The Greek Geek
Mortal
posted 17 April 2020 03:50 PM EDT (US)
Hey all!
I've been playing AOM since I was a lad, and I've been intrigued by the editor and creating scenarios and campaigns for years.
I recently noticed that AOM also got a gameplay update in December, so what better time to pic the game back up than the present?
(And the editor is a bit like riding a bike, so that's a plus!)
That said, I finally want to tackle an old personal goal of mine, make a campaign (regardless of size).
The only thing is, over the years my interests have shifted a bit, and D&D is basically my end all hobby at this point. I've done a lot of world building over the years, and so I've no shortage of ideas for a AOM campaign, but I want to add a more personal touch.
Point being, I really want to make a totally custom culture so that I don't have to use a ton of triggers to rename, and re-stat things.
The TL;DR of this is:
What are some tips and tricks you have for someone wanting to create a whole new culture for the game from the ground up?
WinterGod
Mortal
posted 26 April 2020 11:38 AM
EDT (US)
1 / 9
It depends on what you want to create. Modding, and creating technologies, is generally quite easy. For example what is the custom culture going to be like?
I myself have never released mods that heavily modify existing Major Gods. We still can't create brand new Major Gods for the AOM EE, but if it's a custom campaign there are a couple of things you can do.
Use a modified Town Center, create modified villager, and those villagers can create modified buildings.
I have a private Medjay mod, with a re-textured Medjay villager, creating other medjay units.
I worked on a Ptolemaic Egypt mod, but I abandoned it. [Greek& Egpyt partially combined] I am also thinking about doing a switch of Manticore and the Satyr.
Creating brand new buildings and models is of course very difficult, I am still working on an Aztec mod using buildings from AOEIII. I love how it's coming together, but I am still dreading the Myth Unit creation.
There is for example the Age of Wrath, which adds multiple new Gods, and the left-overs mod that creates a new using SPC units.
If you explain what you want to crate we can help you more.
WinterGod
Mortal
posted 19 May 2020 04:31 PM
EDT (US)
6 / 9
You will still have a major God, but in the scenario editor you can change the name of your major god. Since you are already using different buildings and such the culture will look completely different.
It will be a bit more helpful if you fully explain what you want to create.
Custom Town Center can be created using the proto file. Just duplicate the Town Center in the proto file and rename it. It uses a different name I think. It was settlement level 1 or something like that.
If you are planning to use the existing models in the game, You just need to play with The proto, techtree, anim and hte sound files.
WinterGod
Mortal
posted 21 May 2020 11:33 AM
EDT (US)
8 / 9
You need the 3ds max, AOM plugins and a texture editor for the unique models. All the other can be easily created. My advice is examine the proto file, and then the tech tree before creating your own mod. Creating brand new units, is quite a bit of work, so you may want to experiment with the existing units or models first. I started out creating my Aztec civilization, by adding technologies to the shrine and the dwarven forge, from the campaign.
Since the AOM models are low poly, creating brand new buildings is not that hard. You can even modify the roofs or the change the textures to make them look new and fresh.
You may also want to check the steam workshop. I think that many assets from other games are already modded. You can ask the permission of the creator, to create your own mod.