Unlimited zoom for battle camera. For Rome 1, Medieval II and any of their mods. Finished and working! :)

[p8q]

*** Warning: This mod can't make Rome 1 and Medieval II great again, because they never stopped being great!!

*** A more serious warning: Make a backup for every file you modify following below instructions.

*** Credits: to "Camera Hack" modder, his name is Larmir and you can download his mod from here:

http://rtw.heavengames.com/downloads...hp?fileid=3551

He had the original idea, what i did is to adapt it to work on Medieval II and i modified it in order to work in a more effective way with no issues. Now it works for Rome 1 and Medieval II, easy to install.

*** Motivation: i understand some limits on TW games (for computational reasons), but many other limits like limiting the zoom of the battle camera are pointless! and it gives a bad user experience! this mod will fix it and set your camera totally free.

*** Mod issues: No issues at all if you follow in detail the steps below. Don't skip reading a single word. The mod is already working perfectly in all mods i have (38 mods for Rome1 and 32 mods in Medieval II. Most famous mods included). (No, I didn't have time to play so many mods, i just installed them, reviewed them and tested my submods are working).

----------------------------------

Now the mod!

I'm going to explain it in a way that any modder, or even final player, can install it in any mod they want (or original game), easily!

Follow the exact same steps for Rome I and for Medieval II. The files and steps are the same!

I'm going to explain it step by step in spoiler, to keep a clean format easy to follow:

Step 1:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Go to "show_me" folder of the mod/main game. Usually this path "D:\pcGAMES\Medieval II - Total War\data\scripts\show_me". Your file path may vary at the beginning depending on where did you installed your game.

If that folder doesn't exist in your mod, create it.

Make a new .txt file, name it this way "camhack.txt" and inside that file introduce this code:

script
declare_show_me
declare_counter have_units_formed_up ;PLAYER LET INTRO FINISH
declare_counter go_to_end_phase ;PLAYER HAS HIT ESCAPE KEY
declare_counter is_script_ready_to_end ;ITS ALL DONE NOW
declare_counter ROMAN_UNITS_TELEPORTED
declare_counter PYRRHUS_UNITS_TELEPORTED
declare_timer Esc_Key_Pressed_Timer ;This is the timer that makes sure you dont get jumping between stuff after esc key is pressed


monitor_event ShortcutTriggered ShortcutTriggered order_halt order_halt order_halt
camera_restrictions_set off
hide_ui
camera_position -45.866, 303.729, -700.577 0 50 700
show_ui
end_monitor
while I_CompareCounter is_script_ready_to_end = 0
end_while
end_script

Ok, now you can save and close that file.

Step 2:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Go to this file in your mod/or main game:
D:\pcGAMES\Medieval II - Total War\mods\YourMod\data\export_descr_advice.txt

Search for this code and modify it the way i show here. If your mod don't have this code (sometimes it happens), just copy-paste it:

The first code goes at the beginning of the file, the other code at the end of the file.

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FILE:

;------------------------------------------
AdviceThread Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Thread
GameArea Battle


Item Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01
Uninhibitable
Verbosity 0
Priority 2
Threshold 1
Attitude Normal
Presentation Default
Title Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Title
Script scripts\show_me\camhack.txt
Text Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Text1


AT THE END OF THE FILE:

;------------------------------------------
Trigger 2116B_UI_Panel_Game_Options_Battle_Help_Trigger
WhenToTest ScrollAdviceRequested


Condition ScrollAdviceRequested end_game_scroll
and not I_MapName data/world/maps/campaign/norman_prologue/descr_strat.txt


AdviceThread Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Thread 0

Step 3 (Do this step only if in the previous step your mod didn't have the code to modify (you must have copy-pasted the whole code i provided in Step 2). If you had everything right in Step 2, you can happily skip this Step 3 and jump to Step 4):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Go to this file of your mod and delete it, because we need the game to re-generate it again automatically after we played the game:
D:\pcGAMES\Medieval II - Total War\mods\YourMod\data\text\export_advice.txt.strings.bin

Go to this file of your mod:
D:\pcGAMES\Medieval II - Total War\mods\YourMod\data\text\export_advice.txt

(Explanation: you will have a CTD if the text in the previous steps doesn't exist! so you have to make it exist).

Add this code if {Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Text1} and {Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Title} doesn't exist already. If it exist, you can modify the text after that. I suggest to write the instructions to activate the mod, here below:

{Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Title} UNLIMITED ZOOM CAMERA MOD.
{Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Text1} Click Show me how button. Select any unit you want. Press backspace key (or any key you have configured for stopping a unit), your camera will go nuts for a second. Don't worry, press End button to go to the unit you selected and that's it. Your camera is freeeee!!

