Watchtowers That Will Not Build

[jesbeard]

Nearly every time I am playing with a Catholic sect, I will end up fining it impossible to build watchtowers in one or more north African territories. The same problem may exist with either the Orthodox Christian or Muslim groups, but I don't recall it. Right now, playing as the French, I have been able to build watchtowers everywhere except Timbuktu and Algeria (at least I think that is the 2nd one). What is the problem? Is there any way to build watchtowers in such situations?

[Inardesco]

In order to build watchtowers, you'll need to have a clear space around your character. Armies and agents will prevent you from building watchtowers and so do some geographical locations.

That said, NEVER build your watchtowers on roads. Watchtowers attract rebel armies and if they're placed on the road, they WILL disrupt your trade alongside causing devestation.

You can mitigate the devestation by placing watchtowers close to each other so that they're within a turns reach, this'll cause the rebels to ping-pong between watchtowers so they can't create a ton of devestation nor disrupt trade while they're doing it.

The main reason to do this, aside from the obvious economical disruptions they can cause is the fact that the amount of rebel armies has a ceiling. Lets say the game's ceiling for rebel armies is 20. Every turn that the game detects LESS than 20 armies, they will spawn a rebel army at random on the campaign map. There are some set locations but they'll jost pop up, nothing to do with public order and rubbish like that.

[jesbeard]

Nice stuff to know.... but it does not begin to answer the question I asked.

[Inardesco]

Originally posted by Inardesco:

In order to build watchtowers, you'll need to have a clear space around your character. Armies and agents (even those hidden) will prevent you from building watchtowers and so do some geographical locations.

Or, you simply not have the money.

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Also tradeable resources block watchtowers and top of all, you need to be in your own territory

[Ratselhaft]

Originally posted by jesbeard:

Nearly every time I am playing with a Catholic sect, I will end up fining it impossible to build watchtowers in one or more north African territories. The same problem may exist with either the Orthodox Christian or Muslim groups, but I don't recall it. Right now, playing as the French, I have been able to build watchtowers everywhere except Timbuktu and Algeria (at least I think that is the 2nd one). What is the problem? Is there any way to build watchtowers in such situations?

Its a bug.

I have experienced a similar thing and over time (played on a hard copy I had before steam and now on steam hoping this had been patched.. It hadn't) figured out what it was.

When regions have an event like an Earthquake or Flash Flood it sometimes (not all the time) makes building watchtowers, in that particular region, impossible for the rest of the game and it keeps a reduced movement in those regions permanent as if having no upgradded roads as it takes away the road movement bonus.

Affects all factions.

It even happens in regions in the fog of war before you get to them as AI factions get earthquakes and floods so you never notice the reduced movement unless you know that region well.

Sometimes building the next level of road (if available) fixes it but not always (in my experience) and if its a region you own that the event (earthquake, flash flood) happens in then sometimes a save-quit-reload fixes it on the turn it happens, again this has also been hit and miss in my experience.

Regions in my playthroughs this happens alot with are Timbuktu Region, Toledo and Cordoba Region in Spain, Jedda Region and Cairo region for the egyptians, Algeria region, Marrrakesh region, Tripoli Region and to a lesser extent some of the northern Italian areas and Naples region, Toulouse area in France. Has happened in others too but more rarely basically anywhere that Flash Floods and or Earthquakes happen.

Sounds like this (but may be not)

[Inardesco]

Hmm...Never knew a bug like that was around. Maybe Gigantus will know whether or not it fixed and/or how to fix it since he knows the gamefiles pretty well.

[Ratselhaft]

Originally posted by Inardesco:

Hmm...Never knew a bug like that was around. Maybe Gigantus will know whether or not it fixed and/or how to fix it since he knows the gamefiles pretty well.

Not sure how wide spread it is but it happens in my games. Hopefully he can/ has.

