so unless someone is really attached to this one I'd like to do Condotierre (Human warlord for hire with leadership and poison weaknes...lots of people want his job), I love the poison weakness that will be fun to fit into his story.

After that,
Undead Liche - I'm thinking something out of RA salvatores work should give me some inspiration here. The standard story of power and imortality at any cost..(can I suggest holyweakness, physical immunity, or is that just too uber?)

Bloodmage, The Drowned (Undead water walker) - How this guy bit it will be the focus of his story, it would help if you told me what spell he comes with? I'm assuming something out of the death tree? I imagine a palidin of some sort capturing him and drowning him, I"d love to name that paly and make it another hero. If at all possible I would like to give him fire resist and claim they tried to burn him at the stake, and had to drown him instead, but I dont want to screw with your balancing so dont worry bout it if thats not possible.

Cenataur Veteran (charge and pole arm), nomadic tribe leader, sole survivor of a [Inser Race here] Raid, out for revenge. Loyal, known for his thundering charge and his signiture pole arm, his last link to his now dead tribe.

anyways those are my choices to start with, If you really want one of these and you have an idea you love just grab it and go with it, otherwise thats what I'm going to start on.

btw someone mentioned a vampire hero, why not an entire vampire family thats been run out of their ancestral lands, Von Cartesons or something vamperic like that.
And while I'm suggesting off the wall ideas that may never get implemented lets not forget the classic obsessive sea captain Archeotype. I've alwyas wanted to start a story with call me Ishmael.

[This message has been edited by Stillborn (edited 11-28-2005 @ 03:05 PM).]

I have a sea captain graphic, and Ishmael would be a great name

Your choices look good, and I like the fact that you can weave a story into them. Just remember that unit descriptions must be shorter than Hero ones (editor only gives us 2 reasonable paragraphs). The units I listed are units, not heroes, although the Vampire hero is a definite go! As is the Cenataur.

You've inspired me to start working on some heroes!

Cheers,

Bj

I'll post what I have, feedback can only help.

Ishmael sounds like alot of fun, seacaptain with a harpoon, after some elusive beast, add a bit of dementia and volla, you have him running around on land claiming everything that moves is a giant albino whale that needs to die!

[This message has been edited by Stillborn (edited 11-28-2005 @ 03:14 PM).]

I've always been under the impression that the Shadow Demons and Syrons did not blend well with the other fantasy races. In the maps I design for multiplay with my friends, I very seldom place them. Personally, I would have no objections to these two races being replaced with the following stipulations:

1) The new races that replace them must be one good and one evil to keep the balance in the numbers of each. If you replace the Shadow Demons with infernalish demons, they will have to be "regular" evil rather than pure evil unless you also replace the Syrons with a pure good race.

2) I would only want to see them replaced with races possessing strong individuality and professional-quality artwork. This is just a personal pet-peeve, but it infuriates me when I can look at a unit and tell it is from a mod rather than the original content by its sub-par appearance.

3) If you do end up making a demon race, don't give every demon unit "Possess!"

As far as replacing the Draconians with Lizardmen, I am personally against this. I feel that the Draconians are cool and unique in their own right and do not warrant replacing. I would also be against "lizardizing" some of their units as this could potentially detract from their unified dragonesque theme. However, I never played the first AoW extensively, so I am not fevered with this insatiable desire to resurrect the lizardmen that is evident in many of the forum members here. I personally feel like the Orcs and Goblins could be consolidated into one race and then have the extra slot used for a new evil race. Of course, I'm sure there would be people who would object to this as everyone has their own favorite races they do not like to see tampered with.

And thank you for your feedback. I will post shots of the artwork as it is being made, so that people can offer suggestions. One aspect of my last mod that frustrated me was that some of the units were not "perfect." I envy Kirky Pircardo's mod in this respect

I am currently making the Demons and Fey Folk, but am holding off on the Lizard conversion. I really like the idea, but I know that many people probably feel the way you do. I may end up making a version with Dracs and a version with Lizards. Only one demon will get possess, by the way.

Stillborn,

In regards to the Sea Captain, I think we could simulate the Harpoon thing by giving him the new 3/3 Javelin attack. However, I need to talk to Pawels to find out whether new abilities can be added to heroes..

Swolte, I reckon you're right on the strangle thing. Kasoid, I think, has some good ideas for names. Is there any chance we could get this implemented? I.e. someone can explain to me how?

Regards,

bj

[This message has been edited by The_Stranger (edited 11-28-2005 @ 03:30 PM).]

