Using -mod:my_mod

[Monkwarrior]

Hi.

I've almost successfully transformed the whole Iberia Total War mod to -mod system, but I have some problems.

- intro videos, but it seems that there is no solution. I've tried by including descr_fmv.txt, but no success.

- sounds: if I include the mod without the new sounds system, I receive the message "unable to load sounds database".
Any idea of the reason for this?
I thought that if I eliminate all the descr_sounds_* and export_descr_sounds_* files, the mod would use the original sounds in vanilla RTW.
Is there any file needed regarding sounds?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Dol Guldur]

Music and sounds will not work packed in a modfolder (all my tests were in a BI modfolder). They have to be mp3/wav additions to the modfolder where they do not draw upon vanilla (in which case you need to change the pathing in the relevant files).

Intro videos wil not work either from within a modfolder.


Is this what you mean or did I misunderstand your comments on sound? Do explain in more detail if necessary...

[Monkwarrior]

Music and sounds will not work packed in a modfolder (all my tests were in a BI modfolder). They have to be mp3/wav additions to the modfolder where they do not draw upon vanilla (in which case you need to change the pathing in the relevant files).

Intro videos wil not work either from within a modfolder.


Is this what you mean or did I misunderstand your comments on sound? Do explain in more detail if necessary...

I explained badly.

I want to make two versions:
1- Full version, with all the sounds. This works perfectly at the moment.
2- Version without new sounds. Vanilla sounds will be used. If I eliminate the sounds folder and all the text files related to sounds (32 descr_sounds_* + 6 export_descr_sounds_*), the mod doesn't load and gives me an error message about being unable to load sounds database.

I'm quite sure (not 100%, but nearly) that it was possible to make this in the normal installation (overwriting files).

Edit: now I'm 100% sure. When I eliminate the text files related to sounds from a normal installation, the game loads with no error message.

Edit2: I've found the solution.
If the mod has not new sounds, it is necessary to include a sounds folder with the files events.dat and events.idx from vanilla for the mod to work.

[Dol Guldur]

Indeed - and I assumed you knew that. Sorry :(

[Sunhawken]

You can play Rome: Total War 1.5 with BI 1.6 engine by well um like this

"C:\Program Files\The Creative Assembly\Rome - Total War\RomeTW-BI.exe" -mod:rtw1.6 -show_err


The rtw1.6 folder is a "shortcut" of the Rome:Total War folder the one that is

C:/progames/blah/rometotwar :)

[Makanyane]

um yes, but that isn't because rtw1.6 refers to the folder - it is because it doesn't recognise it. anything it doesn't recognise that comes after -mod like -mod:xxxx
it will run as -mod which is just playing the rtw/data folder.

You will find though that you just made yourself a redundant "rtw1.6" folder inside Rome - Total War.

"C:\Program Files\The Creative Assembly\Rome - Total War\RomeTW-BI.exe" -mod -show_err

is actually all you need to play the original RTW files on the BI.exe. you only give it a name after the mod: if you are actually making a mod-folder with changed files.

[Makanyane]

if trying to reduce the files in a BI mod-folder, beware of removing some of the ui/roman and ui/barbarian/buildings tgas especially the ones in the /construction folder.. I think probably the churches and temples that are new to BI, or whatever doesn't exist in RTW packs.

Not having some of these - even if they are for a building not actually buildable by any faction in your campaign causes a KTM without error message, or apparently randomly, a message that it doesn't recognise your first USED hidden resource, and maybe a few others.... I've been having hours of fun with 'inexplicable' results on trying to get maps to load before pinning problem down to slimmed down UI file.

This only occurs if trying to start with a re-generated map.rwm, it doesn't seem bothered about missing building tga's if you're working from old rwm created before altering mod-folder ui etc. Hence not realising there was problem till after making few hundred other changes....

[Dol Guldur]

For reference, I here make available the listings of the FATW modfolder elements for basic and advanced repathing, and the content listing of the mod pack. I hope this will help anyone seeking to create a modfolder.

