Modding help needed please.

[King Azzole]

I had to post this here since it wouldnt let me post in the other forums due to some wierd rule... Ok anyway I tried to make a new unit. I did everything just like the guide said in the modding forum. The only problem is i get an error message upon loading the game. I would post a picture I took but I cant upload a pic in these forums due to restrictions as well.

The error message reads as follows:

COLUMN_unit_cost

Too few values found in element data: column 3, data row 184

500

I am figuring this has to do with the amount of money I set to train the unit. I tried adjusting this several times to no avail. No matter what number I enter it gives me the same error message. Please assist me in this problem. I am ambitious and would like to make a major mod to release to the community. Thanks.

[Dhepee]

It sounds like you have a tab or spacing problem.
You have set the value as 500 one value. The program is seeing two values, meaning that somehow there is another entry in that column. From all that I have heard about the way that MTW reads information, an extra space, although empty, could appear as though it were an extra value. It is easier to find if you are using gnome editor. What I do to prevent spacing errors is go to the appropriate column in the gnome editor, highlight everything that I can by starting at the first space on the left, EDIT: Left clicking and dragging all the way over. Once you have the highlighted area type in your value and don't type anything else. That should give you only the info entered and no extra spaces. Gnome editor is in the downloads and makes modding units much much easier if you don't already have it.

[Gregoshi]

Hello King Azzole. Thanks for joining the weirdness that is these forums.

I'm not a modder, so I can't really help with your problem. However, are you using Notepad (or some other word processor) to edit your files or some tool like the Gnome editor? It sounds like you may have dropped a comma (or whatever the record delimiter is for that file) from the line you were editing. From what I understand the Gnome editor can prevent such things from happening.

You best course of action would be to wait for a real modder to answer your question.

In the meantime we can patiently wait for mod to be completed.

Edit: Doh Dhepee beat me to it. Hmmm, I may have been right for a change...

[King Azzole]

Thank you for responding so quickly. I am using the gnome editor however your suggestion didnt work I made sure that only the number 500 was inserted in the correct column of the editor and it still displays the same error message. Any other suggestions ? Its kinda heartbreaking when the first unit you ever made doesnt even allow you to start the friggin game ehehehe. Thanks

[Dhepee]

I was about to be a bit miffed there Gregoshi...to think that i thought you said I wasn't a real modder. Actually I'm not a real modder, because I just tweak the game from time to time and don't add as much as the folks over in the Dungeon.

I did make one little mistake in my post. If you go back to it and see EDIT I changed right click to left click and drag. I reversed the buttons on my mouse because I am left-handed and I always forget that when I am giving advice.

[exuperyp]

King-ee, I had the same prob. more than a week ago and I got the same dopey response dl the gnome editor. It is true it is a TAB issue. But the gnome editor IS NOT flawless. The last column should be made into more than one because 3 questions are be answered in ONE column. So go to the last column of the gnome editor and check that out. The Tabbing is probably off in the LASt column. Just copy and paste another well tabbed column. To correct the tabbing issue. I guess they just dumped those 3 things into a single column because they are not of real interest in terms of modding.

Anyways, hope that help ExuperyP--Peace...

[Dhepee]

Quote[/b] (King Azzole @ Oct. 02 2003,12:48)]Thank you for responding so quickly. I am using the gnome editor however your suggestion didnt work I made sure that only the number 500 was inserted in the correct column of the editor and it still displays the same error message. Any other suggestions ? Its kinda heartbreaking when the first unit you ever made doesnt even allow you to start the friggin game ehehehe. Thanks

First of all, don't be disheartened. Everybody's first few mods are huge pain in the arse. I thought that it would be easier to debug windows XP than to get my first mod unit to work.

Okay, this is what I would suggest. I'm going to be very step-by-step basic, but I am not sure what the problem is so I am going to cover all the bases that I can think of. I hope this works for you.

Let's say that you are making a mod called super-spearmen.

1) Write down what you want to change and how you want to change it, i.e. defense rating of 10 (that would be super), then erase everything that you have done in that line in gnome-editor. All traces of super-spearmen must disappear, save, close, and re-open (just because I'm anal, but being anal helps when you mod)

2) What you want to do is find the unit most like your mod, in terms of weapon, role in the game, etc. So you would pick the regular old spearmen unit.

3) Make a line entry called Super-spearmen.

4) Copy all of the data from the spearmen line to the super-spearmen line, except for the name spearmen of course, since these are super-spearmen. At this point you essentially have two of the same unit, just with different names.

5) Say you want to mod to the super-spearmen's attack, defense, cost, and faction availability. (What you mod is what differentiates the mod from the original that you used as a template. In the appropriate columns- making sure that you do not add a space, punctuation mark, etc- enter the new values.

6) Before you do step five, look at what you want to mod, and then look around at a bunch of other units, look at the values for the entries that you want to change, and look for relationships between them. Are you giving a muslim unit to a catholic faction or is it possible to enter 0 as a value. There is such a wide variety of units and values that you should get a pretty good idea of what is and isn't feasible as an entry. That doesn't mean don't try new stuff but keep in mind the effects on game balance (if you have a unit with attack 100 and cost 40 florins the game will be off balance) and also

7) Make changes one at a time. This is very important if you are new to modding. Once you make a single change to a single value, i.e. attack, try loading the game. As you mod more you will get a feel for what will happen and you won't have to stop and load quite so often, but until you get that feel you will spend more time looking for one single little error if you load after 10 changes than if you load after every change.

8) At this point you just have to link the mod to a unit image, and make some registry changes. I have to go back to work so I can't go back and find the appropriate changes, but they are stickied in the dungeon somewhere.

[King Azzole]

I dont think its a spacing issue since I opened the UNIT PROD file myself with out the gnome and its all spaced properly where the error message is occuring... I dont understand fully what you mean by tabbing the last column but it appears everything is in working order. The only thing I can think of is the problem lies in that im basically ripping off from the hospitallar foot knights. Perhaps since they can be mounted also this causes a problem? I dont think so since I changed all the values that might effect that. Im basically trying to make a Frankish Knight unit. I used the hospitallar foot knight bif and just took the cross off the shield and added a french corn flag thingy using the bif editor. I followed everything to the T as shown in how to make a new unit thread in this or the total war forum.

[Dhepee]

If it's not a spacing problem in the last column then I would go back and rebuild the entire line. I've had mystery problems like that before and that is the only solution that I have come across. But then again I'm not a real modder.

[King Azzole]

ok sounds good thanks alot for all the help. Ill try that out tomorrow when I have some time. I appreciate everyones help

[Gregoshi]

Sorry about that real modder comment Dhepee. When I started composing my reply, you hadn't yet posted your response. I'd classify you as a real modder as you've actually done something to mod the game. Me, I just parrot what I've read in the forums. Can I have a cracker now? I wouldn't know the Gnome Editor from Nome, Alaska.

Anyway, thanks for all the help.

[Dhepee]

Quote[/b] (Gregoshi @ Oct. 03 2003,10:35)]Sorry about that real modder comment Dhepee. When I started composing my reply, you hadn't yet posted your response.

Sorry, didn't mean for you to feel bad about it Gregoshi, I was just razzing you a little bit.

[Gregoshi]

I figured you were giving me a hard time, but I wanted to be sure you knew I didn't intend to slight you.

[Dhepee]

That's cool Thanks

[Dhepee]

Quote[/b] (King Azzole @ Oct. 02 2003,16:26)]ok sounds good thanks alot for all the help. Ill try that out tomorrow when I have some time. I appreciate everyones help

Did you ever get it to work