Step 4:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Go to the .cfg file of the mod (all mods have one .cfg file).
D:\pcGAMES\Medieval II - Total War\mods\YourMod\YourModName.cfg

Make sure in the .cfg file of the mod you have this:

[io]
disable_file_cache = 1

If you don't have it, write it! for gods sake

If you don't do it, the "Show me how" button will be greyed out and can't be clicked. I don't know why it happens, i only know i had that issue and i fixed it this way. Don't worry, this doesn't affect your mod in anything.

HOW TO ACTIVATE THE MOD IN THE GAME:

When you are in a battle, in the deployment phase, press ESC key (you can also do everything later in the battle phase, but you can already free the camera in deployment phase). Then click on the question mark. Then the annoying advisor appears (don't worry, this time the advisor will be helpful for first time in his whole life).

Click "Show me how" button (If the button is greyed out, click on the advisor and the show me how button will go green and will be clickable).

Select any unit you want.

Press backspace key (or any key you have configured for stopping a unit), your camera will go nuts for a second. Don't worry, press End button to go automatically to the unit you selected and that's it. Your camera is freeeee!!

-----------

Hey! Give me credits in your mod!

If you use this submod in any of your mods and publish it, make my name p8q appear somewhere in the credits. Also the name Larmir who had the original idea.

He had the original idea, and i spent a lot of time and sweat learning to script, testing, insulting my computer whenever something didn't work, dreaming about being able to bring unlimited camera for Medieval II, improving the code and the way it works on the game, fixing its issues and downsides, writing this tutorial, etc.

THANK YOU!!

[p8q]

VERY IMPORTANT:

I forgot to mention one thing for this mod to work: your camera in the game has to be set to "TotalWar Camera".

You can change it this way: if you are already in the battlefield, press Escape key, then you just have to click in "Game options" and set "Camera Mode" to "TotalWar Camera". If you are not in the battlefield, and you are in the main menu of the game/mod, you can also set it from the options menu.

[p8q]

UPDATE:

I simplified the code a bit, since i'm declaring counters that the mod doesn't use, heheheh newbie here.

Now the code to insert in "camhack.txt" file is the following:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

script


declare_show_me


declare_counter is_script_ready_to_end


;monitor_event ShortcutTriggered ShortcutTriggered order_halt order_halt order_halt --> use this one for "backspace" key.
;monitor_event ShortcutTriggered ShortcutTriggered object_manager hide_gui --> use this one for "SCROLL_LOCK" key.


monitor_event ShortcutTriggered ShortcutTriggered object_manager hide_gui
camera_restrictions_set off
camera_position -45.866, 303.729, -700.577 0 50 700
end_monitor




while I_CompareCounter is_script_ready_to_end = 0
end_while


end_script

Now in the code you can see two options under comments:

you can use the "backspace" key, or you can use "SCROLL_LOCK" key, whatever you choose. Now i'm using "SCROLL_LOCK" key because this way backspace is used for the units in battle, since scroll_lock we don't use for anything else. But i leave the option "backspace" because not everybody has scroll_lock key in their keyboards.

I hope this little improvement is better this way for you

[p8q]

Date: 04/04/2023 ---> UPDATED AND IMPROVED:
- No matter in which mod you are running it, any update is saved game compatible. Fortunately.
- It works the same for Rome TW as for Medeival II TW.


With this new code, you don't need to press any keyboard button, just clicking the "show me how" button will make the script work.

This is the script code that should be written in the file camhack.txt:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

script

declare_show_me


camera_restrictions_set off
camera_position -45.866, 303.729, -700.577 0 50 700
camera_position 0, 50, 700 -45.866 303.729 -700.577


end_script

You only have to modify the file camhack.txt with that script. Everything else is the same as explained in previous posts.

Explanation: In the second command "camera_position", i want to bring back the camera to a good position, but it doesn't and i don't know why. However, this second line will allow you to get the camera to a good position just by pressing any keyboard camera button (ASDW, or any keyboard button that moves the camera).

This way you don't need to dedicate any keyboard button to run the script!!

[WeekendGeneral]

Thank you for this tutorial it looks very cool!

I keep stumbling with the script the show me how is constantly greyed out do you have any suggestions on how to fix it?

[bitterhowl]

Great finding! Many thanks!

