Editing explosions for specific units/projectiles

**orgo.love** · 03-09-2008, 06:10

Hi there. I am having another idea. To make my mod "unique," I'm trying to find out if it will be possible for a specific type of projectile to achieve the effect of a "blue flame."

Basically, it would follow all the same physics and textures, except everything will be blue. Meaning, it would shoot blue, explode blue, and cast blue fires on siege weapons and buildings.

I got this idea after recognizing that RTW operates by having 3d models of something, then getting textures for it separately (right?)...

Is this even possible? I've been looking around the data folder, seeing if I can create a different fiery_boulder_explosion in the effect list... of course I could, but I just cannot find where they reference the:
data/models_effects/textures/#fireball_*.tga.dds

I can edit this right now, and I could probably get a blue fire effect going for ALL fires. However, that's not my objective.. I want fire to be normal red for all units except when a certain type of projectile is hit, which will incur a different type of projectile and produce a blue instead of a red flame.

Here's what I'm talking about:
(this was done by changing every single texture with the word "flame" into a blue shade)

Thing is, I'd love this if I could specify which projectile would take on which texture from the data\model_effects\textures and reference which type of explosion, which could in turn reference which type of "burning effect" (the blue burning you see above" the game can apply for that specific type of projectile in data\textures ....

:( Any help? please?

**Makanyane** · 03-09-2008, 08:51

Some of the tga.dds's aren't called by a text file they are called because they are the default tga the .cas model automatically tries to find. (according to the texture name the model was using when it was saved in 3dsmax I think)

I think the files that say which .cas is used are the ones in the descr_arrow_trail_effects text files, not exactly sure which bit.

You first of all need to work out how to duplicate the set up for the projectile so you can have a second version of it, then point it to a .cas file which will automatically look for the texture you want it to use.
If you have 3dsmax and can make a new .cas referring to a new texture you can do it that way.

If you don't have the software to make a new .cas file you can't change the name of the texture the model is trying to use, but you can change the path in the text file to look for a copy of the existing .cas file but in a different folder.......

The model always tries to look in the /textures folder which is in the same folder as it. So you need the old version of the cas and textures left where they are for your normal projectile. Then have new projectile looking for a copy of the cas in another folder, and that folder should have a /textures folder with the new coloured textures in, using same name as old textures, eg

data/models_effects2/<copy of old cas>.cas

data/models_effects2/textures/<new blue textures with same name as old default textures>tga.dds

**orgo.love** · 03-09-2008, 19:56

Wow! Thank you so much.

I will try to do it. and If I succeed, I will show a dramatic showdown between a fire mage and an Ice mage >:D

**orgo.love** · 03-09-2008, 20:44

LOL.

What's with the unused text files saying the same thing?

There's a total of FOUR different files that each say the same thing...
descr_arrow_trail_effects.txt
descr_arrow_trail_effects_new.txt
descr_arrow_trail_effects_final.txt
descr_effects_arrow_trail.txt

Ugh. I think the last one is the correct one. I've been editing the descr_arrow_trail_effects_new.txt all along... with no effects.

Is there a list where I can know which text files are being parsed by the game?

**orgo.love** · 03-09-2008, 21:02

Ok. I figured out how to make one type of projectile with a different sprite compared to other projectiles. However, I can't get the projectile to have a different "burning" animation compared to other "burning"...

Is there a way to make a different "fiery" effect that will reference a different texture when it is invoked? something like "blue_fiery" instead of "fiery" in the descr_projectile_new file...