Hyrule Conquest

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/news/zuna-and-tokay

 

A look at two of the Minor Factions you can recruit.

Posted by The_Undying_Nephalim on Aug 11th, 2022

 

 

Today we'll look at two other Minor Factions that you can employ in Hyrule Conquest.

 

Zuna

 

Perhaps one of the oldest races native to the Gerudo Desert, the Zuna are an isolated culture of reptilian builders and weapon crafters. Though they seem fairly cordial with the Darknut Legion, the Zuna will rarely make contact with anyone outside of weapon dealings. The skill with which the Zuna make their weapons is legendary, so legendary that the Darknut Legion employs them to create incredibly ornate swords for their soldiers. Despite their famous profession, the Zuna rarely ever engage in warfare and their mercantile army usually only operates out of defense.

The Zuna provide players with an excellent assortment of siege weaponry. Factions that lack many good options for destroying bases will want to consider setting up an Embassy with the Zuna. Their unique building is the Oasis, which can quickly heal organic units inside of a Zuna base.

 

Tridenteer - Wielding their iconic tridents in hand, these Zuna soldiers patrol the confines and borders of the Merchantmen capital, Zunayus. While technically no more than police, these Zuna are sufficiently trained to defend against a full-scale invasion of their homeland.

Tribowmen - Along the terraced walls of Zunayus, scores of these deadly archers defended the capital for many generations. The strange design of the Zuna's crossbow allowed it to hold and store up to three bolts instead of one, giving them the chance to fire several shots before reloading.

Devalant - Devalants are giant, burrowing creatures with large snapping pincers that can be found in the far western reaches of the Gerudo Desert. They create sinkholes in the sand as they burrow underneath, drawing in their prey. When a suitable target is near, the Devalant will vomit a burning fireball onto its victim. The Zuna were known to occasionally domesticate these creatures, using them as a sort of guard dog for their villages.

Triballista - Much like their handheld crossbow, the Zuna Triballista allowed its crew to load up to three giant bolts at a time instead of one. A single Triballista could hurl these bolts at multiple targets, potentially breaking open multiple holes in an enemy's defense.

Siege Tower - A giant and mighty battering ram that the Zuna once used to destroy many a castle, they were perhaps most well known from history in the battle against Baral's Stand, where they managed to break into the mighty Darknut fortress. The Siege Tower can effortlessly destroy the heaviest of fortifications and garrison troops inside.

Visier Vorday - The wealthiest and most powerful Zuna to have lived, Master Vorday amassed his assets by being a suck-up and yes-man to the various empires of the Gerudo Desert. While he may be seen as a total coward by outsiders, his habit of selling out to foreigners has lead to the Zuna becoming a giant merchant empire and biggest arms dealer in all of Hyrule.
 

Tokay

 

Hailing from Crescent Island just south of Labrynna, the Tokay were, at first glance, a tribal and primitive collection of people. Their odd manner of speaking, awkward behavior, and obsession with mundane items such as clothing over rupees gave them a reputation for being backward and outright stupid. Despite their quirky demeanor, the Tokay proved to be more than a pushover tribe of spear-wielding reptile barbarians.

The Tokay provide players with cheap and affordable fodder units, as well as aquatic options. Goron and Darknut players might be drawn to using the Tokay to supplement their expensive units and give them a fighting force on the water. Their unique building is the Big Boss Hut, which provides a large boost to Population Cap and spawns a free Battalion of Tokay Hunters.

 

Hunter - Armed with a spear in hand, Tokay Hunters would skim along the coast of Crescent Island and hunt the many large fish that roamed the sea. When threatened on land they could easily hold their ground as well.

Slinger - Tokay Slingers were the defenders of their island homeland, knocking out and tripping up anyone who invaded. Large groups of Slingers could unleash a huge storm of stones with terrifying speed.

Bonker - Donning a coconut shell on their heads, Tokay Bonkers were sent skull first into enemy lines. They would ram into targets much larger than themselves, more often than not sending themselves and their foes staggering in opposite directions.

Aquadongo Jockey - Riding on top of a breed of Dodongo native to the Crescent Islands, these mounted jockeys can cross through harsh waters where ships cannot. On land they can halt enemy cavalry with their spears while in the water they can keep sea creatures at bay.

