Might and Magic 8: Modify monsters.txt

[Ser Ironfist]

Hi,

I already modified creatures in MM6 and 7 by using MMArchive. Now I'm trying the same for MM8. I am able to change the creatures names and their spawning area (mapstats.txt) but not their HP, damage, spells etc.
I tried to start a new game after editing monsters.txt, but I still don't see changes to the stats.
Once I also exchanged the hydras from MM6 for those of MM7. It worked fine, but if i try similar things in MM8, it does not work.

Does anybody know how to change these things like I did for MM6/7? Maybe by using another program? I would really like to make the game more challenging.

[AndrewBased]

Bump! I need this too, i couldn't make it work in mm6 either though

[NotABroom]

The guy asking that question was me. Somehow I never managed to log into that account again. I certainly didn't have the same issue with monsters.txt later on. Maybe it didn't work with my CD version of MM8, but then it worked with the GOG-version.
Locate monsters.txt (it is in a different file in mm8 than it is in mm6 and 7), edit it, don't mess up the format (like the quotation marks around spells) and then just replace the original. Then either start a new game or wait for the map to reset to show changes. And if it still fails, maybe invest in the GOG-versions. Just wait for a sale (there's one right now) and they're the price of a chocolate bar.

[cthscr]

FYI, MM8 Monsters.txt from EnglishT.lod wasn't made properly by NWC and contains bugs. Like "GM" for spells that isn't recognized (you should use "G" unless you're using Comm Merge) or illogical (and non-working) "Day of the Gods". My favorite is Energy attack type becoming an Earth one (a bug inherited from MM7).

[GrayFace]

FYI, MM8 Monsters.txt from EnglishT.lod wasn't made properly by NWC and contains bugs. Like "GM" for spells that isn't recognized (you should use "G" unless you're using Comm Merge) or illogical (and non-working) "Day of the Gods". My favorite is Energy attack type becoming an Earth one (a bug inherited from MM7).

I'd like to fix them. I remember reading about "GM" somewhere on the tracker. Never heard about the other bugs.

[cthscr]

I'd like to fix them. I remember reading about "GM" somewhere on the tracker. Never heard about the other bugs.

Wrong monster spells damage type - fix
Broken Ener attack type - fix
"Rock" missile - part1 (dirty and insane; uses Cannonball processing), part2

[GrayFace]

I'd like to fix them. I remember reading about "GM" somewhere on the tracker. Never heard about the other bugs.

Wrong monster spells damage type - fix

BTW, first asm patch can be rewritten as:

Code: Select all

mem.asmhook(0x404D97, [[
mov eax, dword ptr [ebp+0xC]
mov byte ptr [ebp-0x1F], al
]])

Broken Ener attack type - fix

Why 12 and not 11?

part1 (dirty and insane; uses Cannonball processing)

NewCode assignment can be rewritten as:

Code: Select all

local NewCode = mem.asmproc[[
mov word ptr [ebp-0x74], 0x235
jmp absolute 0x404BA9
]]

[cthscr]

Why 12 and not 11?

Dark missile was 11, Ener missile was 13 - so I dec 13.
Note [for other readers] there are multiple statements from me that aren't true (for instance, I thought that [any] monster always have melee attack plus possible missile [that could be of another damage type] while in reality Missile is projectile type indicating (if not 0) that attack is missile).

[GrayFace]

Why 12 and not 11?

Dark missile was 11, Ener missile was 13 - so I dec 13.

But you have "push 0xC", with is 12.

[GrayFace]

BTW, not all attack chances are born equal.
First, monster has SpellChance% of using Spell.
If he doesn't, he has Spell2Chance% of using Spell2.
If he doesn't, he has Attack2Chance% of using attack 2, else uses attack 1.

So, for a monster with 4 attacks to use all of them as often, set this:
SpellChance = 25
Spell2Chance = 33
Attack2Chance = 50

[cthscr]

Why 12 and not 11?

Dark missile was 11, Ener missile was 13 - so I dec 13.

But you have "push 0xC", with is 12.

Yes, I "dec" 13. In other words, 12 = 13 (Ener Missile) - 11 (Dark Missile) + 10 (Dark Damage).

[NotABroom]

Has anyone experimented around with giving monsters the ability to summon other monsters? You can do whatever you wish with this, even let a peasant summon great wyrms. But there's one problem with his: these summoned monsters don't make any sounds. This includes light elementals, which worked just fine back in MM7. Does anyone know why that is?