New CO?

First off, this being my first post, I like to say: glad to be aboard. The CB codes posted have been a great help to me lately.

So anyways, I read a topic about a "fake CO", which gave me the idea of introducing you all to this fun guy:


Editing his colors:


CO Power quote: (and yes, I used the Max Stars code to activate his powers without having to do anything.)


Using CO Power 'Master Plan':


Using Super CO Power 'Perfect Tactic':


CO Detail Pages:

Wow, he looks cool. Did you make this CO? Sure would be awesome if we could actually hack him into AW2 but I don't really know how.

Thanks, and yes i did.

As for the second part, it's already been done. I'm actually working on a second CO atm.

Oh, and I added his CO detail pages. Don't know how I forgot those..

EDIT: I suppose now that I added the detail pages, I should probably elaborate a little on his CO stats:

Normally:
All units: +10 Atk/+10 Def

With CO Power:
Direct units: +30 Atk/+30 Def
Indirect units: +30 Atk/+10 Def/+1 Range
Transport units: +10 Def/+1 Move

With Super CO Power:
Direct units: +40 Atk/+40 Def
Indirect units: +40 Atk/+10 Def/+2 Range
Transport units: +10 Def/+2 Move

Basically, he's a good well-rounded CO. He doesn't do anything especially crazy like spawn people out of cities or damage all enemies, but his units are great at what they do. His powers again aren't flashy, but they help his units do their jobs even better.

I'm actually now nearing the end of adding another CO named Malachi. He focuses on speed and quick offense. The only thing I have left to do for him is sprite a portrait image.

An AW2 hack with new COs? For real?

You are awesome. I'd love to play it when you're finished. Are you going to make new Campaign maps, too?

The only problem I can forsee is that Ezekiel seems way overpowered and has no weaknesses, but if Ezekiel is only meant to be used by the computer that's fine.

It seems that way on paper but when you play it out he's really not. Other CO's have way better bonuses to their chosen expertise, (Sami and Sensei get about 80 atk to their infantry with their super, and most people give their units 60 atk during supers.)

A lot of people also give move to units that actually fight, and again the other CO's all do something flashy. (Take 2 HP from everyone and get 30 Atk/Def to all - Olaf, and his only drawback is rain)

Zeke's super power gives bonuses about equal equal to others normal powers for each type, but you are right: his advantage is that he has no disadvantage. After playing with him through most of the war room maps, I can honestly say he's not too much better than the other COs. He's really just like a better Andy: no weak point, but no super strong point either.

COs really only need Day-to-day weaknesses. For example: Andy has no day-to-day power-ups; you choose him because he can use any kind of unit effectively. Colin's units are cheaper, but they're also weakened. Eagle is good in the air, but bad in the sea. Ezekiel, like Hawke, has no day-to-day weakness. But if one does need to play as Ezekiel to see if he's not overpowered, again, I'd be willing to play as him and see that.

So are you planning a new campaign or not??? (As you see, I'm very interested )

I can see what you mean and it finally hit me even before I read your reply. It's not his CO powers that are unfair, it's his +10 Atk/Def. The only other CO's with normal bonuses to all units are: Kanbei who gets +30 Atk/Def, but his units cost 20% more, Hawke who gets +10 Atk; who like you said isn't an ally CO, and Sturm gets +20 Atk/Def, but ofc he is the 'final boss' CO, and even he technically has a disadvantage in that he's weak in snow. (Weird...)

I'm not really about making a custom campaign quite yet, as I haven't yet got the hang of adding custom maps without them breaking my ROM. (and even if I do, I have to code it tile by tile. Keep in mind a conventional 30x20 map is 600 tiles and those are actually quite small compared to most maps during the game.)

I may give it a shot some time, but I am also working on a Tactical Battle System script for RMXP, which I've actually started considering using for a AW-style game now that I've gotten into it more. (I've never even played AW until about 3 weeks ago, and now I'm pretty hooked.)