A. Contents for mod_0.pak...

The following is the list used in creating the mod_0.pak file for FATW; this generally contains files the reference to which cannot be repathed. The game will look to this pak and use the file there (without this file it would look to vanilla).

mod_0.pak
mod_0\data\ui\generic\#generic_construction.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\#generic_unit_card.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_building.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_constructed_building.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_fort.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_preconstructed_building.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_unit_card.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_unit_info.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\placement_message.tga
mod_0\data\ui\pips\pip_garrison.tga
mod_0\data\ui\pips\pip_governors_influence.tga
mod_0\data\terrain\aerial_map\tile_textures\volcano_dormant.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\forest.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_pebbles.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_rock.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_sand.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_shrubbase.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\pebble.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\sand.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\shrub_base.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\grass1.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\grass.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_forest.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_grass1.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_grass.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_shrub_base.tga.dds
mod_0\data\loading_screen\loading_bar.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_huge_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_large_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_large_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_huge_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_large_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_large_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_fort.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_large_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_huge_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_large_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_fort.tga
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_11.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_12.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_13.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_14.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_15.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_11.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_12.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_13.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_14.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_15.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_11.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_12.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_13.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_14.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_15.tga.dds


B. Advanced Repathing

../ used to jump up directories to repath back down.



C. Basic repathing

Usually just sticking the mod's folder name in after the bi/ folder...



Note that B is a subset of C, as all redirected directory jumping also of course contain the basic repath.

If you have any questions then post here where Makanyane someone will be pleased to answer them

[Makanyane]

*posts here to confuse things* if you have any questions Dol Guldur someone will answer

(was a good idea to show that btw)

similar from EODII

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\ground_types\beach.tga
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\sea\beach_strip.tga.dds
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\sea\sky_environment_summer.tga.dds
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\sea\surf2b.tga.dds
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\tile_textures\cliff.tga.dds
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\tile_textures\volcano.tga.dds
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\tile_textures\volcano_dormant.tga.dds
eod\data\ui\barbarian\cities\BARBARIAN_CITY.TGA........ and similar
....
eod\data\ui\pips\PIP_GOVERNORS_INFLUENCE.TGA
eod\data\textures\#arrow.tga.dds
eod\data\textures\#arrow_distance.tga.dds
eod\data\models_building\textures\GATES2.TGA.DDS
eod\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_11.tga.dds........ and similar
.....
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\ships\trade_boat.CAS
eod\data\terrain\aerial_map\ships\textures\Riczu_trade_boat.tga.dds

pack is still called mod_0.pak when its made, the folder name before \data doesn't actually matter, except obviously it has to be the one the files are actually in before packing.

textures in data\terrain\battlefield\..... you can put directly in mod folder if you change folder path (to something with same number of characters) with hex editor in geography.db file, but if you aren't hex editing that for other reasons, packing them is easier!

textures for buildings seem to have to be packed if you change them for existing building items, but if you have new model .cas's converted to new items then textures can work from mod-folder without packing.

[ThePianist]

Has anyone found some files from BI that don't need to be copied? Thanks in advance.

And i would ask the same question.
Trying to make a BI mod into -mod option. Apparently playing BI is already doing -mod:bi, so just creating a mod folder and a shortcut pointing to it doesn't work. So you still have to duplicate the entire BI folder, just minus some files. Anyone found out what files can be omitted?

[Sir_Lysander]

A further question.

Modding just units (some new unit and unit_info cards, changes to EDB/EDU as appropriate) I put everything into a "mymod" folder to keep the plain vanilla files "safe." However, running the mod, every time I zoom to battle map (either to view one of my own settlements, or for combat) I get a CTD when the game tries to generate the settlement:

"Error. Filename doesn't exist" data/models_building/..."
then a laundry list including "militia_barracks_eastern_high.cas" and so forth. I have not modified any Cas file, nor planned to. All remain in the original data/ folder.

When running RTW without the -mod switch, everything runs fine. I've tried copying data/models_building/ into the mod folder, tried removing it from the mod folder, no change.

My understanding is that if RTW didn't find it in the mod folder, it looked in the original data/ folder. Is that assumption off, or is something else going on?

[Aradan]

Is your mod BI-based? BI-based mods need the majority of vanilla BI folders to be brought inside the modfolder.

[Sir_Lysander]

Is your mod BI-based? BI-based mods need the majority of vanilla BI folders to be brought inside the modfolder.

Nope, regular RTW (when I run using the installed RTW icon, it gives version 1.5) I figured I'd start with something "easy",

[Aradan]

Can you list which files exactly you have modded?

[Sir_Lysander]

Can you list which files exactly you have modded?

EDU - added units
EDU_enum - for above
text\export_units - for above
EDB - for new units only
DMB - for new units only
UI folder for UNITS and UNIT_INFO only

names files

Descr_strat (set back to plain vanilla for CTD on end turn and/or AI turn)

No buildings were added or buildings files were altered other than EDB for unit recruitment.

At first, MYMOD folder held complete copy of DATA folder, but went back and removed duplicates (of DATA) that were unmodified. This change had no effect.

