Right, what's next?

[Odenathus]

I've finally managed to design a simple multiplayer test scenario using the Editor. I can see that it's saved in my PC under Pike and Shot as Kinsale.BAM

How do I convert it to a file that I can load and test play against myself? Do I need to save it in a separate folder called 'Multiplayer' and change the suffix from .BAM to something else?

If I wanted to add the AI for either side, how would I do that? And would that need to be in another folder called 'Campaigns'

Nowhere near ready to submit as a finished scenario yet, so I want to be able to work on it.

Could you respond as you would to a small child, even though I'm actually 56, detailing each step that I need to take? If you talk about 'scripting' anything I'll be lost.

Thanks

[rbodleyscott]

I've finally managed to design a simple multiplayer test scenario using the Editor. I can see that it's saved in my PC under Pike and Shot as Kinsale.BAM

How do I convert it to a file that I can load and test play against myself? Do I need to save it in a separate folder called 'Multiplayer' and change the suffix from .BAM to something else?

What exactly is the path it is currently saved in? You must have created a user campaign for it in order to create it.

It should be either in
a) /documents/my games/pikeandshot/multiplayer/nameofyourusercampaign/scenarios (if you set the "campaign" as multiplayer when you created it) or
b) /documents/my games/pikeandshot/campaigns/nameofyourusercampaign/scenarios if you didn't.

If a), it should automatically appear in the list when you select new challenge in the MP lobby. Then to play against yourself you create the challenge and then accept it yourself. (The first time you do this you will get a warning in case you did it by accident).

If b), it should automatically appear in your list of "campaigns" when you select the Historical button. You need to move it to the correct directory as above.

If I wanted to add the AI for either side, how would I do that? And would that need to be in another folder called 'Campaigns'

Side0 is always the player. You can only create AI for side1.

You can create simple AI in the editor by assigning the AI units to teams and giving each team a team aggression score - see manual for how these work - ask me again if you are still unsure.

Alternatively, if the scenario is straightforward with the player's army on the left of the map and AI army on the right of the map, you can copy the ScenarioTemplate.BSF file in the main directory to /documents/my games/pikeandshot/campaigns/nameofyourusercampaign/scenarios and rename the part of the filename before .BSF exactly the same as your scenario.
Then remove the comments markers (//) from lines 36 (// AI_Masterplan(15);) and 71 (// AI_ReassignTeams(1);) to activate the standard AI as used in Skirmish games.

Nowhere near ready to submit as a finished scenario yet, so I want to be able to work on it.

If you have further queries you can ask here or PM me.

[Odenathus]

I'm going to start over again, but you haven't heard the last from me.

[rbodleyscott]

you haven't heard the last from me.

It is customary, when uttering those words, to conclude with

Mwuahahahahaha!

[Odenathus]

I'll be laughing like a maniac if I can get this to work.

Test game created as Multiplayer (I ticked the box), and now appears as:

Computer/Data file U/Users/Mark/My Documents/My Games/PIKEANDSHOT/MULTIPLAYER/KINSALE/SCENARIOS as an 80kb file called Kinsale.BAM

But, when I go into Multiplayer challenges, I can't see it. Any thoughts?

[cavehobbit]

In your KINSALE folder, do you got a text file called CAMPAIGN.TXT? This file should contain something like this:

Code: Select all

NOSKIRMISH

VAR BreakPoint1
VAR BreakPoint2

[Kinsale]

Not sure you need the NOSKIRMISH and VAR lines, but [Kinsale] have to be there. I'm sure RBS can tell you more about the other lines.

[rbodleyscott]

In your KINSALE folder, do you got a text file called CAMPAIGN.TXT? This file should contain something like this:

Code: Select all

NOSKIRMISH

VAR BreakPoint1
VAR BreakPoint2

[Kinsale]

Not sure you need the NOSKIRMISH and VAR lines, but [Kinsale] have to be there. I'm sure RBS can tell you more about the other lines.