[Gigantus]

Raetselhaft was close: it's a bug caused by the flood event. The only solution is to remove that entry from the data\world\maps\base\descr_disaster file.

event flood
frequency 10
winter false
summer true
warning false
climate swamp
climate unused1
min_scale 2
max_scale 5

Alternatively simply download and play my Bare Geomod mod set up - it's the main campaign with a number of fixes where this fix is included: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=352216

[Inardesco]

So you basically remove floods and it's fixed?

[Gigantus]

Yup, easy as that - but it will not fix a current issue, only prevent future events.

[Ratselhaft]

Originally posted by Gigantus:

Raetselhaft was close: it's a bug caused by the flood event. The only solution is to remove that entry from the data\world\maps\base\descr_disaster file.

event flood
frequency 10
winter false
summer true
warning false
climate swamp
climate unused1
min_scale 2
max_scale 5

Alternatively simply download and play my Bare Geomod mod set up - it's the main campaign with a number of fixes where this fix is included: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=352216

I'll check this out myself, the mod that is, not a competant enough coder to go messing around with files.

[Gigantus]

Simply open that file with Notepad, delete those lines and save. That's all there is to it. Make a copy before you edit it, just in case - and don't use any other editor as they migth leave hidden formatting that really messes up your day.

[jesbeard]

Originally posted by Ratselhaft:

Originally posted by jesbeard:

Nearly every time I am playing with a Catholic sect, I will end up fining it impossible to build watchtowers in one or more north African territories. The same problem may exist with either the Orthodox Christian or Muslim groups, but I don't recall it. Right now, playing as the French, I have been able to build watchtowers everywhere except Timbuktu and Algeria (at least I think that is the 2nd one). What is the problem? Is there any way to build watchtowers in such situations?

Its a bug.

I have experienced a similar thing and over time (played on a hard copy I had before steam and now on steam hoping this had been patched.. It hadn't) figured out what it was.

When regions have an event like an Earthquake or Flash Flood it sometimes (not all the time) makes building watchtowers, in that particular region, impossible for the rest of the game and it keeps a reduced movement in those regions permanent as if having no upgradded roads as it takes away the road movement bonus.

Affects all factions.

It even happens in regions in the fog of war before you get to them as AI factions get earthquakes and floods so you never notice the reduced movement unless you know that region well.

Sometimes building the next level of road (if available) fixes it but not always (in my experience) and if its a region you own that the event (earthquake, flash flood) happens in then sometimes a save-quit-reload fixes it on the turn it happens, again this has also been hit and miss in my experience.

Regions in my playthroughs this happens alot with are Timbuktu Region, Toledo and Cordoba Region in Spain, Jedda Region and Cairo region for the egyptians, Algeria region, Marrrakesh region, Tripoli Region and to a lesser extent some of the northern Italian areas and Naples region, Toulouse area in France. Has happened in others too but more rarely basically anywhere that Flash Floods and or Earthquakes happen.

Sounds like this (but may be not)

What you have described is exactly what I experience, though your description, and apparent thought about it, appears to be a bit deeper than mine. Thanks.

[M E G A D E T H]

Originally posted by Gigantus:

Simply open that file with Notepad, delete those lines and save. That's all there is to it. Make a copy before you edit it, just in case - and don't use any other editor as they migth leave hidden formatting that really messes up your day.

i did notice when i was moving my diplomat in N. Africa on a dirt road why he was moving so slowly as if the road wasn't even there.

after reading this thread i remember i had a storm in one of my regions, and now i can't build a watchtower/fort in that area.

i had the black plaque hit london, it passed, but im still able to build in that region.

so besides floods, earthquakes, and storms causing the bug, any other events that trigger the bug?? volcano, horde, dustbowl..etc.... before my game gets more buggy if these events do happen in the future.

edit: also about your bare geomod, what fixes does it fix? the manual i downloaded for it looks more like a customization tool

[Gigantus]

Only the flood event triggers this bug - that's why the event is disabled in almost all mods.