As for Ezekiel's stats, I'm considering 2 options: No day-to-day bonuses at all; Only +10 Def and weak in rain. I almost considered a Sonja-like thing with -10 luck, but the thing about bad luck is that it completely kills the idea of being a good tactician. Plans and strategies are nothing if good'ol luck lets that one unit that had to die live on and get in the way of some rockets that you needed to kill that turn, or lets that one lander keep 1 HP and dump off the two Neotanks it had onto your shore.

Inserting maps into AW2 isn't really that hard. Why, I've been working on a ROM hack of my own that has 30 new War Room maps...26 of them are inserted thus far. I should write a tutorial on how to do it - tutorials for hacking AW2 either don't exist or aren't very user-friendly.

...Sturm is weak in Snow? Really? I thought movement costs for him dropped to 1 on all terrain. Hm. Must not apply for other weather statuses then.

Something you could do for Ezekiel is give him +10% defense and -10% attack. Sorta like a polar opposite of Grimm. Or keep his current stats and increase the prices of his units by 10% (Like Kanbei). Whatever you feel works.

-I tried it once and it just crashed on me much the same as when I tried to make a design room map have more width than 30. I read in the Warlord Map Inserter docs that AW Map Designer was coming out with a Raw GBA Map exporter? I did want to make some custom War Room maps, so I'll just try it again sometime tonight.

-They still don't. He has 'Perfect Movement.' However, his attack and defense drop in snow just like Olaf's does in rain.

-Most likely I'd just give him no bonuses like Andy. He's supposed to be effective with all unit types.

EDIT: Tried it again, and it was a no go. I even copied the tutorial exactly, and it just crashes. Then I followed a link in the tutorial to another tutorial that this same guy based his on. Turns out some how he decided the formula for the tiles bytes was (xy*2 + 2)... No idea why he added the +2, but it was the reason my map was crashing.

EDIT2: The extra +2 at the end is apparently necessary. I added it again to accommodate the very last tile in the map and this time it didn't crash. Hacking is so weird sometimes..

UPDATE:

Remember that other CO I was talking about, Malachi? Well, I finally got around to finishing him. I know it's been months since I last visited, and that's mostly thanks to a ridiculous amount of computer troubles. (Ranging from broken AC Adapters to broken LCD Screens...)

Anyways, here he is:


Detail Pages:


Editing Colors:


CO Power Quote: (Lovely map. Used one I could win instantly to get his Victory Quote without any work.)


CO Power: "CODE STING"


Super CO Power: "CODE STORM"


Victory Quote:


Stats In-Depth:
Day-To-Day:
-10 Def, +1 Move, -5% Costs to all non-infantry (or mech) units.

COP - 3 Stars: (Units retain -10 Def during COP and SCOP)
+30 Atk, +2 Move

SCOP - 6 Stars
+50 Atk, +2 Move, Perfect Movement

Summary:

Malachi's +1 move is obviously his strong suit, and may seem to make him overpowered. However, NO CO in the actual game puts you through the horrible experience of -10 Def, and honestly you don't realize its effect until you've tried it. For this reason, his -5% Costs actually balance him out. These stats actually give him a distinct style, where each turn he needs to sweep an enemy group to avoid casualties due to his lowered defenses. With this and his extra move, his style becomes one of quick sweeps and stabs, which are very interesting to see in play.

His CO Power really just adds to this style, making his sweeps deadlier and quicker.

His Super Power, the Storm, is just what it sounds like, and actually ends up benefiting land units most of all. I made this CO for my little brother, who wanted a speedy CO, but not Adder. Originally, he also wanted stronger land units, but not a Jess copy, as he himself favors land units. This super power actually affects land units the most. His units becomes stronger than before and just as fast, but now his perfect movement basically lets his units move anywhere. Air units aren't affected by terrain in the first place, and naval units only have reefs to worry about. His land units during this super power, however, become invaluable being able to attack from anywhere and destroy most opposition.

