Definitive guide to modding

[Duke John]

Contents:

Foreword

Chapter 1: Campaign1.1 Making the campaign file
1.2 Adding factions
1.3 Trading goods[/list]
Chapter 2: Buildings2.1 Editing existing buildings
2.1 Adding new buildings[/list]
Chapter 3: Units3.1 Editing existing units
3.1 Adding new units[/list]

Chapter 4: Map editor
- Making new battle maps
- Creating a historical battle
- Making a historical campaign

Chapter 5: Graphics
- Campaign map
- Building graphics
- Unit graphics
- Menu graphics
- Other graphics

Chapter 6: Sounds


Foreword

The coming time I will try to a guide to modding that will contain all the different aspects of modding. It will focus on the MTW 1.1 version to keep things clear. A thread about VI will follow in the future.
I am posting this, but that does not mean that I am the one who found everything out. The modding community is large and each member deserves credit for this guide http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif

Cheers, Duke John

[Duke John]

Chapter 3: Units

Tools:
Gnome editor: link coming soon

Editing exsisting units:

Files:
\crusaders_unit_prod11.txt

Adding new units:

Files:
\crusaders_unit_prod11.txt

To create new units follow these steps:
1. Make a new unit entry
Make a new unit entry by copying an existing entry (there are two lines that need to be selected&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif and paste it at the end of the list for easy reference.

2. Editing the new unit entry
Open up the unit_prod11.txt file with Gnome editor and rename the new unit. Remember that name carefully since it will be used in other files.
You can now edit the stats as you see fit. You can follow the same guide as for editing existing units.

3. Provide the necessary files
You will need to add the following files to avoid crashing the game. In this example we will use the name: NewUnit If you don't want to make new graphics you can copy appropiate exsisting ones in the relative folder. We will use existing unit graphics from the unit named: CopiedUnit. Make sure that when making for example a crossbow unit that you will copy a crossbow unit

\Battle\UnitIcons\NewUnit.LBM
\campmap\Info_Pics\Units\NewUnit.BIF
\campmap\Review_Panel\Units\NewUnit.BIF

The following files will need to be exact copies that you will need to rename; replace CopiedUnit with NewUnit:
\Textures\Men\ActionPage\CopiedUnit.txt

The unit BIF must be the same as the one used by CopiedUnit. In short: the BIF contains unit animations and the TXT denotes which animation is used. If you don't follow this rule you will get faulty graphics in battles. The BIF is located in:

\Textures\Men\NameOfBIF\

In that folder you will also find the following files

\Textures\Men\NameOfBIF\CopiedUnit.txt

\Textures\Men\Items\CopiedUnit.txt

The stuff below is from kekvitirae and I will edit it into a more compact layout later (no offense meant, kekvitirae, you did a great job writing this little guide http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif )

14. Go back to the root MTW directory and look in the Loc\Eng directory. Open up Names.txt in Notepad. Scroll down (or run a search) until you find this:
["Bonnachts_Singular"] {"Bonnacht"}
["Bonnachts_Plural"] {"Bonnachts"}
15. Copy it and paste it at the end of the unit list, just a few more lines down. Rename Bonnanchts_Singular to SpearChuckers_Singular. In fact, rename all four Bonnachts references to SpearChuckers. Again, watch the spelling and capitalization. Save the file.
16. Open up Descriptions.txt in the same directory with Notepad and run a search for ["Bonnachts_desc"]. Copy the whole line and paste it at the end of the unit list just a few lines down, exactly the same way you did with the Names.txt file.
17. Rename Bonnachts_desc to SpearChuckers_desc, and then edit the description however you please. Just remember that since the unit description box in the game has to sliding bar, you have to limit the description of the unit. Otherwise the game will cut off the excess part, leaving you with an incomplete description when you view the unit. Save the file.
18. Open up the DEADPAGE COORDS.txt file with Notepad in the Textures\Men directory.
19. Run a search for Bonnachts, and highlight and copy that line and the numbers under it, and paste it at the bottom of the list. Rename the now-pasted Bonnachts to SpearChuckers. Save the file.