Guerrilla - These sneaky bands of Tokay have mastered the art of not drawing attention to themselves, something not hard to pull off since most dismiss the Tokay in general. The Guerrilla can hide in open view and sneak explosives into an enemy base, sabotaging their buildings and bringing them down to rubble.

Big Boss Otaylo - Otaylo became Boss of the Tokay not because of power, intellect, or bloodlines... but because she bought a blue shirt to wear from Labrynna. With a spear in arms and Coconut on her head, the Big Boss clumsily leads the Tokay on hunting parties and raids against merchants for new and shiny trinkets.
 

Next time we'll take a lot at two more Minor Factions that will make it into the next release, the Gorons of Rolling Ridge and the Wizzrobe.

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/news/rolling-ridge-and-wizzrobes

 

A look at two of the Minor Factions you can recruit.

Posted by The_Undying_Nephalim on Aug 16th, 2022

Today we'll look at the two last Minor Factions that will appear in the next release of Hyrule Conquest.

Gorons of Rolling Ridge

In the mountain ranges of Labrynna rest the Gorons of Rolling Ridge. Shy, reclusive, and a myth to many in Hyrule, this particular race of rockmen was quite distinct from their mineral-eating, lava-bathing brethren. Although it was quite easy to make friends with the passive fellows, finding them in the first place was a daunting task in itself.

Rolling Ridge provides players with a set of durable and high-armor value units, many which have Camouflage. Factions that lack in durable unit options, such as the Kokiri and Fairies of Tarm, are prime factions to seek out the aid of Rolling Ridge. Their unique building is the Talus Mine, which can endlessly harvest Material from the ground to use for building new structures.

Bracer - These smaller Goron warriors spend most of their time dancing and eating between the Talus Peaks and Mount Ebon. Despite their shy but friendly personalities, they are more than capable of defending their homes with fists of solid rock.

Pebblit - Like the larger Stone Talus, Pebblits spend a vast majority of time laying on the ground as harmless rocks. They can be stirred into aggression and provoked to chase hostiles, and indeed many on the Talus peaks do.

Bastion - A giant Goron of Rolling Ridge, the Bastions defend their homelands from would be miners and gem seekers. Using their two massive stone arms, a Bastion can pummel anything smaller than itself into rubble.

Buster - High on the mountaintops of Rolling Ridge these Gorons perch themselves, tossing giant boulders from above onto invaders down below. These skilled Gorons are sometimes known for causing "boulderstorms" when bored.

Stone Talus - These massive stone creatures seem to spend most of their time as dormant rocks and boulders on the mountainsides of the Talus Peaks. For reasons unknown, they will occasionally spring to life and violently attack anything that moves around their resting place. The Stone Talus on Rolling Ridge are particularly powerful, and the native Gorons have taken the effort to somewhat domesticate these giant lumbering monsters.

Smog - The Elder of Rolling Ridge and his tribe of Gorons, Smog advises his people with his centuries of experience from the top of Crown Ridge. He spends most of his day in communion with the Goron spirits, ingesting all manner of smokey incense to aid his connection. When threatened he's able to turn his mastery over the smoke against his attackers.
 

Wizzrobe

A truly ancient people that once ruled much of Hyrule, legends say that the Wizzrobe undermined and destroyed their own civilization with their powerful sorcery. Their cities sunk beneath the earth, and for centuries they have maintined a shadow cult-like culture in the darkness of Hyrule's mountainous catacombs. Occasionally these dark magicians make their way to the surface, using their wizardry to raise their ruined cities from beneath the earth.

The Wizzrobe provides players with a powerful selection of Mages. Factions that are lacking in any kind of magic damage and defense, such as Moblins and Gorons, would be foolish to not consider establishing an Embassy with the Wizzrobe. Their unique building is the Magic Circle which will not function in the next release, but once completed will be able to teleport your armies anywhere within your territory.

Fire Wizzrobe - Perhaps the most common spellcaster in the Wizzrobe ranks, control over fire seems to have been the easiest form of magic to master. These pyromancers use their magic to create and unleash steady streams of flames at their enemies, incinerating just about anything in seconds.

Ice Wizzrobe - Wizzrobes skilled in the arts of frost, these icy magicians could halt enemies in place with their cold magics.

Earth Wizzrobe - These magicians could will the mineral earth to their command, creating barriers and projectiles out of rocks. Some of these geomancers could hurl boulders large enough to rival catapults and other siege weaponry, crushing multiple enemies in an explosive blast of rubble and dirt.