Not since the bloodthirsty kings of Babylon has so much blood been spilt in the name of sacrifice. The cult of the Bloodmages was responsible for the sacrificial death of entire townships in an ill-fated attempt to resurrect there undead lord [INSERT NAME]. But their unholy ritual was brought to a halt by the Holy order of the Paladins who captured and drowned anyone who was touched by [Bloodmage Undeadlord’s Name] taint. But the dead do not always stay dead, and what was a powerful cult in life is now unstoppable in death. It is said every death that a Bloodmage bares witness too feeds the burning fires of [Bloodmage Undeadlord’s Name], so he shall rise again spreading death and hatred once more.

I left their daemon lords name blank incase you want to fit it into the lore of Aow:SM, or something someone else has written, it would be best if we could weave different discriptions together to tell a story.

perhaps we can link the Palidans to some sort of Inquisition? Order of the Inquisitio Haereticaes perhaps?

Anyways some names I came up with for their lord include: Shai'tan, Shao'goul, Azuriel...
any suggestions would be appreciated.

[This message has been edited by Stillborn (edited 11-28-2005 @ 03:42 PM).]

This works really well! I like the name Azuriel for the demon lord. Perhaps the Demon's wizard can take it up

In regards to the writing, it is excellent. My only possible objection would be the use of Babylon, which is more or less a historical place...among other things. Could we insert a new name, perhaps one that we could weave into a story? Something involving an Undead cult of old, perhaps?

If you keep up this quality of work, I may have to rewrite some of the descriptions I already have...or better yet, get you to rewrite 'em!

The sea is a fickle mistress, and these abominations are not-so-living proof. Lost at sea in a horrible tragedy, these tortured souls cannot rest. Always spiteful of the living, many a sailor has fallen to a bony hand, pulling them down into the darkest waters...

EDIT: I can lengthen it if you wish.

[This message has been edited by MitchK1989 (edited 11-28-2005 @ 04:03 PM).]

Not since the bloodthirsty kings of Ragnorlon has so much blood been spilt in the name of sacrifice. The cult of the Bloodmages was responsible for the sacrificial death of entire townships in an ill-fated attempt to resurrect there undead lord Azuriel. But their unholy ritual was brought to a halt by the Holy order of the Paladins who captured and drowned anyone who was touched by Azuriel’s taint. But the dead do not always stay dead, and what was a powerful cult in life is now unstoppable in death. It is said every death that a Bloodmage bares witness too feeds the burning fires of Azuriel, so he shall rise again spreading death and hatred once more.

gonna try my hand at the warlord now. heres what I got:

War breeds its own lords, while a king may sit on a throne it is the warlord who has complete military control on the field of battle. His men live and die by his command, sacrificing everything they know in life at his whim. In this vicious and brutal way can a group of fighting men attain more than the sum of their individual parts becoming far more effective than they would otherwise. Rival warlords are no less ruthless, and as a consequence the poison kiss of an assassins blade is an occupational hazard that some have come to regret.

Heres what I got for the undead liche, any editing is appreciated. (I even worked in ragnorlon adding that it was an undead city, though I'm not entirely happy with the way it sounds):

The Ritual of Endless Night weaves its pattern of Black Magic over the mage just as if the undead city of Ragnorlon still stood. That life ends in death is but a trivial nuisance to those of the necromantic arts, whose crazed visions now drive this unholy rite of passage. With one last spasm the body tries to reject all that is unnatural but too late, it has passed to undeath. Such is every Undead Liche reborn into life not living, stillborn have they become, those who now walk the lands spreading darkness in their wake.

And here something for the centaur veteran:

Once meant for greatness, the chosen sons of Centaurs now know only war for survival. Their ascendancy in ruin along with what was once their great nation; Centaurs now live as nomadic tribes etching out a brutal life in an unforgiving landscape. Centaur veterans are the protectors of their tribes, preserving their lineage through their intensity in battle. A harsh and unforgiving life has built the Centaur Veteran into a capable foe, whose thundering charge into battle is rightly feared.

well thats it for now, tell me what u think.

[This message has been edited by Stillborn (edited 11-28-2005 @ 06:25 PM).]

Mitch and Still, you did not duplicate the Blood Mage and Drowned units; I can use each description for a different unit.

I like the Undead Liche and Warlord descriptions, also. I will change one or two grammar things and they are good to go! Do you think you could work in something about the forest...maybe fleeing there...in the Cenataur descriptions? I like the idea of them being former royalty, though. Maybe the whole Fairy Folk could be the remnants of some long lost magical kingdom...

