Linking new buildings with their cards

[rorarii]

Ok, I've created a new building and UI cards for it but I cannot see how I link the building with UI cards. I seem to get a generic default one, roman i think.

I've created the building in BI\DATA\EXPORT\DESC\BUILDINGS.TXT and BI\DATA\EXPORT\DESC\BUILDINGS_ENUMS.TXT and put the new cards in BI\DATA\UI\HUNS\BUILDINGS and ..\CONSTRUCTION

I've also edited the DATA\DESC_UI_BUILDINGS.TXT but that file is abit vague? I don't understand what's going on. I've noticed that - temple_of_battle_shrine shrine refers to a temple building but where is shine defined?

any help appreciated.


R

[Makanyane]

There isn't a file that links specific buildings with the UI cards, and I don't think you should be trying to alter data/descr_ui_buildings for this.

Tga's need to be named to what game looks for by default - if you were adding temple_of battle to the hun culture I think it would be #hun_temple_of_battle_shrine.tga etc - what did you try?

Sorry I'm not sure what you meant by where is shrine defined, if you haven't solved it could you clarify question?

[Dol Guldur]

Yep, just call the card the same name as the building level name - follow the same convention as the vanilla files (with the hash and culture as prefixes, and with the _constructed element added to the file name to distinguish it from the icon image in the same folder. The construction folder should contain a slightly smaller version of the constructed image and bearing the same name as the icon in the parent folder.

This latter file (dimensioned at 64X51 as contrasted with its 78*62 counterpart) is used in the building browser and in the options for construction display.

The icon file is used to populate the (selected) construction queue, the round build-progression window and the lower pane; this image is alphared so that it looks better in the lower pane.

The DUB file, when it lists "shrine" after the building level you cite, means that the game will look for the [culture]_shrine.tga image for this building and any other it is assigned to. You can see that temples, which use the same images at different levels per culture, are therefore listed here. There is no need to change this unless you are doing some serious EDB work such as trying to activate higher levels of vanilla trees for carthaginian culture, etc.

Failure to correctly name the TGAs will default to the generic images (usually).

p.s. the ENUMS file is obsolete and can be ignored.

[Makanyane]

Wandering slightly off topic but since you mentioned it:

Originally posted by Dol Guldur
p.s. the ENUMS file is obsolete and can be ignored.

I thought export_descr_ buildings_enums.txt was obsolete, i.e. it doesn't seem to cause crash if you ignore updating it. But I just did something that needed culture specific and faction specific descriptions in bi/data/text/export_buildings.txt and found that the faction specific descriptions kept cropping up instead of culture ones if I didn't update it. So possibly it needs updating but perhaps only if you add new descriptions to bi/data/text/export_buildings.txt

Or then again perhaps I'm just lost and confused again!!!!!!:embarassed:

Ahh and anyway, rorarii, didn't you also need to add description for new building??

[Dol Guldur]

Makanyane - I've never touched the enum file and have had no problems with faction-specific building descriptions.

I'm not sure what you mean by needing culture and faction-specific building descriptions - I assume you do not mean for the same building level?

I seem to remember that the order of the parent culture or faction-specific description of that parent culture is of importance - though that was a long time ago.

What are you trying to achieve?

[rorarii]

Thanks all, I've tried what you said Dol but it still doesn't work.

I have sneeky suspicion that the whole mod I'm amending (TTW) does not use the correct path, as all the nice HUN cards and pictures that someone has spent alot of time creating, are not actually the ones shown in the game! I think there's a directory / path problem and I remember that BI has this issue .. but I cannot remember the fix.


R

[Dol Guldur]

The only path determinants are the culture and DUB settings - all else depends on the code name.

[Makanyane]

rorarii, check that the folder name and the prefix after the # for the .tga's is hun and not huns - as it has to be the culture and not the faction name. Also as its a mod check in descr_sm_factions that the huns are still using the hun culture - it could be that culture got changed and tgas are in wrong folder.

Dol Guldur, I did mean I was using both culture and faction specific descriptions for the same building level. Export_buildings.txt descriptions seems to work so that you can have multiple entries for the same thing and it uses the last entry - if I didn't put the faction specific 'desc' lines in enums it was pulling a later faction specific one instead of its cultural one, ie. franks instead of barbarian etc. Its now working so you get the cultural description for buildings already built at the start and faction specific ones for the building queue / new builds - which is what I was after. Altering the order might have worked as well but as its working at the moment I'll leave it alone!!

[Dol Guldur]

Interesting Makanyane!

I suppose this would be useful if you wanted to give the appearance that another culture (or subculture) to the initial occupier had built the initial buildings present at game start for a faction?

I've not personally needed to attempt to create such an illusion for my modding needs, but it sounds good :)

I should really write up a bit about EB entries and their order etc. in the Complete EDB Guide but it would involve a bit of extra research and time I just don't have right now.

[rorarii]

THanks Dol and Makanyane , but I've worked it out - In TroyTotalWar, the hittites are actually the BI Huns BUT their cards are in a new EASTERN folder .. anyway enough of that.

See my new post on neighbouring regions influence on religions. I'm developing a Class System for BI mods (replacing religions), hopefully it will work and be interesting and relevent at the sametime.


R