This is the initial preview release of AoE3Ed, the successor to AOMEd. It should be enough to let curious people poke the demo's data files, though it doesn't do a lot else. Some previous modding experience is recommended. No artificial colourings. 97.4% less Perl.
The main features are split into two excitingly named programs: There are various things that should be done and could be done, detailed below in a rough order of priority. If anyone considers a feature to be important, let me know and I'll possibly think of it as a higher priority. If you consider a feature to be really hugely important, bribes (perhaps of interesting topological surfaces or graphics cards) may help. Suggestions of higher-level modding tools (like, for example, an HC-customisation-mod editor and installer) would also be of interest, for some indeterminate time in the future. Additionally, reports of whether the final AoE3 release will include anything to help modders would be useful, to avoid duplicating work. Download the latest version ---- Medium priority: Low priority: No priority:
* Archive Viewer - open BAR files; view previews of many of the data files (text, XML, XMB, DDT, WAV) contained within; and extract them for editing.
* File Converter - XMB<
Their usage should be fairly intuitive; if not, you may wish to suggest improvements or just wait for a non-preview release.
* Documentation.
* Find a new name, or at least abbreviate in informal situations to something like '3ed' which doesn't require so much bouncing on the shift key. (Any suggestions?)
* Find a permanent home (or at least as permanent as a web site can be) for the program, so people can get useful information without having to search through forums with inadequate search functions
* DDT<
* Easier alteration of DDT subformat settings.
* See how AoE3's mipmaps were made, and reproduce a similar effect. (Consistency is more important than quality, although consistent quality would be nicest.)
* SCN editing - particularly converting trigger data to an editable format. (Is AOMEd's XML style nice enough? (but fixed so that it doesn't get confused by new conditions/effects))
* SCN uneditability (while still allowing the scenario to be examined in the editor, if at all possible)
* Make the source code available. (How many people would be interested in this? (It's all C++, and the non-UI parts are in their own library that could be used in other projects, which may save people a little effort.))
* Make the DXTC alpha compressor perfect when possible. (It should already do perfect RGB (when possible, i.e. when doing DDT->
* Convert GR2 to an editable format. (Partly fairly easy (e.g. for static meshes), but probably useless without the next item.)
* Convert back into GR2. (Slightly trickier, since I don't have any documentation or code for Granny, and have to just guess how its interface works.)
* Weird DDT formats that some people might care about (particularly cubemaps for skies).
* Document the file formats. (If the source code is released, would anyone care much about human-readable specifications?)
* Get rid of Xerces (or at least statically link it), because it's big and ugly and I really don't like it. (I haven't found anything else that's cross-platform and does DTD validation, though.)
* Compatibility with pre-Win2K. (Does any AoE3 modder still do work on Win98?)
* Optimise S3TC compressor for specular+normal maps, since it's currently designed to work with visible colour. (Is anyone going to have the tools and skills to do decent normal-map work? And uncompressed BGRA DDTs should work better anyway, unless the 4x size difference really matters.)
* Weird DDT formats that I hope nobody cares about (particularly those with palettes).