RTW demo out! Moders Unite!

[komninos]

Hi all,

Apparently RTW demo is out. They have it in file planet but demands membership to download. If any of you manages to down load can you post the production files so we can start checking them and building the tools needed for RTW moding. Bringing RTW to shape as is will take some time.

[Ldvs]

You can register for free, the basic account. I'm currently in the queue

[tombom]

I'm not going to bother downloading the demo, especially on a 56k connection. I'll just wait for the real game to start modding it.

[VikingHorde]

Hi all,

Apparently RTW demo is out. They have it in file planet but demands membership to download. If any of you manages to down load can you post the production files so we can start checking them and building the tools needed for RTW moding. Bringing RTW to shape as is will take some time.

I have just downloded it and will give it a try later. It will be fun to see how modable this game is. I got the demo from file planet with a free membership, but tosa's link is allso good. Is there anyone thinking of making a MTW mod? becouse I would like to join a project like that!

[AlexPeters]

I think we won't get that far if we don't get a program that could compress/decompress the pak files correctly. I tried a lot of them (most of them made for other games) but i think CA has used their own variant of the pak format.
Well, some infos can be figured out with a hex editor (e.g. tiny hexer, freeware, german and english), i listed most of my infos here:
Rome Demo excerpts

Alex

[komninos]

I got the dome last night. It is great, now said that I realy would like to blast the head of how ever thought of the Carthegian Secret Band ...

One thing I like in the RTW is that we can turne it in a bronze age mod fast since many armies use the Bronze Age stiles.

I mamanged to cut out a file but I could not make the game use it
Though these are battle files they look easy to understand and modify. Lets see...

[alogic]

Kominos... there are already a number of mods out.. and there's plenty of RTW mod discussion going on in the collesium... check it out..

HAPPY MODDING..................... Alogic

[Vincenzo Morello]

http://www.totalwarcenter.com/downlo...mods&cat_id=10

This is a link to the mods for the rome demo and the demo itself

[komninos]

Hi,

I am not from unother planet ... I know mods are out BUT all of them are done using a hex editor for the pak files. I have used a hex editor in the early 90s when I was moding AoE and trust me you can't make anything good with a Hex editor since the try is not worth it.

We must find a way to extract the files and make them usable to the game with out reincerting them. I made a request to the .com forums for a pack/unpack or guidlines to where to put the files ... I was slamed and the thread was locked thanks to the people there like if I was some new guy looking for truble :

Any way I will keep on looking.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Yep its pretty tough. Though this VEDIT editor that Sinner mentioned is pretty good. I've done kind of the same stuff that everyone else is doing though nothing earth-shattering as of yet.

[AlexPeters]

./. We must find a way to extract the files and make them usable to the game with out reincerting them. ./.

Are you sure you want them to be usable without reinserting them ? I don't think that'll work.
As far as I know:
A pak file is an archive (some are encrypted and/or compressed), many different files/directories put together in a single file (you can see a rough directory structure if you use a hex editor). The game reads the needed parts (extracts them to a temp directory or something like that). The CA guy who answered in BKB's modding thread in the colosseum talked about a pak parser.
I my opinion we'll need to extract all files of the pak archives, mod them and put them in a pak file again.

Alex

BTW: Which program uses *.cas files ?

[komninos]

Hi AlexPeters,

Well it depends in the implementation done in an old game the I used to mod back in 92 - 95 they had all the files packed in files but fit the files were extracted the game used the extracted files.

I realy don't care much how they 've done it as long as they give us the means to extract and repack them or what ever it will make the usable.

BTW has anyone seen a file similar to the production files used in MTW?

[Azmogeddon]

Apologies if TWC links aren't allowed here either, but assuming they are:

http://www.totalwarcenter.com/forum...?showtopic=7123

This mod allows editing of the battle file in notepad, without re-inserting into the pak. Ask and ye shall recieve!

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Yep. Now I have Carthage and the Gauls against the Senate and Julii factions!

[komninos]

Due to some error messages last night I have seen a strange directory structure ... this might be it but I will check the mod you refer to.

[sunsmountain]

I hope a good team of modders gets down to Rome:TW to make a good Medieval or Shogun mod, or even a LOTR mod. If any of you know a good and - primarily - serious thread on this topic, let me know. I'm interested in joining & helping.

[Steppe Merc]

Where the heck is the Europa Barborum crew? They had all the plans for the mod, and now they disapeared... I think they all died in shock of all the horrid things in RTW.

[Old Nick]

Did any of you already manage to make the hvy roman cav (legionary cav) available for a playable faction ?

And another question:Is that pak-file stuff really what we have to expect from rome or could it be different from the demo, a bit mor accessable perhaps ?(I don't remember, but what was it like with teh MTW/STW demos ?)

[Teutonic Knight]

Where the heck is the Europa Barborum crew? They had all the plans for the mod, and now they disapeared... I think they all died in shock of all the horrid things in RTW.

I believe our goal has shifted and we're now aiming for a EB mod of RTW on release because the research didn't go quite as speedily as expected.

[Steppe Merc]

That's what I meant TK. I figured you were going to help out with the mod and stuff, since things took to long. What I meant is where's Phscyo, Amyar, etc.?

[Myrddraal]

I haven't downloaded the demo cause of my internet connection, but once the game is out I would love to help anyone planning to make a MTW mod of RTW