Greetings, I bought the game yesterday (download version).
I have played an old civil war game (Frank Hunter's American Civil War) and enjoyed it. One of the best things in it was the editor, which unfortunately doesn't work in my Windows 8.1 OS (tried several compatibility options).
However, the game itself works (in compatibility mode) and has certain features which though not historically accurate, make the game interesting, for example, the campaign has certain starting options. One of them is (if you're playing CSA) the option to free the slaves or partial freedom (or something like that) and keep the institution of slavery in the south. If slaves are freed obviously it affects the southern sentiments and has some negative impacts but these are negligible when compared to the positive factor (a huge increase in available manpower). As for CW2 I have only played the 3 tutorials since yesterday and read some of the manual but couldn't find a similar option. Is there such an option in the grand campaign?
Furthermore, in CW2, are there options for allowing Missouri and Kentucky to join the confederacy? Frank Hunter's game had it although I'm not comparing the two. I just want to play as the south and want a great advantage for the CSA and lots of manpower and freedom to diverge from what really happened in history. Currently there is no editor (AFAIK) so I can't mod it. What other options do I have to make the CSA stronger?
I did read the tips at the end of the third tutorial. Are there any more from you guys over here (for playing CSA only)?
Also can the CSA expand west? Does it have Indian support? What are the pros and cons of going west and developing it? Does it have any major strategic impact? Any other Strategic Planning tips would be appreciated.
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irfanahmed1979
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Frank Hunter's American Civil War game is my favorite treatment of the American Civil War of all the games every published on the strategic level. But you have bought a near relative.
You will find a similar option with regard to enlisting the slaves, as the South, and other such options once you play the campaign game with a bit more of a penalty than Hunter offered.
ACW2 does not have anything similar to the Missouri and Kentucky options in the Hunter game. However, you do have solid options to bring both states into the Confederate fold with planning and a few judicious assaults.
ACW2 does not have an editor as you are used to, but it has an open architecture and is amenable to modding.
CSA can expand Westerly. Many of the Western Indians are friendly to the CSA. There are objective cities in the West worth taking. Overall, it is probably a distraction rather than a strategy in my view, but is is open and available. It is fully playable.
I think the game option you will love as a “Son of the South,” so to speak, is the enhanced opportunity for Great Britain and France to ally with the South.
You will find a similar option with regard to enlisting the slaves, as the South, and other such options once you play the campaign game with a bit more of a penalty than Hunter offered.
ACW2 does not have anything similar to the Missouri and Kentucky options in the Hunter game. However, you do have solid options to bring both states into the Confederate fold with planning and a few judicious assaults.
ACW2 does not have an editor as you are used to, but it has an open architecture and is amenable to modding.
CSA can expand Westerly. Many of the Western Indians are friendly to the CSA. There are objective cities in the West worth taking. Overall, it is probably a distraction rather than a strategy in my view, but is is open and available. It is fully playable.
I think the game option you will love as a “Son of the South,” so to speak, is the enhanced opportunity for Great Britain and France to ally with the South.
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irfanahmed1979
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Thanks Durk,
A few more questions:
1. How can the game be modded?
2. Foreign Intervention, what's the best strategy for that to happen? I know it's in the manual but from actual gameplay experience what specific steps need to be taken and how long does it take for the meter to reach 100?
3. Can I mod right now and give myself extra money, population, etc.
A few more questions:
1. How can the game be modded?
2. Foreign Intervention, what's the best strategy for that to happen? I know it's in the manual but from actual gameplay experience what specific steps need to be taken and how long does it take for the meter to reach 100?
3. Can I mod right now and give myself extra money, population, etc.
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irfanahmed1979
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We can now publish the database I believe, now that 1.02 is out.
As for modding, the game is very moddable, but this is also a complex game or engine, so it is more than pushing buttons in a fool-proof editor
Now, if you start small and just want to add a tiny event that is adding money or war supplies, this can be done in 3 mn if you know where to look at. Also don't miss the AGE engine wiki! See my sig. Ask also for infos in the modding forum...
As for modding, the game is very moddable, but this is also a complex game or engine, so it is more than pushing buttons in a fool-proof editor
Now, if you start small and just want to add a tiny event that is adding money or war supplies, this can be done in 3 mn if you know where to look at. Also don't miss the AGE engine wiki! See my sig. Ask also for infos in the modding forum...
Hofstadter's Law: "It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's law."