Yes, that is right. Sorry I forgot to mention it. I suggest you put it in exactly like that. And if you add any more scenarios to it later, you need to add their names in the same way to that campaign.txt file.

[Odenathus]

Thanks to both of you, it now appears in the list, sadly highlighting the immense amount of work still needed, but a step forward.

[Odenathus]

Sure that I'm asking things that have already been answered, but...

I've designed a small test multiplayer, loads + plays fine but has led to more questions

(i) Reinforcements - I put them on the map, assigned them to Groups, with comments, exported the file, saved the scenario, then deleted the units. Although the script appeared under IDS_blah blah, the units and commentary didn't: am I meant to cut out those strings and paste them into another file?

(ii) I've filled in the scenario preamble that normally appears in those five boxes at the start: as with the reinforcements, I can see the wording the in multiplayer file, but it doesn't appear when I open the scenario for a multiplayer test, Again, does it need to be cut and pasted into another file?

(iii) How do I write a scenario description (not the five starting boxes) so that players know what to expect?

(iv) Is it possible to rename, say, 'Raw Pike & Shot' as 'Lord Percy's Lifeguard'? Or would that mean that the latter description would appear in every other game in which a Raw Pike & Shot unit is being used?

Finally

(v) Is it possible to convert a Multiplayer scenario to a Campaign one by some deft renaming and adding an AI opponent? Or do you need to start again from scratch?

Thanks in advance

[rbodleyscott]

Sure that I'm asking things that have already been answered, but...

I've designed a small test multiplayer, loads + plays fine but has led to more questions

(i) Reinforcements - I put them on the map, assigned them to Groups, with comments, exported the file, saved the scenario, then deleted the units. Although the script appeared under IDS_blah blah, the units and commentary didn't: am I meant to cut out those strings and paste them into another file?

Yes, you need to put the code snippet into the scenario script. If you don't want to use a scenario script you can set reinforcements in the Editor and not delete the units.

(ii) I've filled in the scenario preamble that normally appears in those five boxes at the start: as with the reinforcements, I can see the wording the in multiplayer file, but it doesn't appear when I open the scenario for a multiplayer test, Again, does it need to be cut and pasted into another file?

I am not sure whether you can make these work for multiplayer scenarios. We relied on players having played the SP version first to get the preamble.

The five boxes are a legacy from Battle Academy. We chose to use a different UI style for the preambles in Pike and Shot but were unable to customise that part of the editor to match.

If you want to make the preamble (for SP scenarios) look like the ones in the game, the easiest way to do it is to combine all 5 strings into one string. Assuming your scenario was called "MyScenario" the string would be called

IDS_Scenario_desc_MyScenario

Then, make a copy of (for example) Scenui_Lutter.txt from /Campaigns/1ThirtyYearsWar/Data/UI in the main game installation
and paste it into the same subdirectory in your custom campaign in /Documents/My Games/PikeandShot

Rename it Scenui_MyScenario.txt

Then do a search and replace on that file for Lutter, replacing it with MyScenario.

If you have done all this correctly, the SP version of your scenario will show the information in IDS_Scenario_desc_MyScenario on the right hand side of the screen in the scenario selection screen.

(iii) How do I write a scenario description (not the five starting boxes) so that players know what to expect?

If you mean the briefing map, that is a bit complicated. (Advanced stuff). If you are determined to go ahead with it ask me again, but you it would be easier to include such information in the scenario preamble. We have not used these in the multiplayer scenarios anyway.

(iv) Is it possible to rename, say, 'Raw Pike & Shot' as 'Lord Percy's Lifeguard'? Or would that mean that the latter description would appear in every other game in which a Raw Pike & Shot unit is being used?

The description would appear in all scenarios in the same campaign where a Raw Pike & Shot is used. And also in skimrishes based on your campaign.

(v) Is it possible to convert a Multiplayer scenario to a Campaign one by some deft renaming and adding an AI opponent? Or do you need to start again from scratch?

Most of the MP scenarios in P&S use exact copies of the SP .BAM files. The differences (adjusted victory conditions etc) are in the scenario scripts.

