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Nescio

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Posts posted by Nescio

  3. Achaemenid Persians and Median

    in Tutorials, references and art help

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Alexandermb said:

    persian quiver is called gorytos.

    Actually, “gorytos” is the Greek word for the Indo-Iranian (Scythian, Median, Persian, etc.) bow-case, which was used to store the recurved bow, and, presumably, also the arrows. (A quiver does not contain a bow, only arrows.) E.g. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/PazyrikHorseman.JPG has his bow stowed away in his gorytos.

    Furthermore:

    • the “sagaris” is the Indo-Iranian battle-axe
    • the “acinaces” is the Indo-Iranian short sword (or large dagger, as depicted), which possibly evolved into the Greek “xiphos”
    • Persians used the Greek “kopis” (or “makhaira”) single-edged sword as well, which was similar in shape to the Iberian “falcata” (a 19th C name), in name to the Egyptian “khopesh”, and in function to both
      14 hours ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

      achaemenid10_large.jpg

      This man has both a kopis in his hand and an acinaces in the sabbard.

    • Like 2

  4. Skirmish map - Egypt (previously "Egypt condensed")

    in Scenario Design/Map making

    Posted

    Is the Nile shallow enough for units to cross it on foot at any spot, without needing any transport ships? If not, the map will effectively consist of a few unequal islands.

    Also, if you're interested in a bit more historical accuracy (feel free to ignore):

    • The Southern Levant (e.g. Palestine) was also controlled by Egypt in 0 A.D.'s timeframe
    • The Nile delta historically had seven major arms: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Nile_Delta_Surrounding.jpg
    • The North-South Suez canal did not exist, but a West-East pharaonic canal (dug by Necho II, Darius, Ptolemy II, Trajan, or someone else, depending on which source you prefer) connected the Nile with the Red Sea.
    • The Nile valley is great for agriculture, but lacking in other natural resources. Mineral mines and stone quarries were located in the mountains beyond the eastern desert (e.g. towards the Red Sea coast). Wood was imported from the Lebanon.
    • Thanks 1

  5. 0abc mod

    in Game Modification

    Posted · Edited by Nescio
    ce

    On 09/02/2018 at 8:28 PM, Servo said:

    Though I switched to vanilla because I need the AI to behave militarily.

    The AI is designed for the un-modified default 0 A.D. distribution. The more a mod changes, the less likely it is the AI will perform decently. However, if I notice the AI is not capable of handling something in 0abc, I tend to revert it. E.g. I tried removing females from centres, which often resulted in the AI getting stuck in the Village Phase, therefore I re-added females to centres shortly afterwards.

    Ideally I'd like to upgrade centres individually from village to town to city, replacing the current one-time phases. However, I am unlikely to try that out, because I believe the AI is incapable of handling it.

    On 09/02/2018 at 8:28 PM, Servo said:

    BTW have you ever thought about making your mod as close to real in terms of combat?

    Although I do value realism, total realism is not necessarily a good idea. Playability, balance, historical accuracy, and preserving 0 A.D.'s flavour are at least as important.

    1) could be easily implemented by reducing unit health to e.g. 10% (i.e. multiply by 0.1); have a look at https://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?/topic/23904-global-multipliers/ to try it out yourself :) However, I doubt it'll be a good idea if units are killed in a single hit.

    2) is something I might try out. Partially replacing food costs with a food consumption (trickle rate) is under consideration. I might expand on it (cf. Cossacks) or revert it, I haven't decided. By the way, the phases currently serve as taxation technologies. E.g. in village phase you get 1 silver per 7 seconds per centre, in town phase 2, in city phase 3, in metropolis phase 4.

    3) personally I consider one second to be the equivalent of a day, so a minute would equal two months, and an hour about ten years, enough to conquer a neighbouring empire. I don't think visibly implementing a day-and-night work and lighting cycle would be a good idea.

    And if you want a break to discuss strategy, just use the pause button :)

  7. Civ: Hittite, Minoan, Sumerian, Babylonian, Byzantines

    in Game Modification

    Posted

    Keep in mind 0 A.D.'s current timeframe is 500-1 B.C. All of the civilizations you suggested fall outside this timeframe. E.g. Sumer peaked around 3000 B.C.; if they were included we might as well include the USA, which is closer to the year 1 A.D. than is Sumer. However, this game is not Rise of Nations or Civilization.

