map editor season cycle

Modding, Map Editor, IES Scripting and Other Questions
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Dr.MonaLisa
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Re: map editor season cycle

Post by Dr.MonaLisa »

Ok.

So I need to explain few things.
The "pointer" thing is at a fixed address (in EE2 it's 0CF8568). Pointer is a thing that stores another address location. This location dynamically changes after each new game is started, scenario / game save loaded, etc. Thanks to this, the process can store new games data wherever RAM memory is free. So it's correct that the visible pointer changes.

I warned to uncheck the "Active" box, knowing that the pointer changes. So whenever pointer is NULL (0) the game could crash, because it would be trying to write data to disallowed address. I edited my previous post a little. Basically, whenever pointer address is valid (not 0, question marks or some very very low value), then it's fine to use my trick.

The Daw/Sunset settings are default in EE2 on all climates (except Tundra which we added). Options are sorted from the lowest to the highest, so there is no chance for mistake. Shadows I have no idea why they're this way. I was going crazy to set the correct Sun directions on Tundra, but Loew stopped me saying it's random everywhere.

I was only creating Multiplayer scenarios. Could you please check if the time of day is saved after you save the Test Mission from your scenario? It should be.
I'm not really surprised that scenarios don't remember those settings, since they don't even have an option to select it, probably functions for saving are missing as well.
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Gonzalo
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Re: map editor season cycle

Post by Gonzalo »

Congratulations Mona!! =)
It would be great that you publish also pointers table at cheat engine pointing to cycle seasons...
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Re: map editor season cycle

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You can do this by the .IES script.
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Re: map editor season cycle

Post by Gonzalo »

I KNOW
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Re: map editor season cycle

Post by Sat42 »

Dr.MonaLisa wrote: 20 Nov 2020, 01:29 Ok.
[awesome explanation]
Could you please check if the time of day is saved after you save the Test Mission from your scenario? It should be.
I'm not really surprised that scenarios don't remember those settings, since they don't even have an option to select it, probably functions for saving are missing as well.
Hi Mona! thank you for your message :)

I redid the test (with 1.5 Dev version, just for ref).

I am relieved to report that yes, if I set the time of day with Cheat Engine while EEII editor is open - in my case I went with "Sunset" time (that will be my morning :) ), then load my scenario, then "Test Mission", then save my game during this testing, then exit game and close Cheat Engine, then relaunch whole game and load my save of the Test Mission -> the time of day - "Sunset" - is preserved!! :D


How do we proceed from here though? again thank you for sticking with me !
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Re: map editor season cycle

Post by Dr.MonaLisa »

Sorry, I'm not going to focus on fixing it (time of day status in .scn files).

Assembling EE2 usually takes more time than what's showed in this video:


The interest in scenarios / maps, etc. is pretty low. It's not worth my time (and health, because headaches).
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Re: map editor season cycle

Post by Sat42 »

All right copy that! Shame but it's understandable.

So theoretically, you would say that one would HAVE to do some assembling work (literally like sifting through a haystack in search of a needle) in order to bring into EEII a functional time of day status in .scn files?
I suppose there is no workaround that hurdle?
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Re: map editor season cycle

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Theoretically, editing RAM works, because it could be done in the game save, and then loads different time of day settings to the editor. However, saving a .scn file seems to use default settings, and even RAM memory address is ignored. So it would require heavy debugging, and it's not so worth...
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Re: map editor season cycle

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Dr.MonaLisa wrote: 20 Nov 2020, 12:39 Theoretically, editing RAM works, because it could be done in the game save, and then loads different time of day settings to the editor. However, saving a .scn file seems to use default settings, and even RAM memory address is ignored. So it would require heavy debugging, and it's not so worth...
I see - and I just checked out your 10 hour video, pretty intimidating - so it seems a bit hopeless unless someone thinks of some sort of hack.

As for heavy debugging - what you show in the 10 hour video is how it's done, yes? there has got to be another way! :P

OK OK - we can leave this to rest for now. I still hold out hope for a solution, but let's see if new ideas pop up...
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Re: map editor season cycle

Post by Gonzalo »

It would be, as it seems to me, a great exploit some written tutorial on BASICS or fundamentals of hardcode assembling...
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