Ok, if you want, I have some heroes for you:

1. Fairy Queen heroine Rogue for the Fey Folk with floating, magic strike, and pixie dust.

2. Nymph heroine Rogue for the elves. She is brunette, has swimming, seduce, and water concealment.

3. Satyr Hero Rogue for the Fey Folk: he has charm and poison darts.

4. Fiery Werewolf hero for the Demons...Papa Hell Hound, perhaps?

Sincere thanks for the good work!

Regards,

bj

I added in that they no longer live on the gentle plains of their old nation, and mentioned that they can be found in forests or steppes.

Once meant for greatness, the chosen sons of Centaurs now know only war for survival. Their ascendancy in ruin along with what was once their great nation; Centaurs now live as nomadic tribes etching out a brutal life in an unforgiving landscape. Centaur veterans are the protectors of their tribes, preserving their lineage through their intensity in battle. No longer living solely upon the gently rolling plains of their former nation, but forced to reside in steppes and forests, a harsh and unforgiving life has built the Centaur Veteran into a capable foe, whose thundering charge into battle is rightly feared.

I think that works, gonna try that werewolf hero now see what we can do, I like the idea of it fathering hell hounds, sorta like the mancubus. not sure I fit it in all that well though:

That evil should fight the forces of good with all its despicable might, and to this end create endless abominations so vile that to say their name is to invite death is but a glimpse into the wars of heaven and hell. Out of this melee falls our hero the aborted fetus of fiery hell, an atrocity to be disposed of, a blueprint for a monster never needed. Venerated by hellhounds as if their father, feared by werewolves because of his narrow kinship, he is neither beast nor daemon, but burns with the strength and hatred of all those who are neverborn.

btw what program do u use to recolour units? is there a tutorial somewhere u could point me too?
And post some shots, nothing inspires like a picture.

[This message has been edited by Stillborn (edited 11-28-2005 @ 07:40 PM).]

Here is a link to a thread about the recolouring program:

http://aow.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?
action=st&fn=33&tn=3981&f=33,3981,0,0&st=190

Here is a link to the program (UGPM_gui):

http://www.hamletg.com/

I don't know if the thread has a tutorial that applies to the latest version. What I do is this: I open the program and browse the scripts available. If you have patch 1.4, you will have a big txt file called UGPM_script_up in your AoW directory. When you open UGPM, on the left you will see folders and text files. Click one of the text files, such as UGPM_script_up and a bunch of txt files with names will come up. Click one, and you will see an old unit and the unit it has been recoloured into. Now, you can play around by sliding the colour bars to see how this changes the appearance of the unit in your window. Some people are very good at recolouring and actually use advanced tecniques to do it...I think. What I do, crude as I am, is take already made scripts from units similar in shape to ones I want to recolour. Then, I plug in my unit instead of the scripted unit, and begin playing with the colours. If I had internet access on my current AoW computer, I would send you a picture of some of the Demons! I like the Cenataur addition, btw

Cheers,

BJ

A twinkle in the air is all that's left after (Hero Name) has departed. Her magic bag of tricks has left many a traveler amazed, and many a foe frustrated. She was first encountered by an elf traveller who remarked that for such a small creature, she loved to play rather large tricks!

Fire, Ice, Land, Sea, every day is something new for (Hero Name)! She just loves to travel, see the world, and play the occasional prank along the way. According to rumor she even once turned a shepard's flock into centaurs, just for a laugh (of course, the shepard wasn't laughing when suddenly confronted with an array of strange creatures, who; of course, looked equally confused).

EDIT: I Just recolored to make a rather sinister looking rider on a white horse by changing the color of the rider from the nice archon red to black, and also a more infero looking ILB for the larva. Can you make infect spawn a unit other than a parasite? I was thinking we could do away with the infection spell, give the demons an infecting unit, and make it so they get some crazy mutant when they kill the infected enemy, so they "Evolve" through battle

[This message has been edited by MitchK1989 (edited 11-28-2005 @ 10:12 PM).]

I'd like to see what you guys come up with, playing around with the UGPM. It can be fun and frustrating. Send me an email with screen shot:\

bradjosse@hotmail.com

*For those who may not know, as I did not know until Joepo explained it to me not so very long ago, to make a screenshot for AoW, you can open the editor, make a blank map, put the units on the map, then go into preview mode (big eye on top menu). Then press down control and then print screen. The open something like Microsoft Paint, and hit ctr v to paste the image into the open template. Make sure to save it as a jpeg

Regards,

bj

http://www.hamletg.com/files/UGPM_gui_0.0.12.exe

btw can u send me your script .txt so I can learn from them?

[This message has been edited by Stillborn (edited 11-29-2005 @ 02:33 PM).]

