hard coded mercenary units ?

[Hans Kloss]

I have been experiencing rather strange CTD (without error message) when trying to replace models of mercenary units. I have no problem with infantry or missile troops but there seem to be a problem with cavalry units. All CAS files can be imported without any problems into max studio and they work ok in the game when used as ordinary units. Is there a problem with mercenary unit?

Please do excuse my post if this question has already been answered

[Dol Guldur]

Someone is going to need a lot more than that to answer your question, unless they guess lucky. My guess would be no slave faction assigned in either (or both the) EDU or(and) DMB file (for the mount in the latter's case).

[Hans Kloss]

THX Dol Guldur
At the moment there is a problem with following units :merc_equites_veteranii, merc_graal_knights and merc_sarmatian_auxilia but I will need to test other merc horse units.

[Hans Kloss]

I have sorted out merc_equites_veteranii and tested other horse units-everything seems ok.Sarmatian and Graal knights still cause CTD

[edyzmedieval]

Somebody spotted a bug with the Mercenary Graal Knights, so don't bother with them.....

[Hans Kloss]

Yeah thx I have seen that the post on twcenter.Apparently there is more to it then just replacing cas files or editing text.

[Hans Kloss]

anyway problem finally solved...after 2 days of testing

[Dromikaites]

anyway problem finally solved...after 2 days of testing

It would be interesting to hear the solution - that would save other folks the trouble.

[Hans Kloss]

I would not advise anyone adding mercenary units unless you are prepared to go through long process of editing quite a few files and experiencing and many CTDs without error messages
By default all mercenary are assign to Slaves and this faction has reached its limits for number of units allowed.I'm not 100% sure if there is a full working pattern on adding new unit but this is what needs to be done.BTW this is not a tutorial just simply my observations :

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

BACK UP ALL FILES YOU ARE GOING TO EDIT

1.Enable Slaves in custom battles for testing (in descr_sm_factions)

2.Adding usual lines in export_descr_unit, export_descr_unit_enums and export_units (text folder).Descr_model_battle comes next: some mercenary units need to have their own texture lines,some don't and same goes for model_sprite (I believe)

3.Testing time for new unit : if CTD (black screen , no error message) happens when loading custom battle you probably need to change ownership (delete slave bit) of some units to make space for our newly created mercenaries.Apart from export_descr_unit, you would need alter descr_rebel_factions and of course descr_strat in campaign folder plus descr_mercenaries for unit to appear on the campaign map.

Those test were made with Attila's Reloaded Late Roman skins installed

[Monkwarrior]

By default all mercenary are assign to Slaves and this faction has reached its limits for number of units allowed.I'm not 100% sure if there is a full working pattern on adding new unit but this is what needs to be done.

Any idea about that limit?

I never observed that kind of problem, and in my mod nearly all the recruitable units are also assigned to slaves, as well as a large number of mercenaries. Moreover I've been testing the slave faction in campaign without problems.

This is in fact for RTW 1.2, but I don't know if it is different in 1.3.
I tested the mercenary units by assigning them also to another faction, usually the julii or an empty faction (I'm using only 14).
Perhaps the problem is the limit in recruitable units for custom battles, when you enable slaves for them. Did you mean that?

[Hans Kloss]

This test was done on BI but if I recall it right I have never had any problems with mercenaries in 1.2.But it seem BI is different in that respect.Of course I might have been doing something wrong but could not for example assign merc equites veteranii (for testing purpose) to any other faction then ERE WRE (rebels included) or Slaves

Perhaps the problem is the limit in recruitable units for custom battles, when you enable slaves for them. Did you mean that ?

It could be... I really don't know...I could see unit's icon in pre battle menu,could select it and when loading black screen crash.Regardless wheter unit was assign to Slaves or any other faction.Campaign map was pretty much the same...everything going ok until loading battle.Then I started removing some units from Slaves (In my view there is no need for so many of them anyway) and things began to work