As I am probably not working in this intensively anytime soon, I will release the unfinished second alpha. This doesn't mean that development is halted forever, just that I hate mods that don't do intermediate releases. The second alpha has a number of improvements over the first which cannot be overlooked. This edition is focused on Orks and Chaos.
This is an INCOMPLETE changelist as compared to the previous version.
My full changelog was lost due to a crash and was one of the main reasons I ceased development of the mod, as I coudn't track every change and I like it to be fully documented.
If you want to see general modnotes, see previous version.
[Campaign for all]
- Enabled "unanchored" thermo plasma generators
- Two Unanchored thermo plasma generators may be placed per territory instead of the normal generators
-Reworked Nemesis "Mortal Enemy" lists:
FACTION PRIMARY ENEMY PRIMARY REWARD SECONDARY ENEMY SECONDARY REWARD
Space Marines Chaos Marines Land Raider Necrons Extra aphotecary&librarian;
Chaos Marines Space Marines Bloodthirster Sisters of Battle Daemon Prince
Craftworld Eldar Necrons Avatar of Khaine Dark Eldar Fire Prism (x2)
Orks Imperial Guard Squiggoth Space Marines Looted Tanks (x2)
Imperial Guard Tau Empire Baneblade Orks Leman Russ Tank (x2)
Tau Empire Orks Krootox Imperial Guard Railgun (x2)
Necrons Craftworld Eldar Nightbringer Shard Tau Empire Deceiver Shard
Sisters of Battle Dark Eldar Living Saint Chaos Marines Rhino Tank (x2)
Dark Eldar Sisters of Battle Dais of Destruction Craftworld Eldar Warp Beast Pack (x2)
[FEATURE INCOMPLETE]
[TEST]
In addition factions will get rewards for other fortresses in the form of strong units, besides the bonus.
- Now all factions get a secondary hero unit always available as a purchasable honor guard from a territory near their fortress.
- Some of these units will come with some upgrades and abilities to make them nearly as useful as the commander at the start of each game
- You still have to conquer the territory because of the way Honor Guard units are granted (Relic's code)
FACTION: UNIT (TERRITORY)
Space Marines: Grey Knights
Chaos Marines: Chaos Sorcerer
Craftworld Eldar: Seer Counselors [Mini-Seer council]
Orks: Big Mek (Rocklaw Foothills)
Imperial Guard: Assassin
Tau Empire: Ethereal
Necrons: Necropolis Pariah Guard
Sisters of Battle: Confessor
Dark Eldar: Haemunculus
[Feature incomplete]
**************Chaos Marines:**************
[General]
- Chaos Minefield no longer buildable
- Chaos Shrine now buildable
- Chaos Shrine limit 1
- Chaos Shrine gives capability of summoning Bloodthrister
TD- Chaos Shrine will be able to release a powerful area attack from its location
- Bloodthirster build no longer requires armor upgrade
- Slaves will now slowly heal when not in combat
(this allows you to use forced labor periodically instead of just a limited fixed amount. Also heals faster when in chaos taint after desecrated fortress upgrade)
- Slave health reduced (240 from 280)
- Slave squads cost 80 (from 60?)
- Now you can have up to 9 slaves
- Possessed Squad no longer limited to 1
- Now costs 4 infantry cap (from 3) and takes longer to build (42s from 30s)
- Uses morale
- When loses morale, will enter a killing frenzy
- Defiler cannons more accurate when moving
- Defiler slightly more expensive
- +100 health
- Defiler has morale
- When loses morale, will enter a killing frenzy
- Defiler has health regeneration in combat
- Defiler loses health while not in combat
- Strings updated
(test)- Defiler has Speed Fiend, vehicle version
td- Chaos aircraft will be made a Skimmer unit with jumping capabilities
td- Significantly cheaper, also less pop (2 from 3)
td- Biotoxin rocket moved (to what? Maybe transport)
td- Chaos Aircraft has Speed Fiend, vehicle version
?- Added Speedarmor Daemon Research ("Speed Fiend, Vehicle Version")
[Campaign]
- Added Honor Guard Version of Defiler
- Comes as if upgraded with armor
- Has extra morale
- Has Speed Fiend ability
- Campaign honor guard bloodthirster does not regenerate as quickly as regular one
- Loses health even more quickly when not in combat
- But does have Bloodrage and Fear Aura abilities
[AI]
TD- Update new squad caps and limits
**************Imperial Guard:**************
[General]
- Techpriest Engineer built from Tactica Control
- Building is instant
- Each one costs more
- Costs one squad cap
- Imperial Guard squad cap is now 24 for infantry and 22 for vehicles
- Changes on vehicle squad cap
- Baneblade made weaker
- You can have up to three, costs 7 cap
-- A deadly endgame strategy
- Added Greater Basilisk, a static artillery from the campaign. Fires Earthshakers for free.