With all this, Malachi actually becomes something of an anti-tactician. His extra move busts through most wall strategies and advantage triangles such as Cruiser v. Battleship v. Sub. On the other hand, his -10 Def keeps him from using such wall tactics and most defensive strategies at all. Playing with this CO is quite an interesting experience, and it really tests your skills at movement tactics, especially if you're using him in War Room maps.

NOTE: I do realize Malachi's image is a bit wide, and I am working on smoothing the edges.

Another New CO?: After really seeing Malachi in action, I got an idea for another type of CO that seems to be missing: a sentinel CO. I.e the Max to Malachi's Grit. Instead of -10 Def, +1 Move, and -5% Costs, I'm thinking of a CO with +30 Def, -1 Move, and +5% Costs. He would also set a new precedent as the only CO to EVER have -Move. I can already see how playing with him could be both annoying and fun. The -1 Move would put him at a terrible disadvantage when it comes to covering territory and getting passed enemy blocks, but the super defense without the Kanbei costs could make him very comforting and hard to stop. My ideas for a COP and SCOP include even greater defense, as well as stronger counter strikes making him a solid stone on the battlefield. This also gives me an idea for an interesting War Room Map: Sword and Shield, where you face him and Malachi at the same time.

This looks really cool.
Is there a tutorial somewhere on how to hack COs into the game?

Not that I know of. For me, it's just a combination of a lot of graphics and text hacking coupled with the Nightmare 2 Modules. I've recorded just about everything I've done so far, so maybe I'll write one.

Cool, thanks!

Please tell me that when you see non infantry units, you mean ALL of his effects ignore infantry.

Also, 3 star +2 movement is insane.

As for your next idea, there's a reason -1 movement is never used.

Assuming you ignore infantry, you are NOT going to be taking anything far away from you. They will have better air units due to the fact that they have less time spent floating around, wasting fuel.

And for 5% more? 5% less money is getting you, what? An infantry for every 20 cities? Not worth it.

1) I'm assuming you meant 'Please...say', not 'see': They get the move bonuses during his COP and SCOP but not D2D. Sami adds 2 Move and Perfect Movement for her super to all soldiers, and her other units have -10 Atk, not -10 Def. (Huge difference.) Not to mention they take buildings in one 1 turn or x1.5 normally, which doesn't happen here. Also, her soldiers have excellent attack AND defense, whereas Malachi's are normal.

2) It's obvious you've never tried -10 Def. Huge disadvantage, which overall balances his character. Also, for the cost of 4 stars, Adder can add 1 Move to his units twice over, and he has no drawbacks whatsoever. Maybe his COP is better off at 4 stars, but it's not 'insane.' I've played with him; I've played against him. It's not that big a deal if you know how to strategize and how the game really works.

3) I'm assuming again that you typo'd when you put 'taking' instead of 'attacking.' It's 1 Move; not 2, not 3. If you want to talk about fuel, the 1 less move means he uses 1 less fuel per day as he moves 1 space less. It will end up costing him an extra day than other air units to move, but only over long gaps.

In other words, for a B-Copter to travel a 30 space length, which is the width of a design map, it would take him 6 days, as opposed to a normal character taking 5.

So,
Sentinel: 6 days * 2 fuel/day + 30 spaces = 42 fuel.
Normally: 5 days * 2 fuel/day + 30 spaces = 40 fuel.

For a bomber over 42 spaces, (long distance)
Sentinel: 7 days * 5 fuel/day + 42 spaces = 77 fuel.
Normally: 6 days * 5 fuel/day + 42 spaces = 72 fuel.

Are you seeing a pattern? As the normal units gets faster, the difference gets smaller, and is very small to begin with. Also, this difference isn't temporal, meaning he doesn't use more fuel on a day to day basis, but over the course of a battle. Again, this 'difference' is little more than a days worth of fuel per 30-50 spaces, which is near the fuel life of most air units in the first place.

Oh, and yes it does ignore infantry. A Mech Unit with 1 Movement would be ridiculous.

