Tutorial: Placing Palms on the Battlemap

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Having some problems. I'd like to ask a question or two though:

-is it necessary to install all of your palm files onto a regular 1.5 build, then copy that vegetation.db file, start over on your -mod format build, and insert that vegetation.db file there? If it is... gah

I'm getting ctd's when trying this new vegetation method, but my old way was getting a mix of those palm and conifer sprites (as CB mentioned) still which was bad.
I assume the ctd is because (1) there is no vegetation.db file inside my -mod files, and (2) the new vegetation type isn't present in the "base" files which is where the vegetation.db is based off of.

This was so simple with a non - mod build. Grrrrr. (but changing UI images and such was such a pain back then)

[Dol Guldur]

Not quite sure what you mean but I generated the db file in vanilla 1.5 and then copied it over to my bi modfolder (bi itself drawing on the rome data folder db file in the normal course of events). Then all in 1.5 can be restored to vanilla once copied over to the modfolder. Did you look at the files I sent you? Did you copy over the .vege files? Leaving those out causes a CTD when you go into the battlemap for the climate modded.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

So, putting all your new vege files, palm textures, and sprites into the main 1.5 build, then generating the db file there, copying it, and putting it into your mod folder, and reverting the 1.5 base to vanilla is the way you have to go? I keep trying but getting ctd's even in vanilla now. Pretty sad that I seem to be totally incapable of getting them into the mod after submitting this tutorial in the first place. DAMN THIS -MOD FORMAT DB MESS. Gah. Going back to having conifer sprites but real palms up close is at least better than ctds though. This is the single most frustrating thing I've dealt with in all my work on this game.

[Dol Guldur]

It's been a while since I did it, but as best as I can rememeber you follow your (great) tutorial but edit in Adherbal's bit:

In CI's case the 2 text file excerpts look like this:

descr_vegetation.txt (part 1)

;4a palm forest trees - thx to Shifty and Teleklos of EB

model sa_tree_01
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_1.CAS
}

model sa_tree_02
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_2.CAS
}

model sa_tree_03
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_3.CAS
}

model sa_tree_04
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_4.CAS
}

model sa_tree_05
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_5.CAS
}

model sa_tree_06
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_6.CAS
}

model sa_tree_07
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_swamp_shrub.CAS
}

model sa_tree_08
{
    level ../bi/ci/data/models_vegetation/palm_shrub.CAS
}

descr_vegetation.txt (part 2)

vegetation 4a_near_harad_forest
{
    layout 120 palm_layout.tga
    radius 2
    height_range 0.4 0.8
    aspect_range 0.7 1.3
    lod trees
    model sa_tree_02
    model sa_tree_03
    model sa_tree_04
    model sa_tree_05
}

;4a
vegetation 4a_near_harad_dense_forest modifies 4a_near_harad_forest
{
}

and descr_climates.txt as:

climate semi_arid
{
	colour	0 114 188
	heat	2

	strategy	summer	sparse_tree	olive_a.cas				10
	strategy	summer	dense_tree	olive_a_impassable.cas	10
	strategy	summer	canopy		olive_a_canopy.cas		12

	battle_vegetation
	dense_forest	4a_near_harad_dense_forest
	dense_scrub		semi_arid_dense_scrub

	battle_winter_vegetation
	dense_forest	4a_near_harad_dense_forest
	dense_scrub		semi_arid_dense_scrub
	env_map			data/battlefield/envmaps/grass.dds
}

Then, when all is generated (.vege files, tgas and db), simply copy the veg db file, desc_vegetation.txt, descr_climates.txt into your mod folder's data folder; and then make a vegetation folder in your data folder and copy the *new* sprites into the sprites subfolder, and the *new* textures into a new textures folder, and the *new* generated .vege files (I had 41 of them) direct into the new vegetation folder.

Restore all rtw data files (which should have all been backed up) to vanilla (not least to test your modfolder is working and not drawing from above!)

Does this help?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Third try on your instructions seemed to have gotten it for me Dol. I'll see if this is just on my machine or if others can now replicate it. Thanks for being patient and helping out.

Glad to see CB got his sprites problem fixed too. I must say that his palm trees are simply gorgeous too, btw.

[Dol Guldur]

That's great Teleklos! Glad to repay what your persistence first brought about.

And yes, caius britannicus's palms are superb - as one of those modders who cannot model I'm especially jealous