[Wellington]

Hi DJ,

This certainly sounds like a good idea, but ...

Do the Orgs patrons require such information? YES Good documentation is the key to involving more people in this little hobby of ours.

Is it a good idea to group this information in one place? NO Why? Simply because such documentation will be generally be used by "newbies", who will generally only be (initially) interested in one area and thus may have difficult seeing the wood from the trees.

Can such a definative guide ever be produced? NO Why? Because any attempt to produce a definitive guide will fail because it will offer good information in areas that the author is familiar with and poor information in areas that the author is less well versed in.

Unfortunately, IMHO, there are too many caveats involved in producing such a definative guide.

Obviously, in order to be useful, such documentation has to be extremely detailed. I discovered this simple fact time and time again. When I wrote the "All about Animations ..." thread I thought at tthe time that it was extremely accurate and detailed. You won't believe how many E-mails I received asking questions and correcting my errors

It's exactly the same when one is attempting to provide documentation for utilities that address a specific area of MTW modding. You not only have to document the utility, but also the facts/principles in the area of MTW that the utility addresses. I learnt this the hard way (with LMM/campaign map documentation). This is one reason why LMM5 has been so slow arriving - useful and accurate documentation takes SOO LONG to produce. Why? Because in order to be useful the person providing the documentation has to ensure it is accurate, and therefore has to do an IMMENSE amount of investigation and testing for a game (MTW) that can hardly be described as modder friendly.

At present Barocca, LoS, LK, Komninos and many others are investigating VI - and will eventually provide documentation in this area. Don't underestimate the relationship between possessing knowledge and expressing that knowledge in a written format. It's not just a question of knowledge. Far more important is the care, effort, time and thought that goes into providing documentation.

You yourself discovered this problem with the utility "UM_LoTR", which processed your PCX images into MTW BIFs. Even though we both new exactly what we were doing, there was a lot of confusion as the documentation I provided in this area was insufficient (BTW, "UM_LoTR" will be renamed "MUCU" - MTW Unit Creation Utility - and released to the Org sometime in the forseeable future).

I'm almost ready to release a new utility, MTTM, but the amount of accurate documentation this requires (in respect of MTW maps/models/textures/terrain/graphics) is enormous. No - let me say that again ... the amount of accurate documentation this requires IS ENORMOUS.

I would suggest that individuals who are well versed in some areas and are capable of writing complete and accurate documentation produce such documents, that specifically pertain to a single area of modding.

In this respect, one thing that this group certainly requires (and I know several people have requested this from yourself) is a Guide to creating entirely new MTW unit images, via a Graphics Utility. As you are the undisputed expert in this area, considering the quality of your LoTR units, such a guide would be indispensable for the many modders interested in this.

Don't forget that ALL computer software companies employ technical authors whose skills are directed towards explaining complicated issues, to a wide audience, in a manner that is readable, accurate and understandable. Any Definitive guide to MTW modding attempted by this group should be likewise.

Welly

[Lord Of Storms]

Sounds like good advice Wellington,each modder has there strong suit or specialty area of modding MTW and it is best to go with what you know, The ORG community knows DJ for his outstanding unit animations and would be inclined to glean that information from him, and while I applaud your effort in what will no doubt be a labor intensive undertaking,A definitive guide would probably be better served as a community project . LOS

[Duke John]

You're right, thank you for giving me an excuse to quit this laborous task. I was thinking of starting this guide because many questions in the Dungeon can be found in the stickies. But apperantly the long list of guides doesn't work either for "newbies". We are almost at the point where the first page is entirely taken by stickies and I had this idea in mind where a lot of them were merged into this "Definitive guide".
A community guide would indeed be much better. Perhaps we can make an agreement of how the lay-out of such guides could be in. So when each of our experts makes a guide we will get an uniforminly looking "Definitive guide" divided over several posts.
I will make instead a Guide to unit graphics since that aspects holds virtually no secrets to me.

