How to change merc's so that they adopt your factions color??

[Inuyasha12]

Ok, anyone have any idea how to mod this? Or at least what files i have to edit. Please!?

[tombom]

You'd have to do a different texture for each faction for each merc. If you don't know how to do that, you're stuffed. Sadly.

[Plantagenet]

You have to modify the textures themselves and then create new unit cards so they appear correctly in info/review panels.

I'm about to try it myself (convert Greek Hoplites to Macedonian faction); from what I understand, you need 3D Studio Max with the .CAS plugin to edit the models/textures, and you have to unpack the unit card files from the pak folder to edit them. I don't expect it to be overly difficult since all I'm doing is changing colors...assuming it works, I'll be back with a step-by-step...

[Duke John]

At the moment I think it's impossible. But I would like to see it working, so when I have time I will certainly test some possibilities.

[Ypoknons]

Actually I think the textures are in one of the pak files, already ready in dds format for editing.

[Duke John]

Editing textures is not the problem. The problem is assigning different textures to mercenaries. They are green for a reason; it's the common colour for all mercenaries. Probably done by CA to make the stand out from the regular troops. Mercenaries don't swear allegiance to a particular faction so it is in a sense logical to give them no faction colour.

[Ypoknons]

Sorry I meant that to Plantagenet's comment... Good point about the common color thing though. I've always thought that adding an entry in the descr_model_battle.txt would work... I suppose it doesn't?

[Plantagenet]

Sorry I meant that to Plantagenet's comment... Good point about the common color thing though. I've always thought that adding an entry in the descr_model_battle.txt would work... I suppose it doesn't?

Just ignore Plantagenet's comment.

You were right, they were in the pak files...and I've been looking through all the .dds and .cas files with Photoshop & 3DS Max, and I have no friggin' idea what I'm doing.

When somebody else posts a step-by-step, maybe I'll try again.

[Plantagenet]

Ok, the textures I wanted to create already exist in the pak files (Greek Hoplites & Armored Hoplites with Macedonian colors).

So how do I make RTW use them instead of the Greek colors? I've already edited the appropriate text files to allow Macedonia to recruit them.

[fenir]

Plantagenet, I think you have to reskin them.

EG: you need 3ds max and the a pak script plugin. I could be wrong though, but am quite certian you will.
As all the units are 3d visual, so they are created using 3ds max which i heard, (I have only heard this somewhere). That this is the program you need to change units. eg: reskin them.
Also read that the game allows 300 units or something to that effect.

fenir

[Duke John]

Reskinning only requires PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro. Read my guide in the Guide forum. Making a different model does require 3ds Max, but I believe that is not what Plantagenet is meaning.

[JeromeGrasdyke]

Just to save you all further trouble, this is not possible. Any units recruited through the mercenary mechanism are marked internally by the engine as mercs, and use the default mercenary texture only - the faction type is ignored in their case, which means that adding the correct textures to the model is a bit pointless.

You can of course make them recruitable through the tech tree like any other units, which will allow you to bypass the merc tagging by recruiting them from a settlement.

[fenir]

Thank you Duke john, I was just coming back to repost i had "found" the reskining post


Jerome, can we add new units, by reskinning and adding all the bits.
And is it true that we can add up to a total of 300?

thank you both

fenir

[Plantagenet]

Reskinning only requires PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro. Read my guide in the Guide forum. Making a different model does require 3ds Max, but I believe that is not what Plantagenet is meaning.

Thanks!

EDIT: I just read the guide. Its exactly what I wanted to do, especially since the skins already exist. So all I need to do now is point RTW in their direction. Thanks alot man.

[Plantagenet]

Hey thanks alot guys! I've now got Macedonian skins for all the Greek Cities units, plus unit cards and info panels.

One more question though; what about the sprites? Do I need to copy the Greek ones and rename them for Macedonian faction?