Modding extras by CA (unsupported)

**Vercingetorix** · 06-01-2005, 20:28

Notepad

**Lord Adherbal** · 06-13-2005, 21:32

has anyone actualy managed to get this to work ? deleting the paks and dats in data\animations so that the descr_skeleton.txt file is used ?

I just gave it a try (deleted the files, placed the extracted animation files into the animation folder, along with the evt files). But when I launch the game it crashes back to desktop on loading (no error message). After some experimenting I noticed it crashes after reading the first animation entry from descr_skeleton.txt. If the animation file doesn't exist I get an error message, if it does exist I dont get any. I then added a second entry with an animation file that didn't exist but got no error message. So it seems it crashes right after loading in the first animation file.

Could there be a problem with Vercingetorix's extractor so that it creates (slightly) corrupted cas files ? I noticed that some units did weird things ingame after changing animation speeds with Vercingetorix's tool (especially horses). So my best - and only - guess is that there is a problem with the cas animation files.

**SigniferOne** · 06-13-2005, 22:55

Nope it seems there's a big part within the packs, which is never stored in the text files. So if we delete the packs, that part becomes missing and the game crashes. I think it might be an oversight on CA's part, one which they will hopefully fix in the expansion and let the game parse this descr_ file just as it parses many of the others without so much as a hitch.

**Lord Adherbal** · 06-14-2005, 16:37

hm not sure. The descr_engine_skeleton.txt file has exactly the same format as descr_skeleton.txt. And those files are NOT located in the pak files, but seperate files (including evt ones). If it works for those then why wouldn't it work for the unit animations ?

EDIT: if I use a siege engine cas animation file (the ones that are not located in the packs) for the first entry descr_skeleton.txt, and an inexisting file for the second entry, I get an error message ("file does not exist"). That means it accepts the first animation file. So I'm still guessing there is a problem with the extracted cas files.

**JeromeGrasdyke** · 07-07-2005, 12:29

Ok, perhaps someone could assist me with an experiment... as some of you may remember from a while back, the attempt to get the game to load in the animations database from text file direct proved a little problematical. Recently a bunch of questions we were answering for the forums jogged my memory into an alternative approach to the problem.

The idea was to extern the ability to build the anim db files instead of running direct from the text files - these can be generated by the main exe in dev mode from the data you already have (in the zip file above) and do more or less the same thing as reading direct from the text file, except that this also does some essential post-processing before spitting out the various packed data files. But when I checked the code, I was surprised to find that this was already available in the release build.

I don't have a machine to hand with a retail build on it atm, so could someone test for me wether putting -util:animdb on the command line correctly rebuilds the animation packs for you... you will need the pack with the .evt files for this.

**Bwian** · 07-07-2005, 13:19

will give this a try as soon as I am able...hopefully tonight!

**Duke John** · 07-07-2005, 13:25

Is there any chance we could get an list of what the engine is capable of "compling/converting"? It took me a few weeks to find out that vegetation can be edited/added by removing some files and starting the game. The same counts for battlefield buildings.

Perhaps we will be able to discover everything, but seeing that PC Gamer has already placed quite a few reviews of R:TW mods I think that both CA and us can profit if we are given more insight of how the game works. I noticed with Middle Earth: Total War that people bought M:TW and VI just to play the mod and I start to notice the same with N:TW2 and Sengoku Jidai and I am sure that Europa Barbarum will also increase sales.

CA made a great engine and I think it would be a loss if CA does not fully understand what hundreds of modders and artists are capable of and what they can mean to CA.

If this came off like a rant, then I blame Brad Pitt for telling on Live 8: "Let's be bold."

As to your own request, I am not able to at the moment, but I do appreciate your contribution alot!

**SigniferOne** · 07-07-2005, 17:49

Trying to test now!

EDIT: Jerome, you'll have to give us more tips on what to do to test this out: should the four animation pack files be deleted? Should descr_skeleton.txt be deleted? Am I supposed to see anything happen when running the game with -util:animdb enabled? Etc.