Looking for some FA2 trigger editing options.

[riderviper]

:cool: Hi, I'm just another map maker. I've been doing that for quite a while ever since I first played the first Red Alert.
I've been out of it for a while while I was in the university, and now I want to get back to it.
So I have a few questions reguarding the Red Alert 2 map editor, Final Alert.

I've been looking for a way to set a limit to the number of units avaialbe on the map, but I haven't found one yet and I was wondering if anyone knows of how to set the number of units limit.

The next thing I'm looking for is the buildable items limit, haven't discovered anything like that yet. I want to set the map to build only certain units, and I'm talking about the human players as well as the AI.

One of the biggest problems I've had is with the text message trigger in both single and multiplayer maps. The message is displayed, but if I have a space in the message then the remainer of the line is not displayed, so I have to type in underscores. In addition, at the start of the message there "MISSING:" and then the rest of the typed message. Anyone know how I should fix this?

Also is there anyway to set the crate rewards so that you only recive Infantry type units rather than vehical units? Or at least to remove the vehical type units and to keep the crate unit upgrades only.


Thanks, I highly appriciate any help anyone gives me.

[nuker7735]

lol everyone knows theres no way to fix the MISSING thing and the req for underscores and multiple lines in the autotexts, and all teh other stuff can only be accomplished by modding the game with a seperate program like TibEd. If u have'nd ever modded the game im very experienced with the rules.INI section of the game and would be glad to help u get started. BTW: you can't set an overall data limit; you can set individual maximums for each buildable object tho. and you can get rid of teh tank crate goodie but the inf squad is desupported.

[riderviper]

:cool: Thanks.
But I don't believe that there isn't a way to fix the 'MISSING:' text bit, it's just a matter that hasn't been discovered yet. I still wonder how Westwood did the text bit in mission maps.
And yeah, I've had a little experiance in editing ini files which I use to do in TS and RA, but never tried it with RA2 or the other games. But sad to say I've forgotten my stuff and I edited those unit ini like a noob would... Infantry with Mammoth MK II guns, which would switch to regular guns when they got promoted. How annoying ...but if you can make the needed ini then I'd appriciate it.
Basically I wanted to make a kind of Infantry only map, where you can build just 1 infantry at a time [or maybe up to 3] and duke it out against the others while trying to get rid of the opposing barracks... omiting some units like Rocketeers and Chronolegionairs for their advantage. Sort of like a DoTA map.
Hence the reason why I want to set a build limit and buildable limit and prevent crates from giving vehicles.

Plus it will give me the chance to upgrade and fix some of my 'Arena' maps I made years ago, I had trouble with the crates and Conyards.

Here you can check one of my maps I did years ago...
http://www.cncnx.8m.com/cncra2/arenav3launchedv1_1mea1.zip
if it doesn't download, then go to http://www.cncnx.8m.com/cncnxmaps.htm it's the forth map from the top.
I had done a few more of these kinds of maps, only because of the crate and conyard problem I didn't upload the others.

[FlyingZ]

Maybe you can get some ideas from this.

[riderviper]

:cool: Thanks. I'll give it a try and see...

[jamesminilogo]

The 'MISSING:' refers to a text string in the RA2.csf file.

The RA2.csf contains text strings and when you use a text trigger in a map you are actually telling it to look for a string.

For example, if i want the trigger to display 'Objective 1', and i just type 'Objective 1' into the box, the game will look for a string called 'Objective 1' and because it cannot find it, the game will display 'MISSING: Objective 1'

But if you create a string in the RA2.csf file with that name, it will display the text correctly as defined in the string

[riderviper]

:cool: FlyingZ Dude, that is awsome! That map alone I like! At least from that I understand how to make which units available from the start. And I can't believe I've never used action 121 before, and it was right under my nose too, it would have made things a lot easier... lol. Time to update all those maps of mine...
Now all I have to do is figure out how to set a unit limit so that a much smaller map could be made for a few units only to duke it out.

And thanks jamesminilogo, I guess I'll be able to fix up the text too now...
Now if only I can figure out what the RA2.csf file is... I can't seem to find it, if it's even there...

[nuker7735]

The 'MISSING:' refers to a text string in the RA2.csf file.

The RA2.csf contains text strings and when you use a text trigger in a map you are actually telling it to look for a string.