Cheers, Duke John

[Wellington]

Hi DJ/LoS,

This sounds really good A guide by DJ to creating new units will be indispensable for the MTW and VI series.

But before anyone says "but the RTW release will be far more important, and therefore it would be better to create images for the next TW series release (Rome: Total War)" then I should explain that RTW images will be 3D polygons - NOT MTW 2D sprites .

If you understand the implications of this - all well and good.

If you don't understand the implications of this - then it really means that the last "TW series that was fully Modifiable was MTW 1.1 or MTW/VI" .

Anyone who understands the difference between '2D sprites' and '3D polygons' will probably appreciate that all TW series prior to RTW will be moddifiable (ok, with difficulty) whilst RTW with 3D polygon renditions of unit images (from what we currently know) will be nigh on impossible to mod - unless, of course, CA provide sufficient information and keep "open" the appropiate file structures for RTW polygons that allow modders to amend such structures.

Many of you will have no idea what I'm talking about. CA know exactly what I'm talking about.

As this is a modders forum, I invite CA staff to respond to the queries raised above.

I suspect this thread will recieve no answers from CA, simply because CA know that RTW will the end of the TW series modding in many areas ...

... as us modders used to know it

Will anyone prove me wrong (please, no CA responses in the VI vein that considered marketing was far more important than truth&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif. A little honestly, should CA choose to reply

Welly

[Lord Of Storms]

Wellington, DJ, You are correct Wellington are focus should remain on the Modding aspects of MTW v1.1 and VI exclusively, We as a community have a wealth of knowledge pertaining to MTW V1.1 ,and are in the process of deciphering the added benefits and differences VI has to offer, which in my opinion will keep us busy for sometime, So I think it best for us to concentrate on what lies in front of us and what we can change here and now. LOS

[Razor1952]

As a newbie in the modding field, I can only admire the public spirited efforts of the main guys/gals in this forum(everyone who reads this forum knows who they are).

As is said above many of the older links are broken , so newbies find it quite bewildering to get even the simplest info on modding working. I appreciate the above guide by Duke John(btw after point 14 his naming convention I think changes from new/copiedunit to bonnachts/spearchucker etc).

A newbie modders thread stickied with all you senior modders info/help would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully that would help newbies like myself get sucked into modding MTW, and maybe eventually be able to contribute something useful to this forum.

[shand994]

Just so everyone udnerstands. I was not suggesting anyone use violence against anyone else. I was meaning that if you have something to say to someone that doesnt relate to the forum send a PM or take it to a seperate thread. Sorry to anyone who thought i was suggesting people stalk other members down and sneal up behind them and whack them over the head with a baseball bat. That would be TERRIBLY wrong. SORRY

[barocca]

that entire little episode has been moved to it's own thread and closed,
NOW,
lets get this thread back on track,

Duke John has started a definitive guide,

he has outlined chapters and sections that need attention,
Volunteers to write those sections get to work and post them here,
Once we are reasonably confident we have a concise guide in this thread we can re-organise the data,
Should any member feel that any section is deserving of a more in depth discussion, PLEASE post such in depth explanation in its own thread and we can put a link into each section pointing at those more detailed threads,

sounds reasonable??

[Lancer6969]

Come on now, lets keep this post on topic. I would like to read this guide, and I am getting distracted reading all your off topic posts.

[jimmy]

Quote[/b] (Duke John @ Aug. 10 2003,08:14)]Contents:

Foreword

Chapter 1: Campaign
- Editing existing campaign
- Adding a new campaign
- Trading goods

Chapter 2: Buildings
- Editing existing buildings
- Adding new buildings

Chapter 3: Units
- Editing existing units
- Adding new units

Chapter 4: Map editor
- Making new battle maps
- Creating a historical battle
- Making a historical campaign

Chapter 5: Graphics
- Campaign map
- Building graphics
- Unit graphics
- Menu graphics
- Other graphics

