ChrydGod's WE & UMSWE Enhancer SLK II

First it only adds 10k to a map when compressed (with winMPQ).

And bad news, yes all maps would suffer from the same problem, unless the maps played before would use my enhancer.

This said there is a workaround (explained in the thread i mentioned above) that basically makes the same thing that my enhancer. Its exporting all data to the dedicated other slks and profile txt files as they don't suffer from the same problem as UnitMatadata.slk.

The advantages are :
1) Full control and all options always working

2) The map will only use the units/items it actually needs then it saves a great amount of memory&loading time while playing it

3) Much faster editing when the files are actually done

The Drawback are :
1) Very time consuming set up

2) You are not allowed incompatible values or mistypes in the fields

3) Excell is nearly compulsory for slks as most other compatible programs tend to erase the required formulas of checking fields.
4) the custom unit file of the map must be erased from it (war3map.w3u) actually i find its rather a good new as it reduces filesize a little bit

5) If you have many different units in your map, and if you use all possible options for each unit, it will take a respectable amount of space when implemented.
That is rather a problem with TDs like mine that has more than 120 custom units. This said, i am completely converting my units at the moment and the map is only about 60-80k larger than before.



These drawbacks are the reason why i came up with the idea of an editor.
It would allow us to create units from scratch, controlling all possible values.

When done, the editor would automatically generate the SLK and TXT files to import into the map, giving them the respective values if they exist.

That would greatly enhance everybody's editing power, and at least it would take much less time to do the initial setup as you would only have to deal with a single file.

The problem is that it seems hard to find interested programmers to give it a try, for unknowned reasons. Its a pity i can't program myself, giving how easy this would be to program i would have already released it.

They seem to mean : it is useless as Frozen Throne is coming about.
I think they forget that FT's editor will still have limitations, and i bet this "editor" would still be useful (for some other of its advantages too like map/memory optimisation).

If any of you could help me advertising this idea in order to find a programmer that likes warcraft III enough to spend the few hours (not many) needed to create such a little programm, we would ALL beneficiate from this, trustr me it would be more powerful than any earlier released editor that could also be used to create custom spells/Doodads/Destructables/splats as the process is identical.


Many thanks in advance for supporting me in this quest.

Regards

When I use your editor, both with and without UMSWE 3.6, I can not open the map DAOC 0.16. When I remove your files, I can open it.

It is a file incompatibility i suppose, such as the implemented files or whatever similar.

Some maps won't even open with umswe at all btw.

Regards

I noticed two fields that do not work correctly. These may have been brought up before.

Requirements - Count

I think this is for Heroes who have three requirement counts. One for each level of town hall. But if you try to change this field on a unit that is not normally a melee-game hero nothing happens. Example: You try to change Jaina so that she acts like a normal hero. Meaning she require a Keep if she is the second hero, and a castle if she is the third hero. It would not work. Her Requirement - Count is at 0 and cannot be changed.

Requirements - Units

If you click on this there is no field to type in anything.. So it has no purpose.


Also some questions:
What does Buff Art, Caster Art, Target Art, Effect Art, and Target Attach Point do?
Those are entries used in spell editing.. So why are they in your editor?
In the Unit Editor Item screen, what does Sound - random do?

And the Item priority and Item Ideal Priority? Is that the priority a computer will use when choosing which items to keep and which to drop?

Ok thanks.

PS: Thank you for making this! There were things I could not do in UMSWE and WE Enhancer Blink and I was about to give up, but with your enhancer, my map has a future! Thanks!

1) Requirements - Count :

Not my fault, this field can't be used as it contains an INTEGER LIST

No workaround - ignore it

2) Requirements - Units :
Strange i'll check it later

3)

These fields are used when the unit is created via a spell or when the unit launches a spell

4) Sound - random :
My fault, it should only be in units. The only unit i found (must admitt i didn't search very deeply) to have a built-in random sound is the sheep

5) Item priority and Item Ideal Priority :

Remember items can be dropped, and then they can be selected when on the floor.
The priority indicates in what order the items will show up when selected all together.

Don't ask me about ideal priority, the field was just there, empty of any value. I didn' guess what it is there for.


Note that my enhancer, like scio's UMSWE will have many fields that will only work under 2 conditions :
1) UnitMetaData.slk is imported in the map
2) The map is the first one played by its players since they launched warcraft 3


Regards

Actually I'm currently working on an enhanced version of WE with a lot of Trigger Enhancement

Adding new trigger functions and stuff is quite easy, you just need to edit the TirggerData.txt and TriggerStrings.txt.

