Creating maps with HERO PORTALS

[Keldaryth]

Okay, new to making anything DK2 and I'm now confused.

So... we can make maps with working hero portals without hex editing? Or not? And what exactly is this 'new map' from old technique?

Also, is it or is it not possible to modify game variables and have working hero portals in a level? And if so which technique needs to be used?

I'm interested in building a campaign (or linked scenarios) around a hero style dungeon, but that's either going to need merc portals with a creature pool.

Dragonslover - I tried opening the map you posted and editing creature properties didn't show me heroes in the creature pool, and I'm not sure if it was meant to?

Sorry in advance if I should be posting this elsewhere, but I'm completely confused.

[DragonsLover]

So... we can make maps with working hero portals without hex editing? Or not? And what exactly is this 'new map' from old technique?

Yes, you can make maps with working hero portals, but you WILL HAVE to hex edit.

Also, is it or is it not possible to modify game variables and have working hero portals in a level? And if so which technique needs to be used?

Yes, it is possible to modify game variables and working hero portals in a level. You just simply have to edit variables without special techniques. Modify them normally.

Dragonslover - I tried opening the map you posted and editing creature properties didn't show me heroes in the creature pool, and I'm not sure if it was meant to?

It's not the "Creature properties" you have to open, but the "Keeper properties".

Here's what you have to do:
First, open the "HeroPool" map and click on "OK" to load the global data. Then, leave that map open and open YOUR map. Right-click on the "Player" in the script tree and select "Edit Keeper Properties". Select the "Creature Pool" dropdown list and you should be able to add heroes into the pool.

Now, for the Hero Portal to work, let me edit the first post by Hapuga to avoid confusions. Edit : the post has been edited. It explains clearly what you have to do.

[Keldaryth]

Whoops sorry, I meant keeper properties. That's what I get for staying up to 5 AM.

I tried the hex editing, and the map opens fine now in the editor with the replaced file, but it crashes the game when I try to load it... I've obviously done something wrong, but I'm not sure what...

[DragonsLover]

Hmmm... yeah, I also got a crash once, but in the editor. I guess it was because I didn't hex edit the file properly. You have to be sure that, by using the hex editor, you didn't erase (by Delete or Backspace keys) in the .KWD file of the map. If you did, the checksum of the file would be broken.

Yeah, I know, it sucks to have to hex edit files to make the Hero Portal working, but I don't see other solutions. Hero Portals only work when the Global Variables of the game are used without using those of the map.

[Madkill]

I just thought of something. 1.7 had many faults, but it added the maiden to the 'creature listings', maybe there are hero sliders? By default they're all on 0 (to prevent them coming out of regular portals) and without the ability to manually change it you won't be getting any unless its an official map where the variables change the default setting.

Just a thought, there could already be sliders there and its all down to some screwed-with code that makes it invisible.


...Or maybe, just maybe, there's broken code in the map editor so when you place a hero portal it only registers it as 'some room'.


I've also figured out a way around this whole scenario, though it destroys the random factor. Still.

Step 1.
Place a hero portal.

Step 2.
Place a Action Point around the hero portal. (3x3)

Step 3.
If Keeper X > builds Lair > generate creature (Alignment Keeper X) > at Action Point X

Step 4.
Profit.

-----------

Now, you might be asking yourself "But it has to be the same for all keepers! Otherwise it'll be unfair"
This is very true! But you can place other portals that offer an extra 3-4 heroes and it is in this that a player must do what he can to make sure he outnumbers his enemy!

I've also just thought up a new 'mode' for map, excuse me for a second. You're going to love this...

[Metal Gear Rex]

I just thought of something. 1.7 had many faults, but it added the maiden to the 'creature listings', maybe there are hero sliders? By default they're all on 0 (to prevent them coming out of regular portals) and without the ability to manually change it you won't be getting any unless its an official map where the variables change the default setting.

Just a thought, there could already be sliders there and its all down to some screwed-with code that makes it invisible.


...Or maybe, just maybe, there's broken code in the map editor so when you place a hero portal it only registers it as 'some room'.