[ IMG ] image URL [ /IMG ]

The IMG code is used for displaying images stored on other websites. Please note that IMG tags does not work in signatures or in forums that have the tag disabled. Please be courteous, and not have too many images, images too big, or images that are bigger than 50K in your posts. If you want to use your own images, use a free webhost such as Geocities to store your images

EDIT: What's going to happen to the syron forceship? I loved that unit, and I hope that some version of it will be in the game. I made a red demonic looking recolor if you want to use it for demons.

[This message has been edited by MitchK1989 (edited 11-30-2005 @ 07:06 AM).]

I have been traveling again, and apologize for not posting reponses to some of the queries here sooner. However, I finally return home in three days, which will mean more consistent time towards getting this project going

In regards to spawning the larva, I reckon that I meant to say parasite. I know that the devour ability will spawn whatever takes the larva's spot in the editor. But, for the parasite, I don't know that anything will appear other than a parasite after the infected unit has died. Stem, did you mean that the parasite could be replaced with a Reaper (or anything) or just the shadow demon larva?

Kaskoid, Stillborn's link is the better one. The file is at the top of the home page I gave

Still, the UGPM_GUI works just fine. The script I was referring to should have come along with the New Dwiggs 4.5 version, and would be called NewDwiggs.txt (or something similar...I'm on a non AoW computer at present). However, a good sample file to look at would be the Upatch file, the text file that comes with patch 1.4. It should show up as a text file begining with U in your main AoW directory.

Personally, I would be interested in seeing what you guys come up with. Maybe you could send your scripts to my email, as Mitch suggested, rather than a screenshot. That would save space here, and would also allow me to see how you made what you did. I still have a lot to learn about recolouring too!

I'm not sure about what to do with the Syron Forceship, or the other Syrons for that matter. I thought about having the Giant Warrior available as a Syron summons, similar to AoW1. However, I intend to conserve the entire race in the editor, and they could potentially be recruitable units or be placeable by mapmakers in custom maps.

A question for Swolte, or anyone else equally wise: man, I forgot it while I was typing some of the above stuff...I'll leave this in hopes of jogging my memory later .....Ha, I remember now:

Is it possible to edit the changling ability/orientation so that the unit does not become "good" after undergoing its second mutation. That is, if a unit starts with "morph" rather than "changling," it will not be considered a good syron until it morphs for the second time. What I would like to do is alter the ability's name to something like shape shifter, and remove the default conversion to a good racial unit after it shape shifts. Is this possible through Pawels's magic?

Regards,

bj

Thanks for the hint I'll grab the dwigs mod again and go through the units there.

One thing that u did that was really cool was changing the default stance of monsters in their unit photos, that really helped change the feel of units hope we can see more of that. Can u tell me how u did it?

Btw where are we for unit discriptions? lets get a complete list going of whats done, what isnt, and maybe an idea bin for converging stories we can write in.

I think we have the bloodmage, the drowned, the warlord, the veteren centaur and the liche lord so far as unit discriptions, and we have 2 heroes, the evil fiery werewolf and the good herion chick. I think thats all me and Mitch got through?

Cheers
PK

could you send me your email again, as I can't find it in my inbox

I will post a list of all completed unit descriptions and those that remain to be finished in the topic area of this thread. Good idea

Changing the unit stance is pretty simple, and it's fun to see what you can come up with! The Glutton has some very interesting animation sequences, for example....

Anyhow, you open your AoW:SM Editor. Go to the top and select "resources," then either "edit" or "customize." If you choose customize you will have to give your resource set a new name. If you choose edit, then you will simply be changing the existing rule set. Ok, once you've done this, on the right toward the top will be a bunch of tabs. Choose "General," then "Unit Bodies." You may be able to select "unit bodies" without going through "General." In unit bodies, you will see all the unit animations available to turn into units for the game. In this case, let's just open the first default unit, which should be the Human Halberdier. After you double click him, a large window will pop up. On the right will be a picture of the unit, on the left will be categories such as "attack," "move," ect, with number sequences. Click any of these categories and the unit will perform the selected animation sequences. This is helpful for deciding what pose you want your unit to adopt. Let's say you like the attack sequence to the right, which should be something like 160-168. Scroll down through the categories on the left until you get to the final one, which is "Preview." There will be a three digit number there; I think the default is 100. Change it to 161 and see what happens. Keep trying numbers until you find one you like. Hope this helps!

Kaskoid, I'm still curious about the larva/parasite issue. Can the parasite leave it's host as any unit if the parasite slot is replaced with that unit? That would open some interesting possibilites