    Nevertheless, it is possible to modify the game and create your own factions. Feel free to try it yourself :)

    • Like 1

  8. ===[COMMITTED]=== New animations for fishermen

    in Completed Art Tasks

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Alexandermb said:

    Now ptol is ready too.
    Fisherman_New.7z

    image.png.4fb93e5fe7cc87f62d5b57d96785af99.png

    Fishers were typically poor people, yet this one has a leopard-skin (a luxury) loincloth. Perhaps you could give him a more appropiate, plain, linen one instead?

    Also, I'm not sure hexagonal bassins or any buckets at all were actually used. My guess is the nets were simply emptied into the boat and fish would be scattered all over the bottom.

  9. Inconsistent unit portrait.

    in Art Development

    Posted

    All Roman heroes already have a different icon, each with a different helmet. The old Scipio icon is only used by the Scipio hero. I'd recommend replacing the old placeholder with the new icon.

    The placeholder mace_hero_alexander.png is a duplicate of hele_hero_alexander.png. Let the Alexander hero use the new mace_* icon and let the Ptolemy I hero continue to use the hele_* placeholder.

  10. Inconsistent unit portrait.

    in Art Development

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

    rome_hero_scipio_1.png and mace_hero_alexander.png  are place holder for many roman heroes and Hellenistic heroes.

    Not that many: scipio.png is only used by the Scipio hero, alexander.png by the Alexander and Ptolemy I heroes. And place-holder means they can be replaced when a better image is available (i.e. now).

  11. Inconsistent unit portrait.

    in Art Development

    Posted · Edited by Nescio
    ce

    7 hours ago, stanislas69 said:

    I still have those icons I didn't commit them because it wasn't obvious to me if they were DE or Vanilla units, maybe some fix the above @Nescio

    In your list order:

    • ptol_merc_archer_nubian.png belongs to ptol_infantry_archer_nubian.xml (rename icon to without "_merc" then commitable)
    • ptol_merc_cavalry_spearman.png belongs to ptol_cavalry_spearman_merc_b.xml (rename icon to without "merc_" then commitable)
    • rome_hero_scipio_1.png belongs to rome_hero_scipio.xml (rename to without "_1", commitable, replace old icon)
    • sele_cavalry_militia.png might be an alternative to sele_cavalry_javelinist.png, which belongs to sele_cavalry_javelinist_b.png (DE?)
    • sele_cavalry_spearman.png belongs to sele_cavalry_spearman_merc_b.png (do not rename, commitable; probably needs to be green)
    • sele_merc_cavalry_galatian.png has no template counterpart (DE)
    • spart_infantry_slinger.png has no template counterpart (DE)
    • cart_cavalry_spearman_ital.png might belong to cart_cavalry_spearman_ital_b.xml (?)
    • mace_champion_cavalry_e.png might be an alternative to mace_champion_cavalry.png, which belongs to mace_champion_cavalry.png (DE)
    • mace_champion_infantry_ranged_gastraphetes.png belongs to athen_champion_ranged_gastraphetes.xml (commitable)
      • rename icon to mace_gastraphetes.png (cf. mace_thorakites.png and mace_thureophoros.png) before committing
      • move art/actors/units/athenians/champion_unit_gastraphetes.xml to art/actors/units/macedonians/gastraphetes.xml
      • delete athen_champion_ranged_gastraphetes.xml template and replace it with: mace_gastraphetes.xml
    • mace_hero_alexander.png belongs to mace_hero_alexander.xml (do not rename, commitable, replace old icon)
    • mace_merc_cavalry_1.png might belong to mace_cavalry_javelinist_b.png (?)

    And also assign the existing tarentine_cavalry_e.png to the ptol_cavalry_javelinist_merc_b.xml template.

    PS The pers_champion_cavalry_archer.xml still needs its own icon.

  13. Population Limit Terminology

    in Game Development & Technical Discussion

    Posted

    “Available population” is typically a subset of a population (all the inhabitants of a particular place), not a superset, therefore it seems a bit odd to use it differently in 0 A.D.

    Also, “cap” (3 an upper limit on spending or borrowing) is not an abbreviation for “capacity” (the amount something can contain or produce). As has been pointed out before, cap, limit, and maximum are practically equivalents.