Illusion Wizzrobe - The art of Illusion was one of the most difficult schools of magic for a Wizzrobe to master, and certainly one of the most dangerous. An Illusionist faced the danger of losing all touch with reality, becoming lost in their own creations and mirages, and developing crippling paranoia and mistrust of anything. Those that mastered the art could use it to terrifying effect on their enemies in battle.

Conjurer - Conjurers were select Wizzrobe that had devoted their study to the creation and summoning of arcane and magical creatures to do their bidding. A powerful Conjurer could materialize an entire army of loyal minions under his command. In the next release of Hyrule Conquest they will be able to summon Mad Scrubs, Armos Statues, and Twilight Zora.

Carock - Carock is among the most powerful of the known Wizzrobe, and there is little other information other than that. He has been tied to many assassinations and overthrowing of monarchs, making him one of the Sheikah's prime enemies.

[asterix]

 

[asterix]

New version of Hyrule Conquest 0.14 that adds five Minor Factions to the game. https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/downloads/hyrule-conquest-014-minor-factions

---

PLEASE READ INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS, HYRULE CONQUEST REQUIRES A NEW METHOD TO INSTALL.

 

Installation:
- Delete any previous version of Hyrule Conquest you have. It will absolutely conflict with this new version.
- Install the Alpha 25b version of 0AD, which can be downloaded here: Play0ad.com
- Locate 0AD's pyrogensis.exe file. The default filepath to it is C:\Program Files (x86)\0 A.D. alpha\binaries\system\pyrogenesis.exe
- Drag "hyrule-conquest.pyromod" onto pyrogensis.exe. This will automatically unpack and install the mod in the correct location. 0AD will then automatically start and open the mod menu with Hyrule Conquest enabled. Click Save Configuration, then Start Mods.

New Features:
- Added five new Minor Factions that you can establish an Embassy with at your Marketplace: Lon Lon Ranch, Zuna, Tokay, Rolling Ridge, and Wizzrobes. Their bases and units can be built on Camp Nodes.
- Added two new maps: Rutala Dam (2v2) and Leviathan (1v1).
- Numerous bug fixes.

FOR THOSE WITH PERFORMANCE ISSUES:
- Hyrule Conquest aims to have the best looking models possible, however 0AD is currently not optimized for that goal. As such several things can be done to help those with less powerful PCs.
- It is highly recommended that you install the Low Poly Patch if you have frame rate issues.
- Disabling shadows in the graphics menu also has a significant impact on performance, as well as lowering the model quality tab.

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/news/the-wonderful-world-of-lods

 

LODs (Level of Detail) models are a very important feature to help performance.

Posted by The_Undying_Nephalim on Dec 13th, 2022

If you have been on the Hyrule Conquest discord at any point since 2018, you've probably heard me mention LODs at some point. It's a particular subject I bring up a lot. What exactly are LODs you might ask? LOD stands for "Level of Detail." It is also a very common technique used in video games to optimize and dramatically improve framerates and performance. What LODs do is "swap out" higher poly, better looking models that each up valuble performance resources with lower poly, more simplistic and less taxing models the further away from a camera any particular object is.

A sample of LODs on a cube, followed by an Ordonian Goat.

This method is used in countless video games and is essential to the RTS genre, a genre of games that generally has hundreds if not thousands of models running around doing things on screen and most of the time they are quite distant from the camera. The only problem? 0AD has not supported LODs for years. You may have noticed that when the unit counts in Hyrule Conquest get pretty high, the frame rate starts to tank even on a decent gaming PC. I have always pushed for high quality visuals and detailed models, and it's very taxing on the engine to display them all. Over the last few years I've had the workaround "Low Poly Patch," but this is not an ideal solution.

This is all changing however. The 0AD devs have a rudimentary LOD system in place now, and I've spent the last few weeks created LODs for all the game's existing models. There are frankly hundreds of models in the game at the moment though, and it's been quite time consuming and there are still many more to go. My hope is that once LODs are finally activated in a future version of 0ADm Hyrule Conquest will finally run without performance issues even with hundreds of units killing each other on screen. In the next release of Hyrule Conquest however, you will be able to switch between model details manually in the options menu to adjust for your PC's specs. Soon the Low Poly Patch as a separate download will no longer be necessary, as it can be easily activated in the options menu.