You're right - there are still some Functions in common.j that havn_t been added by Scio or GoldenURg. But for my part I've done lots of modifications to the blizzard.j and fixed some problems and created lots of new functions.

eg. timer, dialog, group arrays now work correctly
group-orders ar not limited to 12 units any more,
added a multiplayer-wait function
added several events and conditions
added lots of cool actions (turn regrowing trees on /off, create moving special effect from point to point, create special effect circle, ....... and lots more ......)

Every map that uses my enhancements will of course need to have imported my blizzard.j but that's no problem as it doesn't cause such problems you encountered

I also use a modified upgradedata.slk in order to be able to change almost every unit value (damage, max life,max mana, life regen, mana regen, defense, move speed, attack sped, range ..) via trigger actions.


Works quite fine but there are still some problems.

1. TFT is coming soon and lots of my new stuff will be useless, anyway I'm waiting for TFT and will then look what can still be done

2. Same as you said above: there should be someone who creates some sort of editor interface that handles importing blizzard.j and other needed files. I'm not quite experienced in programming


Would be cool if we could combine our work as soon as TFT is out. Maybe we should call up all the other Editor gurus such as Scio, blackdick, cookie and Zepir in order to create the ultimate all in one Editor

Interesting, very interesting.

I'd like to know more about your upgradedata.slk modifications ^^
Can you do the same with other SLKs ? Please let me know.

In the meantime , there are things that won't change with TFT.

I bet it won't take much time to update our knowledge.

And yes that would be a good idea to gather our knowledge on a common project for an 'enhanced editor'.

TFT we will also miss a lot of fields, in any section.

Though Brett Wood said that the Object Editor will allow certain things that can't be achieved with SLK / TXT editor, combining the two methods will be possible.

Regards

Well ... not that you could access every unit's stats.

I just created custom Upgrades with 10000 or whatever levels and negative equivalents to be able to level units up and down.

First you need to give all the upgrades to the unit you want to access. Then set the Upgrade Level for the owning player as you like.

I made 4 sets of upgrades (one for each race), so every player can have a maximum of 4 units that can be leveld up/down. So it works perfectly for RPGs and stuff. I thougt I could add another 4 upgrade sets so every player could access 8 units in total

But I guess it's not necessary to be able to access every little footman ... so 8 will be just fine

Another thing is that the changes will affect every unit of the same type owned by that player. so again just perfect for hero games


I don't think that something similar could be done to other slks. 'Anyway I guess Blizzard will provide functions to change unit sats with TFT so we'll see what this idea will be worth

I am sure it could be extended, even after TFT is released.

I might give it a try soon and i'll keep you updated.

Regards

I'll let you have the modified files to save work

BTW the txt-files are the german versions
Could anyone please let me have the english NightelfUpgradeStrings.txt and NightelfUpgradeFunc.txt as we are planning to release an english version of our Crystal Legends Mod (which actually uses the upgrade thingy to change the hero stats)

Well .. I guess I'll rather post that in the mapping forum

I am sorry i can't help with NightelfUpgradeStrings.txt , mine is in french and that is not in war3patch.mpq

As for the upgradedata.slk, i think its a pity we don't know more effect codes as we could then virtually alter any possible unit stats.

I really like the way you did it.
It would be nice if you released your enhancer, even if it will require an upgrade for TFT. I am sure many map makers haven't completely given up making maps for RoC yet.

Thanks

Regards

heres the files... i included bothe the war3mpq and war3patchmpq... didn't know which ones you want (patch has no Strings tho)

Thanks Man

@ChrydGod

How did you find out about all the new reference codes for UnitMetaData.slk?

Maybe we could find other upgrade codes the same way

Lets say... I cheated and had a look at TFT's version of UnitMetaData checking the fields were around in the other slks and profile files ^^

Yes maybe we could see if there are new upgrades in TFT's actual upgrade slks & txt and see if they work in RoC ^^

Regards

2 things:



-Is that true? What if you play the map first, then you try to play it again?

Second thing, I noticed that as I looke through your Editor I did not find an entry in which I could change Priority. Not Priority in a selection group, but actual priority to be targeted. It is in the normal editor and most other Enhanced Editors. I was wondering if there was any reason you left it out?

Fiery_Maelstrom