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irfanahmed1979
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irfanahmed1979
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Pocus wrote:We can now publish the database I believe, now that 1.02 is out.
As for modding, the game is very moddable, but this is also a complex game or engine, so it is more than pushing buttons in a fool-proof editor
Now, if you start small and just want to add a tiny event that is adding money or war supplies, this can be done in 3 mn if you know where to look at. Also don't miss the AGE engine wiki! See my sig. Ask also for infos in the modding forum...
So how do I add money or war supplies? Is all the info in the wiki? Also there must be limits on the amount for each of these two things.
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irfanahmed1979
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irfanahmed1979 wrote:I can't find the .xls files. If I rename a scenario file to .xls it doesn't open in the correct format, i.e., data is not organized in columns. I'm using Excel 2010.
Look in Civil War II\CW2\Events folder
Open those files with a notepad++, or with notepad.
Each scenario has its events file. You can see how events in the game are coded. Using copy paste and a few modifications, you can create events at the begining of the game which change loyalties, give ws, money,...
Experiment with it if you are realy into modding.
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irfanahmed1979
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Ace wrote:Look in Civil War II\CW2\Events folder
Open those files with a notepad++, or with notepad.
Each scenario has its events file. You can see how events in the game are coded. Using copy paste and a few modifications, you can create events at the begining of the game which change loyalties, give ws, money,...
Experiment with it if you are realy into modding.
Aright I'll give it a try but don't I need to make a backup of the original files incase I mess up?
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Captain_Orso
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You ought to know the answer to that.
The database files have to be downloaded separately; from the Modder's forum I believe. The Database files are in CSV format and are semicolon separated with no text-indicating quote-marks; everything is text.
A word in advance not that you take off on your endeavor already with the wrong premise. Depending on whet exactly you want to do, Posus' hint cannot be overstated enough. The AGE-engine is more like an automatron running a board game than anything else. So all the pieces --brigs and brigades, from artillery to Zouaves, money, loyalty, depots, roads and harbors-- everything that can be manipulated can be modded and is done so per scripts.
Scripts are a set of commands and parameters that are parsed each turn, checking their validity --generally per date comparison-- and if within the valid parameters, then do something with the "pieces" or settings of the game. This can be as simple as creating a unit, eg. check if it is Late Sept. '61 or later, check if there is no unit in play named U.S. Grant, if both are true, then generate a unit named U.S. Grant placing him with great probability in Cairo IL. These are called "events".
Other events can influence each other or be influence by actions "on the board". For example, the Kentucky events. They are not so numerous and complex as in AACW but how they work still depends on whether one, both or neither player chooses to invade KY, but also on random chance.
So, how do you give money to the South? Just pick a date and add a pile of money, and WSU if you so choose, to his pool. You can even program you event to do it each and every turn.
Can you "program" a neutral Missouri? Certainly, but it is far more complex than just adding money to one side, and how you do something like this will depend entirely on your talents and ambition in programming it.
The database files have to be downloaded separately; from the Modder's forum I believe. The Database files are in CSV format and are semicolon separated with no text-indicating quote-marks; everything is text.
A word in advance not that you take off on your endeavor already with the wrong premise. Depending on whet exactly you want to do, Posus' hint cannot be overstated enough. The AGE-engine is more like an automatron running a board game than anything else. So all the pieces --brigs and brigades, from artillery to Zouaves, money, loyalty, depots, roads and harbors-- everything that can be manipulated can be modded and is done so per scripts.
Scripts are a set of commands and parameters that are parsed each turn, checking their validity --generally per date comparison-- and if within the valid parameters, then do something with the "pieces" or settings of the game. This can be as simple as creating a unit, eg. check if it is Late Sept. '61 or later, check if there is no unit in play named U.S. Grant, if both are true, then generate a unit named U.S. Grant placing him with great probability in Cairo IL. These are called "events".
Other events can influence each other or be influence by actions "on the board". For example, the Kentucky events. They are not so numerous and complex as in AACW but how they work still depends on whether one, both or neither player chooses to invade KY, but also on random chance.
So, how do you give money to the South? Just pick a date and add a pile of money, and WSU if you so choose, to his pool. You can even program you event to do it each and every turn.
Can you "program" a neutral Missouri? Certainly, but it is far more complex than just adding money to one side, and how you do something like this will depend entirely on your talents and ambition in programming it.
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