[asterix]

@Stan` @vladislavbelov @wraitii

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

LODs are great and all, but there' absolutely no need for the "high quality" version of that goat for an RTS.

[fabio]

Alpha 27 with Vulkan backend may also reduce the need for LODs:

 

[vladislavbelov]

19 minutes ago, fabio said:

Alpha 27 with Vulkan backend may also reduce the need for LODs:

Nah, LODs are still needed.

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

 

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/news/a-wild-bunch

A little look at the Wild Zora, the next faction to show up in Hyrule Conquest.

Posted by The_Undying_Nephalim on May 7th, 2023

Greetings everyone! It's been quite awhile since there's been any kind of big news for Hyrule Conquest. For those wondering or are a bit out of the loop, I have shifted gears in the last 8 months and have been working primarily on Star Fox Event Horizon. I am currently working with official VA's from the actual Star Fox games, as well as a dev or two who worked on them, so naturally my attention has been drawn to that project. That being said, there are a few things I really want to finish for Hyrule Conquest before I devote my full time to that project. One of those things is the next faction appearing in the game.

Wild Zora

 

While in the official Zelda games they are called just "Zora," the natural confusion this brought up has led to some calling them "River Zora" to distinguish them for their more civilized relatives. I have always felt this name was still misleading, seeing as those civilized Zora actually are more commonly found in rivers and the "River Zora" are found in a much larger variety of water bodies like lakes and oceans. As such I feel like the term "Wild Zora" is a much better descriptor of these creatures and at least for the time being is what they will be referred to as in Hyrule Conquest.

As a faction, the Wild Zora's roster will be roughly split in half between an assortment of Zora units and Octorok units, who serve as their beasts of burden. Several other non-Octorok creatures will appear in their roster as well. Overall the intention with the Wild Zora army is to make them very fast but fragile. They have many high damage units with negative status effect attacks such as reducing the values of enemy armor and bleed damage, however they themselves are severely lacking in any kind of armor and are vulnerable to every damage type in the game. Like their more civilized brethren all of their units can move into any body of water as well, giving them much more mobility on water heavy maps.

One of the Wild Zora's most notable features is tied to the mechanics of how their giant Octorok bases work. In simple terms, almost all of their buildings can walk.

And not just walk, but they can also swim, research, train, and do what buildings normally do while walking. This gives the Wild Zora a nomadic power that trumps even the Moblin's ability to pack up and move their bases. In theory the Wild Zora can move most of their infrastructure to the bottom of a lake and build up their armies underwater, or a more reckless player could park their giant Octorok buildings right outside the wall of an enemy base and start pumping out new units.

This is naturally a really powerful feature that gives the Wild Zora quite an edge, both for playing very aggressively and also more passively as well. There are drawbacks to this however. First of all, these giant Octoroks move extremely slowly. Even the slowest Darknut warriors can catch up with them, Cavalry will have no trouble running down and killing these giant walking bases. Secondly these giant Octoroks are completely defenseless. If you do not have any armies nearby to protect them, they are as good as dead. Lastly, the Wild Zora will still require the capture of nodes to build nests, nests which grow the eggs that hatch into brand new buildings. Sooner or later a Wild Zora player will have to commit to capturing and hanging around nodes, even if only for a little while to create a new Octorok carrying a Barracks or Farm before going on the move again.

And that is it with this faction for now. As I mentioned at the start of this news, I am very committed to working on Star Fox Event Horizon at the moment and Hyrule Conquest has taken more of a back seat, so the release schedule of this faction is less certain than my usual routine. Hopefully it will not be too long from now, so stay tuned.

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/news/hyrule-conquest-is-coming-to-a-wrap

After over a decade of development, the final version of Hyrule Conquest is around the corner.

Posted by The_Undying_Nephalim on May 22nd, 2023

This news is mostly intended as a courtesy to Patrons of Hyrule Conquest.

After over a decade of work I have decided to bring Hyrule Conquest to a close. Within the next several months you guys will be seeing the last additions to this game, of which I will go into detail later in this post.

Starting as "Hyrule Total War" in January of 2011 and eventually going through an engine and name change in 2016, I have spent over 12 years working on this game. If we go beyond just this particular game, I have been working non-stop on a Zelda video game project in some form since 2005. That is nearly two decades of my life I have spent immersed in and devoted to creating this stuff. To put it bluntly, I am all burned out on Zelda. A combination of falling out of love with new Zelda games, and just plain old massive burnout from working on Zelda for long I think has finally caught up with me.

