P
Persen
Guest
Ok here is my first tutorial.
Notes
* Some people might react that i write "dummycasters" all the time instead of "dummy casters", but that is because of my swedish. In swedish, (which is a very difficult language for "outsiders") we write the words together.
* If you find this shit difficult or something, you can download TheHelper WE (Formerly known as PersenEdit). This is a WE mod similar to WEU, and it has built-in dummycasters.
Introduction
So, what is dummycasters???
Dummycasters, or dummy units, are invisible units, used to cast spells in triggers for example. They can do more things, though.
A dummy unit is essentially an invisible (no model) unit. They have no collision, and is almost always invulnerable. Why, i will explain later.
Terms and words used
* Dummycaster - If you've came to this tutorial, you should probably know what this is. If you don't, read the "Introduction".
* Dummy - Short for "Dummycaster" or "Dummy unit".
* Dummy Spell / Trigger spell - Most people don't make any difference between this and what i call "Dummycaster spells" in this tutorial. Dummy/Trigger spells are the spells that set off the triggers, which controls the dummy units.
* Dummycaster spell - This is the spells that the dummycasters cast. Most people don't make any difference between this and dummyspells.
Getting Started
In the unit editor, find a suitable unit to base your dummycaster of. I recommend "Zone Indicator", located under Neutral Passive/Campaign/Buildings. I recommend it because it has many of the dummycaster things already.
* Create a new custom unit
Creating the Dummycaster
This is optional. I recommend it if you use Zone Indicator as base.
* Scroll down to "Editor"
* Set "Editor - Categorization - Campaign" to "False"
* Set "Editor - Categorization - Special" to "True"
We need to remove all the graphics from the unit
* Find the "Art - Model" field. Open it up for editing. In the "custom" box, enter "_" (without the ""). That will make the unit invisible.
OR Set the field to "Zone Indicator", located under units. This gives the same results
* Set the "Art - Shadow Image" field to "NONE"
* Make the fields "Art - Target" and "Art - Special" blank, I.E. remove all data.
* OPTIONAL: Set the "Art - Icon - Game Interface" to something nice. I usually do this to easily recognize different dummies.
If the base unit has an attack, we need to disable it.
* Find "Combat - Attacks Enabled" and set it to "None"
If the unit has pathing, we have to disable it.
There are two ways to do this. The first is to make the unit a building (Method 1). The second is to make it a flying unit (Method 2).
1) Making the unit a building.
With this method you cannot set the flying height of the caster, and you cannot make it move. But it's easy, works great, and suitable for most dummycasters.
* Find "Stats - Is a Building" and set it to true.
* Set all the field marked with "Pathing - " to "0" or "None" (Or similar)
2) Making the unit a flyer.
This method is good if you want to change the flying height of the caster, move it, or make it face an angle. It is rather obsolete for standard dummycastes, in my opinion.
* Find "Stats - Is a Building" and set it to false.
* Set "Movement - Type" to "Fly"
* OPTIONAL: Set "Movement - Flying Height" to something else than 0. This makes the caster not be on the ground.
* OPTIONAL: Set "Movement - Speed Base" to something else than 0. This makes the caster able to move.
Other stuff to change
* "Stats - Mana Initial Ammount" - Defines how much mana the caster will have when it's created. It cannot be greater than mana max.
* "Stats - Mana Maximum" - Defines the maximum ammount of mana the unit can have. Both this and the other mana fields is rather obsolete, since most dummycaster spells (I'll explain that later) requires no mana.
* "Stats - Sight Radius" (Day and Night) - These two defines how far the unit can see. These should be nullified for dummy units. Most people (including me) forget or ignore these.
* "Stats - Neutral Building - Shows Minimap Icon" - This one should be set to "False", otherwise the minimap might show a "house" icon, similar to that shown on marketplaces or merchants.
* "Stats - Neutral Building - Valid as random building" - This one should be set to "False".
Adding abilities
The dummy should have the following abilities (set the "Abilities - Normal" to this):
* "Invulnerable (Neutral)" (Code 'Avul') - This makes the unit invulnerable (hard to guess...). All dummies should have this, else they might be harmed.
* "Locust" (Code 'Aloc') - Makes the unit unselectable, untrackable, unharmable. Prevents the unit from showing up on the minimap. Also "protects" the unit from "Pick every unit" actions.
If there are any "common" abilities (Abilities that should be casted very often) you can add them here too. For those more uncommon, it's a good idea to add them in the trigger they are used. If your dummy is "specialized" and will only cast one spell for a certain trigger, you can add it here.
