* How to create a basic Mod Txt file

The Mod txt file or modified era file is the foundation of all mods, this is a very simple how to on creating a basic mod txt file.
I will be using the Early txt file as an example. You may choose any era file to start your mod.
Go to My ComputerC:/Program Files/Total War/Medieval Total War/Campmap/Startpos.
Double click on the Early txt file to open it.
In the top left corner, click on File to open the drop down list of options.Choose Save as and select a new file name.
You can use any name for this file I will use Mod.txt
Enter your txt file name and click on Save.
Now we have a basic Mod txt file to start working in.
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

For our Mod txt file to function we must make some changes.
Change cd_predefined:: true to cd_predefined::false
The cn_title is the mod name and will appear on the period select screen. you may choose any title you wish.
cn_title:: "Mod" (Be sure to use the quotation marks)
cn_short_title::"Mod" {Be sure to use the quotation marks)
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

Few tips for noobs : only change small amounts of script at a time then test what you've changed BEFORE you change more {otherwise you won't know what you messed up when , not if , you screw some thing up ... note : you WILL screw up ; Bill Gates designed this infernal contraption to frustrate normal people http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/tongue.gif} .

Not only make a folder in "MY DOCUMENTS" for said back-ups , but then make a different one for each part of a project there in so you can keep track and won't accidently replace a Review_panal bif with an Information_Parchment bif or some such .

Back-up whatever you are about to mod BEFORE each bit of tinkering then save and start the game to TEST IT before you change more . You will be glad if you for example save the missile text as the unit_prod because you were too tired {possible using Gnomes'Editor ... excellent program btw} and when you screw something up you will only have to check a small section of what your working on because you only changed a bit since the last time you tested .

If you do srew up in a big way and need a new unit_prod.txt or whatever , remember you can just open up "my computer" and right click the drive with your Viking Invasion" disk in it and click "explore" then "set up" then "data" and you have the "campmap" , "textures" "loc" etc files and can copy new files from there {and boy am I glad for that http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif}

You need to be quite "anal" when you mod {to do so successfully} , especially if you're dyslexic and inpulsive like me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

You bring up some excellent points MF , regardless of how tedious it may seem the best approach is a cautious one, make your changes one at a time and check to make sure your change had the desired effect and causes no errors, if you make a series of changes and get errors you will not be sure of which change is causing the error and you will be forced to start over, I have gotten in the habit of making a zip(as a back up of sorts) of my files after I complete all the changes I want to make and assure they are functioning properly, then when I make more changes for some reason if something does not work I have the original working file at my disposal.

Thank you. Please continue the Lessons. Slowww and step by step. Wonderful thread idea that needs to be stickied if it continues to develop.

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif

Sure thing TS ,The next bits will detail the info in the startpos file then walk through adding a simple faction by overwriting existing ones. LOS

Brain hurting.

TP

Despite the usefulness of the modding tips CA included in the expansion {greatly appreciated CA http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif} , new modders should realise that the programmers seem to have been pressured to rush by the bean-counters who finance them . Mistakes are to be found such as : the year in hero entries in DEFAULT_HEROES.TXT in C:\Program Files\Total War\Medieval - Total War\campmap\names are NOT for date of availability {as the description states} but rather date of birth just like with princesses and other agents in CRUSADERS_UNIT_PROD11.TXT {thus Albrecht der Bar doesn't appear in 1100 but rather 16 years later} .

When something seems wrong even though you have done everything right then start thinking laterally .

Short story : created another new unit , and found game wouldn't load . No error log , no apparant reason . Checked EVERYthing 10 times , made copy of everything in the Medieval total war file then uninstalled then clean reinstall , and it worked ; then I put my mods back in and again no workie :/
Sacrificed every dammed christian slave I had before I was FINALLY able to spot the frikkin probelem : one little biddy exclaimation mark {--->"} was missing in the actual description for the unit in the description.txt .
ONE GODDAMMED CHARACTER cost I can't recall how long and every christian slave I had http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif
Now I gotta go aviking AGAIN


Moral of the story : When things go fubar , look for the little biddy shit ; it's often just one tiny character or a tab that is to blame .

Curse Bill Gates , and all halflings

is it not strnage that we suffer so much fear and doubt over such a small thing, such a very small thing....


yes, how well i know that feeling, my own imperial mod sufferes from that syndrone quite a bit. things are going well, so my gaps between tests get longer and longer, and then something goes wrong, BOOM i've played my mod. it works, i'm now trying to just unit stats to readdress some major balancing issues my game has. however its currently in a state of no play, and i'm not sure exactly where the problem is, still give me 2400 hours of work, and you guys may even be able to play the might of the Jalan Empire

Thanks - a big help. I had modded unit build and the building file before, but last night I tried to mod early.txt and nothing happened, so I figured I did something wrong - it looks like I did. (I did not know about changing that 'false' to 'true'...)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (TenkiPanda @ Sep. 01 2003,16:50)]Brain hurting.

TP

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I'm Confused http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/dizzy.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/confused.gif

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (NewJeffCT @ Oct. 23 2003,09:32)]Thanks - a big help. I had modded unit build and the building file before, but last night I tried to mod early.txt and nothing happened, so I figured I did something wrong - it looks like I did. (I did not know about changing that 'false' to 'true'...)

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So did you get your mod txt file to work? did the info help you at all? if you are having any more problem please post them here thank you...LOS

I was able to get the mod to work a few times, but it either did not load (the red bar stops halfway) or did not show up when I created the mod.

What I tried to do to test it was mess around with starting castle sizes (upgrading a keep (castle4?) to a castle (castle7 or castle8?)and then adding a port to a province. And, I modded a few starting unit sizes (the standard 100 nubian spearmen unit in Antioch instead of 60) That seemed to work okay.

However, if I tried anything more than that, it did not seem to work - red bar stops halfway or when I loaded the game, my JeffMod was not among the choices between early, high & late as it was before.

Some other things I tried after my initial success was to give Syria "iron" for their Damascus steel... give a few factions shipyards and ships to start. And, I also tried to put buildings in provinces with no buildings (like Granada)...

I probably should have tried to do those things one or two at a time, instead of moving on from my initial success and then trying to add 10 things.

Yes it is tedious, but only make 1 or 2 changes then start the game and check to make sure all is well, and dont be fooled if your mod doesnt always show up in the same place on the period select list always make sure to scroll the entire list before assuming it is not there...LOS

Yes, I realize that I should scroll down, but this was just revising my first mod, so my only choices should have been "Early" "High" "Late" and "JeffMod" - which is normally listed alphabetically before Late. So, it had just not shown up.

Hey whens LOC coming out?

this topic has been moved to Repository,
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Cheers,
B.

Topic unpinned
This topic has been merged with the Guide: Chapter 2: Campaign

Duke John