So then, what's left to do for Hyrule Conquest before it's brought to a wrap?

I am currently smack dab in the middle of working on the Wild Zora and getting the game to work with the 0.26 version of 0AD, as the last several posts here have pointed out. They will be finished and released as soon as possible. If there are any crazy bugs after this that need to be fixed, I'll release patches afterwards. As a token to the fans that have supported me for all these years, I will consider giving access to Hyrule Conquest's github for those that wish to balance the game for the multiplayer community or make their own submods. The Hyrule Conquest public discord will remain open and I will remain in it for the community and anyone who wishes to still communicate with me there, but I will probably become less active there once this is done.

For the Patrons that are still here supporting this game, you guys have my immense gratitude. If it were not for you Hyrule Conquest would have probably died half a decade ago. You guys have genuinely been a huge help in keeping this fan game alive, as well as all the people who have supported me in other ways. This announcement is mostly a courtesy to you, as I do not wish for you to waste money on a project that might be going on a very long or indefinite hiatus after the next version is released.

Is it possible I'll return to working on Hyrule Conquest? Anything is possible, I suppose. If so, I need one hell of a break. I refuse to make any promises and give people expectations though, so I will firmly say that this will be a wrap. In contrast to this weariness and disillusionment, the past 8 months of working on Star Fox: Event Horizon has been very positive. I'm having fun again, and this contrast has made me sharply aware of just how little I've been enjoying Zelda and interacting with its general fandom. This realization was the final nail in the coffin for the continuation of my work on Hyrule Conquest. I'm sorry to disappoint those of you who are fans of the game; I would have stopped my work long ago were it not for you. But there comes a point where one has to prioritize one's own happiness and health. I will post news here of when the Wild Zora are finished and released, as well as the final release. Once that's done, I will be diverting my attention and energy to Star Fox: Event Horizon, as well as some original projects I've wanted to work on for a very long time. If you're a Star Fox fan, or you've enjoyed my work so far, I hope you will all check it out and continue enjoying video games with me.

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/news/will-re-upload-way-too-many-bugs

Sorry about that, the last release was much too broken.

Posted by The_Undying_Nephalim on Jul 29th, 2023

 

Many apologies for the 0.15 release. It is for the most part completely broken and unplayable for almost everyone. I have temporarily removed it on moddb and will re-rerelease it in a more stable form sometime in the next week.

As has been mentioned here and elsewhere, Hyrule Conquest has fell off my priority list and I've been working overdrive on Star Fox Event Horizon. My lack of interest has negatively impacted this release and I take responsibility.

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/downloads/hyrule-conquest-015-reupload

Final release of Hyrule Conquest, Labrynna overhaul and compatibility with 0.26 version of 0AD.

---

This is likely the final release of Hyrule Conquest, assuming there are not any horrific bugs that slipped past into the mod that need fixed. I have lost all motivation and love for Zelda and have shifted my focus to working on Star Fox Event Horizon. There are still issues within the game that have not been addressed, for example the 0.26 version broke unit pathing when they walk out of buildings, so some units will walk through walls as they are finished being trained. It is far too much work than I am willing to do to fix these issues, I am heavily invested in devoting my time to Star Fox Event Horizon at the moment. I have no idea if I'll ever finish the River Zora or ever work on this mod again, again I am completely burned out on Zelda and have lost all interest.

PLEASE READ INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS, HYRULE CONQUEST REQUIRES A NEW METHOD TO INSTALL.

Installation:
- Delete any previous version of Hyrule Conquest you have. It will absolutely conflict with this new version.
- Install the Alpha 26 version of 0AD, which can be downloaded here: Play0ad.com
- Locate 0AD's pyrogensis.exe file. The default filepath to it is C:\Program Files (x86)\0 A.D. alpha\binaries\system\pyrogenesis.exe
- Drag "hyrule-conquest.pyromod" onto pyrogensis.exe. This will automatically unpack and install the mod in the correct location. 0AD will then automatically start and open the mod menu with Hyrule Conquest enabled. Click Save Configuration, then Start Mods. hyrule-conquest.pyromod can be found inside the zip you downloaded from moddb.

New Features:
- Labrynna visual and unit overhaul. Labrynna can now domesticate wild animals.
- Added Ontheon Cliffs (2v2) map.
- Numerous bug fixes.

