Q: How do we mod RTW

[Myrddraal]

Does anyone know anything yet. Questions I would most want answers for:

How will we mod the campaign map (textures/shape)?
What format is used for the 3D models in battle?
Will we be able to mod existing / make new models (i.e. buildings/trees) for the battlefield?
How will unit stats work? Will they be similar to MTW?
How will modding cities in battle work? (For example is there are certain place where say, a temple appears on the map etc)
Will we be able to mod weather?
How 'moddable' will ships be?

Any answers?
Any more questions?

[Duke John]

First of all we need a tool to unpack the .PAK files. Without there is nothing to do and in that sense we are the mercy of the marketers of CA.

Hopefully the program can use files made by common 3D modelling programs like 3D studio for unitmodels. Or perhaps we need a tool to convert, again at the mercy of CA.

The campaign map is 3D and thus probably also needs a tool since you need to have x,y,z coordinates + the texture applied over it.

A CA represantive said here that for modding questions we needed to wait.... and that means? Wait for tools to be made available on the website? Wait for the release of the full game since they are included? Wait for an expansion? They say it's more moddable than M:TW, but at the moment nothing points in that direction.

[Myrddraal]

Any CA people lurking about?? I need to be reasured here...

[Marshal Murat]

I read that RTW is going to be VERY moddable.
A full texture unit editor/creator
The custom battle as well.

[hoggy]

The problem will be that 'very moddable' might mean that there is a unit editor where existing unit's textures can be adjusted and possibly some vertex manipulation. Unfortunately this is no good if we want to do a Japan mod or a Middle Earth mod where unit models need creating from scratch. A model exporter for various software packages is the only solution to this. Looking forward to seeing what comes out.

[themonkey]

Ye all we can do is wait and/or bug CA

[Myrddraal]

From the Coloseum:
2. Can you give some example of how moddable RTW will be? Will there be modding tools released?

Rome is much more moddable than Medieval or Shogun. Much of the engine is set up from text files, which we’ve purposefully left unencrypted to allow the mod community to really go to town with them, and the formats are mostly explained in comments at the top of these files. This allows you to do things as diverse as reskinning the unit models, changing the way dust behaves, altering the unit statistics, or changing the colours of the skydome or the weather effects. We’ll also release a historical battle editor in the near future, which allows editing of the terrain and the battle setup, which should allow the mod community can create its own historical battles. We’re also keen to have feedback from the mod community – with a view to helping out where we can in any future patches, etc.

This makes me dubious about making new units. It seems to me they're saying we'll only be able to edit textures....

[Lysander]

Hey guys, I just got RTW and it seems like everything is in .dat or .pak files, just like the demo. The only thing I could open are the text files. I don't understand how it could be asserted that this game is as moddable as Medieval or Shogun. (How can you "reskin" something when you can't open the file that has the skin?) I feel very disappointed right now.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

They will probably release somekind of tool pack soon....hopefully

[maestro]

Don't you think we should perhaps play the original game before worrying about how moddable it is?

[Duke John]

No. I for one, don't care so much for the timeperiod so I've preordered the game mainly because they said it was very moddable. Seeing that graphics and such are still in the PAK files and that we are unable to unpack them is not so nice of CA (or more probably some managers, since I'm sure that the programmers would most likely like to have included the unpacker).

Since modding tools are not part of the R:TW engine, it will hopefully mean that CA doesn't need to wait for ActiVision to release them otherwise it might go the same way as with the VI patch

[Silver Rusher]

Oh, the graphics are gone. How do we mod the graphics? Search me if you want, but you won't find it. In the demo there was an 'animation' folder which I was sure contained the graphics, but, well, if they are in the .paks and the animations folder is obselite and I am completely wrong, then fine, go ahead, throw your apples.

And what about modding the campaign map? I hope that isn't a complete doom for us either.

[Duke John]

Originally Posted by JeromeGrasdyke
The file you're looking for is called export_descr_unit.txt ... the format is explained at the top, although it does assume some understanding of the basic mechanics of the underlying system. The descr_*** and export_descr_*** text files are loading scripts which control almost all parts of the game engine from the tech trees to the models and animations - the main difference between the two sets is that the export_descr_*** files are automatically generated from spreadsheets or tools. These all live in the main data directory.

There will eventually be a modding guide which will explain them in more detail and provide some general rules on writing mods, although that probably won't be finished until most of the team has come back from holidays.

It seems that CA has got some goodies up their sleeve This is starting to look alot better!

[Steppe Merc]

Hmm... I searched around those, and still can't understand a thing. Oh well, back to trying to figure it out.
I found some CAS (?) files in a folder called modesl_units, with each of the unit's in there.
Any idea what the heck a CAS is?

[Reddog]

Hey guys ive been reading your posts and thought you guys might be interested in some these tools i found on net http://www.snarkpit.com/editing.php?...type=utilities