Ok, maybe I am just stupid, but...

[Laridus Konivaich]

What exactly do I do with the files created by xpack? When I put the entire /DATA/ folder into the Rome - Total War/Data/ directory, the game crashes during loading.

I tried just moving UI, since that has most of what I want, but when I move ui_0.pak and ui_1.pak, the game crashes.

Very sorry for the trouble, but this just doesn't seem to make sense to me .

[Narayanese]

You could try repacking the files into ui_1.pak, works for me (I run version 1.0). Someone posted this file somewhere else, I don't remember where or who so I post it again.
www.k.kth.se/danielra/pak_generators.zip, extract to packsfolder
Create a .bat-file in packs folder with this content:
xpak.exe -pf ui_1.txt
Run the bat, wait a little, and delete (simply renaming is enough) your old ui_1.pak and rename the new one to ui_1.pak.

__
Narayanese

Citadel Total War

"Agains the coming of May / That is ful of lustyness, / Let us leve al hevynesse, / As fer as we can or may." - the duke of Orléans

[Myrddraal]

you shouldn't move the pak files themselves. Just the folders created....

Don't move ui_0.pak and ui_1.pak, move the folder UI.

[Laridus Konivaich]

If I don't do anything to the .pak files, then the changes that I make in UI don't show up in the game, even when I have moved it into the Rome - Total War/Data/ directory

So how do I get the changes that I make to show up, such as switching building cards, or editing them?

[Uncle Dave]

OK, here's how it works.

There are tons of files that are effectively invisible, and the unpacker makes them visible.

The file structure that is created when you unpack is:

C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\Data\packs\DATA\UI........

OK, basically ignore all these files. They are just there for raw materials. What you want to do is to copy, paste, rename or whatever you want to do with these files, to create NEW files. But the NEW files go someplace different. You have to create a NEW directory structure for the new files to go into.

Create:

C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\Data\UI.........

[Notice the absence of the word "packs" in this path.]

So any new files you create go in the new directory, not the old one (i.e., not the one with "packs" in the path).

========================================

Example: You want to add "Amazon Chariots" to the Egyptians, and you've already made the appropriate changes to the data files. But you want the SLAVE unit card for Amazon Chariots added to the Egyptians. Here's what you do:

(1) Copy "AMAZON_CHARIOTS_INFO.TGA" from C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\Data\packs\DATA\UI\UNIT_INFO\SLAVE.
(2) Create a new "UI" folder under "Data".
(3) Create a new "UNIT_INFO" folder under "UI".
(4) Create a new "EGYPT" folder under "UNIT_INFO".
(5) Your new path should now be: C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\Data\UI\UNIT_INFO\EGYPT. [Again, notice the absence of the word "packs" in the path.]
(6) Paste the "AMAZON_CHARIOTS_INFO.TGA" into this new "EGYPT" folder.
(7) The ONLY THING in this folder is now the amazon file. NOTHING ELSE. Leave everything else in packs.

========================================

Pretty much anything else you want to do with the files from the packs you can do this way.

Don't both to repack anything. Ever. You never need to do this - it's a waste of time.

========================================

The building cards are in: C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\Data\packs\DATA\UI\EGYPTIAN\BUILDINGS ...and... \CONSTRUCTION

They new files go in: C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\Data\UI\EGYPTIAN\BUILDINGS ...and... \CONSTRUCTION

========================================

Does this help?

[Laridus Konivaich]

Pretty much anything else you want to do with the files from the packs you can do this way.?

So I should do the same type of thing to make new skins? Just using the unit directory instead of buildings? (just yes or no, I don't need any more specific instructions, I think...)

Don't both to repack anything. Ever. You never need to do this - it's a waste of time.

The only reason you would probably want to repack things would be if you were trying to change existing files, such as changing the building icons for a faction, but I think then you would use the .pak patcher... Sorry, I got off topic.

Does this help?

Yes, this is exactly what I needed to hear.