  14. The Kingdom of Kush: A proper introduction [Illustrated]

    in Official tasks

    Posted

    On 23/01/2018 at 1:32 AM, Sundiata said:

    For those who wish read up some more. Or a lot more... A list of sources I've been working with for the past few months.

    I'll begin with one of the most valuable:  4 volumes, c. 1400 pages of text: Fontes Historiae Nubiorum: dealing with the written history of Kush, translations of countless Kushite stelae as well as discussions of Greek and Latin texts mentioning Kush (usually as aethiopia). Among it's writers, one of the world's most respected authorities on Kush, László Török. The texts were compiled in 1994, so it's a little outdated, which is something to keep in mind (many of the other sources I used are post-2010 research, and a lot of new things have come to light in the 23 years since its publication).

    This is not just good, interesting, and useful, it's real quality. I'm looking forward to the pdf you announced earlier :)

    • Thanks 1

  17. Help with modding

    in Tutorials & Guides

    Posted · Edited by Nescio
    ce

    Oh, that's because there is a mismatch between the actor called in the template (units/gaul/champion_axeman.xml) and the actual location of the actor file (units/gaul/gaul_champion_axeman.xml). So either rename the actor by removing `gaul_` or insert `gaul_` in the template.

    Try again with this:

    testmod.zip

    Which should get you:

    Screenshot from 2018-01-26 14-31-12.png

    • Like 2

  20. Help with modding

    in Tutorials & Guides

    Posted

    Be careful where you get the files you base yours upon. Let's have a look at line 11 again:

    yours: <SpawnEntityOnDeath>decay|rubble/rubble_stone_5x5</SpawnEntityOnDeath>

    A22: <SpawnEntityOnDeath>rubble/rubble_stone_5x5</SpawnEntityOnDeath>

    A23: <SpawnEntityOnDeath>decay|rubble/rubble_stone_5x5</SpawnEntityOnDeath>

    The "decay|" part is problematic in A22. Remove that and see what errors you'll get then.

  22. Help with modding

    in Tutorials & Guides

    Posted · Edited by Nescio
    link

    To make a mod available in game you need to put it in the correct location and have it containing a `mod.json` file. Is it only your mod which isn't working or are there problems with other mods as well? Try loading something basic, e.g.:

    https://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?/topic/23904-global-multipliers/

    13 minutes ago, false_god123 said:

    My public folder has the public.zip file in it, and the image below shows where my testmod folder is located and the custom parameters i am using. 

    f13ca107a56ae5bc4e3bb487abe0298ffff.png

    This screenshot suggest you're working inside the game data files, not in your local files, where you ought to be. (The mods folder you need is supposed to be in the same directory as the replays, saves, and screenshots folders are.) Also, whenever you encounter errors or warnings, please look them up in your logs (see https://trac.wildfiregames.com/wiki/GameDataPaths ) and copy them verbatim, instead of posting hard to read screenshots.

    PS https://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?/topic/21083-how-to-start-modifying/ contains a lot of modding questions and answers.

     

  23. ===[TASK]=== Kushite Units, Unit Textures, and Unit Props

    in Official tasks

    Posted

    1 hour ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

    I remember reading the scutum was not solid wood, but rather laminated wood. There is a difference. One is a solid piece and the latter is achieved with layers of wood called plies. It's also possible the aspis was constructed in strips of wood and shaped on a rudimentary lathe. But there are few actual examples of either shield since the wood decays.

    With “solid wood” I didn't necessarily intend to imply it was made from a single piece of wood, I meant to contrast a shield that had a layer of wood everywhere (“solid wood”) with those that had only a wooden frame (rim and one or two central beams made of wood, not the space in between) or used wicker instead of wood. Very few ancients shields have survived indeed, but we also have a few descriptions (e.g. Polybius). And yes, wooden shields could be made from glueing together vertical wooden planks or by laminating thin layers of wood.

    To clarify, my “solid wood or wicker” question is about these oblong shields:

    13 hours ago, wackyserious said:

    @Sundiata So this will be our guys? :)

    5a690cf3bb3b7_012518-Nubians.thumb.jpg.6f35a6205afee040273b0804bc821c02.jpg

    Not about the shorter shields with a horizontal bottom (which do seem to be made from wood).