BTW for MP scenarios to use adjusted victory conditions, all you need to do is:

1) Copy SCENARIOTEMPLATE.BSF from the main directory of the game installation to your campaign scenarios folder. Rename it (exactly) the same as your scenario BAM file. So if your scenario was Valley_Of_Death.BAM, you rename SCENARIOTEMPLATE.BSF as Valley_Of_Death.BSF.

2) Remove the comment marks from line 53

// SetMPForceRatio();

so it becomes

SetMPForceRatio();

This will set the scenario to use adjusted victory conditions depending on the disparity between the opposing forces at the start (or after reinforcements arrive).

3) Change the last parameter in line 90 to 1.

Thus StandardVictoryConditions(60, 40, 60, 40, 2, 0);

becomes

StandardVictoryConditions(60, 40, 60, 40, 2, 1);

This will tell the game that the scenario is multiplayer.

The game will then use adjusted multiplayer victory conditions and show them on the screen.

[rbodleyscott]

P.S. Cavehobbit has come up with a very cool way of showing a scenario briefing actually within a multiplayer scenario. He moves the camera around the map and gives a pop up information window for each area of interest.

I hope he won't mind me sharing how he did it in the scenario script.

Code: Select all

FUNCTION StartTurn(side)
{
  	// if it is turn 0 or 1, i.e. the first turn for each player show the briefing message.

	if (GetTurn() == 0)
	{
		if (GetShowSide() == GetCurrentSide())
		{
			AddVizCamCenter(21, 58) ;
			AddVizFunctionCall("ShowUIScreen","BattlePop0", "Anim1", "IDS_SCENARIO_GNIEW");
		}
		AddVizDelay(2);
		if (GetShowSide() == GetCurrentSide())
		{
			AddVizCamCenter(53, 55) ;
			AddVizFunctionCall("ShowUIScreen","BattlePop0", "Anim1", "IDS_SCENARIO_GNIEW2");
		}
		AddVizDelay(2);
		if (GetShowSide() == GetCurrentSide())
		{
			AddVizCamCenter(30, 20) ;
			AddVizFunctionCall("ShowUIScreen","BattlePop0", "Anim1", "IDS_SCENARIO_GNIEW3");
		}
		AddVizDelay(2);
	}

	if (GetTurn() == 1)
	{
		if (GetShowSide() == GetCurrentSide())
		{
			AddVizFunctionCall("ShowUIScreen","BattlePop0", "Anim1", "IDS_SCENARIO_GNIEW");
		}
		AddVizDelay(2);
	}

[cavehobbit]

P.S. Cavehobbit has come up with a very cool way of showing a scenario briefing actually within a multiplayer scenario. He moves the camera around the map and gives a pop up information window for each area of interest.

I hope he won't mind me sharing how he did it in the scenario script.

No problem, anyone's free to copy the script

[Odenathus]

Too clever for me!

Richard, is there a way of sending you a zip file with my first creation, on which I'd appreciate your comments, or must I have a URL? You've probably gathered that I'm a simple soul.

[rbodleyscott]

Richard, is there a way of sending you a zip file with my first creation, on which I'd appreciate your comments, or must I have a URL? You've probably gathered that I'm a simple soul.

I will send you a pm with my email address.

[rbodleyscott]

Odenathus's MP Kinsale scenario is now up on the ftp and can be downloaded in game.

[rbodleyscott]

Kinsale scenario updated to v1.2.

Don't re-download it if you are in the middle of a game or you will get the "Scripts have changed" warning.

However, before you start a new game, delete the Kinsale folder from /Documents/My Games/PikeandShot/Multiplayer and redownload it.

[pipfromslitherine]

For future reference, the recommended way to update MP scenarios is to build a new campaign tagged as "version 1.1" or somesuch. That prevents issues with incompatible versions of missions. The game will (generally) handle most changes, even missing units or map objects, but the chance of something odd happening with changed scripts or maps is fairly high

Cheers

Pip