Sorry for the long silence, hopefully its worth it. In addition to my “Field Of Glory PC” scenarios I have been working on a large modding project, the 1st stage of which I can now go live with “REN II” and its associated “REN Modd Kit” The aim of this mod (which will be called REN II) is to expand the scope of the HPS “The Renaissance” game (know as REN) so that within its original time period it can cover a wider range of armies (currently 75 are planned) and battles.
With This stage, stage 1, I am releasing today the “REN Modd Kit”. This contains the core modd files and the template files necessary to make the actual mod. Stage 2 will involve the release of the full mod with some new and modified scenarios. (using the new graphics) Stage 3 will be the release of a series of battle packs containing further new and modified scenarios. You can download the mod direct the “Graphics Mods & Files” section of this site or direct from here.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54384751/REN%20Modding%20%20Kit.zip
Since I enjoy gaming with modds of others as much as making my own, I am also making this kit available for others to use and modify in creating their own modds. All I would ask here is that, (as I agreed with Richard Hamilton of HPS / John Tiller Software) you do not use it to make modds for any later time periods not already covered by HPS / John Tiller Software, without checking with him first, so as not to endanger the market for future “Musket & Pike” series titles. However since that leaves you free to make modes for everything from the year dot up to 1600 and to use the “units” file to make new large uniform graphics modds for the Napoleonic Battles series that should not prove much of a restriction.
The kit contains the revised unit & leader box files as well as 2 new 2DSymbols files. You will see that there are no national flags in any of these, so as not to restrict the number of armies covered. The idea here is to place national and / or personal / unit flags in the background of the unit and leader portraits. Blank template files for these have also been included. These files employ a solid frame style, something which has been done very successfully for a number of modds made for the related HPS Napoleonic Battles series in particular the EZJAX2 modd series. I have provided a MS Word chart showing the changes in the 2D counters and some suggestions as to how scenario designers might use them.
The blank template “units” file contains 1000 image slots wile its “leaders” equivalent has 960. Richard Hamilton assures me that there should be nothing to stop the game recognising unit and leader portraits with 4 digit numbers (although its not yet been done) so the portrait files could be enlarged to over 1000 slots if necessary. I have placed alternating blue and red navigation dots at the start of every 5th line in each file to make it easier to plan work and find one’s way around them. To keep track of the identity of unit and leader images created for the mod I have also included 2 large MS Word table “planning grid” files.
At present I don’t have any plans to make 3D graphics for the modd and would suggest that when you install the REN II modd that I am working on, that you delete the 3D graphics files from that install of the game (it runs perfectly well without them. However if anybody is interested it making new a 3D counter mod for the game (perhaps along the lines of the 3D counters that exist for the HPS Panzer Campaigns series. I would be very interested to here from them.
If you have any comments or suggestions about this kit and the REN II project generally, please feel free to post comments in response to my blog posts on this website or in the “Musket & Pike” sub forum of the “Wargamer” website which can be found at http://www.wargamer.com/
Finally I have included a “sneak peak” folder in the mod. This includes the working document I am using to work out which armies the mod covers and how many unit images each army gets, as well as some sample unit tiles.
I will be alternating work on the mod with the production of scenarios for the “Field Of Glory PC” game and plan to do regular updates on its progress here as I go along.
In the immediate future I will be revising and publishing the Tours 732 AD scenerios with which I had a lot of help from StockwellPete and getting my revisionist historians version of “Stamford Boridge” ready for publication. Two battles in one here not only the battle itself but the great Anglo Saxon cavalry debate as well.
Enjoy
Ian Leask
15th June 2012
With This stage, stage 1, I am releasing today the “REN Modd Kit”. This contains the core modd files and the template files necessary to make the actual mod. Stage 2 will involve the release of the full mod with some new and modified scenarios. (using the new graphics) Stage 3 will be the release of a series of battle packs containing further new and modified scenarios. You can download the mod direct the “Graphics Mods & Files” section of this site or direct from here.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54384751/REN%20Modding%20%20Kit.zip
Since I enjoy gaming with modds of others as much as making my own, I am also making this kit available for others to use and modify in creating their own modds. All I would ask here is that, (as I agreed with Richard Hamilton of HPS / John Tiller Software) you do not use it to make modds for any later time periods not already covered by HPS / John Tiller Software, without checking with him first, so as not to endanger the market for future “Musket & Pike” series titles. However since that leaves you free to make modes for everything from the year dot up to 1600 and to use the “units” file to make new large uniform graphics modds for the Napoleonic Battles series that should not prove much of a restriction.
The kit contains the revised unit & leader box files as well as 2 new 2DSymbols files. You will see that there are no national flags in any of these, so as not to restrict the number of armies covered. The idea here is to place national and / or personal / unit flags in the background of the unit and leader portraits. Blank template files for these have also been included. These files employ a solid frame style, something which has been done very successfully for a number of modds made for the related HPS Napoleonic Battles series in particular the EZJAX2 modd series. I have provided a MS Word chart showing the changes in the 2D counters and some suggestions as to how scenario designers might use them.
The blank template “units” file contains 1000 image slots wile its “leaders” equivalent has 960. Richard Hamilton assures me that there should be nothing to stop the game recognising unit and leader portraits with 4 digit numbers (although its not yet been done) so the portrait files could be enlarged to over 1000 slots if necessary. I have placed alternating blue and red navigation dots at the start of every 5th line in each file to make it easier to plan work and find one’s way around them. To keep track of the identity of unit and leader images created for the mod I have also included 2 large MS Word table “planning grid” files.
At present I don’t have any plans to make 3D graphics for the modd and would suggest that when you install the REN II modd that I am working on, that you delete the 3D graphics files from that install of the game (it runs perfectly well without them. However if anybody is interested it making new a 3D counter mod for the game (perhaps along the lines of the 3D counters that exist for the HPS Panzer Campaigns series. I would be very interested to here from them.
If you have any comments or suggestions about this kit and the REN II project generally, please feel free to post comments in response to my blog posts on this website or in the “Musket & Pike” sub forum of the “Wargamer” website which can be found at http://www.wargamer.com/
Finally I have included a “sneak peak” folder in the mod. This includes the working document I am using to work out which armies the mod covers and how many unit images each army gets, as well as some sample unit tiles.
I will be alternating work on the mod with the production of scenarios for the “Field Of Glory PC” game and plan to do regular updates on its progress here as I go along.
In the immediate future I will be revising and publishing the Tours 732 AD scenerios with which I had a lot of help from StockwellPete and getting my revisionist historians version of “Stamford Boridge” ready for publication. Two battles in one here not only the battle itself but the great Anglo Saxon cavalry debate as well.
Enjoy
Ian Leask
15th June 2012
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