4) Please read the post thoroughly before commenting especially if the comments are going to be critical. 5% higher costs wouldn't earn you an extra infantry per 20 cities, they'd lose you one. Also, if you had read the post, he has naturally higher defense. (As strong as Kanbei, in fact.) He wouldn't be much of a "Sentinel" if he was just a slow-poke CO with no added bonuses.

EDIT:
@Ephraim 225: Just wanted to let you know I have started coming up with some ideas for a campaign. I've even managed to come up with a map for one. The big trick about hacking a new campaign is that I don't have much control over the actual script. In other words, producing custom scenes would be grueling/near impossible. Also, I don't know how to edit the world map code, which just burns all the creative control out of setting up a story in the first place. (Can't choose where the battles occur.) I do know the guy who made the NM2 Modules in the first place, so I could ask him what he knows about AW2 Campaign scripting code.

I would like to say that -1 movement is a terrible idea. I know what you are trying to do; you are trying to balance the CO, however, certain units need all of their movement points in order for them to be useful. Take the missile, it is a tire unit with 4 movement points (excluding DoR). Tire units suffer the most since they lose 2 movement points on plains and 3 movement points in forests. That means a missile can only move one space a turn in a sea of forest tiles. If you were to put the -1 movement in the missile, they can never cross any forest tiles.

Infantry, Mechs, and Tire units must not have the -1 movement penalty. That means only air, sea, and tread units can suffer -1 movement while still able to cross the various tiles.

I have to say that I agree. I haven't posted any updates for a few days, but I have since then already started revising Malachi and Sentinel. (I haven't spent the time to come up with a real name for him yet, so until then that will be his moniker.) As I explained before, I originally designed Malachi for my little brother and basically just for fun. If I were to actually seriously create a CO like him to fit a realistic AW standard, he would be a bit different.

As for Sentinel, I did get a taste of the Missile problem when I was designing a Campaign Map where Grit is defending himself from an aerial assault in Fog of War. I ran into the problem that Missiles, once on a forest tile, can only move 1 space, thus making them FOW sitting ducks. As such, what I was planing on doing to make him a little more sensible is restraining his bonuses to non-infantry direct-combat units. After all, direct-combat units bare the brunt of the blows, and no military would outfit its men with armor so heavy they can't run. Soldiers need to be able to move, after all. I.e it would affect the units that actually need heavy armor. The only tire units that would face this penalty are Recon units, which fortunately have 8 move and wouldn't be totally immobilized on plains/forests.

As for Malachi, I've considered changing his COP to just add attack, although that seems a bit dull for a COP. My other options are to just add move or lessen the amount of attack it adds, perhaps to 15 or so. The trick is to put some more value on his SCOP, since it's currently not worth it unless you really need to cut through some terrain. Most likely, the less attack option is what I'd go with. His strategy is speed, so cutting out his extra move takes away his entire style.

I have field-tested Malachi many times, but I have not yet tested Sentinel; I won't be making a final decision on his actual stats until I do so.

What about instead of adding extra attack, you have a CO power that ignores half the enemy's defense and a super CO power that ignores all the enemy's defense? That's different than just adding attack, and it makes every unit in your army useful.

From what I can currently do, reducing enemy defense by half or what have you is not possible. I could ask around to see how such a thing might be done, but from what I currently know COPs can't affect other COs stats and certainly not the internal damage formula. I do know one way to simulate a piercing effect, and that is to make it so that the COP raises luck. (which ignores defense and unit type; I've seen a Nell Infantry take a 5 on an Md.)

I'm not at my home computer now, so I don't have the NM2 modules available to tell me if this is legal, but if you raised the character's minimum luck which is normally 0, to say, +10., that could simulate a 'piercing' effect. By having a luck distribution of +10 to +20 (normally it's 0 to 10), it would guarantee that a unit do +1 more damage than usual. Piercing offense isn't necessarily Malachi's style, which is speedy victory, but I can see how your suggestion could give rise to a new CO. I'm not really sure how you'd logically explain damage penetration other than advanced technology, but then again that could be the new CO's style: tech wiz.

Yeah. Armor piercing rounds