balance.xml is a game file which is essentially a table of every unit, object mask, and entity category in the game, along with associated damage modifiers applied when attacking every other unit, object mask, and entity category in the game. Because every entry in the list includes a reference to every other entry in the list (even if damage against that target is not being modified), the file is fairly large and can be cumbersome to manually edit or parse.
For vanilla Rise of Nations, it is located in the \data\ subfolder. With the expansion installed, a new file is used, located in the \data\ of where the expansion is installed to. In the Extended Edition, the file is in the \Data\ subfolder.
Editing the file[]
The file can be edited with any text editor, like Windows' built-in Notepad, or a more specialised text editor such as Notepad++.
Warning: Back up the file before editing! Also be aware that in multiplayer games, all users must use the same version of data files, otherwise the session will abort due to loss of synchronization.
Entries overview[]
Values listed are a percentage, where 50 will be half-damage and 200 is double-damage. Most values in the table are set to 100, which means no additional damage modifier is applied. Note that balance.xml is not the only source of damage modifiers, as some additional damage modifiers are hard-coded (see Object Masks).
The first 243-244 entries[note 1] are for individual units. Note that a number of units are missing (e.g. Spearmen), and so have no additional damage modifiers applied from this file. Additionally, if a unit is named incorrectly, it's essentially equivalent to not having an entry at all.
Entries 245-251 are modifiers based on the unit or structure's type, with specific entries for e.g. Forts and Towers. Note that the SIEGE entry seems to refer only to traditional land-based Artillery units, and is therefore different to the "S" object mask (see below).
Entries 252-259 are modifiers based on the age in which a unit becomes available.
The remaining 32 entries are object masks, which are prescribed to categories of units in unitrules.xml.
Bugs[]
Due to a naming error, the Iroquois' Takohs, Akweks, and Okwari are not affected by balance.xml. This can be resolved by editing the relevant game files to all use a consistent internal name for the unit.[1]
Due to an unclear bug, both entries for and references to object masks in balance.xml have no effect in the Extended Edition, causing almost every unit in the game to deal the wrong amount of damage.[2]
Notes[]
- ↑ It's unclear whether Boadicea, the 244th entry, is a typical unit or not, as it is referenced unusually within other game files.