn't have to readjust something back, I just dialed all the settings in to match my first one).

Whatever the situation was or is, I also know for a FACT that my pretender did not originally have one built-in unremovable earth magic, whereas now it does. That's a mod change, which would explain the error message: I sent a pretender designed without the mod (somehow) that didn't include something the mod-pretender included, leading to a discrepancy in the build-cost.

I'm sure it's my fault somehow; I just don't know how.  :-\ I installed the mods before doing anything else -- my guess at the moment is that I didn't enable them in the mod list, I only looked and saw them available.

Anyway, they're now enabled for sure.  :)

[Huw the Poo]

Don't sweat it mate; we haven't even finished turn 1 yet so a reset is no big deal. :)

[Ubercat]

Ok, I can't even open my first turn without installing the damn Community Sprites Update Mod. Does someone have directions for installing this one? The author neglected to put them in a folder, unlike the other mods. All of the files are just loose, zipped up together including the .dm file. The readme has some vague instruction to pick and choose just the files you want. Obviously I can't do that, as choosing "none" clearly doesn't work.

Do I have to make my own folder for this one so it works like all the other mods? If so, what exactly did you guys name yours? I assume that the .dm file also has to be left out of that folder, just like the other mods .dm files are.

If we do a restart, can we leave this one out, please? The other mods are fine but this one is a mess.

[JasonPratt]

The Community Sprites update is rather a twitchy thing anyway. Some of its sprites aren't enabled to start with and have to be manually enabled BY EVERYONE IN THE GAME; and I couldn't say for sure what actually is enabled even with it installed (and enabled). Then again, there are umpteen hundred sprites in the game, and except for the dragons and the phoenix (which don't start off activated) most of these aren't specific to the factions I'm playing with currently.

But anyway, it should be unzipped into Dom3's "mods" folder. Doing so should create a "Cmnt_Sprites_Update" subfolder (with stuff in it); a .dm of the same name; four png files showing the visual previews; and a text file explaining where everything came from and giving obscure instructions about how to activate the sprites that aren't yet activated.

Keep in mind that after a mod is installed, even though it is listed in-game in the mod viewer, the text for it has to be clicked to be "enabled". Trust me, this is important. ;)

[JasonPratt]

Okay, if I understand the Community mod instructions properly, it starts with the following sprite modifications pre-activated.

Great Enchantress (one of two options)
Succubus
Palankasha
Vampire Queen (one of two options)
Lich Queen (the option with Nemes headdress not Nefertiti)
Vampire
Son of Shamshiel (only cleans up some stray pixels)
Siren (only cleans up some stray pixels)
Initiate of the Deep
Deep Seer
Great Seer of the Deep
Huskarl with spear
Huskarl with axe
Hirdman with spear
Hirdman with sword
Einhere
Herse
Archdruid
Archmage
Freak Lord

Everything else, including the dragons and the phoenix, are turned off by default (but may be modded by one of the other graphic mods of course).

The pngs however mention sprites the .dm file doesn't mention; and even though I've installed and enabled the mod, I know at least one maybe two sprites that ought to be activated which aren't. (Unless they're only activated in game, not during the pretender creation tool.)

I recommend not running the game with them enabled, even though a few make some noticeable improvements (especially the Archmage which now looks like Gandalf on Shadowfax {g}).

[Nefaro]

you not fancy the 5 day one Nef?

Ha! No.

Even if I was ready to Mod Soup it, I wouldn't want to wait so long in between turns - was already wary of the regular one taking a year to finish.  ;D

[undercovergeek]

uber all i did, and by the looks of it, all anyone did was install the mod, unzip it the mod folder, take the contents of the folder and drop them outside of it into the /Dom3/Mod folder - so inside mods you will see the unzupped folder - Cmnty_Sprites_Update, the folder within that (now put straight into mods) - Community Sprite Update Mod v1.11 [Globu et al.], and from within the unzupped folder the - Cmnty_Sprites_Update.dm.

i havent done anything to it, not switched anything on/off, activated anything just dumped it in mods and it will appear in your mod preferences within the game - then just click it to switch it on

[undercovergeek]

Okay, I've got my pretender set up as close as possible to how I thought I was sending the first time. Fortunately, I could reduce some magic I didn't really need, and arrive at a result that was slightly more efficient in final expenditure than the first one! (3 left over instead of 12 I think last time.)

I'll resend that when the game is reset.

Sorry for the modsoup goofiness.  >:(


Huw, I know for a fact that the pretender I sent for the game was created from scratch with no readjustments, because I was directly building a new one without a password (so I didn't have to readjust something back, I just dialed all the settings in to match my first one).

Whatever the situation was or is, I also know for a FACT that my pretender did not originally have one built-in unremovable earth magic, whereas now it does. That's a mod change, which would explain the error message: I sent a pretender designed without the mod (somehow) that didn't include something the mod-pretender included, leading to a discrepancy in the build-cost.

I'm sure it's my fault somehow; I just don't know how.  :-\ I installed the mods before doing anything else -- my guess at the moment is that I didn't enable them in the mod list, I only looked and saw them available.

Anyway, they're now enabled for sure.  :)

theres any easy option on Llama to roll the game back to 'waiting for pretenders' - im not going to touch it for fear it isnt that easy and let Yskonyn press the buttons, but i dont think its the end of the world - it would be nice to think you could clear out the lords folder and start again so Jason is assured hes definitely using the right one - but i guess this isnt possible