FOR THOSE WITH PERFORMANCE ISSUES:
- Hyrule Conquest aims to have the best looking models possible, however 0AD is currently not optimized for that goal. It is highly recommended that if you are experiencing frame rate issues to lower the model quality in the Options > Graphics (Advanced) menu. Reducing Shadow Quality can also have a decent positive impact on frame rates.

[asterix]

 

[asterix]

I am just trying to copy this from https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/news/the-future14

Future plans for Hyrule Conquest, among other things.

Posted by The_Undying_Nephalim on Aug 31st, 2023

 

It looks like the last release of Hyrule Conquest ended up being mostly stable. A few minor bugs are still floating around, which I will try and patch when time permits. For the last several months I have stated that I wished to back away from Hyrule Conquest to focus on other projects, so does this mean Hyrule Conquest is at an end?

Future Plans

Through some convincing from a few fans of mine, I do not think I will be leaving Hyrule Conquest permanently as I planned. 0.15 and its patch will not be the final version of this game. Despite that, there are going to be a lot of changes as to how I go about working on Hyrule Conquest from this point on. I will try to sum them all up into bullet points:

- I still will probably be taking some kind of hiatus from this project. I really need a break.

- Star Fox Event Horizon is my priority and for the foreseeable future it will always come first.

- Due to my focus on Star Fox, Hyrule Conquest will be treated as a "free time" project. Updates will not be as frequent as they have been for the last decade. As such, I suggest being careful with becoming or staying a patron has you may go half a year without any kind of releases.

- For years I have divided up Hyrule Conquest into chunks to work on sequentially, usually in the form of doing pairs of factions at a time. I will be abandoning this approach and will instead work on whatever my current whim is. This will likely result in a much more haphazard sense of progress.

- There is no longer any intent to make any kind of campaign or story mode. The time needed to do this is absolutely insane, and I simply cannot invest the time needed while working on other projects. For the foreseeable future, this will just be a Skirmish/Multiplayer only mod. Considering this was already the priority before I decided to step away from the project, nothing will change in the short term.

I do want to take a little extra time here to thank all of the fans, patrons, and players who have supported this project over the years. About half a decade ago, Hyrule Conquest had thousands of downloads monthly and a very nice active multiplayer community in the hundreds. While those numbers have declined greatly in the last few years, that is more than I could have ever hoped for when I started back in 2011. I appreciate that there are many people who took interest in my strange and unorthodox depiction of the Zelda universe. It is a shame that this project never actually caught on with the general Zelda fandom in the same way that Star Fox Event Horizon has, but ultimately having a dedicated and niche audience is still a great thing, and it's worth at least saying thank you for that.

 

[The Undying Nephalim]

It was probably obvious that I've not been around there parts in awhile, and thanks to people posting news here in my absence... probably obvious that Hyrule Conquest sort of fizzled out and more or less was stopped. After taking a break for a few months I'm considering making an effort to try and continue sometime in the next few weeks.

In addition to the reasons mentioned in other posts (Burn out and fatigue, being dragged away by Star Fox Event Horizon), there have been other reasons that contributed to Hyrule Conquest fizzling out over the last several years: namely that I've not had any person skilled in creating components dedicate the time needed to finish the remaining features of this mod. While Exodarion and Askarus have done wonders in the past, both have more or less moved on to other ventures and I've been left with massive missing features that were planned still waiting to be done. If anyone here has the skill to implement any of the following features, please do not hesitate to contact me:

- Multiple unit types in a single Battalion:  I suspect this is probably not too difficult, but at the moment our Battalion system can only include one type of unit per battalion. We need to be able to have multiple unit types in a single battalion for things like banner carriers, healers, and captains. In addition, I'd really like the ability to manually train things like Banner Carriers and Captains that appear with the battalion rather than from another building. Alternative, being able to "attach" something like a captain to a selected Battalion would work.
 

- Replenishing Battalions: I would like to implement a feature where Battalions slowly replenish lost troops under certain specified conditions in their templates (Anytime, Within Territory, etc)
 

- Enable Swimming Animations: A feature I have long requested since as far back as 2017, units being able to automatically switch to a set of swimming animations when they move from land into water. I have numerous units that at the moment just walk on or underwater instead of properly swimming as they should. It looks terrible and after over a half a decade I'd love to finally have this feature implemented. I imagine they'd just need some kind of "swimming" variation for the normal animation sets, something like "swim_run, swim_walk, swim_attack_melee, swim_attack_ranged" etc.