I've also figured out a way around this whole scenario, though it destroys the random factor. Still.

Step 1.
Place a hero portal.

Step 2.
Place a Action Point around the hero portal. (3x3)

Step 3.
If Keeper X > builds Lair > generate creature (Alignment Keeper X) > at Action Point X

Step 4.
Profit.

-----------

Now, you might be asking yourself "But it has to be the same for all keepers! Otherwise it'll be unfair"
This is very true! But you can place other portals that offer an extra 3-4 heroes and it is in this that a player must do what he can to make sure he outnumbers his enemy!

I've also just thought up a new 'mode' for map, excuse me for a second. You're going to love this...

Wouldn't work, I tried it. It conflicts because say you can get multiple heroes at the same time. Unless you want an immediate adding in, which wouldn't be very fair. You'd have a max limit of how many you can add in, otherwise you make it repeat but that also wouldn't be fair as with an immediate attraction. Say you meet the attraction for a Thief, well, you'd get nothing but Thieves until you reach a limit (If you remember to add a limit, otherwise, you're screwed as there's no copy and paste of triggers so you'd have to do it ALL OVER AGAIN)

Needless to say, it is uselessly complex and too much work to be worth the effort. It might work with say only a few amount (3-) but wouldn't be the best solution. If you plan to use most of the Heroes, it might just be too much work for the mapmaker and end up killing his will to continue on (Possibly mapmaking in general as well)

[Madkill]

So you can get several heroes at the same time, what's the problem? It'd just be a case of this room attracts this hero every few seconds until you have x amount of that hero. Essentially, you're 'coding' how portals are meant to work anyway. It'd be very DKI in the end; you could set it so with every few slabs you attract an extra 1 of that hero.

Too much effort? Not at all, you could say this about Hapuga's way too. Yes, there would end up being -a lot- of triggers but in the end, solve how to do it properly for one and from there it'd just be a case of repeating the same thing again and again but with different variables, wouldn't take that long.

[Metal Gear Rex]

So you can get several heroes at the same time, what's the problem? It'd just be a case of this room attracts this hero every few seconds until you have x amount of that hero. Essentially, you're 'coding' how portals are meant to work anyway. It'd be very DKI in the end; you could set it so with every few slabs you attract an extra 1 of that hero.

Too much effort? Not at all, you could say this about Hapuga's way too. Yes, there would end up being -a lot- of triggers but in the end, solve how to do it properly for one and from there it'd just be a case of repeating the same thing again and again but with different variables, wouldn't take that long.

You clearly have never even tried this, or even have any idea of what you're talking about. I'm talking about this from my own experiance at creating a Hero Map, I already thought of this a few years ago, it isn't very effective. Instead, a better idea is this:

Step 1: Create some new global data. (Doesn't have to change anything, just save new global data I think)
Step 2: Create a new map with this global data present. The result is that you'll be able to add Heroes to the Creature Pool. (If you did change anything in the global data, obviously you'd have to reset things using the "Return to DK2 Defaults" option.
Step 3: Modify the Creature Portal to look like the Hero Portal. Note that this step is completely optional, as it only changes the appearance (They'll still need to be plucked from the Portal due to their entrances not designed for that portal type)

Simple, and only needs to be done once as you can simply reload the global data for a new map.

I do think DL or Hapuga mentioned this once, but, to be fair to myself, I thought of the idea before I they mentioned it (Or if they mentioned it before, then before I heard them mention it) therefore, it is probably impossible to tell who came up with if first, not that it matters anyways. I tend to keep quiet as I feel this should be common knowledge, like that DK1 Protect Spell, but apparently not.

[Madkill]

I did try it, was moderately effective. Its fun to play around with the style of play. But those steps are probably simpler I guess. :P

[Metal Gear Rex]

I did try it, was moderately effective. Its fun to play around with the style of play. But those steps are probably simpler I guess. :P

Don't forget that my own steps aren't repeatable. For your's, you have to do it over and over again for every map, unless you keep it exactly the same and simply re-use the same map but modify the level (Limiting >.>)