For example, if i want the trigger to display 'Objective 1', and i just type 'Objective 1' into the box, the game will look for a string called 'Objective 1' and because it cannot find it, the game will display 'MISSING: Objective 1'

But if you create a string in the RA2.csf file with that name, it will display the text correctly as defined in the string

i know that, but i said there isint a way to get rid of it because if you mod the string table, for some reason, FA2 dosent respond to that... even if you save the string table edits to the map. and if it's MISSING in the editor, it dosent let u use spaces... =/ it is possible that we can find a way to apply string table edits to a map but because its not INI it will be hard to find a way to do it

[riderviper]

:cool: Well I'm glad to say the updates are coming along nicely.
So as part of the improvements, I'm trying to fix up the old scripts a bit, basically improve the 'AI'.
The script called "Hunt" has the Actions 'Guard Area' - 2 second, followed by 'Do This...' - 15 Hunt.
Now the problem with this script is that the units attached to this script will sometimes hunt the closest opposing unit like 'Do this... 1'

Is there any way to improve this by getting the unit to hunt as well as switch between targets, thus making the map a little more challenging.

[nuker7735]

lol they hunt the unit cuz theyre in guard mode. the whole point of guard is to hunt the closest opposing unit.

[Fenring]

CSF is not INI. You can slap one in with your map and it will work. Modified string files don't affect online play.

[riderviper]

:cool: lol they hunt the unit cuz theyre in guard mode. the whole point of guard is to hunt the closest opposing unit. lol, well I guess I'll just scratch improving the hunt scripts off the list...


CSF is not INI. You can slap one in with your map and it will work. Modified string files don't affect online play.
OK maybe someone can elaborate on this for me... 'cause I still don't know what a CSF file is, nor do I know how to modify it. Anyone care to point out?

[nuker7735]

CSF is not INI.
I SPECIFFICALLY said that. But when i tried to save my string table edits last time the trigger window still didnt have my string in the list and i couldnt type it. However i may just need a seperate string table apart from my editor... my editor has a string table with it, my changes work if i save my changes to the entire game, but they dont work if I just save them to a map.:grumpy:
*EDIT* BTW riderviper, a string table is a list of names and texts for use in the game. For example, if I tell a trigger to say: Mission Accomplished, i would have to type in the trigger window something like: EVA_MissionAccomplished. Then when that trigger fires, the game has to look for a string in that table named EVA_MissionAccomplished, which will have a value of: "Mission Accomplished." the value of the CSF string is what the game displays, So when the trigger fires it will say "Mission Accomplished". But if i type EVAMissionAccomplished, the game won't be able to find the string because it dosent exist. So the game then displays whatever was entered in the field with a MISSING sign before it. so instead of saying "Mission Accomplished" it will say "MISSING:'EVAMissionAccomplished'"
Did you get all that?

[riderviper]

:cool: Well I understood that bit...
But I still don't know how to make this CSF file... can I make with with notepad, or do I need some program for it? Or is there already a file I need to edit?

[jamesminilogo]

The CSF file is already in the mix files, cant remember which one

[hogo98]

If I Remember Correctly it is LangMD Or Lang for Ra2 Lang MD for YR you might have to check but its in there somewhere.

[riderviper]

:cool: OK found it but can't seem to open it... the worst is that it seems to be identified as a "Microsoft Picture It! File", which clearly it's not.



It's not, isn't it? I mean it's another form of a text file, right?

Well I seem to be having no luck with opening it. So It's back to the unit limits and updating maps...

OK now my most recent problem...... far more serious...
My Lan finally works! Fixed all the problems... ok so one game doesn't work, but that's not important.
What is is that my Arena maps explode. Both players have lost as it begins.
I seem to have a grasp on a solution, but just incase anyone has experiance with this then I'd appriciate any suggestions...
Anyway I believe it's the lag in the data exchange that affects the time on the game.
So when I set to 2 second for MCV destruction, then make the new units appear after that and then have the buildings destroyed, all within a 7 seconds on a Laggy network, something is bound to go wrong... my bad there.

So I figured the time/clock runs faster even when lagging. Anyone care to agree with me, or have I figured this out wrong?

[nuker7735]

ok... first of all... do u have short game off? if you do, then do you have anything left after the MCV dies? if not then thats your problem there... BTW: the internal clock of the game runs slower when lagging... so if the clock runs regular life speed at regular game speed, then it'll run at something like 1/2 the speed (like 2 regular seconds per game second) on laggy maps.
BTW the game thats not working for u is probably the "Quick co-op" game. If thats so than don't worry cuz that happens to everyone. It's an XWIS problem. They don't support the Quick co-op game for whatever reason.

[riderviper]

:cool: Yep, short game is off always. I noticed it on one of FlyingZ's maps that has a 1 hour timer on it, even after the timer ran out there was about 15 minutes before the map 'changed'. I think I just need to refine the time, or maybe not have a building blow up until all units on the map are destroyed...

And to note, the game that doesn't work is "Need for Speed 2 SE"... which is the only game not working on my Lan. Though I still didn't test RA1 and regualr C&C, so I could be wrong about NFS2SE being the only game not working on the network.