 - Glow Shader: Another feature I have been practically begging for since as far back as 2017. I have seen various implementations of this in screenshots but it has to this day never been released. There are many ghostly units and creatures known for their glow effects that are missing them and they look terrible in the game at the moment.

- MP4 Support: A very low priority feature but one I would still be interested in. There are a variety of pre rendered cinematics I have made for the game and there is currently no way to play such videos during the game itself. We had worked on a very sloppy alternate solution, where a youtube video just pops up in the middle of gameplay but obviously this is extremely unprofessional and looks bad. Honestly any video format would probably be nice, just MP4 seems really common and takes up little space and has been easily implemented into other open source engines I currently use.

- Someone that can fix everything 0AD updates break: By far one of the biggest hurdles Hyrule Conquest has faced over the last several years and has contributed to killing motivation is nearly every feature we've added breaking with a new version release of 0AD and setting us back in time for months, sometime almost a year. Someone who can help with this in the future would be fantastic.

If I cannot get these features implemented then I'm sad to say that Hyrule Conquest will never be completed, at least not to the objectives that it was trying to achieve since I started in 2017. 

Edited October 14, 2023 by The Undying Nephalim

[Grapjas]

22 hours ago, The Undying Nephalim said:

- Enable Swimming Animations:

He has swimming animations so maybe you can take a look at how he did it.

22 hours ago, The Undying Nephalim said:

0AD updates break:

PortA24ToA25 – Wildfire Games
PortA25ToA26 – Wildfire Games
PortA26ToA27 – Wildfire Games
Though, earlier alphas don't have that wiki, but it might be helpful for error solving anyway.

Vladislav probably knows more about the glow shader and mp4 support but don't really wanna ping him tbh (don't wanna bother him).

Edited October 14, 2023 by Grapjas

[The Undying Nephalim]

On 14/10/2023 at 2:22 AM, Grapjas said:

He has swimming animations so maybe you can take a look at how he did it.

Definitely was the answer I needed and now I got swimming stuff to work, thank you for pointing me to him!

https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/videos/they-swim-now

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

2 hours ago, The Undying Nephalim said:

Definitely was the answer I needed and now I got swimming stuff to work, thank you for pointing me to him!

https://www.moddb.com/mods/hyrule-conquest/videos/they-swim-now

NIIIICE

[hyperion]

On 14/10/2023 at 3:11 AM, The Undying Nephalim said:

 - Glow Shader: Another feature I have been practically begging for since as far back as 2017. I have seen various implementations of this in screenshots but it has to this day never been released. There are many ghostly units and creatures known for their glow effects that are missing them and they look terrible in the game at the moment.

Alpha channel of spec map can be used for emission with corresponding material definition, eg see basic_glow_norm_spec.xml

Another option would be to grab a Kronos ref implementation of PBR shader and modify it to work with pyrogenesis, Vladislav has plans to move to PBR at some point, so you'd be somewhat future proof and have a probably better time using modern tools.

[vladislavbelov]

12 minutes ago, hyperion said:

Alpha channel of spec map can be used for emission with corresponding material definition, eg see basic_glow_norm_spec.xml

By glow we usually understand post-processing filter which adds a bloom-like effect.

14 minutes ago, hyperion said:

Vladislav has plans to move to PBR at some point, so you'd be somewhat future proof and have a probably better time using modern tools.

Yeah, I'm working on that, and that will allow to add an adjustable glow effect.

[The Undying Nephalim]

Another question about a lower priority feature I asked about years ago, is there any way to properly implement a "laser beam" in the engine? There are quite a few units that are supposed to have what can be described as a laser beam attack and I've had to use less than ideal alternatives like a fireball.

[asterix]

@vladislavbelov yesterday committed compute shader support, upscaling and downscaling techniques https://code.wildfiregames.com/D5218, I believe he might know more, maybe also @Stan` and @wowgetoffyourcellphone might know some tricks, but I believe for proper laser there will need to be added proper support in the engine.   

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

14 hours ago, The Undying Nephalim said:

Another question about a lower priority feature I asked about years ago, is there any way to properly implement a "laser beam" in the engine? There are quite a few units that are supposed to have what can be described as a laser beam attack and I've had to use less than ideal alternatives like a fireball.

Have you tried any other hacks?