Chapter 6: Sounds


Foreword

The coming time I will try to a guide to modding that will contain all the different aspects of modding. It will focus on the MTW 1.1 version to keep things clear. A thread about VI will follow in the future.
I am posting this, but that does not mean that I am the one who found everything out. The modding community is large and each member deserves credit for this guide http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif

Cheers, Duke John
is there a guide and is it okay to print off please.
also were is it located http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif ps this is my first post so go gentle http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Duke John]

I read that you come from a first person shooter community where alot of tutorials were written. This is however not the case here. There are few modders who understand enough of the game. A guide is handy few new modders but once you try some stuff out it's pretty easy.
So no at the moment there are no clearly written guides, there are some little gems divided all over the forum, but it's up to the community to finally collect them all and put them together.

Cheers, Duke John

ps I just had to say, so excuse me, but why did you quote the content?

[jimmy]

I thought there may be a tutorial discusing each item on the thread sorry about that.FPS? no SS is more in a kin with MTW/ its a WW2 rts i am not keen on FPS. FPS to me is doom quake etc. in fact i would say theres not much differance in SS/MTW than in the periods time they are set. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[shand994]

Jimmy

if ya have a look in most of the stickys here in the dungeon youll pick up all you need to know. Theres no need to keep asking the same question in different threads we'll all tell you the same thing

[jimmy]

easily done i seem to be struggling to get my point across.
more my fault i know having used SSF editor i was wondering if MTW was more user friendly when i said about FOC you were able to print off i read at your lesiure maybe someone or group should do a FOC with dors and donts and common problems encountered when modding/map making then start to go into more detail just an idea? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Duke John]

Could someone clear this thread abit?

Thanks, Duke John

[Duke John]

Chapter 1: The campaign
Originally written by: Lord of Storms, Edited by: Duke John

The campaign file is the heart of any campaign. In this file you can add factions, change the starting positions of factions and a whole lot more.

1.1 Making a campaign file
Location: \Campmap\Startpos\CampaignName.txt
Tools: Windows Explorer
First copy an existing Era, (Early.txt, High.txt or Late.txt) and rename it with your campaign name (CampaignName.txt).


1.1.2 Naming the campaign
Location: \Campmap\Startpos\CampaignName.txt
Tools: Text editor
In the following example I have used the Early campaign. Now scroll down the file to this heading:
//========================================
//campaign name: can either be text or a
//label. Set predefined accordingly
//========================================
cn_predefined::true
cn_title::"Early Period Title"
cn_short_title::"Early Period Short Title"

//========================================
//campaign description: can either be text
//or a label. set predefined accordingly
//========================================
cd_predefined::true
cd_line::"Era_Description_EARLY"
cd_predefined::true

//========================================
//hidden: set to true or false
//true means it won't show up on custom battle screens
//========================================
cd_hidden::false[/list]
For our Mod txt file to function we must make some changes. You can either use predefined titles (located in \loc\Eng\)text files to name the mod or edit the titles directly into the campaign file. We do not use predefined titles so first set that variable to false and then name the campaign (make sure to add the quotation marks):cn_predefined::true to cd_predefined::false
cn_title::"Early Period Title" to cn_title::"CampaignNameTitle"
cn_short_title::"Early Period Short Title" to cn_short_title::"CampaignNameShortTitle"[/list]The next lines define the description of your campaign, when you choose your mod from the period select, the description you enter here will show at the bottom of the screen.
Change cd_predefined::true to cd_predefined::false
cd_line::"My_new_Mod" what you enter here will be on the era background descriptions.
cd_predefined:: false (note: this line is for version 1.0 and 1.1 it is not used in 2.0
cd_hidden:: false the header explains that this is used to make your mod txt appear on the custom battle menu or not.
After you have made these changes double check everything then save. Now start MTW and when you reach the period select screen you will see your Mod as one of the choices.
Note: sometimes the Mod title will be at the bottom of the list be sure to scroll through the choices to make sure your title is there. If you followed these steps you should now have a working Mod txt file , from which you will be able to build your Mod. LOS