Modding extras by CA (unsupported)

**Lord Adherbal** · 07-08-2005, 11:52

I gave it a try, and like dsyrow it crashed with no error (-show_err parameter is there).

I will try it with an unmodded RTW version later today, just to be sure the new skeletons I'm using in descr_models_battle.txt (which are not defined in descr_skeleton) dont cause the problem - although I would expect it to return some kind of error message then.

**JeromeGrasdyke** · 07-08-2005, 12:01

Well, if Vercingetorix' tool for modifying the animation pack files works reliably for you, there's not a huge amount of pressure on sorting this out ;) If you guys want to pursue it, I'll help of course, although we're still in the runup to the expansion pack beta over here...

**Lord Adherbal** · 07-08-2005, 18:38

well there is only one thing that caught my interest from the descr_skeleton file:

-id:x,y,z impact delta - specifies the point of weapon impact relative to the starting position of the root node

my question is: would moving this point forward by a "meter" or so allow soldiers from the second line in a unit to attack "throught" the units of the first line ? That would be very usualy for some spear/halberd/pike formations which dont fit with the phalanx formation.

if this doesn't work then IMO the descr_skeleton file doesn't give us much more options then what we can achieve with Verci's tools.

**SigniferOne** · 07-09-2005, 04:11

The ability to parse descr_skeleton.txt is simply invaluable, because not only will we be able to give units the ability to hit from further back, as you said, but we can also define which frame in the attack anim actually is the attack frame, so that the defender's animation can run synchroniously, not wildly irrelevantly like it does now (you attack, the guy ducks like 10 seconds later, etc).

Jerome, the biggest problem right now is the crash without the error message. That may be the best clue as to what is going wrong here, and you knowing that we have such an error might be a hint as to where to look for a solution. Would NOT having a matching .evt for a .cas cause such a crash, or would an error pop up? I really hope you can get your hands on the same build as us, so that you can at least get this parsing ability by the time the x-pak comes out, because you devs will see some amazing wonders from us in that case. Please try to find the same build as what we're using, so you can run through your steps and verify that you get the same nameless error as we do, so that you know that the error does not lie in some wrong step of ours, and are more able to pin down the issue on your side in time for the release. Or, if it is a mistake on our side after all, this would be the very BEST case scenario, and we can enjoy the wonderful ability to parse descr_skeleton.txt right away

**SigniferOne** · 07-11-2005, 02:13

Jerome, here's the deal: I just tried a vanilla version of everything, unpacked the CAS files and the EVT files. Here are the entire contents of my descr_skeleton.txt:

type strat_named_with_army
scale 0.7
anim idle_1 data/animations/SG 01 idle 01.cas
-evt:data\animations\strat_named_with_army__SG 01 idle 01.evt

And the game crashes within seconds of showing the loading screen.

EDIT: Another test. Here are the new ENTIRE contents of my descr_skeleton.txt:

type strat_named_with_army
scale 0.7
anim idle_1 data/animations/SG 01 idle 01.cas

I removed all references even to the EVT files, just the CAS itself. Again, same results, crash immediately upon showing the loading screen; in other words, the game doesn't get far enough to tell me that there are other skeletons lacking, it crashes immediately upon finding that one valid animation entry.

**JeromeGrasdyke** · 11-28-2005, 17:19

Ok, I've finally found a moment to get back to this. My sincere apologies that it's taken so long, but getting new projects off the ground is a very time-consuming business as I'm called upon to contribute to the business, technical and design parts of it all at the same time.

So, I've installed a vanilla copy of Rome, then applied BI to bring it up to version 1.3 / 1.4, deleted the animation pack files, and added in all the .cas and .evt files referenced by the game. It took a little while, but it was worth it... In short, it works as it should -- it loads and runs correctly, without crashing or other strange behaviour. And it even gives error messages for missing .cas files... now, that leaves a couple of possible explanations for the behaviour you guys have seen:

1) some small change in 1.3/1.4 has caused this to suddenly work (unlikely but possible)
2) the unpacking tool generates faulty .cas files which cause the game to crash before an error message is generated (probable)

I've even double-checked by archiving the .cas and .evt files, then deleting the contents of the directory, and then repopulating it from the archives -- there is nothing funny going on, and no further information is needed.

I've also uploaded a new .evt archive which is up to date with BI, in the same place as before. I would upload the .cas archive as well, but it would have to be cleared with legal, and at 10 mb it is some ways beyond the size limit.

**JeromeGrasdyke** · 11-28-2005, 17:23

The archive is called evt_files_bi.zip, if you are having trouble finding it...

**Vercingetorix** · 12-03-2005, 22:29

Originally Posted by JeromeGrasdyke

I've also uploaded a new .evt archive which is up to date with BI, in the same place as before. I would upload the .cas archive as well, but it would have to be cleared with legal, and at 10 mb it is some ways beyond the size limit.

If at all possible this would be much appreciated! One problem that may be causing the CTD is that there are several files in pack.idx/dat that have the same exact filename/path but are not the same file. The only difference is that they have different scale values. So on extraction they get de-scaled and on packing the get re-scaled, so you have the original animations when packed but not unpacked. On the other hand that would just cause some graphical oddities and shouldn't be reason for a CTD. If we could get those .cas files that would be most excellent.

**Private Clark** · 10-27-2006, 03:35

Hey guys, i'm new here. Thanks for the files man.

**xerex** · 04-02-2007, 05:53

I guess this is the thread to watch if you want to change the impact frame for animations. I guess everyone is still waiting to see if V's .cas files are somehow different from the ones the game wants when it reads descr_skeleton.txt.

I did the same tests as everyone else with v1.5 and got the same results, so I think that rules out the possibility of a change from 1.2 to 1.3 making it work. If it finds a .cas file, it dies.

PLEASE make those available (or at least just one so V can figure out what the diff is). Making mumakil behave correctly means changing the impact frame of the elephant animations! and we want well behaved mumakil dangit!