Here's an example of usage

[kostic]

This mod interests me to take pictures of my units closer.
I followed the step by step tutorial for the SSHIP mod, but it doesn't work. The advisor panel does not appear !
Yet it is enabled in the game and mod config file (although the advisor panel is long gone in my playstyle).
On the battlefield, if I press the "Esc" key (or Ech in French), the options panel appears. I then choose the options of the game and try to activate the adviser... in vain.

step 1

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

step 2
export_descr_advice in mods/SSHIP_098/data

;------------------------------------------
AdviceThread Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Thread
GameArea Battle




Item Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01
Uninhibitable
Verbosity 0
Priority 2
Threshold 1
Attitude Normal
Presentation Default
Title Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Title
Script scripts\show_me\camhack.txt
Text Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Text1
;------------------------------------------
Trigger 2116B_UI_Panel_Game_Options_Battle_Help_Trigger
WhenToTest ScrollAdviceRequested




Condition ScrollAdviceRequested end_game_scroll
and not I_MapName data/world/maps/campaign/norman_prologue/descr_strat.txt




AdviceThread Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Thread 0

step 3
export_advice in mods/SSHIP_098/data/text

{Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Title} UNLIMITED ZOOM CAMERA MOD.
{Help_Game_Options_Scroll_Battle_Text_01_Text1}

step 4
my mod config

# Config file updated for SSHIP version 0.98


[features]
# The mod line should always point to the folder you SSHIP is in, if you rename the folder you have to update the name here and on the log section
mod =mods/SSHIP_098


[ai]
ltgd_logging = true


[log]
# The to line should always point to the folder you SSHIP is in, if you rename the folder you have to update the name here and on the feature section
to = mods/SSHIP_098/logs/full.log
level = * trace # log level - (always/fatal/error/debug/warn/info/trace)
file = ai.ltgd mods/SSHIP_098/logs/ltgd.log


[misc]
# The bypass option allow to launch directly into the save it points to. You can change the name to another existing save
# bypass_to_strategy_save = mods/SSHIP_098/saves/Quicksave.sav
show_hud_date = true # Show campaign date/turn in hud - (true/false)

[camera]
restrict = false # Restrict camera to the general - (true/false)


[game]
advisor_verbosity = 1 # prevent advisor from popping up
allusers = true # Install for all users - (true/false)
auto_save = true # Autosave - (true/false)
campaign_map_speed_up = true # Automatically speed up characters movements on strategic map - (true/false)
# disable_arrow_markers = true # Disable green arrows under selected units - (true/false)
event_cutscenes = false # Play events cutscenes - (true/false)
micromanage_all_settlements = true # Turn auto manage on or off for settlements without a governor - (true/false)
unlimited_men_on_battlefield = true # Allow all reinforcement armies to enter the battlefield at once - (true/false)


[io]
### These parameter must not be changed, unless you know what you're doing
disable_file_cache = true # file caching disabled for better performance, also help avoid problems when changing mods - (true/false)
file_first = true # Enable files in txt to be read before packed ones - (true/false)


[launcher]
autoBorderlessMode = true # set to true to use with windowed mode
### These parameter must not be changed, unless you know what you're doing
autoLocateLogFile = true
firstRun = false
kingdomsDir =..\..
steam = true
steamCheck = true
swapBAI = true
swapMenuBackground = true
swapMenuMusic = true


[video]
### If you want to enable windowed mode, uncomment the following settings and adapt them to you screen resolution
borderless_window =true
windowed =true
# battle_resolution = 1920 1200 # Resolution on the battle map - (h*w)
# campaign_resolution = 1920 1200 # Resolution on the campaign map - (h*w)
tga_width = 1680
### Movies
movies =false
# assassination_movies # To play or not to play assassination movies - (true/false)
# event_movies # To play or not to play event movies - (true/false)
no_background_fmv = true # To play or not to play background movies - (true/false)
### Others
# vsync
# widescreen # Turn widescreen on or off - (true/false)
grass_distance = 9000 # 0, 25, 50, 75 # TO DE TESTED

[bitterhowl]

It's a common issue after advisor script editing.

You should enter the battle, press Esc and then in Game Settings set a flag in "reload advisor"(in russian it "drop advise"), then exit battle (and maybe restart the game, I'm doing this). Next battle will be fine with advisor.

I'll post a screenshot today later if necessary.

[kostic]

@bitterhowl : Even following your procedure it does not work. It's as if the files concerning the adviser no longer exist !

[bitterhowl]

I see the name of your file "camback", while in OP it's "camhack", maybe it's a reason.