    11 minutes ago, Sundiata said:

    Maybe you should take another look at the Kushite horse trappings... And Kushite metalworking in general... They had no limits :P lol 

    These are Kushite plume-holders. Yes, plume-holders... For horses... Yes, horses...  It was fixed on top of their head... Yes, their heads.... As you can see, they're both bronze (which is in fact a metal :P )

    Now go back and take a look at that beautiful New Kingdom Egyptian chariot scene from Nubia (that we've shared about 83 times in this thread by now :P ):

    Notice the large golden lions on the horse crown? So why wouldn't they add some thin metal rods for stability in the feathers? I'd do it. Makes your feathers look fabulous, like all the time...

    So you also see that my interpretation of the Kushite horse crown was actually a rather modest one :P 

    Thanks for the clarification, I was inquiring out of curiosity, not because I disagreed with metal :)

  24. ===[TASK]=== Kushite Units, Unit Textures, and Unit Props

    in Official tasks

    Posted

    9 hours ago, Sundiata said:

    82ab56dfd0b1dd73f4012fa3e97977a4.thumb.jpg.64701cd84a388219cc3fb7d2d2b3517e.jpg

    This shield is curved, the version used by 0 A.D.'s Kushites is flat.

    9 hours ago, Sundiata said:

    Yeah, my thoughts. I don't think trees of the size necessary to create a solid wood shield of that size even exist in Northern/central Sudan. I don't think solid wood was used by many people anywhere (it's super-heavy, and easily splits after a while).

    Solid wooden shields covered by painted leather were used by the classical Greeks (aspis), Romans (scutum, clipeus), and in the Middle Ages (kite shield), but they were uncomfortably heavy (e.g. 10 kg); a wicker frame covered with leather is strong but much lighter.

    9 hours ago, Sundiata said:

    The shields are  good as they are now.

    Are they? Could someone post a screenshot of the back of the shields?

    9 hours ago, Sundiata said:

    I always assumed dyed ostrich feathers. I suspect they might have been attached to small metal rods to keep them straight like that (pure conjecture here)

    Metal? Wouldn't leather or cloth be easier to work with?

    9 hours ago, Sundiata said:

    Solid coloured cattle definitely existed though, the patchy ones are just a lot more common (in Kush at least).

    Not just in Kush; elsewhere pure coloured cattle existed but was rare too; they were typically valued and had cultic importance (e.g. a spotless white cow as a sacrifice for Iuno; a pure golden cow in Israel; etc.).

  25. ===[TASK]=== Kushite Units, Unit Textures, and Unit Props

    in Official tasks

    Posted

    Forgive me for interrupting again :)

    On 23/01/2018 at 11:41 PM, wackyserious said:

    @Sundiata Is this how you wanted the sandals to look like?

    5a67ba0f504e7_012418-KushSandals.thumb.jpg.732bb08140863329a65eef5d1e5d1256.jpg

    Those look too red to me. Intense red dyes (carmine, crimson, scarlet) were produced from the Kermes lice and related species; the technique seems to have originated in ancient Armenia; the “kermes oak” they feed on occurs in large part of the Mediterranean but not in Egypt or anywhere south of it. In short, I'd recommend changing the red to a shade which could have been produced from henna, ochre, or another dye won in Nubia, but not the Kermes-derived colour of red M&Ms (unsuitable for vegetarians).

    1 hour ago, wackyserious said:

    Also can you check the back of the shield of the first 2 guys, should the wood be a whole piece or segmented?

    Given the size of those shields I guess it would make sense if they're made of wicker or perhaps a wooden frame covered by a cowhide, but not from solid wood (which is not impossible but very heavy); cf. Mycenean figure-eight shields or 19th C Zulu Nguni shields.

    10 hours ago, Sundiata said:

    We need a Kushite feathered horse-crown (prop), to replace the current Seleucid placeholder. I made a horse-crown texture with the exact outline:

    What kind of feathers are those? Ostrich? Falcon? Vulture?

    5 hours ago, Sundiata said:

    Fresques-temple-de-Beit-el-Wali-expedition-Ramses-II--4-.thumb.jpg.f2a132e02febb41a62d232af90eb3d3d.jpg

     

    This is a really valuable image, not just for the shields (leopard, cowhide, and giraffe patterns can be easily distinguished), but also for the animals shown below (e.g. the cattle). It's probably better to avoid solid colour cow-hides and use white-with-black/brown/red patterns instead (as it seems you're already doing).

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