Congratulations! You have made your first (or not...) dummycaster!
Notes
* Some people might react that i write "dummycasters" all the time instead of "dummy casters", but that is because of my swedish. In swedish, (which is a very difficult language for "outsiders") we write the words together.
* If you find this shit difficult or something, you can download TheHelper WE (Formerly known as PersenEdit). This is a WE mod similar to WEU, and it has built-in dummycasters.
Introduction
So, what is dummycasters???
Dummycasters, or dummy units, are invisible units, used to cast spells in triggers for example. They can do more things, though.
A dummy unit is essentially an invisible (no model) unit. They have no collision, and is almost always invulnerable. Why, i will explain later.
Terms and words used
* Dummycaster - If you've came to this tutorial, you should probably know what this is. If you don't, read the "Introduction".
* Dummy - Short for "Dummycaster" or "Dummy unit".
* Dummy Spell / Trigger spell - Most people don't make any difference between this and what i call "Dummycaster spells" in this tutorial. Dummy/Trigger spells are the spells that set off the triggers, which controls the dummy units.
* Dummycaster spell - This is the spells that the dummycasters cast. Most people don't make any difference between this and dummyspells.
Getting Started
In the unit editor, find a suitable unit to base your dummycaster of. I recommend "Zone Indicator", located under Neutral Passive/Campaign/Buildings. I recommend it because it has many of the dummycaster things already.
* Create a new custom unit
Creating the Dummycaster
This is optional. I recommend it if you use Zone Indicator as base.
* Scroll down to "Editor"
* Set "Editor - Categorization - Campaign" to "False"
* Set "Editor - Categorization - Special" to "True"
We need to remove all the graphics from the unit
* Find the "Art - Model" field. Open it up for editing. In the "custom" box, enter "_" (without the ""). That will make the unit invisible.
OR Set the field to "Zone Indicator", located under units. This gives the same results
* Set the "Art - Shadow Image" field to "NONE"
* Make the fields "Art - Target" and "Art - Special" blank, I.E. remove all data.
* OPTIONAL: Set the "Art - Icon - Game Interface" to something nice. I usually do this to easily recognize different dummies.
If the base unit has an attack, we need to disable it.
* Find "Combat - Attacks Enabled" and set it to "None"
If the unit has pathing, we have to disable it.
There are two ways to do this. The first is to make the unit a building (Method 1). The second is to make it a flying unit (Method 2).
1) Making the unit a building.
With this method you cannot set the flying height of the caster, and you cannot make it move. But it's easy, works great, and suitable for most dummycasters.
* Find "Stats - Is a Building" and set it to true.
* Set all the field marked with "Pathing - " to "0" or "None" (Or similar)
2) Making the unit a flyer.
This method is good if you want to change the flying height of the caster, move it, or make it face an angle. It is rather obsolete for standard dummycastes, in my opinion.
* Find "Stats - Is a Building" and set it to false.
* Set "Movement - Type" to "Fly"
* OPTIONAL: Set "Movement - Flying Height" to something else than 0. This makes the caster not be on the ground.
* OPTIONAL: Set "Movement - Speed Base" to something else than 0. This makes the caster able to move.
Other stuff to change
* "Stats - Mana Initial Ammount" - Defines how much mana the caster will have when it's created. It cannot be greater than mana max.
* "Stats - Mana Maximum" - Defines the maximum ammount of mana the unit can have. Both this and the other mana fields is rather obsolete, since most dummycaster spells (I'll explain that later) requires no mana.
* "Stats - Sight Radius" (Day and Night) - These two defines how far the unit can see. These should be nullified for dummy units. Most people (including me) forget or ignore these.
* "Stats - Neutral Building - Shows Minimap Icon" - This one should be set to "False", otherwise the minimap might show a "house" icon, similar to that shown on marketplaces or merchants.
* "Stats - Neutral Building - Valid as random building" - This one should be set to "False".
Adding abilities
The dummy should have the following abilities (set the "Abilities - Normal" to this):
* "Invulnerable (Neutral)" (Code 'Avul') - This makes the unit invulnerable (hard to guess...). All dummies should have this, else they might be harmed.
* "Locust" (Code 'Aloc') - Makes the unit unselectable, untrackable, unharmable. Prevents the unit from showing up on the minimap. Also "protects" the unit from "Pick every unit" actions.
If there are any "common" abilities (Abilities that should be casted very often) you can add them here too. For those more uncommon, it's a good idea to add them in the trigger they are used. If your dummy is "specialized" and will only cast one spell for a certain trigger, you can add it here.
Congratulations! You have made your first (or not...) dummycaster!