Also, in my case script effect activated by.pressing "Backspace", not "Esc".

[kostic]

In effect ! There was this error: camback instead of camhack. Thank you !


But even after correction, I am still unable to make the adviser appear! And of course, the free camera doesn't work... I really don't understand !

[bitterhowl]

And after correcting camback drop advisor in menu again.

Also - my settings for .cfg

advisor_verbosity = 0
blind_abvisor = 0
mute_advisor = 0

[kostic]

Nothing to do ! My game refuses to show the show_me button! (neither Esc, nor back touch, nor end, nor delete...)
However, I clicked on "reset advisor" and restarted the game (several times)... as you can see :

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I added these lines in the SSHIP config too (in bold):

# Config file updated for SSHIP version 0.98


[features]
# The mod line should always point to the folder you SSHIP is in, if you rename the folder you have to update the name here and on the log section
mod =mods/SSHIP_098


[ai]
ltgd_logging = true


[log]
# The to line should always point to the folder you SSHIP is in, if you rename the folder you have to update the name here and on the feature section
to = mods/SSHIP_098/logs/full.log
level = * trace # log level - (always/fatal/error/debug/warn/info/trace)
file = ai.ltgd mods/SSHIP_098/logs/ltgd.log


[misc]
# The bypass option allow to launch directly into the save it points to. You can change the name to another existing save
# bypass_to_strategy_save = mods/SSHIP_098/saves/Quicksave.sav
show_hud_date = true # Show campaign date/turn in hud - (true/false)

[camera]
restrict = false # Restrict camera to the general - (true/false)


[game]
advisor_verbosity = 0
blind_abvisor = 0
mute_advisor = 0 # prevent advisor from popping up
allusers = true # Install for all users - (true/false)
auto_save = true # Autosave - (true/false)
campaign_map_speed_up = true # Automatically speed up characters movements on strategic map - (true/false)
# disable_arrow_markers = true # Disable green arrows under selected units - (true/false)
event_cutscenes = false # Play events cutscenes - (true/false)
micromanage_all_settlements = true # Turn auto manage on or off for settlements without a governor - (true/false)
unlimited_men_on_battlefield = true # Allow all reinforcement armies to enter the battlefield at once - (true/false)


[io]
### These parameter must not be changed, unless you know what you're doing
disable_file_cache = true # file caching disabled for better performance, also help avoid problems when changing mods - (true/false)
file_first = true # Enable files in txt to be read before packed ones - (true/false)


[launcher]
autoBorderlessMode = true # set to true to use with windowed mode
### These parameter must not be changed, unless you know what you're doing
autoLocateLogFile = true
firstRun = false
kingdomsDir =..\..
steam = true
steamCheck = true
swapBAI = true
swapMenuBackground = true
swapMenuMusic = true


[video]
### If you want to enable windowed mode, uncomment the following settings and adapt them to you screen resolution
borderless_window =true
windowed =true
# battle_resolution = 1920 1200 # Resolution on the battle map - (h*w)
# campaign_resolution = 1920 1200 # Resolution on the campaign map - (h*w)
tga_width = 1680
### Movies
movies =false
# assassination_movies # To play or not to play assassination movies - (true/false)
# event_movies # To play or not to play event movies - (true/false)
no_background_fmv = true # To play or not to play background movies - (true/false)
### Others
# vsync
# widescreen # Turn widescreen on or off - (true/false)
grass_distance = 9000 # 0, 25, 50, 75 # TO DE TESTED

There must be something I'm missing, but what?

[bitterhowl]

Let's make it simpler. Do you have Germanicus BAI in your mod?

[kostic]

I admit that I don't know. It's not my domain. Would that be a problem with the advisor ?
I will ask the question to my team.

Information taken: yes, we use Germanicus BAI in the SSHIP 098 mod !

[bitterhowl]

So you can just temporary replace "scripts" folder with one from my archive https://drive.google.com/file/d/12uR...ew?usp=sharing

[kostic]

Is the "scripts" folder the same as the data folder in the root folder of the game?
It shouldn't be in the mod folder, right?

[bitterhowl]

The way is your_mod/data/scripts/show_me

You can replace "scripts" with my "scripts" or "show_me" with my "show_me"

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

This man's getting a medal for this one if I get it working. I'll give it a look within the next few days if not today.

[AnthoniusII]

This man's getting a medal for this one if I get it working. I'll give it a look within the next few days if not today.

This man is also very helpfull with scripts for mods that need his experties. If you nominate him for a medal you have my own support ..