[Dol Guldur]

For general information, before I disappear forever....

Viking Invasion II is a modfoldered BI mod which involved no copying of the vanilla BI folder (either manually or by means of a batch file). It is complete in and of itself. I stripped out everything I could from it and so it should represent, as a mod at least, probably the best example of the minimum files required to have a BI modfolder to function.

[Tellos Athenaios]

This is thread necromancy with a purpose:

It would seem that it hadn't yet occured to anybody here that the relative path . (single dot: current directory) and .. (double dot: parent directory) can be used as true filename patterns: chained together we can have multiple builds of the same fully modfoldered mod running off the same RTW.exe without name collisions. I had tested this a good while ago with EB, but the internal thread is of course not accessible to the public. So here goes:

1. Prepare a clean RTW installation capable of supporting modfoldered mods.
2. Note the path of the RTW w/ever .exe file, say "C:\Games\Vanilla\RTW\".
3. Prepare a modfoldered mod installation somewhere outside that path, say "C:\Mods\", note its path (in this case "C:\Games\Mods\").
4. Compute the relative path from your .exe under (2) to your modfolder under (3): in this case we end up with "..\..\Mods\[modfolder]" where [modfolder] is the name of your modfolder. (Alternatively use: "../../Mods/[modfolder]", that will work too.) Say: "..\..\Mods\EB".
5. Use (4) as the argument to the -mod switch, example: Target: "C:\Games\Vanilla\RTW\" -mod:..\..\Mods\EB -show_err

This means that you could in theory set up multiple versions of EB 1.2 like this:

Target: "C:\Games\Vanilla\RTW\RTW.exe" -mod:..\..\Mods\EB\release -show_err
Target: "C:\Games\Vanilla\RTW\RTW.exe" -mod:..\..\Mods\EB\remod -show_err
Target: "C:\Games\Vanilla\RTW\RTW.exe" -mod:..\..\Mods\EB\devel -show_err
etc.

Note:

people who run this game off a FAT partition *may* find that this doesn't work as expected, due to the fact that FAT does not support symlinks IIRC.

Note: a similar effect is possible through having a suitable [io] setting for each of any number of configuration files for M2TW, but of course you still must take care of avoiding naming collisions with the configuration files themselves.

For a slightly cryptic prior art reference (the use of symlinks in paths), just a few posts up I saw:

For reference, I here make available the listings of the FATW modfolder elements for basic and advanced repathing, and the content listing of the mod pack. I hope this will help anyone seeking to create a modfolder.

A. Contents for mod_0.pak...

The following is the list used in creating the mod_0.pak file for FATW; this generally contains files the reference to which cannot be repathed. The game will look to this pak and use the file there (without this file it would look to vanilla).

mod_0.pak
mod_0\data\ui\generic\#generic_construction.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\#generic_unit_card.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_building.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_constructed_building.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_fort.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_preconstructed_building.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_unit_card.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\generic_unit_info.tga
mod_0\data\ui\generic\placement_message.tga
mod_0\data\ui\pips\pip_garrison.tga
mod_0\data\ui\pips\pip_governors_influence.tga
mod_0\data\terrain\aerial_map\tile_textures\volcano_dormant.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\forest.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_pebbles.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_rock.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_sand.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\oz_rockydesert_summer_shrubbase.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\pebble.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\sand.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\rocky_desert\summer\shrub_base.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\grass1.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\grass.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_forest.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_grass1.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_grass.tga.dds
mod_0\data\terrain\battlefield\test_climate\summer\oz_medi_shrub_base.tga.dds
mod_0\data\loading_screen\loading_bar.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_huge_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_large_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\roman\cities\roman_large_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_huge_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_large_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_large_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\barbarian\cities\barbarian_fort.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_large_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_huge_city.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_large_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_town.tga
mod_0\data\ui\hun\cities\hun_fort.tga
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_11.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_12.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_13.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_14.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_01-02_15.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_11.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_12.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_13.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_14.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_03-04_15.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_11.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_12.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_13.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_14.tga.dds
mod_0\data\sky\clouds\heavy\cloud_top_15.tga.dds


B. Advanced Repathing

../ used to jump up directories to repath back down.



C. Basic repathing

Usually just sticking the mod's folder name in after the bi/ folder...



Note that B is a subset of C, as all redirected directory jumping also of course contain the basic repath.

If you have any questions then post here where Makanyane someone will be pleased to answer them

But note that item (B) is *not* a subset of C, rather the converse holds true.