(MAY HAVE BUGGED ANIMATION, REPORT SOLUTION)
- Basilisk Earthshaker recharge time increased, but costs 100 power and req (from 200)
- More abilities cost some power and req, recharge times reduced
[Campaign]
- Added Lemman Russ
- Removed some Deep Strike Squads
- Added new Deep Strike Squads
- Added new Defense Squads and structures
[AI]
- AI file updated for new unit pop and costs (partial)
- AI defense regiments strenghtened at high levels
**************Necrons:**************
[General]
- Wraith phase shift costs Energy (except Honor Guard version)
- Cooldown reduced
- Monoliths require to be locally upgraded to perform some advanced productive functions in situ (instead of needing just one)
- Fully restored Monoliths are only considered as buildings, not vehicles (gaining more armor)
- Health regeneration significantly reduced
- Can be repaired by more scarabs
[Campaign]
- Campaign monoliths get tougher, as the Necron fortress mission was reported as too easy.
[AI]
- Added most new upgrades so the AI will use them
- BEWARE, now the necron AI is programmed to upgrade up to FOUR monoliths in very late game, and certainly will use three
(before, due to errors, it woudn't even upgrade one)
**************Orks:**************
[General]
- Added giant Waaagh banner
- Can't be upgraded with guns
- Increases vehicle cap better
- Makes normal Waaagh banners cheaper
- Increased squad and vehicle cap
- Squiggoth extra costs didn't work properly, now they do.
- Squiggoth health reduced
- Squiggoth given 2 base regeneration +1 in combat
- Only repairable from one worker (from three)
- Flamers up to four from three
- Upgrade faster
- Cost more power, less requisition
td- Require Pile O' Gunz
- Bad Dok doesn't have Burna Bomb
- Fighting juice now expensive
- Bad Dok hitpoints from 500 to 850
- Regeneration 2 from 1
- Big Mek has Burna Bomb
- Burna Bomb recharge time halved
[Campaign]
- Waaagh banner added as reinforcement (x2, 250 each)
- Mek Shop added as reinforcement (600)
TD- Added more reinforcement and Deep Strike squads
- Added Squiggoth honor guard (Nemesis bonus)
- Squiggoth honor guard is better than regular one.
- Added Looted Tank Honor Guard
- Added Fighta-Bomba Honor Guard
td- Put in campaign map
[AI]
TD- Updated AI considerations for costs and squad uses
**MORE ON THE WAY**
Have ideas? Tell them.
Have comments? Make them.
But make them constructive and in tone with the project ;)
Other notes:
On this stage it isn't planned to add new races since there is no knowledge of how to apply them in campaigns, and practically all Dawn of War modding forums are gone.
NimoStar's Darker Crusade known bugs:
If you have any idea on how to fix these bugs, leave a comment in the release, but, more importantly, send a private message to NimoStar on ModDB
- For some reason, Necron AI will not research unit upgrades even though they are included in their buildorder in the AI file
+ It still uses structure upgrades such as in Obelisks, Monoliths and Turrets
+ It still uses Necron Lord artifact upgrades
- Destroyers and Heavy Destroyers have a missing portrait when you build them upgraded
(AI Enemy destroyers don't have this problem)
- The Mass Resurrection ability is only functional from the Necron Lord. The "mirror" on the Pillar of Darkness doesn't work.
- Authority of tha Aeons higher levels don't display correctly (author oversight, will be fixed if new version)
For AI not doing researches, check both files in ai\races\necron_race\strategies\ IIRC, one more or less forces the researches while the other one isn't forced but I could be wrong. For addons again check both files in ai\races\necron_race\strategies\ and look for addons, e.g. necron_listening_post_addon_1 and 2 and addon_necron_hq_1 and 2.
For the Necron Lord artifacts, check in necronbuildbasestrategy.ai, more specifically NecronBuildBaseStrategy:BuildFlexible() which has the artifact researches.
For missing Destroyer and Heavy Destroyer icons, you need to have icons in data/art/ui/ingame/necron_icons/ for each weapon upgrade, so that it looks like this: [icon for unit]__[name of weapon upgrade].tga
e.g. say your destroyer upgrades from necron_weapon_1 to necron_weapon_2, off the top of my head, you'd need an icon in data/art/ui/ingame/necron_icons/necron_destroyer_icon__necron_weapon_2.tga
About the necron AI actually I was using an unupdated version without all my own chenges, the new one has the AI upgrading here:
Moddb.com
About the icons: Thanks, I actually didn't know about that. Strange since I never noticed the icons changing with guns in the original game. Will try to see if that works. But there is only a general upgrade, not a unit/squad upgrade (like heavy weapons), so its still quite weird.